Two Bears Farm and the Three Cubs

Make Way for Chickens errr....Beef! Rural Thursday

2012-02-02T00:12:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the very first Rural Thursday hosted by A Rural Journal and myself - I hope you'll link up and go visiting today to meet many other like-minded folks who enjoy living a simple life. Today I'm going to show you (with dismay) that I'm a bit disorganized by sharing pictures of my deep freezer.

You know we raised a bulk batch of free range organic chickens at the end of last summer to provide for our family through the winter. We still have a lot of chickens left. A lot. Over 20 for certain. The problem is that we have 1/8th of a grass fed cow on the way, in about 2 weeks. And somehow we have to make room in the freezers. We have 3 freezers in the house (ridiculous, isn't it?) and they are all fairly full. In case you're thinking that 1/8th of a cow couldn't be that much - well - it's SIXTY pounds of beef that we need to find room for!

Here's the current state of our deep freezer. There is some room, but not 60 pounds worth of room. Yes, it needs a defrosting. My husband just piled all the chickens on top - which makes it difficult to know exactly what all is on the bottom. When I suggested that next year we put chickens on the bottom, he said, "Well you should just eat the chickens faster." Wow, helpful, dear husband!

We've got more chickens in this little top freezer. Also quite a few salsas from the garden last summer. I know there are frozen cooked veggies in the deep freezer too, but they are all buried in the bottom where I can't get to them.

We've certainly been eating a lot of chicken lately! I've also dug out zucchini bread, tomato pies, and pumpkin cookies all from last summer. So fun to get to eat the spoils from the garden. Wish us luck as we try to make our way through much of this in the next 2 weeks! Chicken again, anyone?

What's in your freezer?

Got a post from this week that fits in with the rural or simple lifestyle theme? Come link up with us! To get the most out of participating in a blog hop, be sure to visit and comment on at least 3 other links (and more if you have time). It's a great way to find new bloggers. Be sure to enter the url (link) to the actual webpage of your post (not your general blog). It would be wonderful if you shared the beautiful button that Nancy made in your blog post as well.

I can't wait to go visiting those who link up to see through your eyes the rural life. And Happy Groundhog Day!

Instead of Candy in Your Valentines...Why Not Make Playdoh?

2012-02-01T05:43:00.003-05:00

I confess I'm not always super excited about the bags of candy the boys bring home from school after every little holiday. Oh, I don't begrudge them the candy, I do want them to live a little, but I sometimes wish there wasn't so much, particularly of the lollipop variety. We still have Dum Dums sitting around from Halloween - I should throw them out!

A cute alternative, particularly with a small group of kids like a preschool class, might be to make your own playdoh. It's simple to do, your kids can help, and it's inexpensive.

You'll need:
2 cups flour
2 cups water
1 cup salt
2 tbsp. oil
4 tsp. cream of tartar
Red food coloring

1. Combine flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan.
2. Gradually stir in water mixed with oil and food coloring (I used about 1/4 tsp. red)
3. Cook over low heat stirring constantly until a ball forms. When it feels like your arm is going to fall off, you are almost there! It can be a little hard to stir at the end.
4. Remove from heat. This is the part where the kids will enjoy helping - have them knead the dough for 5 minutes. It's smooth and warm - so much fun!
5. Package in cute containers. This recipe makes enough for 10 small servings.

You can find these cute hippo tupperwares at Dollar Tree - 2 for $1.00. Still too costly? Try ziploc baggies, and add the child's name to each bag. Then allow your child to decorate them with heart stickers.

A fun way to send a Valentine, that will last a lot longer than a lollipop! Do you have any fun ideas for Valentine's Day this month?

This post linked with Mommy Club Linkup at Milk and Cuddles.

Taking Omega 3s for Ultimate Health

2012-01-31T05:18:00.000-05:00

Do you think, on a daily basis, about small things you can do to improve your health? One of the supplements that I really like are Omega 3s. They help maintain a healthy heart and circulatory system, they support joint flexibility and movement, and they maintain a healthy immune system. They also support optimal metabolism and body composition, help balance blood sugar levels, and support the body's natural anti-inflammatory response. These are all things that I really care about as a runner and a mom.

Recently I received some Ultimate Omega-D3 from Nordic Naturals to review. Their products provide all the good and essential fatty acids without the risk of toxicity that you might get from fish. Not to mention, fish has gotten quite expensive in the supermarkets lately (we aren't eating it in my family as often as we used to as a result) and it's more economical at this point to get your Omega 3s in a pill form. Nordic Naturals Omega 3s are 750% purer than fish. They have a mild lemon taste (no fishiness after taking one!).

I liked that the pills are soft gels, because I have a hard time with large pills. These don't seem to bother my stomach. They even sent some samples (in a cute ecofriendly reusable produce bag) - so Pierce got to try their strawberry chewables (he loved them) and our border collie, Scooter, got to try some pet Omega 3s on his food.

Nordic Naturals is currently running a What's Essential contest, where you can share your own story about what matters most in your life, and enter to win a trip to California and other prizes. You can check it out here. You can also find Nordic Naturals on twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer: I was sent a bottle of Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega D3 for purposes of review. All of the opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Groundhog Day Themed Muffin Tin Monday

2012-01-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

Groundhog Day is just around the corner. When I explained the tradition to Pierce, he was fascinated. He gets pretty excited about the changing of seasons.

Pierce had ranch bacon chicken salad wraps (made from one of our own chickens - sooooo yummy), pasta salad, apples, and pickles (canned from last year's garden). In addition, he had a groundhog in pudding with crushed cookies. I have to give credit for the groundhog idea to Angela from WV Treasures. Thanks Angela!

Pierce is torn. He wants the snow of winter (since we still haven't actually had any snow) but he also wants it to be spring. Can't wait to see what the groundhog says on Thursday!

For more cute lunch ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

Special Dining in the Rainforest with Bertolli Roasted Chicken and Rotini Pasta Soup

2012-01-29T05:53:00.004-05:00

Bertolli has a variety of new restaurant quality soups out. They are prepared on the stovetop in about 5 minutes. Each one is individually flash frozen at the peak of freshness for maximum flavor. I was excited to try the soups with my family and prepare a special meal for them - with less than one hour of prep time. I decided to go with a rainforest theme - my boys just love animals.

First, I used my bread machine to make a dough. I used a dough recipe for challah and added 10 drops of green food coloring. This took about 5 minutes of prep time. Then the bread machine took care of the rest. Once the dough was ready, I took it out and stretched it and shaped it around some custard cups. Then I transferred it to a greased baking sheet and let it rise an hour. Total active prep time on this about another 5 minutes. (If necessary, you could make the dough the day before, and place it in the fridge until ready to bring out for shaping and rising).

I added raisins for eyes and pepperoni cut to a forked tongue shape before baking the bread at 375* for 25 minutes. I left the custard cups nestled around the bread to help it hold shape. I then tossed together a prepared Caesar salad and started pulling together the table. I used blue cellophane and floral moss to create the Amazon river down the middle of our table. I used family silver and blue laced napkins to add a little beauty. Small, red votive candles were also a nice touch. Then I started the soup. Cort was impatient and got in his chair before dinner was ready.

The boys had monkey plates, bowls, and cups on bamboo placemats. Small stuffed animals from the rainforest came to dinner too.

Paul and I had butterfly themed plates and bowls, with blue goblets for our drinks. I had a frog eating beside me for the evening. Can you see the slight green tinge to the snake bread?

Cort really approved of the soup! Actually, we all did. I'm not a huge fan of canned soups or microwave dinners, so I was a little skeptical at first. But the soup tastes homemade. The veggies are tender crisp with lots of flavor. And the chicken isn't all rubbery without flavor like so many frozen meals - no, the chicken was tender and tasted as though it had just been baked fresh in the oven. Overall, it was a delicious meal, and I think took me about 45 minutes total in prep time to pull together a fun themed meal for my family. They loved the special settings and I think having more formal circumstances helped them to eat more enthusiastically. Cort took his first bite and exclaimed, "YUMMY!"

For more fun and easy meal ideas, you can check out Bertolli on Facebook, twitter, and of course, the Bertolli website. The website is very user-friendly, and I found it helpful in locating a nearby grocery store that carried their soups.

How do you make meal time special at your house?

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. All of the opinions stated above are entirely my own (and my family's).

A new Rural Life Themed Blog Hop - Linky - Meme Starts Thursday!

2012-01-28T07:28:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to tell you all about the new blog hop that is starting this week - Rural Thursdays. Finally, a place you can come to share with other bloggers your adventures in gardening and canning, breadmaking and sewing projects, egg gathering and varmint fighting. Indeed, it's going to be a great place to meet other like-minded bloggers. And you don't have to be living the rural life to link up - rural is all a state of mind in living the simple life.

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Nancy from a Rural Journal was kind enough to invite me to cohost this blog hop. I've loved Nancy's blog forever (well, it seems that way) and am so excited to be working together on this project. She takes gorgeous photos (and has mad photo editing skills that leave me envious) and she is also witty and humorous - the type of blogger that leaves you eager to read her daily posts. She's a committed blogger, and a wonderful commenter as well. If you're not already following Nancy, I highly recommend you subscribe to her blog.

Now, if you haven't done a blog hop before, it's so easy. It's one of the most productive ways to meet other bloggers and help your own blog grow. Basically, you'll do your blog post, then grab the code from the button (you can see it on my sidebar - just copy the jibberish below the button and paste it into your blog post). Then you can come either here or to Rural Journal on Thursday to link up your post, and visit other blogs as well. To get the most out of doing a blog hop, I'd recommend you visit and comment on at least 5 other folks that link up (the more the better, if you have the time). You can get more details by visiting Nancy's page here.

Looking forward to reading your posts on Thursday! If you have any questions or need clarification, please don't hesitate to ask.

Polishing the Silver - A Lost Art in Meditation

2012-01-27T05:04:00.002-05:00

As a kid, when the holidays approached I would inevitably be coaxed into polishing the silver. My mom would retrieve it from it's secret hiding place, safe from the threat of burglars where it lay nestled deeply in the hidden cubby of the antique icebox. It was where, back in the day, the large chunks of ice were placed to keep the food cold. The silver was in velvety deep purple-blue bags, clinking gently as it was pulled into the light.

Recently, I decided to polish the silver, for the first time as an adult. A good twenty years have passed since I last polished silver, but my hands haven't forgotten the simple process. Soft cloths, the acrid sweet smell of blue-gray polish, warm water and multiple dries - mustn't leave behind any spots! In this modern day of paper towels and dishwashers, of speed and efficiency, I find that I don't mind the repetitious smoothing and cleansing of each piece. As my hands clear the tarnish of years gone by, I can't help but imagine the weathered hands of relatives who have passed across each piece, deep in their own mental mediation, thinking perhaps of upcoming dinner guests. I imagine the delicate foods planned and laboriously prepared, the finest meal creations available to a simple farming lifestyle.

And as I stand back and admire my handiwork, fingers dry and chalky from the polish, I think, "That'll do".

What simple chores free your mind from worries?

This post linked with:

Treating IBS Naturally with Dragon's Blood (Sangre de Grado)

2012-01-26T04:59:00.004-05:00

You probably read the title of this post and wondered, briefly, if I have fallen into some sort of January winter delusion in which I believe myself to be in medieval times, storming castles and hunting dragons. No, indeed, it's not that kind of dragon.

Dragon's blood is a resin that comes from the fruit of a tree deep in the Amazon. It gets the name dragon's blood because the color of the resin is a dark red hue. It can be used externally to reduce stinging, itching, and pain (so it's great for things like wounds, eczema, and insect bites) and can be used internally for treatment of candida, ulcers, fevers, infections, and IBS. I got mine from Homeopathic and Natural Health Paradise which offers a large variety of natural supplements and homeopathic medicines.

IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is something I've suffered for years. I remember the first attack, when I was just 13 years old. The unexpected pain terrified me. After it was over, I never even told anyone - not even my parents. Over the years I've learned that stress and dairy products are my biggest triggers. I have a difficult time avoiding ~~Reeses cups~~ dairy products completely (although I do buy many substitutions). I'm fortunate, though, as I know some people suffer from this more severely than I do. Still, I've been to the doctor, I've been prescribed meds, and none of it works for prevention. Plus, I don't like to take prescription medication except as a last resort.
Dragon's Blood is a natural way to treat and prevent IBS. You put 5 drops in a glass of water to drink once a day and can stay on it for up to 3 months at a time. And although it doesn't taste great, it also doesn't taste like blood, so that's good! I've been taking the supplement for two weeks now, and haven't had any episodes. This doesn't mean I'm cured, but it does seem promising. Indeed, if I make it a month without any issues, I'm going to be a firm believer. I've had absolutely no side effects from the dragon's blood, which is excellent. It's really like I'm not even taking it. That's how natural medicines should be in my book!
What about you readers? Would you try a more natural solution to treat a long running, frustrating health issue?

Disclaimer: I received Dragon's Blood from H&N Health Paradise in exchange for a review. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Some of My Favorites of YOUR Blog Posts!

2012-01-25T05:26:00.003-05:00

I've been blogging for over two years. I've read a ton of blog posts during that time. Thousands, no doubt. And sometimes I come across a blog post that not only sticks in my head, but in some way defines the author. I thought I would showcase a few of those today. I'm only going to pick five, because anymore than that gets kind of overwhelming for the reader (in my opinion) but if you didn't get picked this time, don't worry! I will certainly do this again in a few weeks, because there are so many great posts I could pick from!

1. Do you know TexWisGirl from Run A Round Ranch? She stands out through her animal photos, birds in particular. But last summer she went through a stretch of blogging about the wily squirrels in her yard. She caught some truly fantastic photos of squirrels hanging off her feeders. But above all, my favorite squirrel post is this. Take heed - if you don't want R rated squirrel pics, don't scroll past the point where she tells you to stop! I think the post really captures both TexWisGirl's skill behind the camera, her love of nature, and her sense of humor.

2. JDaniel4sMom has long been a blogging friend of mine, and she has a wonderful blog full of exciting activities for children. There is one post, though, that will forever stand out in my mind when I think of her. It's about a playdate that went wrong once. I think her response to what happened is so beautiful, and such a true display of her kind heart. You can read about it here.

3. Helene from I'm Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor won my heart when she emailed me with concern and sympathy back in the early days of my having twins. She's been through it, having two sets of twins herself. Through ups and downs, she blogs with her heart, and with her humor. Plus, she makes the coolest cakes on earth. Her guest blog post from her disgruntled cat was so funny that it will always be in my mind as one of my favorite humorous blog posts. Go check it out here!

4. Ordinary Life Magic is one of the first blogs I started following. I really loved reading of the daily activities of her extremely creative kids, and I also loved this sense of serenity (from her breezy yet poignant style of writing) I got whenever I visited her blog. Plus, as I've mentioned before, she creates such beautiful headers. Almost two years ago, she did a post where she allowed her children to paint their footprints all down the hallway....on her hardwood floors. Wow! Talk about cool mom of the year award! You can read about it and check out the awesomely fun pictures here.

5. Chillin' with Jill hasn't been blogging as long as the others, but she is a devoted commenter and has a sweetness to her that I love. She wrote a post last August about her two children, who she adopted, and who both have special needs. It's a simple, tender post that captures the unbiased love of a mother. Read about it here.

I hope you'll take the time to swing by a couple of these blogs and read their posts - posts that I loved so much that I still remember fondly years later! Tell them I sent you, and stick around some - no doubt if you explore these blogs you'll find that you enjoy them as much as I have. And I will try to do this again in the near future, so if you didn't get picked this time, you very well may be soon!

What's a blog post that you've read that really stood out in your mind? Do you have posts you've encountered that stay with you too?

$25 Gift Card to Maggiano's Little Italy Giveaway - 2 Winners!

2012-01-24T05:37:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to be doing another giveaway to Maggiano's Little Italy. I heard back from two of the winners of my last giveaway there, and they raved about how awesome the food was and how much they enjoyed being treated to a night out with their hubby's. So up for grabs today are two $25 gift cards to Maggiano's Little Italy.

Google Image

I still haven't had a chance to try the food at Maggiano's, but in googling pictures of it - well, it looks amazing doesn't it? This giveaway is sponsored by Logallot, a website devoted to blog marketing. I hope you will check it out (and if you leave a comment on the site, that will count as one of your entries!

This is a rafflecopter giveaway, so just click on the "read more" under my signature.

Disclaimer - I did not receive anything in exchange for hosting this giveaway, but felt it would be of interest and benefit to my readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Frogs and Toadstools on Muffin Tin Monday

2012-01-23T04:49:00.004-05:00

I used up so much creativity last week doing that Toy Story 3 bento that I decided to sit back this week and be lazy. I used our kiddie frog theme, and added our toadstool (or mushroom) muffin cups. Because obviously toadstools go with frogs, right?!

The boys had caesar salad, homemade classic white bread, and beef stew made in the crockpot. A perfect meal for a wintry day, in my opinion. And while Pierce whined about the salad, I was happy and stunned when the twins ate every last bite of theirs and asked for seconds! Hooray! At least my 2 year olds will eat salad, even if my 5 year old still won't!

For more creative kid lunch ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

Country Living - Varmints 101

2012-01-20T05:11:00.003-05:00

In addition to being infested by stinkbugs, in addition to having a mouse deconstruct part of my minivan, in addition to having raccoons in the chicken coop....well....the drama just never ends. It's varmint central here! Where should I start?

