Check out this gal

My sister-in-law showed me this blog yesterday, and I just can't get enough. I'm still going through her many posts, but I wanted to share her wonderful, crafty ideas with you all. The ones I've read are so simple and as one comment on her blog states, "...They are ideas that real women that live in the real world and have a real budget can do!!!!" Amen, sister. The mistreatments will be my first project- I can hardly wait.

I'm going to start off simple- maybe in the dining room. We'll see how a basic pleated look goes, then maybe I'll add fringe one day. Who knows? I pretty much have a clean slate in the dining room since the only color is the tan on the walls and the white trim.

The living room is also a pretty bare- very light beige on the walls and earthy green furniture. There's even a rod left from the previous owners I can use. But that might be too complicated- I really like the simplicity of using the upholstery tacks to hang the fabric.

Anyway, I don't think I have enough of a stash to pull from to make these "mistreatments," but I think I can find some decent fabric and a good price. Wish me luck on this adventure, and I hope you have fun perusing her blog. Enjoy!

Kenli's Special Day

This is going to be a "keepsake" post.

Matt and I decided to start having "special days" with the kids to celebrate birthdays. When her third birthday is approaching, we'll take the birthday girl out for a special day consisting of lunch, fun activities and shopping only with mom and dad. Kenli had her first one yesterday.

We started by taking her to Barnes and Noble to look at 'first day of school' books. We previewed a few and chose one to take home. We need to get crackin' on this book since school starts next week!

Next, we got in the car and asked her where she'd like to go for lunch. "Red Robin," she exclaimed. So we went. Of course she asked for a balloon upon entering the place, but we made her wait for her special treat. She ordered her classic mac'n'cheese with apple slices. As she was finishing, a train of employees carrying balloons and ice cream gathered around our small table and started their clapping and singing. The poor girl looked a bit scared, then embarrassed, but she sat quietly as they placed the balloons and yummy ice cream in front of her. They finished and told her happy birthday, and then she got that spoon and started devouring her treat. The sweet girl added, "I wish my sissies were here. I'll give one of my balloons to Keira." Melted my heart.

We then proceeded to Wal-mart to buy school supplies for Pre-k including: a Dora book bag, water colors, a box of tissues and colored pencils. Mom and dad also threw in a new pair of purple and white (not for K-state) sneakers to run around in at recess.

Next came Kenli's favorite part- Toys R Us. She cruised up and down just about every aisle trying out new toys along the way. We finally settled on an old favorite-baby penguin. It's something she's carried around that store the last 4 times we've been in there, and this time she didn't have to put it back. A small present for our big girl.

Last, but not least, we had to find the first-day-of-school outfit. We headed across the parking lot to Target where Kenli found a pretty, light blue shirt with owls and pink flowers on it and a matching pink pair of pants. We topped it off with a pair of brown shoes with pink flowers on them. She was pleased to see her outfit come together nicely- as was I.

With that purchase, mom and dad called it a day and headed home hoping that our little girl enjoyed her special time alone with us. And seeing how much fun we all had, we decided that this had to become a birthday tradition for each girl.

10 Things That Made Me Happy Today

1) Keira went to bed without a word about ba-ba

2) The girls and I got to play outside with chalk, soccer balls, and strollers-and the humidity wasn't there to make us want to go inside

3) My husband and I played a geography quiz game after the kids were in bed- he quizzed my geography of the U.S. after I made fun of a lady who didn't know if Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, or Illinois was EAST of the Mississippi River.

4) I passed that quiz with flying colors and even corrected a few of his mistakes!

5) I got a yummy Juice-Stop drink during morning errands- I did split this with the older two!


6) I've had my windows open most of the day and it's still nice in here.

7) My sister arrived in Amherst safely- I can't wait to hear about her exploring the city tomorrow.

8) I ate popcorn with my girls on the floor while watching Dora.

9) I rocked my baby before lying her down in her crib for bedtime.

