A Mound of Morgans

Wordless Wednesday - The Cake

2011-08-03T22:19:00.001-05:00

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.

Three

2011-08-03T12:08:00.005-05:00

The 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.

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.

It's hard to believe that today, that little 7 pound, 11 ounce boy now looks like this ...

and is 3 years old today!

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.

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.

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.'

Happy Birthday Talan!
Mommy loves you!

Nursery Details

2009-11-01T20:03:00.009-06:00

I know it's long overdo, but here are a few details from Aniela's nursery.

There is a humongous 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.

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.

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.

If anyone has any questions about where I got particular items, feel free to ask.

Aniela's Birth Story

2009-11-01T10:13:00.001-06:00

Momma Morgan here and I'm taking back the reigns of my blog.

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!

Also, thank you to everyone for all of the congratulations and warm wishes. They are much appreciated.

Now, for Miss Aniela's birth story.

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

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.

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.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

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 KickTrak 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Departed Due Date

2009-10-19T21:53:00.004-05:00

Well, 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.

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.

The Countdown to Aniela

2009-10-10T22:13:00.002-05:00

The nursery is ready, the birthing pool has been brought up from the downstairs area (still in the box though), food is being pre-prepared and frozen, and time is now of the essence. The Morgan mound is preparing for the arrival of a most precious blessing, little Aniela. 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!

Poppa Morgan is on edge, just as he was with Talan. 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.

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 Aniela 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.

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 life force. 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.

And for those who are curious, yes, I am still working. I worked up all the way up until Talan's 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.

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.

Well, I'm off to finish stuffing diapers and folding prefolds, what fun!

The Kreativ Blogger Award - Find Out Something New

2009-10-07T17:30:00.007-05:00

I am honored to have received my first blogging award, the Kreativ Blogger award. I was given the award by Caroline (check out her blog The Croley Gang), 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.

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.

Kreativ Blogger Award Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy logo and paste it to your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

So I have to tell you seven things about myself. Hmmm ....

1) I have been doing gymnastics since I was 3 years old.
2) I was close to attending and participating in the Olympics (yes, in gymnastics) years ago.
3) My dream car (and a dream it will certainly stay) is the Maybach 62 Landaulet, reasonably priced at $1.35 MILLION. See why it will stay a dream?
4) My shoes of choice are flip flops, of which I have about 30 pair.
5) Poppa Morgan and I went to Thailand for our honeymoon, the farthest I have ever traveled. It was absolutely beautiful.
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!
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.
8) I am very skilled at the piano, thanks to a mom who has been teaching the subject from home for years.
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.
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 make 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), babywearing, 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.

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 Price is Right theme starts playing. I don't know why that's the theme playing, just go along with it!) .....

1) JoJosMama
2) Estelle
3) Tori Jean
4) Monika
5) Sweet Home Montana
6) 2 Toddlers and Me
7) Momma Such

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.

Thanks again to Caroline for my first award, I was really excited about seeing my name listed on your blog.

(Cloth) Diaper Duty

2009-10-03T17:42:00.003-05:00

I 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 dipes, and more than twice sometimes depending on how bad the accident was that caused the diaper to need a washing in the first place.

After quite a few ruined dipes (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.

First is Bi-O-Kleen Bac-Out. Bac-Out is both a stain and odor eliminator that I spray on Mr. T's dipes immediately before they go into the diaper pail. Bac-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 dipe 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. Bac-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 Bac-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 Bac-Out are even good for eating away buildup in clogged drains!

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 Rockin' Green cloth diaper detergent. Here are a few tidbits about Rockin' Green.

Rockin’ Green is:

Dye free
Comes in several yummy scents (& an unscented version)
No fillers
No enzymes or optical brighteners
100% Phosphate free
Vegan
Great for sensitive skin
Easy rinsing formula
Approved for military use
Works wonders on microfiber stink!
Perfect for cloth diapers
HE compatible
Reusable packaging
Great for all water types
Economical at .13 cents a load!

I haven't ever been a fan of powder detergents but I must say that Rockin' Green has won me over. All it takes is just ONE wash in this detergent and Mr. T's dipes 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 Buttercream 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 dipes nice and clean. I fell so in love with this product that I now use it not only on Mr. T's dipes, but on all of our household laundry. It leaves our towels smelling so great that our entire linen closet smells of vanilla buttercream after laundry day!

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!

All photos are copyrighted by their respective owners. No infringement is intended.
To visit the Rockin' Green website, click HERE.
To purchase Bi-O-Kleen Bac-Out, click HERE.

Represent Your Geekiness with Craftsquatch!

2009-09-30T14:58:00.004-05:00

For those who may not know, I am an Etsy 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.

Today, I stumbled upon the Chicago based Etsy store Craftsquatch who has deemed themselves "Your one-stop shop for geeky pillows." If their pillows are geeky, then just call me a geek!

Craftsquatch 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.

The great thing about Craftsquatch 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!

"On Hand" Foods (Recipes Inside!)

2009-09-24T20:03:00.007-05:00

A while ago, a fellow blogger 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 Talan to handle as well.

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.

BUT .....

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?

- Whole wheat tortillas and shredded cheese. If ever you want a quick and easy snack, a quesadilla 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 quesadilla over. Once it is lightly browned on both sides OR when the cheese has completely melted, bon apetit! Now, you can always jazz up quesadillas. Here is a recipe that I found on the Weelicious website, which is where I get quite a few of my recipes, as they are child friendly and very healthy.

Cheesy Quesadillas with Apple & Honey (serves 4)

4 Whole Wheat or Spelt Tortillas
1 1/3 Cup Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and sliced thin, divided OR 1/3 Cup Apple Sauce
Honey

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.
2. Cover with another tortilla.
3. Slide the tortilla “sandwich” into a saute pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
4. Cut into wedges.
5. Serve.

Talan absolutely LOVES the cheesy honey and apple quesadillas and at first, I didn't think that I would like them, but they are really good.

Of course, you don't have to just make quesadillas 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.

- Lettuce. Whether you buy it by the head or in a bag pre-shredded, it's a good idea to keep lettuce on hand. I'm a salad-holic. 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 ....

