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As we head into this weekend I am grateful for two things:

1. Antibiotics
2. Ear infections

Yep, I’m grateful that Sammi has a double ear infection because it explains why she hasn’t been hearing well the last few days. I was really starting to worry about the rapid decline in her hearing and was starting to look into where to get a hearing test done. She hasn’t complained about her ears at all so I had no idea. Now, I’ll be even more grateful when she’s back to her normal self.

Also about the ear infections. Elli has a double ear infection as well. Having both children sick explains why they have both been so emotional and clingy this week. I have developed a sinus infection so the extra crying has been more miserable than normal.

Which brings me to the antibiotics. I’m glad we don’t need them often and I’m glad we have them available when we do need them. I know it was purely mental, but Sammi was in a better mood after her first dose. She’s been such a trooper!

On a bright note, I have been steadily reading daily. Currently I am on page 179. That’s 145 pages in two weeks or just about 10 pages a day. I’m lovin’ it! I mentioned before that I was trying to become a daily reader. I think I always have been but I wasn’t taking into consideration the magazines, blogs, and scriptures that together I read daily.

In addition to The Dreamers, I started Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen and am really enjoying his perspective and anecdotes that illustrate the points he makes. Play really is necessary for children to make sense of the world around them. We need to make sure we give them ample space, time and interaction that they get enough play. And finally, I just got Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook. I know. I’m shocked I didn’t already own it, too. But now I have it and I can’t wait to refresh my memory by reading it again.

Welcome to the random thoughts swirling in, through, and around the sinus infection. They’ve been getting muddled a bit this week. I am hoping that come Monday I will be clear headed again and have a lot more energy for cleaning. and blogging.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks to Heidi at The Maxwell’s Madness for declaring me a Beautiful blogger! She said “And the award goes to…Amber at Because Babies Grow Up because she posts cool ideas of things to do with your kiddos.” I love Heidi’s chain letter perspective on the whole blog award phenomenon. Bu I agree, it is still cool.

Here are the rules to claim the award:

1. Thank, then link to the person that gave you the award.
2. Pass this award on to how ever many bloggers you want to that you’ve recently (or not so recently) discovered and who you think are fantastic.
3. Contact said bloggers to let them know they’ve won.
4. State 7 Things about yourself!

Here are my picks for Beautiful Bloggers…

Janna at The Adventure of Motherhood because she is as passionate about books as I am and I love her Feed Me Books Friday meme.

Beth at In Good Cents because she talks about being frugal in a way that I can relate to.

Jennifer at Refrigerator Artist because she’s helping parents celebrate kids’ artwork.

Maryanne at Mama Smiles because her daughter reminds me so much of my own Sammi and I just love the way Maryanne blogs about her life with her little ones.

Amy at Literacy Launchpad because she has the career I didn’t know existed but now suddenly want (and her educational background!) as an early literacy specialist.

Seven Things About Myself

1. I am a terrible housekeeper/home organizer. I need professional help in this area! Seriously.
2. I love to spend time with my children, especially reading together and digging into the dress-up box.
3. When I first had a crush on my husband, I didn’t like his sister because I thought they were dating (I didn’t know they were related!) I kept thinking, if they break up, I’ll ask him out. Yeah, they never stopped hanging out. But he somehow managed to get his own little crush on me and asked me out first. Won. my. heart.
4. We recently moved from Utah to Tennessee, but unfortunately for the locals, brought our snowy winters with us. I just couldn’t imagine winter without oodles and oodles of snow!
5. I love to sew, quilt and embroider. I am not very good at any of them and wish I had so much more time to devote to these arts. I’m terrible at following patterns so I usually just make up my own. Here are the dresses I made the girls for Easter last year. By the way, Sammi still fits in her dress. She wore it this morning.
6. I have a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics a.k.a. teaching English as a second language and have taught at a few colleges/universities. I miss it, but child care was a headache and that was with just one child.
7. My life goals include getting a Ph.D., building a children’s museum in an under-served community, making a keepsake blanket for each child and grandchild in my family, becoming a sought-after speaker and traveling the world with my wonderful husband Brent. My short-term goal is to survive medical school!

Now that I’ve shared my soul with you, I’d love to know something special, unique or obscure about you! Don’t be shy; we’re all friends here!