10) My husband said he'll unload the dishes before he leaves in the morning- in other words, I don't have to do it after I get off of here- I can just go to bed!!!

Breaking the habits

I think I'm crazy stupid for doing this, but it had to be done. As of this week, I am breaking each of my little darlings of one of their habits.

(Keira with her post-ba-ba belly. Explains the Buddha nickname).

It all started with Keira and her ba-ba habit. She is 22.5 months old and still takes a bottle in the morning and one at night. Though she's happy with only 4 oz each time, I want her off the bottle. As her mother, I can only assume complete and full responsibility if her teeth turn black and fall out (well I guess Matt would have to take half that responsibility). Yes, I make her (and her sisters for that matter) brush her teeth with Matt or I assisting so she gets all the gunk brushed away, but I do know that milk sits on teeth and rots them away. And I don't want my my brown-eyed beauty to be ashamed to smile.

When she woke a few mornings ago without uttering her usual mantra "I want ba-ba," I took it as a lead to stop ba-ba cold turkey. I offered her cheerios with milk and she happily obliged. All was well until Daddy came home that evening while I was in the other room. The girls ran to him with hugs and the first words out of Keira's mouth were, you guessed it-"I want ba-ba." At 5 in the afternoon? I don't think so dear! But nice try. Of course Daddy said no, but that didn't seem to phase her. She threw a fit for at least 15 minutes.

My darling dear is smart. She knows which one of us is wrapped around her cute little finger. You see, Daddy is usually the one who gets the girls up and ready while I finish getting ready or do my workout. And he is the one who gives Keira her ba-ba. So, yesterday when it was Mama who got up with her, Keira knew not to bother asking me for her bottle. She knows I don't give in easily (on important stuff). She knows I'm just as stubborn as she is (when I have to be).

But I can happily say the girl hasn't had a bottle since I decided she was done. I know she doesn't think she's done, and she lets us know this every night as she screams and cries and throws her body about declaring emphatically that she wants her ba-ba. But eventually she drifts off to sleep and doesn't think about it again- until morning when Daddy gets her up. Apparently, in her eyes, Daddy is associated with ba-ba.

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(Just a cutie smiling on her beloved swing).

While fighting the good fight with Keira and her bottle, I decided that Kenli, almost three, needs to drink out of "big-girl cups" for the majority of the day. She was easy to get off the bottle. Down to one a day at 15 months and completely off by 18 months. But, in hindsight, I think she substituted the comfort of a bottle for the comfort of a sippy cup. The girl would nurse the cup all day and I eventually had to start telling her to slow down on her drinking. Then one day, I'd had enough. I decided that Kenli needed a big-girl cup with each meal or she too would start rotting those pearly whites. I told her that she could still have one sippy cup a day- half full in the a.m. and the other half after nap. We've been doing this a few days, but not with perfection. She is handling the big cup so well and I'm very proud at how she is taking the change. Not only is she fine with it, but she thinks its neat to have her BG cup and meal time. In fact, she's had to remind me a few times at dinner to fetch her a regular cup. I've also stopped carrying a sippy cup for her if we run errands-which means if I'm just taking Kenli with me somewhere, I don't have to take any "diaper bag" items with me. And I appreciate this new stage in her life.

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("Ummm... you don't plan on taking this from me? Do you?).

Now on to baby Kaelyn. She is already showing signs of needing a bottle to fall asleep, and I'm going to stop it right now. I do not want her to develop the same bottle-sleep dependency that I've been fighting with Keira. My goal is to have her off of all bottles by 12 months. It still sounds so early to me, but I think she'll survive it. Just two nights ago, I stopped in at Walmart to pick up two "training" cups. After comparing the different brands and what they offered with their "uniquely designed" cup, I decided upon Dr. Brown's. They have the handles, soft spout, and they are completely leak-proof (yeah!), but my princess just doesn't know what to think of them.

