My little fairy princess is not as innocent as she looks. Just like the "real" Tinkerbell ("real" as in the one depicted in storybooks, on stage and in the classic cartoon flick), she is always up to something.
You have no idea how difficult it was to snap these pics of her in this cute Tinkerbell costume. She kept hopping up out of her seat and running around her room, pulling out everything in/out of sight like a tiny tornado (From what I understand, her father grew up doing the same thing; no wonder Jacob did and still does it, too. I just can't keep up sometimes).
At least I did get some photos of Hayden in her costume for my site, as Jacob (who is going to be the black Spiderman with muscles) was camera-shy, as usual. Hopefully, I'll be able to take a few of them together on Halloween night.
I had planned on bringing my camera to Hayden's Halloween party at story time yesterday (the parade of toddlers and babies in their costumes was so adorable), but accidentally forgot it. Please someone remind me to charge it and have it ready for the big night.
I remembered the camera when we went to the pumpkin patch last weekend. I got some pics of the costume and decoration display (you can imagine the image of Hayden next to the two-headed baby; it's a tad bit disturbing), us on the hayride, Jacob going down the drainpipe slide and this sweet pic of Hayden standing by the height chart (she really is a shorty, like her mommy, who was standing by her side).
Then, you guessed it; my camera ran out of "juice." My sister's camera was also "dead," so the rest of the excursion was captured on my brother-in-law's camera phone.
Maybe he wouldn't mind sending us some copies of our trek through the same corn maze we got lost in last year (it was dark last time, and we needed flashlights to find our way), the kids jumping in the sandbox-style corn kernel pile, Hayden riding the kiddie train with her big brother and cousin, picking out pumpkins, playing on the playground and putting out heads through the photo op boards (Hayden loved posing as a pumpkin). Wow, that's a lot of stuff. No wonder my memory card is always so full.
I also need to delete some photos off my camera to save room for trick-or-treating pics. It's currently loaded up with family shots and food, too. For example, I recently photographed these scrumptious treats for Natural Zing's "From the Archives" series on the company's blog. I had hoped to include it in my Halloween post for them, but instead reserved it as a fall post of its own.
Looks like Hayden's at it again. There's that blurry action shot of her hand snatching up/crumbling up some of the leftover treats.
Into her mouth it goes, in yet another blurry action shot (gotta snap quick when these things happen).
So does she like them? Oh yes, she approves :-)
Okay; I'll admit this isn't the clearest picture ever posted on this site, but like this blast-from-the-past photo, it's still darn cute enough to share (at least in my opinion). The best part is the story that goes along with it.
Let me first say, I can't believe our tomato plant out front is continuing to produce yummy produce (the first being the verb, followed by the very slightly different sounding noun; kind of like the whole "to-may-to/to-mah-to" thing ... except it remains the same tomato. On second thought ... maybe "produce" is pronounced the same both times). You may recall seeing it (the tomato plant) pictured/mentioned in this Natural Zing post, although the tomatoes on it were green at the time.
Hayden has become quite curious about these color-changing fruits (that's right; a tomato is a fruit), even snagging one for herself when no one was looking. She bit right into it, eating it like it was an apple (kind of like when her online boy friend - a friend that's a boy, as she's not quite ready for that yet - bit off an unchopped apple).
When I caught her (quite quickly, I might add), I washed it off and helped her (by holding the tomato for her; she wasn't about to share with me) polish off the rest. To my surprise, she chowed down about 3/4 of the tomato before calling it quits. Something tells me that she takes after her mommy (although her daddy has been known to use the same tomato-eating method).
Speaking of taking after her mommy, I wonder if she'd like this cool (seriously, it's chilled) clear tomato soup recipe I discovered this weekend. I can't wait to try it :-)
... oh yes she did. Sorry that I've been too busy to post lately (which reminds me, I need to get another post together for Natural Zing; here's the last one, if you missed it). I've just been living/enjoying life with my family, free of all the online drama. I have to admit that I really haven't read up on all of it myself, but I've heard there has been a lot of food confessions, label-ditching, etc.
