Month

December 2013

One of My Babies Has Fur & Bad Breath

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When my husband & I first met, one of the first things that we agreed on was that we did not want to have children. We were always on the go, with parties, sporting events & travel. A child was far too much responsibility for a couple with our life style. We didn’t even have the time for a pet.
One day a good friend of ours asked us if we would be willing to foster a rescue dog. He was an Australian Cattle dog pup from Tennessee & just needed a temporary home until he found a family to adopt him. Why not? It was only short term…or so I thought. As soon as I saw him, it was love at first sight.

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Duke became a member of our family.

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For a couple that wasn’t having any children, he became like a furry adopted son to us. He slept in our bed, cuddled with us on the couch & even traveled with us.

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Then it happened…

The couple, who didn’t want babies, changed their mind. Only a month after deciding that we wanted to extend our family, we found out that we were expecting.

Duke was excited when he found out that he was going to be a big brother. He curled up with his little sister, still inside my belly, every night.

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As it got closer to my due date, we began to worry. How he would react when we finally brought her home? Would he be jealous? Would he jump up on her? Could we still have him on our bed, with the baby in the co-sleeper? I did a lot of reading about babies & dogs. I was worried, but I vowed that I would still give my furry little guy just as much love as before. That was easier said than done.

The big day finally arrived. Our baby girl was born. It was time to bring Mai home. Carrying her through the door, Duke reacted with his usual greeting of jumps & licks. Our reaction to him, however, changed a bit. What used to be a hug & a pat on the head was now a firm hand pushing his affection away. We didn’t want him hurting the baby.

That first night I am sure was confusing for him. The lap that was normally reserved for him had a stranger on it. He now took the backseat to this new little girl.

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The first few months were difficult for him. He developed anxiety & licked his paws until he gave himself sores. He couldn’t understand why his mommy & daddy would yell at him when he would jump up on the couch or bark at the UPS man. It is what he had always done. The veterinarian told us he was depressed. This made us feel horrible, but at the same time this dog that I once adored, became the recipient of my anger & resentment. “He’s going to wake the baby.” “There is dog hair all over her toys.” “He better not jump up on her.” Life had changed dramatically for all of us. Duke was no longer mommy & daddy’s favorite.

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Still he was curious about this little creature that screamed and pooped a lot. What is all the fuss? I’m cute too & I poop outside. It was time for him to investigate.

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He sniffed, he licked & he stared. In time he learned not to jump or run around her. He touched her gently and gave his little sister loving puppy kisses.

As time went on, she learned to love him back …

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Until one day they became the best of friends.

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While most of the love that we used to give to Duke, has been taken away & given to our daughter. She gives him back enough to more than make up for it. Mai has a big brother. He has fur and bad breath & she loves him.

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Up Next: It’s a Marshmallow World

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http://bumpyroadtobubba.com/2014/03/06/how-many-times-each-day/

http://gianaterranovaphotography.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/guerin-family-christmas-shoot/

http://kyleymarie.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/iced-in/

http://lessonsfrommydogkids.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/christmas-puppies/

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/daily-prompt-my-precious/

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Daddy’s Slow Cooker Turkey Soup

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I am going to gush for just a moment about my husband. I like to poke fun of him a lot in my posts. He is a really good sport about it. I tease about him being a “Yes daddy”, which he is, but he is the best “Yes daddy” out there. The truth is my husband is amazing. I often don’t give him enough credit for all that he does for the family. Lord knows, I am not always a picnic to be around, but he is consistently loving & supportive and I adore him for it.

Let me let you in on a little secret, I am not the greatest home maker. After the birth of our daughter, my housekeeping skills have become virtually non-existent. Thankfully, my husband helps with the household duties. He does the laundry & I hate doing it. I clean the bathrooms and floors & he rarely picks up a broom. We have a great balance for keeping our happy, messy home.

We also share in cooking duties. This weekend daddy did all the cooking. He made two of his specialties. He made his family recipe for venison mostaccioli, which unfortunately I can’t share & he made his famous crock pot turkey soup.

I am not much of a soup fan. It has never been a meal that excited me or filled me up, but my hubby’s soup is hearty & delicious and I love it. It is also a healthy and low fat meal option for those watching their diets.

