tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84784266467912847832024-03-14T03:42:58.820-05:00A Mound of MorgansMomma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-38698005737651671682011-08-03T22:19:00.001-05:002011-08-07T23:28:10.641-05:00Wordless Wednesday - The Cake<img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 501px; height: 360px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/tal3rdcakewm.jpg" alt="" border="0" />Every year we have a family & friends only party for the kids and then an 'everyone' party where family, friends, classmates, playgroup mates, etc, help us to celebrate. I always make the cake for the family party and then we purchase one that matches whatever theme I go with for the 'everyone' party. Well, this year, I figured that Talan was old enough to help me with his cake. He helped me to mix up the ingredients and to decorate his cake. He said he wanted a blue car ... we did the best we could, LOL! It was so much fun though and it will give him something else to look forward to on his birthday.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-5883399052104307352011-08-03T12:08:00.005-05:002011-08-04T09:40:49.839-05:00ThreeThe day on which mother finds out that she is pregnant with her first child is a day of unbelievable excitement. I won't ever forget the day that I found that Ted and I were expecting. I remember feeling nervous, anxious, even scared, as I awaited the pregnancy test to give a reading as I knew that whether it read positive or negative, it would change our lives either way. Of course, in a bigger way if it turned out to be positive. I can remember holding that test in my hand after the appropriate amount of time had elapsed and almost wanting to scream with excitement as I stared at two lines which symbolized a new beginning, a new life.<br /><br />Fast forward to August 3, 2008 at 12:08 PM. I was holding that new life in my hands and was overwhelmed with so many emotions. Happiness, joy, and even a little anxiety as I didn't know what to expect with this little Tiff/Ted combo.<br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 451px; height: 299px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/93211330wm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br />It's hard to believe that today, that little 7 pound, 11 ounce boy now looks like this ...<br /><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 450px; height: 319px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/4396042wm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>and is 3 years old today!<br /><br />Talan is so full of life and personality! He is a boy in every way, loving to climb and analyze the world around him. That analyzing has often led to frogs being loose in our home, and even him finding spiders and other odd critters outside and feeling the need to show them to me, up close and personal. Even though it sometimes scares me that he is so bold with animals and the outdoors, I love every critter moment.<br /><br />He is also such a clown. He loves to laugh and he loves to make people laugh. Just this morning after he had come downstairs and we all told him happy birthday and sang to him, he made up a little song that went something like "It's my birthday yeah, yeah! It's my birthday yeah yeah!" and with every exclamation he got louder and louder. I couldn't help but to laugh.<br /><br />As for interests, he is really into books and again, the outdoors. He loves to camp and fish and play in the sand and climb, but he also still loves to cuddle with his mom too and I hope that doesn't change for some years. But, no matter how old he is, he will always be my 'little man.'<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Talan!<br />Mommy loves you!<br /></div>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-84150320780555615112009-11-01T20:03:00.009-06:002009-11-01T23:12:21.275-06:00Nursery DetailsI know it's long overdo, but here are a few details from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Aniela's</span> nursery.<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 466px; height: 342px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/nurserycollagewm.jpg" alt="" border="0" />There is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">humongous</span> window behind the crib that gives off some beautiful natural lighting, but I cropped it out to get a closeup of the nursery bedding. We don't really have to turn lights on in Aniela's nursery until nighttime because of the window.<br /><br />I actually have a thing about putting carpet in nurseries, it's just something I don't do, but in every house there is a room that can be a bit drafty/cooler than others, and unfortunately this is it. I had the carpet laid down to absorb some of that cooler air. I do plan on ripping it up one day when she's older, though.<br /><br />She's co-sleeping with us now so this room doesn't even get used except during her naptime. That TV is going elsewhere by the way. My husband put it there "temporarily" he says. I told him that by the time she is sleeping through the night, at which point we will move her to her nursery, it had better have a home or it's going in the garage.<br /><br />If anyone has any questions about where I got particular items, feel free to ask.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-90415613605871040222009-11-01T10:13:00.001-06:002009-11-01T13:34:45.992-06:00Aniela's Birth StoryMomma Morgan here and I'm taking back the reigns of my blog.<br /><br />To my wonderful husband who took control over my blog for 3 days, thank you! What you all out there don't know is that I didn't even ask him to do it. We were all just sitting around after Aniela's birth, and out of the blue Poppa Morgan said "Hun, do you want me to update your blog and let everyone know about the baby? I can do it if you want me to." He was so ready for the world to know that our little angel had arrived. As I hopped online this morning and read comments and messages and e-mails, I was glad to see that everyone really loved his posts, even if it were only three of them. I even had some e-mails stating that he needs to do a guest spot again. When I told Poppa Morgan this information, he responded "I will check my schedule and get back to you." That's my husband!<br /><br />Also, thank you to everyone for all of the congratulations and warm wishes. They are much appreciated.<br /><br />Now, for Miss Aniela's birth story.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wednesday, October 28th, 2009</span><br /><br />I started having what I thought to be just very strong Braxton Hicks contractions. Then, one hit me pretty hard and that's when something told me to keep track of when these pangs occurred. I realized that these surges (that's what us Hypnobirthing moms call them) were occurring in a certain range, about 12 to 15 minutes apart. As everyone knows, Braxton Hicks are random and sporadic, so I was indeed having contractions. My boss was in a meeting so I left a message with her secretary to let her know that I was leaving for the day as it seemed that my daughter was preparing to arrive and I didn't want our design studio to become a birthing studio as well. I called Ted once I got to my SUV and let him know that I was heading home because I was having surges that were pretty regular. I told him that they weren't very strong, but they were happening, and I felt it best for me to just go home. He told me he was going to get off from work too and come home, which I figured he would do. I told him to go ahead and pick Talan up while he was at it. I also called my midwife and let her know what was going on.<br /><br />Fast forward to 9 o' clock ... yeah, 9 o' clock, PM. Dinner had been made and eaten, Talan had been nursed, bathed, and put down for the night, and my contractions, well they had almost completely fizzled out. They had lost all sequence and order and were even milder than they were earlier in the day. I still had minor surges here and there, but again they were randomly occurring and weren't very strong, basically like Braxton Hicks. My midwife had come by and stayed for some hours, but we all figured that the little girl wasn't going to be making an appearance that night, so she left, Ted and I hit the shower and then the hay.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday, October 29, 2009</span><br /><br />I was awakened Thursday morning around 5:30 AM by a very strong surge. I didn't wake Poppa Morgan as it was just one surge, so I just went downstairs, put "Return to Me" into the DVD player, and started watching it. I have this nifty little gadget called that <a style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);" href="http://www.babykick.com/">KickTrak</a> that does numerous things, including time contractions, so that's how I kept track of how often the surges were occurring. I guess Poppa Morgan realized that I had gotten up because he came downstairs about 10 minutes after me.<br /><br />Just like with Talan's birth, I used Hypnobirthing relaxation techniques. When pregnant with Mr. T, I read the Hypnobirthing book and Poppa Morgan and I took the classes as well. Ted called our parents and a few of our friends to let them know what was going on. One of my best friends (and the mother of my Godson) Katie is a professional photographer who photographed Talan's birth, so naturally we enlisted her to photograph Aniela's as well. Our friend's Matt, Kevin, and Eric helped Ted to prep the birthing pool in our bedroom. After they finished and everyone else had arrived, we all just sat around and hung out like we always do. We watched movies and talked about random happenings, and just enjoyed each others company.<br /><br />Around approximately 10:15 is when I would say the pressure down below was really strong and I had began to get uncomfortable, so Ted and I, and Katie, made our way upstairs to our bedroom (everyone else stayed downstairs). About 10 minutes later my forewater broke and I asked Poppa Morgan to call my midwife and have her come on over. We had been giving her progress reports throughout my labor, but now I felt as though my contractions were strong enough and close enough together that the little girl could come any minute.<br /><br />My midwife came straight over, got prepped, and checked my cervix. To my surprise I was only 6 cm dilated. She had us go ahead and get in the pool. Sometime later, my midwife started to look at me a bit funny. She told me that she noticed that I was "grunting" whenever I talked, which is generally a sign that a woman is working with her body to push the baby out, though she may not realize it. And to be honest, I didn't realize it! My midwife didn't ever get a chance to check my cervix again as before we knew it, I was giving full blown pushes. I found that I was more comfortable on my knees with my arms resting on the edge of the pool. Poppa Morgan stayed behind me, rubbing my back and reinforcing me to keep me focused. He was so wonderful and just his presence was so much help in my labor process. The next thing I knew my midwife said she felt Aneila's head, and once her shoulders were out she allowed Ted to help bring our little girl forth. After 41 weeks and 5 days of being in my womb, Aniela Grace arrived at 11:21 AM, head first I might add. If you all recall, from 28 weeks forward our little angel was a bit stubborn and remained breech. My midwife found that she had turned head first when I was about 41 weeks and 2 days.<br /><br />We stayed in the pool for about 20 minutes, giving Aneila's cord time to stop pulsing. My midwife and I wiped her down and then I nursed her, all while soaking in the water. Then, Ted cut her cord and helped me get out of the pool get dry and wrapped up in my robe. My midwife weighed and measured Aniela (6 lbs, 2 oz, 19 1/2 inches long), wrapped her up all nice and snuggly, and myself, my husband, and our daughter all got comfy in our bed.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 414px; height: 257px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/anielawrapwm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br />I had Katie go downstairs and get Talan and bring him up. As Ted mentioned in his blog post, Talan was, and still is, a bit on the fence about his sister. He will touch her hand or pat her head from time to time, but he hasn't really embraced the whole "new baby" concept yet.<br /><br />Today is Aniela's third day with us and every day, both Poppa Morgan and I can't help but to look at our beautiful children and thank God for blessing us with them and giving us the opportunity to be their parents.