While at Blissdom earlier this month I had the opportunity to hear, and later speak with, one of the most influential players in promoting the necessity of play, Kevin Carroll. I sat in awe as I listened to his story of overcoming being abandoned by his father and then his mother. He embraced play as a way to explore his feelings, understand his experiences and find a place to belong. I can hardly do his story justice; you’ll just have to imagine the most touching story of trial and triumph told in the most eloquent way and you’ll have some idea of what I experienced.

I have long valued the power of play in a child’s life. I firmly believe every child needs time and space to play. To explore their environment, to learn how to interact with others and to let their imaginations run wild. Kevin Carroll, Katalyst reminded me that it’s not just children who need time and space to play. As adults, we also benefit from play, daily. My favorite quote from his presentation was, “If you don’t make time for play-deleterious things will happen!” We even took an oath resigning our adulthood and embracing the opportunities for play that come with childhood. I needed the reminder that play is important for renewing my creativity as much so as it is for my children.

I wanted to share Kevin Carroll with you because he’s really inspired me to evaluate my dreams and vision for my future and the future of my blog. I find myself filled with a desire to do good, a yearning to make a difference, and yet I am having a difficult time clarifying exactly what good I can do or what difference I can make. His presentation has filled my head with all kinds of ideas for way to find my dream and develop a plan to accomplish it.

Since such a journey seemed rather daunting to me, I thought I’d share it with you as a way to motivate me to continue my pursuit and a way to get feedback and input along the way. As I was talking with my mom on the drive home from Nashville about the ideas that were rolling around in my mind, she added some terrific dreams of her own that I plan on sharing, too. I’m looking forward to this process together!

To get started, what inspires you?

Photo Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mooshinindy/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I have always love to read. I love books. I love libraries. I love bookstores. I love the environment in these places and the energy in the air. I love the magic that lies between the covers of a book, a story just waiting to tell itself. I can’t remeber a time that I wasn’t completely enamored with books and reading. But, while I define myself as an avid reader, I’ve had to acknowledge that lately, I’ve not been a daily reader.

photo credit: cote

When Brent and I first got married, we were anxiously waiting for the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6). In preparation of the release, I decided to read all five books again. Brent was still working on his first time through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5). I actually finished the five books before he finished the one he was working on. I chuckled about that, but in reality, I had a lot more time on my hands to read than he did. He basically read as he walked between classes on campus and for a few minutes each night before bed.

It was through that experience and the years since then that I’ve come to redefine my husband. He is an avid reader and he is a daily reader. He may only read a page or two a day, but he reads every day. Since the Harry Potter experience, we’ve probably read the same number of books, but I go in spurts with my reading and he is slow and steady.

Brent always leaves a book on the bathroom window sill that he reads from each morning or night (depending on how sleepy he is). He finally finished the book he was working on when we moved here (last July) and a new book popped up on the window sill. It’s one I’m interested in so I’ve decided to follow his lead and try to read a few pages each day. So far I’ve read 34 pages! And, since I’m reading every day I’m remembering the storyline enough that it is still flowing for me.

Brent told me that his bedtime routine included reading on his own after his parents tucked him in. He would read with a flashlight under his blankets so he wouldn’t get in trouble for staying up late. When his parents discovered this habit, they bought him a lamp. Now Sammi always takes a book to bed with her. The other night I watched her fall asleep while reading Robin Hood.

I made the comment to my mom this morning that Sammi will probably stay up all night reading a book for the first time long before I did. I distinctly remember that night. I was in 6th grade and I was reading Little Women. I was hooked. I couldn’t put it down. I was afraid I would get in trouble for staying up late to read it so I went in my closet and read in there. I read and read. I read past tired, past exhaustion and right into the world of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy. And then, it was over. I finished the book. And emerged quietly from my closet and climbed into bed. I don’t remember the time. I don’t remember if I had school the next day. But I do remember the magic of losing myself in the world of the book.

When was the first time you stayed up late to read a book?

While at Blissdom last week I picked up a few of ice cream bowls from Blue Bunny, one of the sponsors. The bowls change colors when they get cold. They turn blue, of course! Well, I had some ice cream last night and left my bowl on the table. When I woke up this morning, it was still blue! I get I keep the heat pretty low (it’s set at 55 pretty much constantly!)

