About Me
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
Bari Koral Photo Credit: Megan Moloy
Bari Koral Photo Credit: Megan Moloy
Music
Literacy
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!
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
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?
Fall is such a fun time of year. Most days it is still warm enough to play outside, but the weather is cooling off so it’s more bearable. It gets dark earlier so we get to enjoy night time things like firework shows, fireflies and stars without the girls staying up way past their bedtime.
Nothing shouts Fall for us like a good County or State Fair. We went to the Claiborne County Fair a few weeks back and enjoyed rides and an authentic tractor pull. I got to ride the airplane ride with Elli and Sammi. Sammi loved it. Elli was don’t that excited so she didn’t go on any more rides. Sammi went on all the rides she was tall enough for and enjoyed every second of it.
Sammi also started preschool a few weeks ago. This is her first day of preschool. She picked out her backpack (red) and lunchbox (Tinkerbell, of course). She seems to enjoy it a lot and has spouted off random information we didn’t know she knew. She loves being at preschool without Mommy or Elli there. I think it gives her a feeling of independence and grown-upness.
We’ve had a lot of fun this fall in our new home in a new state. One thing we’ve gotten back to after a long summer break is visiting the library weekly. I have started volunteering at the Bell County Library doing a story time program for babies and toddlers called Laptime. So far only people I already know are coming, but I hope it grows and the community starts to participate.
Crafts are great any time of year, but I really like doing them in the fall with new supplies purchased during the back-to-school sales. Sammi and I had fun making this Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Mobile. We used Crayola watercolors and I was shocked at how vibrant the colors turned out. I wasn’t sold on the brand before, but I’m totally converted now!
The Fall Fling is in full swing. There’s still plenty of time to enter for the great prizes we’re giving away. We’d also love to hear how you celebrate the new Fall season. Just leave a comment on the Fall Fling post with a link to your post.
Fall Fling kicks off tomorrow on Because Babies Grow Up
This week felt like the last few and I was worried that the results at the weigh in would be minuscule like the last few weeks have been. I keep having new resolves and great intentions for exercising and eating better, but after a few days the resolve fades away. So imagine my joy when I stepped on the scale and had lost 1.5 pounds! Yippeeeee!! That brings my total weight loss to eight and a half pounds. I’m grateful for such supportive friends and wonderful husband who remind me of my goals and help me have a lot of fun along the way.
This weekend has been a fun one so far. While watching Psych on Friday, a friend convinced me to exercise and to rest on the commercials. On the commercials! I though you were supposed to exercise during the commercials and rest during the show. It lasted for two between commercials and then I was too distracted by the show to keep going. I think I will try it during non-Psych and Monk and Numbers shows. Probably not during So You Think You Can Dance or The Biggest Loser either. Well, maybe The Biggest Loser. And if there are any other shows (hehehe) I will exercise between commercials and rest during commercials.
Then on Saturday while Brent studied we headed to Knoxville for a little shopping at the Oriental Market. We also stopped by the mall to do a little shopping and play in the awesome play area. While there my friend (same friend who worked me between commercials) reminded me we wanted to do Build-A-Bear with Sammi and Elli for their birthdays from Grandpa Knowlton and Grandma Kim. Sammi loved it and Elli was close to falling asleep but she approved the bear and the outfit. Sammi chose a ballerina outfit for her bear, whom she named Sammi Bear. I named Elli’s bear without her approval, but I’ll have to save that story for another post. So, after getting a nap in the car on the way home, Sammi wasn’t really tired when Elli was ready for bed. So after our company left and Bren went off to study, Sammi and I stole away to the downstairs where she donned my ballerina slippers and we danced and danced and danced. We danced like butterflies and frogs and monsters and goats. It is one of the happiest moments we have had together in the last little while and I am still cherishing how much fun we had.
In other exciting news, tomorrow kicks off our Fall Fling blog party. Everyone’s invited so please be sure to check back in and find out the details, including PRIZES, and how you can participate by sharing how you welcome fall. Looking forward to the PARTY, hope to see you there.
