tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89294283932678930752024-02-19T03:59:16.571-06:00Tots and TailsTheresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-6278873759120795362017-06-19T06:00:00.000-05:002017-06-19T06:00:07.328-05:00RefocusingI know my blog has been quiet for over a month. There's a good reason for that. During the month of May, I realized I wasn't consistently meeting my health goals. In fact, I was only meeting them about half the month. My chart, which was meant to be a tool to keep me on track, was stressing me out and I was bored with walking and eating salads. As a result, I'm modifying my goals. My new goals will be much less rigid. I'm still aiming for 10 minutes of intense activity during the day. But, this can include a walk with Steve and the kids, playing on a playground with the kids, yoga, Zumba or anything else I please. For water, I'm striving to finish two of my water bottles at work and drink water with supper. My water bottle contains 24 ounces so if I finish two at work, I have a good start on drinking water. As for my diet, I have a new goal to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If I have a piece of fruit with breakfast and a fruit and a vegetable with lunch and supper, I should be able to meet this goal. I don't plan to add any new goals until these goals become a daily habit. Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-60246986677658050492017-04-27T05:56:00.001-05:002017-04-27T05:56:53.422-05:00Has anyone seen my motivation?Raise your hand if you're sick of hearing about my health goals. It's OK if your hand is raised. Mine is too. Friends, my motivation is waning. I'm not seeing the results I thought I'd be seeing by now. I'm still out of shape and lacking energy. I still have to think about every single one of my goals every single day. It's frustrating that at least a few of my goals haven't become ingrained habits. However I keep reminding myself, this is why I'm doing this. I didn't become out of shape, exhausted and stressed in one day and those issues won't be fixed in a day. Realistically, it's probably going to be another two to three months of being consistent with my goals before I see any real change in my health. The perfectionist in me is very annoyed but the realist in me is not surprised.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-23708245538238026132017-04-24T06:00:00.000-05:002017-04-24T06:00:29.686-05:00Meals to Love: Sausage, Egg & Cheese BurritosI'm taking a break from the health related posts to introduce a new feature: Meals to Love. A couple times a month, I'll post a meal we love to eat. As many of you know, I love to cook, bake and talk about food. (This blog did used to be called For the Love of Food, after all.)<div>
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Sunday we had one of my favorite meals: homemade sausage, egg and cheese burritos. I love this meal because it's hearty, filling, simple and cheap. One day I came home for lunch and we didn't have many left-overs. Steve and I didn't want to get fast food and pulled together this meal based on the ingredients in our fridge. Are you ready for the recipe? Here it is!</div>
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Sausage, Egg & Cheese Burritos</div>
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1 lb ground sausage</div>
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7 eggs</div>
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tortillas</div>
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shredded cheese (taco or cheddar)</div>
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salsa</div>
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Brown up the sausage and transfer to a bowl. In the same frying pan, scramble the eggs. Warm your tortilla for 10 seconds in the microwave. Put some sausage down the middle of the tortilla and then some eggs. Top with cheese and salsa. Roll up your tortilla and eat!</div>
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How simple is that?! For the kids, we skip the tortillas. They're a little too little to hold them properly. We put the eggs and sausage on their plate. Katherine does not like the sausage and egg mixed together. We found that out the hard way the first time we made these. With Sean's dairy allergy, we skip the cheese for him. We've also made it with green peppers. It's a very easy meal to customize to your tastes. Add some fruit on the side and you have a complete meal. The whole meal takes about 20 minutes to make. I love fast, simple and delicious meals. </div>
Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-66773711660790134092017-04-17T11:37:00.000-05:002017-04-17T11:37:35.415-05:00That Was A Bad IdeaOK, so... I sorta fell off the goal wagon last week and I can totally tell. Both of my kids were sick (not with the same thing and thankfully, not with the stomach flu) and I felt like I was getting sick. I threw my goals out the window and that was definitely a bad idea. I felt like crap because I was eating junk and not exercising; I also gained some weight. Not a lot of weight but I don't want the trend to continue. April's goal is to eat a salad with lunch every day. Do you know what makes that really difficult? Not having any lettuce. I didn't buy lettuce the last time I went grocery shopping because I thought I already had a bag. Turns out that bag went furry waiting for me to eat it. We fed it to the garbage. I'm recommitting to my goals this week. I had an orange with my breakfast and am stopping by the grocery store on my way home to get some lettuce. I'm refocusing on my water goal and have a plan to walk tonight. This is normally the time when I let go of my New Year's resolutions. But I'm determined to not do that this year. I want to be a healthy, fit, non-stressed out person. To achieve that, I need to stick with my goals. I have noticed when I'm really sleep-deprived, drinking a lot of ice water actually gives me more energy than drinking a lot of pop. I keep reminding myself that even though it's a little thing, it's a sign I'm on the right path with my health. Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-25521288724288263512017-04-05T06:13:00.000-05:002017-04-05T06:13:15.153-05:00What's Holding Me Back?Earlier in March, I was reading Shape magazine and one of the articles made me really think. The article talked about kids always moving and being active but at some point, we stop moving. It might be when we're adults, preteens or teens. The article made the statement that we need to figure out why stopped and then we go forward with our fitness goals. This statement stayed with me. I had been an active child, attending dance lessons once a week in addition to running around the farm and playing on our swing set and later riding horses. I did a lot of thinking. Why did I stop? I had always enjoyed being active. What made me stop? It finally hit me. I stopped when being active was no longer fun. In seventh grade, I quit dance to participate in sports. I didn't have the natural sports ability that I had with dance. As a result, I was placed on the D team for volleyball (we always played last), sat on the bench for most basketball games and really, really hated track. I went out for only volleyball in eighth grade and then nothing in high school. Being active was no longer fun. I did ride horses on our farm and was very good at it until my horse went wild while I was riding him and bucked me off. After an ambulance ride to the hospital, my only injuries were a jammed hip and a slightly scratched up face. (I landed on my hands and knees and somewhat my face on hard gravel.) I still loved horses but now I was afraid. (Please no helpful advice about how I should have gotten right back on. I know that and I regret letting my fear hold me back from an activity I truly loved.) So what does all of this mean now? I need to find ways to make fitness and being healthy fun. It's the only way I'll stick with it. I had always enjoyed walking, which is why I made it one of my early goals. Yoga is an activity I enjoy. It's even better when done with a friend so I plan to do that at least once a month. (Yoga is also good for me because it's low impact. The high impact activities seem to aggravate my hip and knee.) Later, I'd love to incorporate some kind of dance or aerobics into my fitness routine. It might need to be years down the road. I don't have a ton of free time to devote to a fitness class right now. Currently I squeeze fitness in when I have a free moment, which isn't always the same time every day. Katherine mentioned needing to learn to jump rope. My immediate thought was we need to get jump ropes for her and me. I plan to continue to look for ways to make fitness fun.<br />
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April's Health Goal: eat a salad everyday with lunch (this can be a large salad as my lunch or a small side salad)<br />
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March's Score Card: For the most part, I did OK with my goals in March. I created a simple chart to track my progress with my goals. This way I can't fool myself into thinking I'm doing better than I actually am. I still struggle with drinking enough water. Most of my goals I hit practically every day. A few times I walked longer than 10 minutes because I had missed the day before. Overall I'm happy with how things are going. <br />
