Oh hey! + A few Thursday Confessions.

(( Today is day 29 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))

I am thankful for: these days.

Thankvember is just about wrapping up. I've been a sicky over here these past few days, so all my energy has been directed towards the necessary things, you know... laundry, children, feeding children, cleaning children, etc. But even though I've been a sicky, I am still reflecting on everything I have to be thankful for, and it is oh, so much!

Today, I'm thankful for these days. These days I get to spend with my ever so fast growing children. The lazy days, the crazy days, the grumpy days, the overly excited days, the busy days, the days we have time to run around the park. Even the sick days. I am thankful for all of them.

+ + + + + + +

A few Thursday Confessions:

• Tomorrow is my birthday. It will be the 5th time I've turned 29. (p.s. I LOVE what my daughter wrote about me in her above mini bio: "I don't really know how old my Mom is but I know that she's very young.")
• My 6 year old daughter learned the 'F' word from me.
• I'm not justifying that ^ ... BUT when I asked her to clarify what she said, her reply:
  "Like, 'that shirt is so f***in' cute!" ... at least it's a positive use of the F word.
• The fact that my husband's hair is long enough to tuck behind his ear excites me way more than it should.
• I haven't been to the gym in 3 weeks. eep! 
• Roxy lost her other front tooth on Monday and now she talks funny. Don't tell her, but I giggle every now and then at her funny little lithp talk. ;)
• I want it to be summer again. This winter stuff is for the birds!
• Okay, so maybe that above 'confession' was more of a whiny complaint... but what do you want from me? I'm a sicky. 

You may leave your confessions in the comments below.

<3, Tabi :D

Did you know this was a blog hop? Check out all the other gratefulness going on in blogosphere. 
Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

A Very Veggie Thanksgiving

(( Today is day 25 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))
 

Today, I'm thankful for: MY FAMILY

We just finished up our remaining Thanksgiving leftovers tonight. I better go ahead and post my Very Veggie Thanksgiving photos before they go bad.

We stuffed ourselves full of delicious vegan food, here's a generous helping of Deneweth Thanksgiving photos for you to fill yourselves with.

Pace yourself, it's a lot to take in.

I thought I kept the menu simple, but it sure was a lot of food. We had: a 5 pound Tofurkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, Homemade Dinner Rolls and a Pumpkin Pie. All vegan.

The kids and I made all the table and wall decor the day before. The night before, Chris and I stayed up until 1:30 doing all the prep we could so the day went by smoothly. Chris even made a tight cooking schedule for us to follow. We were having dinner for lunch so that we could still have extended family time. All the prep work was successful, our first home Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. The dinner couldn't have been yummier. The decor couldn't have been more beautiful. The day couldn't have been dreamier.

<3, Tabi :D

Did you know this was a blog hop? Check out all the other gratefulness going on in blogosphere. Play along with us! There is still 5 days left of Thankvember.

Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

the BEST VEGAN PANCAKES ever

(( Today is day 23 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))

 

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe on here, and I think I've finally perfected my vegan pancake recipe, so today's a good day to start back up.

I made a batch of these on Wednesday morning before the big Thanksgiving Day prep, so we'd have leftovers to eat on Turkey Day morning while I was making pumpkin pie, prepping a tofurkey, etc.

Did I mention they are great leftovers, too? Just pop them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds and voila!

Pancake leftovers and lots of Thanksgiving leftovers means no big meal prepping for this Mama!

So today, I am thankful for: Great Food and Leftovers!

Without further ado, let's get to it:

Best Vegan Pancake Recipe on the Interweb (that I've seen anyways)

makes a hearty amount for 6-8 people

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Self Rising Flour
• 3 heaping tablespoons of sugar
• 3 pinches of sea salt
• a splash of lemon juice
• 2-1/2 cups of plain soy milk (or almond milk or vanilla soy milk)
• a splash of vanilla (if you like vanilla, or not so necessary if you're using vanilla soy milk)
• 6 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce
• Cooking Spray
• Vegan Butter (we use Earth Balance)
• Syrup, Powdered Sugar (known around here as: Snow), Nutella or whatever you're favorite pancake topping is.