I'm on my fourth - that's right fourth - mouse caught in the minivan since this past fall. I get rid of one and another moves on in. I catch them in glue traps, and then feel guilty all day since I can't bear to put them out of their misery myself. My husband has to do the duty when he gets home. They're soooo cute (sob).

We have a possum stealing our chicken food. He's still on the loose.

Our rooster Gilbert continues to play the part of a varmint by crowing on our deck every morning long before daylight has arrived.

And we set out a trap, for that possum. Well look what we caught instead:

This was one angry cat, folks. My husband said, "Maybe you should go let it out, you're better with cats." So I started to head downstairs and heard him yell after me, "Don't get bit!" That's when I knew I had been suckered. The cat was very feral and growling and hissing. I aimed him downhill as I opened the cage, hoping he'd make a mad dash and not into me! Luck was with me that day, and we haven't seen him around since.

Have you had any varmints wreaking havoc this winter?

Treating My Insomnia Naturally

2012-01-19T05:01:00.003-05:00

I've always been a very light sleeper, but since having kids I've struggled a lot more with insomnia. My boys were all sleeping through the night by the age of 5 months, but me? I haven't slept through the night since a week into pregnancy with my firstborn. I do all the right things - I exercise, I limit caffeine after lunchtime, I never take naps, and I go to bed at the same time every night. And still I struggle. I seem to have a mixed bag of insomnia - some nights I struggle to fall asleep, some nights I wake up over and over again, some night I wake up at 3 am and can't get back to sleep. Such a shame too, because I absolutely adore sleeping. I miss the sleep of youth.

I've tried various sleeping pills, but some of the over the counter types leave me feeling all twitchy instead of sleepy, and the others leave me feeling groggy in the mornings. I don't want to take prescription meds, because they would put me to sleep so deeply that if the boys woke up sick in the night, I wouldn't be rational enough to tend to them. So I decided to try a more natural approach.

H & N Health Paradise offers a natural sleep treatment program for those who struggle with insomnia (they also carry a variety of other homeopathic and natural medicines and supplements). You use a combination of valerian root (which is commonly known to assist in sleep), St. John's Wort (a very mild antidepressant - used in this case to take the edge off in case the reason you're not sleeping is because you're tossing and turning from worry), calcium & magnesium (deficiencies in either of these can lead to stress and sleep disturbances), and melatonin (a hormone already in the human body that regulates the sleep and wake cycle). Currently their insomnia treatment program is on sale, if you want to check it out.

I've taken all of these before, but most of them were taken ages ago (ages as in way back in college!) and I've never taken them in combination before. I started them last week, and it's going well. They don't make me groggy, and I don't sleep so deeply that I wouldn't wake up if the boys were crying during the night. In the past, when I took melatonin I would wake up with headaches, but the H&N Health Paradise version of melatonin doesn't do this, thankfully. I'm still having a lot of wake ups, but when I do I am able to go right back to sleep, which is a nice change. I am only taking half the recommended dosage of valerian, because it tends to cause really vivid dreams, and I have always been very sensitive to it. But other than that I'm following the dosages as recommended. I'll be interested to see if the program helps more with time - as if there are deficiencies it may take a few weeks to build my system back up.

I don't take any other medications, and having taken all these supplements before felt good about safely taking them in combination. But as with all medications or supplements, please discuss with your doctor before starting anything new!

How about you, reader? Have you had any great successes using natural remedies?

Disclaimer: I received the supplements for the insomnia treatment program in exchange for a review. The opinions stated above are my own.

My Memories Scrapbooking Software Giveaway

2012-01-18T05:03:00.005-05:00

Do you like making art on your computer? Creating fun things with family photographs? Then you will love the Digital Scrapbooking Software at My Memories Suite.

Now I had every intention of creating some wonderful creations for you using the software. I waited until the new laptop I'd ordered came in (my old one has been given 2 days to 6 months to live by my computer "doctor") and promptly downloaded the software on the new computer. And that's when I realized the new computer wasn't charging the battery. After spending a morning putting it through tests with HP, it turned out I had to return the computer. So while I did get a chance to play with the software some, I didn't get to make any creations for you before returning the computer. And my new laptop hasn't come in yet. My apologies folks! I will say, that from what I saw as I navigated the program, it has a lot of potential for fun! In particular, I was crazy for a set a Christmas themed scrapbooking pages - so cute with its wintry themes and reindeer. There were themes for holidays, birthdays, seasons and more all included in the software. You could even use it to make your own blog designs! And how fun would it be to use this to make birthday cards for family and friends?

I went on the site and picked out a few themes that I thought were really cute. These are add ons to the software and are inexpensive to purchase.

Four Seasons Spring

A Boy and His Dog

Camping Guy

If you are interested in purchasing the software, Two Bears Farm readers can get $10 off the software plus an additional $10 off any packages by going here and entering the code STMMMS32813 upon checkout.

To enter to win the My Memories Scrapbooking Software (a $39.97 value) just click on the "Read More" underneath my signature. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received My Memories Scrapbooking Software for free for the purpose of writing a review. The opinions above are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Much Longer Before...

2012-01-17T05:32:00.003-05:00

How long do I have before Pierce starts saying:

Mom, can't you wear real shoes to get me from the bus? Slippers? It's so embarrassing!

Mom please! No more yoga pants! Don't you own any jeans?

Please tell me you're not walking out to get the mail in that. Again.

I can't wait until I can LEAVE FOR COLLEGE!

At least I haven't gone to Walmart in them. Yet.

Check out my giveaway - $10 Starbucks gift cards w/ 3 winners - here.

Toy Story 3 Bento Muffin Tin Monday

2012-01-16T05:07:00.003-05:00

Toy Story 3 has been Pierce's favorite movie for ages now. There are so many great character choices to use for a cute lunch.

I did star muffin cups (since Woody wears a star as sheriff) filled with grapes (wait, is that an alien in there?!?) and carrots. The dog, Buster, filled with Ham (the pig) sprinkles (I found Toy Story 3 sprinkles at AC Moore a while back). Then the sandwich Woody is a cheese sandwich I cut and shaped with food scissors. The cowboy hat is the sandwich crusts, the smile and eyebrows are pepperoni, the eyes are sliced string cheese. Pierce also had a side of strawberry yogurt.

Let me tell you - he was so excited for this lunch. I showed it to him ahead of time at his request, and he couldn't wait to take it to school to show his teachers. Maybe next time I'll try to do Buzz and Big Baby ;-)

For more fun lunch ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Introverted

2012-01-13T05:22:00.004-05:00

I've known that I am an introvert for probably twenty years, having been interested in psychology as a teenager. I can sit by myself, nose in a good book, for hours and be perfectly happy. I can go out for a solo run in the woods and feel completely at ease alone on the trails. The world, however, is run by extroverts, who make up 75% of the population. Indeed, being outgoing and gregarious is highly touted as a desirable characteristic, and may leave the other 25% of us feeling misunderstood. Recently, when I was repeatedly called 'unfriendly' by someone, I started thinking about what it means to be an introvert.

Introverts actually process information differently from extroverts. With recent brain developments, we now know that the way information comes in and the way dopamine plays a role is very different. Introverts tend to be highly sensitive to the neurotransmitter dopamine, and as a result can feel overstimulated in situations where we are surrounded by people. I know that I can be very sensitive to not just people, but even the noise of people - I can't tolerate having multiple electronics on at once - say the radio plus the kids playing the Nintendo DS. Multi-layers of noise leave me feeling unsettled and unable to focus.

People sometimes think introverts are antisocial, but we're not. We like being around people, in small and controlled doses. But we find extended exposures draining, and need time to decompress. I often have to bolster myself up to do something as simple as inviting another family over for dinner - it's very mentally draining. It's not that I don't like other people or want to be around them - it's just that I find it exhausting on many different levels. On the other side, extroverts are highly energized by other people and dislike being alone. They can't understand why an introvert wouldn't want their company at all times, which they may assume is always desired.

There are many misconceptions about introverts. We may be considered shy, but in fact many of us are not afraid of people. I'm certainly not. Extroverts may mistake our lack of small talk for rudeness or snobbery. For me, I just don't talk unless I have something to say. It has nothing to do with what I think of you. Extroverts may assume introverts don't like people. That's also untrue. In fact, we highly value the few friendships that we do have, often proving to be extremely loyal. I've always thought of myself as having an inner circle, a la Meet the Parents. It may take me a while to warm up to a person, but once someone reaches my inner circle, they are there for life, and can always know that I will be supportive and there for them. Introverts do make most excellent listeners.

I suppose one of the most disturbing assumptions is that often extroverts think that introverts should just fix themselves and become "normal". Ah yes, discrimination comes in many forms. Introverts need to be appreciated for what is their natural personality type. I could no more change myself to be extroverted than I could rob a bank - it's just not who I am. I don't think it should be up to introverts to change. It should be up to the extroverts to accept and respect us for who we are.

I suspect that there are many other happily blogging introverts out there. It seems an easy way for us to connect with other people safely. We can be social, but shut down whenever we feel like it to recharge. If we don't feel like interacting at any given time, we don't have to. Yet we can bond with others and have stimulating conversations and unite in friendship should we so choose. And if we do meet face to face, it's a little easier, because we already know each other in some sense and have common ground. Are we unfriendly? Nope! Just introverted. I'm so thankful for the friendships I have made with other bloggers who have not only been supportive, but also accept me - and my blog - as I am. Thank you.

I love the way this article sums up how to care for the introvert in your life.

I have a giveaway for 3 $10 Starbucks gift cards going on - you can enter here.

This post will be linked to Pour Your Heart Out at Things I Can't Say.

$10 Starbucks Gift Cards - 3 Winners - Giveaway

2012-01-12T05:30:00.009-05:00

You know what's funny? I don't drink coffee. Not at home anyhow. But I adore the lattes at Starbucks. Each year, my aunt Pam and uncle George treat me to a Starbucks gift card for Christmas, because they know that I wouldn't splurge on the lattes on my own. And each year I cherish this gift card - treating myself every so often and thinking of my aunt and uncle when I do. It's such a meaningful gift - you wouldn't think that about a gift card - but it really is when the gift card allows you to feel like you're receiving something extra decadent each time you use it. If someone got me a gift card to somewhere like Target, I'd love it, but I'd end up spending it all on the kids. With a Starbucks gift card, it's just for me.

Today, I've got 3 gift cards - worth $10 each - to Starbucks to give away! The giveaway is sponsored by Sonia at Logallot - check out her website as it offers such helpful marketing information to bloggers and she's very interactive with her readers.

Disclaimer: I did not receive anything in exchange for hosting this giveaway, but I thought it would be something my readers would enjoy.

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway, so to enter just click on "Read More" under my signature and bear paw. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

January Can Be Boring

2012-01-11T04:56:00.003-05:00

January can be boring. It's dreary and cold. The days are short. But you know what's fun, even in January? Making a mess!

At first, Reid and Cort weren't too sure about finger painting with the new Melissa and Doug paints that they received for Christmas. Pierce had no hold backs, though, he dived right in.

Blue and green and a bit of red and yellow make a lovely teal.

Once the twins realized that if they got the paint completely on their hands they could make hand stamps, they were much more eager to get messy.

Indeed, even gleeful.

And Pierce hand stamped his way across the table.

What are you doing, reader, to keep the dullness of January away, and bring some color into your life? Do share!

Thanks to all who entered to win a copy of Dr. Nina Shapiro's book Take a Deep Breath. Random.org picked lucky #19, Grumpy Grateful Mom. Congrats to her!

Fitryo Total Bar - A Review

2012-01-10T05:11:00.007-05:00

I love fitness gadgets. It's always fun to try something new, to work out muscles in different ways, and to shake things up to prevent boredom and burnout. I was really interested to try the new Total Bar by Fitryo - I'd never seen anything quite like it before. It stands for Fitness, Training, Yoga. It's a long, very slender pole that is slightly weighted on the ends. All together it weights about a pound and a half. The weights on the ends allow you to vibrate the pole as you work different muscles, giving more frequent reps than you would get from using standard weight lifting equipment. It arrived with a carrying case, a nutritional guide, a workout poster and a training brochure.

I tried the different poses by following the brochure and the poster. In particular, I liked working the core. I often get vertigo from doing crunches, but I had no problems from using the Fitryo Total Bar. It works the entire core by forcing you to use stabilizing muscles, so it's a more gentle workout than crunches would be as well.

This position works the triceps, as well as the quads from doing the lunge.

This one works the back.

You hold each pose for 30-60 seconds, while doing the small repetitions.

You can watch a video to get an idea of how it works:

I think this is a wonderful product for people who are looking to just get started with weights. It may take some time to get used to how to perform the movements. I had to mess with it a bit and watch the videos before I felt like I was using it correctly.

For those who already have an established weight routine, it offers a fun alternative. I came up with a few exercises not in the book to offer a bigger challenge - such as doing the yoga boat pose while using the Total Bar. After having three kids, I can use all the intense core work I can get!

Disclaimer: I was provided with the Fitryo Total Bar to try out and write a review on my blog. The opinions expressed are my own.

A Beary Special Lunch - Muffin Tin Monday

2012-01-09T04:54:00.001-05:00

It made me blush just a little to title this lunch 'beary special' but I couldn't resist, even if it is cheesy (literally).

Pierce had a bear shaped cheese sandwich with mustard (his fav), a few teddy grahams, cherry tomatoes, grapes, a few m+ms and he also had some yogurt as well.

For more ideas to use muffin cups for lunches, visit Muffin Tin Mom.

Family Game Night - Zoopanic by Endless Games - A Review

2012-01-07T05:13:00.002-05:00

Do you like to have game nights with your family? Our twins are still a little young, but lately Pierce has been an avid gamer - board games, that is. Recently we tried out the board game Zoopanic, which is recommended for ages 3-4+. It doesn't involve any reading, so it's great for kids who haven't reached that stage yet.

The box and the game board are vibrant in color. The theme of the game is that the animals have escaped from their cages, and you have to return them. All sorts of animals are scattered across the game board, and each zookeeper tries to return as many to their correct cages as possible. Each time an animal is returned, a trophy is awarded, and the person with the most trophies at the end of the game wins.

The game took us just over 30 minutes to play. I had started off the evening in a bit of a bad mood, but playing this game with my family cheered me up. Paul won. When I asked Pierce what he liked best about the game, he said, "I liked winning." Paul and I were confused, because he didn't technically win. But Pierce explained that he won every time he got a trophy, and he got six trophies total. So in the end, he felt like he'd won many, many times. How great is that? He also declared the panda to be his favorite animal in the zoo.

Endless Games carries Zoopanic for $21.99 in addition to many other board games, puzzles, and a seriously cute collection of animals. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Disclaimer - I received the board game Zoopanic for review purposes. All of the opinions written above are entirely my own.

Take A Deep Breath by Nina Shapiro - Book Review w/ Giveaway

2012-01-06T05:33:00.002-05:00

After Cort's asthma attack last month, I was excited to hear about the book Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child by Nina Shapiro, MD. TLC Book Tours contacted me about doing a review and giveaway, and I felt like the timing was perfect.

The book is broken up into the ages of newborn - 3 months, 3 months - 1 year, and 1-5 years. I found the book to be informative without being preachy, reassuring without being dismissive, and down-to-earth for the topic. In general, I think this is because Dr. Shapiro is a mom herself, which lends her an authenticity for the parents out there reading the book. She knows what it's like to worry about a child, to put practicality first sometimes in the face of recommendations. She knows when to say, okay, maybe you don't have to be a total stickler with this - versus, hey, I know it's hard but this is something you've got to stand firm on. I like that philosophy.

Even though there is medical terminology, the book is not heavy with it, and everything is well explained. I think there are pieces that will appeal to all parents - like what can you do when your infant has his first cold? What if there is a rattling in the chest at some point (oh yeah, I've totally called the nurse hotline at my pedi's office over this one before!)? What about things like RSV and pneumonia? Are air filters necessary for newborns? And what are the signs that my baby has stuck something up his nose? You'll also learn in depth about all those icky childhood viruses, and what you can do to try to minimize them (you may have the urge, like me, to wash your hands about 5 times when reading this chapter).

I was fascinated by some of the statistics in the book. In general, the book isn't laden with statistics, but the ones it does contain are intriguing. Did you know that over 50% of babies have an incident of wheezing in their first year (but only 1/3rd of those end up developing asthma)? 15% of kids have croup at least once before age five. And 1 in 5 SIDS deaths occur when a nonparent is caring for a child (so make sure those caregivers know that back for sleep is best).

In light of Cort's recent illness, I was most interested in the information on asthma. Dr. Shapiro covers some of the risk factors that can predispose a child to asthma, what a nebulizer is and how to best introduce it to your child, and the medications typically prescribed (and are they safe). Although we know that Cort has risk factors against him, my understanding after reading the book is that his wheezing attack could have been in relation to the cold he had, and he may not actually go on to develop asthma. So that is promising news.

The other part of the book that was near and dear to my heart was the section on the environment. Dr. Shapiro writes of the toxins, the air quality, and understanding how EPA regulations have changed things (for the better). I love that she has ideas for how to teach your children good environmental habits that will help them grow up to be eco-friendly adults!

My only critique of the book would be that if you are reading it cover to cover, you may find parts of it repetitive, as symptoms, assessments, and techniques are recovered with each age group. However, you can easily just skim over it if you've already read it once, and I do see that it is necessary for those readers who might skip over one age group and go directly to the relevant one.

If you want to learn more, you can check out Dr. Nina Shapiro's Website or follow her on twitter.