<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 415px; height: 276px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/anielaeditwm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br />We're still learning about this new little blessing, but I have personally learned that when she wants something, she is going to let you know. There is no shame in our little girl's game when it comes to crying. If she wants something, she's going to cry, period. As for eating, she nurses every 2 to 3 hours for about 10 to 12 minutes. And yes, I am still nursing Talan, though I have a feeling that he is about to wean himself. He is so into learning about the world around him that he doesn't have time to nurse anymore. I do, however, plan on expressing milk for him up until he turns 2 years old.<br /><br />As you can see in the photo above, Aniela's skin has been just flaking off. I didn't ever have this problem with Talan. He shed, but not in big flakes like Aniela has been. I called our pediatrician and spoke with him about the situation. He informed me that it is normal for babies that are born past their due dates to shed in big flakes. Why? Who knows, but I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything worse than it is.<br /><br />My midwife will be coming over soon for her last visit with us. She has been absolutely wonderful throughout this entire process, and when we have our next child, I will certainly be using her services again.<br /><br />Thanks again to everyone for the warm wishes and support. I look forward to sharing more about the new little lady in our lives with you all.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-67900692883680406002009-10-19T21:53:00.004-05:002009-10-19T22:15:11.099-05:00Departed Due DateWell, my due date has come and gone, it has departed so to speak. It was estimated that our little girl would be here on the 17th of this month, but, nature had other plans. Of course, due dates are just that, estimations, and one is technically not "overdue" until they are 42 weeks pregnant, so honestly it's not a big deal for me. I know that when my body is ready, it will do what it needs to do to get her here. No unnecessary medical interventions for this mommy, natural all the way.<br /><br />Anyway, obviously I have been slacking on my blogging again, but that's because we're trying to do as much as we can to get everything ready for our daughter's arrival. My husband and some of our friends actually did a bit of rearranging in the den so as to have room for the birthing pool. The nursery is officially ready, and I will be taking photos of the finished product to post for your viewing pleasure. Now, we're just playing the waiting game, which I will happily play as long as it takes.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-28541270622157243872009-10-10T22:13:00.002-05:002009-10-10T23:12:35.811-05:00The Countdown to AnielaThe nursery is ready, the birthing pool has been brought up from the downstairs area (still in the box though), food is being <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-prepared and frozen, and time is now of the essence. The Morgan mound is preparing for the arrival of a most precious blessing, little <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Aniela</span>. Until someone brought it to my attention today, I had forgotten that it is indeed October, and our little girl is estimated to arrive in only SEVEN days!<br /><br />Poppa Morgan is on edge, just as he was with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Talan</span>. Every little kick that makes me grunt or rub at my belly, he goes "Are you okay?" He is now at the point where he always has a look of concern on his face.<br /><br />As for Mr. T, we don't know what he's feeling exactly. I do believe that he is going to miss laying on my big belly, and I also think he is going to miss when I put his hand on my belly and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Aniela</span> moves. It makes him laugh the biggest laugh. Luckily we have captured tons of video footage of this so we will always have the memory on hand. I'm really intrigued to see how the little guy is going to react to his little sister, but I guess time will tell.<br /><br />As for me, I'm as big as house, but I'm loving every minute of it. I'm one of those rare women who enjoys pregnancy. It has even been said that morning sickness has a purpose, and though it's no fun, it's a part of the process. I have achieved a lot of things in my life, but my greatest achievement in my opinion is having a life form inside of me, a life created by the union of my husband and I and overseen by the man above. But it doesn't stop there, as I not only carry this life, but I am essentially it's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">life force</span>. It lives because of me. It thrives and flourishes because of me. I am its protector, its sanctuary, its home for 9 months. I can't think of a greater process than pregnancy, and that's why I make it my duty to enjoy every minute of it. I am even thankful for the aches and pains, as a wonderful blessing is the cause of them.<br /><br />And for those who are curious, yes, I am still working. I worked up all the way up until <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Talan's</span> birth, and I'm doing the same thing now. It really keeps me on my toes and it keeps my mind off of how anxious I am to meet our daughter.<br /><br />So anyhow, that's basically what's going on in the mound ... anticipation. Naturally I will keep you all updated ... duh, it is a blog! Poppa Morgan has volunteered to be a guest blogger after the baby's birth so that should be interesting. I can see myself now over his shoulder trying to dictate every word he writes. I think he'll do fine though.<br /><br />Well, I'm off to finish stuffing diapers and folding <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">prefolds</span>, what fun!Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-12612819847242817992009-10-07T17:30:00.007-05:002009-10-08T18:20:16.159-05:00The Kreativ Blogger Award - Find Out Something New<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://croleyc69-thecroleygang.blogspot.com/2009/10/kreativ-award-find-out-something-new.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad9U92BH4n4aAYN5dTNZv8lLWW-gTmwnyqFrNkBKPKxFIUdf0O6b6Ru5FJ1TgJKJKvnq3cDsuRxocLXyt_eiTQtx1ZqT0bB5wyjJqXWUqp4wdzE_ur7cNk5gS4z1fkYdw1lFNNCBmk1FJ/s1600/kreative-blogger.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I am honored to have received my first blogging award, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kreativ</span> Blogger award. I was given the award by Caroline (check out her blog <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://croleyc69-thecroleygang.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Croley</span> Gang</span></a>), a fellow mom blogger who I actually met on a social site for moms. She is such a great and kindhearted person, and even if no one else does, I can always count on her to leave a comment on my blog posts.<br /><br />So now that I have this award, I have to pass it on to some others, but first there are some rules that I must state and of course follow as well.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kreativ</span> Blogger Award Rules:<br />1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.<br />2. Copy logo and paste it to your blog.<br />3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.<br />4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.<br />5. Nominate 7 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kreativ</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bloggers</span>.<br />6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.<br />7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.<br /><br /><br />So I have to tell you seven things about myself. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Hmmm</span> ....<br /><br />1) I have been doing gymnastics since I was 3 years old.<br />2) I was close to attending and participating in the Olympics (yes, in gymnastics) years ago.<br />3) My dream car (and a dream it will certainly stay) is the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/maybach-landaulet/"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Maybach</span> 62 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Landaulet</span></span></a>, reasonably priced at $1.35 MILLION. See why it will stay a dream?<br />4) My shoes of choice are flip flops, of which I have about 30 pair.<br />5) Poppa Morgan and I went to Thailand for our honeymoon, the farthest I have ever traveled. It was absolutely beautiful.<br />6) I realized that I wanted to be an interior designer when I was about 13 years old. Most kids change their minds about their career paths, but I didn't, and here I am!<br />7) I love to sew, a skill that comes in handy in my profession. I haven't ever made clothes, but I have made pillows, curtains, and even duvet covers.<br />8) I am very skilled at the piano, thanks to a mom who has been teaching the subject from home for years.<br />9) The camera I use for my photos is a Nikon D90 that I got from Poppa Morgan as a Christmas present last year. It was an upgrade from a D40 which he is now learning. I am certainly still learning my D90.<br />10) I'm going to make number ten the "rundown of facts" about me. These things are a part of who I am, but they do not <span style="font-style: italic;">make</span> me who I am. I am an extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping, delayed/selectively vaccinating, holistically circumcising, foreskin donating (yes, you can do that, if you have any questions just ask), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">babywearing</span>, cloth diapering, natural birthing, delayed cord clamping, extended rear facing, homemade baby food making, always sewing, full time working, Christian daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Now, here are some people who most certainly deserve this award, so I'm going to give it to them! And the award goes to (Imagine the <span style="font-style: italic;">Price is Right</span> theme starts playing. I don't know why that's the theme playing, just go along with it!) .....<br /><br />1) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://everlastingeveretts.blogspot.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">JoJosMama</span></a><br />2) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://themcculloughfour.blogspot.com/">Estelle</a><br />3) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://torijean.blogspot.com/">Tori Jean</a><br />4) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://thehawkinsonfamily.blogspot.com/">Monika</a><br />5) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://theandersonfamilyinsweethomemontana.blogspot.com/">Sweet Home Montana</a><br />6) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://2toddlersandme.blogspot.com/">2 Toddlers and Me</a><br />7) <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.raisingmy4sons.com/">Momma Such</a><br /><br />All of the names above are linked to the person's blog, so make sure to check them out. All of these ladies have some really great blogs. Some are just starting out, but I'm sure they would appreciate you dropping by and checking out their blogs.<br /><br />Thanks again to Caroline for my first award, I was really excited about seeing my name listed on your blog.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></div>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-41942364032410669082009-10-03T17:42:00.003-05:002009-10-03T18:58:07.538-05:00(Cloth) Diaper DutyI have received quite a few e-mails asking what I use to wash my .... well, Mr. T's, cloth diapers. When Mr. T was first born, I just used regular laundry detergent. I quickly realized that regular detergent was not going to cut it. No matter how much water or detergent I added to our machine (we have a front loader if anyone may be curious), I often had to re-wash the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dipes</span>, and more than twice sometimes depending on how bad the accident was that caused the diaper to need a washing in the first place.<br /><br />After quite a few ruined <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dipes</span> (or so I thought) and much frustration, I finally sat down in front of my PC and did some research. Upon educating myself more on not only cleaning cloth diapers, but products used to treat them, I finally found two products that have been absolute life (and time) savers in the cloth diapering arena.