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<br />Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-78033380004639294932017-03-23T05:56:00.000-05:002017-03-23T05:57:35.236-05:00St. Patrick's Day Health GoalLast Friday was St. Patrick's Day, my favorite holiday. My hometown has a huge celebration lasting the entire week. I love it. I didn't go home this year. Every year I don't go home, I'm homesick. I see people's pictures on Facebook and just miss it. There are other St. Patrick's Day celebrations outside of Emmetsburg but there's just something special about Emmetsburg's celebration. I decided we are going home for next year's celebration. Our kids are old enough that they will love the parade and all of the kids' activities. I also saw pictures of one of my high school friends' sister and their mom after completing the O'Round the Loch Run and decided I want to do that too. The O'Round the Loch Run has been around for ages but I've never participated. I'm not a runner or much of an athlete. In high school, my cousin was the athletic one and I was happy to be her cheerleader (unofficially). However in an effort to be healthier and more physically fit, I decided I should participate in a 5K. Initially the plan was to do a mud run with my husband. After all what could be more fun than a mud obstacle course?! I might still do a mud run with Steve but I think my hometown's 5K would be nice as my first 5K. I have no idea if I'll be able to run the entire thing or if I'll half-jog, half-walk it. But that's my goal and it's out there now. I do know I need to work a little harder to be ready for a 5K in a year. I'll have to take up the dreaded sport of running. (I seriously hate it.) This Year of Health is about changing my mindset regarding my health overall and I hope I can change my mind about my athletic abilities. I don't think I'm nearly as uncoordinated and clumsy as I've told myself I am. Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-37774696527141639132017-03-16T06:15:00.000-05:002017-03-16T06:15:05.254-05:00March Health Goals UpdateHere is my health goals update. I promise I'll think of better blog titles going forward. Well, friends, life has happened. I've realized I need something visual to keep track of my goals. I'm working on creating a chart so I can mark when I meet a goal. I'm a visual person so a chart will work wonderfully and it'll also relieve me of having to mentally keep track. My water needs to be upped a bit but it's not horrible. My water bottle at work holds 24 ounces. If I want to meet my goal, I need to finish at least two and a half water bottles. Finishing 3 water bottles would be fantastic but I'm not there yet. Right now, I usually finish 2 water bottles. I'm not walking hardly at all. I need to start walking on my lunch hour. I think it might be the only way I can fit walking into my day. Previously I was walking while Steve gave the kids a bath or after supper but that doesn't seem to be working now. I don't walk after the kids are in bed because I'm usually pretty tired and am getting things prepped for the next day. I'm doing pretty well with March's goal of eating fruit with breakfast. I missed a few days but have met the goal more days than I missed. I'm counting that as a win. Also a small health move I made was to give up candy for Lent. I did slip up last weekend when I bought a candy bar on my way to West Des Moines. However, by the time I remembered, I was back in the car and on the road. I ate the candy bar anyway but have not any candy since.<div>
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I'm hopeful I can improve my walking and stick to my goals a little better going forward. I knew the physical fitness goals would be the hardest to implement. If you have any health goals, I'd love to hear about them so we can cheer each other on.</div>
Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-6001835150115547762017-03-06T06:22:00.001-06:002017-03-06T06:22:57.721-06:00HealthHealth. Such a simple word with such a huge definition. It's also the word I picked for 2017. (I picked up the trend from the blogging world of choosing one word to define your year.) This year I want to focus on my health. I want to be healthier and feel better than I currently do. This is not about losing weight; although losing 5-7 pounds would not be the worst thing in the world. This is about taking care of myself so I can play with my kids. This is about not feeling exhausted every single day. This is a desperate measure to try to sleep better. It's about making healthy changes to keep my increased health risks at bay (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc). It's about being properly hydrated so my skin isn't so dry and my hands don't crack and bleed in the winter. (Yes, that happens.) This is an attempt to not be a stressed out frazzled mess. It's also an attempt to get proper nutrition instead of eating junk. This is not a diet but a lifestyle change. But most of all, it's about making myself a priority. I want the changes I implement this year to be long-term changes.<br />
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How am I accomplishing this? I'm picking one healthy habit to implement each month with the idea that each month will build upon the previous month. My goal for January was to drink 68 ounces of water every single day. Am I doing this perfectly? No, it's something I still have to work on. I do best when I'm work with my water bottle on my desk. I do worst when I'm at home chasing after my kids. I've pulled out my home water bottle which holds 20 ounces and plan to use that on the weekends. <br />
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February's goal was to walk 10 minutes every day. I think I hit that goal about half the month. Not so great. I'm still working on fitting walking into my schedule. When it gets nice out, I plan to walk during my lunch break. Steve and I also plan to do family walks in the evenings when it's nice out. For now, I've been walking in my house for 10 minutes or on the treadmill in the basement. A bonus with the treadmill? I watch a Spanish-language show on Netflix and the time flies by. Later in the year, I plan to increase the length of my walks and eventually add some strength training. I'm a wimp and I'm a tired of being a wimp.<br />
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This month's goal is to eat a piece of fruit with my breakfast every morning. So far, I'm doing great with this goal. I didn't eat fruit for breakfast yesterday but I had crabby kids in the morning. I opted to snuggle with them and eat only a piece of toast. Eventually I would like to be eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day. I'm not saying this is the only piece of fruit that I eat each day but it's the one I'm guaranteed to eat.<br />
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April's goal will be to eat a salad with lunch every day. It doesn't have to be a large salad but I plan to have at least a side salad at lunch. I also plan to set a goal of flossing every day later in the year. Perhaps, that'll be May's goal. I floss but not as often as I should. I don't have all the goals planned out but that's OK. I'm tweaking this every month to do what works for me.<br />
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So, the purpose of this blog post? I realize I need some accountability. I plan to post my progress each week. If you would all be my cheerleaders, I would love it. However, this is not a request for advice. Please realize I've given this a lot of thought. If my plan doesn't seem like something that would work for you, that's OK. Slow, steady, gradual changes are what work best for me. Please realize, I am a healthy person. I don't have any health conditions that you need to be concerned about or worry about. I simply want to feel the best I can and be as healthy as I can be. If you would follow along, I'd love it. Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-74410704188733679252016-10-22T22:05:00.000-05:002016-10-22T22:05:26.729-05:00The Mom I Never Wanted To BeI am the mom I never wanted to be. I'm the mom no one wants to be actually. It's a sad thing to think but it's true. I'm a preemie mom and a food allergy mom. No one wants to be either of those but yet, here I am owning both titles. <br />
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Katherine was born prematurely at 33 weeks ushering me into the Preemie Momma club. It took me a long time to accept what happened. My body had failed us. You're supposed to carry your baby to term. You're supposed to take your baby home with you when you leave the hospital and not leave her there in the NICU to be cared for by nurses and not her mom and dad. And most people succeed at doing so and don't bat an eye. But not me. My pregnancy with Katherine morphed into a life-threatening situation that at times, I still can't believe. I can't believe how fast everything went wrong and I can't believe how lucky we are that I lived and that Katherine doesn't have any lasting effects from her premature birth. I had planned to have a completely natural unmedicated birth because it's what I always wanted. (Absolutely no judgement regarding other people's choices. Our births are our births and our preferences are our own.) Everything went south when my atypical preeclampsia went into full swing and an emergency c-section was needed to save our lives. My lungs were filling with fluid from all of the swelling. Had I not gone to the hospital the night Katherine was born, I would have drown to death. Just typing that is mind-boggling. But we made it through it. Katherine lived in the NICU for 28 days. The majority of the time she lived there, I stayed there. I slept in her NICU room on a cot provided by the hospital so I could be present for every feeding. I don't regret staying there. <br />