Directions:

• Preheat your skillet to a medium high setting.
• In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt).
• In a measuring cup, pour in a splash of lemon juice, then fill in your 2-1/2 cups of soy milk and your splash of vanilla if you're using it. Let it sit for a few minutes until it gets sort of chunky.
• Scoop the applesauce in the bowl with the dry ingredients.
• When the 'buttermilk' mixture looks a tad gross and chunky, pour it in the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well. (I promise it's supposed to look like that. I also promise this tastes deelish.) If the batter seems too thick, add in splashes of soy milk or soy creamer until you get the right consistency. When the batter is stirred well, let it sit for 5 minutes.
• After the five minutes is up, spray your skillet and drop spoonfuls of the batter on to cook. You'll know when to flip when bubbles are peeping through the top of your pancake. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two. 
• When the pancakes are ready to come off the skillet, I like to butter them right away.
• When I make my batches, I generally make half regular and throw in about a half cup of mini chocolate chips to the remaining batter and cook up chocolate chip pancakes too. They are my favorite. MMmmm. Chocolate for breakfast is the BEST way to start your day.
• Divy out onto plates, top with your favorite pancake topping & ENJOY!

I hope you like these as much as we do. This is a rather large batch, but I love having leftover pancakes in my fridge. I'd estimate they stay for a good week in the fridge in a ziplock bag airtight container.

If you make these & have any questions/suggestions, I'd love to hear from you.

p.s. A big thank you to my friend Nicole who taught me the sub applesauce for eggs trick. :)

<3, Tabi :D

Did you know this was a blog hop? Check out all the other gratefulness going on in blogosphere. Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Happy Thanksgiving

I have so much to be grateful for. I could never list it all in entirety on this here blog.
This Thanksgiving, my official endorsement is this:  

I am grateful for LOVE and KINDNESS.

Have a wonderful holiday. Share some laughs, stuff your bellies and give eskimo kisses.

xo,

Tabi :D

Silly.

(( Today is day 19 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))

 

I am thankful I have my silly kids to be my silly self with.

Kids know that laughter is the best medicine. That's why when they see Mommy or Daddy sad, they do silly things, tell silly jokes, draw silly pictures to cheer us up. 

I am so grateful (and lucky) that, when things get overwhelming and stressful, I am able to crank up music and sing out of tune, with all the wrong words, and dance like an insane person. Those silly kids of mine? They join right in.

Mondays always feel like 3 days packed into one, but I seriously wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Monday!

<3, Tabi :D

Did you know this was a blog hop? Check out all the other gratefulness going on in blogosphere. Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Lazy Day

  (( Today is day 18 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))

Totally lazy today. 

In fact, as I type (1:23 pm local time), I'm still in jammies and haven't even brushed my teeth yet.

Yet, still productive (sort of). I created a new board on Pinterest that actually has a purpose and is my basis for planning my week of getting ready for my first ever Very Veggie Thanksgiving.

Interested? You can check it out here: A Very Veggie Thanksgiving.

I still have to make my shopping list and figure out my list of things to do ahead.

... and I decided that today: I will NOT do anything I don't want to do. Ha! 

xo, Tabi :D

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Thankful For Giving

Today I am Thankful: to Give

You've heard the saying, "It's better to give than to receive." Receiving is pretty freaking cool, but you get super cool warm fuzzies from giving. Giving is hella cool in that way.

Christmas is a bit overwhelming to me in that: (1) I always wait until the last minute to start my Christmas shopping, and (2) there are so many people on my list. I like birthdays and baby showers, etc because it allows us to focus on one person and put actual, quality thought into the gift. 

Today was my bestest Florida friend's baby shower. She's having her third boy and I wanted to give her something that was unique and something that she'll be able to create a cute record of his first year of physical changes. Plus, I just thought the baby needed a little Star Wars in his life.

So, I bought a bunch of plain white onesies (15 to be exact)... newborn size up to 18 months, created graphics starting at 1 week old to 3 weeks old (since they change so much in that first month), then 1 month old up to 1 year old. I printed them out on iron on HP paper and ironed them on. I thought about buying those Picky Sticky things, but I thought the graphics available were too busy. We want those pictures to be more about the baby, so I chose to create something a bit more subtle.

...