<br /><br />First is <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=94863&catid=34541&brand=41175&crpg=2&tab=1#1">Bi-O-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kleen</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bac</span>-Out</a>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bac</span>-Out is both a stain and odor eliminator that I spray on Mr. T's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">dipes</span> immediately before they go into the diaper pail. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bac</span>-out contains live strains of active enzymes that naturally and safely digest organic waste and odors. Yes, it is environmentally and human friendly! This stuff works absolute wonders not only on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">dipe</span> stains, but on stains in general. I have a problem when it comes to wearing white. No matter how hard I try, I ALWAYS end up getting something on my white apparel. I have gotten rid of many white articles of clothing simply because I got some sort of invincible stain in them that I could not for the life of me remove. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Bac</span>-Out works on everything, I kid you not. I got a horrible mustard stain on a white shirt of mine that I just knew wasn't going to come out. I sprayed some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Bac</span>-Out on it, let it sit for a few hours, washed it, and it was as good as new! I honestly think no cloth diapering mom should be without this stuff, it is awesome. Oh, and I've read, though we haven't tried it, that the enzymes in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Bac</span>-Out are even good for eating away buildup in clogged drains!<br /><br />The second product is a wonderful cloth diaper detergent that I found. It was created by a work at home, cloth diapering mother named Kim, whose children happen to have sensitive skin. She also happens to have hard water, so upon making her product, she took that into consideration for not only herself, but other mothers who would eventually use the product as well. After much testing, she became the creator of <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://rockingreensoap.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Rockin</span>' Green</a> cloth diaper detergent. Here are a few tidbits about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Rockin</span>' Green.<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 362px; height: 241px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs172.snc1/6452_125572496410_125572211410_3628020_3730654_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Rockin</span>’ Green is:</strong><ul><li><strong>Dye free</strong></li><li><strong>Comes in several yummy scents (& an unscented version)</strong></li><li><strong>No fillers</strong></li><li><strong>No enzymes or optical brighteners</strong></li><li><strong>100% Phosphate free</strong></li><li><strong>Vegan</strong></li><li><strong>Great for sensitive skin</strong></li><li><strong>Easy rinsing formula</strong></li><li><strong>Approved for military use</strong></li><li><strong>Works wonders on microfiber stink!</strong></li><li><strong>Perfect for cloth diapers</strong></li><li><strong>HE compatible</strong></li><li><strong>Reusable packaging</strong></li><li><strong>Great for all water types</strong></li><li><strong>Economical at .13 cents a load!</strong></li></ul>I haven't ever been a fan of powder detergents but I must say that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Rockin</span>' Green has won me over. All it takes is just ONE wash in this detergent and Mr. T's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">dipes</span> come out not only looking great, but smelling great too! As noted in the tidbits above, this detergent comes in an unscented version or you can choose from twelve wonderful scents. I happen to be a fan of the Vanilla <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Buttercream</span> fragrance. If you look at the list of fragrances and you're not sure what fragrance you may like, then you can order a sample of a few fragrances for a mere $2 each. A sample is enough to do 5 regular loads or 10 loads in a high efficiency washer. It also comes in "soft rock," the sensitive skin version, and "Classic Rock." This detergent doesn't make many suds so don't be alarmed, but rest assured that it will indeed get your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">dipes</span> nice and clean. I fell so in love with this product that I now use it not only on Mr. T's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">dipes</span>, but on all of our household laundry. It leaves our towels smelling so great that our entire linen closet smells of vanilla <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">buttercream</span> after laundry day!<br /><br />There ya go, the two products that have been absolute lifesavers for me in the realm of cloth diapering. What I love is that I can also use both of these products on other household items, and on my clothing and Poppa Morgan's clothing as well. Hopefully some of you will give these things a try. They truly have made diaper duty a lot less stressful in the Morgan mound. Happy diapering!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">All photos are copyrighted by their respective owners. No infringement is intended.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">To visit the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Rockin</span>' Green website, click </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://rockingreensoap.com/"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">HERE</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">To purchase Bi-O-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Kleen</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Bac</span>-Out, click </span><a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); font-style: italic;" href="http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=94863&catid=34541&brand=41175&trx=BS-41175&trxp1=HPFP&trxp2=0&trxp3=94863&btrx=BS-41175">HERE</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-38003688053417085912009-09-30T14:58:00.004-05:002009-09-30T15:15:36.600-05:00Represent Your Geekiness with Craftsquatch!For those who may not know, I am an <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> addict. Upon jumping on to my PC, Etsy is one of the first places I head to. I love browsing their enormous selection of handmade items, and I always find something that is really unique that catches my attention.<br /><br />Today, I stumbled upon the Chicago based Etsy store <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6956228&section_id=6201060">Craftsquatch</a> who has deemed themselves "Your one-stop shop for geeky pillows." If their pillows are geeky, then just call me a geek!<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 430px; height: 322px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_59TdlP1XdGk/SsKnoDr8GWI/AAAAAAAAJ0s/zL_Uba4Xn6s/s1600/craftsquatch.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><div style="text-align: left;"><a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6956228&section_id=6201060">Craftsquatch</a> designs pillows for those who want to show how big a fan they are of the whole social networking scene. From Myspace to Facebook to Twitter to even the blogging scene, they have a wide array of pillows representing social networking. Being a blogger, I personally want this adorable RSS Feed pillow. I think it will look great in our home office.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 288px; height: 249px;" src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_430xN.93237487.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The great thing about <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6956228&section_id=6201060">Craftsquatch</a> is that unlike a few stores on Etsy, you don't have to go completely broke to purchase one of these fine, handmade pillows. The pillows run anywhere from $18.99 to $19.99. What a great way to show off how big of a social networking nerd you are!<br /></div></div></div>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-70546620889905491302009-09-24T20:03:00.007-05:002009-09-24T23:42:25.477-05:00"On Hand" Foods (Recipes Inside!)A while ago, a fellow blogger<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"></span> commented about the recipes I post and asked if I had any particular grocery list that I could write about. Well, I buy our groceries around what we have. I go through our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer prior to going to the grocery store and then I plan meals around what we have. That way, I can make full course meals and already have everything on hand. I also try to make things that are easy for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Talan</span> to handle as well.<br /><br />When Poppa Morgan and I were moving out of the apartment we lived in prior to moving into our house, it absolutely disgusted me how much food that we threw away. So many meats and other frozen foods that we didn't even know that we had, piled on top of each other. They were too freezer burnt to give to anyone. We realized that we used to buy way too much. Now, we buy as needed. I look in the freezer and say "Okay, we have hamburger meat. What would I like to make this week using hamburger meat?" or "I'm having a craving for grilled chicken. What do I have that would compliment it at home?" My husband is Italian (his father is only part Italian but his mother is a full blooded Sicilian) and his mother and grandmother have taught him a lot of recipes and he does a lot of cooking too, so I let him jot down things he might need as well. So, that's how we do our grocery list.<br /><br />BUT .....<br /><br />there are a few foods that I ALWAYS keep on hand ... ALWAYS! I can do quick and easy snacks or lunches with these foods. What are they you ask?<br /><br />- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Whole wheat tortillas and shredded cheese.</span> If ever you want a quick and easy snack, a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">quesadilla</span> is the way to go. Sprinkle some cheese on top of a tortilla, place another tortilla on top, put a little oil in a skillet, take a spatula and place the tortilla in the pan. When the cheese begins to melt, flip the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">quesadilla</span> over. Once it is lightly browned on both sides OR when the cheese has completely melted, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">bon</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">apetit</span>! Now, you can always jazz up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">quesadillas</span>. Here is a recipe that I found on the <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://weelicious.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Weelicious</span></a> website, which is where I get quite a few of my recipes, as they are child friendly and very healthy.<br /><br /><p style="font-style: italic;"><span>Cheesy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Quesadillas</span> with Apple & Honey</span> (serves 4)</p> <p>4 Whole Wheat or Spelt Tortillas<br />1 1/3 Cup Cheddar Cheese, divided<br />1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and sliced thin, divided OR 1/3 Cup Apple Sauce<br />Honey</p> <p>1. Place 1/4 of the apple slices (or 2 tbsp apple sauce) on a tortilla, top with 1/3 cup of the cheese and a drizzle of honey.<br />2. Cover with another tortilla.<br />3. Slide the tortilla “sandwich” into a saute pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.<br />4. Cut into wedges.<br />5. Serve.</p><p><br /></p><p><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Talan</span> absolutely LOVES the cheesy honey and apple <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">quesadillas</span> and at first, I didn't think that I would like them, but they are really good. </p><p>Of course, you don't have to just make <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">quesadillas</span> with tortillas and shredded cheese. I use shredded cheese in quite a few dishes, another reason I keep it on hand. I also like to make turkey pinwheels as a quick and easy snack. Some Philadelphia vegetable cream cheese spread, a few slices of turkey sandwich meat (real turkey will work too), some spinach leaves, all nicely laid out on a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tight and cut into small pieces. Great for snacks and as appetizers for parties.