TLC Books and Dr. Shapiro are generously offering one copy of Take a Deep Breath to Two Bears Farm readers. To enter, just leave a comment, and be sure to include a valid email if it is not visible in your profile. Open to US Residents only. Winner to be chosen on 1/10/12 at noon by Random.org.

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for Your Child to read and review. All of the opinions above are my own.

Fitness Summary for 2011 and New Goals for 2012

2012-01-05T05:38:00.002-05:00

Well, 2011 didn't start off so hot. An injury to my right IT band sidelined me for months. Several doctor visits later I finally found someone who could do ART (active release therapy) which helped me to recover and allowed me to start running again. But when June rolled around and I only had 222 miles for the year, I realized that I would have to let go of some of my running goals, including the one where I'd hoped to run my 9th marathon.

Fortunately, June is where things came together for me and I started getting back to normal running mileage. With normal running mileage, I was able to pick back up on my goals to salvage what I could. Here are the stats from the year broken down:

Yoga: 23 times
Ab work: 44 times
Weights: 31 times
DVD workouts (Shred, etc.) 21 times
Running workouts at the track (this was one of my goals - to be consistent with this): 21 times
Running mileage: 1004 miles

In addition, I ran two 5Ks, a 10K, and a half marathon this year. I was able to (just barely) set a PR (personal record) at the half marathon, which had been one of my goals for the year.

Considering that I only had 222 miles at the beginning of June, I think I finished off the year strong. I know that I have improved my speed (which was one of my goals for the year), although I am not the fastest I've ever been. And although I'm disappointed that 2011 didn't have a marathon in it, the running year wasn't a total letdown. In fact, I think I had some good moments.

So what am I looking for in 2012? I'm still leery of setting goals much, still scared my IT band will go out again. So I'm going to set 'light' goals that I feel like should be easy to achieve as long as I stay uninjured, and with a little luck maybe I'll exceed them.
1. 1000 miles
2. Consistent and continued track workouts - more than last year
3. PR in the half marathon again

I'm looking at a few winter/spring races, and in particular there is a 10 miler in February and a half marathon in March that I will likely run. Beyond that, I'm reluctant to plan.

We did start off the year with a run up Mill Mountain with the local running group, the Star City Striders. It was humbling to try to get up the mountain pushing a 5 year old in a jogging stroller. I confess I had to walk some sections. But it was a fun way to start the year.

What about you, reader? Do you have any regrets from 2011? Any goals for 2012?

Dear Obnoxious Rooster With No Name

2012-01-04T05:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Obnoxious Rooster with No Name,

I do realize it's your job to crow. And I admire your devotion and tenacity in doing your job. However, just a few things.

Sunrise currently starts at 7:00 am. Not at 3 am. Not at 4 am. Definitely not at 5 am. Also, I know you like to get up high to crow. But jumping on the porch railing just outside the twins' bedroom to crow at 5 am is NOT in the list of your job description. Trust me on this. And don't flap your wings at me young man!

I can still see you, even hiding behind that post! You need to move on and find a new place to crow.

Showing your backside is bad manners you know.

That's right, move on. Note the ineffective chicken wire put up on the porch in an attempt to curtail his ambitious porch crowing sessions....

Kinda reminds me of someone else that has a loud mouth and is very annoying....

Thinking that henceforth rooster with no name may be called Gilbert....

December Fitness Recap 2011

2012-01-03T05:26:00.002-05:00

I know what you probably really want is my year end summary, but be patient, it's coming. For now, I've got my December fitness summary for you.

This month saw short days, and I struggled to keep as many runs as I could outside. I still blame the treadmill slightly for my injury last winter. My goal is no more than one treadmill run a week, but it isn't always easy and sometimes I have no choice. It's either sit on my butt or treadmill, and in the end, the treadmill is still the better option.

I incorporated some crosstraining back in this month, since I let my mileage drop down some. It was nice to break the weights back out.

Circuits w/ weights x 7

Ab workout x 1

Yoga x 2

Running mileage = 99

Track workouts x 4

Races x 0

This is the first time I've continued to hit the track during the winter. Let's hope I can keep it up. I'd love to head into the spring racing season faster than I was last year. Oh wait, last year I was injured and missed all the spring races. Okay, maybe I should just say I'd love to head into the spring racing season uninjured ;-) That alone would be an improvement!

Bundle up and head outdoors folks! Once you get moving, it's really not that bad. I promise :-)

First Muffin Tin of 2012

2012-01-02T05:16:00.003-05:00

I hope you all had a very happy New Year's! We still haven't seen any snow here, but I did make a muffin tin for Pierce using our snowflake tin.

Cherry tomatoes, southwestern salad, parmesan crusted fish, roasted potatoes, clementine orange slices, and ketchup for dipping. I keep trying with the salads, but still all no-gos so far.

For more fun ideas for cooking for kids, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

A Blustery Day at the Zoo

2011-12-30T04:47:00.003-05:00

The Monday after Christmas we decided to get out of the house for some fresh air, and headed to the zoo. It was chilly - about 40* with a breeze, but we wore heavy jackets and it wasn't too bad. Certain little boys had cold hands, due to their refusal to wear gloves, but they managed.

I didn't take any pictures of the animals this time, since I've blogged on the animals of the zoo so many times before. Instead, I took a bunch of playground photos. We always save the playground for last.

The monkeys (animals, not my boys) were making some funny noises this day. The boys were all impressed, and proceeded to make monkey noises off and on the rest of the day.

My favorite animal, the Pallas Cat, was MIA again. What a bummer. He's the cutest little furry animal.

On a brighter note, we got to see the otters being fed, and they were so playful dragging big branches of bamboo about and rolling and wrestling with each other and the bamboo.

Come to think of it - my three aren't all that different from the otters, are they?

We hit a second playground before heading out to grab some lunch. This one is a more natural playground with rocks, logs, and fossils to climb on. Reid didn't fall off the log, by the way, but he did look kinda tipsy, huh?

On the top of this rock mass is a huge, slick, and very fast slide. It's for bigger kids, so we have to watch Pierce carefully as he climbs it, and the twins are allowed to do this one yet.

Pierce is really getting to where he can hold his own though!

Check out my giveaway for $30 from Fashion to Figure website here!

My Life According to Books I Read in 2011

2011-12-29T05:03:00.003-05:00

Every year Christine over at The Happily Ever After does a fun link up of questions you answer using books you read in the past year. I read 82 books in 2011, and was excited to answer this year's questions.

1. Describe yourself: Bold Spirit
2. How do you feel? Borderline. Okay, not really, but I couldn't resist this one ;-)
3. Describe where you currently live. Fun Home
4. If you could go anywhere, where would you go? The Forgotten Garden
5. Your favorite form of transportation? Night Road
6. Your best friend is: Distant Shores
7. You and your friends are: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
8. What's the weather like? The Winter of Our Disconnect
9. What is life to you? A New Earth
10. Favorite time of day? The Ten Year Nap
11. Your Fear? The Sanctuary of Outcasts
12. What is the best advice you have to give? Go Green, Live Rich
13. Thought for the day? Walking in Circles Before Lying Down
14. How I would like to die: Salvation City
15. My soul's present condition: Run to Overcome

If you're interested in my answers to questions last year, you can find them here.
Don't forget to check out my giveaway for $30 to Fashion to Figure here!

Christmas Recap

2011-12-28T05:01:00.005-05:00

On Christmas Eve, after spending the day with family, we drove by our favorite secret spot for lights on the way home. It's way down the backroads - crazy curves and all. But it's become a tradition each year.

After the lights, we sprinkled the reindeer food out in the yard that Pierce had made at school - oats mixed with red glitter, so the reindeer would know we were here. I suspect the chickens appreciated it the next morning too.

We left cookies for Santa - chocolate peanut butter chip - with a glass of milk. Pierce said Santa needed four cookies. Note that all of the ornaments had disappeared off the bottom of the tree...

Turns out Santa really did come! I caught him taking a nap on our couch after setting up the toys! (You can do this with the website www.icaughtsanta.com if you're interested).

Cort was very impressed to see proof on Christmas morning that Santa had taken a nap right on the couch...

And the toy that was the biggest hit? The Playdoh Factory. All 3 boys adore it.

Indeed, the boys loved everything they received, and the only disappointment at our house was the fact that it didn't snow on Christmas. Pierce is still asking about it. "Mom, but WHYYYYYY didn't it snow on Christmas?!?" Apparently, this is hard to understand when you're five.
Hope your families all had a great holiday!
And many thanks to our family and friends that helped make this holiday special for us!

Be sure to check away my $30 giveaway to Fashion to Figure for an item of your choice here!

$30 Giveaway to Fashion to Figure!

2011-12-27T05:37:00.005-05:00

Fashion to Figure is a website devoted to trendy fashions in sizes 12-26. They also have a wonderful assortment of accessories and jewelry - so everyone is likely to find something they love! I looked through the website and found a variety of chic dresses, tops, and jeans. I was really impressed by how reasonable their prices look. I don't pretend to be on top of fashion in any way, but I did pull together something I thought was cute for New Years if you weren't going the formal route. The Sequined Tank Top with Sheer Black, the Extra Dark Wash Basic Skinny Jeans, the Knee Length Coat with Belt, the Large Bead Necklace with Rhinestones, the Oversized Stone Ring with Feather, and the

the Metal Mesh Clutch.

This giveaway runs from 12/27/11 through 1/2/12. It is open to US residents only. Giveaway run through Rafflecopter, so click on "Read More" under my signature to enter. The winner gets to choose one item of a $30 value or less. Winner must respond within 48 hours to email or another winner will be chosen. After confirmation, the winner will be posted on the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!

Disclaimer - I have not tried any products from the site, but thought they looked cute. I was not compensated in any way for this giveaway; I'm offering it because I thought it would be of interest to my readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pierce in the Stars - Muffin Tin Monday

2011-12-26T04:56:00.001-05:00

It's Muffin Tin Monday again! I have a little bento I did for Pierce to share today.

Clementine orange slices in a mushroom tin, Cheeze-Its in a heart tin, an elephant with a few chocolate chips for dessert, a turtle pick with green olives, and a cheese sandwich spelling Pierce with pepperoni stars. I think he liked this one - it came back without leftovers!

For more fun ideas of lunches for kids, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T05:04:00.003-05:00

We've had an exciting month, full of festivities here with the boys. We've watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 4,389 times. And we've watched my favorite, Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas 2 times. Mommy got the short end of the stick this year.

We filled the house with the smells of Christmas by making applesauce cinnamon ornaments.

Pierce really had fun with ornament making, even though he was disappointed they weren't edible.

They did make nice little gifts for family and teachers though.

We also made peanut butter kiss cookies and decorated sugar cookies. Those were edible. And Pierce had a fun time attending the Winter Wonderland festival at his school and chatting it up with Santa. His first question being, "Is your sleigh up on the roof of the school?" Five year olds ask tricky questions.

Cort and Reid had their own Christmas program. During which they sang songs. Cort got really into it. Reid tried to run away and was chased down by a teacher.

At least they waited until after the program to pump them full of sugar.

From our family here at Two Bears Farm, wishing you and yours a very Happy Holidays!

The Best Christmas Gift Ever

2011-12-22T05:08:00.002-05:00

As a kid, I had a lot of happy Christmases. When I was 5 I got a tiny little bird's nest with eggs that I could hold in one hand. When I was 7 we got an Atari, complete with Pacman. When I was 8 or so, I got a Snoopy Snow Cone Machine. When I was 9 or 10, I got this thing called the Animator (that I had wanted for ages!). All little material things that made me so happy as a kid. But none of those could touch the magic of the gift I got when I was 13. A gift that wasn't even a surprise - I'd gone myself to pick it out and be fitted. At Dominion Saddlery I'd swung my leg over saddle after saddle, settling in to feel the fit and decide if it was right. We couldn't afford the esteemed Crosby saddles, but I hoped to find one that was well made and comfortable. I finally found one that was just right, by a newer brand called Collegiate. It was an all-purpose saddle - perfect for hunters, jumpers, eventing or lower level dressage. In a dark chocolate brown, I breathed in the sweetness of leather as I ran my hand gently over the perfectly sloped soft back. After six years of intense horseback riding the day had finally come that I was going to have my own saddle. My parents let me pick out stirrups and leathers to match, and saddle soaps, sponges, and this magical oil called Hydrophane. And then, all that was left, was to wait for Christmas.

On Christmas morning while my brother demolished the living room with his various Star Wars characters, I lovingly applied coat after coat of Hydrophane to my new saddle, watching in awe as the leather drank in each drop of oil, darkening from the moisture. The smell of the leather was more beautiful than gingerbread men or sugar plums or pine trees that year. I ran the stirrups up and down, I sat in the saddle over the arm of the couch. And finally, we took the saddle out to the barn to put it on my horse, Chico. No longer would I have to borrow the beat up, ancient and cracked-leathered schooling saddles. Finally, I had my Collegiate to place in my tack locker.

The saddle was a perfect fit for me. Over the years, it went to more hunter shows than I can count. It went on trail rides and cross country eventing. When it came time to leave for college, my saddle traveled with me, still supple from the oils I'd applied, still lovingly tended and polished. In Texas, even though my friends rode Western, I stuck with my Collegiate, a second skin to my riding - without my saddle I felt unbalanced and uneasy. The Collegiate rode in parades and through gravel pits, it was witness to rattlesnakes and broken ribs and on one occasion an attack by hundreds of angry swarming bees. And after each ride, it was tended and oiled and properly stored away. Toward the end of college, it again traveled to a few horse shows, and once even went to the beach.

When the sojourn in Texas came to an end, the Collegiate returned to its roots in Virginia, a little more scratched (a certain wayward horse tried to take a bite out of it), the threading a little more worn. But still it was loved and cherished. And still, it came out of the tack shed for rides - sometimes through the mountains, sometimes for lessons, but mostly just for rambles about the arena.

The Collegiate is still in use today. Although I have a dressage saddle, and a Western saddle (from my Texas days - they made me!), the Collegiate All Purpose is still my saddle of choice. I can't think of any other gift I've received that was so dearly loved and still holding strong, some 23 years later.

What was your most memorable gift?

This post is linked with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

The Bet

2011-12-21T05:17:00.003-05:00

I guess this is one of those posts where I own up to less than stellar parenting skills. Because I'm pretty sure teaching your 5 year old to bet ranks pretty high on the whole "Parenting Don'ts" list. But yeah, Pierce and I have a bet, and I'm pretty confident I'm going to win this one. If I don't....well....I'll be eating snow.

The bet is that if we get 12 inches of snow sometime this winter I'll be serving the family snow ice cream....for dinner. I'm feeling pretty smug though. Virginia doesn't get that much snow very often. Plus, the highly scientific methods of wooly caterpillar analysis (how much black does he have in the middle?) and the Farmer's Almanac are both predicting a mild winter for my region. In addition, I watched my squirrels packing away nuts for the winter. Their stash isn't all that impressive...

Go ahead and root for the cute 5 year old to win. You know you want to. It won't hurt my feelings. Much. Please don't let it snow, please don't let it snow, please don't let it snow....

Check out my giveaway for $25 gift cards to Maggiano's - there will be 3 winners here!

The Hidden Costs of Cloth Diapers

2011-12-20T05:17:00.000-05:00

I've loved doing cloth diapers with the boys. Even though it has been a lot of work. There are conflicting accounts as to the reduction of carbon footprint by use of cloth diapers, but hopefully I've done good things on that end.

The initial investment in cloth diapers was daunting, but thanks to the help of several family members it was manageable. And I took comfort knowing that over time, it would be cheaper than disposable diapers.

And then the dryer broke, a year after toiling to dry cloth diapers on a mostly daily basis. It was 14 years old, though, purchased shortly after Paul and I married. So we purchased a new dryer. A month or so after that, the sump pump broke, and the basement flooded. The sump pump was only 5 years old. A shady plumber was hired who double billed us, and resulted in a complaint being filed with the Better Business Bureau and a lot of stress on my part. Finally, that was resolved. And Paul purchased a new sump pump and installed it. And I was back in business with my cloth diapers. And then. Last week? The washer stopped spinning. The motor made a noise. You know the type. A noise indicating life was expiring. And so, we purchased the washer to match our fairly new dryer. Now we have a complete set again. And now I know that cloth diapers? Well, not so cost-effective after all.

On a brighter note, I now have an energy efficient washer. And I suspect potty training is in the very, very near future.

I have a giveaway for THREE $25 gift cards to Maggiano's! Go enter here!

All About Snowmen on Muffin Tin Monday

2011-12-19T05:25:00.005-05:00

Our last Muffin Tin Monday before Christmas! This time I got out our snowmen tin.

Pierce had an assortment of baby carrots, raisins, and vanilla chips for making snowmen. He had a chocolate mousse parfait (which he had to save for last), potato salad (you know what they say about yellow snow...maybe that's why Pierce wouldn't eat it?), ketchup for dipping, green beans, and dinosaur chicken nuggets. The little snowman pick in the mousse came as a set of cupcake toppers from Dollar Tree.

For more fun kids' lunch ideas, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

I have a giveaway for THREE $25 gift cards to Maggiano's - you can enter here!

$25 Gift Cards to Maggiano's Little Italy - 3 Winners! Giveaway!

