tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82579936014247540152024-03-12T21:33:05.290-04:00In the Trenches3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-18633300463949785772014-09-13T22:14:00.000-04:002014-09-13T22:14:07.660-04:00Good IntentionsI had such high hopes for this blog last year. I had told myself things like, this is the year I'm going to document our homeschool life. And I'll do reviews of products that I love and others <i>could </i>love because I reviewed them. And I'll post recipes and tutorials of how I make certain dishes, complete with pictures. And I'll share the tips and tricks I've gathered from all the Pinterest-ing. And hey! I'll post about my Pinterest projects. And our family and friends will get to see snippets of how our days go, and see more of the kids and their various school doings and whatnot. Alas, my aspirations of blogging glory were, once again, trampled by my reality. A reality in which I am juggling too many balls, and some of them are doomed to fall. I will admit that the juggling is most often a self-induced state of being. So in the interest of reorganizing and prioritizing, I will try once again to simplify. To follow through on things. To manage stress, adopt healthy habits, and focus on what's important.<br />
<br />
As I look back over the years since I started this blog, I see a pattern. A gap of many months, or perhaps a year (or more) appears between posts, and the post immediately following such a gap attempts to assure the reader that there will not be such a gap again! This blog will be revived! There are so many ideas to share, and projects to be done, and moments with growing children to capture for posterity - how can I let such things go undocumented? Yeah. So here I am again.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I'll make blogging a regular thing again. I do enjoy it, and there is a lot to be said for being able to look back at one's life and see how things have changed (or not). I look at past posts on here and realize how fleeting <strike>childhood</strike> life is, and that compels me to try again. So here I go.3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-29306206003608869262013-08-10T12:34:00.000-04:002013-08-10T21:24:02.340-04:00How I Cured My Son's Strep Throat Infection Without Antibiotics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdO__WCYxoO1VK_V8hyphenhyphenfDQ0jOllBXKAmN7dr_Gmjymfv7hjVppcRNkwQGIHZCUWHeB0AvS_PkN6KVI2lKai4nFOOmn1Lq79JUGWu48dadnWKu9vXLoFcTVJ2JND4Jk6UtPvL9K1YG4sqn/s1600/garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdO__WCYxoO1VK_V8hyphenhyphenfDQ0jOllBXKAmN7dr_Gmjymfv7hjVppcRNkwQGIHZCUWHeB0AvS_PkN6KVI2lKai4nFOOmn1Lq79JUGWu48dadnWKu9vXLoFcTVJ2JND4Jk6UtPvL9K1YG4sqn/s320/garlic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>First I need put a disclaimer out there:</b><br />
I am not suggesting that everyone should ditch antibiotics. I am not anti-doctors (or anti-medicine). I am not a medical professional, and I am not saying that this way will work for everyone. <br />
<br />
I believe that if you have a pretty healthy body and strong immune system to begin with, then natural methods of healing are more likely to work. I have been working hard for the past 5+ years to transition my family to a non-toxic, real food lifestyle. And beyond that, for the past year and a half, I have tried to use natural remedies for ailments, because of the knowledge, support, and encouragement I have received from my AMAZING <a href="http://maximizedliving.com/" target="_blank">Maximized Living</a> (<a href="http://www.victoryhealthcenter.com/" target="_blank">Victory Chiropractic and Wellness</a>) doctor, Dr. Jake Parrish. Because of his practice, I have begun to learn what a powerful healing system the body is when it is well taken care of. And because of trusting what I have learned while under his care, I have found out first hand that it is possible to clear up minor illnesses quickly, cure pretty serious infections naturally, and even avoid many illnesses altogether. It has not been easy to forsake my previously go-to medicine cabinet staples like Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Benadryl when my sweet children have had illnesses, but with faith and trust I have used alternatives and they have gotten over illnesses just the same (and I think oftentimes more quickly). Prevention is key! <br />
<br />
Now, on to the story.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago we had some precious friends come and stay with us overnight. Unfortunately, my friend's son had an ear infection coupled with a sinus infection. I believe he had already been under a doctor's care, but they had been traveling, and he kept waking up with a high fever and a lot of pain each night. It was the same the night they stayed with us. His ear also started draining pus and blood that night. They went straight to the doctor from our house the next day, and my friend texted me later on that the ear had staph infection in it, and that we might want to disinfect our couch cushions where he had slept. That was on a Thursday night into Friday afternoon.<br />
<br />
Sunday evening, my throat started to get a little sore. As did my husband's, Blake's and Josh's. Josh definitely had the most pain, as it seemed to get a lot worse pretty quickly as the night wore on. In addition he started feeling a bit feverish, so I took his temp and it was at 100.0. We knew immediately how we'd gotten the exposure to illness. I started our regimen of colloidal silver, wild oregano oil, olive leaf extract, and strong probiotics, along with some natural throat spray. For Josh's pain I used a homeopathic children's liquid for pain and fever. <br />
<br />
On Monday morning, I looked at Josh's throat and noticed some white spots had formed - I knew immediately it was strep infection. I have had strep many times in my life, so right away we called and made a doctor's appointment. His temp was at 99.8, and in addition to what I had already started for natural rememdies, I added in raw honey with cinnamon. <br />
<br />
We went to the doctor, and Josh tested positive for strep immediately. We got the prescription for antibiotics and headed to the chiropractor from there. We were supposed to attend a workshop that evening, but we decided under the circumstances we would just get adjusted and be on our way. Dr. Jake likes us to come in when we are sick, as getting adjusted is one of the ways to heal our bodies naturally. Chris texted him just to make sure it was okay since Josh had strep, but he insisted we still come in. So we went. <br />
<br />
While we were there, I told him all of the things I was doing and he suggested that I add coconut oil to help soothe the throat and to help with the infection. He also strongly encouraged me NOT to use the antibiotics (unless we absolutely had to). So Chris and I decided we'd see how things went. We filled the prescription, just in case, and went home and did a little research. <br />
<br />
