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	<title>Jen's ramblings</title>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[My new blog...GO HERE:]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[http://troesterfamily.com/blog/]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/294/My-new-blogGO-HERE</link>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[More farm time]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[This morning we just hung out at home to make up for a week of being busy busy busy. I felt Katie should enjoy one free morning of her vacation and I just felt like laying low, too. After our lazy morning we headed to our last swimming lesson of the session. I was totally not on the ball and signed Katie up too late, so she and Chandler will be in different classes next session, but I think it will be OK. I will just have to remember to be more on the ball next time!

Anywho, we got the little progress report and Katie is doing really well. I even got a chance to see her swim when I went to get her and Chandler. Usually Misty and I take the younger boys to open Jamboree during swim lessons, so I don't really get to watch her lessons, but I got to see the tail end today and can't believe how far she has come. She is doing really well. 

Anywho, after swimming I took the kids to Great Brook Farm for an ice cream and some animal time. It was pretty crowded, I am guessing b/c it is vacation week and it is so nice out today. Katie met a little girl named Betsy while we were there and they sat and ate together and then went and fed the animals. 

I have come to the conclusion that Katie gets along best with girls who are a bit older. I think Betsy was probably 5 or so and she was very outgoing. That combo seems to mesh well with Katie's personality for whatever reason. I think it might be b/c the older girls are a little less drama and the calmness really helps her. Older boys are too rough and younger girls seem to clash a lot, so I think the 5-6 yr old girls are a good fit. Not that we know many of those...lol...oh well.  Not to say the friends she has aren't great, just saying she seems much more centered with girls in this age range...

Anywho, after hanging out there for about an hour we headed home and are now getting ready to make dinner. Kai is going out tonight with some friends so the kids and I are on our own. I asked Katie what she wanted to make for a ..]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/293/More-farm-time</link>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Spring party and cold weather a'comin...]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Yesterday we had a really great day. We had a bunch of people over from our pg for a spring party. It was gorgeous out and the kids had a lot of fun playing outside, and even in the sprinkler, even though I thought it was a bit too chilly for that...they didn't care though! Katie was all about wearing her bathing suit and wouldn't hear of putting any clothes on over it! 

Ben had a great time playing in it, too. I thought for sure he would be too cold and come over to me whining, but he hung in there. My kids just love the water, I guess. 

After our guests left I put Ben down for a nap and Katie and I rested in the family room and ate lunch. Then when Ben woke up we headed back outside. 

I cannot tell you how happy I was to have the kids out almost the entire day. It totally threw me back to my childhood when we were pushed out the door in the am and spent the whole day out. Well, we weren't pushed, we WANTED to go! 

The thing is, TV wasn't a big thing back then. There weren't really too many video games around and certainly no computers, so we either did pretend play inside or played outside. THIS is what I want for my kids. This is why I refuse to buy a video game set and why we canceled cable. Part of the time I want to just cancel the TV altogether, but there are a few shows I like to watch at night...lol. But I can see life being much richer without any of that. Maybe someday....Kai would be thrilled if I gave him the OK...hmmm....

Kids are way too hooked on electronics these days...it's probably why childhood obesity rates have shot up, too, and since Katie is already on the stocky side, I don't need to help her along...HAHA.  Plus, I used to love playing pretend as a kid...making up stories and going on &quot;adventures&quot;...kids don't do that these days...they have their adventures online or in front of a box...I say let's bring back the good ol' days! Get out and play! Use that imagination! Kids will probably be smarter and healthier for it! (off my  ..]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/292/Spring-party-and-cold-weather-acomin</link>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Our trip to the farm...]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Last night Katie had a &quot;sleepover party&quot; at my mom's house and then today we all went to Davis Farmland together. I have never been there but have heard really good things about it, and it def did not disappoint! 

They have a really big animal area with a lot of pens that you can go into and touch sheep and goats, and even brush them. You can feed them, too, but I think they get fed a lot and weren't really in the mood to eat anything today...so we came home with 2 big cups of food...lol...oh well! The kids loved it, though! Ben surprised me. I thought he would be afraid of the animals, but he ran right up to them and pet them all...even a cow, which is pretty big in Benland! He was not amused, however, when the cow ate some food off his hand and left it all dirty. He held it out for me to wipe off...lol...it was too cute. 

Ben also got him thumb munched on by a goat and he didn't mind that, either! Nor did he mind the duck that was trying to get him through a fence. He was just excited about it all.