I was browsing Etsy one night... window shopping for Star Wars goodies (as I often do) and came across a diaper clutch. I thought... 'Nicole needs one of these for baby R!!' So, I found a tutorial and went ahead and made one for her. (Thank You, Mr. Sewing Machine for your cooperation.) It's a little ditty that opens up to two pockets, one for diapers and one for wipes. When your done changing baby, close it up with an easy peasy, no fuss magnetic clasp. (Brilliant!) No, she's not a Star Wars geek like me, but her baby Daddy and son is, so I'm sure baby R will be, too.

I absolutely love how these came out. And, more importantly, she loved the gifts, too! :)

<3, Tabi :D

p.s. If you're interested, I'd love to craft something like this up for you!  Let's talk!

>> Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

... go ahead, jump on.

Five Things.

(( Today is day 16 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))

It's also Friday & that means I make a list for you of 5 things.

Today I am thankful for:

1. The sparks of rebellion in my children. That piece of a person's conscience that makes them question what they are told. Rebellion nurtures the seeds inside us which grow into social movements which brings the world forward: socially, scientifically, spiritually. Rebellion is good.
2. The gifts I get to bestow on one of my favorite people tomorrow at her baby shower. I'm so excited about my little crafty gifts. I've been wanting to post pictures for days now. 
3. My kids not riding the bus. There was a little girl that died crossing the street about a mile from our house this morning trying to catch the bus. My heart is breaking for that little girl's family and friends. And for the Mom who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, who's vehicle struck her. I hear horror stories about kids and buses all the time. These stories scare the bejeezus out of me. I don't mind the morning/afternoon momma cab driver job so much. Plus, I get to take awesome self portraits while waiting in pick-up line.
4. The next 9 days! Routines kill me. KILL ME. For the next nine days: no routines. Whoo!
5. My little pilgrims. <3 <3 

I'm also kind of looking forward to our first vegetarian Thanksgiving. We usually do the big family thing, but since we're sort of outcasts in the eating department now, we'll have our own little veggie Thanksgiving at home, then join the rest of the family for post tummy engorging dessert. I'm excited to begin new traditions into our mix and venture into the unknown territory (to me) of that which is Tofurkey.

What's making you happy today? 

<3, Tabi :D

>> Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

... go ahead, jump on.

Thursday Confessions

  Confessing is a release we all need. I have just a few to get off my chest today...

1. It's been over a week since I've cleaned my floors and it's making me twitchy.
2. Sometimes I go bra-less. Partly because I don't have a non-sports bra that fits properly. Partly because it makes me feel like a rebel.
3. Most days, my lunch consists of: a smoothie + bagel chips + hummus.
Perfectly okay, right?
4. Speaking of rebellion... My Roxy is a rule follower. Every now and then, I see a little spark of anti-authority (or maybe just questioning it) and when I do, I jump on the opportunity to nurture that spark and encourage the little rebel inside her. I know... "following rules is what you're supposed to do" (could you see me rolling my eyes while typing that out?), but I don't believe in following rules unless it's a rule you agree with.
5. One time last week, I started brushing my teeth and then realized I grabbed Christopher's tooth brush instead of my own. Oops.

Happy Thursday!   Do you have a Thursday Confession? I'm listening.

<3, Tabi :D

Our Lives: Through a Peephole

  (( Today is day 14 of Thankvember. What are you thankful for? ))

Today I am thankful for: Blogging

I never was good at baby books, diaries or even calling my Mom on a regular basis. I'm lucky if I can find our important papers upon request and I have a crappy memory. If it wasn't for this blog, I'm afraid a lot of my most important memories, important milestones of my littles' precious first years, would have been lost in the sands of time. 
 

This blog, to me, is a neatly organized little scrapbook. From time to time, I'll go back and read some of my older posts and it's a trip down memory lane. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry. For my new readers, the readers that don't know me personally... I like to think you have a little peephole into our lives. 

That may or may not have sounded creepy. That was unintentional. For the record, I don't think of you as creepers.

Were you wondering what's going on in those peepholes up there?