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Sean is highly allergic to peanuts and allergic to dairy thus my title of Food Allergy Mom. We're at the beginning of our journey with food allergies and how to manage them. We've made mistakes but we've also gotten a lot right. The scary thing about his allergy is not being able to let my guard down about his food for a second. The one time I didn't think and gave him a cookie at a community event, it was a peanut butter cookie and he had a reaction. Not an anaphylactic reaction (thank God) but a reaction none the less. We've made our home peanut-free under the advice of his allergist. When asked if we should do this, the allergist's exact words were "I'd sleep better at night if you did.". Another direct quote from Sean's allergist, "This is the real deal peanut allergy. I don't like giving these diagnosis but this is very serious.". If hearing those words about your own child doesn't strike fear into your heart, I don't know what will. The scary reality for Sean is if we don't monitor all of his food and read all of the ingredients, he could have a life-threatening reaction. Before he was diagnosed and we suspected his reaction, I didn't sleep at night. I was afraid we had given him something he was allergic too without knowing it and he went into anaphylactic shock while he was sleeping. Is this insane? Probably. We were very careful with his food once we suspected his allergy but I was uneducated about his allergy and terrified for my child. There is a possibility he could outgrow his allergies. It's more likely he will outgrow the dairy allergy than the peanut allergy. Outgrowing a peanut allergy is possible but not very many people do. We're praying he outgrows it but not getting our hopes up. I struggle with the idea that he'll have this condition for the rest of his life. <br />
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The thing I've discovered about both of these titles is there's a sisterhood that comes with them. All preemie mommas remember the date they brought their babies home. We welcome each other into the group; even though we don't want new members. There's an understanding when you find another preemie mom. There's a strength in preemie moms because we've been through so much at the beginning of our mom journey. There's also comfort in numbers, I've found. I've found comfort in meeting other Food Allergy Moms because they get it. They get what it's like to read food labels, to be afraid of anaphylactic shock and of not being able to relax about your child's diet. We understand about asking what oil is used in food fast restaurants and leaving a restaurant if the oil contains an allergen. We understand debating if you should pack your child's lunch or let him eat the hot lunch provided by school. This is an easy decision for non-allergy moms but one that takes up a lot of mental space for food allergy moms. Any food allergy mom (or food allergy individual) I've met so far has been willing to share their experiences and coping mechanisms. And for that I am grateful. Some day I'll be on the other side of this journey and comforting a new member of the Food Allergy Mom club but for now, I'm taking the comfort of the moms who have been there. <br />
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And while it is sad to bear mom titles no one wants to bear, I wouldn't change anything (ok, I'd make Sean's allergies not life-threatening but that's it). These titles have made me a stronger mom and a better mom. I'm grateful I'm the mom I never wanted to be because it's exactly the mom I'm supposed to be.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-57025890618261075822016-06-22T21:35:00.000-05:002016-06-22T21:35:15.117-05:00Declutter My WorldConfession: Steve and I hadn't really decluttered/deep cleaned our house since we moved in...over 4 years ago. I've deep cleaned the kitchen and the bathrooms but certain areas of our house, like the basement, sat ignored. Stuff accumulated in those areas. A lot of stuff. You see, I would go through things in the main living areas of the house and say "This is going to Goodwill" and down to the basement the item would go. And all of those items stayed in the basement until last month. Earlier in April, I decided I needed to dedicate a day to deep cleaning when the kids would be at daycare. I knew serious decluttering/deep cleaning would not happen if our kids were here. I picked a day and told Steve my plan. He decided to also take the day off and help me. I'm really glad he did. We were able to work together but also divide and conquer. I had an ambitious list. A list I knew would not get fully completed. My list: basement, coat closet, office, porch, and other closets. We conquered the basement (no small feat), the coat closet, the kids' toys and our porch. I'm pretty psyched to say all of the areas are staying clutter free. I'm really proud of the basement, even though there are no before and after pictures to illustrate my point and we're the only ones that see it. It was cluttered with stuff that needed a designated spot or crap that just needed to leave our house for good. We made 2 trips to Goodwill and filled our large garbage can outside. It was so nice! The coat closet was also a huge success. There was too much stuff in there: board games, coats that were too big and small for the people living in our house, coloring books, crayons, random outdoor toys, etc. It's a small closet and it was packed to the brim. There was no breathing room in this closet whatsoever. I moved the board games and decks of cards to the basement. Steve and I haven't been able to play board games since Katherine was born. Something about small pieces and a baby just didn't seem like a good idea... We'll have family game nights when the kids get a little older but for now, the board games don't need to be upstairs. The coats that didn't fit were moved to the basement. The outdoor toys were taken to the porch and added to the outdoor toy tote. <br />
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I'm most proud of the toys. Any parent can attest to how easy it is for toys to get out of hand. Our toys had spiraled out of control. I refuse to have a designated toy room in our house. My kids don't need that many toys and they usually want to be where we are anyways. I did have to stop halfway through the toys and run to Dollar Tree for storage containers. All of the food-related toys and play kitchen stuff went to the kitchen where we have their toy kitchen set up. After I came back with the storage containers I started separating the toys. Here are the categories I came up with: Little People items, blocks, puzzles, dress-up items, cars, balls, Legos, random small toys they like, stuffed animals, baby dolls and baby doll items, MegaBlocks and craft items. I do have a few miscellaneous toys that stayed upstairs but all other toys were taken to the basement. If we had duplicates of toys that weren't played with often, the duplicate went to Goodwill. I didn't take before pictures but here are a few after pictures:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWk_phMp7svpQzizWLjDZSCpjvtVGb-ZqsOGRQW1V5ChJKNJOJXagX8rJHygB3m31KUi2cyjm9JizLNUNDa8uTcclxQl3MnipLBSNXdGzCdEkYvwHKd1PTRaEG0evkwLfqeYdua3xyYZB/s1600/toys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWk_phMp7svpQzizWLjDZSCpjvtVGb-ZqsOGRQW1V5ChJKNJOJXagX8rJHygB3m31KUi2cyjm9JizLNUNDa8uTcclxQl3MnipLBSNXdGzCdEkYvwHKd1PTRaEG0evkwLfqeYdua3xyYZB/s400/toys.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The white drawer thing still contains MegaBlocks and craft supplies. I didn't see a reason to change this. The white baskets contain dress-up items with accessories in the small white basket on the top shelf. The small purple basket on the top shelf holds the random small toys they like. The tote next to it contains their Etch-a-Sketch toys and vintage music boxes. The Minnie Mouse bucket holds Legos. (We don't have a ton...yet.) The square tote on the end holds balls. Cars are in the pink basket and puzzles are in the purple tote. Blocks are in the orange basket and Little People items are in the blue basket. </div>
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The toy box contains their stuffed animals. As a kid, I had a hard time letting go of stuffed animals and as an adult, I still do. I know it's silly. The gray tote next to the toy box holds Katherine's babies and baby things (blankets, pillows, bottles, carrier). </div>
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The best parts of this toy system:</div>
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1. They play with their toys more. Katherine and Sean can find their toys and actually play with them. </div>
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2. Katherine knows were her toys are. Just yesterday she told me "Mommy, I want my pony that goes with this car. It's in the purple tote." She knew the exact location of the toy... how awesome is that?!</div>
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3. This system makes picking up really easy and fast. Whether it's me picking up the toys or Katherine picking them up, it's easy to know what goes where because everything has a different color and a specific place. </div>
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Steve decluttered our porch. We had a ton of junk on our porch that didn't serve any particular purpose. Items either found their spot in the house or were donated. And the best part, we've actually been able to use our porch for playing and eating supper. Here are a couple of the after pictures: </div>
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(Sorry for the blurry quality!)</div>
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Is our house perfect? No. Does it look exactly like the pictures I shared? No, because real life happens and as long as the basic frame of organization is being followed, that's all I want. </div>