2011-12-16T01:39:00.004-05:00

I've actually never eaten at Maggiano's. Like Trader Joe's and REI, Maggiano's is another good thing that seems to be missing from my region. It's a 3 hour drive to either Durham or Richmond for the nearest branch. But they seem to be all over, as you can see from the map I found on Google -

I bet their food is good. In the google images I saw, the food looks amazing. You really can't go wrong with Italian. So when my twitter buddy, Sonia, from LogAllot said that she'd love to sponsor a giveaway on Two Bears Farm and asked if I'd be interested, I jumped on the chance to give away some gift certificates to my readers. She's very nice and I hope you'll take a moment to check out her website.

In the meantime, I'm trying my hand at Rafflecopter for this giveaway, because everyone is doing it. I hope you all don't mind - I tried to keep it condensed without a billion choices. I like simplicity in my life.

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. If winner doesn't respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. There are three winners for this giveaway. Good luck!

Disclaimer - Sonia told me she'd send 4 gift cards and for me to keep one for myself - so I hope at some point I cross paths with a Maggiano's and get to try the food for myself.

Click on "read more" to enter -

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Complaining about Stinkbugs

2011-12-15T05:14:00.001-05:00

If you've been around my blog for a while, you know that I am always immersed in a losing battle with the Virginia stinkbug population, which is multiplying by hoards every 30 seconds or so. Unfortunately, they don't have natural predators here, and they have an armour that protects them. So they are very difficult to kill. I've designed those homemade traps to catch them, but it can't put a dent in our problem. And every three months, I pay exorbitant prices so that Terminex can come out and tell me that there isn't much they can do about them, as we duck from little flying stinkbugs buzzing around overhead.

Last week the Terminex man showed up by surprise, a new fellow who had just relocated from Seattle. Perhaps because he was new, and hadn't entered the usual resignation in the face of stinkbug infestation that is so common, he was much more enthusiastic than anyone I'd seen so far. I told him that the brunt of our issue is in the master bathroom. He went upstairs and was up there for a rather long time - so long I started to wonder what exactly he was doing. Finally, he came back down energized and excited.

"I've found where the stinkbugs are hiding!" he exclaimed.
"Oh really?" I say, wary, wondering how dirty this mystery area could be, and hoping I didn't leave any underwear lying on the floor.
"Yes, under the tub!"

This guy actually opened the doors under our tub and got in there to spray. That's dedication folks! He finished his duties with the usual spray around windows and doors (we don't do any granules because of our chickens) and was on his way.

An hour later, I went upstairs for something and stopped dead in my tracks when I went into the bathroom and saw this:

Stinkbugs in the death throes, by the dozens. On every surface. Crawling out of crevices, in the tub, in the shower, all over the floor, climbing the walls. My first impulse was to go load the boys in the car and drive north to a climate that is too cold for stinkbugs. But then common sense prevailed and I got out the vacuum.

How many stinkbugs have you flicked today, reader?

Yes, My Darling Daughter - Book Review

2011-12-14T05:20:00.011-05:00

You all know I'm a big reader, and after recently finishing my favorite book out of the 76 I've read so far in 2011, I decided I would do a review. Because this book is so excellent - and it isn't at all the type I'd have picked to read in the store. The title isn't very appealing to me. And neither was the cover (to me, it looked a little outdated, although the book was published in 2009). But don't let that deter you - because Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy is an absolute must-read! The reason I picked it up is because I read a review of it in my annual book calendar, in which Leroy's writing was compared to Daphne Du Maurier. And as I read a summary of the book, I was intrigued by the story line. It's a gothic, and I do love a good gothic. Let me tell you something - last time I read a gothic this good (with not even an ounce of cheesiness to be found) was when I was 12 years old and read Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart.

Here's what makes this book so unusual though. In addition to being set in modern day, it has the mom factor. And I mean reality mom. There's no glossing over. This is a mom (Grace) pouring her heart out, worrying herself to death over her child. She's single and working in a flower shop in London, with very little support. And her child, Sylvie, is four years old and starting to regress into these horrendous tantrums in which she screams with such terror and persistence that she often vomits and repulses all others. Soon, friends start recommending psychiatric evaluations, and here poor Grace is struggling just to put food on the table each week. When Sylvie gets kicked out of the nursery for her uncontrollable behavior, Grace is certain to lose her job if she can't find another place that will take Sylvie. It's all one big train-wreck of motherhood and written so beautifully, so heart-wrenchingly, so lyrically, that you long to step into the book and take over. To make things better.

Meanwhile, Sylvie sees a picture from a magazine of a male model on a coastline. She declares that this is where she is from. That she lived there. Other puzzling tidbits occur - Sylvie's declaring that she lived in another house, a nicer house than theirs. Her refusal to call her mother Mum, instead calling her Grace. Her increasing nightmares, and her sheer terror of water, particularly on her face.

Grace, in desperation, seeks out a psychology professor who researches children who may have psychic abilities or might have experienced past lives. And although Grace's few supportive friends are against it (in fact, they think she's crazy), she decides to take a trip with him and Sylvie to Coldharbour, Scotland, to visit the place that Sylvie claims she has lived before. What exactly is her mysterious connection to this coastline?

That's all I'm going to tell you, because if you're interested, I don't want there to be any spoilers. But you'll get your intriguing cottages, your stormy weather, your creepy cliffs in this read. For two days, I got nothing done while I read this book. It's fantastic. If you like gothic style, you would love this book. Check it out!

Disclaimer - I'm reviewing this book because I loved it, and thought I'd share the joy of reading it. I didn't receive anything for doing so.

Holiday Festivities

2011-12-13T04:43:00.002-05:00

Well, yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And I've got pictures to prove it. We put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving. My Mom gave us several of these cute ornament balls - made by my great aunt June.

And remember that review I did for Children Inspire Designs a few months back? Well our little bird ornament finally found his rightful place on our tree:

And since the tree went up, the twins have been deconstructing it 24/7. I can't keep ornaments on the tree! It's a good thing I left most of the ornaments in storage!

There are ornament roundups everyday. I've found them in all sorts of places. Just think - if you were going for a ride and an angel was at the wheel, you'd have nothing to worry about....

Even Baby Jesus ventured away from his nativity to get out for a stroll. Luckily, his benefactor made sure he was well buckled in.

Cort and Reid made gingerbread houses at preschool. I attended the party, and worked in vain to try to get candies on the houses before the twins ate them all. Reid managed to participate in applying candy a bit (after thoroughly stuffing his mouth first) but Cort just ate everything and didn't do much decorating. Obviously, this was a great time.

And finally, this was the year that I was going to skip out on making truffles. I was over it! And then I called my grandmother one day to chat, and she said, "You're bringing me some of your truffles this year, right???". Uh....yes....as a matter of fact, I am bringing you truffles dear grandmother. And so, I proceeded to make 4 batches. Peanut butter, chocolate, berry, and mint.

I have to admit - they do look so cute once packaged into little truffle boxes. If you'd like to know how to make them, you can check out my tutorial for oreo truffles here . They are easy to make, but slightly time consuming. For the berry flavor this year, I used the new ice cream berry flavored Oreos. They are actually pretty decent!

Well, reader, what have you been doing to get ready? Are you immersed in decorations and baking too?

Thanks to all who entered my followers appreciation giveaway. The lucky commenter, according to Random.org, was #12 - Chatty Crone. Congratulations to her!

Another Holiday Bento on Muffin Tin Monday

2011-12-12T05:20:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun with last week's holiday bento, that I decided to pull out another one. This was a lunch packed in Pierce's two tiered froggy bento box:

3 Oreos, orange slices in a 'present' muffin cup, raisins, pepperoni on a gingerbread pick, cheesy star sandwich with carrot santa hat. Really loving the eyeball picks I found on final Halloween clearance - they certainly make food fun!

In other news, yesterday was my 2 year blogiversary! Hard to believe I've been going now for 2 years. It's been fun, and I've enjoyed 'meeting' so many blogging friends.

To see more fun ideas of lunches for kids, check out Muffin Tin Mom.

The Reid is in Da House

2011-12-09T05:14:00.002-05:00

You know what I love about 2 year olds? How egocentric they are. It's what earns them the 'terrible twos' moniker, and I find it oftentimes hilarious and endearing.

A couple of months ago Reid starting referring to himself in third person. Nothing warms my heart more than a toddler referring to himself in third person. Nothing, that is, except for a toddler referring to himself in third person as though he is, in fact, The Only Person On Earth. That's right folks, The Reid is in da house. It's not just Reid anymore. It's The Reid. He's titled. Next thing you know, he'll be knighted.

The Reid want cookies!
The Reid NO WANT dinner!
The Reid want play with trains!
The Reid make house!

The Reid is now signing copies of his official, licensed novelty poster for tweens across the nation. To order yours, just call 1-800-THE-REID. Viking warrior helmet not included.

Our Elf on the Shelf is Defunct!

2011-12-08T05:06:00.004-05:00

Like just about everyone else with kids under the age of 18, we started the Elf on the Shelf tradition last year. Only we seem to have gotten a bad elf. The legend says that the elf is supposed to fly to the North Pole every evening to report to Santa, and then return before daylight in a new location. Our elf, Tulley? Downright lazy. In fact, he doesn't seem to bother flying to the North Pole half the time. And then I get a lot of questions when a certain 5 year old wakes up to find Tulley in the same spot as the night before.

Mom, why is Tulley still there?
Uhhhhhh....maybe he has a cold. Yes, he couldn't fly to the North Pole last night because he was sick and needed to rest. See how his cheeks look a little flushed?
Is he okay?!?! Mom, how will he get up there if he's sick?!
Well, I'm sure Santa will send him some magic to make him feel better.
But if Santa can send him magic why didn't he go see Santa last night?

No good, low-lying elf. See what he is putting me through? Just this ONE LITTLE THING. Is it too much to ask the he remember to relocate each evening?

Preferably not in places so high that involve throwing missiles the next evening to get him down....

Ah, that's better. Watch out Tulley. If you don't stop loafing on the job, we may have to return you for a new elf. I've heard elf competition is pretty stiff these days!

This post linked with The Mommyhood Chronicles

Those Unhygienic Hunters (Rant)

2011-12-07T05:26:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I'm not big on hunting. But I can respect those who do so responsibly. Who shoot animals to feed their family. Who follow the laws of the state where they reside honorably. Who use extreme caution in the handling of firearms.

BUT. I hate hunting season. Aside from the fact that every year some irresponsible, drunk hunter ends up shooting some innocent walker in the woods (oftentimes even sporting blaze orange), I hate feeling like I'm being watched when I run. I hate that people try to poach on our land every year, even though it's posted and even though I've always said no when people have asked if they could use it for hunting. I hate that there are people who just take what they want (the rack) and leave massive carcasses out in the woods to be plundered by my dog, who later pukes black tar all over the basement floor.

If all hunters would be responsible, maybe I wouldn't hate hunting season so much, even though it would still make me a little sad, because I really like the deer. But this year, I'm in an even grumpier state than usual. Because this year, I went out for a run and over the course of a quarter mile, I saw FOUR water bottles tossed on the side of the road full of pee. PEE! At first I didn't realize what I was seeing. But that's right. And why? Because hunters don't want the deer to smell the urine, so they pee in bottles. And okay, I have a little bladder and can totally get that when you've got to go you've got to go. BUT TAKE THOSE BOTTLES HOME AND THROW THEM AWAY! Now every time I run, I have to look at the four bottles full of pee. And it's not like they're going to biodegrade. So in February, I'll get to enjoy the sight of four frozen bottles of pee. And next summer, I'll get to enjoy the sight of four steeping bottles of pee. And so on and so forth. Wonderful.

So yeah, if you're reading this and you're a responsible hunter who does what you need to do to treat the animals with respect and feed your family and not litter your bottles of pee on our planet, then more power to you! Can you please pass your influence off on all those other hunters? And my apologies for coming across overly harsh on this post - not trying to offend anyone - just very frustrated by the poaching on our land, and the littering of bottles on our road (since originally drafting this post, I have spotted two more bottles of urine disgracing our street :-( ).

As a public service announcement, do not ever do a search for "nasty hunters" under google images. Trust me on this one. I learned the hard way.

This post linked with - Things I Can't Say.

500 Followers Holiday GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-06T04:51:00.003-05:00

I'm so thrilled to have 500 followers, and I wanted to celebrate by doing a holidays giveaway, to show my appreciation for so many of you who stop by regularly to read and comment. I always love your thoughtful feedback. So here is what is up for grabs:

A Barnes and Noble cookie making set, that includes cutters, recipes, and more, a Martha Stewart tower of gift wrapping ribbon, a cute wooden country sled ornament, and a plush cat ornament.

I tried to get a picture of the ribbons, so you can see the colors better, but it was tricky since it's under that reflective plastic. Even without a flash! Anyhow, the colors are golds, silvers and black, very pretty.

To enter, you must be a follower (you can become one and enter, if you're not one already!) and you must leave a comment telling me one item that is on your holiday wish list this year, and be sure to leave a way to contact you (email address) if it is not already attached to your email.

Winner to be chosen by Random.org and must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. In the spirit of the holidays, I'm willing to ship anywhere. Giveaway to end on 12/12/11 at noon. Thanks for entering, and for following my blog!

And now to announce the winner of the Eco Natural Soaps giveaway - Random.org picked #23 - J.P. from Home in the Hollow! Congratulations J.P!! And thanks so much to all those who entered!

Happy Holidays Muffin Tin Monday Bento Lunch

2011-12-05T05:04:00.005-05:00

December is a fun month, because I get to break out my Christmas muffin tin supplies, which don't get much use the rest of the year. Pierce had a hard time going back to school after the 5 day Thanksgiving holiday break, so I decided to make his day easier by doing a special bento lunch. And since it included one of our star muffin cups, I decided it could double as a Muffin Tin Monday post.

He had a star full of kiwi slices, a snowman skewer of olives, a couple of yuletide logs (one being a celery stick filled w/ peanut butter and green/red m+ms, one being a Slim Jim), a cheese Christmas tree sandwich (I used a straw to poke holes in pepperoni to make the balls for the tree, and the star is also cheese), and packages under the tree - Cheeze-its with ribbons drawn on them using my Food Writers, Rice Cracker treats, and a couple of Teddy Grahams.

For more fun lunch for kids ideas, go visit Muffin Tin Mom.

My giveaway for Eco Natural Soaps is running through noon today. You can enter here!

Guest Post on Twins

2011-12-03T11:12:00.000-05:00

You all know Esther from Laugh With Us Blog, right? Well, she is on bloggy maternity leave, having had her 5 child this week (congrats, Esther!) and I have a guest post over on her blog today. It's about parenting twins, and if you'd like to head over, you can find it at Laugh With Us Blog.

While you're hopping around, don't forget to check out my giveaway for Eco Natural Soaps here! They are fantastic, and would make great stocking stuffers.

Comments are off.

A Huge Mailbox Surprise

2011-12-02T04:55:00.003-05:00

I always grab the mail when I'm waiting for Pierce to come on the school bus. Right now we're flooded with catalogs and junk mail. So recently when I pulled out a long, thin cardboard box, I was just happy to have something that wasn't trying to entice me into spending more money. The box was from Taste of Home, which seemed weird, since I hadn't ordered anything. And it had a letter(not the typical bill looking type deal) attached to the front.

I opened the letter and it brought a smile to my face. It said that one of my recipes was published in their 2012 Almost Homemade cookbook, so they were sending me a complimentary copy! The winter that the twins were infants, I spent a lot of my spare time creating new recipes, and I would frequently submit them to Taste of Home. I'd totally forgotten about it (just like I've forgotten much of what occurred during the first 6 months with the twins!).

What recipe could it be? I didn't even remember what all I'd sent to them. Turns out that you will find my recipe for Pear-Blueberry Granola, which is made in the crockpot, on page 174. It's delicious and fairly healthy, and makes a great dessert in addition to being a wonderful breakfast. And I'm so excited to be included in Taste of Home - I've been a huge fan of their cookbooks and magazines since 1998!

Now that was a good mailbox surprise! And now I have a new cookbook to boot!

If you haven't already entered my giveaway from Eco Natural Soaps, please check it out here!

Running Recap - November 2011

2011-12-01T05:04:00.003-05:00

I had a really great month for running. The best part is that I felt strong this month, and that makes for some happy running. I was rotten, though, and did absolutely no crosstraining. Again.

So total mileage this month was 130 miles. I did one race - the half marathon in Danville. My longest run was 13.1 miles. I hit the track 3 Saturdays, and my track workouts seem to be going much more smoothly than previously. I think that may actually be the result of cooler temperatures, but part of me hopes it means I'm getting stronger and faster. I've being doing combinations of quarters, miles, and an odd 800 here and there when at the track. Hey, I know! Let's just pretend I'm getting faster and it has nothing to do with cooler temps, okay? Denial can be a good thing, right?

So my months have gotten progressively heavier on the mileage this fall, mostly in an attempt to try to make up the ground that was lost last winter and spring when I couldn't run due to my injury. I'm happy to report I've caught up, and now I get to have a cut-back month in December, which is probably overdue. With the holidays, December is a good time to cut back a little on mileage, and I tend to do so every year. I need to get in 95 miles this month to meet my year end goal. Barring injury or illness, I should be able to do this, which would make me very happy. Particularly since I didn't meet my year goal to run a marathon in 2011.

Do you have any end of the year goals to see out 2011?

Please go enter my giveaway to win 3 products from Eco Natural Soaps here!

What to Buy the Green Eco-Friendly Person in Your Family (Gift Guide)

2011-11-30T05:37:00.004-05:00

I'm slightly obsessed with products that help the environment or promote green living, and I thought I'd throw together a post of some of the items I have tested myself and love dearly. Just in case you're looking for the perfect gift for ~~your granola cousin~~ your eco-friendly cousin.