It’s been a month since I started the Biggest Loser competition and I’ve lost 7 pounds. Not bad, but not as good as I’d hoped. Last week I made three goals. I had success with two of them, but I really floundered on the third. And I started sliding on my initial goal that I had been doing so good at! I have my work cut out for me this week. And the chocolate chip cookies I at on the way home from the zoo today probably didn’t help much.
I am really struggling to work out more than three times in a week. I have really great intentions, but when it comes down to it, something always changes my mind. I’m so worn out by the end of the day that it’s hard to get myself to exercise after the girls are in bed. Then I stay up late cleaning, blogging and the like and so I’m too tired to get up early and do anything before they wake up. I tried a couple times to workout with them awake and that was completely fruitless. So this is a dilemma I’m still facing. Any suggestions?
About the two successful goals. I looked at cookbooks and chose meals for each day. Then I made my grocery list and went shopping. We ate some really yummy food this week! I think I may have to devote a week to yummy recipes just to share all the ones we love. Interested? Okay, so I probably shouldn’t dwell on the food so much since that’s what got me here in the first place! But, I do get a lot of joy out of eating good food so it’s important to me to make healthy choices so I can continue to enjoy it.
I don’t have much to report on the meeting this week. There was a specialist from the health department who spoke on diabetes. I, however, read my book (Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child
As for the coming week: Exercise more! I am going to focus on that single goal and see what magic I can make happen.
Not Sunday's hike, but the trail looked similar.
I learned a new word at the Biggest Loser meeting this week: Hypokinetic. Hypo means lack of and kinetic means movement. We learned about a set of diseases that are hypokinetic. These are diseases that you have a higher risk of developing if you lack movement in your lifestyle.
Hypokinetic Diseases
- Type II Diabetes
- Obesity
- High Cholesterol
- High Blood Pressure
- Osteoporosis
By increasing the amount of movement, or exercise, you participate in daily or even weekly you can reduce your risk of these diseases. In fact, the lecturer explained that we need 2 1/2 hours of physical movement over a week to reduce our risk. That can be spread evenly over the week or can be done in chunks like 1 hour on Monday, 30 minutes Wednesday and 1 hour Friday.
So I thought I was safe with our two hour hike that we took last Sunday around Cumberland Gap National Park. However, I only lost a pound for the week. I think that I was a little over-zealous in celebrating Elli’s birthday and indulged a bit too much in Cake and Ice Cream. They were super yum, though!
My goal from last week was to intensify my workouts. I think I was fairly successful with that goal: a two hour hike and an hour of Masala Bhangra. However, I lacked consistency and my diet was definitely neglected. So, I am making new goals for this week.
Week 4 Goals
- Actually exercise 5 times a week.
- Plan my meals for the whole week before I go grocery shopping.
- Stick to meal plan!
Hopefully I’ll be able to report a 3 pound weight loss next Saturday!
At the second weigh in this week I lost another almost 2 pounds! That makes a total of 6 pounds so far. I love the accountability of the scale every week and looking my team members in the eye to tell them how I did. Definitely helps when I want to eat the entire batch of No Bake Cookies I made for Brent to celebrate surviving his first test in medical school! We got our T-shirts this week! I love the yellow because it’s cheery and energizing.
The meeting this week was interesting, too. One speaker gave information about a study on sleep. They looked at how the body is affected by the amount of sleep we get each night. They found that 30 years ago people got an average of 8 hours a night (wouldn’t THAT be heaven!) and 1 in 10 adults were in the obese category. Now the average is 6 hours of sleep a night (that would still be heaven!) and 1 in 3 adults is in the obese category. Wow!
Then a lady spoke who has lost 200 pounds over the last four years. She shared her story focusing on what got her to decide it was worth the work it takes to change. Four years ago she weighed 350 pounds and now she teaches Disco aerobics at a local gym. Amazing!
My goal this week is to step up the intensity of my workouts. I DVR’d an exercise program on FitTV that is 30 minutes long and does warm-up and cool-down with Tai Chi and the intense part is aerobic kickboxing. Super fun! There’s also a 3 mile trail (6 miles roundtrip) that I want to walk and then eventually be able to run. Hopefully I’ll keep myself so busy I won’t have time to poke around the kitchen for snacks.
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