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<br />Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-46355731680467115792016-05-19T06:00:00.000-05:002016-05-19T06:01:09.518-05:00Children's Liturgy of the Word <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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See how excited Katherine is? That's because she made her headband during Children's Liturgy of the Word at Mass last Sunday. This was a big accomplishment for us. Our parish has Children's Liturgy of Word during the 9 o'clock Sunday Mass. The kids go to the Parish Hall and learn about that day's Gospel while making crafts or coloring. In the past, I've encouraged Katherine to go but at the last minute she gets scared and runs back to me. She was always afraid to go by herself. She's pretty shy and doesn't know any of the other kids in our Parish. (I'm working on that.) Last Sunday on the drive to Mass, I talked to Katherine about the Children's Liturgy of the Word. She wanted me to go with her and I explained it was only for the kids, not the mommies and daddies. She said she wanted her cousins to go with her which is a great idea. The only problem with that idea is we don't have family in Sioux City. I explained to Katherine that her cousins don't live in Sioux City and go to a different church. She told me it was scary and I told her she didn't have to decide right then if she wanted to go. She could decide at the last minute in church, which is what she did. When it came time for the kids to gather, she said no, it was scary and she didn't want to go. Suddenly she changed her mind. I walked to the front of the church with her so she could get her blessing before leaving. Standing next to us was a high-school girl. I quietly asked if she was one of the helpers and she said she was. "Katherine, this is one of the teachers. She's going to help you make some fun crafts today," I told Katherine while pointing to the girl. "Do you want to make some fun crafts today?" the girl asked Katherine. When the blessing was complete, the girl took Katherine by the hand and they left the church. I could tell Katherine was nervous. She looked back a few times and had a nervousness in her posture as she walked out but she made it. Even Father McLoud was impressed. I kept an eye out for her when the kids started coming back into church. It's left up to the kids to find their parents when the Children's Liturgy is done. (I wish they'd do that differently.) The same high school girl who took Katherine's hand to go to Children's Liturgy was walking with her again and holding her hand as they looked for me. I gave Katherine a big wave and they both saw me. Katherine came running over, wearing her headband. We were both very excited. Katherine's verdict on Children's Liturgy: It was fun but she missed me.</div>
<br />Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-31155188014398255712016-05-03T06:22:00.001-05:002016-05-03T06:22:03.868-05:00What I'm Reading, May 2016 edition<span style="font-family: inherit;">As mentioned in previous blog posts, I love to read. With two little people running around, reading can be hard to squeeze in. I usually read during my lunch hour and right before bed. Here is what I'm currently reading and what's on my to-be read list:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>On the Banks of Plum Creek</i> by Laura Ingalls Wilder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm slowly reading my way through the Little House series. I finished <i>Farmer Boy</i> in April and started <i>On the Banks of Plum Creek</i>. In this book, Laura's family has moved to Minnesota and is living in a dugout, to use Ma's words. I'm not very far into to the book so I really can't offer much of a synopsis. This is my before bed book and I'm really enjoying it. The books are an easy enough read to help me relax before going to sleep and the chapters are just the right length too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Hands Free Life: 9 Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better and Loving More</i> by Rachel Macy Stafford</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is pretty interesting. The subtitle is what drew me to the book. I definitely need help overcoming distraction which seems to be ever present in our world. I can't say that I've implemented each habit. I'm not one to drastically overhaul our lives just because a book says to. The book does provide some interesting things to think about and overall I've enjoyed the book. The author does include a poem with each section or chapter, which I skip over. I don't mind some poetry but Stafford's style is not my thing. I also bought Stafford's other book <i>Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!. </i>I probably won't read it immediately after finishing this book but I will add it to my list of books to read this year.</span><br />
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On My Bookshelf:<br />
<i>Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living </i>by Alisa Marie Fleming<br />
I bought this book awhile ago when I needed to cut dairy out of my diet when Sean was a newborn. His dairy allergy seems to have flared back up so I'm going to be revisiting this book.<br />
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<i>By The Shores of Silver Lake </i>by Laura Ingalls Wilder<br />
The next book in the Little House series. It will be my before bed book.<br />
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<i>Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat </i>by Gwen Cooper<br />
I picked up this book at the Book Lover's Book Sale our public library puts on every year. {A side note: This was the first year I went to the book sale and I'm totally hooked. Great books for a super cheap price, yes please!} I'm a cat person so pretty much any book about cats will catch my eye. I also love stories about people or animals overcoming the odds so a story about a blind cat really appealed to me. <br />
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What are you reading?<br />
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Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-85653506538596654182016-04-15T05:48:00.001-05:002016-04-15T05:48:45.154-05:00Blowing the Dust OffThat's right! I'm blowing the dust off my blog and reviving it. I've been away from my blog and writing for quite some time. There were multiple causes. A new baby and a toddler made me too busy to even think straight. There were some family events happening that made me too sad to even try to write. And many other reasons. But I feel ready to dive back into writing. I've missed it. Stay tuned. I'll have another post early next week.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-59229002203045708232015-02-11T14:21:00.000-06:002015-02-11T14:21:01.807-06:00A Tale of Two BirthsAt first glance, my birth stories might seem identical. Both of my children were delivered by c-section. But two pregnancies, two deliveries are never the same. My pregnancies and birth stories prove this statement to be 100% true. <br />
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My pregnancy with Katherine was full of complications: high blood pressure, swelling, irregular heartbeat and fluid in my lungs. This was diagnosed as atypical preeclampsia and resulted in an emergency c-section 33 weeks into my pregnancy. Katherine was born at 2:30 in the morning. After Katherine was born, my doctor said "It's a girl!" and I heard her cry. The sound was a welcomed sound. I had been in the hospital for observation earlier in the week and was given a steroid shot to help Katherine's lungs develop. Hearing her cry reassured me that her lungs were fine. The NICU nurse brought her over to me all swaddled up and said "Kiss goodbye before she goes upstairs". I kissed her face and they took her away. Another nurse asked Steve if he was staying with me or going with Katherine. Steve asked me what he should do and I told him to go with Katherine. I didn't want her to be by herself up in the NICU. (I know she wasn't technically by herself with the doctors and nurses there but I couldn't stomach the idea of her not being with one of us.) Steve followed the nurse upstairs and I immediately wished I had told him to stay. This feeling immediately went away after my procedure was done. I'm still glad I told Steve to go with Katherine. I don't remember much from that day. I do remember thinking I was never going to get better and feeling terrible that I wouldn't be able to care for the tiny baby upstairs in the NICU. "All I wanted was a baby" I remember thinking. Hours later the nurses and Steve wheeled me (IV and all) to the NICU so I could see Katherine and hold her that first day. I could only hold her for 10 minutes at a time because I was so weak. I wanted to hold her longer but I just couldn't. I was so sick and out of it that first day that I don't remember having the morphine drip provided for all c-sections. I also wasn't able to adequately manage my pain because I was simply too sick the first few days and the pain got out of control. I spent 7 days in the hospital recovering from my c-section and preeclampsia. Katherine was born 7 weeks early and stayed in the hospital 29 days. <br />
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My pregnancy with Sean went so much smoother. The only complication I had was gestational diabetes which at worst was annoying. I was able to manage it with diet and exercise. My c-section was scheduled. Steve and I drove to the hospital, checked in and within a few hours had our baby boy. The OR staff was relaxed and introduced themselves to me as they prepared for the surgery. (With my first c-section, the atmosphere was a lot more stressed due to my unstable condition and the knowledge of delivering a baby early.) The surgical nurse and my doctor held my hands as the spinal was put in place. After Sean was delivered, my doctor held him up so I could see him over the tarp exclaiming "It's a boy!" and I cried tears of joy. Steve was able to go with the nurse to weigh Sean. The staff were guessing Sean's weight because he was a lot bigger than the doctor had anticipated. He weighed 9 lbs and 1 oz. A nurse practitioner from the NICU was called down because Sean's Apgar score had decreased to a 7 from the 8 he initially scored. The nurse practitioner had been one of Katherine's NICU nurses so it was fun to see her again. Sean was able to stay downstairs and not make a stay at the NICU. Steve brought Sean over to me and I was able to hold him for a little bit. When the nurse took Sean out of the OR, Steve went with him. (It's my preference to have him go with the baby instead of stay with me.) A little while later I was wheeled back to my recovery room and able to see both of them. Sean's blood sugar was low so he was given a little bit of formula to bring his sugars up. I was better able to control my pain after Sean's birth. Being healthy will have that effect. ;) My hospital stay was 4 days and I was able to take my baby home with me when I left. I can't explain how great of a feeling that is after not being able to do that with Katherine. My recovery has been so much smoother. A lot of this has to do with my health after the birth and also the reduced stress load. I don't have to go back to the NICU each day to be with my baby or worry about balancing time at home with time at the hospital. I can simply enjoy my maternity leave with both of my kids. <br />