1. Dryer Balls. Find them at Target for under $5 for a set of two. As an added bonus, they are the right size to be used as a stocking stuffer. And they last for ages. Mine actually help my clothes get dried about 15 minutes more quickly than if I don't use them - and saving energy makes me happy!

2. Envirosax. These reusable shopping bags roll up into tiny sacs, easy to slip into a purse. They are incredibly durable, holding up to 40 pounds, and come in such fun, trendy designs. I have the Animal Planet set of 5, but you can find a design for just about anyone. I always get comments from the cashiers on how cute they are. $5.99 and up.

3. Mesh produce bags by Flip and Tumble. Yet another way to cut down on the overuse of plastics in our world. Light and easy to use, just toss them in the wash after shopping. $10.95 for a set of 5.

4. Cloth diapers by Fuzzibunz. Because babies can be green too! Fuzzibunz are the best cloth diaper I've ever known and loved - the twins have been in them for almost a year and a half now, and they are still holding strong. One diaper will run you about $19.99.

5. Living with Ed, Seasons 1 and 2, on DVD. A lighthearted, humorous tv series on living green to the extreme? Yes please! Prices range from $7 - $22.50 each.

6. Drying rack. You can pick these up at Target for around $13 and skip that energy-sucking clothes dryer all together! They fold up conveniently - I've got mine stashed to the side of my dresser where no one can see it when it's not in use.

7. A Trader Joe's gift card. Because you can't go wrong with gift cards and - let's face it - you can't go wrong with Trader Joe's. (Dear Trader Joe's: All I want for Christmas is for you to build a store in Roanoke, Virginia).

8. Shaklee Basic H2 cleaning product. A little goes a long way, and a bottle will last for ages! Plus, you can use it on anything, and it doesn't have a bunch of nasty chemicals. You'll also be supporting a really awesome business that is running a 'net-zero impact on the environment' company.

9. Patagonia is another company that works hard to reduce the global environmental footprint. Not only that, but they make high quality gear for anyone that loves the outdoors - and for all ages too! The boys were handed down little puffy Patagonia vests as infants and we loved them so dearly! Retail around $70.

10. Reusable lunch containers. There are so many fun choices out there - and anything that cuts down on plastic sandwich baggies is a win-win situation. One of our current favorites is the Fit & Fresh Kid's Little Dipper. It has a section to go in the freezer to keep cold before assembly, and then a little compartment to put dips in. It's also BPA free. Pierce especially loves to take it to school stuffed with apples and peanut butter for dipping. $10 for a set of 4.

There you have it! Some of my favorite green products, just perfect for your environmentally friendly friends and relatives. You know what would be even better though? Win some wonderful green products right now, in my Eco Natural Soaps giveaway! You can go enter here!

Disclaimer - I wasn't provided anything for this gift guide - it's just a list of things around the house that we know and love. Also, the images were snagged from Google.

Eco Natural Soap Review and GIVEAWAY!! (Perfect Stocking Stuffers!)

2011-11-29T05:30:00.006-05:00

I've been following the Eco Friendly Homemaking blog for a while now, and I love her simple and interesting posts about living green and being thrifty. For a long time, I've been interested in trying some of the products from the Eco Natural Soap store. So when Alicia contacted me about doing a review and giveaway, I was so thrilled!

The products I chose to review were a Joint Pain Relief balm (I'm a runner, of course I need that!), the Foot Relief balm (again, runner, hello!) and the Wrinkle and Age Spot Relief Chlorella Soap. I also got an extra sweet surprise - some of the lip balm.

The Joint Relief balm was the first thing I sampled. I opened up the jar, took a whiff, and was flooded by horse show memories. It smells just like the Vetrolin liniment I used to use on my horse's legs after a horse show. The wintergreen scent is delicious. I've had a spot on the bottom of my heel that has felt like a stone bruise for a few weeks, and I've tried different ointments but nothing had been able to penetrate. So I put some Joint Relief balm on, and I liked how it wasn't greasy and how it didn't burn. I didn't pay much attention, but 10 minutes later I realized as I walked across the hard tile floor that my heel was no longer hurting! I was fascinated that it worked so well. So a day later, when a very sore throat and swollen eustachian tubes were making it difficult to swallow, I turned to the Joint Relief balm again. I know it isn't supposed to be for that sort of thing, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try, and I was desperate. I put it on, and once again returned to what I was doing and forgot about it. And once again, about 10 minutes later, I realized that I was swallowing with ease. No pain, whatsoever. You all, this stuff is the bomb. I have just never experienced something that so gently but effectively relieved pain.

The next thing I tried was the Wrinkle and Age Spot Relief Chlorella Soap. I have some age spots I've been fighting on my left cheek for the past 2 years or so. I love the smooth lather this soap gives, and after rinsing, my skin feels not only clean but well moisturized. It does have seaweed and cucumber, so while the smell is not offensive in any way, if you like sweet or floral scents you won't find it in this bar. You will enjoy how soft your skin feels afterwards. Age spots don't disappear overnight, of course, so it'll be a few weeks before I can tell a difference there, but I do love how this soap makes my skin feel!

The last thing I wanted to try was the Foot Relief balm. I have a tendency to lose toenails from all the running I do. I'd love to find a preventative for that, and was thinking maybe this would help, as it does cool things like fight fungus and ease pain in tired feet. Certainly, the two middle toes will be losing their nails from the half marathon I just ran, but it won't happen until January or February. I would love to prevent it if I can! The balm is also non-greasy and smooth, and while it smells different than the Joint Relief balm, it has a pleasing smell as well. I like the way my feet feel pampered after using it.

And of course, I enjoyed the lip balm too - perfect for this time of year, when cold and winds can cause so many chapped lips.

So by now you've got to be wondering how you can try some of these items for yourself! You can go purchase these and many other eco-friendly products at Eco Natural Soap. While you're there, decide what one item you want to try most, and come back and leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway for 3 items from Eco Natural Soap! The winner gets to choose one body balm, one bath soap, and one lip balm! these would make the best stocking stuffers ever (if you could bare to share, of course). For a second entry, let me know that you are a follower of this blog in a separate comment.

This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. Winner will be chosen by Random.org on Monday, December 5 at noon. Winner has 48 hours to respond by email (so don't forget to include it if it's not in your profile when you enter) or another winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received 3 products of my choice to review from Eco Natural Soap. The opinions expressed above are entirely my own.

This giveaway is now closed.

Pizza Pizza! Muffin Tin Monday

2011-11-28T05:39:00.002-05:00

I've mentioned before that we live too far out for pizza delivery to be an option, but honestly, that's a good thing. Because I can make my own pizza which is so much cheaper and healthier.

This was the first time I've made pizza with a white sauce. We usually do the typical red sauce, or sometimes pesto sauce. I made the alfredo sauce from scratch, because there is nothing nastier than alfredo sauce from a jar (it's just awful!). Toppings were mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms, and turkey bacon. Not the healthiest pizza I've ever made (still healthier than Pizza Hut I'm sure!), but it was delicious. Sides were a salad (once again, rejected by Pierce) and apple slices. The pizza and apples were devoured.

Check out more fun food ideas at Muffin Tin Mom.

Danville Science Center

2011-11-25T04:58:00.001-05:00

One of the big selling points for running the half marathon in Danville was that their science center is right by the finish line of the race. And as an added bonus, we got free entry because of our membership to our local science museum. It was wonderful for Paul to have a way to entertain the boys while I was running, and after I finished the race we went back for some more, because I wanted to see it myself.

It was such a fantastic facility - everything was hands on interactive and the museum itself was so spacious and sparkling clean.

The boys really loved this floating beach ball, and they were determined to try to figure out how to get it down.

A cute little pillow nest at the top of the stairs.

I liked this giant ball, which played movies in a cool dark room. Exhausted and still dehydrated from my race, I zoned out watching this ball and hoping that Paul was mostly supervising the boys.

It was quite the show.

Turns out Paul was giving the boys some flying lessons.

We're in trouble now...

And speaking of trouble...how did he get that beach ball down?!?

Paul said that I need to start running the Danville half marathon every year, just so the boys can enjoy the museum. I figure I'm game - it was a great race and a fun day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:37:00.001-05:00

Wishing all my readers a very happy Thanksgiving today. May it be peaceful and full of tasty foods and quality time with the people you love.

A Gift I Never Asked For

2011-11-23T04:15:00.006-05:00

Once in a while it happens. You get a gift you never dreamed anyone would pick out for you. The gift that, were you in the store, would be just about the last thing you'd ever buy for yourself.

That gift, for me, was the Chia Pet. First of all, I don't even do house plants, because my cats just eat them. And secondly, what are you supposed to DO with a Chia Pet? It serves no real purpose - it doesn't even look all that cute, particularly the one I received. Maybe it would've been better if I'd gotten the little rabbit or not-quite-endearing dog. But instead, I got the Chia Head.

Gosh, have you ever seen an uglier, more ridiculous Chia Head? (Actually, I was enlightened by google, when I was searching for this image, to find that you can now purchase Brittany Spears and Barack Obama Chia Heads. Wow. Just wow.)

I was young - maybe 22 - when I received this gift. I think I might find it more humorous now than I did then ~~but don't even think about buying me another Mr. Two Bears Farm~~. And at least if I didn't, I could pawn it off on Pierce who would find it amusing. But, for now, I'm happy to declare my home a Chia-Free Zone.

So inquiring minds want to know - if you were to get a celebrity Chia Head, who would you want? Personally, I've always been a huge fan of Natalie Wood, and seeing as how they've reopened her case, maybe they should make a Natalie Wood Chia Head.

If you have a bad gift story you'd like to relate, or if you'd like to read about others' bad gift stories, check out Hooked and Happy.

Mediterranean Chicken - My New Favorite Chicken Recipe

2011-11-22T05:40:00.000-05:00

This recipe is from the April 2010 issue of Fitness Magazine (yes, I saved it and just now got around to making it).

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

8-10 skinless chicken thighs, bone in (I used breasts, cut into sections)

1/4 cup white wine

2 garlic cloves, sliced into thin rounds

3-4 springs of fresh thyme

1/2 cup pitted olives such as Kalamata

1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds

Preheat oven to 450*. Heat olive oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to pan, meaty side down. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn and cook 2 minutes more. Pour out any excess fat. Return pan to burner, stir in broth and wine, scraping up any brown bits. Scatter garlic, thyme, and olives on chicken. Lay one lemon round on each piece of chicken.

Place skillet in oven (I don't have an oven proof skillet, so I transferred to a casserole dish). Roast for 17-20 minutes, or until juices run clear.

This chicken is fantastic! Tender and juicy, and so much flavor. I'll certainly be making it again.

Turkey in the Straw Muffin Tin Monday

2011-11-21T05:37:00.003-05:00

How do you have Thanksgiving for breakfast? I decided to adapt a toad-in-the-hole for this one. So rather it's a turkey-in-the-hole. Only I added hash browns. And then I thought it was a turkey in the straw. And then I had that silly square dancing folk song in my head. Not that I square dance. Or dance at all. But I know the song.

Turkey in the straw is crafted from bread, an egg, carrots, olives, and (oh so appropriately) turkey bacon. The 'turkey feet' muffin cups contain roasted pumpkin (to make it all Thanksgivingy, only the pumpkin didn't have much flavor - not sure if it's because it was a small pumpkin or if it's because it had been sitting out on our porch for 2 weeks) and the toast from the hole.

For more fun playing with food ideas, go visit Muffin Tin Mom.

Pick 'em up, shake 'em up, any way at all and hit up a tune called 'Turkey in the Straw'!

Oh dear. Asthma?

2011-11-18T05:07:00.003-05:00

Recently the twins had a cold, and while Reid recovered from his, Cort developed a nagging cough that hung around. One day, he woke up and the cough was persistent, not giving him a break. He didn't have a fever, so I scheduled a doctor appointment for the late afternoon, as I had a presentation to do that day for a part time marketing job I do. Cort went downhill over the course of the day, and quickly. By late afternoon, when we got to the appointment, he had spiked a fever of 101* and much more disturbing, he was wheezing, little lungs struggling to draw breath. As we walked into the patient room, the doctor and the nurse both commented over Cort's constant coughing, "That doesn't sound good!".

Indeed, after listening to his lungs, the pediatrician decided to do a breathing treatment right then and there. Being asthmatic myself, I've had my share of nebulizer treatments, and previously have always associated them with relief. But previously I have never had to administer one to a two year old. A two year old who hasn't slept in two nights, hadn't napped, and was infinitely cranky. At first, he was fascinated by the steam coming out of the holes, and he cooperated with having the mask held over his face. But 15 minutes is a long time to wait, and that novelty quickly wore off. What followed was very loooooong minutes of screaming and thrashing while I continued to attempt to hold the mask over his face as he attempted (successfully several times) to destroy this apparatus piece by piece and throw it across the room. I was glad that at least he didn't permanently destruct the machine itself.

Cort came home with 3 different prescriptions (he also had an ear infection). More medication than I am comfortable with, but necessary in this case. I thought that being so sleep deprived he would crash out. But he cried. And he coughed. And finally, after numerous trips downstairs to ineffectively soothe him, I broke a rule. I asked if he wanted to come sleep in mommy's bed, and he answered weakly, "yes". So I carried him upstairs and tucked him in beside me. He tossed and turned and coughed, but he didn't cry anymore. And then, as I lay there beside him, I caught the sweet-sticky smell of animal cracker fingers before feeling them brush gently across my face, followed by the satisfied, comforted word in a small hoarse voice, "Mama". And then, finally, reassured that I was there, he rolled onto his tummy and finally....finally slept.

Sometimes, when your kids are sick, you think that there is nothing you can do. As it turns out, that is when just being there, and being present, is exactly enough. It may not feel like much to you, but as Cort showed me, it turns out that it's everything.

The Seven American Wonders I've Seen So Far

2011-11-17T05:35:00.004-05:00

So this week's writing prompt at Mama Kat's is to write about the seven wonders of your life. I've been to a handful of other countries, but I really feel like some of the sights I've seen traveling my own country have been just as marvelous as anywhere else (course, I haven't been to Europe...yet!). So I decided I would focus on sights from America only when I picked my seven. One of my personal goals is to one day visit all 50 states. I've hit the majority of them, but I still need to visit Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.

Here are my 7 wonders -

Florida Keys - in January!

Nothing beats the mild weather, sunny skies, and blue waters of the Florida Keys in the middle of the winter. This is me with my youngest brother John. Quite obviously, the pre-kids body. Sigh.

The Kelso Sand Dunes in the Mojave Desert, California. They make a boom sound when you slide down them, and they are surreal with their towers of white.

I am NOT a Torke! And Other Terms from the Word Verification Dictionary

2011-11-16T05:22:00.000-05:00

If you visit many blogs, you eventually grow to hate the little thing known as word verification, where you have to type in a jumble of letters before leaving a comment. Blogger has a very nice spam catcher that will weed out the spam, at least, although not necessarily the crazies. So I get why some people leave it on, but it still bugs me. So I figured I might as well have fun with it, instead of being irritated. The brain always wants to put meaning to words, even if they are nonsense words. I've compiled a list of a few doozies I've encountered during word verification over the past few months, and my translation of the term.

Chemic - a kid who blows up your basement with a chemistry set
Aloni - an antisocial blogger
Hydruini - an unusual flower hybrid
Ovention - this is when dinner is pulled out of the oven, and it's a mystery as to what it might be
Corgi - A SIGN I SHOULD GET A CORGI PUPPY!!! I've always wanted a corgi puppy! It's meant to be! It showed up in word verification and everything!
Torke- Okay, I take offense to this. I am NOT a torke!
Greast - a great feast - like the one I'll be eating next week.
Xapyris - the future product that will eventually replace paper and make us all more green.
Finsib - Ghetto slang for 'offensive'. Obviously. As in "I find your use of the word torke to be finsib."
Noakery - A little cupboard for hiding your candy stash from your kids. You know you have one.
Wingstr - Someone (like myself) who tends to wing it, instead of planning.
Shlort - When you're drinking a soda, and someone makes you laugh, and you end up with soda in your nose.
Illen - to make sick. Like all this word verification business is illen me. How about you?

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Racing in Compression Socks - Danville Half Marathon Report

2011-11-15T05:17:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago I went out for a trial 11 mile run to see if I could pull off running a half marathon in November. It went okay, so I mulled over my two choices and decided to register for the Danville Half marathon, which was this past weekend. Unfortunately, on Friday, I came down with a stomach bug. I woke up Saturday morning 3 pounds dehydrated and feeling pretty weak, but I'd already paid for the race so I decided to just give it a shot. If nothing else, it'd be a pretty day for a run.

Since I hadn't done a lot of long runs prior to the race, I decided to try racing in the Zensah compression socks that my parents got me for my birthday last summer. I wasn't sure if this was the best idea, since the furthest I'd run in them was 6 miles, but with the odds already against me due to that stomach flu, what did I have to lose?

Here I am at the start of the race with the boys, who were distracted by the geese. The first 5 miles or so ran along this river, with gorgeous waterfalls at one point. It was the most perfect day to be out running - temps in the low 60s and sunny with just a mild breeze.

