Various

I've had a lot of little things crossing my mind lately and I think to myself, "I should blog that," but then never get around to it since it's such a little thing.

So here is a various post with some of these latest musings...

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Nova generally eats her own dog food, but loves scraps dropped by babies or other kids and she especially loves it when Daddy tosses down a beef bone or some fatty scraps from some meat he's prepared.  She also loves pasta, rice and she'll never walk away from a potato.  Sometimes she'll eat cooked veggies -- especially if it has any kind of buttery or meaty flavor to it.

But normally, any type raw fruits or vegetables -- even covered in Ranch dressing -- she turns her nose up at them.  These just do not appeal to her.  Melon, no.  Cucumbers, no.  Salad, no.  Apples or oranges, definitely no.

Today I was trying to pull out some leftovers to make for breakfast and I knocked a container of grape tomatoes out of the fridge.  J and O love snacking on those little goodies.  I'll eat them as part of a salad, myself.  The container popped open and tiny tomatoes began rolling everywhere, even under the edge of the fridge.

Ugg.

Then suddenly, my eyes were shocked as I saw Nova chasing each little red fruit around and gulping them down.  She even used her paw to pull a couple out from under the fridge.

Nova loves raw tomatoes?  Who knew?!

I hope they're not bad for dogs.

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Speaking of this morning, I skipped church service today.  I have been sick, but not terrible since coming home from California (the second time).  But it's the weirdest thing because every day that I don't feel good, I feel on the edge of sick, but never really bowl me over and put me to bed sick.

I get a sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, coughing and I start losing my voice.  I'll be like that for a couple days and then the next day, I'll feel normal.  Then I'm ill for a day with the same symptoms and I'll feel fine for a couple days.

What's more is that S has been like a dueling banjo with me on this subject.  She's feeling fine on the days I'm sick and when I start to feel more reasonable, she's really not feeling well.

Today, I woke up feeling like a cross between a frog and a hoarse.  (Har-har.)  My voice was incredibly strained and I felt like junk.  Laid in bed for a long while till finally the kids were asking when we were leaving for church.  C had been their since 6:00 or so, because he's singing with the worship team today.

I finally decided to bring those who wanted to go and then return home myself so that A) I don't pass this on and B) I can rest a little more before the weekdays start.

I was very proud of our kids though who all opted to go to church service even though I wasn't going.  I remember trying to get out of going way more when I was their age, but they actually like going.  What more can a mama ask for?

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What are some things my readers (and others yet to find this blog) want to hear from me most?

I find myself often just blogging about daily life and I think that's more for me than for you guys.  But sometimes, I feel so uncreative about writing something purposeful or meaningful.  Something that maybe gives others a moment to ponder their own lives.

And now with back to 19 bloggers following me here (and I don't know how many email followers or whatever), what things interest you about my life?  Is it my entertaining children?  Our dog?  My life as a homeschooling mom?  My attempts to follow a Paleo lifestyle?  The deals and freebies I find?  Our travels?  Photos?

If you didn't guess, I'm looking for feedback here.  Please comment below.

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I love my new iPhone 5, but I find I'm slow in learning how to use it and how to transfer all the digital information from my old phone and from the calendar on my computer at home so that it can be in one place and I can stop carrying two phones.

I got some new ringtones a couple days ago and finally got them set up in the phone.  Now, my sisters and my husband and S have their own unique ringtones, while everyone else has a fun and funky one that I really like (and hope I can get used to).  With bad hearing and a tendency to tune out background noise (that kids make), I keep missing my calls.  I'm so not used to the new ringtones (even the ones that came with the phone).

Any good suggestions for ones to put for my parents?  It seems like all the "mom" ones out there are like a warning and kind of rude.  My mom is nice and when she calls, I'm happy.  So I want something fun and not like a parent alert.

Also, free is important.

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I have two Instagram followers now!  Woohoo!  (Get with the "in" crowd by clicking the link in the right margin and then clicking "Follow."  You can follow on your computer or your smart phone.)

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Thumbs up for Paleo.  It's going well on this second 30-day challenge.  I'm down three pounds since starting last Tuesday.  C will probably drop 15 in his first week because he did his initial weigh-in at night, fully clothed.  Stinker.  Plus, he's a guy and they always seem to have it easier in the losing weight department.

But I am trying to remember that this is not a competition with him.  Trying.

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Speaking of Paleo and not feeling well this morning, J was so sweet and tried to bring me a Paleo breakfast in bed.  She brought me a fruit strip (real fruit, not candy), some pineapples and some pepperoni.

I had the fruit strip as a "snack," but explained that pineapples (especially those packaged kinds) are really high in sugar and that processed meats aren't so good for Paleo.  But she really did put in an effort and remembered that I don't eat dairy or grains!  So she's on a good start for understanding what I'm doing here.

She's very thoughtful and I thanked her repeatedly for trying to take such good care of me. :)

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Halfway through doing lesson planning for this week.  I'll use the quiet house to get some more done now.  This week, in our human body study, we're learning about fingers and toes.  Our related biography is Louis Braille (since he relied on his fingers for reading).  Plus, more stuff about Africa in the geography portion and who knows what else?!

Blog with you soon.  Have a blessed Sunday.