"Lurkers"

Okay. I am not asking people to delurk  themselves, persay. But it has come to my attention that I have a serious 'lurker' issue on this here blog. 

According to the all knowing Google Reader I have 44 subscribers- But I have 42 followers via Blogger and on average 3-5 comments a day. 

Now, I know some of my subscribers may be followers as well but I KNOW I have wordpress readers who cannot follow me but can subscribe, as well as people who just subscribe but don't follow or visa versa, so some of those 44 are independent of the 42. I also KNOW that I have people who read me DAILY who are nether a follower or a subscriber. 

I have also seen a decline in comments since I have taken away the option for anonymous comments. Is it b/c the content is lacking? or did you all just like that option? (sn: I know I had some non-bloggers who commented who used that option, I might consider bringing it back, idk yet). You all can thank "Bianca" and "Miss (Mr?) Anonymous" I don't think I have any male readers, how bored would they be reading this blog? Unless they are gay, Do I have any gay readers? Let yourself be known... I love the Gays!! I digress. You can think the aforementioned for me not allowing anon. comments. I am not going to be trashed on my own blog. Thank you but no thanks.

Also if you read my blog- do just that and go about your day. You don't need to discuss it with anyone. I mean seriously this is not the halls of Jr. High. This is not the start of the gossip mill. I am a [young] mommy blogger. I am just living my life. I didn't intend for this blog to be about my "mommyhood" but lets face it- its about my life and since I had E, my life has morphed and molded and its ALL about her. Thats just how it goes. 

I am working on sprucing things up around here. I hope this leads to a more positive atmosphere. 

I love you all. You are seriously the pb to my j!!!

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Keep up in between posts, I Tweet , A lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"Post-It Note Tuesday"

Is it just me or is this week already dragging? Well here we are again... Post-It Note Tuesday's - Lamesauce? Work w.me here. E is in the homestretch w.swimlessons & I am trying to get ALOT more done then is possible in 24hrs.  

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Keep up in between posts, I Tweet , A lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"Not Me Monday"

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog for more Monday fun. 

-While visiting family at the beach Sat. I did not get completely fried! I also do not win mother of the year for letting my toddler get sunburned too, despite the fact that that every hour I was applying waterbabies.

-I most certainly did not forget to have my stepmom trim E's bangs whilst at the beach, E does NOT resemble a shaggy dog now. 

-It was NOT my sole purpose this weekend to exchange my size 6 crocs for size 5. In the process I did not got to 2 Macy's, 2 journeys and 1 crocs stand, 2 malls- I was defeated when they didn't have purple. I was successful in getting my size 5 (at the crocs stand).    

-I realized this weekend that for some reason unknown to me the I have not been dreading uploading the almost 200 pics on my camera, that are all certainly NOT of E- just from JUNE. Today I will not make myself do it, during afternoon nap quiet- haha!! put E in her bed and listen to her talk to her 'babies' on the monitor for 45-60mins time.

-I have not been putting off doing laundry b/c I am lazy and hate the 500+ 23 stairs in my parents house. I am not hoping that I will find a place to live before I run out of clean clothes. I would never be so lazy. (sn: I have done E's laundry!! MOTHER OF THE YR, I tell ya!)

-I did not try to BRIBE the best w.baked goods to come hangout and watch SundayNight Lifetime with me... Only the best two shows evverrr... DDD&ARMYWIVES- To be DENIED! 

-and I most definitely did not let my sun"kissed" toddler sleep with me last night. She did not wake up right as AW was starting screaming... I did not do everything in my power to calm her to no avail. Then I did not promise cartoons of she took some kids ibuprofen, then when she was not ready to turn the TV off I did not bribe her again talk to her calmly with the end result being her not being asleep in MY bed. I AM not TIRED TODAY. 