I forgot to do my asthma inhaler before the race, which bothered me a bit in the early miles but then I adjusted. At mile 4, a guy running past that was doing the 8K told me I was 11th female, and I decided to try to hold that spot through to the end. At around mile 6, I started feeling the effects of the dehydration, and was really getting thirsty. At this point I took some water, as I ran through a check point pavilion. The race then went off into the woods, onto a gravel path, and began to hit some hills. Miles 6-9 were hilly, with the largest and longest hill being right at around mile 8. Normally I wouldn't take Gu until mile 10, but since I was coming into the race calorie-deficient, I took my first Gu at mile 7. And then at mile 8 my stomach went GRRRRRRRRR. And my mind went Uh oh. And then I'M SO THIRSTY.

At mile 10, I took some Immodium, which I also wouldn't normally do in a race but had brought along just in case, because of the stomach flu. This seemed to help enough that I was able to take my second Gu. But nothing could quench the cry for thirst. They had plenty of aid stations along the course, but it just wasn't enough to ease my desire for fluids. I switched to Gatorade but still I was so thirsty. The last few miles I could feel myself losing pace a bit as I struggled. Still, I enjoyed the crunch of the leaves under my feet and the sun shining through the trees.

At mile 11, I felt a blister on the ball of my right foot. Luckily, it wasn't so bad it affected my running much. Would it have happened without the compression socks? Hard to tell. But my calves felt good running, even when my quads and hamstrings were getting tired, so I think that in the end running in the compression socks was a good decision. That said, I'd probably need to run in them more often for longer distances if I was going to attempt something like a marathon in them.

Finally, I saw the bridge in the distance that marked the last bit of my route to get to the finish line. Here, Pierce demonstrates running across the bridge. Only he has more energy than I did by the time I crossed it!

As I pulled into the finish line, I waved to the boys, who were cheering for me from behind an iron fence:

I crossed the finish line in 1:56:26. Because I don't run halfs very often, it turns out that this is a PR for me. I can't help but wonder how I might've run had I not been so dehydrated.

Know what makes you feel better when you are super thirsty and have just run 13.1 miles? This:

In the end, thanks to this being a smaller race, I placed 1st in my age group, and won a very nice beer mug, which Paul promptly declared to be his.

Bottom line? I loved this race. I can't wait to do it again. This was my second time running it, and they have changed the course and the month, but it's a great race either way and I love the size and the support and the beautiful views along the way.

Asian Vegetable Soup on Muffin Tin Monday

2011-11-14T04:55:00.006-05:00

It's Muffin Tin Monday, and we've been eating a lot of soup lately.

Garlic bread with a silly face, salad (Pierce doesn't like salad, but I keep presenting it as an option with different flavored dressings, in hopes that eventually I'll find one he likes) and my Asian vegetable soup. So although Pierce likes a lot of veggies, he does not like salad! Yet. As for the soup, I came up with this recipe a couple of winters ago and have been making it off and on since - it comes together quickly and we all really like the flavors. If you want to try it out, you can find the recipe here.

For more Muffin Tin Monday ideas, visit Muffin Tin Mom.

Natural Bridge Zoo

2011-11-11T04:47:00.000-05:00

Recently we met up with my brother, sister-in-law and nephew for a day at the Natural Bridge Zoo. I always have mixed feelings about zoos, even though we belong to the local zoo and visit frequently. Part of me feels badly for the animals behind bars, but the kids enjoy it and the animals appear to be healthy. At any rate, aside from my guilt we had a pleasant fall day!

Cousin Grady checked out the goats. Pierce and Reid enjoyed feeding the goats but Cort wasn't going to go there.

Smack in the middle of the zoo...a statue designed to torment small children and leave them with nightmares for months to come? Yes folks, right there in the bushes...statues gone wild.

Pierce liked the baby camel.

And the turtle shell was a big hit.

We discovered with surprise that Cort suffers from ornithophobia.

Ornithophobia - an abnormal, irrational fear of birds. Particularly large rhea type birds.

Giraffes have got to be one of the prettiest animals in existence.

Lunch:

Thoughtful:

Hanging in there:

Look at the nice camel.

Then look directly up.

Uh oh. Speaking of ornithophobia - or rather, fear of being pooped on by massive amounts of birds tweeting, "Ready, aim, fire!"

Just one last picture, then I'll move!

Reid and Grady enjoyed shaking this fence.

And lastly, how many kids can fit in the belly of a snake?

So it turns out four, but no one is fast enough to catch that picture before one takes off!

Do you visit zoos?

I Spy the Virginia Fall

2011-11-10T05:34:00.004-05:00

I've been meaning to take some pictures to share of how beautiful fall is around here. Unfortunately, time got away from me, and what you're getting are a bunch of pics from almost two weeks past peak leaf season. They were all taken around Two Bears Farm, and even if it's past peak, there is still plenty of color to be found.

Most of our chickens are looking kind of pitiful this time of year, coming off a molt, but this big guy doesn't look any worse for the wear.

I spy one fat rooster, who's been stealing all the food.

Remember last year, during leaf jumping pics, when a tremendously huge spider crawled right on Pierce's head? Yeah, I haven't forgotten that either. No spiders so far this year, thankfully.

I spy a jumping boy.

The twins were big enough to join in the fun.

I spy Thing 1.

I spy Thing 2.

We have many nuts on the ground. I wish we had one of those things to process the walnuts - as we have tons and they are so good for you. But the nutcracker deals that are very efficient are also very expensive. So for now, our squirrels enjoy them.

I spy little hands full of protein....if only we had the tools to crack some shells!

I spy a child in the leaves!

I spy a big nest in the tree!

I spy dew on the leaves, even though it's well into afternoon.

I spy a little spiderweb in the sun.

I spy a tractor, taking a rest. At least until the snows come.

What do you spy where you live?

This post linked with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop where the prompt was to take pictures of Fall.

Do You Slackline?

2011-11-09T04:48:00.002-05:00

Recently Roanoke hosted an event called the Roanoke Outdoor Circus. When Paul asked if I wanted to drive the boys into town for it, I wanted to know what all was going on. Paul said, "Well, the best thing is that they'll have slacklining!" I had never heard of slacklining previously, but it sounded intriguing when Paul explained it's like tightropes for the layperson. So we headed into town to check it out.

After a brief stop off at a kid's inflatable, we headed over to the slacklines. They had kid-friendly slacklines that were only a foot or so off the ground. Cort scrambled right up.

You know what? Slacklines are a lot harder than you think. You can see to the right behind Paul there was a waist-high slackline with mats beneath, but once we realized how tricky they are none of us felt compelled to try the big one!

Um, is it just me, or does Paul need to invest in a slightly larger vest? Hmm...potential Christmas gift?

Cort and Reid had fun just bouncing on the slackline. If there's one thing about kids, they love to bounce.

Once we wore out our slackline ~~incompetencies~~ agility, we checked out the other parts of the outdoor circus. There was music.

And colorful displays of art -

Roasted corn on the cob -

And all sorts of green gear - I had to drag myself away from this stuff. You all know how excited I get about new eco-friendly products!

We ended the night with the boys playing on some ramps designed for people to test out bikes. The boys thought that bike ramps were a lot of fun! Maybe we should build some in our yard?

Would you try slacklining? Or is there something new out there that you've been wanting to try out that you haven't had a chance to yet?

Possessed Toys

2011-11-08T04:45:00.002-05:00

If you have a house full of toys, like us, you've probably been a victim of possessed toys. One of the disadvantages to toys with batteries is that when the batteries start dying, the toys become possessed. Often, an inopportune moments like 3:00 am. Confused and exhausted, you drag yourself downstairs to hunt for the offender, and then it stops making noise. You stand, bleary-eyed listening to...silence. Slowly you turn and as you reach the top of the stairs, you hear BEEP BEEP!

Recently our McDonald's cash register became possessed. It started beeping and beeping. So I turned it off. I went on about my business and then BEEP BEEP. I turned it off again. Double turned it off. For good measure, triple turned it off. Left the room and....no lie....BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. Seems like someone has abandonment issues.

Remember that scene with the fax machine from the movie Office Space?

I only thought it folks, I didn't go there! Anyone know how to perform a toy exorcism?

Totems on Muffin Tin Monday

2011-11-07T04:42:00.001-05:00

It's Muffin Tin Monday, and this was a very tasty dinner we had one evening. I enjoyed breaking out the totem poles cups again.

Baked salmon and roasted onions in a creamy dill sauce, wild long grain rice, and roasted brussels and carrots, plus a side skewer of grapes.

Turns out Mom and Dad enjoyed the salmon more than the kids did. Oh well, more for us!

Find more fun lunch ideas at Muffin Tin Mom.

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2011-11-04T05:04:00.003-04:00

I'm one of those obnoxious people that has typically finished buying holiday gifts and wrapping them by Thanksgiving. Primarily, my motivation is that I truly hate the holiday crowds. But also, I like being able to sit back and have fun in the days leading to Christmas. Which is why I love doing Shutterfly cards every year. Their site is easy to use and quick (and I don't have to leave the house!), so I can get my cards ordered efficiently and have them ready to roll in the mail at the end of November.

Plus, Shutterfly has very cute designs. There are greeting cards and photo cards and so much more to choose from. I've even done some of their photo gifts before which have been huge hits with family members. I love how personalized you can be.

Usually, I like to pick a holiday card that has 4 picture slots - so I can do an individual of each child and then one of the three of them. Like this:

This year I might change things up and just do one pic of the 3 of them. I really liked this design:

Go check out Shutterfly and simplify your holiday prep! Are you already thinking that far ahead, or do you like to wait until the last minute? Do tell!

Disclaimer: I received a promo code for 25 free holiday cards from Shutterfly to write a post, but all of the opinions expressed are my own. If you are a blogger who is interested in participating in this promo with Shutterfly, you can contact them here.

Special Guest Post from Claude the Maine Coon

2011-11-03T04:54:00.001-04:00

I'm the baby in the family, at least as far as the cats go, even though I'm coming on in age what with my 13 years (I'm on my third life, though) and thyroid disorder, and my diabetes which is in remission. Or at least it was, last time I had it checked. That was a few months ago though. Way I've been eating and laying around I wouldn't be one bit surprised if my blood sugar was all out of whack again. Some days I feel like I'm 104, and on my 8th life instead of just my third. Those are the days when my arthritis is acting up.

Mostly, though, I do alright. I wake up and take my meds, and then go sit in the blue rocking chair for my morning nap. The kids will be up, getting ready to start their day, and Cort always comes over to visit. He brings his little blanket, and covers me up and snuggles me. I don't leave, even though sometimes he can be a little rough and smush me a bit.

It's free range food here, but cat food is boring. I usually try to mooch food off the twins. They will oblige and feed me poptarts and pretzels as long as mom isn't watching. If mom is watching she takes them away, saying it's bad for my blood sugar. Even though my diabetes is in remission already!

One of my favorite things to do is paw at water. It runs in my family, the pawing at water. I like to splash around in the toilet if someone mistakenly leaves the bathroom door open. I also enjoy having my fur shaved - oh it feels so nice. That only happens a few times a year though, if I get lazy with my grooming or if I start having hairball trouble. The other two cats think I'm weird for enjoying the shaving, but what do they know?

Sometimes, if I'm having a really great day, I might sneak outside for a few minutes. I'm not allowed to go far, as I'm declawed in front and I'm on my third life and all, but I love to lay in the dirt and feel the sun on my fur, letting it soak into my aging bones. Beautiful!

In the evenings, I jump up into bed to snuggle while watching movies or reading books. It doesn't matter one way or another to me, I just enjoy the company. Truly, it's a decent life I lead, and most days I'm just happy to be here.

This post linked with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. The prompt this week was to write a post about A Day in the Life of Your Pet - How Bad Do they Have it?

On a side note, do you think my camera was causing his eyes to look foggy, or do you think Claude is developing cataracts?

Fitness Recap October 2011

2011-11-02T05:15:00.003-04:00

I had a decent month in October. I didn't do any crosstraining again, but my running was good. I ended up with a slight increase in mileage this month (but right around the 10% rule - which basically says not to increase your running by more than 10% a week or you put yourself at risk for injury). In total, I got in 123 miles this month. It was a little difficult getting the extra miles in with birthdays and fall parties and less daylight in the mix, but I managed. I had to do a little more of this than I liked:

I'm thankful I have the option of the treadmill, though. Just wish it didn't bother my hips so much!

I ran one 5K this month which went well. I wanted to do a 10 mile race, but in the end I skipped it, as it was a very busy weekend. I still feel guilty about this though. I hit the track twice, and my longest runs were a 10 mile and an 11 mile run.

I'm still having a lot of race anxiety, but I went ahead and registered for a half marathon this month. I do not feel adequately prepared, but I hopefully I'll have a nice race. Technically, I should be just fine running 13.1 - it's the mental part that gets me. Not sure why things have seemed so hard for me in the race department this year. It used to be fun! Have you ever burned out on something you loved? Got any tips for working through it? I'd love to hear from you! I still love running, it's just the racing part I'm struggling with so much.

Thanks to all of you who entered the BumEase diaper rash spray giveaway! I'm happy to report that the winner this time is my own mom! She has entered every single giveaway I've had since I started hosting them and has never won, and she always complains about it too (ha ha). She plans to pass this along to my sister-in-law, who is expecting, plus still has a little one in diapers. Congrats!

Trick or Treating Fun

2011-11-01T05:03:00.004-04:00

Last Friday night the boys got dressed in their costumes and we headed to Pierce's school for a Fall Festival. It was sleeting when we left the house, but the boys stayed toasty in their cartoon-wear. There was a bouncy house, a haunted house (that surprisingly, Pierce loved), fishing for treats, crafts, and much more.

Run, Jerry, Run!!!

Poor Jerry.

No children were harmed in the taking of these pictures.

There was also a cake walk. We did the cake walk, and ironically, the family's biggest eater won. Reid was so excited when he got to pick out a cake. He chose cupcakes. And then we had to hear about it the rest of the night.

He kept trying to poke his fingers through the plastic to get to the chocolate frosting, but it just wasn't working out for him...

But in the end, he got his cupcake. And shared his bounty with his brothers.

Hope that you had a fun and safe Halloween!

This post linked with -

Happy Halloween Muffin Tin Monday

2011-10-31T04:44:00.004-04:00

I had so much fun with this muffin tin. I actually made it a while back - I just got so excited when I had the ideas that I had to make it right away.

Homemade spaghetti in an orange jack o'lantern bell pepper (idea for this came from an old Taste of Home), a pumpkin sugar cookie (in a Halloween muffin liner), meatball eyeballs, and breadstick witch's fingers.

How seriously cute is the bell pepper? Pierce loved this meal so much. He ate really well and even ate a good bit of the bell pepper, even though he'd never had an orange one before.

This post is linked with Muffin Tin Mom and Halloween Traditions at Jdaniel4smom.

My giveaway for BumEase diaper rash spray ends tomorrow - don't forget to enter here!

The Annual Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2011-10-28T05:35:00.001-04:00

We've been going to the pumpkin patch every year since Pierce was just a year old. This year was no exception, but this was the first time I've gone without backup - Paul was running a race that day.

Pierce wanted to do the corn maze first. The lines to get the maps were long (actually, the lines everywhere were long) so I had this ~~idiotic~~ bright idea that we could just skip getting a map and go on in. Forty five minutes and two screaming two year olds later, we emerged from Phase 1 of the corn maze. Needless to say, we didn't go into Phase 2.

Then Pierce wanted to do the cow train. I had the lofty idea that the three boys could ride the train while I snapped pictures. This didn't work out, as Cort and Reid started screaming as soon as I got them in the seats. So I climbed into the tiny cow train barrel and the twins piled on top of me. Have you ever sat in one of those barrels? They are not exactly spacious. But we survived, and I even managed to snap a picture of Pierce, who sat in the barrel in front of us:

Of course immediately afterwards the twins wanted to go again. But we settled for tire swings instead:

And tire climbing. This is one of my favorite pictures of all 3 boys from the past year -

After that, it was on to climbing spiderwebs. We had to evacuate after Pierce, caught up in his role of spider, told a little girl he was going to sting her and I quickly whisked him away before he went in for the bite.

The mini corn maze is one of the favorite parts of the pumpkin patch. It's short and designed for small kids. Two years ago, Pierce ran through it over and over again. This year, Reid was Pierce reincarnated. I caught him making the run from one side to the next, and with the rays of the setting sun on him he kind of looks like a little glowing corn ghost, doesn't he?

The corn crib - always a good place to get corn into tiny crevices for the next two weeks or so...

And finally the jumping pillow. Pierce is front and center. He didn't stay on for his full 10 minutes because he was focused on getting some kettle corn. The line for the kettle corn took 30 minutes. As you might imagine, that did me in.

We took our kettle corn and called it a day, munching happily the whole way home. What's your favorite part of the pumpkin patch?

Be sure to enter my giveaway for BumEase diaper rash spray here!

Happy 5th Birthday!

2011-10-27T05:15:00.002-04:00

So Pierce turned 5 on Monday. We don't do big parties, but we do make birthdays special. The festivities began with cupcakes at school! My mom, the twins, and I showed up early to eat lunch with Pierce and his class. I let Pierce buy his lunch and he was thrilled (even though he didn't eat much). Then we had the pumpkin spider ring cupcakes I made -

On Saturday, we invited family over. We smoked a couple of our chickens and had a feast, followed by Bob the Builder cake. Pierce wanted Diego and Baby Jaguar cake, but he's had every version of Diego cake out there, so we went with something different. Sadly, after I got the bill for this cake it looks like I'll now be making our birthday cakes in future years. I just can't see shelling out $25 for a cake again - even if it was very tasty (plus, they spelled Pierce's name wrong!).