Antipasto Salad

2 Heads of Lettuce
1 cup kidney beans
1 cup garbanzo beans
Onion
Salami (cubed)
Provolone Cheese (shredded or cubed)
2 Tomatoes
Black olives (optional)
Salt
Pepper

1. Rinse your kidney beans and garbanzo beans and pat them dry.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve with a red wine vinaigrette dressing (Poppa Morgan makes his).

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.

- Pasta. 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 Parmesan pasta.

Parmesan Pasta

1-8 oz box of pasta
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1/4 cup of olive oil (you can also use butter or margarine, still 1/4 cup)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Black pepper (optional)

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
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).
3. Drain pasta well.
4. Pour cooked oil over pasta and toss.
5. Pour Parmesan cheese in with pasta and toss well. Add black pepper (if desired), give one last toss, and enjoy!

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.

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 Asiago. 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.

Cheese Crisps

1 Wedge Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Shred the Parmesan wedge on a grater (use the side with the largest holes).
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.
4. Bake for 7-8 minutes.
5. As soon as they come out of the oven remove with a thin spatula to an upside down cup or ramekin.

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.

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!

The State of Our Union Addressed

2009-09-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

Let's take a journey down memory lane, shall we ....

Twenty three years ago (yeah, we're going that 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.

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, LOL!

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.

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.

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 not 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.

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.

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."

After only three months of planning, on September 22, 2007 in Tybee 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.

It's hard to believe that this occurred two years ago today, as it seems like just yesterday. Yes, today is our two year wedding anniversary! 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.

Oh, and Megan and Eric just happen to be Mr. T's Godparents!

"Not Me!" Monday

2009-09-21T19:09:00.006-05:00

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 MckMama's 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 her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

On my lunch break today, I did not 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 not.

Upon arriving home today, I did not 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 did not say that.

And I certainly have not been like this almost all evening, with the exception of taking a very relaxing shower and eating dinner with my guys.

I surely did not have the audacity to photograph myself being lazy just for this little ol' blog. Not me. And, to throw in a little "Not my child!" Monday blurb, our wonderful son Mr. T, upon me not taking the above photo along with a few others, certainly did not almost cause my wonderful, expensive, camera to almost topple from it's tripod due to his curiousness.

And no, that is certainly not 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 not.

Lastly, I most definitely, certainly, in no way, did not just remember last week that our two year wedding anniversary is tomorrow.

Sciatica Aniela

2009-09-20T22:28:00.003-05:00

Our darling daughter Aniela, who is all snuggly 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 Aniela" will pass soon.

"Unplugging" Ourselves

2009-09-17T17:32:00.008-05:00

There is a growing movement in which many households are ridding themselves of televisions, iPods, 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."

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.

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 Talan, 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 Talan's 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.

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.

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.

Where iPod "unplugging" is concerned, my husband and I both have iPods and we rarely use them. If I go for a walk at the park then I might take mine and keep one earbud in and listen to a song, but a lot of times I take Talan 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.

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 texting, or listening to iPods. 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 dependent on it. I know some kids who act like the world will end if they miss an episode of Hannah Montana or if they can't get online and play WoW (World of Warcraft), 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 beneficial 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.

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.

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 obsessed with some of the celebrities of today. Honestly, it scares me.

CoCaLo

2009-09-15T19:56:00.005-05:00

As 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 CoCaLo today and I was most definitely wowed!

CoCaLo 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.

The company has five different nursery and juvenile bedding lines: CoCaLo Baby, CoCaLo Couture, CoCaLo Naturals, CoCo & Company, and Baby Martex.

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.

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!

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.

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.

The company also has a new naturals collection, 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!

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!

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!

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.

You can visit the CoCaLo website by clicking HERE.
All photos are copyrighted by CoCaLo and/or their respective owners. No infringement is intended.

"Not Me!" Monday

2009-09-14T20:13:00.010-05:00

I have been reeled into yet another blog carnival. This one was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Here we go for my first installment of "Not Me!" Monday!

Saturday I made a quick run to Target to pick up a few things. I did not 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 did not forget where I had parked, and I definitely, without a doubt, did not walk around the parking lot for about 5 minutes looking for my vehicle. That's because I am not suffering from pregnancy brain. Nope, certainly not.

After getting home today, I did not 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 did not do such a thing. I mean what kind of mother would I be to just let my child run around in a cloth diaper?

And I certainly did not go upstairs and leave the baby gate open today either. Nope, not me! Thank goodness Poppa Morgan was home when I did not 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 do not suffer from pregnancy brain? Nope, I most certainly do not suffer from it!

Last but certainly not least, I did not 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 not ask him to do such a thing. Nope, not me.

Wait ... maybe I did ask him that. Did I mention that I do not suffer from pregnancy brain?

Conversations with Poppa Morgan - The Nikes

2009-09-13T17:53:00.013-05:00

PM: (Yelling from upstairs) Honey have you seen my shoes?!

Me: Which ones?

PM: My Nikes!

Me: Which Nikes?

PM: My Nikes!

Me: Ted, you have like three pair of Nikes. Which Nikes?

PM: My Air Max!

Me: No, I haven't seen those around in a while. Where did you have them last?

PM: I don't know, that's the problem!

Me: You're tearing apart the house looking for shoes and you don't even know where you had them last?

PM: *Silence*

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?

PM: Honey, I just remembered I even HAD the shoes!

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.

Perfect Pupusas

2009-09-12T21:57:00.004-05:00

I'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.

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).

Today, I decided to give the pupusa recipe a try today for a quick lunch. Here's what you need:

Ingredients:
2 Cups Maseca (or any type of masa harina flour)
1 1/2 Cups Water
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Cheese, shredded (I used a Mexican blend of cheeses)
Olive or Vegetable Oil

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.

Directions:
1. Combine the masa, water and salt in a bowl and stir to combine into a dough.
2. Divide the mixture into 6 balls and flatten each one into a 3 inch disk.
3. Place 1 tbsp of shredded cheese in the center of the disk and carefully fold in the edges to enclose the cheese.
4. Flatten the disk, covering the cheese and form into 1/4 disks (about 5-6 inches across).
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.
6. Serve and enjoy!