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After a whirlwind week last week, I think I can safely say... I am back! This is our last week in the pool for swim lessons, they are paying off... this weekend E jumped in the pool and SWAM LIKE A PRO! (no help from waterwings or mommy!) I was freaked out at first but then overjoyed! This week I also start to learn my "new job" I will post about this a little later when I know more about it but It promises to be exciting (i hope!). All-in-all... I am glad to be back (minus this horrid sunburn). I am currently looking for a place to call home... I love my parents but I CAN'T LIVE HERE MUCH LONGER. Keep an eye on the blog there's going to be some (design/ content) changes really soon!

Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"Im alive, just barely"

Since we last talked I [cue bullet points] :

• -Packed up everything E & I owned in boxes in less then 7 days.
• -Helped M & Chip load it into my '04 MDX & U-Haul trailer.
• -Had a birthday... I am now 24 I feel 90 thanks to this horrid move. Gasp.
• -Packed 2 suit cases for out plane ride home. Had to inspect E's, b/c she's famous for "packing" toys.
• -Let E stay up late every night the last week in PA to spend time w.her Bop & Guppy.
• -Caught lighting bugs in a jar w.E- Daddy did the dirty job of touching them, Mommy took about a billion pics... those to come later!
• -Had a few very emotional good byes w.Chip, Bop & Guppy. There may or may not have been alot of tears at the airport. I looked like someone died as I was going through security. NOT a good look as you're going through AIRPORT SECURITY. [SN: I hate hurting people & seeing M's dad hurting b/c I was taking his granddaughter away, killed me. They are very close. E says he's her bestfriend. I am getting teary eyed typing this.]
• -Flew on a plane, w/a 2y/o & about 45 other children ALL going to Disney!!! My munchkin had her own seat. She enjoyed this. I however, DID NOT. Up. Down. Up. Down. repeat- for 2+ hours. 
• -Got home, cursed 100% HUMIDITY.
• -Basically made out w.my bestie when she got to my house!
• -Had pizza & ice cream cake for birthday dinner.
• -Had a slumber party w.aformentioned bestie.
• -GOT PRESENTS!!!! Bestie rocks... she just wants baller presents on her bday... I know how she rolls. haha j/k.
• -Took E to see TS3 (her first movie theater movie!) w.Bestie, Ashleyx2 & Miss Mal- They were so freaking cute together. (Thx for the pics Hayls!!)
• -Went to visit my Grandma & celebrate my bday & Fathers day. It was a blast. I love seeing my family & very pregnant cousins! 
• -Watched all the littles play in the front yard till the afternoon FL storm rolled in.
• -Had a Girls night-in & baked cookies w.mom & You got it by now... Bestie while watching DDD & Army Wives.
• -Greeted my hons @ 1am after his 15+hr drive w.my stuff and the horrible U-haul.
• -Started E's swim re-fresher lessons. [SN: Shes been in lessons since before she was 12mons...these are 2 week refreshers to refresh her memory about swimming!]
• -Un-loaded my car & U-Haul in said humidity, trying to beat said storms.
• -Took the u-haul back.
• -Had lunch w.my hons.
• -Took him to the airport, said a short good good-bye. [he'll be back in less then 27 days!]
• -Went to grandmas to get forgotten babydoll.
• -Started to move boxes around b/c temp. staying w.my parents- CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE. - will not be unpacking everything.
• -Fell asleep in my clothes w.the lights on.
• -Swim lessons day #2.

& I have SO MUCH un-packing/organizing to do in the next week.

That about covers it. I am so tired its not even funny- I have so much to do. The mess is ridiculous. I want to cry. I hate THIS kind of messy. Playroom messy is different... moving messy gives me a panic attack.

I. HATE. MOVING. 

I am sorta back. I hope to be back in FULL swing by Monday, June 28th--

It feels good to be home though &  I know it will feel even better in the coming weeks, Good things are happening. 

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT. YOU GUYS ROCK MY LIFE.

[SN: Have you heard about LiLu? Go here to hear all about it!!] 

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Keep up in between posts, I Tweet , A lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"A Quickie"

Okay heres the deal.