A stomach bug has been going around Pierce's class at school, so we decided to let him blow out the candle on his individual piece of cake, just in case we were incubating something.

Then Pierce had a few presents to open. Many thanks to Cat Cat and Pop Pop, Uncle John, and Pam and George who all had gifts for Pierce.

Pierce had such a good time that he cried when it was time for family to go home. They certainly make his life so special!

Check out my giveaway for BumEase diaper rash spray here!

Bum Ease Diaper Rash Spray Review and GIVEAWAY!!

2011-10-26T05:28:00.011-04:00

Last summer when I was at Type A Con touring through the tables of various sponsors and businesses, one of the products that really intrigued me was Bum Ease diaper rash spray. With the twins still in cloth diapers and Cort's sensitive skin, I'm always looking for good solutions to diaper rash. Bum Ease was nice enough to send me a sample a couple of months ago, and I've been very pleased.

The active ingredient in Bum Ease is zinc oxide and it is allergen and perfume free. The genius in it is that you don't have to put it on your hands and it's a much lighter version. Furthermore, if you've got a baby with a tender bottom, you don't have to add to the soreness by rubbing in an ointment - the spray is so gentle. It's so easy to just grab and spray - no lids to fumble unscrewing while trying to hold a wily child on the changing table. The twins actually love the spray - they laugh when I use it. Cort, who is very sensitive to sore bottoms, often requests the spray during diaper changes, so I think it must feel soothing to him.

Here's a picture of my hand after one squirt of the spray. You can see it offers a light, even spray which is easily absorbed into the skin. I didn't even have to wash my hands after this - I just rubbed it in - it's that light. Of course you can coat as heavily or lightly as needed.

We used the spray as a preventative for our trip to the Cass Scenic Railroad, which is a 3 hour drive each way. It's such a small bottle that it's easy to pack for trips on the road. Often, the twins will be prone to diaper rash on long car rides, but I'm happy to report we didn't have any issues this trip!

As you know, I do use cloth diapers at home when we're not running around. I did test this using the cloth diapers, and it didn't leave bad residue like the time I accidentally used an ointment. However, I'm kind of hypervigilant about any buildup, so while I don't think it'd be a big deal to use it once in a while straight on with cloth diapers, I will use a liner the majority of the time, just to be extra careful.

Don't you just love a product that makes your Mom-life easier? This is definitely one of them! Bum Ease has been kind enough to offer a giveaway of their diaper rash spray for one lucky reader! This would make an excellent gift for a new mom - it truly does make diaper changes easier. If you'd like to enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment to that effect. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and has 48 hours to respond. Please provide your email address if it is not visible in your profile. Giveaway ends November 1 at noon.

You can find Bum Ease on twitter and Facebook. They just launched in August so they'd love your support! You can also purchase Bum Ease at Kerr Drug stores.

Disclaimer: I received a free bottle of Bum Ease. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Spookley the Square Pumpkin Recycled Tissue Box Halloween Craft

2011-10-25T04:54:00.003-04:00

If you have kids, you're probably familiar with the cute story of Spookley, the Square Pumpkin. It's long been a fall favorite in our house. This year we decided to make our own Spookley, using items we found around the house.

Our supplies were an empty tissue box (yay, recycling!), a glue stick, some orange foam sheets (you could also use orange construction paper, or you could also have your child paint the box orange) and some green construction paper.

I gave Pierce a choice between drawing the pumpkin face himself or letting me draw it. He asked me to draw it, because he wanted the pumpkin to look just like Spookley. Once the face was drawn, Pierce glued the foam sheets and stuck them to the Kleenex box. On the top piece, we had two orange pieces, so we could tuck a piece of the green stem underneath for added security. Then we curled the green stem around like Spookley's.

A quick and easy craft - that ended up being a puppet as well due to the opening from the Kleenex! Pierce really liked his Spookley the Square Pumpkin puppet!

This post linked with the Halloween crafts at Jdaniel4smom's blog.

Happy 5th Birthday Pierce (Muffin Tin Monday)

2011-10-24T05:03:00.001-04:00

Today Pierce is The Big Five years old. Lucky for him, it's a teacher/conference day at school, so he gets to have some fun. We have great plans, including a trip to the science museum, so we did our muffin tin a few days early. I used the Celebrate plate that I painted, and we had some of Pierce's favorite foods.

Pierce had shrimp (unfortunately, I just bought one of those Gorton's grilled shrimp deals, and it was too spicy for Pierce), kiwi with a jumping dolphin pick, french fries, and steamed asparagus. Pierce ate everything except the shrimp (next time I'll just buy plain) and he actually had two more servings of asparagus.

To see more cute lunch ideas, visit Muffin Tin Mom.

The October (!) Garden and Growing Little Farmers

2011-10-21T04:59:00.001-04:00

Turns out there are still a few items out in the garden. Which is excellent. Tomatillos became massive batches of salsa verde this weekend. Oddly enough, I totally forgot to put in all the cilantro I bought, but we didn't notice until I found the cilantro in the fridge later. Turns out it's delicious even without the cilantro! Paul declared the salsa verde his favorite thing from the garden, even though he totally hates the plants and thinks they're a pain.

I also picked the last of my second beet crop. These are those cool striped beets on the insides. We'll enjoy them roasted one night this week. And then I'll cry over not having garden fresh beets until next June.

And finally, we still have a bunch of peppers growing - serrano, bell, and New Mexico Big Jim. The peppers were all a bit late this year, and I'm hoping our first frost will hold off a bit longer because there are quite a few more bells out there that I'd love to grab if they get big enough.

Oh yes, and not to forget the little farmers we're growing too. This picture was taken just seconds before a shoving match that resulted in both boys on the floor. You'd never really know they're twins, would you?

This post linked with Farm Friend Friday at Verde Farm.

My Obvious Inadequacies as a Mother

2011-10-20T05:17:00.005-04:00

Last night I was busy packing lunch for Pierce. Even though every day he begs and pleads to buy lunch at school. Despite the fact that I put forth a great deal of effort to pack him cute and interesting lunches each day.

Exhibit A: Cute bear bento lunch box.
Inside is a cheese and roast beef sandwich on goldfish shaped bread with mustard. A Halloween pick with olives (one of Pierce's favorite things). Slices of kiwi, a muffin cup liner of Inca roasted corn, and a small dog bento cup with 2 Junior Mints. I mean, this is a decent kid's lunch, is it not? I try!

So I'm busy putting together Pierce's lunch and he comes over and says, "Mom! Can you make some pumpkin fudge?"

"Pumpkin fudge? Where have you had pumpkin fudge?"

"At school. Sean's mom sent pumpkin fudge for our snack. Can you send pumpkin fudge for our snack?"

Me, trying to buy time, because not only do I not know how to make pumpkin fudge, but I also deplore anything that involves the use of a candy thermometer, "Well, our snack turn isn't until November."

"Yeah, but when it's our snack turn can you send pumpkin fudge?"

"I was kind of thinking about sending yogurt. And...uh... homemade granola bars."

"How about just pumpkin fudge?"

"What if it's Dora yogurt?"

"Dora yogurt might be okay. With pumpkin fudge"

I am in so much trouble. Also, please let there be no mothers that make homemade baklava or chocolate souffles for class snacks between now and November 14th.

Halloween Swap!

2011-10-19T04:43:00.001-04:00

I love the excitement of Fall in the air as Halloween rolls around, so I was thrilled to see my swap box in the haphazard shed where our mail lady often puts packages that don't fit in the mailbox. My swap partner was Katie from Life With the D's. She did cute things with decorative tissue paper - the sort of thing I'd love to do for a swap only I am completely gift-wrapping-challenged.

She sent me 4 pumpkin faced blocks, which she made herself. Cute, huh? I already had one compliment on them! She also sent a pumpkin tart warmer with scented tarts, a vanilla scented rod diffuser, a pumpkin scented candle, a box of Junior Mints ~~already gone~~, and a bag of Halloween chocolate ~~also already gone~~.

Thanks, Katie! And thanks to the hosts of the Halloween Swap, Living a Goddess Life and My So Called Chaos.

How about you, reader? You got any fun Halloween decorations at your house?

There's ANOTHER Mouse in my Car!

2011-10-18T05:11:00.004-04:00

It's a colony! Maybe you remember last week when I blogged about the mouse in my minivan? If not, go here to catch up. Well, I caught the first mouse and I thought I was good to go. But I had a sneaking suspicion. I think I could feel little mousy eyes watching me when I drove. I know what you're thinking. Oh, but mice, they're just so cute. You're getting all The Mouse and the Motorcycle or An American Tale on me, aren't you?

Well, trust me. Fievel this mouse is not. He's more like the Evil Knievel of mice. He has a lot of tricks up his furry little paws. He totally ignores the humane mouse trap I set. So I put out another glue trap and baited it with Pop Tarts. And a french fry. Because I know he likes them - his nest was full of them if you remember. So last weekend he got snagged in the glue trap. But did that stop him? Oh no. He dragged the glue trap across the car to a floor based seat belt. Then he used those wily little paws to scurry himself right off the glue trap and off to wherever he goes since I vacuumed up his nest. And my seat belt? Shredded.

Luckily, it's not one that we're using right now, but we will be when the twins switch to booster seats in the future. I'm guessing it'll cost me plenty to fix too.

I'm not sure I want to try my hand at glue traps anymore. I'm thinking about sticking one of our cats in the car with a litterbox for the night. It's either that or poison. And somehow, I'm not crazy about the idea of having poison in my car - what with 3 little boys and all. Anyone else got any bright ideas?

Breaking out the Cold Weather Foods Muffin Tin Monday

2011-10-17T05:20:00.001-04:00

Ah Fall. It makes me dip into the comfort foods. Good thing my boys seem to love soups so much.

We had some green grapes, New Mexico style cornbread (it has green chilis, sour cream, cheddar and corn in the batter) and my Southern Style black eyed peas - for which you can find the recipe here. They are quite healthy and economic, have lots of flavor, and the recipe makes a large amount.

If you'd like to see more ideas for kids' meals, go visit Muffin Tin Mom.

Twenty Signs You're Living the Rural Life

2011-10-14T05:08:00.001-04:00

It's Friday so I thought I'd have a little fun. Most of the things on this list I've experienced personally, albeit a few items are ~~totally~~ slightly exaggerated.

Google Image

1. Your road has a number. And the road that connects to your road has another route number. And the road that connects....well, you get the point.

2. The color of your car is no longer cerulean blue - you've renamed it "Gravel Gray".

3. You've baled a black snake when getting up hay.

4. You spend half of your year mowing. The other half of the year you spend chopping wood.

5. You've lived without water during electricity outages and droughts.

6. You know 40 different detours to get home in case of flooding.

7. You are your neighbor's cows-donkeys-goats-horses home-away-from-home whenever their fence goes down.

8. You've foraged for food on your own land - berries, mushrooms, apples, walnuts, etc.

9. You own bib overalls. And you don't just wear them for Halloween.

10. You didn't leave your house for two months that winter the snow plows forgot about you.

11. You've bought organic blood before and you're not even a vampire.

12. You live so far out that you've never had a trick-or-treater.

13. If there are four clouds in the sky your cell phone goes on strike and won't work.

14. You've never had pizza delivered.

15. The frogs are so loud at night in the summer you need ear plugs to sleep.

16. You've never seen all the parts of your property. Who has the time?

17. Your mail carrier drives an old beat up brown car with a magnetic light strapped to the top by reaching over from the passenger seat.

18. When the speed limit is 45, people either interpret that as drive 15 mph or drive 80 mph, depending on how fast their truck will go.

19. Hunting season is a county-wide holiday that lasts 4 months. Real employment is discouraged during this time.

20. You have yet another mouse in your car (post coming soon!).

Okay, folks, what did I miss?

Children Inspire Designs Handcrafted Bird Ornaments - A Review

2011-10-13T05:20:00.000-04:00

When I first checked out Children Inspire Design and started reading about their mission, I immediately fell in love with their products and their philosophy. A grassroots cooperative program called PEACE helps women from semi-rural, economically challenged areas in Mexico and Haiti transcend their lives of poverty through bringing them art and hope, mostly created using recycled materials. In addition to products like journals and wall prints, they have the most wonderful bird mobiles -

I was drawn to these handcrafted bird ornaments, beautifully created by their artist Rebecca. Birds and flight represent hope and freedom. I thought to myself these whimsical little birds are a powerful symbol. And then I thought of our Christmas tree. If you've been following my blog for a while, you might remember that our Christmas tree is full of sentimental ornaments. We try to have ornaments representing various family members and events, that have been passed down or handmade. Each year as we unpack the ornaments, we talk about what each one represents. How perfectly these little birds would fit on our tree - not only to remind us of our family commitment to recycling and conserving where possible, but also to be socially conscious to the world around us.

And it occurred to me that part of being socially conscious is sharing a product that you love and that aids disadvantaged communities. So Pierce and I decided that we wanted to share two of our treasured bird ornaments with the teachers of his Pre-K program. It's a federally funded program in a rural community, and many of the children come from lower income families. The Children Inspire Design moto is "Inspire Children. Save the World" and I think that's something Pierce's two teachers are embracing every single day in their classroom.

Please go check out the products at Children Inspire Design. They would make wonderful and unique gifts for the holidays! As for our little red bird, he's going to hang out in an honored spot just above the kitchen sink until our Christmas tree goes up in December.

Disclaimer - I was sent a set of 3 bird ornaments in exchange for this review. All of the opinions expressed are my own. And truly, I love being able to work with a company that is not only earth conscious but also socially (and globally) active and responsible - it warms my heart to have a product in my hands that I really believe in, and that represents so much more than just a material good.

Vinton Fall Festival 5K Race Report

2011-10-12T05:02:00.005-04:00

If you've been reading my race reports for a while, you know I've had a discouraging year. Coming back from injury (and, for that matter, having twins) is hard. I almost didn't run this race, but in the end my friend Steve talked me into it by telling me what a fun and fast race it was.

I picked up my race packet and walked back to my car, where I sat for a while trying to warm up. It was a misty and cool morning, which was bad for waiting but good for the running part! The race packet had one of the oddest hodgepodge of goodies I've ever seen. I mean I don't typically get a dog treat in my race packet. Luckily, I also got a toothbrush, so at least I could brush my teeth after fueling up for the race with a dog biscuit. Okay, so truthfully I saved the dog biscuit for Scooter, who really loved it.

The race started right on time. I went out fast and tried to hold. The mist was so thick you couldn't see much at one point. I loved that! There were no mile markers and I didn't wear a watch, so I just ran by heart. The course is really quite flat - there are some small grades but nothing that could actually qualify for a hill.

At the halfway point I kind of realized I was the third female. And that there were two other females on my tail, so I'd better hold strong and push if I wanted to hold my lead. I was hoping the two females behind me weren't planning to run a negative split, because I knew I couldn't go any faster. Getting an overall award is really rare for me, as I'm not very fast, but if there's an opportunity it does motivate me to perform well. Luckily, this race I didn't have anything holding me back - no asthma, no nausea, no side stitch. I just felt great and I dug deep and ran.

I was thrilled to cross the finish line in 23:20. That's not a PR for me, but it's a significant improvement from where I've been. The race may have been short - I wouldn't be surprised because I was really expecting to run in the 24 minute range. But the one lady's Garmin I checked did say 3.11. And in the end, I was the 3rd overall female, so I got a very nice plaque plus two $15 Road ID gift certificates.

While it's always exciting to get an award, I care a lot more about my performance in comparison to myself (because really whether you get an award or not is just based on how fast the other people are who show up for the race on any given day!). And regardless of whether the race was short or not, I feel like I ran strong and I felt good during this race, so that's a great boost for my running self-confidence, at a time when I need it. And now I have to decide if I want to try to attempt the 10 miler later this month. I'm still on the fence, as I'm really not trained for it. Ha ha, I guess we'll all find out in a few weeks, huh?

Alison Hart contacted me yesterday and said that she was thrilled with the response to her book giveaway, and she would be happy to give away two copies of her book! So hooray for two winner, and thanks to Alison! The winners of Alison Hart's book Risky Chance are Valerie from For the Love of Pete and In the Hammock Blog. Congrats to Valerie and In the Hammock Blog, and thanks so much to all who entered!

Because Vacuuming Mouse Poop on a Friday Afternoon is on My Short List

2011-10-11T05:12:00.001-04:00

Okay, not really. But one of the drawbacks of living in the country is that come every fall, little critters want to move in. They see you all toasty and warm and with a pantry packed with goodies, and they think they should waltz over the threshold. This isn't the first fall that I've had a mouse move into one of our vehicles. Unfortunately. You'd think they wouldn't be able to get into cars. But mice are sneaky. I guess I'd rather have a mouse than a snake, or a tarantula.

This mouse snuck in when we were in West Virginia. Those WV mice are total opportunists. While we were unloading gear to our cabin, doors wide open in the minivan, the mouse saw his chance and took it. The next morning I found a pack of orange snack crackers open on the floor, scattered about. Paul doubted me when I said it was a mouse. But then I pointed out the droppings.

It took 3 different mouse traps. That's right THREE. This is one smart mouse folks. Don't let anyone tell you that WV mice are dumb. This mouse repeatedly stole snacks from the traps I set without getting hurt. It was a glue trap that got him in the end.