On a side note, they were handing out samples of Double Strawberry Aspen® Frozen Yogurt Granola Bars. They were so yummy and the girls gobbled their up in a flash. I think I’ll get more of these with the coupon they gave us!

40 Amazing Facts About Babies

I wanted to share an article with you that I found to be rather interesting. 40 Truly Amazing Facts About Babies contains all kinds of nuggets about babies’ amazing bodies. Here are a few of the facts included in the list:

No Kneecaps : On birth, babies do not have kneecaps. Rather they have a structure of cartilage that resembles kneecaps. They usually don’t develop them fully until after six months. Most seen on babies who “army crawl” instead of doing it on all fours.

What A Load : The heaviest baby ever born was a boy who weighed 22 pounds, eight ounces. He was born in Italy in 1955. To summarize, it isn’t highly unusual for a one year old baby to weigh 22 pounds.

Triple Take : At the end of the first year, your baby’s weight will have tripled. That means if they were born at ten pounds, at their first year they will weight around 30, give or take.

Motherhood Makes You Smarter : Pregnancy can take a toll on a woman’s body, but it can also help. A Pulitzer Prize winning reporter discusses her findings on how women improve perception, efficiency, resiliency, motivation, and emotional intelligence. The detailed article has more.

What amazes you most about your little one?

Just wanted to say hi to everyone visiting from No Time For Flashcards. I had a great weekend getting to know Allie better. She’s as adorable and brilliant in real life as on her blog. I really admire Allie’s dedication to children’s education and providing resources for parents to make magical moments with their little ones.

Like she said, I focus on crafts, music and literacy. My goal is to help you interact with your children at any age in a way that’s joyful to you and your child. Here are a few of my favorite posts so far!

Crafts

• The Letter B
• Snowflake and Snowman Crafts for Little Ones

Bari Koral Photo Credit: Megan Moloy

Music

• Rock and Roll Garden with Bari Koral
• “Everyone Loves to Dance” Gets Us Moving

Literacy

• Music and Emergent Literacy
• The End of Reading Rainbow

Thanks again for stopping by! Hope to see you again in the future, at least on Allie’s fan page on Facebook. Have a great Sunday.

It’s here! It’s finally here. I was so sad last year when I was unable to attend and then ecstatic when we actually moved to Tennessee and were only four hours away from Nashville. I’m talking, of course, about getting my bliss on at Blissdom ‘10. When we were getting ready to move to Tennessee last summer I told Brent I was thrilled to be so close to Nashville and that I really wanted to go to the Blissdom Conference. He smiled lovingly and told me we’d see. And now, after all those months, it’s finally here and I actually get to go! Here are some of my preparations for attending BlissDom ‘10.

Learning about Blissdom’s Sponsors

We’ve received a few packages with info and samples from the different sponsors. From ConAgra Food we received coupons for products from brands in the family. I enthusiastically bought the Healthy Choice and Marie Calendar’s frozen dinners so Brent wouldn’t starve while we’re away! I also got the Hebrew National hot dogs. The girls ate them for breakfast this week and LOVED them.

We also received a package from Hallmark with samples from the new Kid’s Collection. I loved these cards because they had encouraging, confidence-building messages that I would be happy to give my girls. I don’t usually think about cards, not even really at birthdays and definitely not at holidays (terrible, I know) but these cards reminded me of how powerful a message can be. In fact, I gave a different card they sent us to Brent this morning. I haven’t talked to him since he opened it, but I hope it made him smile and know that I’m thinking of him while I’m away.

Learning About Blissdom’s Speakers

Some I already know and love, like Holly Buchanan and Rachel Herrscher, and some I’ve been dying to meet, like Alli Worthington and Angela England and then there’s a ton who I should have known and loved already, that I’m excited to hear speak and impart wisdom.

Getting Organized

I have done laundry, grocery shopping, packing and crafting. I can only hope I haven’t forgotten anything. There are so many people to meet, so many things to learn and so much to take in. I love the planner that came in the mail to keep it all straight! I also love the advice I read on others’ blogs about how they prep for Blissdom. It’s going to be a fun but long weekend and I’m so excited the girls and my mom are coming with me.