I had a great post planned for today. But, I woke up in a cold sweat at 6:55 (THX E!!) & realized:

I MOVE 1,000+mi (w.a toddler) IN 7 DAYS & HAVEN'T PACKED A SINGLE BOX! SHIT.

So I called my (ex)college picked up my OFFICIAL transcripts. Finished one of the two apps I needed for UCF & I am working on the second one. The second one is a little more in depth (Im applying to, two diff. programs b/c I can't do them BOTH @ UCF b/c they suck.) I am doing them BOTH now, though. I am sad I will have to pick soon. But I digress. 

So from now until I hit FL ground I most likely will not be around much. I will be in and out reading, YALL KEEP ME SANE, and of course commenting as much as I can. 

Dont forget... my birthday is THURSDAY, JUNE 17TH!!!

I will post what I had planned for today in two weeks once I am home and settled. 

Once I am home lots of things will be going on: My cousin Missy's 2nd baby (A GIRL) Ellie is due June 19th (she better not come early I will cry), TOY STORY 3 w.My favs (Ashley, Mallory & Hayls & possibly my mama) That will be E's FIRST MOVIE THEATER MOVIE!!, Bubba comes home from Deployment at the end of the month (I do believe this is correct), E& I get to GO BACK TO CHURCH- HALLELUJAH! & June 25th will mark 365days till the day I am getting married!!! Planning will have to begin!! Hayls, my MOH & I have already been kind of talking about plans. *EXCITED* ABOUT JUNE!!!

oh yah...

Dont forget... my birthday is THURSDAY, JUNE 17TH!!!

I love yall... see ya in the BEAUTIFUL FL SUN!!!!

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Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"That Just Aint Right"

Welcome to the second edition of That Just Aint Right. 

Tuesday night M & I were driving for the THIRD time, out to this tiny dealership, in this tiny town, thats over an hr away, so he could FINALLY buy a vehicle. (He bought a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer, less then 30,000- its loaded & he got a great deal). Remember his DIED on him like 3 weeks ago.

Anyhoodle while we were on one of the many highways we had to take to get there, we were childless (which is a rarity) & talking & carrying on when at the same time we both stop talking and look at an object in the road. It was in the same lane we were in.

M QUICKLY changes lanes, as I am sure he has figured out what it is, I haven't, So I blurt out: 

Me: "what the hell is that?"

Him: "Looks like some kind of CEMENT mixer" That Just Aint Right

Me: Are you serious?"

Him: "Very, I wouldn't want to be the person who hits that, that's like hitting a car"

Me: "I thought that was an animal"

Him: "If someone hits that they will wish it was an animal"

Me: "Should I call someone about that? like highway patrol?"

Him: "Nah it's probably this guys & he will probably realize it soon & turn around, those things are like a couple grand" That Just Aint Right

The convo continued on & on like this for a few until we passed someone who was dialing a cell and to make myself feel better I said "He is probably calling "PennDOT" (PA Dept. of Transportation). M chuckled and just told me he loved me.  We continued our convo and maybe 20ish (I have a horrible sense of time, it was probably longer) mins later I saw some work trucks with empty trailers and said "These are probably the trucks that lost the mixer babe!, I bet they are going to try and turn around here any minute!"  

A booming laugh came from my sweet fiancee. I was confused. I looked at him puzzled. 

Him: "Honey those aren't them"

Me: "How do you know?"

Him: "We are on a completely different road now, the turnpike, that was a long time ago, you're so cute babe" That Just Aint Right

Needless to say I am so out of my element here. I have never in my nearly 24 years of life seen an abandoned cement mixer in the middle of the road. That Just Aint Right. I hope it was moved & no one was hurt. 

It looked similar to this, but the mixing part was larger and the whole thing was silver and it was laying on its side so the "legs" were in the air:

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Since this is going to be reoccurring, not weekly but when something happens and I say to my self "That Just Aint Right" I am going to make a tag for it. You know me and my tags/icons & how much I love photoshop. 

Thanks again Candice for letting me steal borrow the idea, its so cute, I love it.

Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"Word[less] Wednesday"

It shouldn't come as a shock to ANYONE by now, I suck @ the no words thing.  That there are captions words. 

These are from our Sunday Afternoon train ride. I wrote about that here.

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Cousins.

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This was such a sweet moment, I was glad I had my camera out.

Secrets between friends are special, secrets between cousins are sacred. 

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She is def. my chid, she can talk anyones ear off. Going about 90mph/min.

Candid shots are my absolute fav. Thats when you really catch their personalities.

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Come back here tomorrow for the Second Edition of "That Just Aint Right" [thx again to Candice for the idea]

Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"Tick-Off Tuesday"

I was going to write an actual post but I have a few things bothering me...

Thanks to Hailey for showing me the ways of "TOT"

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Here is a list of things that are *currently* ticking me off:

-Driving over an hour to a Ford dealership TWICE to NOT buy a vehicle but to tell the salesman "Sir we WILL be back tomorrow to buy this vehicle and take it off your hands"

-After driving to said dealership our babygirl is not in bed till 9 o'clock, An hour after bedtime. So at about 8:10 she is a wad-o-fun. a mess. NO THANKS!

-Being in a heavy sweatshirt, sweatpants & fuzzy socks in JUNE & still being cold. Did I mention its JUNE & only 57* out. Only a few short days ago (Saturday) It was in the 90s, WTH mother nature? I HATE BEING COLD.

-That Fathers Day is in like 12 days & IDK what to get M from E, I obvi want it to be handmade, 'by her'. At. A. Complete. Loss.

-How my pretty has decided that she doesn't want to listen to me [or her daddy for that matter] anymore & we have had to take her bedtime story away 2-nights in a row. Breaks my heart. But I can't give in.  

-That the internet is as slow as dial-up today. WTH is up with that?

-That I got ZERO packing done yesterday b/c right as I was going to start packing I decided that I was going to deep clean the bathroom. It needed it. 

-I have all this desire to pack so I can move but at the same time I have no desire to pack, its such a tedious process. 

-I have wanted pizza from Olivia's for the last 2.5 weeks, but I have been vetoed. Since I will be alone this weekend. Its going down. Bitches. 

-My child has, overnight, become terrified of bugs & loud sounds. IDK how this happened but having a 2y/o glued to me when she sees a bug (ie: ant, etc) or hears a noise that is too loud she clings & whimpers. It was cute at first not so much anymore.

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Well that about sums things up.

Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"Not Me Monday"

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog for more Monday fun. 

- While in the shower Friday night I did not see a stink bug perched on top of MY body wash and scream [quietly b/c the bathroom we use at my in-laws shares a wall w.E's room] and then proceed to use M's body wash- I also keep my eyes open for the duration of my shower b/c I DID NOT want that gross bug anywhere near my clean body. So much for relaxing shower... I DID NOT look around for M all day Sat. when I got a slight whiff of him, forgetting that it was ME I was smelling. 

-It did not take me almost 3 hours, I was chasing E around for about 1.5 hrs of that b/c she thought we were playing hide-n-seek, um NO to clean the INSIDE of my SUV b/c it has not been 6+ (meaning it has been over 6mons, less then a yr though) since the last time my car was cleaned. It was not GROSS. You could NOT tell I have a child. I am now not embarrassed to have people get in my vehicle.   

-I did not call the grocery store to ask for boxes b/c you know I am moving in 11 days and STILL HAVENT STARTED PACKING & was on hold for too long & hung up, on Saturday. I hope when I call again today I won't get the same girl, b/c You know I don't really NEED TO PACK. I am NOT stressing, yet. I have NOT thought (Im not there, yet, just thinking about it) about popping xanex like skittles. 

-I most certainly did not praise E when she slept-in till 7:50 on Sunday, telling her BIG GIRLS sleep-in, but before I did not do that I definitely did not roll over and slap M and say "she let us sleep till almost 8, go get her a cup of milk, will ya?" Then I did not mis-step and trip on my way out the door.