I was giving him homemade chicken broth, yogurt, and whatever else he felt like eating that was nourishing. We found that garlic is a great healer for infection, and we asked Josh if he thought he could chew on some raw garlic. Chris and I decided to do it with him in solidarity, and so we all risked dragon breath. It was spicy as all get-out, and Josh decided he would not like to do that again, but maybe we could put some in his chicken broth the next day? What a trooper. His fever had pretty much been off and on at this point, and never again got over 99.8. We had debated on whether or not to give him the antibiotics, but decided to wait until the morning and see how Josh felt.<br />
<br />
<i>I have to add here that I happened to mention the garlic chewing on Facebook, and received some comments from friends and family whom I had obviously upset with my choice to attempt natural healing methods. I had not meant to alarm anyone in any way, and had I thought it through, I would have not said anything until he had already been cured. I didn't feel like I could explain myself properly on the Facebook forum without inciting debate and possibly hurting feelings, so I wanted to write this blog post to not only let those interested know what methods I used, but to also assure my family and friends that my children are not just an experiment. I am doing my very best to take excellent care of them and to keep them in good health. I would never risk their lives or assume I could take all medical matters into my own hands. In this particular case, I felt pretty confident to try because we caught it immediately. We were also prepared to use antibiotics if things didn't get better after just one day. I love my family and friends dearly, and totally appreciate their care and concern for our well-being. Moving on.</i><br />
<br />
Tuesday morning he woke up and said he didn't have as much pain, but the white spots were still there and his tonsils were still pretty swollen. No fever this day though. Chris' throat pain had disappeared completely, and I felt much better as well. Blake had a wee bit of sore throat pain still, and George still felt fine. I had researched more natural methods of curing strep after Josh went to bed, and decided to add gargling with baking soda, which I had him do 3 times per day. I also added Lemon Balm extract, which I had read was good for sore throats. We continued with all other natural remedies, and I added another homeopathic pain relief. I also added chewable Vitamin C tablets. We decided to wait one more day, and if the white spots were still there, or if the pain was the same or any worse, we were going to give him the antibiotics.<br />
<br />
Wednesday morning he woke up and his throat looked SO much better! NO white spots! His throat was still red and a bit swollen, but he said the pain was a LOT less. And still no fever. So we kept going with all of the natural remedies. I figured since he had been fever free for a couple of days, it was a good time to disinfect. We washed every stitch of bedding in the boys' room, plus pillows and stuffed animals. I changed out the toothbrushes, had the boys wipe down all of the handles/door knobs/light switches, washed all of the toys that had been out (put a ton of Legos in a mesh bag and ran them through the dishwasher - brilliant!), and steam cleaned all of the upholstery.<br />
<br />
Thursday was better still - swelling was completely gone, and the throat was just red. Very little pain, and not all day. I think this was the day that Blake was back to normal too (he had only had a minor sore throat, and it never progressed).<br />
<br />
Friday Josh said he was completely pain free, and his throat looked almost normal, just a teeny bit of reddishness left. We were shocked and amazed (and super grateful!) that he was able to heal completely, and about as quickly as if we had used antibiotics. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Here are the specifics of the protocol I used:<br />
<br />
<b>Colloidal Silver</b> (Genesis Pure silver or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Designs-Health-Silvercillin-Spray-Beauty/dp/B005KAAISY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376150596&sr=8-2&keywords=silvercillin" target="_blank">Silvercillin Spray</a>): twice per day, 3 sprays<br />
<b>Strong Probiotics</b> <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/garden-of-life-raw-probiotics-women-90-vegetarian-capsules-1" target="_blank">(Garden of Life Raw Probiotics</a>): 1 capsule, 2-3 times per day<br />
<b>Raw Honey mixed with Cinnamon</b> (ratio of 1 tsp honey plus 1/4 tsp cinnamon): 1 spoonful twice per day<br />
<b>Coconut Oil</b>: I added this to the honey/cinnamon, but it was not received well by the children (I didn't really like it that way either) - next time I will make sure to make <a href="http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/12/healthy-homemade-fudge-a-great-gift.html" target="_blank">this healthy fudge</a> recipe, which is something we all love<br />
<b>Baking Soda Gargle</b> (1 tsp. baking soda in a glass of water): gargle 3 times in a row for 5 seconds each, 3 times per day<br />
<b>Wild Oregano Oil</b> (<a href="http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-23390-california-natural-wild-oregano-oil-90-capsules" target="_blank">California Natural</a>): 1 capsule twice per day<br />
<b>Olive Leaf Extract</b> (<a href="http://www.vitacost.com/natures-way-olive-leaf-standardized-20-oleuropein" target="_blank">Nature's Way</a>): 1 capsule twice per day<br />
<b>Vitamin C</b> (<a href="http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-17113-natural-factors-100-natural-fruit-chew-c-jungle-juice-500-mg-180-chewable-wafers" target="_blank">natural Factors</a>): 1 chewable wafer, 2-3 times per day<br />
<b>Vitamin D</b>: 10 minutes of sunshine out on the deck each day in swim trunks<br />
<b>Lemon Balm Extract </b>(<a href="http://www.iherb.com/Herb-Pharm-Lemon-Balm-1-fl-oz-29-6-ml/8725" target="_blank">Herb Pharm</a>): 15-20 drops in an ounce or two of water, twice per day<br />
<b>Echinacea/GoldenRoot</b> (<a href="http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-22081-herbs-for-kids-echinacea-goldenroot-blend-blackberry-2-oz" target="_blank">Herbs for Kids</a>): 2 ml 2-3 times per day<br />
<b>Nourishing Foods</b>: homemade chicken broth with minced garlic, herbal teas, yogurt, etc. (NO junk food and very little sugar - homemade popsicles made with fresh fruit and <a href="http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-21334-xlear-xylosweet-all-natural-low-carb-xylitol-sweetener-1-lb" target="_blank">xylitol</a>)<br />
<b>For Pain</b>: <a href="http://www.iherb.com/NutriBiotic-First-Aid-Throat-Spray-4-fl-oz-118-ml/5461" target="_blank">NutriBiotic throat spray</a> (1-4 times per day),<a href="http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-171231-homeolab-usa-kids-relief-pain-fever-cherry-flavor-085-oz?redirect=1" target="_blank"> Kids Relief Pain & Fever drops</a> (every 4 hours when the pain was bad),<a href="http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-8528-boiron-phytolacca-decandra-30-c-80-pellets" target="_blank"> Boiron pellets - phytolacca decandra</a> (5 pellets 2-3 times per day), <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/cepacol-sensations-hydra-lozenges-citrus-splash-20-lozenges" target="_blank">Cepacol lozenges</a> (could have every 2 hours if needed, and this was probably the only thing that wasn't all natural or homeopathic, but they really did help his pain in the beginning)<br />