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To further illustrate the differences in my birth stories, here are a few pictures:<br />
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After Katherine was born:<br />
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(Believe it or not, this was NOT the worst picture of me from that day.)</div>
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After Sean was born:</div>
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<br />Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-16590186132413121362014-12-08T06:01:00.000-06:002014-12-08T06:01:05.704-06:0034 Weeks and Counting!34 weeks! 34 weeks! 34 weeks! I made it to 34 weeks! I've never made it this far into a pregnancy before. Katherine was born at 33 weeks. Steve and I psyched about how well this pregnancy is going. It's a nice feeling to be healthy and know my baby probably won't spend time in the NICU. (Although I do love the Unity Point NICU staff. They were great!) So celebrate with us that this pregnancy is going so well!Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-7133130300643356312014-12-07T06:48:00.000-06:002014-12-07T06:48:41.139-06:00Giving Thanks: The Mind of a ChildKatherine has such an inquisitive mind. It's one of the many reasons I'm thankful to be a mom. We put up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and she helped decorate. For a few days afterward she would go over to the tree and point out various ornaments. "A horse, Mommy! Where other one go?" "A ball!" (for the purple and silver Christmas tree bulbs) We'd stand for a few minutes looking at the Christmas tree and enjoying how pretty it is. She's reminding me to slow down and savor the moments in the holiday season. It's so easy to get caught up in the rush of everyday life. Her excitement and joy about simple Christmas decorations remind me that this is what the season is truly about: finding joy in the little things and enjoying each day. She also wants the Christmas tree to be lit all the time. Each morning I make sure to plug the tree in before she comes downstairs so she's greeted by a lit tree. <br />
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She's also a little nut. Yesterday we were grocery shopping and she was laughing at everything. And I do mean everything. I have no idea what was so funny at Fareway yesterday but it made a normally mundane task a lot more fun. Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-66202055771615676362014-11-28T08:07:00.000-06:002014-11-28T08:07:36.666-06:00A Gift to Last a LifetimeI love to read. It's truly one of my favorite hobbies. I remember the first time I went to a Barnes and Noble. It was so huge and books were everywhere. It was magical. Reading holds a special place in my heart. When I was younger, I couldn't read and it impacted my life in a major way. Many of you don't know (some of you do) that I repeated first grade. It was one of the most influential, embarrassing and difficult moments of my life. I know you're probably thinking that's a little dramatic considering how young a first grader is but it's true. Having to repeat a grade shaped who I would become. When I was in first grade the first time, I couldn't read. The school was using a new method to teach reading and it didn't click with my logic-based brain. I was sent to the resource room to work on my reading. Only it didn't have much of an effect. My first grade teacher was young and inexperienced. My parents weren't told the depth of my struggles with reading until 3rd quarter conferences when asked if they would consider holding me back. The teacher waited too long to talk to my parents about my struggles. If it had been brought to their attention earlier in the year, they could have worked with me at home to improve my reading. But they didn't have time to do that before the end the school year. My parents made the decision to yes, hold me back a grade. It was the right decision. The class I ultimately graduated with is the class I feel like I truly belonged in. But at the time, for my young ego and heart, it was extremely difficult. I had failed. I had never failed at something so major and so publicly in my little life. I cried the last day of school when I was told I wouldn't be going to second grade with the rest of my class. <br />
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My mom taught me to read the summer between first grades. My aunt Colleen, my God mother, suggested my mom use the old Phonics method to teach me to read. It was more logic based than the method the school used and Aunt Colleen felt it would make sense to my logic-based brain. And it did. My mom spent the whole summer working with me in the evenings, going over lessons in reading. Phonics focuses on sounding out words. At times it was really hard. I would cry and say "But you don't care about me!" to which my mom would reply "No." (as in "No, that's not true. I do care."). Eventually she turned it into a game. I couldn't say that phrase until the end of a lesson page in the Phonics textbook. The Phonics series we used had little story books to go with the lessons. I still remember the look of those books: small, simple type, maybe a black and white picture of the characters. I loved reading those little books with their simple stories. I was getting it. I was reading. <br />
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By the time I began first grade the second time, I could read. I don't remember much about my second year of first grade. I had a different teacher than the previous year. (My original teacher went to a different town after getting married, I think.) I do remember there was a bully from my former class who was always sent to the hall for being in trouble and would call me stupid as I walked by. And that hurt. My best friend, Jennifer, and I were in the same grade which now, I'm thankful for. She's been a huge part of my life since we were babies. It was nice to have a friend in my new grade that year. By second grade, I had more confidence in myself and my abilities. My second grade teacher asked my mom why I was held back. Upon learning the reason, she responded "You're kidding! She's one of the best readers in the class." I had caught up. The fear of failure learned at such a young age stayed with me for a long time. It took me a long time to learn that it's ok to fail. It's ok to not be the best at everything. <br />
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And so my faithful readers, after all of this, the struggles, the tears, the humiliation, came a love of reading. Reading means so much to me, probably more than the average person. It signifies that I am smart, that I am capable of things I didn't think I could do.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-41286277566284221852014-11-27T07:11:00.000-06:002014-11-27T07:11:50.649-06:00Giving Thanks for ThanksgivingHappy Turkey Day! I'm up before Steve and Katherine so I have the opportunity to reflect on what I'm thankful for. <br />
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I'm thankful for Thanksgiving, as weird as that may sound. I'm thankful for a holiday to gather with family, prepare a meal and appreciate what we've been given in the past year. Steve and I don't live near family so anytime we're able to have family visit us, I'm thankful.<br />
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I'm thankful for Katherine's vacation days at day care. Katherine had 5 vacation days at day care that would have expired in January. I decided to take this week off so she and I could get some quality time together before Baby S arrives. We didn't do anything super exciting this week or out of the norm. We've had more snuggle time and time to play together. The days off also gave me a chance to recharge. I'd been feeling pretty exhausted lately. Staying home with Katherine actually allowed me to not push myself too hard and get a few extra things done around the house. <br />
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I'm thankful for my crazy cats, The Fuzz and Leela, who as I type this are running around the living room attacking each other. Our lives would be so boring without them. Katherine loves them and now wants them to come play with her. She'll hold a cat toy and yell "Leela!". So far, Leela has yet to come running but it's still cute. <br />
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I'm thankful for the internet and Weight Watchers magazine. Both have enabled me to find low-carb pumpkin and cranberry dishes so I can still enjoy some of my holiday favorites without going over my carb allowance. <br />
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I'm thankful that despite a few hiccups I'm healthier with this pregnancy. I'm confident I will deliver a full-term baby this time around and not spend a week in the hospital clinging to my life. <br />
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I'm thankful all of the specialists I've been referred to this year have been in Sioux City. This has made my life so much easier. Rather than take a full day off work for a specialist appointment, I can take a few hours and drive across town to my appointment. <br />