Slow Cooker Turkey Soup

Ingredients:

Leftover turkey carcass (12-14 lbs starting weight)

3 whole celery stalks

3 whole & peeled carrots

2 whole medium onions (peeled)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried minced garlic

1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

1/4 tsp celery salt

1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder

1 tbsp salt

1 15 oz can of Veg-all (mixed vegetable blend)

1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth

1 2.25 oz pack of dry noodle soup mix (Lipton or store brand)

1/2 cup of pearled barley

Place all ingredients except last 4 to the bottom of a 6.5 quart slow cooker, with the carcass being added last. Fill the slow cooker with water. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. After 6-7 hours, strain the loose meat, whole vegetables & bones. Pick out the bones carefully, return the meat. Chop up the cooked carrots & celery stalks and add to slow cooker. Add the remainder of the ingredients & cook on low for 1 more hour.

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The soup was delicious as always. Our picky girl even enjoyed two bowls. Thanks daddy.

Up Next: Don’t Forget Your Furry Babies

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http://mobitesfood.com/2013/12/09/thai-vegetarian-minestrone-a-soup-for-all-seasons/

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http://whatsintheoven.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/bacon-cheeseburger-soup/

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Exploring my Toddler’s Imagination – The Rorschach experiment

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I think my toddler’s mind is a fascinating thing. I will sometimes sit and stare at her & watch as her brain processes what is in front of her. Today she turns 23 months old. She is entering a new stage in her development right now. Her imagination is evolving right before our eyes.
It started slowly, with simple copy cat acts such as pretending to talk on the phone or tucking in her baby to go to sleep.

Continue Reading…

Build A Felt Snowman

Buildafeltsnowman.jpgI’m a New Englander. Tonight, marks the first snowfall of the season for us. There is a love /hate relationship between snow with most New Englanders. Every year, I get excited when that first snowflake drops. It just does not feel like the holidays with out it. That first snowfall is so beautiful. It is perfect and untouched. It makes the ground & the trees glisten and it just invites you to come out & play in it. Then the problem is you do, then realize that it is also cold & wet and that you would rather be inside by the fireplace sipping your cocoa.

Last year was my daughter’s first winter. We couldn’t wait to take her outside & pull her around the yard in her sled, but once we got out there, I immediately began to worry about the cold. We pulled Mai around the yard a couple of times, took this happy family picture & then went back in the house where it was warm.

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 I said to myself, “Next year will be better.” ” She will be older. We can build a snowman.”

Well the year flew by & here we are already into another winter. As the snow is touching down on the ground, I am already daydreaming about taking our daughter out in the snow again.

I know myself though & the paranoid mommy in me will probably do the same again this year. It made me think, I wish I could bring some of the fun of the snow into the warmth of our home.

I have seen a number of felt projects in my travels though Pinterest & other bloggers. I have seen the felt Christmas trees, advent calendars & a clever felt gingerbread house. Why couldn’t I make a felt snowman?

Let me just warn you ahead of time. I am not a seamstress. Sometimes I see some of the other posts on here, of recipes, family anecdotes, photos & crafts and it makes me feel a little inadequate. I am not a chef, I am not a writer, a photographer or a very good sewer.

I am a mommy, with big ideas, a tight wallet & all the best intentions, so occasionally my projects come out less than perfect. This would be one of those times.

FELT SNOWMAN

White Felt – I used about 2 yards

Black & orange felt (or colors of your own choosing)

Needle & thread

Sewing machine (optional, you may sew by hand if you do not own one)

Glue gun

Fiber fill (I used 2 30 oz bags)

Cardboard

Bean bags (I filled Ziplocks with rice)

FELT SNOWMAN

Decide how big of a snowman that you want. Draw out your circle on the felt.

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Cut 2 of the same sized circles.

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Sew the two circles together by sewing around the edges. Do not sew all the way around. Leave a large opening unsewn.

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Stuff fiber fill in the open end.

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Here was mess up #1. I originally made the snowman just with the fiber fill stuffing thinking that this was going to be stable enough to stay upright. I was wrong. I reopened the bottom of the snowman & filled the bottom with homemade bean bags of Ziplock bags & rice.

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a piece of cardboard to fit the shape of the bottom of your snowman.

Cut a piece of cardboard to fit the shape of the bottom of your snowman.

Place inside the bottom of the snowman with the bean bags on top.

Place inside the bottom of the snowman with the bean bags on top.

Sew the bottom shut & then go and get a manicure because your nails look horrible.

Sew the bottom shut.

0172Repeat all steps except for filling with bean bags & cardboard to form a second ball.

Repeat all steps except for filling with beanbags & cardboard to form a second ball.

 0301Cut out circles using the black felt.

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Cut on thin white strips to glue into the black felt to make it look like a button.

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0271Cut out a carrot from the orange felt & make any other pieces that you would like for your snowman. Gather a hat & scarf.