<br />
The rest of us did most of the protocol as well, and nobody else got infected (George never even got sick in the slightest). We all stayed on this until a couple of days after Josh was completely well. So while I would use antibiotics if I felt it necessary (infection spreading, not catching it in time, child not willing to comply with natural remedies, etc.), I am thrilled to find that strep CAN be healed using natural methods. <br />
<br />
I have since found some additional immune-boosting treats, recipes, and methods that I would like to try the next time infection comes our way (including the use of essential oils, which I already love and use for many homemade cleaning and body products). I NEED to get ingredients for this recipe for <a href="http://www.naturallymindful.com/2013/07/homemade-elderberry-gummies-vitamin-c.html" target="_blank">Elderberry Gummies</a>!<br />
<br />
My favorite websites to purchase quality (and MUCH cheaper) supplements are:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://iherb.com/">iherb.com</a><br />
<a href="http://vitacost.com/">vitacost.com</a><br />
<a href="http://luckyvitamin.com/">luckyvitamin.com</a><br />
<br />
And if I can't find what I'm looking for there, then I go to <a href="http://amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a> or <a href="http://ebay.com/">ebay.com</a>. It's always worth researching to find the best prices, as it is not cheap to keep a family healthy - but I'd rather spend the money on the front end by trying to prevent disease instead of spending money for doctor visits, prescriptions and various medical procedures. Of course, life is unpredictable, and you can do all the right things and still end up with cancer or disease (and on the flip side, you can treat your body terribly and somehow not get sick a lot). But I truly believe that investing in your health is always worth the effort.</div>
3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-42635111844432060882013-07-11T11:13:00.003-04:002013-07-11T11:13:26.740-04:00Bi-annual Blog PostAt the risk of overwhelming my devoted readers, I have cut back to twice-yearly posts. This both keeps my readers giddy with anticipation and allows them some breathing room between readings.<br />
<br />
In all seriousness though, how is it that I have not blogged in 6 months time?! I was searching for a recipe, which I thought I had recalled posting on this blog some time ago (and I had - 5 YEARS ago, to be more precise), and I realize that for a while there I was posting with some sort of regularity, and I miss having that documentation of my kids' lives. They're not really getting it anywhere else, except maybe in loads of digital pictures stored on the computer (because I haven't gotten around to making their scrapbooks, like I have always planned to do).<br />
<br />
Today's post serves dual purposes: it gets something out there so as to not let this blog go completely stagnant (I will bring it back! I will!), and is perhaps the start of a new category - gel manicures. I have been using gel polish on my nails for the past couple of years, and I'm sure I could do a series of posts about that journey. I have become somewhat passionate about this product, as frivolous as it may be, and I think putting the pics of my nails will help me remember which looks I loved and what products I used to achieve them. So this is more for my own brain than anything else, as I have lost much of my recall and multi-tasking ability with the birth of my children.<br />
<br />
So here is my first picture for the topic of what I will deem "The Nail File." The picture quality is severely lacking, as I took this with my iPhone, with bad lighting. But it is the only copy I have, and so there you have it. If I do actually end up posting regularly, and add more nail pics, I may try to up my photography skills for the viewing audience's benefit. We shall see.<br />
<br />
This was my 4th of July manicure. For this look I used 2 coats of Gelish Sheek White, then a coat of Gelish Vegas Nights for sparkle. Then I used one coat of Gelish Top it Off top coat, cleaned it off, and stamped the stars using Mash plate #49, and alternated with Sally Hansen Laquer Shine Dazzling (the red one) and Spoiled Your Fly's Down (the blue one). Both of these colors stamped just okay, but I did have to take a toothpick and add a little more color here and there. Then I added another layer of Gelish Top it Off, and there you have it. Just overlook the blurriness of the photo, the unmoisturized cuticles, and the floor pads in the background. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzR-thXy4MhNn8BQMrn2K14fTLgBTpCyN2TWxTIQsRhk_Id_6P88o0Bl7i-xAYC0J_BV72y6eQjOaM6fS1B8ajVM5hWGm0rY9CS-4xet3sAHkQWkpv9ptxxlEa1dur9jwtQhjmAq9t-drB/s1600/4th-of-July-Mani.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzR-thXy4MhNn8BQMrn2K14fTLgBTpCyN2TWxTIQsRhk_Id_6P88o0Bl7i-xAYC0J_BV72y6eQjOaM6fS1B8ajVM5hWGm0rY9CS-4xet3sAHkQWkpv9ptxxlEa1dur9jwtQhjmAq9t-drB/s320/4th-of-July-Mani.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-81312698507338447212013-01-19T16:45:00.000-05:002013-01-19T16:46:34.618-05:00Snow Day!The boys have been so anxious for snow, since long before Christmas. There was a tiny bit on Christmas Eve night, but it was just a wee flurry that didn't accumulate or anything. This week had been nothing but cold icky rain, but then on Thursday afternoon we started getting snow. A LOT of snow (especially for us). And it came down quickly. Huge, heavy wet flakes. Plus it was thundering! This is what we saw first:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yBjwKtuhpLmpTlZiDKfVQObhejYvwoJMJYShNUfy7pQobh_onvuU3sN2ru0YnnarCoX__BMSxpevMjp9Idtuy1Z2VsxoxPn-4Ltd812nmGVkcKI3njYw885PaJNgmoDqhd-Hre-aZ_p6/s1600/Snowfall-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yBjwKtuhpLmpTlZiDKfVQObhejYvwoJMJYShNUfy7pQobh_onvuU3sN2ru0YnnarCoX__BMSxpevMjp9Idtuy1Z2VsxoxPn-4Ltd812nmGVkcKI3njYw885PaJNgmoDqhd-Hre-aZ_p6/s320/Snowfall-1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Then less than an hour later, it looked like this (and yes, that is our red wagon in the background - try not to judge):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7eEIVr4_jv-xN261tjJj_YiUhSwENAqR3N1WvHwSvXhZMxavG7Te9XC6P_juDS6W6IaENRFcz1Qg47uFQFyx_q9wrDMILs0dCDR5bylFPbCr42R-ZZK8q0PgqRrN6Zjoa0FJANIOtm9c/s1600/Snowfall-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7eEIVr4_jv-xN261tjJj_YiUhSwENAqR3N1WvHwSvXhZMxavG7Te9XC6P_juDS6W6IaENRFcz1Qg47uFQFyx_q9wrDMILs0dCDR5bylFPbCr42R-ZZK8q0PgqRrN6Zjoa0FJANIOtm9c/s320/Snowfall-2.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