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!

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.

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.

34 Weeks

2009-09-10T20:38:00.004-05:00

No, that's not the title of a movie, that's how far along I am in my pregnancy now.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Wordless Wednesday - Impatiently Waiting

2009-09-09T23:12:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Poppa Morgan for capturing this moment!
I did the editing, though!

Dr. Seuss for Nursing Moms

2009-09-09T20:21:00.005-05:00

Someone 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!

Dr. Seuss For Nursing Moms

Would you nurse her in the park?
Would you nurse him in the dark?
Would you nurse him with a Boppy?
And when your boobs are feeling floppy?

I would nurse him in the park,
I would nurse her in the dark.
I'd nurse her without or with a Boppy.
Floppy boobs will never stop me.

Can you nurse with a seatbelt on?
Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?
Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,
I will nurse her till she's full!

Can you nurse and make some soup?
Can you nurse and feed the group?
It makes her healthy, strong, and smart,
Mommy's milk is the best start!

Would you nurse him at a game?
Would you nurse her in the rain?
In front of those who dare complain?
I would nurse him at the game.
I would nurse her in the rain.

As for those who ban lactation,
I have the perfect explanation:
Mommy's milk is tailor-made;
It's the perfect food, you need no aid.

Some may scoff and some may wriggle,
Avert their eyes or even giggle.
To those who can be cruel and rude,
Remind them, "Breast's the perfect food!"

I would never scoff or giggle.
Roll my eyes or even wiggle!
I would not be crass or crude,
I know breastmilk is the perfect food!

We make as much milk as we need,
The perfect temp for every feed.
There's no compare to milk from breast,

The perfect food, above the rest.

Those nursing smiles are oh so sweet.
Mommy's milk is such a treat.
Human milk just can't be beat.

I will nurse, in any case,
On the street or in your face.
I will not let my baby cry,
I'll meet her needs, I'll always try.
It's not about what's good for you.
It's best for babies, through and through.

I will nurse her in my home,
I will nurse her when I roam.
Leave me be, lads and ma'am.
I will nurse her, Mom I am.

-Author Unknown

Conversations With Poppa Morgan

2009-09-07T22:38:00.004-05:00

PM: What are you doing, blogging?

Me: Yep.

PM: About me?

Me: Maybe.

PM: What do you call me on your blog? Do I have a special name or am I just Ted?

Me: I call you by your name at times but I generally refer to you as Poppa Morgan.

PM: Poppa Morgan?! That sounds like an old man. You should've called me Captain Morgan.

Me: *Glare at Poppa Morgan*

PM: Come on, you know "Captain" has more spunk to it!

Me: Mommas and poppas go together, not mommas and captains.

PM: Well, I guess people could get confused from that name and think I'm a real captain or something.

Me: *Another glare.*

PM: I am a captain though you know.

Me: Of course you are dear.

PM: I'm captain of (leans in to look at the laptop) THE MORGAN MOUND!

US: Extreme laughter.

Poppa Morgan and I are watching the FSU/Miami football game and this is just one of the many silly conversations that we have had during the game, LOL!

Momma Morgan vs. "Mr. T" Morgan: The Tooth-Brushing Saga

2009-09-07T20:57:00.006-05:00

For the past week or so, I have had to struggle with Talan 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.

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.

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.

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, independent.

See, Talan 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 Biotene (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?

Hopefully allowing him to brush "at" this teeth first will solve the problem and end the saga. We shall see!

Make All of Your Drinks Elete

2009-09-06T16:54:00.006-05:00

From 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.

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.

Poppa Morgan was flipping through a magazine one day and saw an ad for Elete electrolyte add in and did a little reading up on it.

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. Not only that, Elete contains pure 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.

Elete comes in two forms, a liquid add in and a tablet form that you take with water. We use the liquid add in.

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.

As for price, as I always say, you get what you pay for. The smallest bottle of Elete is the pocket bottle 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 16 ounce size (makes approx. 48 gallons) and a 32 ounce size (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.

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.

You can purchase Elete visiting the official website HERE.
All photos are copyrighted by their respective owners. No infringement is intended.

Let The Games Begin

2009-09-05T08:22:00.008-05:00

.... 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!

It's labor day weekend and hence today is the first day of college football season. My husband and I are both grads of Texas A&M University (Gig 'Em Aggies!), so that's the team that we will be screaming bloody murder for.

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!

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.

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 private summers (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.

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?

Choosing Thomas - A Family's Decision to Let Their Son LIVE

2009-09-04T17:41:00.010-05:00

I'm sure that I have mentioned before that with Talan, I was a bit of a worry wart as he was our my first pregnancy, but even when offered during my pregnancy with him, I declined all antenatal testing with the exception of ultrasound and the glucose tolerance test (diabetes runs in both sides of my family). Upon finding out we were pregnant with him Ted and I had a discussion about the testing, the risks, and the information we would receive. We both read numerous medical journals and articles, books, etc, and then one day it was just like God gave us the answer. We realized that regardless of what our baby would have been diagnosed with, we would still want to try to bring him/her into this world and spend whatever time with the child we could. I have often been asked "Well, what if something happens and the baby is still born?" I must say that it is hard to imagine birthing a still born baby, nonetheless I am a believer that God doesn't put more on you than you can handle. I know that it would be tough, but at least I would know that we gave our child a chance to live. We would get to hold, touch, and embrace him or her, and that in itself would be something to cherish.

With Miss Aniela, I have also chosen to opt out of all antenatal testing, and this time I truly mean all. We had the one ultrasound, the one to find out her sex (though my midwife did try to talk me out of it but as is human nature for some, I just had to know), and while my midwife was scanning, she went ahead and took a few more minutes to get a good look at our little girl since we were having an ultrasound anyway. Otherwise that's it. I didn't even do the glucose test this time, I just personally check my own blood sugar levels as needed.