Anyway, I'm happy to be going about my day-to-day without all the labels, standards and what-have-you. Yes, I still primarily eat raw vegan foods (green smoothies are a staple for this mom, who finally got her own cool reusable cup like her blogging friends), but I like not having to answer to anyone about how perfect my diet/lifestyle is (sometimes it's not all organic, as I can't always afford it).
For example, I've confessed to eating some cooked here and there (usually baked sweet potatoes and steamed veggies), and when I slip, it's not always the healthiest choice (although healthier than most options, like when Alicia Silverstone eats a not-so-superhero vegan cupcake; BTW, I found out I won an Eco Tools brush set from her Kind Life site). This leads me to today's post.
A while back, I finally got the opportunity to make The Fitnessista Gina's Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake (in case you're wondering, it's gluten-free and packed with protein; Sun Warrior to be exact), and I don't regret it one bit. Yes, it was cooked, not to mention the fact that it was baked in the microwave. Hey, at least it's better than when I used to nuke marshmallows as a child to see them blow up and shrink back down to size (microwaves are great for experimenting, literally).
Anyway, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed having a little fun with this tasty experiment. Although I don't see myself microwaving my meals in the future, I got a kick out of seeing this mini cake bake, like the ones from my Easy Bake Oven, only much faster.
Life is too short to worry so much about achieving the perfect diet or what someone else thinks. I still want to live a long life, but I want to truly live it. I can be healthy and make room for the not-so-perfectly healthy stuff, too (only on occasion, of course). In the end, not stressing over every last detail all the time really keeps you youthful.
My kids keep me young, as well. I'm having a blast spending more time with them, rather than the computer. We are getting more involved with reading. In case I never updated you, Jacob did finish all 50 books from his summer reading project, and even added one more to include Washington, D.C. (there was a place on the map to put a sticker there, too; he selected "Duck for President" as his book). He is currently participating in a Read-A Thon for school, which has him clocking in more than the required minutes of reading each and every night.
Hayden is going to story time, and bringing home her own books from the local library (as well as goodbye hugs and kisses from the boys; can you believe it's starting this early?), although she took a pencil to one of them (thank goodness I could erase it, like her doodles on our chalk board). No wonder I tend to stick to our own personal library.
Speaking of books, I signed up to be an ambassador for Barefoot Books. You may have noticed the links set up on my blog. I plan on updating them periodically to reflect any special offers, videos, activities, etc. Feel free to check them out to either purchase books or just to sing along with the songs (Hayden is a big fan of this pirate one).
But enough about that. I basically wanted to check in and let you all know how I was doing. Hope all is well with you, too :-)
*****
In case you were wondering what piece of jewelry I made my mom this year for her birthday (I usually blog about it), here is the bracelet I gave her (my sister and I also cleaned her garage). It was inspired by this Martha Stewart project.
Oh, and Hayden colored a card for her, too :-)
My little fairy princess is not as innocent as she looks. Just like the "real" Tinkerbell ("real" as in the one depicted in storybooks, on stage and in the classic cartoon flick), she is always up to something.
At least I did get some photos of Hayden in her costume for my site, as Jacob (who is going to be the black Spiderman with muscles) was camera-shy, as usual. Hopefully, I'll be able to take a few of them together on Halloween night.
I remembered the camera when we went to the pumpkin patch last weekend. I got some pics of the costume and decoration display (you can imagine the image of Hayden next to the two-headed baby; it's a tad bit disturbing), us on the hayride, Jacob going down the drainpipe slide and this sweet pic of Hayden standing by the height chart (she really is a shorty, like her mommy, who was standing by her side).
Maybe he wouldn't mind sending us some copies of our trek through the same corn maze we got lost in last year (it was dark last time, and we needed flashlights to find our way), the kids jumping in the sandbox-style corn kernel pile, Hayden riding the kiddie train with her big brother and cousin, picking out pumpkins, playing on the playground and putting out heads through the photo op boards (Hayden loved posing as a pumpkin). Wow, that's a lot of stuff. No wonder my memory card is always so full.
I also need to delete some photos off my camera to save room for trick-or-treating pics. It's currently loaded up with family shots and food, too. For example, I recently photographed these scrumptious treats for Natural Zing's "From the Archives" series on the company's blog. I had hoped to include it in my Halloween post for them, but instead reserved it as a fall post of its own.