And since Chris had work to do, we weren't ready to get out and play in it until it was just about getting dark. So we decided to wait until Friday to play in the snow, since co-op was cancelled anyway. We got up yesterday and the snow was all still there, AND it was sunny! We hadn't seen the sun for so long. So we went out and enjoyed the snow day, and here's the proof:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEBcFlSHXBVL8egpWXGImO0FEoeOAMk4K-k1DNbOlBmVt0pAyWIWssgDqUPLaawUhswSIQMNxEQWbdClLOSFKpLyyYDPOS13KJGn6gY6dhvUCklbDrklrECtU9sMCUCl9irT19yk_EtMu/s1600/Josh-Face-Down-in-Snow.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Josh was so excited, he flung himself down in the snow, face first. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEBcFlSHXBVL8egpWXGImO0FEoeOAMk4K-k1DNbOlBmVt0pAyWIWssgDqUPLaawUhswSIQMNxEQWbdClLOSFKpLyyYDPOS13KJGn6gY6dhvUCklbDrklrECtU9sMCUCl9irT19yk_EtMu/s1600/Josh-Face-Down-in-Snow.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEBcFlSHXBVL8egpWXGImO0FEoeOAMk4K-k1DNbOlBmVt0pAyWIWssgDqUPLaawUhswSIQMNxEQWbdClLOSFKpLyyYDPOS13KJGn6gY6dhvUCklbDrklrECtU9sMCUCl9irT19yk_EtMu/s320/Josh-Face-Down-in-Snow.gif" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He loved his face full of snow.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BBT60wOKy1gYp3Y58fwwLg-OSeeo70HYNUdId_wod9QSs1SUO_zXldlDl09OK51tVQXnqiNbBnrz8N-avwlmkqoLU19NGUB8uQPcQ8_jSfas6Lwxq4UGXjTj_zYfhk8wN_tK_Vpv4LR4/s1600/Josh-After-Getting-Up.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BBT60wOKy1gYp3Y58fwwLg-OSeeo70HYNUdId_wod9QSs1SUO_zXldlDl09OK51tVQXnqiNbBnrz8N-avwlmkqoLU19NGUB8uQPcQ8_jSfas6Lwxq4UGXjTj_zYfhk8wN_tK_Vpv4LR4/s320/Josh-After-Getting-Up.gif" width="282" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
George immediately grabbed the sled.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-RC-FC6eilG6EFwxVg1thbbNGuVIo-cy6OlgI7ODGtReCofoKkd5L3HnHW8TSimhrSKvUzWrCcaWxQMO6VDNgGgu-AbP-CtPDwKa9Ysphyphenhyphen_HdP4sERatBzbnLye9Tz1rg_rYoCY5GKZv/s1600/George-with-Sled.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-RC-FC6eilG6EFwxVg1thbbNGuVIo-cy6OlgI7ODGtReCofoKkd5L3HnHW8TSimhrSKvUzWrCcaWxQMO6VDNgGgu-AbP-CtPDwKa9Ysphyphenhyphen_HdP4sERatBzbnLye9Tz1rg_rYoCY5GKZv/s320/George-with-Sled.gif" width="307" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blake was at least smart enough not to put his full face right into the snow.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-1HSJCv-fABRIA19U7Vd6XyVh0QTrbuypzBlqFRCnHpY8hZn8hBC49onqx5kC2wxAYj8-U6_kyBjtY5VFz_0a9pwCTFjJChzF0D6Q6T4-_zyNfFbFHvQbWmX40TR18Chv_EyyoPutbEA/s1600/Blake-in-Snow.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-1HSJCv-fABRIA19U7Vd6XyVh0QTrbuypzBlqFRCnHpY8hZn8hBC49onqx5kC2wxAYj8-U6_kyBjtY5VFz_0a9pwCTFjJChzF0D6Q6T4-_zyNfFbFHvQbWmX40TR18Chv_EyyoPutbEA/s320/Blake-in-Snow.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
He made a snow angel instead.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIDti-XB6FOaYy1IaGe2VGenyjHq36ukf3pAEK6SpyE0OIR70H9f5IOK7smPXdsycTazexFxVnLDdf29L_omcCbRd3NvroKbJmZ-jD6jM6fIazV_EMIfuiu79uY-P26niYjvI5YZg7Ty/s1600/Blake-Snow-Angel.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtIDti-XB6FOaYy1IaGe2VGenyjHq36ukf3pAEK6SpyE0OIR70H9f5IOK7smPXdsycTazexFxVnLDdf29L_omcCbRd3NvroKbJmZ-jD6jM6fIazV_EMIfuiu79uY-P26niYjvI5YZg7Ty/s320/Blake-Snow-Angel.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Josh went right to work making a tiny snowman (in between bites of snow, that is).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUVTn7uTlZBvH0S0B7shDgX5R2co84yxIPzBY_k6SxHpzXLy7iF6AanpSpH4UmEY9MEVoD0gxhK7MCOl9gFuCARJjBQJgZJqOe5KA_mVj1Iuh5ZOHXyKJRL46a-0XAfhxsPPWVeDYPJC-/s1600/Josh-with-Snowman.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUVTn7uTlZBvH0S0B7shDgX5R2co84yxIPzBY_k6SxHpzXLy7iF6AanpSpH4UmEY9MEVoD0gxhK7MCOl9gFuCARJjBQJgZJqOe5KA_mVj1Iuh5ZOHXyKJRL46a-0XAfhxsPPWVeDYPJC-/s320/Josh-with-Snowman.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Chris got in on the fun - snowball fight!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhBuFJU7nYLZ47erA2segYdaDhquuPnzvXESt8DkfhXAtaDjGpYWl5wLiwgfeFastMvfiEQjW3SP0zY7rebkgF_xRGhwiUGY3Wb-CLDW0oxD9PsztESfKj5UzvXXOfOuBlL_tjQrFQe0_/s1600/Snowball-Fight.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhBuFJU7nYLZ47erA2segYdaDhquuPnzvXESt8DkfhXAtaDjGpYWl5wLiwgfeFastMvfiEQjW3SP0zY7rebkgF_xRGhwiUGY3Wb-CLDW0oxD9PsztESfKj5UzvXXOfOuBlL_tjQrFQe0_/s320/Snowball-Fight.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We decided to make some snow people. This is the his and hers set.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwd6_5VRH8oRYZkNBMFVaEvyxX0HvTofSGJh7m-fiuWeKIV_Y2SJAJcylZDDphap-u-YwOe3MtgLMMBGfrXGnAW507ITAb0rLR7_Hvh7SwOQqnsHi_-GK4foDcKqlB8D-HD7y1XylkH8T/s1600/His-and-Hers-Snowpeople.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwd6_5VRH8oRYZkNBMFVaEvyxX0HvTofSGJh7m-fiuWeKIV_Y2SJAJcylZDDphap-u-YwOe3MtgLMMBGfrXGnAW507ITAb0rLR7_Hvh7SwOQqnsHi_-GK4foDcKqlB8D-HD7y1XylkH8T/s320/His-and-Hers-Snowpeople.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
George made his even bigger than mine!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-mT6Ew2Gn3Q2mQJYRuU6Yleu1W0iHnHTNNFopsfUOvc1tf0TRb2GOno9P_68Lffgb2MocevpiPXEWEDV68qanNH1vkYPtpLjPRvKRbKDqaf4CRrrjewRoFNtDh-je4DkR0UJ5YSD9GQW/s1600/George-Snowman.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-mT6Ew2Gn3Q2mQJYRuU6Yleu1W0iHnHTNNFopsfUOvc1tf0TRb2GOno9P_68Lffgb2MocevpiPXEWEDV68qanNH1vkYPtpLjPRvKRbKDqaf4CRrrjewRoFNtDh-je4DkR0UJ5YSD9GQW/s320/George-Snowman.gif" width="313" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blake made a teeny tiny one.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1m4AOqxhL2Y67urDUL3peGR9jpaRNtiYUds4ERW_9Ovum6bUMc-MejvfbgFbjnFhFPB90x4t8yOO1RuPJj3xt8TV0XKJTzWIMM6yoyE77q5ug4nUlNlC1ieFjXP4z9159JdbtXyJMAvYl/s1600/Blake-Teeny-Snowman.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1m4AOqxhL2Y67urDUL3peGR9jpaRNtiYUds4ERW_9Ovum6bUMc-MejvfbgFbjnFhFPB90x4t8yOO1RuPJj3xt8TV0XKJTzWIMM6yoyE77q5ug4nUlNlC1ieFjXP4z9159JdbtXyJMAvYl/s320/Blake-Teeny-Snowman.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jaz loves the snow. It brings out friskiness that we rarely see anymore, being that he's so old and gimpy. He didn't stay out the whole time, but he did have fun.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_P8dsQCATnxJQSmEJmjHHxkGwbW12yyQn2YT8i_XtkyMQNNOtFXa5xlV9rvGk6AAV7sy1IBbKWomMX08dmVRKMvjxy1nP39vYVnxW9e6k4sZ78y6TQtD1YtUdKegqO94jGaDOKgF4rye/s1600/Jaz-in-Snow.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_P8dsQCATnxJQSmEJmjHHxkGwbW12yyQn2YT8i_XtkyMQNNOtFXa5xlV9rvGk6AAV7sy1IBbKWomMX08dmVRKMvjxy1nP39vYVnxW9e6k4sZ78y6TQtD1YtUdKegqO94jGaDOKgF4rye/s320/Jaz-in-Snow.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our 13-year-old neighbor boy saw us having so much fun that he decided to come out and join us. More sledding and snowball fights ensued!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdAO4i28m-6gfA90v7woN01UZx5gisxeI5mj4-4DChAZe06SBy6bC1LDwZeMrW7MU1EJmL9zopXv5dAnxI5JdCZS9aqcLMnyvumhGSFCVCtRZz_Dy4vET78btrApC4RlPlCZjAZe7Cb95/s1600/Sledding.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdAO4i28m-6gfA90v7woN01UZx5gisxeI5mj4-4DChAZe06SBy6bC1LDwZeMrW7MU1EJmL9zopXv5dAnxI5JdCZS9aqcLMnyvumhGSFCVCtRZz_Dy4vET78btrApC4RlPlCZjAZe7Cb95/s320/Sledding.