Work-Out Buddy

When looking to add some exercise to my life I took my friend, Emily's, advice and pulled out an old workout video.

(Is it just me or do all work-out videos cross between being for the elderly or being a naughty video? Sometimes I feel like she's talking to a seventy-year-old Grandma, and other times it seems a little risque!)

The first time I popped in the DVD my three-year-old asked to participate. I was happy to let her join.

The first couple of weeks she just watched.

Now she is doing the warm-up and cool-down with me. The other parts are, "kind of tricky. I don't know this part, Mama."

So fun to have a work-out buddy!

Look at those moves!



We exercise in our pj's!

What's in a Tooth?

A canal with nerves and blood vessels.

I know this because my just-barely-sixteen-MONTH-old fell, shattered her tooth, and exposed the pulp (canal with nerve and blood vessels).

So, it's just a tooth but it was sooooooo sad. My sweet little 16 month old was doing her daily laps around the living room, dining room, and kitchen when she suddenly fell. She didn't trip over anything, like a toy or her feet. One minute she was up, and the next she was down.

When I picked her up she had little white pieces of tooth on her lip. Of course I didn't know that's what it was at first, until I brushed it away and felt it's 'chalkiness'.

"Oh my goodness! That was her tooth."

There was no blood and she only cried for a short time. I was pacing and making phone calls trying to decide if this was an emergency - almost half her tooth was gone - or something to be taken care of at home. How do you mend a broken tooth?

Suddenly I am brought out of my panic when I hear a huge crash in the kitchen. Before running to my daughter's side I had been mixing bread dough in my mixer. It causes my mixer to shake a little so I usually stand by it to keep it from knocking things off the counter.

Well, it fell and pulled some drying dishes off the counter with it. THANKFULLY, my oldest was far enough away that it didn't hurt her. And, thankfully again, she was standing right by the door and could easily exit the room.

I ran around to see if she was okay. She told me her tummy hurt. I yanked up her shirt and was relieved to see no poking glass or cuts. She was just scared, not hurt!

We made it to the dentist and he referred us to a specialist. We saw her the next day and she pulled the tooth. My poor little baby will have no tooth until she's at least 7 years old. We can have a false tooth put in when she has more teeth in her mouth, but for now she's our little toothless girl.




So, it's just a tooth. It's not a leg or an eye or a finger. Just a tooth. BUT, it was still so sad and tragic to deal with as a parent. I was beside myself. Outwardly I think I handled things pretty well - not fantastic, but well. But inside I was really panicky. I kept wondering why I am so weak when it comes to these situations. Then I realized I still did everything I needed to. I wondered if everyone felt panicky on the inside while handling similar situations?

It's been one week today since it happened, and my husband and I still look at each other and sigh for the premature loss of a baby tooth.

It's a serious problem!

What does this post have to do with water lilies? NOTHING! I just think it's a soothing picture!

Well, I have to admit something.

Even though I said it was time to cut the cord, I have followed three - possibly four - more blogs this week. Oh, I tried to stop. I was so good, I unsubscribed to like five blogs (or two?) and that was going to be it. No more! The end!

So, first I found a couple blogs about food. I mean, I have to cook everyday so why not get some new and exciting recipes for free! Pretty fun.

Then I found Sewing in No Man's Land. When you see this new blog I'm following, well I think you'll understand my obsession. It's a woman and her family who live in Timor Leste - where? (I think she said it's an island off the coast of Australia - yep, wikipedia agrees.)

Anyway, she's a fantastic lady. She has children, is a super fantastic seamstress, cooks, and takes awesome pictures! If you read this recent post you may tear up! Why would you cry about cooking, sewing, and picture taking? Well, take a look and you'll see!

So, you see, I HAD to add these few blogs to my google reader!

Had to.

Had to.

Had to.

(Help?)

Valentine's Day

My little sunbeams got a pie pop from me for Valentine's Day.

I found them here and couldn't resist. Look how cute they are. (Mine pale in comparison to Sara's!)





I also left a fun surprise for my husband to find in the morning. He ate them (jalepano chips) for breakfast on his way to work. Breakfast of champions!

Daddy Got a Time-Out

My husband was doing something and some water was spilled, something fell, and a little chaos erupted. He got upset and my eldest could tell.

She informed her daddy that he needed a time-out. She told him where to sit and left him for a moment. Then, when she decided he was finished, she reminded him he had to "be nice."

I think it was so great that my husband listened and took his time-out. It is important for our kids to know that everyone makes mistakes AND that we are willing to go through the process of correcting and repenting for those mistakes just as we expect them to do.

They need to see our human side. They need to see us mess up and see us handle it well. One time when I was a little fired up and talked sternly to my husband, my eldest told me to "talk nice to Daddy." That was a humbling experience. She was right. Even if I am upset by something, I am the only person who can control my response. But when I choose unwisely I can apologize and try again. Some mistakes are too harsh for little ones, but if we allow them to see our process of working out small issues, we are giving them the tools they need to succeed. We are helping them make better choices and handle situations better when we give them a good model to follow.

And, that's the end of this edition of Rachel's Soapbox! But I really think it's true . . .


"No, Ruprecht. . . . We apologize."

A virtual high five to the person who can name that movie!

Here's a hint:

Time to Cut the Cord

I follow WAY too many blogs. Mostly crafty blogs. I just can't do all the crafts I drool over every day.

So, it's time to unsubscribe.

It's time to cut the cord.

It's time to start reading my friend's blogs more. Start commenting.

I know my day of crafting will come and in the meantime, I need to keep it real. Yes, I just said, "keep it real." Weird.

Wish me luck.

Cupcakes

This summer, while visiting family, I tried my hand at cupcake decorating. I made some simple, yet cute, cupcakes for my sister.



Mmmmm . . . they were so yummy. Except the bears. I used gumpaste - not so tasty!


Just this past weekend I made some more cupcakes for a friend's baby shower. It was so humid I thought the icing was going to melt right off the cupcakes. I'll have to keep that in mind next time. Plus, I don't think I used the right icing tip? I don't know. I have a lot to learn - but it was FUN!



I used fondant for these flowers! Yummy!




I used lots of tips from these two sites:

Skip To My Lou - buttercream frosting

Make It and Love It: Make-a-Cake Series - fondant