The Baby Book

I decided to scrap Anna's first year, instead of buying a traditional baby book. I was very good about doing the pages... until the 6th month. I have a lot of catching up to do. From now on I will only scrap the major events. Additionally I have decided, with the exception of Anna's baby book, that from now on I will only scrap digitally and have my pages (either 12 x 12 or 8 x 8) printed. It will end up being a LOT less expensive, and I can do so much more in Photoshop than I can with paper. I decided to make Anna's baby book very simple and not stuffed with embellishments and layers of paper. My other books are more "scrappy", but I'm happy I went with simplicity for this one.

belly shots... the glorious 9 months

ultrasounds & baby's room preparations

1 of about 5 spreads of the hospital- "visitors"

left: baby announcements right: first home photo shoot! (the top photo was altered in photoshop... that's why the skin color is so different!)

dedication at church: 1 month before the move to Panama

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mommychronicles@hotmail.com

Getting Organized!

I can't help it, I love to be organized! I have always maintained some sort of planner, date book, etc. When I got married and started cooking for my husband, I quickly realized that life was easier if I planned out a week's meals and shopped at the beginning of the week. I would print the menu and post it on the fridge. Then in a different location I kept a calendar and weekly agenda. At some point, I can't remember when, I got wise. I started using a 3-ring binder to hold not only my menu, but my calendar and schedule, recipes, etc. I have been modifying and improving my system over the past few years, and recently had an amazing breakthrough.

I discovered the "Priority Planner" in Linda Dillow's book, Creative Counterpart. I have never before seen a concise, one page print out that allows me to organize my basic priorities, my weekly agenda, my menu, to do list, and my shopping list! Amazing! I typed it up in Microsoft Word and you can download the file here: Priority Planner

My 3-ring binder consists of 5 dividers giving me 6 sections- daily schedules in front, Priority Planning Sheets, To Do Lists, Calendars for the next 18 months, Kitchen Critiques (a whole different post), and my recipe collection. I am slowly in the process of typing up the recipes that I have on notecards and getting rid of that system altogether. Now, on Sunday or sometimes Saturday night, I will sit down with my binder and plan out the week. I ask my husband what he has going on, and jot that down on the Priority Planner. I can easily flip through my recipes and mark ingredients on the shopping list portion of the planner. My whole world is in that binder!

Further, I keep all of my most important things on a basket on my desk. Each morning when I get up, I sit at my tiny desk in my husband's office and use all of these items. I have my Bible, journal, reading schedule, book (whatever one I am currently reading) & the journal for that book, as well as my Priority Planner Binder!

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mommychronicles@hotmail.com

"What's for dinner?"

I always plan the week's meals and grocery shop on Sundays (after church of course!). I use a fabulous weekly planning sheet to organize and map out my week... from my fundamental priorities, schedule, and calendar to my menu and shopping list. I plan to do a whole post on my "Priority Planner", but I want to wait until I know how to provide you with the Word Document I print out so that you can print your own! (Anyone know how to do this?)

Sunday (tonight! yay!): lomo saltado (a Peruvian favorite)

Monday: chicken taco lettuce wraps

Tuesday: spinach stuffed parmesian chicken

Wednesday: bbq chicken & 3 color bell pepper salad

Thursday: whole wheat spaghetti and meatballs & greenbeans

Friday: spinach & lentil soup (I'm trying this recipe for the first time, so I'll let you know!)

Saturday: Pizza Hut (we're having some local kids over for a youth sleepover!)




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mommychronicles@hotmail.com

Highlighting a FABULOUS business!

Lauren is a WAHM who specializes in web boutique storefronts, custom blog design, web banners and a variety of print design. Everyday women (and men!) are starting boutiques and shops online via great hosting providers such as Pappashop, Merchant Moms, and Shoppe Pro. These providers make it fun and easy to sell your products from home! Lauren's designs are perfect for these emerging web stores! I encourage you to check her out at her website, Restored 316 Designs, and also jump on over to her blog. She has great freebies and special offers on a regular basis!



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mommychronicles@hotmail.com

no, NO!, no-no, no, No, no, NO! no...

For those of you with toddlers, do you find yourself saying "no" more than any other word in the English language? I was reading What to Expect: The Toddler Years, and it mentions to try and limit how often you say no. So now I feel guilty.

Everywhere we go, everything we do, Anna wants to grab, rip, eat, bite, throw, or destroy everything she sees. It's not that she's a terror, most of the time she's so quiet I don't see what she's doing until it's too late. So what exactly am I supposed to say? I can't keep her locked in a padded, colorful playroom filled with bite resistent toys!

Yesterday she dumped over the dogs water bowl- "no Anna." Today she ripped up one of her books- "No, Anna!" She tries to eat a dead bug- "no-no, yucky". She reaches up to touch the stove (it was off)- "No Anna!" She throws the remote control on the ground- "No Anna". She chews on her dirty shoe- "no, no." She opens her mouth and lets all the slobbery food inside fall out- "No."

I just don't see how I can say 'no' less often (or variations of no, such as 'don't', 'yucky', 'that's not acceptable behavior as long as you're living under my roof young lady', and so on. We try to say 'yes' when she plays with a toy or eats properly, or whatever. I just feel so ignorant about how to properly raise a toddler to become a responsible, polite, well-mannered kid.

Any suggestions?