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOt9X8_zGNBBJb-mqUxojva54nhZ5shRH4TbTVvYLatFerBjPS0X-z0epN_-4qYnI5n0PvI9rJeOBZQsISkjXBT3BFWNBGosJwKFtSp6hagvP7aChmN75u9Ddyc26SXXqadK104Vsa_ZZ/s1600/Snowball-Fight-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOt9X8_zGNBBJb-mqUxojva54nhZ5shRH4TbTVvYLatFerBjPS0X-z0epN_-4qYnI5n0PvI9rJeOBZQsISkjXBT3BFWNBGosJwKFtSp6hagvP7aChmN75u9Ddyc26SXXqadK104Vsa_ZZ/s320/Snowball-Fight-2.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I made some colored water spray for the snow people, and used it to write Blake's name in the snow.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWn4F5y_sIvpa6R-bysvfg8UXGW-BENfWuzTgdC7kPd1XJUqTe0RktziGzAKoEK5zjdcAQqb-eZ_VeZzmW3vmqARSB363VayWo2RkUkYrdFgeU3smYvIh7Mr1JfqlrPRaPWkbsNLNqyx2v/s1600/Blake-Name-in-Snow.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWn4F5y_sIvpa6R-bysvfg8UXGW-BENfWuzTgdC7kPd1XJUqTe0RktziGzAKoEK5zjdcAQqb-eZ_VeZzmW3vmqARSB363VayWo2RkUkYrdFgeU3smYvIh7Mr1JfqlrPRaPWkbsNLNqyx2v/s320/Blake-Name-in-Snow.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had a great time out in the snow and sunshine, and once we were finished we came in and had some hot chocolate. We were thankful not to lose power, or get a vehicle stuck somewhere, and that we were all healthy enough to go out and enjoy the play time. </div>
3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-74527301802113098732012-12-15T23:13:00.000-05:002012-12-15T23:13:07.930-05:00A Year+ Later...I can't believe it's been 15 months since I've done anything on this blog. And it's not that there haven't been blog-worthy events going on around here. There have also been family trips, cute pictures, growing (like weeds!) boys, and homeschooling. Not to mention Pinterest. Oh, Pinterest. My total obsession. I think I could write a blog just about Pinterest. But I digress. I am going to give this blog another go. Mostly because I have been horrible about correspondence to relatives, who would like to know about the doings of the kids and whatnot. But also because I would like to have <i>some</i> documentation myself, you know, for when I actually get around to doing the boys' scrapbooks. Ahem. Moving on.<br />
<br />
They say when you are really behind on something that it is best to start with current information. So I will start with what we did this evening. First let me say that I have been loving Groupon, Deal Chicken, and Living Social. We have gotten some amazing deals with these websites, not least of all tonight's adventure: Christmas in the Cave, at Cherokee Caverns. Half price on the admission tickets, plus Blake was free. Score! We had a great time, with one exception - the parking situation was AWFUL. Way too narrow, and scary when you have 3 small children in tow. It was even worse when we were leaving. One of the worst parking experiences ever (and I am not a fan of parking lots anywhere to begin with). The only other negative might be that it just wasn't long enough - we would have loved to spelunk for at least an hour, but you could get through this in about 15 minutes. But a very nice way to spend 15 minutes, it was (we may have lingered to stretch it to 30, but that's still 15 minutes less than the time it took to get there). They had many treats for sale, but we resisted (we brought our dinner with us to eat on the way home), as well as a few crafty items. They had a couple of other things for kids, including a machine that was generating smoke bubbles, and we all enjoyed popping some of those (coolest bubbles ever!).<br />
<br />
It also piqued an interest in the boys to further study caves, and as it just so happens, I have a unit study on caves in my arsenal. So we will definitely be doing this study sometime within the next semester, and we'll be taking a field trip for more spelunking as well. I have been spelunking in my youth, but it was very neat to see a cave all festooned with Christmas lights and decorations. There was even live music, and a Santa Claus with whom to get pictures taken. The boys ended up getting 4 pieces of peppermint candy along the way, which they loved, although it definitely had an effect on bedtime (especially for Josh, who is, as we are finding out, sensitive to food additives - especially red food dye, which of course is in candy canes!). Anyway, all in all, it was a very fun time, and I would do it again as long as I had another Groupon (I don't think I'd pay full price). Have a look:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOymn7ZBhZArEBbobAQsLXsKqoWpUr0y1MJDGEQzClJTC37AjnuAs7tAD1lpKpz_TkWINQQs_38gc6aGxkVPc5UfZYbWO1Ma_tjkvs19WJktPJmGsbh7nXvX8Vc0oxz6jsJoq9Hqcjat08/s1600/Boys-in-Cave.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOymn7ZBhZArEBbobAQsLXsKqoWpUr0y1MJDGEQzClJTC37AjnuAs7tAD1lpKpz_TkWINQQs_38gc6aGxkVPc5UfZYbWO1Ma_tjkvs19WJktPJmGsbh7nXvX8Vc0oxz6jsJoq9Hqcjat08/s320/Boys-in-Cave.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLEhENlPlICaR2Pb0oL0vpngLBnHKJ42ZYAn704dAfMV_e8s0YVMbRsX1REAIyon1ZBCbqLXVc8UO9WaDeF0dD-IeVz9WGE5O7vQwepTgzsuBHY0vKW6tscM_Yqbmmby8U2bUydAU59fV/s1600/Family-in-Cave.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLEhENlPlICaR2Pb0oL0vpngLBnHKJ42ZYAn704dAfMV_e8s0YVMbRsX1REAIyon1ZBCbqLXVc8UO9WaDeF0dD-IeVz9WGE5O7vQwepTgzsuBHY0vKW6tscM_Yqbmmby8U2bUydAU59fV/s320/Family-in-Cave.gif" width="297" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-Q9XXyP0WXwOiweDj-aRAyBQkBQhov9Fhcoqr-iqGu8koAhxYD53PCcg5VAcu-ZCrB1JqtR0j-ZNO-cwPMKSzyFXwBvdBmelfGJMJcydr_BClVx1mbcNhxvq5oHwvGSQxLd2PlXz93sQ/s1600/Lighted-Cave.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-Q9XXyP0WXwOiweDj-aRAyBQkBQhov9Fhcoqr-iqGu8koAhxYD53PCcg5VAcu-ZCrB1JqtR0j-ZNO-cwPMKSzyFXwBvdBmelfGJMJcydr_BClVx1mbcNhxvq5oHwvGSQxLd2PlXz93sQ/s320/Lighted-Cave.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Pretty neat, eh?<br />
So hopefully I can get back into some sort of blogging routine, as I think about it a lot, and I really don't have any excuses not to. So if you are a reader, welcome back! My hope is that you will be delighted with the exploits of my children, entertained with our stories, and possibly even informed every now and again. 3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-47776569768800464982011-09-16T22:30:00.007-04:002011-09-16T22:59:26.814-04:00Angry Doh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyorxY8iwEfDQqWtaEyPtfTFpfzk0VLr_OlH7pWUoM180HPts-z1_zu3cZfpcFBhQRw6AeAkAV8RTKiB7jT69eyPvv3BvQB7cy3K_AmJM5YJbjRGYAMOi8CaDCUhX8L8cZwZf8MCfP3YAB/s1600/AngryDoh.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyorxY8iwEfDQqWtaEyPtfTFpfzk0VLr_OlH7pWUoM180HPts-z1_zu3cZfpcFBhQRw6AeAkAV8RTKiB7jT69eyPvv3BvQB7cy3K_AmJM5YJbjRGYAMOi8CaDCUhX8L8cZwZf8MCfP3YAB/s320/AngryDoh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653155614257127186" border="0" /></a>Once in a while I get an a-ha idea, and it provides several hours of entertainment for the kids. This was one such idea: PlayDoh Angry Birds.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Blake and the blue bird.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah0nikA0pS6VU54Ak2nEZk3CXUKIRbolKYNepoVMiZVMUzK4zTK0X-Rjhgahf972WBWc0S-Li2WsACFAq_StTHcXVbr8v8Hzz8YFRMSmXNhqQ6w7O8wjWlgarlu4ywVO9_Mi-simVBO5G/s1600/Blake-with-Blue-Bird.