I said all of that to get to this video that I'm about to post. The Dallas News did a wonderful story on the journey of T.K. and Deidrea Laux. At 20 weeks pregnant, the couple found out that their baby would be born with Trisomy 13, an almost always (almost) fatal, rare, DNA abnormality. Most babies born with this Trisomy only live hours or a few days. Upon finding out this information, the Lauxs' decided that Deidrea would carry the baby to term and that they would enjoy whatever time God gave them with their child. This video is very emotional and made not only myself, but my husband shed tears. My hope is that sharing their story will change the minds of those who have decided that, upon having genetic testing, if they find that their child has a particular disorder, they would/will terminate. A child with a disorder is still a child and can live thrive just like any other child. In the end, they may not be able to catch on as fast, or they may require a little more medical attention, but you won't know anything about the joy that child could bring to your life if you were to terminate.

Another great story to read is the story of Stellan whose badge I have posted in the left sidebar of this page. Stories of children such as Thomas and Stellan are in abundance around the internet. Though some of the children may not have made it, the great part is, they were given the chance to live. Whether it be only inside the womb, for a brief moment in this world, or whether they are still thriving, they lived, and that in itself is a blessing.

To read more about the Lauxs' journey, please click HERE.

Mango and Black Bean Pizzas

2009-09-03T16:28:00.002-05:00

Tonight for dinner, I have decided that I want something sweet but savory at the same time. I'm thinking that mango and black bean pizzas are definitely the way to go. Now I know some of you may be like "Mango and black beans?" Yes, mango and black beans! They actually go really good together. There are many types of mango and black bean salads and dishes, but these pizzas are really simple and quick. They make for a great snack or dinner dish. Talan absolutely loves to eat these.

Mango and Black Bean Pizzas

Okay, so here's what you will need to make 4 of these delightful pizzas. If you want to make more, just duplicate the directions to fit your needs.

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed or pureed
1 ripe mango, peeled, cubed
1 cup tomato sauce (I make my own but store bought sauce will work)
2 cups lowfat cheddar cheese (I use a mixture of cheeses which I will explain later)
4 whole wheat Greek style pocket-less pitas

Other than the ingredients, you will also need some cooking spray or vegetable/olive oil, a baking sheet, and of course, an oven (which is going to need to be preheated soon)!

1) Preheat your oven to 400° (see, I told ya!)
2) Spray your baking sheet with your cooking spray or lightly coat it with the oil.
3) Arrange the pitas on the baking sheet.
4) Spread the mashed (or pureed) beans over the pitas.
5) Spread the tomato sauce on top of the beans (recommended 1/4 cup per pita).
6) Sprinkle the cheese on top of the sauce (recommended 1/2 cup per pita).
7) Bake the pizzas in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly brown and/or bubbly.
8) Remove the pizzas from the oven and top with the mango cubes.
9) Cut pitas into small pieces, triangles, or other shapes (this is for the kids mainly).
10) ENJOY!

While the recipe recommends only using a particular amount of beans, sauce, and cheese for the pitas, remember that with any recipe, you can jazz it up to your liking. I love cheese, so I usually go a bit overboard with it on mine.

Instead of using just 2 cups of cheddar cheese as the recipe states, most of the time I use 1 cup of cheddar, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Just using mozzarella makes for a really good pizza as well. As for Talan, I normally just top his with cheddar, as mozzarella can be a choking hazard at times, even for me.

Also, this dish is great and filling using just the pitas, but you can also try putting the toppings on an actual pizza crust as well.

For the health conscious crowd out there, you may like to know that the vitamin C in the mango and tomato sauce enhances ones ability to absorb of the non-meat form of iron in the beans and pita. This may not mean much to some, but iron is very important for toddlers and generally more difficult for them to get from their diet as they transition from breast milk or formula to table foods around the age of one, hence why I'm glad that Talan enjoys this dish. Also, remember that black beans are a wonderful source phytochemicals (non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties), fibers, and proteins.

There you have it. A quick and easy recipe for a snack or a quick dinner entree. If you try these as a dinner entree, then a traditional salad or a spinach salad, a good pasta dish, or both, go great with these pizzas as sides.

I do hope that you give this recipe a try!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T18:19:00.000-05:00

The windows to his soul.

ISR (Infant Swimming Resource)

2009-09-01T21:56:00.001-05:00

This coming up weekend, Talan's water survival lessons (or swimming lessons are they are mostly referred to) will be coming to an end. Yes, our one year old takes a form of swimming lessons. As a matter of fact, he has been taking them since he was 10 months old. Yeah, that young ... I know! The program that he participates in actually teaches children from ages 6 months to 6 years, but being that it was February when Talan was 6 months old (hence it was cold), and being that the nearest instructor to us didn't begin classes until June, we had to wait a few more months but it was all the same to me.

To introduce you to this program, I will begin by allowing you to see the video that first captured my attention. Now I warn you, this video WILL take your breath away and will invoke every motherly feeling in you imaginable. It will be hard to watch at times, but just watch.

The little boy in that video is named Miles. He was 11 months old when that was filmed, and had only 3 weeks of ISR lessons prior to filming. You can read more about Miles, why the video was made, and his ISR story HERE.

So, what is ISR? ISR stands for Infant Swimming Reso urce. The first thing I want to say about ISR is that they do NOT teach swimming lessons! ISR teaches SURVIVAL lessons. Since this time yesterday, 11 infants and young children drowned in the United States. Another 39 fell into the water and sustained permanent brain damage. In approximately 19 states, childhood drownings are the #1 cause of accidental death for children under the age of four. Most of the states are Southern states. I live in Texas, one of those 19 states, and we just happen to have an in-ground pool in backyard. So again, it's not about the child learning to swim per se, but learning how to survive in the water. Children learn techniques such as floating, vocal techniques to grab someone's attention, and as they grow, they do learn more in the area of swimming, but they are also taught to have a respect for the water.

As I said, Talan began lessons in June. Upon registering him, we were given a Parents Resource Guide which contains great information from how we could possibly interfere with his training to first aid and CPR tips and techniques. For the record, my husband is CPR certified and I plan on getting recertified myself (I was certified in college).