-I have not taken well over 100 pictures of E in 1.5 weeks. A good amount of them were not taken yesterday on the Hawk Mountain Line @ The Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern, Inc.  train ride we went on. It was not a bundle of fun. It did not start raining while we were on the open car and I did not take E from M and say "Daddy can get wet but E & mommy are gunna go back in the car w/Grammy & Aunt Michelle" Not less then 2 minutes did it start to pour & everyone came pouring in the car, suckers!  

-I did not squee LOUDLY when the season premiere of Drop Dead Diva came on last night & was not even more in love w.my honey when he watched (and maybe had a few laughs) with me. I most certainly did not bawlEVERY. SINGLE. WEEK.

-I do not have plans to START PACKING today. I will not be stalking EVERY. SINGLE. GROCERY STORE until they give me boxes. I shouldn't need TOO many. 

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I have some cool-ish stuff planed this week. Stay tuned! 

Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

"The Things I am Loving, Right Now"

Eucerin Daily Skin Balance: This stuff is amazing. I have the weirdest skin. It is only dry during the summer months. I call it summer skin. I get really dry feet & legs; I notice it usually around the middle/end of May & it lasts until Novemberish. You would think it would happen in the DRY winter months, but NO not my skin. Happens in the muggy, wet Summer months. Anyways I have seen commercials for this stuff & happened to get a sample somehow in the mail & fell in LOVE. Its about $10- kind of expensive for [drugstore] lotion, but SO worth it. I use it ALL over my body. You will LOVE it.

Victoria's Secret Super Model Perfume: This has been my fav. scent for a few yrs now & for the last two Christmases my Dad & Step Mom have gotten it for me. Its way pricey so I love that they get me the BIGGEST bottle of it- It about lasts me all yr. I wear a few other scents but this is my ALL time fav.

Bobby Pins: This might seem weird but I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some bobby pins. I have a thing of them in my car, and a small cosmetic bag FULL of them (this is from my 20 years of dance) & I can find random BP all over the place, is kind of sad. I use BP daily. I pull my hair back in this curly, but cute mess. As well as pinning my, weird length, bangs back. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have at least 2 BP in my hair. I rarely have my hair in a ponytail anymore.

The Amazon Kindle2: I have mentioned how much I love my Kindle on multiple occasions, I got it for my birthday last yr from my mom and step dad Tom. It's really no secret that I love reading. I take that sucker with me every where. Its so small and light (it has a case to protect it). I read so mush faster on my Kindle as well. There are some books I still want actual copies of, like any N.Sparks book... I buy in actual print and so on.

Diet A&W Rootbeer [bubbles]: Until Memorial Day weekend I forgot how much I loved Rootbeer and since I only drink diet soda; Diet rootbeer. I am re-hooked. I have a huge sweet tooth, this doesn't completely take the sweet urge away but it helps curb it.

Eggo Nutrigrain Whole Wheat Waffles: If I am not going to make waffles from scratch, these are the only waffle 'cookies' [I may or may not lie & tell her they are 'waffle cookies'] that E will eat. Plus they are the only ones I like. I like these same ones w.blueberries too but since the Eggo factory was flooded late last yr they are still not to full production yet. The rumor is by mid-summer THIS YR! I digress. These waffles are actually pretty good for you & E is a finicky eater so if she will eat an entire waffle I am all for these.  

**Tell Me, What Are The Things YOU Are Loving, Right Now?

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Have a GOOD & Safe weekend! I think I might be venturing to Liberty Bell-- I am not sure yet. 

Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli

  

"Color Blindness"

{Via} *Warning: Long post ahead!

Definition: Color blindness is the inability to see certain colors in the usual way.