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah0nikA0pS6VU54Ak2nEZk3CXUKIRbolKYNepoVMiZVMUzK4zTK0X-Rjhgahf972WBWc0S-Li2WsACFAq_StTHcXVbr8v8Hzz8YFRMSmXNhqQ6w7O8wjWlgarlu4ywVO9_Mi-simVBO5G/s320/Blake-with-Blue-Bird.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653155336568954498" border="0" /></a>George wanted the yellow bird.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEz11fVrcQYGbJRH1RSJ0cvwzWh22cO1KTtFGrJR6gQZVG7PfN8dM63hEPRpsBBbg1861b86WtUYGpZ0c7vfhmdcHpfgrek083TRMEBmNEKFd9FYADF2zanm8KULrt3slOCR86aHK_jtd/s1600/George-with-Yellow-Bird.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEz11fVrcQYGbJRH1RSJ0cvwzWh22cO1KTtFGrJR6gQZVG7PfN8dM63hEPRpsBBbg1861b86WtUYGpZ0c7vfhmdcHpfgrek083TRMEBmNEKFd9FYADF2zanm8KULrt3slOCR86aHK_jtd/s320/George-with-Yellow-Bird.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653155332299292274" border="0" /></a>I started with the red bird (pictured above), and gave it to Josh. He pretty much immediately altered it and ran with the idea. So here is his first little flock.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC33LVCJx8RbkZK0EgfqzPG69NAuqKgiq_SOJWjIVu4t81ihOhFS6c_9Fh-B3e1imeIKA1trYwVesiYDxeShcX7FGbHKdwwfyGZVE0qExjMCoBtmFXa9nJocHjFW0COIgqVES3koDnVJK/s1600/Josh-with-Birds.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC33LVCJx8RbkZK0EgfqzPG69NAuqKgiq_SOJWjIVu4t81ihOhFS6c_9Fh-B3e1imeIKA1trYwVesiYDxeShcX7FGbHKdwwfyGZVE0qExjMCoBtmFXa9nJocHjFW0COIgqVES3koDnVJK/s320/Josh-with-Birds.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653155325607160306" border="0" /></a>And the next day, he went even further, creating his own birds, eggs, nests, and the like. George also created some birds, but seemingly I failed to capture those in a picture. But they were cute.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYd19gkmTzmPykKG5sTe5UcWxKFpi_-Ze1KQ_to6qf-7CUjUgCdLXRzIEEgeu5gSrp9cvaVFC0WQBHWJrxxGuuMB-naw5KXh5FiRDa9BdytBuipFxpr8vb10vjz4syLyRLVkrvaMccwp7/s1600/Pile-O-Birds.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYd19gkmTzmPykKG5sTe5UcWxKFpi_-Ze1KQ_to6qf-7CUjUgCdLXRzIEEgeu5gSrp9cvaVFC0WQBHWJrxxGuuMB-naw5KXh5FiRDa9BdytBuipFxpr8vb10vjz4syLyRLVkrvaMccwp7/s320/Pile-O-Birds.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653155322262702146" border="0" /></a>As we're mildly obsessed with Angry Birds here, I have plans for more AB-related crafts and such in the future. And I can't wait to see how they turn out.3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-59266047864537813802011-05-20T00:23:00.008-04:002011-05-20T01:07:59.510-04:00Encouraging Their PassionsHaving all boys, we naturally own a variety of toy vehicles, construction equipment, and sports gear. It is easy to cater to their natural play instincts, but I have also made an effort over the years to try and include things like baby dolls, a play kitchen, and other such "girly" toys. And I have encouraged them to pursue their interests, being careful not to label things as girly (though they have picked it up at school already, and are quick to point it out at the store). Joshua, in particular, has always loved things that are tiny and/or shiny. For Christmas he received a set of Squinkies, and LOVES them. Nevermind that I could only find them in the pink aisle at Toys-R-Us, or that George told him, "That's a girl toy!" Josh didn't care if it WAS a girl toy. He liked it and it doesn't matter to him what anyone else thinks about it. <div><br /></div><div>So it came as no big surprise to me that, while at the Homeschool Convention over Spring Break, a book about paper dressmaking caught his eye. It had sparkly things! It had shiny things! And it had the tiniest hangers ever! He ooohed and aaahed over it, but when I looked at the price, I told him we couldn't buy it. He cried and cried over it, but I gently reminded him that his birthday was coming up and that maybe that would be a good gift for him if he still wanted it. I found the book on Amazon.com for a lot less, and ordered it for him for his birthday. He was overjoyed when he opened it and saw that he got the much desired gift. I told him it was something we could do together, as it is recommended for ages 8 and up, and he would most likely need assistance. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1XhJFcV-h5eiAKRf3yc1UBXGI23ZzbpQP0eAJkIKTbGbmfl_qDYrHN4Lo-1X9nfdBrOfk82qI60r2uzkK-_lrzAZcaZpiZ4KJjuOvRqeE78uX92ktmgB18B-kXlLv3MbI0V2Zr3HeZHe/s1600/DSC09923.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1XhJFcV-h5eiAKRf3yc1UBXGI23ZzbpQP0eAJkIKTbGbmfl_qDYrHN4Lo-1X9nfdBrOfk82qI60r2uzkK-_lrzAZcaZpiZ4KJjuOvRqeE78uX92ktmgB18B-kXlLv3MbI0V2Zr3HeZHe/s320/DSC09923.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608654476177389730" /></a></div><div>He wanted to dig into it right away, but as we've been booked solid the past few days, we weren't able to open it up and work on it yet. While my parents were here preparing a fish fry dinner for us, Josh asked if he could use the book. I let him get out one of the tiny hangers (the whole reason I believed he wanted the book in the first place), but told him that we couldn't do a dress yet as it was nearly dinner time. So he asked if he could use regular paper and crayons, and I said sure. By golly if he didn't create his own dress AND purse with them. And he did a really great job! He even fashioned a way to get it to stay on the tiny hanger (the stenciled patterns in the books have tabs to hold them on). I was blown away by his ingenuity. That's Josh though - if he wants to do something, he doesn't let anything stand in his way. </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">This is what he created.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgL5iWtayD6Qn-7W1DmoQq-GVESs3aT_3-KYjmEw3nhMd-OGIOtDX0DClvDNKRxst-o-VJ6HyQUednrE85Izi5cBQE3u1ZqN6qRt-mLpEpXF057FixwGWUFj3x__R-iVbuYRA_U94r7hgl/s1600/DSC09925.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgL5iWtayD6Qn-7W1DmoQq-GVESs3aT_3-KYjmEw3nhMd-OGIOtDX0DClvDNKRxst-o-VJ6HyQUednrE85Izi5cBQE3u1ZqN6qRt-mLpEpXF057FixwGWUFj3x__R-iVbuYRA_U94r7hgl/s320/DSC09925.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608656261253837362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">This is just to show the size of his tiny fashion creations. That's a quarter.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmRShEU7HLCkhwW2sgj1L8FtkTAsdK9rTILpBf61Kc4A1BIri4FKKuyb7TYvwJNLNW4NgQ2C_tHRabfP08OIoglW-iCq-V-k0qPawXlkDWnpj1Y4w6cA-qKGmv3cvcBocfw15A2Sp3UW-/s1600/DSC09926.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmRShEU7HLCkhwW2sgj1L8FtkTAsdK9rTILpBf61Kc4A1BIri4FKKuyb7TYvwJNLNW4NgQ2C_tHRabfP08OIoglW-iCq-V-k0qPawXlkDWnpj1Y4w6cA-qKGmv3cvcBocfw15A2Sp3UW-/s320/DSC09926.