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lettuce</span>. Whether you buy it by the head or in a bag <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">pre</span>-shredded, it's a good idea to keep lettuce on hand. I'm a salad-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">holic</span>. I absolutely LOVE to eat salads. Lettuce goes pretty fast in our home. The bad part is, I load my salads with everything that doesn't make them very healthy, but at least I'm eating salad! My husband makes a mean Antipasto salad. Well how does he make it you ask? Here ya go ....</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Antipasto Salad</p>2 Heads of Lettuce<br />1 cup kidney beans<br />1 cup garbanzo beans<br />Onion<br />Salami (cubed)<br />Provolone Cheese (shredded or cubed)<br />2 Tomatoes<br />Black olives (optional)<br />Salt<br />Pepper<br /><br />1. Rinse your kidney beans and garbanzo beans and pat them dry.<br />2. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste.<br />3. Serve with a red wine vinaigrette dressing (Poppa Morgan makes his).<br /><br />Now, this recipe is a good example of something to make to your liking. You can always add to or take away from the ingredients for this salad. I don't like olives, so Poppa Morgan makes the salad without them and just adds them to his salad once he has it on his plate. For the lettuce, he uses one head of iceberg and one head of purple lettuce, and he uses a red onion. He says it makes the salad prettier! My mother in law has actually used whole string beans as one of her beans in this salad before, and she also uses artichoke hearts, so there are many ways to make it. There are a lot of red wine vinegar dressing recipes online. It's very easy to make.<br /><br /><br />- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pasta</span>. This is my third biggie to have on hand. I always buy a few different shapes to change things up visually here and there. Here is a quickie recipe for some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Parmesan</span> pasta.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Parmesan Pasta</span><br /><br />1-8 oz box of pasta<br />1 clove of garlic (minced)<br />1/4 cup of olive oil (you can also use butter or margarine, still 1/4 cup)<br />1 cup Parmesan cheese<br />Black pepper (optional)<br /><br />1. Cook pasta as directed on package.<br />2. When pasta is about five minutes away from being done, pour olive oil in a small skillet. Then place the garlic in the oil, and saute until the garlic is golden and tender (be careful not to burn the garlic as it burns easily).<br />3. Drain pasta well.<br />4. Pour cooked oil over pasta and toss.<br />5. Pour Parmesan cheese in with pasta and toss well. Add black pepper (if desired), give one last toss, and enjoy!<br /><br />This is one of the simplest recipes. It takes me about 15 minutes or so to make this dish. A bonus is that you can add so many things to it if you desire. One thing I like to do, when I'm up to it, is slice a tomato and throw it in. Parmesan cheese is another one of my addictions, so I like to put a little extra in for myself. Note that I said black pepper was optional but I didn't mention salt. That's because Parmesan is a pretty salty cheese, no salt necessary. Parsley is really good in this dish too. Poppa Morgan likes spice so he adds a bit of red pepper flakes to his.<br /><br />Parmesan cheese is another one that I keep on hand but I won't add it into the main list as many people have different tastes when it comes to cheeses. Parmesan happens to be my favorite. Poppa Morgan's favorite is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Asiago</span>. But, depending on what type of cheese you like, you may want to try a fun snack called cheese crisps. They work well with Parmesan I know ... I haven't tried them with any other cheese, though.<br /><br /><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Cheese Crisps </span><br /></p> <p>1 Wedge Parmesan Cheese</p> <p>1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<br />2. Shred the Parmesan wedge on a grater (use the side with the largest holes).<br />3. Place 2 tbsp of the shredded cheese on a parchment lined cookie sheet and flatten the cheese with your finger tips into a 3 inch circle.<br />4. Bake for 7-8 minutes.<br />5. As soon as they come out of the oven remove with a thin spatula to an upside down cup or ramekin.<br /></p><p>Cheese crisps are such a neat snack. I actually made them as an appetizer once and everyone thought they were something that I had found at a store. You can also use the packaged Parmesan, like Kraft Parmesan cheese, to do these, though you can't make them as big.<br /></p><br /><br />Those are the main food items that I keep on hand. You would be amazed at how many different snacks, lunches, and dinners you can make with just these items alone, given that you have some complimentary items on hand. Plus, the items are very kid friendly. Talan has had all of the recipes mentioned above and by the way he eats his little heart out, I don't think he has any complaints. Until next time, happy cooking!Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-78402854678029238142009-09-22T21:28:00.000-05:002009-09-22T23:40:10.633-05:00The State of Our Union AddressedLet's take a journey down memory lane, shall we ....<br /><br />Twenty three years ago (yeah, we're going <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> far back!), two kindergarten kids, a little boy and a little girl, were at recess. They were doing nothing more than building sandcastles when the little boy had the audacity to take his shovel and scoop up some of the little girl's dirt that she was piling up. "HEY!" the little girl exclaimed. "What?" asked the little boy. "I was going to use that!" the little girl said. "Sorry" said the little boy. "You can have it back." The little boy proceeded to scoop up some dirt from his castle and put it back where he had taken dirt from the little girls.' "Thanks!" said the little girl, "You can have it in a minute." "Okay" the little boy replied. "My name's Tiffany, I'm in Mrs. B's class." The boy replied, "My name's Teddy and I'm in Mrs. G's class." It was this day that a beautiful new friendship blossomed, a friendship that would eventually lead to much more.<br /><br />Let's fast forward about six years. The boy and girl aren't so little anymore, as they are in middle school now. The boy has become quite the academic, making straight A's constantly throughout his academic career. He would see a "B" here and there, but it was very rare. The little girl ... well, she did the best that she could. Thank goodness she had friends like the little boy to help her when she needed it. They had many study groups, sometimes with other friends, and sometimes just the two of them. By this point they considered each other to be a "best friend," and could often be found at the others house on the weekends or hanging out with their other buds at the park. That year they had their first dance and the boy asked the girl if he would escort her to the dance. She said yes and they had a wonderful time. "Why don't you just ask her to be your girlfriend?" Eric, one of their friends said to the boy, who later told the girl. "Tiffany is just my friend 'E' and you know that. She's like a sister!" Little did the boy know, that the girl's friends had been telling her the same thing about him for quite some time. "I think he likes you and that you like him" Megan, another friend, told the girl. The girl replied "Teddy is just my friend, and besides, my daddy would kill me and him if I came home talking about I have a boyfriend!" The girl is the only girl out of five kids, two older brothers and two younger brothers ... her dad would have really killed her, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LOL</span>!<br /><br />Let's jump ahead another six years. It's senior year. The boy and girl would be soon be making their way out into the big world to pursue careers and to live their lives. They were still the best of friends, and now, not only were their group of friends still saying the same things about the two of them having a relationship, but now even their parents were too! "I don't know why you two won't date!," "You two would be a really cute couple," "You two just need to get together and get it over with." They had gotten used to hearing such comments so much that they just ignored them. At graduation, though the boy didn't get valedictorian or salutatorian, he was certainly close in the running and was offered numerous scholarships. The girl even graduated pretty high up in her class and got a couple of scholarships herself.<br /><br />The girl had decided long ago that interior design was her passion, as her dad was an architect and she had grown up around the area and knew in her heart that it was what she wanted to do. The boy had decided that he would go to school to do something in the medicinal field, and later decided that pharmacy was the way to go. Unfortunately, the boy had decided that he was going to go to school elsewhere, in another state. All of the girl's other friends were staying put, all but the one, the boy, Teddy. The girl was quite upset about this, very upset in fact, and she didn't understand why. Why was the fact that the boy wouldn't be around bothering her so much? I mean, he would still be her friend, just a friend who was not right where she was. And besides, that meant road trips! The boy and the girl didn't talk much during that summer, as the girl thought the boy was busy packing and getting ready to leave for his new life. One day the boy called the girl out of the blue. "Hey Tiff, haven't heard from you in a while." "I know" she replied, "I didn't want to keep you from your packing." "Well, there's been a change of plans" he said. "I'm going to college where you're going!" "Are you serious!" she exclaimed. Trying not to seem too overjoyed she then calmly said "That's great Ted, it'll be good to still have you around ... I guess!" They both had a good laugh.<br /><br />At some point during their college years, the girl had found herself in a relationship. This relationship wasn't like the others she had previously had ... it seemed to really be lasting and going somewhere. She was happy, very happy, and knew in her heart (or so she thought) that she had found the right one. Funny thing was, she rarely saw or talked to the boy anymore. She would see him when they went out with friends, and she would sometimes bump into him on campus and he would give a wave, but that was about it. It was almost as if they had strayed away from one another, but why? What could cause such a thing. Unfortunately for the girl, the guy whom she was with at the time turned out to <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> be the one. She had a pretty rough time with the whole situation, but she knew something better would come her way one day so she did a little bit of grieving and went on about her life. One day, the boy called her out of the blue. He later came over to her apartment and they had a little chat. The boy said that he had heard about what happened and that he was sorry. The girl said it was no big deal and that she was alright, but she did have questions. "Ted, why haven't we really spoken lately. I mean. yes we greet each other and things like that, but you and I used to just hang out and watch movies and just have fun." "I know" the boy said, "things have been different." He asked the girl if she would have lunch with him the next day, and she agreed.<br /><br />At their lunch, the boy and girl and caught up and had some laughs, and then the conversation hit a really serious note. "Tiffany, the real reason I asked you to have lunch with me is because I have something to tell you." The boy seemed awfully nervous, and the girl could feel all sorts of different emotions run through her. The boy continued. "I was the problem when it comes down to us not talking much over the past months. It's just that ....." the boy paused. "It's just that you were so happy, and I loved seeing you happy, I just .... I just didn't like seeing you with another guy." It took the girl a second to realize what was just said. The boy continued. "Every since I can remember I have had feelings for you. Everyone used to tease us about liking each other, and all the time I would think to myself 'Is it that obvious?' I have liked you for a very long time." You would think the girl to be in shock at this moment, but she wasn't. She was ... happy. "Well, what if I told you that I like you back?" The two just sat there for a moment. "Wait, you like me?" said the boy. "Why didn't you tell me?" "Why didn't you tell me?!" asked the girl. The two eventually decided that they had just been too immature to just admit what they were feeling, as they felt that because they had been best friends for so long, they would somehow be judged if it went any further. They had a long discussion with each other and came to find out that the feelings between them had been there for a long time, and existed on the sides of both parties. It was at this point, that the boy and girl became the man and the woman, as they learned that sometimes it's best to express how you feel, as it can drive you away from what you long for, and, that sometimes, things can be hidden from you in blind sight.