The cost of lessons varies from place to place. For us, we had to a pay a registration fee, and the cost of lessons was $85 a week. Lessons were Monday through Friday, and we were given a scheduled time slot. Lessons last for 10 to 15 minutes. Okay ... I know you're like "Ten minutes, you have GOT to be kidding me?" The reason for this is to prevent muscle exhaustion. Your child is learning something new and they will be doing things that their body isn't used to, hence it is important not to overdue. Even within the 10 to 15 minutes the child is given a rest. ISR lessons are short yes, but much is learned within the small time frame.

Also, upon arriving to each lesson, we were given a BUDS form to fill out. BUDS stands for bowel, urine, diet, and sleep. The form helps the instructor to look at the physiology of your child and to create a unique and individualized lesson plan for them.

Parents are not allowed in the water during the lessons up until a certain period of time, towards the end of lessons, at which point parents are shown how they can continue to train at home.

(From one of Mr. T's first lessons. It's from a cell phone camera, sorry for the horrible quality!)

Talan's training lasted for 6 weeks, but depending on the child, they can last anywhere from a 4 to 6 week time frame. He was taught how to do a sort of stroke to move himself through the water and how to flip over on his back and float to rest and catch his breath. Once he mastered this, he was taught how to flip back over and stroke some more and then rest again. He was also taught, while in the float/resting position, to make some sort of noise as to draw attention. Most of the time he would call "mama" or "dada", as is probably natural with most children. This entire process is called the swim-float-swim technique.

Children first take lessons in a basic swimsuit. Upon getting the techniques down pat in their swimsuit, they will then have lessons fully dressed in summer clothing. After that, winter clothing. Why? Well, because majority of the time when children fall into a body of water, they are actually not in swimwear, but in full summer or winter clothing. Again, it is about survival. How it feels to swim in a swimsuit versus an entire outfit is a completely different feeling.

Now, I guess you wonder why Talan is just now finishing up lessons if the course was only 6 weeks. Well, Ted and I both work full time and though we do try to get in the pool with him whenever we can, sometimes we just can't. So, Talan takes what are called maintenance lessons twice a week to help him stay strong, and get stronger, in his technique. During these lessons myself (or Ted, whomever takes him to the class) are also taught ways to reinforce what Talan has been taught.

Next year, Talan will take refresher courses during the summer. It is recommended that ISR students take refresher courses every year to stay strong in their technique, but also to learn to adjust to any physical changes they have undergone. From one summer to the next, a lot of growth occurs in a child. The refresher courses help the child to adjust their training with their growth.

Let me say this ... no matter how much you train a child, there is no excuse for irresponsibility. As I mentioned we have an in-ground pool. Upon Talan starting to walk, one of the first things we got was a door alarm for our back door. We keep it locked at all times anyway, but just in case, we got one. We also got a pool alarm. Even with these things, we still are not going to take our eyes off our child. We put him in these lessons so that he will have a respect for the water and will know how to survive if he were to ever get into what could be a potentially dangerous aquatic situation. Children need to be supervised despite whatever knowledge they have in a particular area.

Thus far, Talan has truly blossomed with his technique. Whenever we get in the pool with him, it is amazing to watch what he can do. He can even sign "swim" and he will do his swim-float-swim technique and then do the sign when he finishes. Ted and I can't believe the progress he has made, as when he first started ISR, he was a bit weary of the entire thing and would tense up and whine and reach for myself or his dad. Now, he is just like a little tadpole. We are so proud and our family and friends (we have sent them little videos via e-mail) are absolutely amazed at what he can do.

I am so glad that I found out about ISR and the spread the word about it as I can. Many people are against teaching young children to swim, but as I said, it isn't really swimming, it is a survival technique. As the child progresses then yes, more swimming will be involved, but at such a young age it is all about survival. If anyone has any questions, then an e-mail address is provided on my sidebar to the left.

To learn more about ISR, click HERE.
To see more ISR video footage, click HERE.

Just Say "NO!" ... But In A Different Way

2009-08-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a parenting blog before so I thought it might be fun to share a little parenting method we use.

I have been attending the same playgroup with Talan now since he was a tiny little guy, and it seems that the older the kids within the group get, the more I hear the word "NO!" coming from my fellow playgroup parents. It is even to the point that some of the kids say it back!

Sometime ago, when Talan was a really little guy, I read an article about alternative ways to tell your child "no." It was very informative in that it explained that the word "no" is a very overused negative (probably because it's so easy to come to mind and say), hence why it is often one of the first words learned by young children. The article stated that if used too much towards a child, the word can have an almost crippling affect because the child can often learn to tune the word out when they want to, or eventually just plain ignore it. This could be very dangerous depending on the circumstance. Now, this doesn't mean the word shouldn't be used, it should just be used in a manner that won't make you seem inapproachable to your child, meaning that after a while, your child would rather just try things without asking you about them or letting you know that they are going to do them. Ted and I practice a good amount of alternate ways to the word no that were within the article with Talan, so I will share a bit of what we do. Note that this works for our child but it won't for every child, and it is also not full proof, as kids will be kids.

Use A Stern "NO!" Only In EXTREME Situations
Talan is at the age of climbing now. He likes to try to climb on everything. He is also a very curious child, so we know that we can't leave items just lying around and that we have to keep a close eye on him. Anyway, one of Mr. T's new passions is trying to climb into the chairs in our formal dining room. Climbing in dining room chairs = possibility of the chair flipping over with him = DANGER, hence a firm "Talan, NO! No climbing in these chairs ...." is warranted. Even though it is a stern no, it is still positive in the fact that it is stopping the child from possibly hurting themselves, warning them against something but teaching them at the same time. But, let's not stop there. There's more that needs to be added.

Explain Why
So you may look at this subtitle and think it is pointless, but truly it's not. Many parents just tell their kids no without giving an explanation. Even though Talan is 1, he understands a good amount. He has fallen before and gotten a "boo boo," or whatever you want to call it, so he can associate "boo boo" with why he shouldn't get into the chairs. This brings a bit more positiveness to the situation as the "NO!" was stern, but now you are subtle in explaining why. So, my phrase would extend out to "Talan, NO! No climbing in these chairs. You could fall over and get hurt, you could get a boo boo." Now it has been explained to him why he shouldn't climb in the chairs and he can associate "boo boo" with why he shouldn't. I also make a sorta sad, hurt face to go along with the "boo boo" expression to further reiterate what I mean. Now, let's take it one step further ....