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mommychronicles@hotmail.com

the way i see things

This is my view from where I do dishes. Yup, beyond the glass shutters and thick, black rod-iron bars, lies a decent view really. You've got the rough and broken concrete slabs with patches of dirt and grass in between. And don't forget about that awesome white wooden fence made out of used wood. Oh, and the telephone pole across the street... now that's a beauty. Then you have the bright peach house across the street that I have NEVER seen anyone go into or out of. And last but not least, the white plastic chairs that serve as our patio furniture... that's right people (okay, actually those are chairs from the church that we borrow when we want to sit outside... they don't even belong to us!!!) And the photo didn't happen to capture the always common sighting of numerous stray dogs roaming the neighborhood.

I'm not complaining, please don't misunderstand. I am quite fond of this view. Mommies spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking and doing dishes. I find it peaceful to stand in front of this view... watching people walk back and forth from the little store around the corner. This is my home... and this is my neighborhood. I belong here. This view is the one I want when I do dishes... and I really wouldn't change it even if I could.

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mommychronicles@hotmail.com

Custom Blog Design Giveway!!!

To celebrate the kick off of my new mommy blog, I have decided to hold a custom blog design giveaway!

Here are the details:

• Deadline to enter: Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
• 1 Winner will be randomly selected (up to 3 entries per person... see below)
• Announcement of winner will be Thursday, September 11th

What you'll win:

• Custom 2 or 3 column blog design
• Custom signature
• Installation of your new design

What you'll need:

• An existing blog account with Blogger (it's free!)
• A Photobucket account (it's free also!)

How to Enter:

• Required: Leave a comment on this post, telling me about your favorite hobby.
• 1 extra entry: Post about my contest on your blog and include my button & link in the post.
• 1 extra entry: Add my button to your sidebar!

*If you complete extra entries, please make sure you mention that in your comment!

<a href="http://www.mamaneedstoblog.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><center><img border="0" alt="Mommy Chronicles" src="http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp161/lindseyjoydesign/MommyChronicles_button.gif" /></center></a>

(Just copy and paste the html code into your post or save the button as a picture and then link it to http://www.mamaneedstoblog.blogspot.com/)

LET THE GIVEAWAY BEGIN!

Email Me!
mommychronicles@hotmail.com

Attempting Tuna

Today I spread tuna on a piece of whole wheat bread (which she loves) and cut it up into bite size pieces. I plopped them down on her tray and went back to the kitchen to cut up a pear. Two minutes later I come back to find this. I guess she didn't like it.





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mommychronicles@hotmail.com

freebies & giveaways are coming soon!

I am a crafter at heart. When I was a kid, I used to make silly little things and sell them in front of the grocery store (thanks Mom for supporting my early endeavors in the craft world!)

As an adult, I have continued to be a crafter... although now I try to make crafts that have an actual purpose... you can only do so much with a figurine made out of salt dough... know what I mean?

Although my many craft projects bring much needed therapy and relaxation to my life, they also bring lots of supplies! When I get involved in a hobby, I like to have ALL the supplies. I love to quilt- and stacks of fabric and quilting tools, not to mention my sewing machine, have taken over the closet in my husband's office. When I started scrapbooking... about 10 years ago... I slowly began accumlulating large quanitites of stuff (you can never have enough embellishments!) I also love to make jewelry, bows, sew bags & clothes, paint, draw, the list goes on...

When we first moved to Panama, I realized that I needed to find hobbies that didn't require so much stuff! (You can't buy a ton of scrappy embellishments on a tight missionary budget!) In my search for other ways to satisfy my need to craft, I discovered graphic design. I discovered a whole new world of digital papers, designs, embellishments, etc. I learned Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, and then began tinkering with Dreamweaver... web design software.

I began designing scrapbook pages in Photoshop, and then discovered I could create images for birthday invitations, baby announcements, etc. I moved on from there (with the help of a very talented friend and learned web design and blog design.

I am IN LOVE with graphic design... more than any other hobby I have ever taken up. And the beauty of it??? NO SUPPLIES! Just my computer and a little quiet time.


I did this blog design (Mommy Chronicles), as well as The Tharaldson Family Blog, This Is Our Family, and a few others that I will post in the future.... (I have to get dinner started right now). But for now I wanted to announce that very soon I am going to start offering freebies and hold a contest for a free custom blog design!

So..... check back soon for the blog design giveaway entry rules and more samples of my work!


Email Me!
mommychronicles@hotmail.com

Strawberry Trifle Recipe

I realized today that summer is basically over! (of course, it's winter a.k.a the rainy-but-still-super-hot-and-humid season, here in Panama.) So in honor of summer, I wanted to post my favorite summer-time dessert recipe. It's always a hit at a potluck or party, super easy to make, and just downright delicious. Oh, and this recipe is from my mom's kitchen!

Strawberry Trifle

1 Angel food cake (premade or mix)

1 large box instant vanilla pudding

2 10oz. cartons of frozen sweetened strawberries

1 large carton cool whip

Almond extract

• Cut cake into 1-1 1/2" chunks & put on the bottom of a large glass bowl (you can actually buy glass trifle bowls with a pretty pedestal for like $10 at Walmart)
• Prepare pudding according to package directions, but add slightly more milk & a little vanilla extract.
• Pour over angel food cake pieces while pudding is still thin and runny.
• Stir strawberries in a separate bowl with a dash or 2 of almond (or rum- but I prefer almond) extract... don't leave this out... this is what makes the dessert sparkle! (not in the literal sense)
• Pour strawberry mixture over pudding.
• Finally spread cool whip over the top.
• Very important! Refrigerate ALL DAY or OVERNIGHT! It takes time for the juices to soak the cake... otherwise it's dry and just not as good!
• Sometimes when I'm feeling fancy I'll put a sprig of mint and a slice or two of strawberry on the top as garnish... sometimes I barely finish spreading the cool whip before we dig in.

YUMMMMMMMYYY!

Email Me!
mommychronicles@hotmail.com