1-3. A peep into our nightly dinner conversation, where the kids answer the question,
"What did you do today that you are so proud of?"
4-6. A peep into some of the products of our little art explosion. (Left) A chalk photo of me. by: Roxy (Middle) A local map of all the important places. by: Riley (Right) Chalk Art titled: I Am Rock N Roll. by: Riley
7. The little Panda that is the object of everyone's affection. I need two more little Pandas.
8. Cameron got his braces off!!
9. A trinket (of affection?) received by Roxy from a little 1st grade male admirer. She's a popular little girl!

xo, Tabi :D

Source: julie-bonner.blogspot.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Today I'm Thankful for: LOVE

Today is November 12th & this is my eleventh Thankvember post. Oops. Skipped a day!

Today, and every day, I'm thankful for: LOVE

I'm not a poet, but I know that "All you need is love (doo doo doo doo do doooo)", "love is my religion", and this:

Maybe you won't listen to this, but this one is a song that (if I could hold a tune) I'd sing it from my soul every single day to the ones that I love.

Love is so important to me. I feel it each and every day from Roxy, from Riley, from Zoie, from Daddy and even from Bentley (the dog). I hope with all my heart they feel my reciprocation, but... being me, I always want to try harder.

I was reading Sometimes Sweet earlier and she mentioned her Little Goals for the week. I used to make small goals for myself every week & her post inspired me to make my own Little Goals list today. I want to dedicate this list of goals to the ones that I love. After all, they are my biggest inspirations.

1. Do *whatever* it takes to treat each and every one of my littles + my big Daddy that need attention with the respect they deserve and give them my undivided attention. I've been so busy lately, I've found myself rushing them through their stories, or just speaking some generic positive feedback so I can go about with my chores at that moment. I need to stop cutting corners with those MVPs in my life.
2. Give myself some down time every day. I've totally been gypping myself, so I need to give me at least 30 minutes each day to relax.
3. Play, at least once a day, with the kids. Cuddle, at least once a day, with the ones that I love.

I've been trying to up my game and be more productive every day, but I need to prioritize. So what if I have to relinquish my reign of laundry queen and the clothes go a day or two unwashed, so be it. If the floors get too dirty... well I don't know... dirty floors really bug me.

Funny, my goals used to be more along the lines of do this or that or get that done. Ha! This list is all about slowing down.

The ebb and flows of life.

<3, Tabi :D

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Thankful for: MY BED

Today is November 11th & this is my tenth Thankvember post. Oops. Skipped a day!

So, today (I am so proud of myself for this one) I made an easy peasy chalkboard for the kiddos for $6! 

A few days ago, I saw a picture of a large chalkboard hanging on the wall at a house and thought to myself I had to get one of those.

Don't worry, this chalkboard will get hung up when Daddy gets home. I may be awesome, but I kind of suck with a hammer.

These kidlets of mine are in a creative explosion kind of phase at the moment. We have plenty of ways for them to express themselves, mostly they end up drawing pictures on paper, or creating something with paper. It's awesome... and I currently have a 3 foot high stack of creations to go through. A chalkboard sounded like a refreshing new outlet and maybe it might slow the growth of my paper creations pile a bit.

I looked on CraigsList & a larger/non-easel type chalkboard isn't cheap. I think the cheapest I found was $45. Ouch. Not quite in my budget.

So, today while shopping for some Mod Podge and smooth stones at our local craft store Michael's, I came across a roll of chalkboard contact paper. I scooped it up and brought it home. I had originally planned on just sticking it to the wall, but then I learned that contact paper doesn't stick to walls. 

To improvise, I grabbed some hockey picture that's been sitting in our garage for 7 years (I'm sure the husband won't mind), stuck the contact paper to the plexi-glass and framed it. The frame just happened to be the perfect size and looks way more awesome than just sticking the paper to the wall.

The kids played with it for over an hour this afternoon. Mommy scored 10 cool points today! Whoo! 

 

image via Pinterest

in other news...

Today Tonight I am thankful for: MY BED

I guess all the insomnia and late nights finally caught up to me today. I am so happy to be able to crawl into my bed, with my comfy jammies on, cuddle up to my warm husband and fall asleep and not have to worry about school tomorrow. Yay for Veteran's Day!!

Next week's a new week. I'm also thankful for that.