I got home with her two new cups and washed them. Since it was her bed time, I put her formula in the new cup and decided to give it to her. I held her in my arms and put the spout up to her mouth. She took it and tried to suck on it like it was her bottle. She got too much formula in her mouth and pushed the cup away. But I put it back and she just played with it. She rubbed her gums all over it and that was about it. In the time it would have taken her to finish her normal night bottle, the girl had only taken in an ounce of formula from her cup. But she fell asleep anyway and I decided I'd try again in the morning.

When she woke the next day, she only drank an ounce or two. She nursed that thing all day. Seeing her struggle with this, I've decided to give her a bottle in the morning and one at night for now. During the day she'll get the cup- at least until she gets used to it. Then I'll ease her into no bottles at all. We'll see how this goes over. Maybe she and Keira can compare notes about mean mom is. But I know that I'm doing what's best for their health.

Living simply, so that others may simply live

As some of you know, I am concerned with creating a healthy environment for my children to grow up in. I read labels, try to use organic ingredients in cooking, and get a 30 minute daily walk (most days). I'd like to say that I was doing this before it became the "in-thing," but I honestly didn't know much about organic foods or healthy living until it all picked up momentum in the media. I am slowly learning little things here and there that I can add, delete, or just change in my family's life in order to make it better and longer. So, when I encountered a simple spiral-bound book the other day about cleaning the "green way" I decided to give it a few quick glances.

Upon our last weekly family visit to the book mobile, I picked up Green up your clean up, by Jill Potvin Schoff. My original intentions were to use it as a boredom buster on the treadmill and maybe find an easy green-solution to cleaning my kitchen counters, but it quickly became a little companion of mine.

The book opens with something every good book possesses- an opening hook- something that will capture the reader's attention and keep him plugged in. Try digesting the awful news that you are more or less poisoning your family with every chemical you allow in your house. While I'm no chemist, I do understand this startling fact pointed out early in the reading:

"A study by the Environmental Working Group tested the umbilical-cord blood of 10 American babies born in 2004 and found and average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in each baby's blood."

And I also understand what devastation long-term exposure to chemicals can have on the multiple systems that make up the human body. The statistic mentioned above combined with others just as startling persuaded me into wanting to pursue living a "greener" life with more enthusiasm than I originally intended. The fact is, I don't anticipate this being a fad for my family. I plan to slowly implement new and healthier ways to clean my house, in turn giving my family better functioning bodies and better lives. It's more than just cleaning your house with natural products- it's a way of living. You almost have to retrain your brain to think about what you're doing and how it'll affect your family and the earth.

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Once I finished a good chunk of the book, I felt my first task was to sift through the information and create a shopping list of ingredients and supplies I'd need to start this adventure in eco-living. Quite a time-consuming chore, but that's where I had to start in order to get to the fun part. Armed with my list I hit Akins, Hy-vee and Walmart. I probably didn't need all of those stores, but I'm by no means a pro at this yet.

The first house-hold chore I took on was laundry. I chose laundry first not only because it didn't scare me, but because clothes touch our bodies and the chemicals in traditional detergents can penetrate skin. I tried out the laundry soap recipe (1/8 c liquid soap, 1 T. washing soda, and 1/4 c vinegar) and it works just fine. The only tricky thing is trying to stop the cycle at 'rinse' and drop in a 1/4 cup of vinegar to aide in rinsing and softening the clothes. One of these days I'll get around to timing the different wash cycles and set a timer to go off at the start of the rinse cycle.

I took my "simple" approach a step further when it came time to dry the clothes. I decided to save on energy and money- so I line dried outside in my back yard. This was the first time in my life that I dried clothes somewhere other than the dryer or a rack in my room. I actually enjoyed not feeling rushed and taking my time to hang clothes on the line like many generations of women before me have done- although I'm sure a few of those women would have appreciated an electrical dryer. I'm glad that I don't have to line dry, but even using that method once a week can make and impact on the environment.