<br /><br />On June 18, 2007, the woman turned the big 26. She and the man had been dating only for 6 months, but they couldn't remember a happier time in their lives. The woman's birthday party was really fun. Friends and family were mingling and having a good time, and making fools of themselves singing karaoke. But hey, that's what karaoke is all about, right? In between songs, people would go to the microphone and throw birthday shout-outs to the woman. Eventually, the man went up to the microphone and asked the woman to come up with him. The woman had a feeling that he was about to ask her to sing a song with him, but oh what she didn't know. The man began to talk about his relationship with the woman, from how they met to denying for years that they liked each other. Eventually, the man turned to the woman, told her how much he loved her, got down on one knee, and asked the woman, in front friends, family, and strangers alike, to marry him. Now, you may say "But only after six months?" To that I say "What God puts together, let no man put asunder."<br /><br />After only three months of planning, on September 22, 2007 in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tybee</span> Island, GA, the man and the woman united as one. By the Grace of God, two souls found their soul mates who had been hiding right in front of them, and He brought them together in his glory.<br /><br />It's hard to believe that this occurred two years ago today, as it seems like just yesterday. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Yes, today is our two year wedding anniversary!</span> I can remember how much negativity we heard about ourselves after being married ... how we weren't going to last, how we made a friendship that was supposed to just be a friendship into something more, how we hadn't dated long enough, etc, etc, and to that I say, look at us now! Now, we are no longer just man and woman, we are husband and wife, and also momma and poppa. Two years, 1 and 3/4 kids (the one is not quite done baking in the oven yet), and forever to enjoy each other. That, is the state of our union, addressed.<br /><br />Oh, and Megan and Eric just happen to be Mr. T's Godparents!Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-49255898240032625342009-09-21T19:09:00.006-05:002009-09-22T19:28:11.354-05:00"Not Me!" Monday<div style="text-align: center;"> <center> <a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/"> <img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/jennisajoy/OUAB/NotMeMondayButtonV6copy.jpg" width="”400”" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/"> </a></center></div><span style="font-style: italic;">Are you feeling guilty for drying off with the same bath towel for over two weeks? Hope that no one saw when you adjusted your nursing pads with one hand as you dropped your preschooler off at school while carrying your baby in the carseat with the other hand? Overcome with embarrassment when your child slammed the door so hard it shook the neighbor's house as well? Well don't be! Not Me! Monday was born out fellow blogger </span><a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); font-style: italic;" href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/">MckMama's</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> desire to admit some of her imperfections and reveal a few moments that she would rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!. You can head over to </span><a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); font-style: italic;" href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/">her blog</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />On my lunch break today, I <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> finish eating, go to my office, close the door, set the alarm on my cell phone to go off fifteen minutes later, and proceed to "rest my eyes." Nope, certainly <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span>.<br /><br />Upon arriving home today, I <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> change myself and Mr. T into something more comfortable and then just plop myself down on the couch. When Poppa Morgan arrived home a some time later, I did not ask him to please give our son a snack because I hadn't, due to that fact that our dear sweet "in utero" angel is still pressing on my sciatic nerve and the only thing I want to do is stretch out and attempt to get comfortable. I most definitely <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> say that.<br /><br />And I certainly have<span style="font-style: italic;"> not</span> been like this almost all evening, with the exception of taking a very relaxing shower and eating dinner with my guys.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 257px; height: 337px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/bald4-a18418439wm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br />I surely <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> have the audacity to photograph myself being lazy just for this little ol' blog. <span style="font-style: italic;">Not</span> me. And, to throw in a little "Not my child!" Monday blurb, our wonderful son Mr. T, upon me <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>taking the above photo along with a few others, certainly <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> almost cause my wonderful, expensive, camera to almost topple from it's tripod due to his curiousness.<br /><br />And no, that is certainly <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> a wireless headset sitting upon my crown, a device that one would use to avoid having to do the simple task of actually holding the actual telephone. Certainly <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span>.<br /><br />Lastly, I most definitely, certainly, in no way, <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> just remember last week that our two year wedding anniversary is tomorrow.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-81454643649267111132009-09-20T22:28:00.003-05:002009-09-20T22:48:45.058-05:00Sciatica AnielaOur darling daughter <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Aniela</span>, who is all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">snuggly</span> within my womb, has somehow managed to position herself so that she is pressing against my sciatic nerve. Now, when I was pregnant with Mr. T, he would bump against the nerve from time to time and cause a sharp pain to shoot down my leg, but the little lady has actually somehow managed to put constant pressure on the nerve, something I haven't dealt with before. I will say that it is highly, highly uncomfortable. My left side, from my lower back, down, is feeling quite a bit painful. Poppa Morgan has attempted to help the situation, only to make it worse. A little while ago he thought that maybe poking at our little girl would get her to move off of the nerve ... not so much. Each time he poked at her she just moved and pressed against it even more. I told him that I appreciate his services but that I would rather just deal with the situation at hand instead of having him poke and prod at not only our child, but me as well. I am very tired and thought that I would call it a night early tonight, but I don't see that happening as no matter how I turn, whether laying down or sitting up, I just can't get very comfortable. I have even tried laying on my really big pregnancy pillow but to no avail. Poppa Morgan has said that he will sit up with me though I told him that he doesn't have to. But, it is good to have some company while I attempt to amuse myself into a state of extreme sleepiness to the point that I won't care if I'm hurting or not because I will be so tired. Hopefully this bout of "Sciatica <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Aniela</span>" will pass soon.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-44751898742238697482009-09-17T17:32:00.008-05:002009-09-17T23:43:25.582-05:00"Unplugging" OurselvesThere is a growing movement in which many households are ridding themselves of televisions, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">iPods</span>, video games, and other electronic devices. I call it the "unplugged movement" though it doesn't officially have a name. I highly commend the households who have completely accomplished this feat successfully, as I know it can't be easy. I have often thought about joining the movement, but I just can't bring myself to do it. The fact is, a media addiction is a hard addiction to overcome. But, we do what we can as to not be the type of family who puts too much emphasis on the media and electronic devices. For the most part, we're "unplugged."<br /><br />If you were to visit our home, you would see that there are absolutely no televisions in any bedrooms. This is one way in which we have "unplugged" our home. I believe that a bedroom is a place of rest and sanctuary, and it is my own personal belief that televisions should not be in bedrooms. It has actually been proven (there have been studies) that merely the presence of a television in a bedroom can cause you not to get a good night sleep. No, I'm not kidding! See, a bedroom is a place of rest. By bringing a television into the room, you're bringing noise, sounds, lights, etc, things that aren't really associated with rest. By bringing that into your room, your mind and body begin to associate your bedroom not with rest anymore, but with the television and what it inflicts, especially if you frequently watch television in the room. Even if you turn the TV off when you sleep, your body and mind still associate it with your room and hence your body doesn't rest as well as a person's body who doesn't have a television in their room, a person whose room is used only for rest and relaxation and other bedroom activities. I believe that not having a television in our bedroom is great for my husband and I relationship wise. When we are in our bedroom and down for the night, we talk. We talk during the day too of course, but at night we talk about things that we didn't get to talk about during the day or random nonsense, and I love it. Also, having televisions in lots of different rooms is a great way to cause a family division. How? Well, you have one person in one room watching something, another person in another room watching something, etc. You aren't spending any time together as a family. Then if everyone gets deep into a show and each show comes on at a different time, that just takes away from time that you could be spending together as a family.<br /><br />The TV is the hardest "unplugging" for us to do but we still aren't overly exposed to it. We have a few series that we watch, and I like to watch CNN to see what's going on in the world. We are also big on sports so we do sporting events, a movie here and there, and even a bit of Wii and PS3. Most of the time during the day, however, we have our television off and are spending time with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Talan</span>, whether it be outside in his sandbox or inside our home running around with him somewhere. When watching television, it's as if you're confined to a cell, and often times parents will confine their children as well. If you have small children who are more prone to get into things, and you want to watch something on television, then naturally you're going to make your kids stay put where you can see them. Our home is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Talan's</span> home, so how is it fair for him to have to be confined to one portion of it so that we can see something on television? Hence, we "unplug" ourselves. The only places that we have baby gates in our household are on the stairways. Otherwise, Talan is free to run and roam as he pleases, and one or both of us is/are right there with him. Whenever Ted and I want to see something we record it and watch it together after our son is down for bed.