<3, Tabi :D

 

 

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Rough Week & Random Thoughts

Today is November 10th & this is my ninth Thankvember post. Oops. Skipped a day!

Today I am thankful for:

++ this weekend ++

the courage to verbally express my feelings

a cold glass of Chardonnay

my husband and my kids' abilities to cheer me up

Johnny Cash

moving forward

the 6.5 weeks we have until Christmas

Star Wars

being ME

It's been a rough, emotional roller coaster kind of week. I don't think I'm alone in this, I've seen many many Facebook updates and Tweets exclaiming this very phenomenon. I'm happy to report that I let myself feel a --w  i  d  e-- range of emotions, instead of suppressing them.

...

Have you ever thought about happy being our default emotion? If we aren't happy, then something is wrong... people are curious, more interested. If a child draws a picture of a bunny with a sad face, then the first question is, "Why is the bunny sad?" But if the bunny had a happy face, the question isn't instinctively, "Why is the bunny happy?".

Thus (getting philosophical), when we aren't happy, to get back to happy we must restore to our factory defaults? We focus on our basic needs, plug into our root sources and quit thinking so much.

(Thanks to B.T. for planting this philosophical seed in my brain.)  

Tabi out.

<3, Tabi :D

   

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Comfort Food

Today is November 8th & this is my eighth Thankvember post.

Today I am thankful for: Comfort Food

French Fries from Five Guys never fails to change my mood for the better. I think they are magical. 

Hey Five Guys, could you please make a veggie burger?

Did you know it was these fries that sent me into labor 2 days before my scheduled induction with my 3rd baby?
See!?!? Magic!

<3, Tabi :D

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Thankful for: Memories

Today is November 7th & this is my seventh Thankvember post.

 This morning we woke up to a very sick puppy. 

:(

Sidney was diagnosed about 2 months ago with doggy diabetes and we had been controlling it well with insulin, or so I had thought. After his diagnosis, we followed the vet's orders and he bounced back to his happy normal self again. 

About a week ago, I noticed rashes on his paws. I thought maybe he got into something outside, so I gave him a bath to wash him off... but the rash didn't go away. He seemed fine, only every now and then he would stop to lick his paws. So, we took him to the vet on Saturday who said the rash was unrelated to his diabetes and prescribed an antibiotic. Two days after starting the antibiotics, Sidney stopped eating. No eating means we can't give him his insulin. This morning, he was so weak, he couldn't get up. Christopher took our poor sick puppy with him to drop Roxy off at school, then straight to the vet's office. 

... but Sidney didn't make it to the vet. He died in the front seat of Christopher's car.

We all took a break from our normal schedules today to remember our little dachshund and to give him a proper burial. The kids drew pictures to bury with him, we planted flowers on his grave and we all talked about our favorite Sidney memories:

• That time during a hurricane when Sidney was a puppy (pre-children)... the power was out and Christopher and I walked into the living room to find a stumbling puppy. Disoriented and running into walls, my first thought was he got into something poisonous. We drove him straight away to the only open emergency vet clinic to discover the 'poison' he got into was a rum and coke left on the dining room table.
• The way he loved to attack our vacuum cleaner every single time I vacuumed.
• His old friend "Kitty" that he suddenly tore to pieces one day, we can only assume they had some sort of falling out. Kitty was his lovey. His favorite friend in the world. Imagine our surprise to come home to Kitty pieces all over the apartment. (btw - "Kitty" was a Hello Kitty stuffed animal.)
• That time we came home to 'snow' all over our living room floor. It was appropriate, we had just put the Christmas tree up. In this instance, the snow was a couch pillow he destroyed while we were out.
• How he used to jump to amazing heights, even though he's not supposed to. He was a dachshund after all.
• When Zoie used to crawl into his doggy bed and cuddle with him and he would sit there and endure the baby cuddles like the good little puppy he was.

I'm so thankful we have all these great memories of our Sidney. He was a great puppy and we miss him already.

p.s. After putting Sidney's body in the 3 foot deep hole, the kids all said goodbye and "I love you" one last time. My Zoie said two things for the very first time today...
(1) Sidney. She had always called him "Doggy", and
(2) I love you. Before today, she had never said those words.
"Goodbye, Sidney! I Lub You."

I'm not even jealous he got the 'I love you' before me.