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The things listed above are just a drop in the bucket. I have so many things to be thankful for, this post could continue indefinitely. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday today with your loved ones.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-85112966909551240132014-11-19T06:03:00.001-06:002014-11-19T06:03:11.868-06:00GratitudeI'm adding a new feature to my blog: gratitude posts. This year has been quite stressful for me (for reasons I won't discuss in this blog) and my stress management skills have not been the best. I'm hoping that expressing gratitude publicly every week will help with that. So without further ado: welcome to my first gratitude post. <br />
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I'm thankful for Steve, Katherine, The Fuzz and Leela. Steve has always been very supportive of me whether it's supporting my various interests (crafting, reading, music, whatever it may be at the moment) or my recent medical issues, he's always there by my side cheering me on. He's a lot more patient than I am too which helps a lot! He has pretty much taken over meal prep which isn't an easy task now with my gestational diabetes. Don't get me wrong, I'm still involved in part of the planning and prep but he does the bulk of the work. Katherine's baths have also been taken over by him now that my belly gets in the way. I'm so thankful he's willing to help out with these and so many other things.<br />
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Katherine brings such joy to our lives with her cute giggle and inquisitive mind. I love when she asks "Where go?" when someone leaves the room or even the TV screen. I also find it absolutely adorable that if the answer is "I don't know", she whispers the question twice more. This week she's been really snugly. She's wanted to sit on my lap more and just hang out. <br />
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The Fuzz and Leela are such dorks that I can't help but love them. Their crazy antics make me laugh or shake my head daily. I can't imagine not having them as part of our household.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-21043841481570759682014-11-14T20:34:00.003-06:002014-11-14T20:34:50.101-06:00There's the SugarPregnancy complications seem to be my normal for pregnancy. I was hoping for a pregnancy with minimal complications. We were referred to the maternal-fetal specialist earlier due to a few cysts. The cysts have disappeared and the baby and I were given a clean bill of health. Then I received the diagnosis of gestational diabetes. Initially I was really angry about my diagnosis. While this isn't the diagnosis I had hoped for, I've decided to accept it and move on. There are a few positives to this diagnosis:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I get to meet with a dietitian. I've taken an interest in nutrition in the past few years and have wanted to meet with a dietitian for awhile.</li>
<li>I get to search for new low-carb recipes. For a foodie like me, it's the perfect excuse to look through recipes. I've already found a few for Thanksgiving so I can enjoy some of the traditional foods without completely blowing my carb count.</li>
<li>My cousin Erin has been an enormous source of support and knowledge. Erin is a Registered Dietitian and I've relied on her for nutrition advice since Katherine was born. I really appreciate her knowledge!</li>
<li>We have to plan out our meals in detail and are eating healthier, more balanced meals as a result. </li>
<li>I'm learning more about nutrition.</li>
<li>There are more foods I can eat than I originally thought there would be.</li>
<li>I can't die from this.</li>
<li>Steve is very supportive in my diet and cooking healthy foods.</li>
<li>I'm allowed 3 meals and 3 snacks each day with specific carb counts for each.</li>
<li>Proteins, cheese and most vegetables are considered "free" foods. Thanks goodness I can eat however much cheese I want! And yes, I'm serious. I love cheese.</li>
<li>I don't have to take medication. Usually gestational diabetes can be controlled through diet. I really hope this is true in my case.</li>
<li>I've had to finally give up Pepsi for good. I've known for awhile I should do this. Gestational diabetes was the kick in the pants I needed to actually do it.</li>
<li>This has made me even more aware that I need to adopt healthy habits. I'm hoping to adopt an exercise routine within the next year. (I'm giving myself a little leeway when Baby S is really little.) I'm also hoping to continue with a healthy diet about Baby S's arrival. </li>
<li>A coworker also has gestational diabetes. We've been able to commiserate and support each other. It's comforting to have someone in the same boat, even if I wish we both didn't have it.</li>
<li>So far, my blood sugar has been within the acceptable ranges. </li>
<li>Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born.</li>
<li>Pumpkin spice cream cheese is only 5 carbs per serving. Yay! A pumpkin something I can enjoy. </li>
</ul>
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There are a few negatives to this as well:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I have to go through the holidays with this new diet. I'm really not thrilled about not being able to eat whatever sweets or foods I want during Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are celebrating Christmas in Sioux City and I was looking forward to trying traditional dishes from all over the world. That probably isn't going to happen now. </li>
<li>Learning to carb count takes time out of my day. Until I get really good at it, it takes time to figure out what I'm eating for my meals and snacks each day. </li>
<li>I really, really like pasta, bread and sweets. I'm a little bummed I can't eat these whenever I want in the quantity I want. </li>
<li>Our meal-planning takes a lot longer. Steve and I sat down and really had to think of low-carb meals for the next week. I know this will get easier over time. It's a just a little frustrating right now.</li>
<li>Possible health risks for the baby if I don't follow my diet and the potential for diabetes in the future for me. I really didn't want to add more future health risks for myself. I have a few potential future health concerns due to the preeclampsia I had while pregnant with Katherine. I also want to have a healthy baby who gets to leave the hospital the same day I do. </li>
<li>I can't eat ice cream whenever I want. </li>
<li>I have to check my blood sugar 4 times a day which means my fingers get jabbed each time. On the plus side, it could be a lot more. I'm only required to check my sugars in the morning and 2 hours after each meal. </li>
<li>I've had to finally give up Pepsi for good. It was my one vice and I really like it. I don't drink (even when I'm not pregnant I don't drink much alcohol.) and I've never smoked. Pop was my vice. As you can see, I have mixed feelings about having to give it up.</li>
</ul>
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I'm trying to make the best of this situation and be positive. It is only 2 months and I can stick with it for that short of a time frame. </div>
</div>
Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-23789653092886145662014-11-02T03:33:00.000-06:002014-11-02T03:33:36.130-06:00New Name, New LookWelcome to the re-launch of my blog! I finally settled on a name that seems to be a better fit for my blog. For the Love of Food didn't feel right anymore. This blog doesn't focus on strictly food anymore and I felt it was time for a change. Tots and Tails describes my life perfectly. Our days are filled with Katherine, Baby S coming in January and our cats, The Fuzz and Leela. Thanks for sticking with me while I've been MIA in the blogging world. I plan to post more in the upcoming months.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-81201837000194442232014-08-10T06:48:00.001-05:002014-08-10T06:48:22.814-05:00Busy BeesHello! Steve and I have been pretty busy lately. Last weekend was a crafty weekend for us. Steve started painting a wooden dollhouse he'd given me as a gift for last year's anniversary. (Don't judge... I have projects from 2 years ago I still haven't finished.) I made Katherine's birthday invitations. The invitations turned out pretty much how I envisioned them. I don't plan on making the invitations every year but this year I couldn't find invitations that I liked. Her birthday party theme is Teddy Bear Picnic and there is not a lot out there for that theme. Unless you want to spend an arm and a leg on the invitations alone but I knew I could do better on my own and save some money. I purchased gingham earlier in the year in anticipation of her party and a teddy bear rubber stamp when I realized I'd probably be making the invitations. I already had the blank note cards and the party info stamp. I got to work and the invitations were done that afternoon. I'm pretty excited for Katherine's birthday party. The menu is full of bear-themed food and there will be baskets with gingham and teddy bears everywhere. I think it will be a lot of fun.<br />
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On Sunday I also finished making a look-and-find bean bag I had been working on for quite some time. I needed to finish that bean bag before church today. I have a bag of toys only for church so Katherine has something to play with while we're there. She's grown tired of the current church bag so I need to switch things up. (I knew this would happen.) Months ago I had purchased two felt squares from Hobby Lobby (love that store!), some craft beads and some alphabet charms. I cut the felt squares down so the bean bag wouldn't be huge and cut a hole in the middle. We also reused the plastic covering that came on her car seat for the window. It was nearly impossible to find the bendable clear plastic anywhere! I sewed it all together, leaving one side open so I could pour in the beans, beads and alphabet charms. I didn't use all the letters. Instead I picked out letters to spell "Katherine", "Mommy" and "Daddy" 3 times. The bean bag turned out pretty cool, if I do say so myself. <br />