<br /><br />We are definitely "unplugged" as far as the telephone and cell phones are concerned. I haven't ever been much of a phone person. I say what I have to say, and I'm done, I don't just sit on the phone for hours on end. I'm not a big fan of text messaging either. I do it here and there during the day, but at home, my cell phone is generally far away from where I am, upstairs in our bedroom or something. Poppa Morgan is the same way.<br /><br />As for computers, we have an office nook in our bedroom where we have a desktop (that we rarely use), and we each have a laptop. I check my e-mail and do a "tweet" on Twitter here and there, and there are some websites that I am a member of that I visit and check in on, and of course I blog. Oh, and Poppa Morgan and I do YouTube dates sometimes which I will elaborate on at another time. Those are fun. That's about it as far as my computer usage goes. Poppa Morgan isn't really big on using the computer. He checks his e-mail and there's some game he plays online from time to time, but that's it. You know it's sad that there are actually rehabilitation centers now for those who are computer addicts ... I kid you not, they exist. I was reading in one of the parenting magazines that I receive in the mail that a majority of computer addicts are mothers, as online websites make it easy for them to meet other mothers who have things in common with them and who share similar interests. The problem with that is, the person is making friends online yes, but they are slowly migrating away from first their real life friends, and then their families. They become consumed with their online friendships and the comfort they get from them and completely retract from reality.<br /><br />Where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">iPod</span> "unplugging" is concerned, my husband and I both have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">iPods</span> and we rarely use them. If I go for a walk at the park then I might take mine and keep one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">earbud</span> in and listen to a song, but a lot of times I take <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Talan</span> with me, or Poppa Morgan goes along too, and I just talk to them. I got Poppa Morgan an iPod last year and I've seen him use it a few times but honestly not very much. We mainly listen to music (kid friendly of course) when we're in our vehicles going somewhere.<br /><br />As far as our children go, they are our main concern and the main reason we decided to "unplug" where we can. I'm always amazed at how many hours kids today spend in front of a television, computer, and/or video games. I see kids, young kids, walking around with cellular phones <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">texting</span>, or listening to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">iPods</span>. I often wonder if I am the only person who is disturbed by such sightings. Poppa Morgan and I had a discussion about kids and the media some time ago during a news special on the subject, and we have decided that there will be absolutely no phones, computers, and again, no televisions in any of our children's bedrooms. Now don't get me wrong, we don't want to completely keep them from media, we just don't want them to be <span style="font-style: italic;">dependent</span> on it. I know some kids who act like the world will end if they miss an episode of <span style="font-style: italic;">Hannah Montana</span> or if they can't get online and play <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">WoW</span></span> (<span style="font-style: italic;">World of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Warcraft</span></span>), and we don't want our children to have that attitude. We would prefer for them to entertain themselves through imagination and active play. It's easy for a child to watch a television show and pretend to be the character they saw, but it's actually <span style="font-style: italic;">beneficial</span> for a child to use their own imagination to come up with their own characters who they can pretend to be, and that's what we want. As for phones, we would rather our children be outside actually playing with their friends as opposed to just talking to them on a telephone. Luckily our kids aren't at an age where we have to have the cell phone discussion (one isn't even born yet!), but I know it's going to come up one day.<br /><br />What I love about "unplugging" is that it puts an emphasis on not only being active, but being active as a family, something being too media oriented can have a serious affect on. "Unplugging" is supposed to help families get out of the house and do activities together, something that we do now with Talan. He has a sandbox in the backyard and we go out and play with him. We get in the pool with him, or we go to the park for a walk or we take a walk down the road we live down. He absolutely loves to be outside and to run around in the yard, and I do hope he's one of those boys that loves to climb trees and play sports and just be outside.<br /><br />When my brothers and I were kids were very outdoorsy. Outside barefoot, climbing trees, riding bikes, swimming, fishing, horseback riding, etc. We also participated in a lot of sports. I have done gymnastics since I was 3 years old, and I played softball and volleyball when I was older. We were certainly "unplugged" children. Maybe not to the fullest extent as we had our shows that we liked to watch, but we were for the most part, and that's what I want for our children. In my opinion, everyday living and the media have blurred too much within each other these days. People are so caught up with what this celebrity and that celebrity is doing, and kids no longer have role models on television anymore, they are literally <span style="font-style: italic;">obsessed</span> with some of the celebrities of today. Honestly, it scares me.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-25063583972030602572009-09-15T19:56:00.005-05:002009-09-15T22:00:13.338-05:00CoCaLoAs an interior designer, I love to browse around and see what's new in the design world. Every once in a while I find a company that absolutely wows me. I stumbled upon <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.cocalo.com/brand.asp?brand=1">CoCaLo</a> today and I was most definitely wowed!<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.cocalo.com/brand.asp?brand=1">CoCaLo</a> is one of the new trendsetters in nursery and juvenile bedding. Their bedding has very intricate detailing, which gives it a style that stands out amongst the other companies in it's same competitive field. Not only that, their designs are very unique and stylistic which is my favorite aspect, as I am far from a traditionalist when it comes to design. I love new, fun, and unique patterns and styles.<br /><br />The company has five different nursery and juvenile bedding lines: CoCaLo Baby, CoCaLo Couture, CoCaLo Naturals, CoCo & Company, and Baby Martex.<br /><br />I have to say that I have not seen such a great leap in nursery bedding design from a company like I have with CoCaLo's couture line.<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 385px; height: 385px;" src="http://www.babysupermall.com/main/products/coc/coc7033-834-big.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 385px; height: 385px;" src="http://www.babysupermall.com/main/products/coc/coc7033-814-big.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br />I mean just look at the beautiful color palettes and tones in the designs above, as well as the intricate detail and stylish patterns. The first thing I said when I saw CoCaLo's couture lines was "Why couldn't I have found out about this company when I was decorating Aniela's nusery?!!!" Our little girl just might have to get another crib set ... you know, as a backup. As a matter of fact Talan might need a new one too!<br /><br />For the traditionalists out there who like the cutsie animal designs and the themed rooms, CoCaLo has you covered as well. Here are a few from the CoCaLo Baby collection.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 385px; height: 385px;" src="http://www.babysupermall.com/main/products/coc/coc7035-852-big.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 385px; height: 389px;" src="http://www.babysupermall.com/main/products/coc/coc7035-862-big.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I am generally not a fan of themed nurseries, but I must say that even some of the themed designs that CoCaLo have released caught my attention.<br /><br />The company also has a new <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.cocalo.com/category.asp?brand=10&cat=1&g=4">naturals collection</a>, and though they have only released two sets thus far, they are absolutely stunning! And, for those of you with toddlers or older kids, they have also released some new toddler and twin couture sets!<br /><br />Now, I know you're wondering how much these sets will set you back and to be honest, they aren't very expensive. The themed sets will run you about $160 to $170, while the couture sets will run you about $200 to $225. I paid in the range of one of the themed sets for the bedding that I got for Aniela's nursery, and for just a little more I could've gotten her one of the gorgeous couture sets from CoCaLo!<br /><br />Another great thing about CoCaLo is that if you visit their website and find a bedding set that you like, they have a nursery resources section in which they give design tips that go along with each bedding set, including the names of coordinating Behr paint colors!<br /><br />For anyone who is expecting, I highly suggest looking into CoCaLo's nursery bedding. The next time that I am given a nursery project by my firm, I will most definitely be showing some of CoCaLo's designs to my clients.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You can visit the CoCaLo website by clicking <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.cocalo.com/index.asp">HERE</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">All photos are copyrighted by CoCaLo and/or their respective owners. No infringement is intended.</span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-32142409691722517232009-09-14T20:13:00.010-05:002009-09-15T19:52:08.950-05:00"Not Me!" Monday<div style="text-align: center;"> <center> <a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/"> <img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/jennisajoy/OUAB/NotMeMondayButtonV6copy.jpg" width="”400”" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/"> </a></div></center><div style="text-align: left;">I have been reeled into yet another blog carnival. This one was created by <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/">MckMama</a>. You can head over to <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/">her blog</a> to read what she and everyone else have <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> been doing this week.<br /><br /><br />Here we go for my first installment of "Not Me!" Monday!<br /><br /><br />Saturday I made a quick run to Target to pick up a few things. I <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> leave my list of needed items in the truck and have to go back out of the store to get it. Upon getting my items and exiting the store, I most certainly <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> forget where I had parked, and I definitely, without a doubt, <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> walk around the parking lot for about 5 minutes looking for my vehicle. That's because I am <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>suffering from pregnancy brain. Nope, certainly <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span>.<br /><br />After getting home today, I <span style="font-style: italic;">did not </span>end up stripping Mr. T down, changing him, and letting him run around in nothing but a cloth diaper until his bath time. Nope, I <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> do such a thing. I mean what kind of mother would I be to just let my child run around in a cloth diaper?<br /><br />And I certainly <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> go upstairs and leave the baby gate open today either. Nope, not me! Thank goodness Poppa Morgan was home when I <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> do that, as Mr. T had already begun to make his way up the first two steps on his hands and knees. Did I mention that I <span style="font-style: italic;">do not</span> suffer from pregnancy brain? Nope, I most certainly do <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> suffer from it!