<3, Tabi :D

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Grateful Explosion

Today is November 6th & that means this is my sixth Thankvember post.

Photo Credit: Paper Glitter

There's a lot of tension in the air today, I can feel it, can you?

Today,  I'm going to keep my post whimsical, because that word is awesome. And, (run on sentence alert) because these things that are running through my mind that I happen to be thankful for at the moment are all little things that deserve a fun little list. (It's the little things that are most important after all, am I right?)

• I am so grateful that my adorable husband makes me a latte every morning. It's what gets me out of bed. Honest.
• I am thankful for the FREE awesomeness that the internet presents to me every now and then. More specifically, this FREE printable I just discovered. Cute little printable Thankful Sunflowers is where it's at!
• Did you know, most nights my husband comes home from working eight hours at the office and does the dishes? That, I'm definitely grateful for that. 
• I'm grateful that after having 3 children, I can still wear the same size jeans I wore in high school.
• I'm grateful I get to sneak away to the YMCA and have an hour or so of me time 3 times a week-ish.
• I'm grateful for my MacBook, my iPhone and the family iPad. I know, I'm that girl, but really, I don't know what I'd do without Apple in my life. 
• I'm thankful that my family is as healthy as we are. I hear about my friends' kids getting sick and vomiting yadda yadda way too much. Each and every time I hear about it, I feel so lucky that we have great immune systems, apparently. I'm not saying we don't get runny noses, or sore throats from time to time, but nothing serious. We can deal with these little colds, don't you worry about our sniffles.
• I'm thankful that this election is just about over. :)

  What little things are you thankful for today?

<3, Tabi :D

 

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

☆ ★ Vote! ★ ☆

Today is November 5th & that means this is my fifth Thankvember post. (Rockin' it!)

Today, I am thankful we have a choice.

Tomorrow is election day here in the good old US of A. I'm thankful we have a right to exercise our choice and let our voices be heard. 

I don't get political on here for a reason and I'm not here to give any advice.

>> Only this: VOTE. 

I will, however, post this cute little video of Zoie speaking her opinion on the matter. Just because she's so darn cute. <3

 

I sent in my ballot last week and I'm so happy I don't have to deal with the election lines. <-- ha! another thing to be thankful for! 

<3, Tabi :D

 

Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Day 4: I'm Thankful I have a Roxy in my Life

Today is November 4th & that means this is my fourth Thankvember post. 

Tonight we cooked up some Broccoli Almond Sweet and Sour Tofu.
She was in charge of battering up the tofu and it came out A-maz-ing!

 Roxy is my first baby
& I'm so thankful the universe brought her amazing light to my life.

She is 6 years old and has inspired me in more ways than any other person has. She has taught me so many things about the world, about humanity and about myself. Every day I strive to be that person that's inside of me and not so much that person that society wants me to be. I can honestly say I was never so confident in doing so before this girl came into my life.

Roxy oozes creativity and it's definitely contagious. 

She has a zest for learning and sucks knowledge in like a little sponge. 

Her compassion for people and other living creatures is so strong, she inspired our whole family to go vegetarian about 9 months ago and we haven't looked back since. 

She is loving, nurturing, caring and righteous. The perfect big sister role model and a great helper to me. 

I get the feeling she knows a lot more about the universe than I do. I've made it part of my life's mission to make sure she doesn't get jaded by society, by public school, by me. I don't ever want her to feel like she has bury that knowledge to "fit in".

Every single day, I say a little thank you for my daughter, Roxy.

<3, Tabi :D

>> Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

Today I'm Thankful For: A Good Night's Sleep

Today is November 3rd & that means this is my third Thankvember post. 

 My Zoie Rainbow was born September 9th, 2010. That makes her 2 years + 1 month + 25 days old. In her life, last night was the first night she slept through the night in her own bed.

Today I am thankful for a Good Night's Sleep.

Sleep is important to every person's health and mental well being (although I'm pretty sure the lack of it makes more of an impact on my body than most people). This Momma has definitely missed her uninterrupted sleep. I've fared better than I would have thought if you asked me 7 years ago, but it has taken it's toll... most noticeably on my memory.

What was I saying?