Katie, of course, loved it. Especially milking the fake cow and playing in the &quot;fishing pond&quot;...oh, and the pony rides. She got two and loved every minute. 

Along with the animals (and hayride...forgot to mention that) they have a huge play area. They have a toddler area, a couple playgrounds, a huge sandbox area, and a kinda town, with a couple houses, a market, and a vet...Katie LOVED that area! 

We got there around 10:30 and left at 3, so we had a good, full day there. 

Oh, and it was like in the high 80's today...very unusual for this time of year! Thankfully the farm provides free sunscreen b/c mommy forgot to bring some! 

After the farm we went back to my mom's for a while where Ben napped and Katie played outside some more. My mom found this peddle-powered backhoe thingy someone put out for the trash and Katie has been non-stop on it. I got a catalog this week with a similiar toy in it and it was like over $200!!! I don't know why people thro ..]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/291/Our-trip-to-the-farm</link>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[A good start to April vacation]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I am so happy that the weather is cooperating for April vacation this year. Usually it is rainy and cold, but Mother Nature must be making up for the crappy winter she gave us by letting us have nice weather this week!

Yesterday we went to a pg at a friend's house. It was OUTSIDE! Yes, it is nearing the end of April and this was the FIRST time we could play outdoors at a pg...crazy! Anywho, we were there for about 3 hrs, so the kids got a lot of fresh air...meaning I didn't feel guilty about staying inside for a while when we got home! Ben NEEDED a nap, which is fought tooth and nail, but which I didn't give up on. He fell asleep in the car on the way home and I transferred him to bed...he was fine, stayed asleep...I thought for sure I was good...

Well, like 1/2 later I hear him screaming. I go in and his is practically hyperventilating...really upset. I have no clue why. I thought maybe he somehow hurt himself, but that didn't seem to be the case. I picked him up and laid down with him on our bed and he calmed down and went back to sleep. I ended up putting him back in the crib and he slept for a couple  hours.

The only theory I have is that he was  having stomach issues. Kai took him for ice cream the other night and h e just cannot have dairy. I mean, we just went through this huge ordeal trying to figure out what his issue was with milk, and we have decided he has lactose issues, since he is OK on Lactaid. 

Then the night after the ice cream we ran out of Lactaid so we let Ben have a cup of regular milk...um...oops...

SO, he had 2 nights of dairy...and I think that really screwed him up. He now has a really bad rash again (peeling skin and all) and I am guessing his tummy might have been upset, too. SO, now we know for sure...NO DAIRY!!!!! NEVER.....NOT EVEN A LITTLE!!!!!!

Yeah, we are bad parents...

Anywho, today we are having an Earth Day pg here. The kids are going to decorate their own flower pots and we are going to plant seeds in them  ..]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/290/A-good-start-to-April-vacation</link>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[not so subtle hints...]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Lately Katie has been going around the house telling me the walls need to be painted. First she started with her  bedroom. The walls are just plain white in there. I have been wanting to paint but haven't b/c 1)she rarely sleeps in her own room 2) the bed she picked out at IKEA has a blue star and moon canopy and she also has star and moon light fixtures, and being that girl=pink to me I have been at a loss as to how to decorate her walls. 

Anywho, then she moved on to the downstairs bathroom. After using it one day she called to me and told me we also needed to paint the bathroom. Then she told me we needed to paint the family room. I do want to paint the bathroom, and even know what color I would use, I just haven't gotten around to it, mostly b/c Kai does the painting and I am afraid I would mess it up...lol. The family room we CAN'T paint until Kai build an archway (his plan) between the kitchen and living room so we can use different colors. The back wall is just one big wall that runs between those two rooms, so until they are separated we can't really do much.

I guess Katie got sick of waiting though b/c this morning Kai asked me how nail polish got onto the wall. I looked over and sure enough there was a big streak of purple polish. I asked Katie about it and she told me she did it b/c she wants the walls to be painted! I told her that NAIL polish was meant for NAILS only, and so please don't use it on the walls. She was very exasperated, however, over the fact that mommy and daddy have yet to paint as requested. 

Granted, Katie is totally right in wanting us to paint. Almost every wall in the house is white, save our dining room and the wonderful purple color of Ben's room. We haven't done anything to the house since we moved in 1 1/2 yrs ago, which I am sure is pretty bad being that everyone else seems to paint and decorate right away. We just aren't those kind of people. Heck, we still have the same curtains the owners left when the moved...so, y ..]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/289/not-so-subtle-hints</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[At least she's honest, I guess...]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[For the past couple months I have been getting Harper's Bazaar in the mail. I have never subscribed to this magazine and have no clue why I get it, but whatever. 