<br /><br />Last but certainly not least, I <span style="font-style: italic;">did not</span> bamboozle Poppa Morgan into giving me a foot massage this evening. Who am I to ask my husband to do such a thing? I mean yes, I am 35 weeks pregnant with our second child and my feet do hurt from time to time but really, I would <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> ask him to do such a thing. Nope, not me.<br /><br />Wait ... maybe I did ask him that. Did I mention that I <span style="font-style: italic;">do not</span> suffer from pregnancy brain?<br /><br /></div></div>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-62829370125116486462009-09-13T17:53:00.013-05:002009-09-21T21:54:47.612-05:00Conversations with Poppa Morgan - The NikesPM: (Yelling from upstairs) Honey have you seen my shoes?!<br /><br />Me: Which ones?<br /><br />PM: My Nikes!<br /><br />Me: Which Nikes?<br /><br />PM: My Nikes!<br /><br />Me: Ted, you have like three pair of Nikes. Which Nikes?<br /><br />PM: My Air Max!<br /><br />Me: No, I haven't seen those around in a while. Where did you have them last?<br /><br />PM: I don't know, that's the problem!<br /><br />Me: You're tearing apart the house looking for shoes and you don't even know where you had them last?<br /><br />PM: *Silence*<br /><br />Me: Ted, darling ... don't you think that you should first try to remember where you last took them off before you begin ram-shacking our home?<br /><br />PM: Honey, I just remembered I even <span style="font-style: italic;">HAD</span> the shoes!<br /><br /><br />Mind you these are shoes that were on awesome sale and, being the nice wife that I am, I saw them and said "You know what, my husband could use some new sneakers so why don't I get a pair of these for him?" He did end up remembering where they were though. Where? At someone else's house! Apparently one day when the guys had a paintball day they went back to our friend Eric's house and Ted changed into some flip flops there and he forgot the sneakers.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-5221530399007459872009-09-12T21:57:00.004-05:002009-09-13T00:13:38.448-05:00Perfect PupusasI'm always on the lookout for great recipes that are quick, fast, and simple. I also like to find recipes for foods that Talan can also enjoy as opposed to me having to make him something separate. I found a recipe for Pupusas a few days ago and had to give them a try.<br /><br />Pupusas originated in El Salvador and are basically the Salvadorian version of a quesadilla. Apparently, if you were to travel there, you will see vendors all along the streets who sell this street food. They look almost like a piece of thick, round corn bread at first glance, but once you cut or bite into them, they have a delicious filling that is usually made up of cheese, chicken, beans, shrimp, pork, chilies, or any combination of those foods. In El Salvador they are served with curtido (a vinegary, spicy coleslaw), guacamole and/or crema (similar to sour cream).<br /><br />Today, I decided to give the pupusa recipe a try today for a quick lunch. Here's what you need:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients:</span><br />2 Cups <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.mimaseca.com/en/">Maseca</a> (or any type of masa harina flour)<br />1 1/2 Cups Water<br />1/2 Tsp Salt<br />1/3 Cup Cheese, shredded (I used a Mexican blend of cheeses)<br />Olive or Vegetable Oil<br /><br />Let me take a moment to say that upon finding this recipe, it strictly stated to use masa or masa harina ... basic corn meal will NOT work. Masa is fresh corn dough, whereas masa harina is a dough flour, or a substitute for fresh masa. You can't really find fresh masa here in the US, but masa harina can be found almost everywhere. I used Maseca brand, and Quaker Oats has it's own masa harina as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions:</span><br />1. Combine the masa, water and salt in a bowl and stir to combine into a dough.<br />2. Divide the mixture into 6 balls and flatten each one into a 3 inch disk.<br />3. Place 1 tbsp of shredded cheese in the center of the disk and carefully fold in the edges to enclose the cheese.<br />4. Flatten the disk, covering the cheese and form into 1/4 disks (about 5-6 inches across).<br />5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large saute pan. Add pupusas and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side for a total of 8-10 minutes.<br />6. Serve and enjoy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 421px; height: 298px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/Pupusas_1wm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></div><br />These are really good served with salsa and/or sour cream. I made them today and served them with homemade salsa, and I made my sweet and spicy coleslaw for Ted and I. I made my own salsa for these as I believe that even mild store bought salsa would have been too spicy for Talan, plus it's really simple to make. I made Talan a side of carrots to go along with his. Ted really enjoyed them and told me that they're something he would like to have again. I can't really speak for Talan, but he ate one whole one and half of another one, so I'm guessing that means they were good to him too!<br /><br />As I always say with any recipe, remember to make these to your liking. I did some especially for me with a little extra cheese because I'm a cheese-a-holic.<br /><br />The next time I make these I think I will throw in some chicken, and I may add a little spice in a few for Ted and I.Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-27483985221887295802009-09-10T20:38:00.004-05:002009-09-11T00:21:15.879-05:0034 WeeksNo, that's not the title of a movie, that's how far along I am in my pregnancy now.<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 268px; height: 346px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/34weken06wm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br />My midwife did another visit with us today and little miss Aniela is doing great. She is approximately a little over 5 lbs. in weight now and is as active as ever. She is also still in the breech position. I'm not worried about it though. My midwife keeps reassuring me and keeping me uplifted about the situation, which is definitely something I need, and she told me that breech homebirths do occur and though they can be a bit more difficult, they are possible. However things go, I have faith in God and my body that we can bring this little girl into the world safely.<br /><br />Talan certainly enjoyed himself today during my midwife's visit. I love that he can be so involved in what is happening during this pregnancy. My midwife is great including him too. Today she let him tinker around with her fetoscope which is what she uses to listen to the baby's heartbeat. Mr. T thought it was just the greatest thing! I don't think he even heard anything because the earpieces were everywhere except in his ear canals, but he enjoyed himself nonetheless. Poppa Morgan took some photos for Aniela's "first year of life" book that we will make (we did one for Mr. T as well). Poppa is using a camera about as much as I do nowadays.<br /><br />I often wonder if he understands what it is going on. I think that he understands that there is something inside of my belly moving that makes him giggle whenever he feels it, but I often wonder if when we say "baby" and point to my belly, or sign baby, that he understands that there is an actual baby inside of me. Only he knows for sure. Regardless, he certainly enjoying feeling his little sister's kicks and sometimes I can be sitting down and unconsciously rubbing at my belly, and he will walk up and pat it a few times. If she moves and he feels it, then most of the time he'll giggle and run away, LOL!<br /><br />I can't believe how close we are to meeting our daughter. Approximately six weeks to go before the bun in the oven is done!Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-70067238943199041852009-09-09T23:12:00.006-05:002009-09-10T00:19:14.115-05:00Wordless Wednesday - Impatiently Waiting<div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 289px; height: 411px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/bald5-a18448521wm.jpg" alt="" border="0" />Thanks to Poppa Morgan for capturing this moment!<br />I did the editing, though!<br /></div>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-20267774315629707622009-09-09T20:21:00.005-05:002009-09-09T20:27:16.871-05:00Dr. Seuss for Nursing MomsSomeone sent me this poem after Talan was born and I saved the e-mail because I loved it so much. Now that Mr. T is a year old and still nursing, I'm beginning to get those "looks" from people and even some of my relatives are starting to say sly remarks. Maybe I need to memorize this and recite it to them!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr. Seuss For Nursing Moms</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Would you nurse her in the park?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Would you nurse him in the dark?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Would you nurse him with a </span><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-weight: normal;" class="yshortcuts">Boppy</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">And when your boobs are feeling floppy?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I would nurse him in the park,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I would nurse her in the dark.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'd nurse her without or with a Boppy.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Floppy boobs will never stop me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Can you nurse with a seatbelt on?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I will nurse her till she's full!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Can you nurse and make some soup?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Can you nurse and feed the group?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It makes her healthy, strong, and smart,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mommy's milk is the best start!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Would you nurse him at a game?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Would you nurse her in the rain?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">In front of those who dare complain?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I would nurse him at the game.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I would nurse her in the rain.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">As for those who ban lactation,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I have the perfect explanation:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mommy's milk is tailor-made;</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's the perfect food, you need no aid.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Some may scoff and some may wriggle,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Avert their eyes or even giggle.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">To those who can be cruel and rude,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Remind them, "Breast's the perfect food!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I would never scoff or giggle.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Roll my eyes or even wiggle!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I would not be crass or crude,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I know breastmilk is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">perfect</span> food!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We make as much milk as we need,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The perfect temp for every feed.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">There's no compare to milk from breast,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The perfect food, above the rest.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Those nursing smiles are oh so sweet.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mommy's milk is such a treat.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Human milk just can't be beat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I will nurse, in any case,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">On the street or in your face.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I will not let my baby cry,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'll meet her needs, I'll always try.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's not about what's good for you.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's best for babies, through and through.