(jk... sort of)

I'm not a sleep trainer kind of Mom, I just can't do it. This is my 3rd kid and as much as we've tried with all of them to put them back to sleep in their own beds, or even get them back to sleep and then put them back in their own beds, Christopher and I have just found it easier to give in and let them come to the big bed. Everyone seemed to get the most rest that way. The other two eventually started sleeping through the night in their respective beds, but Ms. Zoie seemed to be the most persistent to sleep in the big bed of all of them.

This morning when I opened up an eye and peeped at the time on my phone, I did a mini freak out because it was 7 am and Zoie wasn't snuggled up next to me. Christopher read my thoughts, and immediately assured me she was just in her bed and sleeping and okay. He checked. (love that guy!)

The night before, we went to the Fall Festival at Roxy's school from 4 - 7. Fall Festival meant games, all you can eat candy and bounce houses. Zoie didn't participate much at all in the bounce houses, but she did take full advantage of the never-ending supply of lollipops. I didn't stop her because, well: (1) I'm a pushover and she asks for "PopPop, peeease?" so cute, and (2) I felt a little guilty she couldn't enjoy the inflatable playground (which she usually loves) because there were a billion other kids up to 5th grader age all hopped up on unlimited candy that intimidated her a bit. Heck, they intimidated me a bit.

So, was it the sugar crash that zonked her out for the count?

Fingers crossed it wasn't, but we'll see.

It sure was nice to have a night without getting punched in the face, or smooshed to the edge of the bed or kicked in the belly a million times.

Although, between you and me, I don't complain about it much because I know Zoie cuddles at night won't last forever.

So, me... I'm thankful for great sleep. What are you thankful for today? 

<3, Tabi :D

>> Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

... clickety click on and read some more warm fuzzy grateful stories.

Five Things.

Today is November 2nd & that means this is my second Thankvember post.
It's also Friday & that means I make a list for you of 5 things that make me happy (for the moment)!

1. I am thankful for being me. And that makes me happy right now. I'm rolling into that stage of existence where I'm feeling comfortable in my own skin. I know I'm not perfect and that's okay. I am happy with who I am, where I am in life, what I've created, where I'm headed and even this body I live in. 
2. Riley the Bear's Portal obsession inspired artwork. I need a frame or two for his newest creations. They are so colorful, simple and geometric. Yet, they tell a story. I have to confess, after 3 years of princess pictures, Portal inspired art is a welcomed fresh new genre for me.
3. Crazy colorful hair!  The kids love looking different every now and then. And they are such cute looking little punk rockers. Remember Roxy's crazy hair day? And Daddy's Halloween beard? So much fun!
4. Thug Baby. haha. I can't help it. Thug baby pictures make me laugh. :) (and this one)
5. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I'm very sad to say there is no drive through Starbucks on my route from Roxy's school/the YMCA/Riley's school to our house. So, today I stopped by DD and tried their version of Pumpkin Spice Latte out. Not. too. shabby. It was yummy, did the trick and perked me up after dealing with 3 kids and their subsequent sugar crashes. I was a little surprised at how small their small was. But, I can't complain... it hit the spot and the teeniness was rather cute. 

What's making you happy today? 

<3, Tabi :D

>> Thankvember Blog Hop Linky after the jump...  

... jump on and read about what other bloggers are thankful for.

Thankvember: Day One

Today is November 1st & that means this is my first Thankvember post.

I am thankful today for my children's creativity.
Their imagination, the things their minds create and the ideas that they share with the world make me hopeful for a better tomorrow.

A recent entry from Roxy's journal:

I have a favorite candy! Can you guess what it is? 
I'll give you a hint. It is orange and yellow and white. Candy corn, is it? It is! Very good!
If you try it you will love it. It has sugar in it. Just a little bit! Because if you eat too much candy that has a lot of sugar then you might get sick!
And candy corn is like a Halloween candy! If you like candy corn then you're cool!

I am also grateful my kids instinctively think outside of the box and influenced my crazy crafting spree last month. I composed a little slideshow with all of our Halloween related pictures. Prepare yourself for Spooky Craftiness, Star Wars Awesomeness and Deneweth Cuteness. :)

 

>> Blog Hop linky after the Jump.
well... hop on!