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608656255549897522" /></a></div><div>So now we're all excited to begin making dresses together, with all of the accessories as well, using the real paper and materials. I told him that if/when he ever designs real clothes for women to wear, he'd have to come up with some modest but stylish clothing (not that he knew what I meant, but we can talk more about modesty as we go along with this particular craft time). </div><div><br /></div><div>I could have easily steered him away from this book. I could have said - this is for girls, honey -and left it at that. But what if, in doing that, I were suppressing a talent the likes of which the world has never seen? Who am I to stop him from using his God-given talents and abilities? I will not. I will encourage him to follow his passion to the fullest, and I won't think of him as any less manly for it. </div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-18156450470593480272011-05-16T22:10:00.008-04:002011-05-20T00:23:10.796-04:00A Walk Down Memory LaneI couldn't let this birthday pass by without taking a peek at old photos and allowing myself to get nostalgic. Wow, how fast the past 6 years has gone by. I no longer have helpless babies who are completely dependent on me, who cannot comprehend what I am saying nor communicate their innermost desires. I can no longer have them fit easily on my lap or carry them around the house with ease. They are reading, writing, doing some math, and tying their own shoes. They are clever, funny, silly, and very independent thinkers. It is amazing to watch them change and grow. Before I know it they will be off to college! I hope to enjoy and capture and cherish as much of the time I have with them as possible. Now please enjoy a glimpse of my babies, er, big boys from the last 5 years. Oh, and if you click on the pictures you will get a bigger image.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0c7bP9vgJHvg0yMK8phd9APk4By3Dct4crIietKG2XVnPivk3pt7CE0B6AC047EAp_RRxgY32cwj-dZI4ndwJxXTTqtqthwZnI74di8p_FwkTdpna-e0_bLaz8SuiuIn7emM7ihkBf-QV/s1600/George+First+5+Years.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0c7bP9vgJHvg0yMK8phd9APk4By3Dct4crIietKG2XVnPivk3pt7CE0B6AC047EAp_RRxgY32cwj-dZI4ndwJxXTTqtqthwZnI74di8p_FwkTdpna-e0_bLaz8SuiuIn7emM7ihkBf-QV/s320/George+First+5+Years.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607504050985536434" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEHL3VHuLf0pCO52ms9a8YgMjD03u7WZZseZ-3_jUsakKCgP6fWVuKTxmxtSQwscGmW8XHRANmn7IcucjcYO5PZ9hyphenhyphenPh07e_kwYtyUwWismI9qZ-WTZZMaZJx-vc-AAt26SI_LJZ2bD0_/s1600/Joshua+First+5+Years.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEHL3VHuLf0pCO52ms9a8YgMjD03u7WZZseZ-3_jUsakKCgP6fWVuKTxmxtSQwscGmW8XHRANmn7IcucjcYO5PZ9hyphenhyphenPh07e_kwYtyUwWismI9qZ-WTZZMaZJx-vc-AAt26SI_LJZ2bD0_/s320/Joshua+First+5+Years.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607504051709957154" border="0" /></a>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-49435383057766217162011-05-11T21:22:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:35:29.356-04:00Spring: The Good and The BadWhen we first moved to Tennessee, it was June 1st. Essentially we missed Spring. And that first summer, 2 years ago (come June 1st), it was a mild, relatively dry summer. I was flabbergasted, as I had expected oppressive humidity and sky-high temperatures. But it wasn't really much different than in Indiana (where we moved from).<br /><br />The Bad: Then, last March, we experienced our first Spring in Tennessee. And how. Allergies went haywire, and it was so bad for Joshua that he was diagnosed with asthma and allergies, and had to begin breathing treatments and multiple medications to get it under control. As we would talk with people at the Farmer's Markets last year, we heard from several that allergies in East Tennessee were some of the worst in the country. Super. We bought some local raw honey, which seems to help, as long as I'm consistent with getting us eating some every day. And this year, when the <a href="http://wwworigin.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/top-10-allergy-cities_2011-03-31?page=11">Top 10 Allergy Cities article came out from weather.com</a>, guess which city topped the chart at #1? Yep - Knoxville, Tennessee. At least this year I was prepared for what was to come, and we starting taking a concoction of what the boys have dubbed "allergy apple juice," which is comprised of 1 tsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar, 1 TBSP organic raw local honey, and boiling water to fill a coffee mug the rest of the way. I drink it hot (tastes MUCH better to me that way), but I make a pitcher of it and put it in the fridge for the boys. My brother swears by this drink, and told me about it last summer. And I really do think it helps a lot. So Spring here in East TN has done a number on us allergy-wise, but each year we get better with managing.<br /><br />The Other Bad: We also get a lot of rain and severe weather in Spring. And that can result in damage, power outages, and scared little people (and big people).<br /><br />The Good? Well, there is a lot of good, despite the sneezing and wheezing. How fast things green up, how it starts warming up in March, and my favorite...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Wild Honeysuckle<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4V169RZ6V0GwIIAp1CfeSn8HXy5LAPdkHhSPywjpE4-ed_ttOaj60fpzo-yel7rBM8nC2MdwtwNgihUJQD1OZcFsFERR0NI8MfnbqTaoVYXFqB1sDRkExJ93v8qXxBI2qTc7xRvXfLSYu/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4V169RZ6V0GwIIAp1CfeSn8HXy5LAPdkHhSPywjpE4-ed_ttOaj60fpzo-yel7rBM8nC2MdwtwNgihUJQD1OZcFsFERR0NI8MfnbqTaoVYXFqB1sDRkExJ93v8qXxBI2qTc7xRvXfLSYu/s320/IMG_0125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605642680034393586" border="0" /></a>I wish you could smell that. It is an intoxicatingly sweet and delicately floral scent. Last Spring, when it burst forth from hibernation and graced our property, I would open the front door and the fragrance would waft in. It was heavenly. We have it all over the place here. It won't last long - just a matter of weeks, really. But for that brief time, it almost makes living in the #1 allergy city in the country worth it. We have taught the boys how to get a taste of the sweet nectar, and now their favorite thing to do is seek out honeysuckle on our nature walks and savor each little drop.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Josh pulled a section of vine for Blake to hold during our walk.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0nZNA6UZgYfkT51pIhmel000NrAczHzr6dsjxqd35dD5kl8IjlR_ukxhuBKp-H27Q1n_5J2Y8kyX4TJTakdki2btu4GOIAy1_eyJiAC2HIEF7cIBoc91KBlFNxrQ4J09T5MwCkYLWGRN/s1600/IMG_0110.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0nZNA6UZgYfkT51pIhmel000NrAczHzr6dsjxqd35dD5kl8IjlR_ukxhuBKp-H27Q1n_5J2Y8kyX4TJTakdki2btu4GOIAy1_eyJiAC2HIEF7cIBoc91KBlFNxrQ4J09T5MwCkYLWGRN/s320/IMG_0110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605646395776240498" border="0" /></a>This is a patch (?) of it in the backyard.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhUXzIrZ75d8oTDSCgbDsLQ5SiSDkcXTj6fW-ajVMKq2KlBv8TNkCp40_X1gS7Ai19h2bXf8l-Gy154Xtbf2U1ych1MjTeylf3SrdtDcjcUVY58FwxPI5RoGXonGRQsJuk2paTtZn2TVi/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhUXzIrZ75d8oTDSCgbDsLQ5SiSDkcXTj6fW-ajVMKq2KlBv8TNkCp40_X1gS7Ai19h2bXf8l-Gy154Xtbf2U1ych1MjTeylf3SrdtDcjcUVY58FwxPI5RoGXonGRQsJuk2paTtZn2TVi/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605646387124707650" border="0" /></a>Sweet, sweet, nectar.