Offer An Alternative
So I have given him a firm no and explained to him what could happen if he were to climb in the chairs. The last part of my statement would be to offer him an alternative activity, preferably similar to what is already being done. So, if he's climbing, after my whole no phrase, I would offer him an alternative. ".... you could get a boo boo. Lets go in the playroom and you can climb on your little slide." So I would then proceed to take him to the playroom to the little 3-in-1 activity gym that we got him, and let him climb on the little slide.

I think with this method, situations that can often be frustrating on behalf of both parent and child when only the negative is enforced, end up being much more subtle and calm.

Rephrase
Other than dangerous situations, we try not to say no too much to him. This could be one reason he hasn't said it himself yet. If Mr. T is trying to get something that he shouldn't have, then we just simply go "Talan, you can't have that, that's not yours" or "Talan, you can't play with that, it's not a toy. Let's go get one of your toys." and divert his attention to something or somewhere else. Here's an example using "can't" instead of "no" combined with offering him an alternative.

Let's say that I have forgotten to put my cell phone up so that Mr. T can't get ahold of it, and of course, he gets ahold of it. Instead of simply saying "No" and taking it away, which would not only frustrate him but make him want it even more, I would go "Talan, you can't play with this phone, but here's a phone that you can play with" and I would give him one of his toy phones, or if one isn't nearby, I would go " ... let's go find one of your phones." Then, to keep his attention on his phone and not mine, I would press buttons on his phone and put a lot of attention on it and what it can do, so that he eventually forgets about my phone.

Sign It Out
Another alternate to express that you want the behavior to stop through sign language. We have been teaching Talan to sign since he was an infant, so instead of saying "No," we will do the sign for "Stop." He knows what it means and always heeds to it. We use this technique in those situations where he is getting into little things. "Stop!" is more of a word of caution and hence often times evokes a reaction faster than "no" does, as "no" can sometimes increase curiosity more than hinder it. Of course, it can be overused too.

The Look
The look is just that, the look. It's that look you give that lets your child know that what they are doing is not appreciated nor acceptable and that the action needs to cease. It can be used in conjunction with tone (another way to get across that you want a behavior to stop), the sign language, or basically any of the alternative ways that I have mentioned.

Now, like I said earlier, none of this fullproof and won't work with every child, as kids will be kids and they will test you. Talan is young, so we expect him to be curious about the world and in no way want to hinder his curiosity, but we also want him to learn that not everything is safe and that he has to be careful and respect his surroundings. Not only that, we want him to learn to listen. I believe that by not constantly being told no by us and being reinforced to more positive things that he can do, we are raising a child who will pay attention to what we tell him as he won't feel that he is constantly being nagged. He will also see that he can approach us with anything and that we will guide him to the best of our abilities. In the long run, this method should reinforce your child to better think about what they are about to do before doing it, to think about the consequences that could occur and to find the best alternative to what it is they want or want to do.

Fatherhood Matters

2009-08-30T15:15:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent me an e-mail with a link to the cutest public service announcement video. The PSA was created by Fatherhood.gov, an organization that stresses the importance of fathers being a present, positive, and active force in their children's lives. Each time I watch the ad, I think about my husband and what a wonderful father he is. He always talks to me about Talan and how he is such a big blessing to us, and that's true, but I often have to remind him of what a big blessing he is to our son as well.

In my opinion, motherhood overshadows fatherhood greatly these days. I mean look at the fuss that is made over Mother's Day. The crowds, the cards, the gifts .... shouldn't motherhood itself be it's own reward? Then compare Mother's Day to Father's Day. Honestly, there isn't much of a comparison to do there. For my first Mother's Day, my husband made dinner, and we simply stayed in and enjoyed the company of each other and our son. I expressed to my husband at the end of that day that on Mother's Day in the future, all I wanted was to just spend with he and our child. He requested the same thing on Father's Day so that's what we did.

For me, it's very important to express to my husband how important he is not only to me, but as an influence in the life of our son. He doesn't realize the impact that he has on him. He sees the tickling, the wrestling, the laughs and giggles as just simply spending time with his son, but I think he often misses the fact that in doing these things, he is also molding Talan into the man that he will become. Yesterday I went out with a few girlfriends for a spa day and when I returned home, my two boys were on the couch in matching football jerseys watching football. Ted was even explaining to "Mr. T" the game. It's those moments that remind me of how blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband, and how proud I am of him as a father. Talan is a year old so he may not remember yesterday, but as this trend continues, one day when he is older he will look back and remember how his dad used to sit him down next to him and watch football and they would cheer and laugh and just enjoy it. I have made it my duty to try to express to my husband how even though he may not realize it, he is helping to mold a wonderful young man.

Here is the PSA that was sent to me. It is so cute, I love it! As I watch it, I find myself thinking about the bond that Ted will have with Aniela. He is already so excited about welcoming a little girl, and I can completely see him doing this with her in the future. Enjoy!

You Might THINK You Want It ....

2009-08-30T13:29:00.000-05:00

Our pastor did a great sermon this morning on a subject that I know I personally often need to be reminded of and reeducated about, coveting. I am very pleased with what I have been given in life and I know that I have been blessed with so much, but I think it's just human nature to sometimes get caught into the whirlwind of "I wish we had that." Since becoming a blogger, I know that it is especially easy to find yourself coveting what others have in the world of blogging, as lots of bloggers paint such intimate portraits of their lives, family, and what they have. The question is though, what are they leaving out of those blogs? You don't ever really know what a person or persons had to go through to get to where they are, nor how they got what they have.

I can tell you so many stories of people I have met throughout the years that I would look at and say "I surely hope that I'm blessed like that one day," having absolutely no clue what it was that I was truly asking for. But, God reveals things to you in due time. It never failed that I would come to see the truth behind what it was I thought that I wanted so badly. Whether it was that couple who I always thought was so great together, but I came to find out about the abuse that was going on in their relationship, or the person who "had it all" and it turned out that to get it all, they were waddling in a pool of debt, the truth always revealed itself.