I view this green lifestyle as an adventure, a process, a journey. I know I can't be perfect with it all, and I'm sure I'll use commercial detergents in a pinch. But I can't tell you how rewarding it is to know that I can make a positive impact on the planet and lessen the toxins that enter my children's' bodies while they're in our home.

I hope you'll find good information and a few laughs as you read upcoming posts. I plan on trying new recipes and techniques in the weeks and months to come and posting my honest to God feelings about it all. And know that if it's easy enough for me to do, then it's easy enough for you to at least try- which I hope you do. After all, we all deserve to live on a healthy planet with healthy bodies.

*pictures are from google

Crazy Panting Flapper

As the video shows, Kaelyn has started what I call, "Crazy, Panting Flapper." She'll stick her tongue out to the right, pant, and flap her arms up and down rapidly. She takes it one step further by playing "Monkey See, Monkey Do" with this trick. If I do it first, she'll begin to mimic in a matter of seconds. She is such a fun baby!!

Here are some pictures I caught of her in the "CPF" act.

Sister Act

Sporting pigtails

These two have such crazy fun together. I can't wait until my littlest peanut can join in the sisterly fun!

P.S. The girl loves her ice cream

New Surroundings

We'vebeen taking walks here and there- whenever the weather permits between rain and heavy Kansas humidity and heat. Other than the park, the girls' favorite walking path leads right to this little pond near our house. It is a beautiful sight. All who enter must walk beneath this willow.

Then stumble upon a little garden that the owners of the adjacent house planted.

And the girls join hands while they begin their search for duckies.

But not before they pose on an old tree stump overlooking the pond.

And I lose their attention just as the duckies swim by on their own family "walk."

We attempt to feed them, but the mama duckie says "let's leave."

So we do the same.

Better Late than Never

Well, we've officially kicked off our "BUSY" season. It all starts with our anniversary in early July. Then we celebrate all 5 of our birthdays from July 29th through October 22nd- we end just in time to start the holiday season. So, as I'm sure you've noticed- I really haven't been keeping up with the posts. And since I use this as a "family keepsake" site, I'll go ahead and fill you in on some of our activities from the past few weeks.

The weekend of July 4th was not so much fun. We had great plans with friends, but our babies were smacked hard with the summer stomach flu. My poor Keira was sick to her stomach all day on the 4th. This little gal definitely got hit the hardest. I was really disappointed that she didn't get to experience any of the fun things we had planned for her on her first "real" Independence Day. Kenli had just gotten over the bug and Kaelyn was going to get hit the next day, so at least these two little firecrackers could get out do some sparklers and other small fireworks.

She loves her sparklers!

She's just happy to be out with the family.

Ahhh, I' can't look at the smoke bomb!

Those two really enjoyed watching the "show" together.

Ewww, it won't go off in my hand... will it?

Answers

For those of you wondering, I thought I'd let you know the answers to the who's who collage.
Starting at the top left and going across the top row
Kaelyn, Kenli, Kenli
Next row starting at the left
Keira, Kaelyn, Kenli
Next row starting at the left
Keira, Keira, Kaelyn

Who's Who

There are three pictures of each girl at various ages in this collage. If I weren't their mama, I might have a hard time telling who's who in these pictures!!

Cousin ZBC

Cousin Zada and her mama came to visit us this past weekend. There was too much fun to be had. They all loved running through the living room-entryway-kitchen "circle" path in our house.

All four Copeland girls spent the weekend giggling and playing hard. We were able to pause for just a few minutes and have the girls sit and pose for some pictures. They are quite silly when they're all together!!

*click on one of the pictures to see them enlarged!

Ice Cream Girls

We are participating in the library's summer reading program. The girls are reaping the benifits by enjoying their ice cream prize. Much enjoyed by all!