Yes, I think E is colorblind. Although it is known as the "Mans Disease" (its not really a disease, though). Her biological father, [Genetic Donor], was colorblind if I remember correctly. We have been working on colors for a while now and she is having a hard time. Everything seems to be "BLUE". At first it was cute, now I have reason for concern. Esp, when I tell her this is "red" (while hold up something that is very red, like an ALL red flash card) then ask her, again, "what color is this?" and she says "Blue". Yesterday we worked for a LONG time with our colors book, and for the first 10/15 mins everything was blue. I told her to "relax & focus" then she would repeat me on the colors then everything was "green" or "white" then we were back to "blue". M thinks I am bored so I look for things to be wrong. I think I am being diligent. NOTHING, aside from constant ear infections (and I can't make THOSE up), has ever been wrong with her. 

Sadly, she seems to have gotten a lot from GD. Left handed. Fair, sensitive skin. Oddly spaced teeth. Hair color. Build (This is the only ONE I am THANKFUL for, she'll be taller than I was (5foot) and skinny- his family is all skinny... mine, well we're southern & like our comfort foods- A lot). Blood type- Sadly, she didn't get mine, him and I were the same letter, just he was positive and I was negative, made for some fun shots during my pregnancy. I digress. So why wouldn't she have inherited this poor trait too?

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Symptoms:

Symptoms vary from person to person, but may include:

• Trouble seeing colors and the brightness of colors in the usual way
• Inability to tell the difference between shades of the same or similar colors

Often, the symptoms may be so mild that some persons do not know they are color blind. A parent may notice signs of color blindness when a child is learning his or her colors. (this is were we are right now... I will be keeping a very keen eye on miss E)

Rapid, side-to-side eye movements and other symptoms may occur in severe cases.

Treatment

There is no known treatment. -- Well Duh... I knew this.

Causes

Color blindness occurs when there is a problem with the color-sensing materials (pigments) in certain nerve cells of the eye. These cells are called cones. They are found in the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye.

If you are missing just one pigment, you might have trouble telling the difference between red and green (so far she seems to not "see" red). This is the most common type of color blindness (makes sense why she doesn't "see" red then). Other times, people have trouble seeing blue-yellow colors (Nope! She "sees" Blue just fine, or so she says). People with blue-yellow color blindness almost always have problems identify reds and greens (if she can "see" blue, why can't she "see" red, too?!), too.

The most severe form of color blindness is achromatopsia. A person with this rare condition cannot see any color. Achromatopsia is often associated with lazy eye, nystagmus (small, jerky eye movements), severe light sensitivity, and extremely poor vision. 

Most color blindness is due to a genetic problem (Thanks to her GD). (See: X-linked recessive) About 1 in 10 men have some form of color blindness. Very few women are color blind (Leave it to my daughter to be one of the few women... doesn't mean she can run off and be "One of the few" - 5pts if you get that).

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I know I might be jumping the gun on this, but I would rather be "safe then sorry". You can never be to cautious with your children, esp when the GD has said problem & when she was quick learning everything else (rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking, talking, counting, etc..) and now she can't grasp this? She's 26mons and can count to 15 unassisted... 20 with help, I don't know much but I think thats great! Shes doing great on the "ABC's", She knows the "Wheels on the Bus", Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" & a few others. Basically she excels so it doesn't make sense for her not to here. 

I have been pushing colors so hard & we both get so frustrated, if she is C.B., then obviously I would, back off. If she's not, then I need to find a new approach, b/c the one I am using now sucks doesn't work for E, every child is different, and I need to find her niche. 

I am going to wait a little while, keep working with her, see if it resolves, if it doesn't, I will talk to her ped (in FL b/c I am newly un-fond of her PA peds office) & go from there. I am hoping it's a phase, a "blue" phase. 

If she is C.B. I won't love her anyless, I will just remember that I will have to buy/pick out her clothes... FOREVER!! So when she goes away to college I will have to label all her clothes for her, so she doesn't walk out of her dorm looking a fool. No, I didn't JUST say that, that was b.a.d. 

**Freaders... are any of your children/nieces/nephews/kids you babysit/teach/etc C.B.? or are any of their friends? How did their parents/guardians figure it out? Let me know!!!

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Don't miss a beat, keep up in between posts, I Tweet , a lot.

xo

-Kandid Kelli