Our pastor spoke today of how often times, God will put you through tests to see if you will stand firm in him or attempt to do things in your own way. For example, lets say you are in need of a new vehicle. Well Joe at work just got a new car, your best friend Tracy just got a new car, and it seems that everyone around you is getting new vehicles except you, the one who truly needs one, because you just can't afford it right now. Are you going to take your last dime and get a new car, knowing that it is going to put you in debt and cause financial troubles, or are you going to wait on the Lord and let him bless you with that vehicle in his own time? To rephrase that, is your faith in God strong enough for you to trust and wait on him to bless you with what you need? It's so easy to see and want and go get, but it takes true faith to wait on God to give you whatever it is that you need or want.

It is so easy to be blinded by what others around you have, but when you do this, it can often times cause you to lose appreciation for what you have been given. I sometimes lose face of this, but reality always helps me to snap back into place. Think of it like this, if you can't appreciate what you have now, then what makes you think that you will appreciate something better?

Onesies and Sleepers and Diapers OH MY!

2009-08-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

We try to reuse whatever we can wherever we can, so Ted and I have been going through Talan's old things to see what gender neutral items we can reuse for little miss Aniela. Unfortunately it has wreaked havoc on what was once a very beautiful nursery. We have sleepers and onesies and socks and tons of other items everywhere! We will eventually get it all squared away soon though hopefully.

Thus far, we definitely know that she will be fine in the cloth diaper department as we have plenty of those in all sizes (yes, we're a "cloth booty" household). I will get her some new ones too as well as a few new inserts. We have a pretty good amount of onesies and sleepers that will pass on to her as well. Once we pull out everything we think that we can use for her, we will be storing the rest of it again for "future reference."

Naturally we're going to be getting her some really cute, girlie items, but as I said, why spend unnecessarily? We're not going to dress her like a little boy of course. It's just mainly sleepwear and the cloth diapers and socks that we're reusing. She will be getting her own wardrobe in due time. Knowing that I'm having a girl though, I do totally want to splurge. I already have her tons of cute hair bows. I told a friend of mine yesterday that I hope she has at least a smidgen of hair, as she already has bows galore. I have gotten her a few outfits but not many, as I now know with my experience with Talan, how fast babies really grow. I splurged on him since he was our first, and we ended up with an enormous amount of clothing after my baby shower that we decided to give away and donate a lot of because it was just too much. I'm going to try to do better with Aniela, but it is hard, as it seems like there is an abundance of cute girl clothing everywhere! It just hits you in the face wherever you go! So bright and cheery and cute ... I get excited just thinking about it!

Alice in Wonderland Excitement

2009-08-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

I am super excited about the upcoming release of this movie as I am a really big fan of Tim Burton. In my opinion, he's a man who isn't afraid to let his imagination run wild, hence why his films are very popular.

A few months ago, a friend of mine sent me a link containing and article with press release photos of Burton's new film "Alice in Wonderland." I didn't even know about the movie until she sent them to me. The photos themselves had me intrigued and ready to go see the film, but recently the trailer was released and now I'm even more excited! Unfortunately the movie won't hit theaters until March 5, 2010, but I am definitely looking forward to it! Here's the trailer ....

32 Week Midwife Visit

2009-08-27T18:55:00.000-05:00

Well, today I had my 32 week visit from my midwife. Since with Aniela I will be having a home waterbirth, she comes to our home for my appointments. One thing I can say that I love about her is that she is very thorough in every aspect and explains exactly what she is going to do, even though it is basically the same thing with each visit. She has a great sense of humor too, which is also a plus.

Anyway, today was the same typical routine; blood pressure check, blood sugar check, then she measures my fundal height. Next she generally listens to the baby's heartbeat, and then she does those good ol' belly palpitations ... what fun! LOL! For urine tests, blood tests, and things of that nature, if she feels they are needed, I go in to her office.

For me, with this pregnancy, I decided to cut out ultrasound with the exception of one. With Talan, since he was our first child, I was a worry wart and had as many ultrasounds as I could, but I have since educated myself. With Aniela, I have had one ultrasound to see what her sex was. During that one ultrasound, my midwife did a very thorough check of everything. "Well, since we're going to do one, we may as well make good use of the one," is what she said, and I agreed. It may have only been one ultrasound, but it could have been that one time that we found something that we didn't know about. Thank God everything was fine and our little girl, and myself, are both very healthy ladies.

Everything went pretty well today. My blood pressure and everything were just fine. My fundal height is right where it should be, and I am holding steady with a 27 lb weight gain, which is how much it was during our last visit. Miss Aniela is doing great. Her heart rate is wonderful and she weighs about 4 lbs. There is one thing though: at my 28 week visit, Aniela had decided that she would turn in the breech position. Well, she's still in that position. My midwife has told me not to worry as she still has plenty of time to turn, and that some baby's don't turn until birth. It's kind of hard not to worry, but I leave it in God's hands. Let's face it, it could be worse. She's a healthy baby girl who is growing as she should be, and that in itself is a blessing. Hopefully she'll turn her little tucus around!

Up He Grows!

2009-08-26T21:57:00.001-05:00

"Mr. T" had his one year well baby exam today and everything went great! He is now 31 inches tall and weighs 25 pounds!

Those who know us, or who followed my old blog, know that my husband and I decided that we would be delaying/selectively vaccinating. Our intention was to have Talan get his first vaccinations at his one year well baby exam, but upon doing further research, Ted and I have decided to delay vaccines until he is two years old. Talan's pediatrician was fine with our decision. He is a vaccine friendly doctor and hasn't ever pressured us into vaccines, or anything else for that matter. He respects our decisions, one of the main reasons we chose him to be our son's pediatrician.