Anywho, one of the issues has Demi Moore on the cover. This is the conversation Katie and I had after she called me over to see the &quot;pretty lady&quot;...

Katie: Mommy, look at this pretty lady

Me: Whose prettier, the lady or mommy?

Katie: the lady

Me: Well, isn't mommy pretty?

Katie: Yes

Me: But the lady is prettier?

Katie: Yes

I for sure thought she would say I was prettier  [even though it isn't true...but don't all kids think their mommies are the best looking women ever?]...but she was honest and told me like it is....it was kinda funny...and kinda a blow to my ego!]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/288/At-least-shes-honest-I-guess</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Ch-ch-ch-changes...]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[We will soon be changing blog programs on our site. This one sucks...the comment section doesn't work...the archive section doesn't work...and it looks quite boring...so Kai is on a mission to fancy it up. He is also going to be adding a brewing blog, for those of you interested...lol....

So be on the look out for a much nicer blog in the near future!]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/287/Chchchchanges</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Our morning...]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[This morning Kai and I awoke to the sound of a mouse chewing on something behind one of our bedroom walls. Upon inspection we figured out the thing was right behind the thermostat in our room. We both got up and banged on the wall a few times, hoping to scare it away, but that didn't work. I told Kai he should take the thermostat off and see if he could capture the mouse....I really didn't think he would do it...but he did! 

All of a sudden I heard a yelp and then another yelp...apparently when he removed the box the mouse was right there staring at him...then it jumped from the wall to the floor. At that point I swaddled myself in the blankets to make sure there was no way the thing could get to me! I know they are little and cute, but what can I say...I don't like them, or their gross, little tails!

At this point Kai ran downstairs to get a bucket and the big hand held light we use in the garage to try and capture it. Of course, all of this woke up Ben, whose crib is in our room, but Katie, who was in bed with us, didn't even move. The girl sleeps like the dead. 

It took a little while for Kai to get the mouse, and in the meantime Katie did finally wake up and she was excited to see the little rodent. She thinks they are cute and doesn't understand why mommy is scared of them...lol. Anywho, Kai finally caught the thing and put it in his truck b/c he is going to visit a friend today and we figured we could get rid of it far away from here...

Of course, I then started feeling bad that we might be taking it away from it's family, so we ended up letting it go in the woods  behind our house....and it is probably already back in the house by now...but that motherly part of me couldn't bare the though of a little mouse family losing it's mommy or daddy...THIS is what having kids does to you....

Anywho, between that, and finding that a mouse chewed through the radio wires in my car, I am ready to sell it all and head somewhere there are no mice...if that pl ..]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/286/Our-morning</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[I need to change...]]></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I heard something SO profound when I finally went to Church last Sunday...something that really made sense...

The pastor was talking about money. He was going over how we should feel blessed b/c God has given us what we NEED...and then some. That we should only keep what we NEED and help others with those extra blessings. Of course what we &quot;need&quot; is open to interpretation...I am sure those living in McMansions and driving Porche's feel that is a NEED...lol...

ANYWHO, I have often asked myself why God lets people live as they do in 3rd world countries...you see the images on TV and can't help but question why, if there is a God, he would allow that. You see the poor here in the US...children who go to bed hungry, who have nothing to wear, and wonder...Why?

Well, the pastor said this (paraphrased, of course)...God has blessed SO many of us with more then we need so that we can help others. Unfortunately, people don't help others. They just keep it all for themselves. If we DID keep only what we NEED and give the rest away, there wouldn't be hunger...there wouldn't be poverty like there is now...He HAS provided for everyone...through all of us...but we not only take what we need, we take what we WANT, and then go beyond that and mortgage our lives so we can get even more! 

I had NEVER thought about it that way. And I am, of course, guilty of taking way more then I need and always wanting more. I complain b/c I want a bigger car, but there are those who don't have a car at all...I complain b/c I want new clothes, but there are those who have only the shirt on their back. I have actually complained b/c I think my house is too BIG...well there are those with no home at all. 

It is SO easy to get wrapped up in the material world. To take everything for granted and complain even about having TOO much! Or wanting to keep up with the Jones'...thinking our wants are needs. 

Seeing that homeless man last night, too, just really made it hit home. I mean, it was ..]]></description>
      <link>http://troesterfamily.com/bmachine/post/index/285/I-need-to-change</link>
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