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I will nurse her in my home,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I will nurse her when I roam.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Leave me be, lads and ma'am.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">I will nurse her, Mom I am.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">-Author Unknown</span></div>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-54665566830831409852009-09-07T22:38:00.004-05:002009-09-07T23:06:13.402-05:00Conversations With Poppa MorganPM: What are you doing, blogging?<br /><br />Me: Yep.<br /><br />PM: About me?<br /><br />Me: Maybe.<br /><br />PM: What do you call me on your blog? Do I have a special name or am I just Ted?<br /><br />Me: I call you by your name at times but I generally refer to you as Poppa Morgan.<br /><br />PM: Poppa Morgan?! That sounds like an old man. You <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">should've</span> called me Captain Morgan.<br /><br />Me: *Glare at Poppa Morgan*<br /><br />PM: Come on, you know "Captain" has more spunk to it!<br /><br />Me: Mommas and poppas go together, not mommas and captains.<br /><br />PM: Well, I guess people could get confused from that name and think I'm a real captain or something.<br /><br />Me: *Another glare.*<br /><br />PM: I am a captain though you know.<br /><br />Me: Of course you are dear.<br /><br />PM: I'm captain of (leans in to look at the laptop) THE MORGAN MOUND!<br /><br />US: Extreme laughter.<br /><br /><br />Poppa Morgan and I are watching the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">FSU</span>/Miami football game and this is just one of the many silly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">conversations that</span> we have had during the game, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">LOL</span>!Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-54195665956009029502009-09-07T20:57:00.006-05:002009-09-07T23:32:57.409-05:00Momma Morgan vs. "Mr. T" Morgan: The Tooth-Brushing SagaFor the past week or so, I have had to struggle with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Talan</span> to brush his teeth brush. Normally it is a very simple task. I haven't had to struggle with him since we first embarked on the journey into tooth brushing which began he was about 6 or 7 months old and his first tooth came through. At one point I thought that maybe he preferred his father do it, but no ... not the case. He put up a pretty good fight with Poppa Morgan too.<br /><br />Naturally, when something is bothering your child, it eats at you. At work, I would think "Are his gums hurting?" or "Is there a tooth bothering him?" Sometimes I couldn't even sleep because it was bothering me as to why he was struggling with us.<br /><br />I had the day off today due to Labor Day, but Poppa Morgan had to work, so it was just Mr. T and I. I watched him closely today to see if he avoided putting things in his mouth or if he chewed only on one side, nothing.<br /><br />After I put him down for a nap today and hopped online to check my e-mail, I opened a message from some baby website that I subscribe to and the headline "Parenting An Independent Toddler" popped out at me. That word, that one word, made me realize what the problem was. I didn't even have to read the article, as the one question I wanted answered was answered by that one simple word, <span style="font-style: italic;">independent</span>.<br /><br />See, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Talan</span> sees his dad brushing his teeth, and me brushing mine, yet he has someone else brushing his. I think that's where the problem lies. It's time for us all to get new toothbrushes anyway (I'm very adamant about changing toothbrushes every 3 months) so I will get him a new one, and in the mornings and at night, I will just wet it with water and let him do his own thing first. Then, once he has chewed and gnawed or whatever he is going to do, I will then let him give me the brush (if he gives it to me himself then he is probably truly finished) and get some of his little baby <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Biotene</span> (fluoride free) and brush them properly. I mean the kid eats at the table with us and feeds himself, and he even picks a book and brings it to one of us when he wants someone to read to him, so why on Earth would he want someone brushing his teeth for him without at least being able to do it himself first?<br /><br />Hopefully allowing him to brush "at" this teeth first will solve the problem and end the saga. We shall see!Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-29789609814870628792009-09-06T16:54:00.006-05:002009-09-06T19:32:45.091-05:00Make All of Your Drinks EleteFrom time to time, I like to write little reviews about products that I use that I think are just wonderful. I'm not given these items to review by companies, nor am I paid to review them, I just like to share with others something that may be useful to them. A lot of times people tell me about the things I share about, so I like to pass the knowledge on. This one I have to give credit to Poppa Morgan for, as it was his discovery.<br /><br />Living in Texas, we can get some very extreme temperatures. Having a husband who likes to play paintball and other sports, loving to take walks at the park myself, taking prenatal yoga, and just being pregnant, I often worry about dehydration. Talan is still breastfed and drinks expressed milk while he's wandering around, so of course he gets everything that he needs from that. Anyway, of course there's Gatorade, which is full of sugar and other nasty preservatives. Then there's Pedialyte which is actually becoming more popular amongst athletic teams than Gatorade as an electrolyte enhancer, being that it has much less sugar and other additives. But, it is full of calories and it's also not the best tasting stuff in the world either.<br /><br />Poppa Morgan was flipping through a magazine one day and saw an ad for <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://new.eletewater.com/">Elete electrolyte add in</a> and did a little reading up on it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 279px; height: 118px;" src="http://new.eletewater.com/uploads/images/logos/Elete%20Color%20Black%20BG%206.5x3%20MAR%2007.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></div><br />Many sports drinks and electrolyte enhancers boast about providing one with sodium and potassium. That's great, but sodium and potassium aren't the only electrolytes that can be found in the human body, they are just the two found in most abundance. Elete not only provides a person with sodium and potassium, but magnesium and chloride as well, two other electrolytes that are needed by the human body. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Not only that, Elete contains <span style="font-style: italic;">pure</span> electrolytes. This means that it is free of sugars, calories, and carbohydrates unlike other electrolyte drinks. Even Pedialyte has 100 calories per serving! Being that Elete has all of these great properties, it has been proven to work wonders for those who have horrible muscle cramps and spasms, as they often occur as the result of an electrolyte imbalance.<br /></span><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 512px; height: 297px;" src="http://new.eletewater.com/uploads/images/elete_chart.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br />Elete comes in two forms, a liquid add in and a tablet form that you take with water. We use the liquid add in.<br /><br />As for taste, Elete is not supposed to drastically alter the taste of whatever drink you mix it in, and it doesn't as far as juices are concerned, but with water, you can somewhat catch a hint of a salty taste. We've found that adding a little lime or lemon juice helps that little problem.<br /><br />As for price, as I always say, you get what you pay for. The smallest bottle of Elete is the <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.eletewater.com/estore/product_info.php?products_id=28">pocket bottle</a> which makes 10 - 32 ounce servings. It is recommended to purchase a pocket bottle for easy transport. Once you finish up the pocket bottle, you can purchase a refill bottle and just transfer the Elete from the refill bottle to the pocket bottle. The refill bottles come in a <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.eletewater.com/estore/product_info.php?products_id=30">16 ounce size </a>(makes approx. 48 gallons) and a <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.eletewater.com/estore/product_info.php?products_id=35">32 ounce size </a>(makes approx. 96 gallons). The directions on how many teaspoonfuls of Elete to put in a corresponding amount of liquid are on each bottle and are very easy to read and understand. I would probably still have a full pocket bottle if Poppa Morgan hadn't gotten hold of mine after using up his, but he bought a refill bottle so it's water under the bridge.<br /><br />If you live in a city or state in which there are extreme temperatures, I definitely think you should give Elete a try. Much more natural than the other electrolyte enhancers out there, and for some people, can help reduce muscle cramping and spasms.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You can purchase Elete visiting the official website <a href="http://new.eletewater.com/"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">HERE</span></a></span>.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">All photos are copyrighted by their respective owners. No infringement is intended.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span>Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8478426646791284783.post-90923415765336279012009-09-05T08:22:00.008-05:002009-09-05T10:08:35.703-05:00Let The Games Begin.... the football games that is! Yes, today is the day where us college football fans who are relatively sane at any other time, turn into total and complete crazies, and that's putting it lightly!<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; width: 299px; height: 285px;" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x46/titemor07/11503659wm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>It's labor day weekend and hence today is the first day of college football season. My husband and I are both grads of <a style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" href="http://www.aggieathletics.com/">Texas A&M University</a> (Gig 'Em Aggies!), so that's the team that we will be screaming bloody murder for.<br /><br />You can certainly see the fandom all throughout our home today. Poppa Morgan has even gone outside and put up our Aggie banner flag on the house which is waving with pride beside our front door. There is Aggie apparel sprawled all over our house, ranging in size from men to infant, appearing as though some great Aggie whirlwind has come through. Oh how I love college football season!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div> As usual we got our season tickets, but due to the pending arrival of a certain little girl in October, I won't get to attend every game, so a co-worker of Poppa Morgan's is going to purchase my remaining seats once our little angel arrives. But, for now, I get to enjoy Aggie football and all of its glory.<br /><br />We will be tailgating with friends before the game today. There is going to be grilling of course, and I will be making sweet and spicy coleslaw which seems to be a favorite of many of our comrades, and some cheese and ham spirals to snack on while the grilling is underway. I don't plan on being out there in the Texas heat too long for tailgating. I have enough of my own <span style="font-style: italic;">private summers</span> (that would be hot flashes) as it is being pregnant, so while my husband and the guys plan on going hours and hours in advance, my girlfriend Kerry and I will probably get there about 2 hours early. Those hours plus an entire football game will certainly be enough excitement for myself and little Aniela. Do know that I have talked to my midwife about this and she is fine with it. She told me to just make sure that I keep myself hydrated and do not overheat, and to make sure that if I feel the least bit uncomfortable from sitting that I get up and walk around, and also to just be careful with all of the stairs and people.<br /><br />Well, that just about sums things up. I'm off to help Poppa Morgan with the game day preparations. The Morgan mound is ready for some football .... are you?Momma Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14646387098520668263noreply@blogger.com1