And so I spent my Friday afternoon thoroughly cleaning the minivan. And I found his stash. Just under the stroller. Little nesty down in the crevice. Can you spot it?

Ah, yes, a close up. Is that a french fry in there? Gag. Oh, and a spider man sticker too. Thank goodness for vacuum attachments, right? And look, a paper clip! I guess the mouse was setting up office.

Truly I hope the WV mouse was single. I hope he didn't bring his family on in when he made his move. But just in case, there's a couple of glue traps with poptarts baited along the corners of the minivan.

In the meantime....Paul found a roll of paper towels chewed up in his car. Guess he'll be setting some traps too.

Guest Posting Today at Good Girl Gone Redneck

2011-10-10T05:54:00.004-04:00

Today I'm honored to be guest posting over at Good Girl Gone Redneck. We've been blogging buddies for a long time now, and this is the second time she's invited me over to her place! I hope you'll hop over and check her out, plus read my post, which is about friendship. You can find it here.

Comments are off for this post, because I'm really hoping you'll go visit Andrea!

Don't forget - my giveaway for Alison Hart's newest Horse Diaries release ends tomorrow. If you haven't entered, go check it out here!

She's Quite An Influence on My Son

2011-10-07T05:17:00.003-04:00

I knew when Pierce started a daily Pre-K program that he would be under the influence of other kids more. I figured he'd come home wanting to watch Star Wars and have light saber battles. That he might start talking about wizards and magic and asking for a pet owl. That there might be, at worst, fake shooting and (ungranted) requests for toy guns. But the influence he fell under was completely unexpected.

The teachers assign the seating on the front of the bus for the younger kids, and Pierce's seat mate is a kindergartner named Jayden. I've never met her, but Pierce is completely enamored. Everyday he comes home with stories about Jayden. It all started with her cell phone. See, Jayden has a real pink cell phone (according to Pierce). A pink slider cell phone. She's 5. And now all the sudden my son says he's sending me emails on his phone. He's four. He never even knew what an email was before! Jayden doesn't let Pierce play with her real cell phone, but sometimes she brings her purple play cell phone and let's him play with that.

Image courtesy of google

Next thing I know, Pierce gets off the bus and announces, "Jayden shared her snack with me on the bus!". I said, "I didn't think you were allowed to eat on the bus. What did you have?" Pierce is bouncing his backpack, totally hyped up, and says, "I had a tootsie roll! And goldfish crackers! And fruit snacks! And string cheese!" And my first thought was, has that string cheese been sitting in her backpack unrefrigerated all day long? And my second thought was, guess you won't need to eat dinner. So now that I'm up for worst mom of the year award, for not sending bus snacks for my child, I have to try to redeem myself by sending double snacks so that Pierce can share with Jayden. Only I can't bring myself to pack things like tootsie rolls. Indeed, I pack healthy snacks. As you might imagine, this doesn't make Pierce the most popular kid on the bus. And the day I sent blueberry grammy sammies, Jayden outright rejected them. Yeah, not sending those again.

Then last week Pierce gets off the bus sporting the HUGEST Winnie the Pooh sticker I have ever seen. It's so big it wraps all the way around his hand and up his arm. Wow, that's a big sticker, I tell him. "Mom, Jayden gave it to me! And Winnie the Pooh is MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVER!! Can we watch it today? Please?!". Seriously? Winnie the Pooh? And here I was worried about Star Wars battles in my house. Boy was I ever wrong. But by all means, bring on the Pooh. That, I can handle. As long as the Heffalumps don't get me first.

Image courtesy of google

Check out my giveaway for Alison Hart's newest Horse Diaries release here.

Zip and Zim - Two Bloggers Vs. Their Horses - Who's Smarter?

2011-10-06T05:37:00.003-04:00

This summer I was entertained and sympathetic when reading TexWisGirl's ongoing battle with her horse, Zim. As the Texas drought threatened her borders, Zim found new methods of escape. And she found new methods of restraints with some orange webbed fencing. We have our own escape artist here, Zip, who works hard to try to pull his own Houdini stunts.

I started thinking that Zip and Zim must be long lost cousins. Similar markings. Stubborn mindset. A nose for mischief. Mmmmhmmm. Just look at them both, testing their fence boundaries....

Do you see the resemblance? I think they're trying to outdo one another. In fact, I think Zip heard through the quarterhorse grapevine about Zim's finagling fence ways. And he decided to show off. By learning how to use his teeth to lift the hand grip from the electric fence and open it without shocking himself. Either that, or someone has been letting out our horses.

Can you imagine what Zip and Zim could accomplish, if the two of them ever met face to face? Lucky for me (and TexWisGirl), they've got over a thousand miles of distance between them. Otherwise, pretty sure they'd be on their own episode of Sorrels Gone Wild.

Please go visit Run-A-Round Ranch if you haven't and say hi to TexWisGirl. She was very kind to let me borrow her beautiful photo of Zim for this post!

If you love horses, or know someone who does, be sure to go enter my giveaway for Alison Hart's newest Horse Diaries book here!

This post linked to Farm Friend Friday.

Horse Diaries: Risky Chance Book Review and GIVEAWAY!!

2011-10-05T05:26:00.001-04:00

Last Spring author Alison Hart asked me to do a book review and giveaway on two of her horse books. I so thoroughly enjoyed reading them that when she told me she had a new children's book coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it.

Risky Chance is #7 in the popular Horse Diaries series, which are generally set in the past, at a time when horses often served a larger purpose. This novel is set during the Great Depression, and Chance is a gray thoroughbred born in California. The story is narrated from his point of view, in a style reminiscent of Black Beauty. Things start off well for Chance, even though he is highly spirited and not interested in being trained. He spends his days prancing through pastures and racing his filly friend Sweet Dreams.

Finally, Chance relents to being broken, and proves himself to be incredibly fast. He runs his heart out for his jockey Wolf, and Wolf's affectionate daughter, Marie. But one unfortunate day, a terrible injury removes Wolf from the circuit, and Chance falls into less kind jockey hands. When a bowed tendon threatens his ability to run, Chance is sold as a claims horse. In each claims race, all of the horses are for sale at the same price. The buyer can buy any of the horses before they race, and then afterwards claim them regardless of whether they have won or lost. With every claims race, Chance's injury worsens, and his heart falls deeper and deeper into despair. The only one worse off than him is his old friend, Sweet Dreams, who also became a claims horse, and is in terrible shape.

But one day, after Chance races, Marie shows up! She tells Chance that she has come to claim him, and that she will take him home. Wolf is damaged too much to ride, but he sold his car to bring Chance home. Their place isn't much, but Chance has clean water and a bed of hay. Marie begans tending to Chance's injury and nursing him back to health. But the pressure is on. If Chance can't win in the races again, Marie and Wolf will lose their home - he simply must win so that they can pay the bills. And what about Sweet Dreams? Will she ever find happiness?

This book is for children in the 8-12 age range, and is just the sort of horse book I would've loved as a child! After reading this as a kid, I would've rushed out to get the Horse Diaries no doubt! The back has an appendix full of interesting history and statistics about thoroughbreds. Furthermore, there are absolutely gorgeous black and white sketch illustrations throughout the book, done by Ruth Sanderson, that your child will love.

You can find out more about Alison Hart by visiting her website here . She has written over 20 mysteries and historical fiction novels for children and teens. And she has generously offered to give away one copy of Horse Diaries: Risky Chance! This would make a great gift for a horse crazy daughter or grandchild!

To enter, just leave a comment and let me know your email if it isn't visible in your profile. The giveaway will run through October 11th at noon, when a winner will be chosen by Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada. Thanks for entering!

September 2011 Fitness Recap

2011-10-04T05:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I knew that the motivation I had in August to fit in so much crosstraining wouldn't last forever. Realistically, it lasted about two days into September, when I pulled my grumpy lower back (it's been cranky since 1994, when I got bucked off a horse named Judge in a dusty round pen in Texas, and landed smack on my tailbone - since that moment it's been prone to random temper outbursts). Due to the lower back issues, I completely backed off all that crosstraining I was doing (especially things like Shred and weights) and instead just ran, which doesn't seem to aggravate things.

So the only crosstraining I got in was Shred (once) and an hour of walking with my friend Tiffany (3 times).
My running was good this month though. I hit the track 3 times. Above is a picture of my favorite track - it's a crushed red gravel and easy on the joints. It's kind of in an unsavory neighborhood, but I've been running there for several years now and have never had any trouble (although it drives my Mom a little nuts). I also ran one race (a 10K). My total mileage for September was 110 miles.

And now it's October, one of my favorite months for running! Beautiful leaves, lower temps. I haven't committed to any races yet, but I'm considering a 5K this month and a 10 miler. I'm not sure I'm in shape for the 10 miler - I haven't been running 10 mile runs lately. My longest single run in September was 9 miles. But it would be good training, so I may just run it anyhow.

How about you? Any plans to get out and enjoy the fresh air this fall?

Totem Poles on Muffin Tin Monday

2011-10-03T05:10:00.003-04:00

It's Muffin Tin Monday and I'm extremely excited this time, because my blogging friend over at Garden of Daisies was kind enough to send the most wonderful package. I was her 400th follower, and she said she wanted to send me something, but I had no idea she'd find something so fantastic and creative to send! I'm not the type of person that jumps up and down, but when I opened the box and saw 3 totem pole sets to use for Muffin Tin Monday, I was jumping up and down folks! I couldn't wait to use them (and you'll have to go ask her where she got them if you're interested, because I've never seen anything like them myself).

You can turn the little compartments around to make different style totems - note that some sides have faces, and others have hands and feet. How much fun is that?

The boys each had a totem with apples on top (from our apple trees - yes, our apples have weird black spots that won't wash off on them, but luckily it doesn't affect their taste). In the middle they had a chicken and broccoli noodle casserole. On bottom they had a roasted acorn squash. I finally found a way to cook acorn squash that I love without all that sugar and butter! Just toss w/ olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake on a baking sheet at 350* for 35 minutes. Yum! The boys sure loved their totem poles.

If you'd like more fun ideas for Muffin Tin Monday, go visit Muffin Tin Mom.

All Hot and Bothered - Jalapeno Jelly

2011-09-30T05:30:00.001-04:00

A few years ago we received a jar of jalapeno jelly from Paul's aunt. Spicy yet sweet, the jelly was delicious on tortilla chips, or spread on crackers with a little cream cheese. I haven't stopped thinking about how good it was, so I decided this year to attempt to make our own.

Jalapenos are in season right now, and I found them for 99 cents a pound. I had wanted to grow our own, but when the time came to plant peppers this summer all the jalapenos were sold out, and I ended up planting serrano and Big Jim New Mexico peppers instead (both of which are doing well). Still, no pepper can really compare to the flavor of the jalapeno.

I used 12 jalapeno peppers and 2 green bell peppers (from our garden) to make the jelly, along with 6 cups of sugar, 2 cups of cider vinegar, and Bell brand liquid pectin (which includes the recipe that I used). I got all of my supplies ready first, and then asked Paul, "Hey, do we have any latex gloves?" after searching all the usual cleaning supplies cupboards. It turned out that we did not have any gloves. So I took a big gulp and jumped into deseeding 12 jalapeno peppers in bare hands.

Once you get them deseeded, you just pile them all in the blender or food processor along with the half the vinegar, and give them a whirl.

Then pour it into a pot with the rest of the cider vinegar and the sugar and bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes. This stuff got to frothing and in record time became like a science experiment gone bad. I couldn't get it down and as a result my stove got slimed in burnt jalapeno froth - nice. It took much scrubbing and even a razor to get the mess off.

By this time, the jalapenos had saturated the air in the house, and not only was I coughing, but anyone who walked through the kitchen immediately began choking on the spiciness of the peppers. Not only that, but my hands (which I had diligently washed numerous times already) were on fire from the deseeding.

Luckily, all I had left to do was add the liquid pectin for a minute, and then pour in hot jars and process for 15 minutes in the canner. By the time I finished that plus the cleanup, it was dusk.

The next morning, I was thrilled to find that my 6 jars of jalapeno jelly had set up perfectly. And they taste so good. Even the twins are going crazy over the spicy jelly on tortilla chips. In fact, we're all so fond of this delicacy that I've decided to make another batch - or even two. But after spending a night with hands-on-fire, you'd better believe I'm going to invest in some latex gloves first!

Fired Up for a Cure 10K Race Report

2011-09-29T05:24:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I ran the Fired Up for a Cure 10K which was so much more than just a race. They had many booths set up and wonderful events for kids like face painting and jump houses. All to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. What a great cause!

And they had firetrucks! The race was put on by the fire department, so there were firetrucks everywhere - even a pink one!

If your portajohn is pink, does it lower the gross factor?

The race did start about 15 minutes late. It was their first year, so sometimes these things happen. But I do like it when races start on time. The start and finish were at the Roanoke Civic Center.

During the first part of the race, there was a lot of support along the course. But the back half didn't have quite as much - there was one turn that was unmarked and unmanned, and had I not seen the runner in front of me take the turn, I wouldn't have known where to go. One water table was also unmanned and the cups were still in wrappers with no water. Needless to say, no one was stopping at that water stop. I never stop to drink water in races under 10 miles (unless it's super hot) so this didn't bother me.

There were a few hills along the course, but nothing too rough.

I got a side stitch the second half of the race. I haven't had such a bad side stitch during a race since 2003. It threw me off my game a little, but at least I didn't have to stop and walk. There was one hill around the halfway mark (there were no mile markers, so I can't give you exact location) where you crested to see a stunning view of downtown Roanoke and the surrounding mountains. That was probably my favorite part of the race.

While I was running, the boys were playing in bouncy houses and climbing on firetrucks:

The finish of the race was along the outskirts of the Civic Center, and then you had to bound up a small flight of stairs to cross the finish line.

I finished in 53:25, and would have liked a faster time. I have since heard that according to several other runners' Garmins, the course was significantly long. My friend Steve plugged in the actual race distance with my time, and said I would've run a 52:01 if it had been an actual 10K. I can have some happiness over this time, as it would be a decent improvement over my 10K time in August, and would show that all the hard work at the track is starting to pay off. So let's hope Steve is right on that!

I found the boys happy as could be. Pierce was sporting a pink fireman hat.

And the twins were enjoying apples.

We walked over to where the awards ceremony was to be held, and found they were having a Zumba class. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I avoid dancing situations. But we had fun watching, and the twins really liked the music and ran in circles to it.

I placed 3rd in my age group. They had very nice medals!

We finished the morning with climbing on the helicopter. How cool is that?!

It was a really fun event. I would definitely run this race again - I hope they hold it next year.

On a side note, I was sending warm thoughts during this race to Leontien, who is in her second fight against breast cancer. She is a wonderful writer and blogger who shares stories about farm life and crazy Americans. She could use positive thoughts and support right now. If you haven't been to her blog before, won't you go by and share some warm fuzzies? You can find her at Four Leaf Clover Tales

Running on the Greenbrier River Trail and through Sharp's Tunnel

2011-09-28T05:24:00.004-04:00

On the last day of our trip to Seneca Forest State Park, WV, we decided we had to check out the Greenbrier River Trail, one of those converted old railroad trails. We got directions to drive to Sharp's tunnel, which involved some hairy roads, made all the hairier by an emergency little boy bathroom situation! But we finally made it to our destination.

Sharp's Tunnel was built in 1900 and is 511 feet long.

We brought headlamps, which is good because it was pitch black once you got in the middle of it.

The light at the end of the tunnel...

Paul hung out with the boys so I could go on a run. It was a crisp morning for it, and I put in 6 of the most beautiful running miles I've seen in ages. Not a soul on the trail, the smell of fall leaves in the air, and a deer with her twin babies that watched me run by.

I ran from mile marker 65 to 68 and back.

On the way back through the tunnel, I didn't use a headlamp but just went by feel.

Kind of strange trusting my feet in the pitch blackness.

Pierce took both of these pictures of me while we hung out waiting for Paul to take his turn with a run.

Like the shirt? I didn't run track for UNI but my friend Shelli coaches there, and gave me the fun running shirt.

Gorgeous bit of trail by the river, isn't it?

When's the last time a view took your breath away?

The winner of the $40 gift certificate to Milk Nursingwear was Deanna Menyes. Thanks so much to all who entered!

Exploring Cass, WV, and an Incredible Sunset

2011-09-27T05:39:00.004-04:00

After our train excursion on the Cass Scenic Railroad, we decided to walk through the tiny town of Cass to check it out. There is a free museum there that we walked through, and a couple of open cabooses.

Reid was still on guard, but he tried to relax a little as we walked around.

I wish I could remember which blogger collects that cat railroad pictures - I didn't realize that a kitten was a railroad symbol until I read her blog about it! See the cat symbol to the right?

The boys certainly liked exploring the insides.

After that we had to decide what to do about supper. There was nothing to eat near Seneca Forest State Park, where we were staying, and since we didn't have any success lighting the woodstove and had already done hotdogs on sticks over open fire the night before, we wanted to eat out.

Cass had a restaurant that had good reviews online. However, we'd purchased box lunches there to take on our train ride. And while the food was okay, the waitress was rude. So I wasn't keen to give this place any more of our money:

Instead, we decided to drive up to Snowshoe Ski Resort, in hopes that they would have a few restaurants open. There, we sat down for dinner at Cheat Mountain Pizza. Not only was the food excellent, but the waiter was so nice and he was wonderful with the boys.

And then we walked outside with full bellies to find this -

Talk about the perfect ending to a day.

It was surreal, standing there and staring at this glory.

What an adventure!