Funny, Funnier, and Down Right Scary Funny

Funny:

When Kaelyn gets excited or anticipates food, she pants like a little puppy who just got done retrieving a ball. This has been going on for a few weeks, but lately it's just gotten out of control. She seriously sticks out her tongue and breaths real shallow and fast. She makes me laugh just by being her silly, crazy self.

Funnier:

Today when I was changing Keira's poopy diaper, I discovered a tickle spot. I was simply whipping her little tushy cheek when she broke out in a hysterical laughter. I was confused at first because usually the only noise I hear while diapering is a few screams-- definitely not laughter. What a nice change of pace.

Down Right Scary Funny:

Okay, I had one of those conversations with my eldest-the one where I'm stunned and amazed at what she knows. Here's the little synopsis of our morning conversation:

Kenli is sitting at our dining room table in her little red booster seat eating her breakfast quietly. I am busy doing something at the adjacent kitchen counter when I hear, "Mommy, when my boopies grow?"

I look over at her little face quizzically staring at mine. "What," I say as she peels her spaghetti strap off of her shoulder and reveals the right side of her chest.

"When my boopies grow like mommy's," she asks as she inspects her "boopie."

My mouth gaping open now, I tell myself 'keep it short and simple."

"Well, honey, they'll grow before you're a mommy."

"Oh," she said.

Whew, that wasn't so bad. I know there will be plenty more to come. This one just completely caught me off guard--so much so that I was really too stunned to laugh when it happened. I am laughing now.

I just love how they make any old boring day-- well, not so dang boring.

Celebrating Dads- a Bit Early

In the new Parents magazine I came across an article, "The New Face of Fatherhood." It focuses on the slowly-changing role of dads in the 21st century. Dads today are cutting their working hours or quitting altogether to stay home or to at least help raise a family. Today's dad is quite different from his predecessors and he wears the spit-up badge of honor proudly on his sleeve.

If we look into the homes of today's family, more and more often we're seeing women and men working, or women working and men staying home to raise children. As the article points out, "lots of today's young dads are the sons of working mothers and grew up with more flexible views about gender roles." So naturally, they are expected to help with home and family.

Dads used to be the one who brought home the bacon, raised his hand to discipline, and was responsible for decision making. The way he is depicted almost makes him seem like a third wheel to the mother/child couple. And this isn't something from the 1950's; just 30 years ago dads were spending an average of 2.6 hours per week with their children. I'm still trying to figure out what they were doing with the other 125.4 non-work hours of the week.

Although the numbers aren't high enough to say it's common, more and more new dads are taking active roles in their children's lives and staying home with them. Others are choosing to work and still spend their time playing tag or giving a bath and not working extra hours or fishing. Now spending an average of 6.5 hours a week (still low if you ask me and my hubby), children today rely on their dads and moms equally. Now he is not just a financial supporter on the sidelines; today's dad is just as proud to actively participate in child-rearing as his wife.

Diapers, burping, feeding, laundry, grocery shopping, dishes, cooking, and doctor's appointments, are all typical motherly duties-- especially 30 years ago. Yet dads with young children today are stepping up and helping, or even taking over these roles. And I can assure you that my husband has fulfilled every one of those duties a number of times in the past 2.5 years.

It all began when we made the decision to go to all of my ob checkups together. I never thought of it being any other way- it never even crossed my mind. Yes, this child was growing inside me, but she was our child. Her well-being should be a concern to both of her parents. According to the article, this is how "today's" dad starts off on his active-role path.

He continues by cuddling his new baby, cooking when his wife is too tired, getting up with a sick child, coming home early just to take the kids to the park, and even sharing in the joy of snot, poop, spit-up and urine stained clothes.

To me, this is what a father is- someone who shares in the ups, downs, and everyday life of loving and raising a family. Whether he is married, divorced, widowed, or single- dads can be as active as they want to be. And I'm thankful everyday for my 21st century, chore-sharing, bath-giving, snot-wiping, grocery-shopping, loving husband.