My blog | Little bits of life... | Christine Larsen

Camping

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:49:54 -0600

I honestly can't believe I'm saying this, but I went camping this summer for 4 days and actually enjoyed it!

Anyone who knows me will be amazed by that statement, as I've spent most of my life avoiding the outdoors, especially when combined with sun…

More Parenting

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:46:13 -0600

Every now and then I have a parenting moment where I find that something I've been doing to raise my kids has actually paid off. Just the other day, I had one such moment...

After a normal morning at home, it was time to make lunch. I gave the kids…

Kids 05-20-08

Tue, 20 May 2008 13:27:54 -0600

Erica has started to be much more aware of other people. She has started doing things to help me, especially, often without being asked. I was sick yesterday (it's been going through the whole family) and so Erica, without being asked, got lunch…

Growing food a foot at a time

Sun, 11 May 2008 18:21:03 -0600

Every year I get spring fever. It typically starts around the middle of February, when I've had about all I can stand of the snow and brown, dead landscapes. And so about mid-February I start feeling the itch to grow a garden. I'm roaring and ready…

Kids, 5-2-08

Fri, 02 May 2008 17:04:46 -0600

Erica's latest interest is astronomy. She knows more about it than I do (which of course isn't really all that hard to do). She is constantly telling me about things she is learning about astronomy from the (1977) Charlie Brown Encyclopedia of…

My Birthday List, 2008

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:04:43 -0600

My family has started asking me for a list of what I want for my birthday this year. I guess it's about time I oblige with the following list:

pink purse

black purse

ballroom dance lessons, complete with dance partner and babysitter

dance dance…

Pillowcase Skirt

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:28:06 -0600

So I've been working hard on losing weight for the past 9 months or so. I've been doing a lot of exercise (90-100 minutes a day, aerobic (an aerobics video along with some stationary bike riding) and a little muscle toning/strengthening), being more…

Health, kids, and trusting my instincts...

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:28:43 -0600

There's this thing called intuition. It is defined by Dictionary.com as "direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process." There are a lot of people who may discount intuition as imagination, but I'm not one of them. I…

Isaac's big accomplishment

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:31:23 -0700

Isaac is potty trained! We did the training (see this post) yesterday and he really did a very good job. All said and done, the training took about 5 hours with about a 45 minute break for lunch. We're certainly not accident-free yet as we're here…

The smell of change... (diaper change, that is)

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:51:09 -0700

My next big project, and the one I have been dreading for about the last 6 months or so, is potty training. My son is going to be 3 in May and he is still in diapers. He will be starting preschool in the fall and they, of course, require that he be…

Reading my way to better parenting...

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:41:55 -0700

I love my kids. They are creative, interesting, curious, fun, happy, smart, cute, and a whole host of other wonderful things. They bring me joy and happiness. They give me comfort and hope. They are wonderful people, and I have great hopes for them…

Kids 2-22-08

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:52:30 -0700

Erica is becoming quite the little artist these days. She received, as a gift for Christmas, a large set of markers. She has been using them to draw numerous pictures, many of girls in pretty dresses, and several have lately been pictures of…

Nothing says "I love you" like.... neckties?

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:30:39 -0700

Valentine's Day. The holiday of love. I've always felt Valentine's Day to be a flower holiday. And that has always caused me a bit of trouble, from the time I was old enough to have a boyfriend on Valentine's Day. It's not so much that it caused a…

Kitchen Tending - the Olympic sport

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:34:06 -0700

I used to see the kitchen as a place to cook, a place to eat, and a place (occasionally) to clean. Somewhere to store all the hundreds of kitchen gadgets I have accumulated. A place to look for something tasty to snack on.

And then there were kids.

…

Kids, 1-4-08

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:33:08 -0700

The most recent kid posts from the sidebar as I'm updating them again today.

In school, Erica's class has "project" time. Yesterday she said their project was drawing what they want to be when they grow up. I asked her what she drew, and she said…

Let it snow...

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:29:07 -0700

If you, like me, have a desire to see a little snow (what little we had here completely melted today) then take a look at these fancy looking snowflakes. If you've got some paper, scissors, tape, staples, and time (these are a little time-intensive)…

That Lovely Piano

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:22:34 -0700

My piano, long awaited and often dreamed of, has arrived! No, it's not a name brand, and no, it isn't worth a million dollars, but it is mine, it's here, it's beautiful, and (did I mention?) it's HERE - in my house! I'd say it sounds wonderful but…

A Changing Look

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:58:21 -0700

Years ago I received, as a gift, a silk scarf from Italy. And it has made a lovely addition to the top shelf of my closet, as I haven't known what to do with it, being the fashion dummy that I am. It dutifully sat folded and unopened, in the…

The Fabled Piano

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:12:38 -0700

So after all our looking around for a piano, we finally found one we thought we'd be happy with. And we bought it. It fit all the bills - Kimball needed a decent sized baby grand (over 5'5"), with a good sound, and I needed a black finish with…

Playing a Song Nightmare

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:15:16 -0700

One of the things I have missed the most since we moved is playing my piano. We sold our old piano a few months before moving, after deciding that it would cost just as much to pay to have it moved as it would to sell it and buy a new one in the…

Music Worth Listening To

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:27:36 -0700

Little children are intelligent, more so than you may realize. It simply amazes me how much they learn and pick up simply by (seemingly) only being in the room while something is going on, whether they appear to be paying attention or not. They…

Kids, 11-6-07

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:16:55 -0700

So in an effort not to lose what the kids have been doing lately, I will put their blurbs into my blog on occasion (when there's something new to put over there on the right side of the screen). So here's the latest to be retired:

Erica has…

YouTube

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:49:59 -0600

So I've been hearing all about this thing called YouTube lately, mostly from conversations at my parents' house (conversations I listened politely to as I had NO idea what they were talking about - yes, I live a sheltered life). However, I recently…

Chili

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:04:52 -0600

So our church had a party the other night - a Trunk-or-Treat/Chili Cook-off. Needless to say we took the kids, who enjoyed the candy immensely (except the baby who has yet to taste candy), and we also took some chili. I don't normally get into…

Uh-oh

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:03:41 -0600

As part of my job of Mother and Primary Care-Giver to three adorable children, I've had plenty of opportunity to change diapers over the past nearly five years. Some days this is less fun than others (as you can probably imagine). My 2-year old is…

What's Exercise to YOU?

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:37:47 -0600

I'm one of those people who LOVES to eat. I mean that. I LOVE eating. There are some foods I just can't get enough of. Have you ever sat down and eaten a whole bag of Doritos? No, I don't mean the snack size - I mean the big, 13 oz bag. Or maybe an…

Why I Do It

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:05:30 -0600

Some days, in spite of my best efforts, I just can't seem to accomplish anything worthwhile. My day is a long string of changing diapers, picking up messes, making food, feeding kids, cleaning up the food (and then the kids), putting them down for…

The Joys Of Motherhood (TJOM)

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:46:35 -0600

So today is my anniversary. Seven years ago today I married my husband. Yes, October 13th, and on a Friday no less. We were crazy. :) It doesn't seem like it has been seven whole years, and at the same time I can't believe it has only been seven…