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If you are actually a seamstress, I am sure that you could bring a more polished look to this idea. The snowman is lumpy & I made a lot of sewing mistakes but my little girl loved her snowman. She was placing the button & coal pieces all over the place & thought that the scarf was his dress. She hugged him & tried to feed him some of her milk. Sometimes, imperfection can be beautiful…

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                                                       Up next…Inside My Child’s Wild Imagination

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http://www.bloglovin.com/framehttp://handmadebysoo.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/traditional-christmas-tree-fairy-lights-hand-knitted/

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It’s a Rice Krispies Treat Christmas

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I think it is safe to say, that most people like Rice Krispies treats. What’s not to like? They are easy to make, sweet , gooey & just so darn delicious.

My husband & I like them a bit more than the average person. If you don’t believe me, how many of you had your wedding cake made out of Rice Krispies treats?

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It is a lot less messy during the cake feeding, but it hurts a lot more if you smash it into your spouse’s face.

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You can imagine my excitement when I was at the checkout counter of the grocery store & saw a magazine cover featuring a Rice Krispies Christmas tree.  I already had an idea for making Rice Krispies ornaments & was anxious to try them both.

I immediately took mental stock of my ingredients.  All I needed was some marshmallows.  Just in case you don’t stock all the ingredients for Rice Krispies treats handy, here is what you need.

Ingredients

5 cups of Rice Krispies

1/4 cup of butter or margarine

40 large marshmallows

green food coloring

colored icing

peanut butter cup minis

mini M&Ms

Directions for trees

1.In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat.

2.Stir in marshmallows & food coloring until you achieve desired color. Stir until completely melted .

3.Remove from heat & slowly stir in cereal until evenly coated with marshmallow mixture.

4.Lay down a layer of wax paper to work on.

5.Wet your hands to keep the Rice Krispies from sticking & grab a handful & form into a triangular shape (keep hands moistened in between each formation to avoid sticking.)

6. After all triangles are formed & cooled, use icing to add a peanut butter cup to the base.

7. Add a yellow M&M mini to the top of the tree, adhering it with icing.

8. Use red & green icing to dot on the ornaments.

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Directions for Ornaments

The same amount of ingredients will be needed as well as Cheerios

Follow steps 1-4

Wet hands & form fist sized balls with Rice Krispies treats.

After using all of the mixture to form balls, set aside to cool.

Use icing to adhere a peanut butter cup to the top of each ball.

Use icing to decorate your ornament.

With icing secure a Cheerio to the top of the peanut butter cup.

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Don’t forget to thank your favorite helper.

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Serve the treats to your hungry family & enjoy the smiles.

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Up next…Indoor Snowman

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http://foodandeverythingelse.me/2013/12/08/braided-nutella-christmas-tree/

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Christmas Sensory Box

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Up until about two months ago I never heard of a sensory box. I started seeing them popping up all over Pinterest. I remember thinking, “I don’t see how this would interest my daughter” , but still I was intrigued by the idea. It turns out I could not have been more wrong. It makes me a little angry that I didn’t know about these earlier, because they truly are a mommy sanity saver.

 

Since it tis the season & all, I thought a Christmas sensory box would be just the thing to get our daughter excited for the holidays.

The last box we made was filled with multi-colored rice, scoops & tiny little animals & creepy crawly critters. Mai loved it! It would keep her occupied for hours on end, but I was picking rice out of the strangest places weeks later.

 

I wanted one a little less messy this time around. The idea I had involved using  cotton blankets of snow & mixing assorted Christmas themed items inside the folds of cotton.

I love the Dollar Store. The dollar store is perfect for finding affordable fillers for sensory play. Lucky for me, I work right next door to one & can shop on my lunch breaks for wonderful treasures. Here are a few of the items that I was lucky enough to find.

 

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I had my ingredients, lets construct our box.

 

I use a Rubber Maid storage bin for ours. I pulled and stretched at the blankets of snow to make it loose & fluffy & placed it in the bin. I cut the garland into several pieces & lined the outside. I had hundreds of plastic mini ornaments. I placed them evenly throughout the snow, hiding them with the folds. I did the same with the pine cones, rubber leaves & berries. The cloth presents were just laid across the top.

 

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Mai was so excited as mommy was putting this together. She kept yelling “box, box!”

“Ok, baby girl.” It is ready. Dig in!

 

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The verdict: The Christmas sensory box was a hit. She played with it so quietly for about an hour before bed. Awwww.. Life is good.

Up next: Holiday Traditions

 

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http://lilfootprints.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/creepy-crawly-slimey-worms-and-flies/

http://binyaminamontessori.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/color-week-curiosity-box/

http://thepinterestedparent.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/treasure-hunt-bottles/