<br />
I also purchased some fabric at Hobby Lobby last Saturday. I will be making a quilt for the new baby. I've dug through my stash of fabric and picked out a few I liked. The fabric from my stash needs to be measured to ensure I have enough for the quilt. The 2 new fabrics compliment the stash fabric nicely. There are a couple of the stash fabrics that won't be used because they clash a little with the new stuff. I picked yellows, greens, tans and white for this quilt because we're not finding out the gender of the baby. Right now green is the dominant color so I might buy one more yellow and one more tan. I think the quilt will be beautiful when completed. I am deviating from the pattern a little bit with the number of different fabrics I'm using. The pattern is a nine patch so I don't think it will matter too much. The quilt will have a vintage feel to it which I love.<br />
<br />
Yesterday Steve and I decided it was time to start the decluttering process, again. Steve worked evenings for the last 3 weeks and our house became even more cluttered than it already was. I went through a stack of a magazines, tore out recipes I wanted to keep and recycled the rest. It was a good feeling to get rid of that small piece of clutter. We also made our menu for the next 2 weeks and went grocery shopping. While shopping at Fareway, I saw a former Target coworker of mine. It was fun to catch up with him. I hadn't seen him in quite some time. Fareway's ad was really good this week so we stocked up on ground beef and pasta. We also bought the lemonade for Katherine's party because the sale was fantastic. We went to Target for a few things not available at Fareway. I went armed with a bunch of Target coupons and my Cartwheel bar code. This was my first experience using Cartwheel and I'm pretty pleased with it overall. We saved over $20 at Target using the coupons and cartwheel and also received a few gift cards (yay!). Saturday was also laundry day. All of the laundry was washed (with the exception of one quilt). All the laundry was folded except for the things on the drying rack and half of it was put away. The rest will be put away today. I might tackle our office today for the decluttering project. It's rather scary in here. I also need to put away clothes that no longer fit and pull out some of my maternity clothes. <br />
<br />
Wish me luck with our decluttering and organizing endeavors! Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-12035056204803276842014-05-17T06:40:00.002-05:002014-05-17T06:40:57.121-05:00An Ode to My DishwasherWhen Steve and I purchased our home, we had to buy a new stove, washer and dryer. The dishwasher and refrigerator came with the sale of the house. I love the stove, washer and dryer we picked out. We did careful research regarding these appliances: going to the store to look at the models, going to multiple stores to check prices and also reading user reviews online. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with our selections. The dishwasher that came with our house was another story. I hated it. The racks were strange and it didn't do a great job cleaning the dishes. The dishwasher would only hold 6 plates. The racks were also waved with the top wave of the bottom rack and the lower wave of the top rack being on the same side. This made it impossible to wash anything tall. Pictures might do a better job explaining the awkwardness of our previous dishwasher.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIEjW1eZeb0-5_l9vkCux0Hm8marbFK0o526ZebfQ5msBPK3XukvpNavSiFt8OobC-7NtRjEQ2gp04KJdiSA2lDxyDmK7AuYjRU9IteFLBjM0TYCmJwrlIxcLMVI_aBKKSej44y8U1E_1/s1600/February+2014+070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIEjW1eZeb0-5_l9vkCux0Hm8marbFK0o526ZebfQ5msBPK3XukvpNavSiFt8OobC-7NtRjEQ2gp04KJdiSA2lDxyDmK7AuYjRU9IteFLBjM0TYCmJwrlIxcLMVI_aBKKSej44y8U1E_1/s1600/February+2014+070.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Pretty ridiculous, right? Who designed this and thought "It loads 6 plates. That'll be great."? And why did the previous homeowner buy it? Our new dishwasher is definitely a different story. Our new dishwasher holds at least 10 place settings. The bottom rack has ample room for plates, pots and big bowls. The top rack has space for the numerous glasses, sippy cups and bowls we use throughout the day. The silverware caddy is in the door but can fit in the bottom rack. It took awhile for us to get used to everything the new dishwasher could hold. If we were behind on dishes and the sink was overflowing, we'd think "Great. That'll take at least two loads to clean." We were always pleasantly surprised when all of the dishes fit in one load. Here is a picture of the new dishwasher.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYATDLU2FzG9a-tOoavZHYZ37cYUyjQHn-tNW2AdUZRfw6gFPG9Sj1ezLS5gUMo7dztomvR25ApQr9JH5QWhyphenhyphen8Fo_3frSv_rOSL3VqXUYJgAmUSXp2y4iskBXwzpc9cv9bJDvkXoNL-H4/s1600/May+2014+137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYATDLU2FzG9a-tOoavZHYZ37cYUyjQHn-tNW2AdUZRfw6gFPG9Sj1ezLS5gUMo7dztomvR25ApQr9JH5QWhyphenhyphen8Fo_3frSv_rOSL3VqXUYJgAmUSXp2y4iskBXwzpc9cv9bJDvkXoNL-H4/s1600/May+2014+137.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Much better, right? The best part about buying our new dishwasher was how we paid. I had won a health contest at work. I decided to take the $300 I received and buy the new dishwasher. Overall it has made life so much easier. The dishwasher is the working woman's best friend. So much time is freed up by using a dishwasher. I can be playing with Katherine and "washing" the dishes at the same time.</div>
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So, my faithful readers, what do you think of my dishwasher?</div>
<br />Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-18958754624588621582014-03-25T06:20:00.000-05:002014-03-25T06:20:45.399-05:00What I'm ReadingI love to read. When I was little, my mom taught me to read the summer before I repeated 1st grade. (That's a story for another time.) Ever since that summer, it's hard to find me without a book in progress. I don't have a favorite type of literature or a favorite author. It's hard to pick one out of so many great books and authors. Right now, I'm in a kid-lit mood. I'm reading through the <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> series. I dove into the first book. <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> was a story I always loved but have just read for the first time. We had the movies <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> and <i>Anne of Avonlea</i> starring Megan Follows when we were younger. We watched the movies all the time, much to my younger sister's dismay. (Sorry, Darce!) My sister-in-law gave me <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> for Christmas a few years ago and I finally read it for the first time last month. It was fun to see how the movie and the book aligned. For the most part, the movie stayed on track for the book. <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> tells the story of Anne Shirley, an orphan, who has largely been unwanted and unloved until she is mistakenly brought to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, unmarried siblings who live together. Matthew and Marilla decide to keep Anne and raise her together. Anne is a very imaginative girl who constantly gets into various predicaments. After finishing the first book, I decided I must read them all. I searched Barnes & Noble and Amazon for them. I purchased <i>Anne of Avonlea</i> and <i>Anne of the Island</i>, books 2 and 3 in the series. I just finished reading <i>Anne of Avonlea. </i><i>Anne of Avonlea</i> follows Anne as a teacher at Avonlea school. I started <i>Anne of the Island</i>, the third book in the series. I've really enjoyed this series. Reading about Anne and her family and friends feels like I'm catching up with old friends.<br />
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As a family we are reading our way through <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i>. As mentioned in <a href="http://culinary-ingenious.blogspot.com/2014/02/bedtime-stories.html" target="_blank">this</a> blog post, we read a chapter aloud each night before bed. We finished the fourth book <i>Prince Caspian </i>and will be starting <i>The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.</i>. I've really enjoyed this series. It's very fun to finally read this piece of classic children's literature. I enjoyed <i>The Magician's Nephew</i> and <i>The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe</i> immensely. <i>A Boy and His Horse</i> has so far been my least favorite book of the series. The other three books have involved someone discovering Narnia or traveling to Narnia from our world which is why I prefer these books over <i>A Boy and His Horse</i>. I'm not sure what books we will read next as a family. Maybe the Laura Ingalls Wilder books or some other classic.<br />
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I have a list on my computer of books I want to read. Type-A? Probably but there are so many good books recommended by friends or little blurbs in magazines that it's impossible for me to remember them all. Want a peak at my list? Here it is:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Within Arm’s Length by Dan Emmet<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mother Teresa: An Authorized Biography By Kathryn Spink<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A Time to Kill by John Grisham<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Voyage of the Dawn
Treader C.S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Silver Chair C.S.