It's hard to believe how fast our little boy is growing up. He has even ventured into the talking department. He can say mama, dada, nana (which can either refer to my mother or a banana if someone happens to be eating one and mentions it), papa, baby, cup, "eeee", which is what he is saying for eat, and "buh" which is what he says when referring to a book. In response to people saying "Hey" and "Bye" to him, he just waves. Ted will say "Whassup?" to him from time to time and Talan will now sometimes reply with "Suh," LOL! It is the cutest thing ever! He will pretty much so babble in response to anything you say to him. You might be able to pick out a word or so, or at least you will think you heard a certain word, but for the most part it's babbling, and I love his babble! It's so funny because if you just shake your nod your head and agree with what he is saying, and reinforce him with things like "Really?!" or "Are you serious?!" he will sometimes have a change in tone in response to you! His ASL (American Sign Language) vocabulary has become very extended and grows more daily. I would approximate that he can do about 20 signs now, if not more.

A major milestone for me is that Talan is still nursing. He has been nursing since birth, but I was really worried that my milk supply was going to be affected by this pregnancy and/or that possible changes in my milk (tastewise) due to the pregnancy would cause Talan to wean, but thank God none of the above occured. I still express milk for him during the day when he's at daycare, and when I'm with him, he nurses "straight from the tap" so to speak. Of course, now that he is walking and getting into everything, he doesn't nurse as much as he used to, but he is still only receiving breastmilk in addition to the homemade baby foods I make him. I plan on letting him self wean, and thus far, he's not showing any signs that he's ready to do so. If he is still nursing upon Aniela's arrival, which he probably will be, I do plan on tandem nursing them.

He also still enjoys being read to and his new favorite thing to do is to play in his sandbox. We decided to get him one a little while after he started walking, as he seemed to enjoy playing in the dirt in my indoor plants (which have had to placed higher up in the homestead). He is certainly all boy! He loves the dirt, he loves to climb, and he loves for his dad to get down on the floor and wrestle with him. It is such a cute and wonderful sight to see the two of them having their "male bonding."

All and all, our little guy is still as smiley and happy as he has always been. It's very rare that you see him upset. Unless someone is leaving that he doesn't want to leave, he's sleepy, or he's not feeling well, he's generally just a happy-go-lucky boy. The light that this little boy has brought into our lives is unbelievable. His personality is just like a gem with a light reflecting upon it, brightening the lives not only of those close to him, but those who he comes in contact with. I can't believe that he is a year old already. He has accomplished so many milestones, but Ted and I know that the adventure has just begun!

I'll explain this picture later, LOL!

Aniela vs. Aneilia

2009-08-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

Since announcing the name of our upcoming arrival, Aniela Grace, I have received a few messages and comments about how the name may be mispronounced and confused with the name Anielia, so I thought I would do a comparison of the two names and break them down to show the differences in pronunciation and spelling.

Aniela

Aneilia

First of all, note the the difference in the arrangement of the n, e, i, and l in both of the names. This is what I believe people are confusing. You have to remember that the name "Neil" is an exception to the "i before e" rule, hence why Aniela would more than likely be pronounced as "On-yell-a" or "Ann-yell-ah", the latter being how we will be pronouncing it. In order for our girl's name to be pronounced "A-Kneel-ya", we would need to have "N-E-I-L" in that particular order. Also, the ending of the name would have to be different, as I'm about to show.

Aniela

Aneilia

Note the ending of the two names. Aniela ends with just "a" which makes the "ah" sound, while Aneilia ends with "ia" which makes the "ya" sound ... definitely not the same thing.

Hopefully this helps those who are confused and think it will be mispronounced. Upon showing it to my family and friends, all of them pronounced it correctly off the bat, prior to me telling them that we would be pronouncing it as "Ann-yell-ah." Remember too that this name has many origins, and we're using the Italian pronunciation. Nonetheless, upon looking into the name more, I have only seen it pronounced two ways when spelled as A-N-I-E-L-A, and those would be the pronunciations that I gave earlier. Not to say that there aren't people who pronounce it the other way, but I have personally not seen it to be pronounced that way with the spelling we are using. I even found the name Niela, which is our little ones name without the "A" on the front, and it is pronounced "Knee-yell-ah," not "Neil-ya." I apologize for the grammar lesson, but I felt the need to clarify. Other than an almost (but not quite) similar spelling, the dialect used to pronounce the two names is completely different. I do understand that many people come from different places and pronounce things differently though, so hopefully this blog has helped those of you who were a bit confused.

DIY Toddler Beds

2009-08-24T23:36:00.000-05:00

Being an interior designer, I love reading about new design ideas and projects, and this one really caught my attention. On top of that, I love DIY projects as they can save you lots of money in the long run.

Gabrielle Blair of the Design Mom blog (one of my favorite reads), came up with a great, money saving DIY project for creating a toddler bed. She made two gorgeous toddler beds for only $75 ... that's the cost of making BOTH beds!

Lets face it, finding just the right items and products for your child can be a bit of a task, as you always want them to have the best. Gabrielle became overwhelmed when looking at the large selection of toddler beds available these days. Also, everything that she liked was a bit pricey and more than she wanted to pay, so she did something about it ... she made her own toddler beds! The beds have a simple platform design so that if your little one happened to roll off of the bed, they wouldn't seriously injure themselves. Also, the beds use crib size mattresses, allowing you to get a little bit more use out of those crib mattresses and therefore save a little money.

The step-by-step directions to creating these beds, along with accompanying photos, can be seen by visiting the Design*Sponge website.

To read a few tips and tricks from Gabrielle herself, you can visit her post about the beds on her website, Design Mom.

Our son has a 4-in-1 crib, and our daughter (who is due to arrive in October) has an antique style crib that doesn't convert. These beds would be ideal for our two little ones at some point, and I love that I could display my own design personality with the beds since I would be creating them on my own. This project is really simple but nothing short of genius!

All photos within this entry © Gabrielle Blair. No copyright infringement is intended.

Back To Blogger!

2009-08-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I have made my way back to Blogger! I transferred my blog over to WordPress for a while but it just wasn't working for me. WordPress doesn't have as many features and options for blogs as Blogger does, so I decided to come back to where I first planted my blogging roots.

To those who are new to my blog, welcome! You can catch up on past happenings of myself and my family, and a few of my product reviews here:

http://ttmorganfamily.wordpress.com/

Thanks for stopping by!