Hopefully you’ll see major improvements over the next few weeks as I incorporate the new technologies I hope to learn as well as learn other tricks of the trade that will bring us all a little more bliss.

Okay, we’re a month in to 2010. How are you doing with your resolutions, goals, or plans for the new year? Frankly, I planned and planned and then I’ve just been trying to survive day to day. I’m not sure I had even thought again about the goals I set until yesterday. Since I really want to make progress with the goals I set for parenting, healthy living and blogging, I’ve been looking for resources to help me awaken the potential I know I have to achieve my goals. And, shortly after deciding I needed help, I discovered Blast Off! by Allison Maslan. I love how quickly answers come when I invite them into my life.

Blast Off! is a life coaching book designed to offer step-by-step guidance along the path to discovering your goals and working to attain them. Not only does Allison talk about the pro-active steps to move toward your goals, but she also helps you to identify and eliminate roadblocks that may be keeping you from moving forward. I have a lot of ambition, but I seem to sell myself short a lot of the time on what I’m capable of doing. I definitely need help in overcoming a few roadblocks!

Allison suggests you start your day with a free-writing activity. Pick a theme word, the first idea that comes to mind and then write every thought you have about that theme word. This is the time to get out all the negative energy about the theme or to snowball the energy and passion you have for the theme that came to mind. It fits what you need to do to get ready for the day. I like the example she gives using this activity. The theme word is “overwhelmed.” It’s like she read my mind every morning that Sammi wakes me up way before I want to get out of bed and asks for ‘breafkast.’ Then, using the thoughts and ideas that come from this activity, you create a mantra for the day to help you either deal with the theme or encourage the theme, depending on the theme’s vibe

Since I usually sit down at the computer first thing and sort of wake up while I check my email (pathetic, I know!) I figured this would be a great activity for me to start my day. Especially since there’s not usually much happening in my inbox. Though, to really take advantage of all Blast Off! has to offer, I’m going to need to get my hands on the book. I’m  glad it’s available on Amazon because we have Amazon Prime and I am totally addicted to two-day shipping now.

What helps you reach your goals?

After reviewing 2009, I am ready to look forward to 2010. {Side note: Brent says “two thousand ten” and I say “twenty ten.” How do you say it?} There are lots of goals I’m anxious to set and achieve as well as interests I’m ready to pursue more fully.

Personal Goals

Spend time each day in a one-on-one activity with each girl doing an activity that is age appropriate for the girl. This is partly because I think I need to focus more on some learning activities with Sammi (letters and numbers) and partly because Elli always gets clumped into crafts I create for Sammi and I think she needs her own, age-specific stuff.

Get fit and healthy in 2010! I think this is a recurring goal for me. I seem to make a little progress each time I set it, though, so I’m not giving up. I plan to exercise more regularly {we bought gym passes to a local gym} and to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our snacks and meals.

Catch up on some reading. I created and acquired quite a list of books to read in 2009. Some are for fun, some are about parenting and some will make great read-alouds with the girls. I’m excited to get into these books and share their magic with you.

Blogging Goals

I’ve really enjoyed the shift in focus this past year to music and book reviews. For 2010 I’m interested in finding out more about some of the awards that are available and learning who has won those recently to bring that goodness to you. I’m going to start with the Parents’ Choice Awards, the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA), and the iParenting Media Awards.

I’m attending Blissdon ‘10 in Nashville next month. Did you see my Blissdom ‘10 button? Isn’t it cute? I’m so excited to meet with other bloggers, make new friends and connections and start the year off with some great tools and resources to make Because Babies Grow Up even better!

Write more posts on developmental stages for different ages from birth to five years old. My initial idea was to focus on development, but as the year progresses, I seemed to focus more on crafts and then music, book and toy reviews. This year I want to bring back the focus on development, both cognitive and physical, as well as add in music and movement and literacy.

Whew! What a list.

It may not be long, but it is packed with lots of fun and fantastic goals that will bring lots of content to Because Babies Grow Up in 2010. I look forward to what the year will bring and hope you’ll spend some of it with us through comments, guest posts, and giveaways!

To get right on that, what is one thing you would love to see me cover this year?