Lewis <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Last </i><st1:city><st1:place><i>Battle</i></st1:place></st1:city><i> C.S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Journey Peter Kreeft<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Room by Emma Donoghue <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fahrenheit451 by Ray Beadbury<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K LeGuin<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Prisoner of
Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafron<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Don Quijote de la
Mancha<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The World Without You by Joshua Henkin<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tell The Wolves I’m Coming Home by Carol Rifka Brunt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Beatles Every Little Thing by Maxwell Mackenzie<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anne of the <st1:place>Island</st1:place> by LM Montgomery<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Windy Willows) by LM
Montgomery<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:place><st1:placename>Rainbow</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place>
by LM Montgomery<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A Little Princess by <span style="background: white;">Frances
Hodgson Burnett<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">Little House on the Prairie,
by Laura Ingalls Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls
Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">On the Banks of Plum Creek,
by Laura Ingalls Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">By the Shores of </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="background: white;">Silver</span></st1:placename><span style="background: white;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="background: white;">Lake</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="background: white;">, by Laura Ingalls Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">The Long Winter, by Laura
Ingalls Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">Little Town on the Prairie,
by Laura Ingalls Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">These Happy Golden Years, by
Laura Ingalls Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">The First Four Years by Laura
Ingalls Wilder</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>Story of a Soul<o:p></o:p></s></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>The Help<o:p></o:p></s></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>Happier at Home </s></i><s> by Gretchen Rubin<i><o:p></o:p></i></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>The Magician’s
Nephew </s></i><s>C.S Lewis<i><o:p></o:p></i></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>Eat Pray Love </s></i><s>Elizabeth
Gilbert<i><o:p></o:p></i></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>The Thirteenth Tale
</s></i><s>Diane Setterfield<i><o:p></o:p></i></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>The Lion, The Witch
and The Wardrobe C.S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></s></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>The Horse and The
Boy C.S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></s></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><s>Prince Caspian C.S.
Lewis<o:p></o:p></s></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s>Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery<span style="background: white;"> <o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="background: white;">Little House in the Big
Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
<br />
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Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929428393267893075.post-16105111513417859372014-02-16T06:37:00.000-06:002014-02-16T06:37:03.811-06:00Building a BearKatherine's 2nd birthday party will be a teddy bear picnic birthday. There will be teddy bears, baskets and gingham everywhere. We'll have bear-themed food: honeydew melons, gummy bears, Teddy Grahams, beary fruit cups, little smokies, honey barbeque wings and the list goes on. She's even going to have a teddy bear shaped cake. In keeping with the theme, I decided to knit her a teddy bear. I've never knitted a stuffed animal before. (Well, I made my nephew Aiden a weird monster dude thing a few years ago but it wasn't as involved as a teddy bear.) I searched patterns on Ravelry and found one that I liked. There are a lot of ugly teddy bears out there and there are also a lot of teddy bears with strange complicated patterns. The pattern I settled on was the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=diamond+jubilee+bear+knitted&tbm=isch&imgil=GAcV9XHdZNMZ_M%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcTdtWtLbeLyJ7dtkY2A6Q4fMzZ5fL8oHFnbkhSTLhxM1W4rC1BP%253B600%253B400%253BIXMaXgwZXuVo0M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.madmonkeyknits.com%25252Ffree-diamond-jubilee-bear-knitting-pattern%25252F&source=iu&usg=__mC47tHO8quKkHtxeS9pJZrzVDbY%3D&sa=X&ei=N6sAU9_iNaOdyQGW7YGgCA&ved=0CCgQ9QEwAA&biw=1280&bih=909#facrc=_&imgrc=GAcV9XHdZNMZ_M%253A%3BIXMaXgwZXuVo0M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.madmonkeyknits.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F06%252Fjubilee-bear-pic.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.madmonkeyknits.com%252Ffree-diamond-jubilee-bear-knitting-pattern%252F%3B600%3B400" target="_blank">Diamond Jubilee Bear</a>. The bear is absolutely adorable. The bear wears a crown because it was designed for Queen Elizabeth's 60-year celebration. Initially I decided to not make the crown for Katherine's teddy bear. Now, however, it will depend on when I get the bear done. I have made a few adjustments already. The pattern calls for size 3 knitting needles. For you non-knitters out there, that is size super tiny. I started over twice. The second time I started over I switched to a size 5 needle. Size 5 needles are still tiny but are a little bit more manageable for me. I'm almost half-way done with the teddy bear's head. I need to get moving or, to be more accurate, knitting. I have two arms, two legs, the body, 4 paw pads and the nose to knit before September 8th. Right now I knit during my lunch hour but can usually only knit 2 rows due to time constraints and my hands starting to hurt (because of the needle size). I want to work on the bear in the evenings as well. Even if I only knit 1 row at a time during stolen moments, it will be better than nothing. Now I know all of my knitting friends are wondering what brand of yarn and what colors I chose. I'm happy to share that information. The pattern did not give a brand of yarn or on second look, it did: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK... whatever that it is. On the actual pattern, it doesn't list any specific yarn so I choose Caron Simply Soft because it had colors I liked and it was on sale at Michael's. For the body of the bear the pattern said light brown, so I chose Bone. Yes, the color is called Bone and no, I didn't know that when I bought it. It's a very nice tan color. The paw pads are a darker brown. The color I chose is Chocolate and looks very similar in color to, you guessed it, chocolate. I also bought some black yarn for the nose. <br />
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Wish me luck during this adventure! I'll try to post pictures and updates during this process. Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05664344473132779293noreply@blogger.com0