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCjrkANNX_whX2ASi_vKUKc1giKLS2s8PO46Sbb6FNQC44KNH-OQgUlh3Ci4s732xSYZ4RPdY2_Uhd-q9CA72zxZUYKmtSZtZqNo4XrGBWyDiOMV-cjEpKTg3nK4uiquRJ5f4nxNR8i1r/s1600/IMG_0121.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCjrkANNX_whX2ASi_vKUKc1giKLS2s8PO46Sbb6FNQC44KNH-OQgUlh3Ci4s732xSYZ4RPdY2_Uhd-q9CA72zxZUYKmtSZtZqNo4XrGBWyDiOMV-cjEpKTg3nK4uiquRJ5f4nxNR8i1r/s320/IMG_0121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605646385086611106" border="0" /></a>I think they could do this all day.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxN7yRIVAE3k8RscC6C8Xya4VdB0PCN9cZ4SvSj-hdG0Jzn1dEvdPO6IhHxuM1PzvdPvwcjwl2na959-5ZaZrGaw5yXPriSdcW_dB_r00FGmPmUPVAHlsiOVAWhan9A4aN1jHZvwYIAmZC/s1600/IMG_0126.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxN7yRIVAE3k8RscC6C8Xya4VdB0PCN9cZ4SvSj-hdG0Jzn1dEvdPO6IhHxuM1PzvdPvwcjwl2na959-5ZaZrGaw5yXPriSdcW_dB_r00FGmPmUPVAHlsiOVAWhan9A4aN1jHZvwYIAmZC/s320/IMG_0126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605646372987651714" border="0" /></a>George suggested that we make a drink from honeysuckle nectar. And while I thought that was a smashing idea, I explained that it would take probably all of the honeysuckle we could find to make even a small glass of it, as each flower contains just a drop. And all of the work that would go into "juicing" honeysuckle flowers is beyond what my brain is willing to grasp.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">No. This is not wild honeysuckle, but it is no less important.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GPqwDa0jTZqt_9jht0gZoBbLFw8hErm3ZjmBVRY4KKfQUU_dlbymMPMA80TxSrZMb93WszcUu70OzijrMWOiqs359TcXPQo4-RhAh5mnywQuQFRtJfO3boVnXT4cLVrAAwr65xMV6sm_/s1600/IMG_0113.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GPqwDa0jTZqt_9jht0gZoBbLFw8hErm3ZjmBVRY4KKfQUU_dlbymMPMA80TxSrZMb93WszcUu70OzijrMWOiqs359TcXPQo4-RhAh5mnywQuQFRtJfO3boVnXT4cLVrAAwr65xMV6sm_/s320/IMG_0113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605646395699842530" border="0" /></a>These are the flowers that will become my favorite of all berries: black raspberries. This is another reason to be grateful for the location of our current residence. Lots of wild black raspberries around. We bought a few raspberry plants for our own property, and hopefully those will produce lots of yummy fruit for us in the years to come.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">To add to The Good category is also our strawberry bed:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT97FYBay_A6wabrGaaxMzH-c9tAyKfmPSD8VSjx1FAPEqY-gzLRbBtv7iLTLfPznFhM3r0339b7lCJ1uRylMYop396haPhM7SLTY5GMCovgbBKhH4o4ngRWwKFjnO_RUAFYZzhyphenhyphen_6lzAr/s1600/IMG_0060.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT97FYBay_A6wabrGaaxMzH-c9tAyKfmPSD8VSjx1FAPEqY-gzLRbBtv7iLTLfPznFhM3r0339b7lCJ1uRylMYop396haPhM7SLTY5GMCovgbBKhH4o4ngRWwKFjnO_RUAFYZzhyphenhyphen_6lzAr/s320/IMG_0060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605651363743880642" border="0" /></a>That was taking right after I weeded and mulched it for about 3 hours. Last year we mulched it with straw, and thought we had ruined them forever because of all of the grass and weeds that came up. The strawberry plants were all but swallowed up. We thought we'd have to start all over. Imagine our delight and surprise when they came back - strong! And now, we're getting a crop of lovely organic strawberries. We're going to add a couple more beds down the road, so that we can actually use them to make things like jam and sorbet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This was today's yield. And they were SO good.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHlrcmozU7KOovIX74GDBguzhlMUBRHR-JFCpHxvVpsIVSdm3Y7O0IL3Fs-6nZVOQz7-vvYIFG8BdYXErR8trUkPrnzSDEVinR_ZOo0Gc3S4xhUonSolktUyDrOLmCrr4iW6Dj1ObBsOD/s1600/IMG_0129.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHlrcmozU7KOovIX74GDBguzhlMUBRHR-JFCpHxvVpsIVSdm3Y7O0IL3Fs-6nZVOQz7-vvYIFG8BdYXErR8trUkPrnzSDEVinR_ZOo0Gc3S4xhUonSolktUyDrOLmCrr4iW6Dj1ObBsOD/s320/IMG_0129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605651355286303554" border="0" /></a>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-53319792017030724302011-05-06T21:45:00.006-04:002011-05-06T22:29:03.752-04:00Exotic Fruit Day: Star FruitBack when I worked in a cubicle, my friend Frank and I would try to make work life more interesting however we could. We came up with "Exotic Fruit Day," and once every couple of weeks, one of us would seek out a type of fruit we'd never tasted before and bring it in for us both to eat. We shared with our other cubicle buddies as well. So I got to taste things like kumquats, pummelo, ugli fruit, and a few others that I can't remember. There were some delightful flavors, as well as some that were surprisingly UN-tasty. I always look back fondly on those attempts to broaden my palette, and we've decided that as part of our homeschooling efforts, we will introduce new/foreign/exotic foods for us all to try as we go along. Most likely in a limited fashion, especially at first, being that our kids are still very young and, as previously mentioned, some foods can get a bit pricey.<br /><br />Recently we came upon an Asian market, and as we had some time before we had to pick the boys up from school, we decided to go in and peruse. I saw that they had dragon fruit - something I had seen and read about, but not tried. I was sorely tempted to get one, but the cheapest one there was $6.99. For ONE piece of fruit. And as we have not yet officially begun our exotic food journey here, I decided that paying that much on a whim was probably not the best idea. There were also other fruits like mangosteen and lychee. In fact the Asian market was chock full of interesting and totally strange-looking items that I am dying to try. So we will be going back there for sure.<br /><br />Then, as I was grocery shopping the other day, I saw star fruit. This is something else I have never tried, but at $1.37, I figured it would be fun for the boys and worth a shot. It's been several days since I bought it, and I decided today was the day I would slice it up for the taste test. Here's what it looked like as a whole piece of fruit:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppVgfl2hhE00_dPoIE_miwNhoEBJr1tWIwHh6aepLLOfJ8JsF0l5Y3FT07TyRkOX1GN39jKj4KHN8mzuNsHchDyY_l0cuw3-L9yzksv9Bbq1dBPABdymmo3DzJNFTmydAWVcSuwsIqv7O/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppVgfl2hhE00_dPoIE_miwNhoEBJr1tWIwHh6aepLLOfJ8JsF0l5Y3FT07TyRkOX1GN39jKj4KHN8mzuNsHchDyY_l0cuw3-L9yzksv9Bbq1dBPABdymmo3DzJNFTmydAWVcSuwsIqv7O/s320/IMG_0095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603791113307811074" border="0" /></a>I had no idea what to do with it, so I just went online and looked up "How to eat a star fruit," and got instructions (with photos!). I realized after reading a bit that the particular piece of fruit in my possession might be a tad overripe. But I was still hopeful. I noticed as I was slicing it that it smelled really good. Kind of like a grape and banana together. And here it is sliced:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydnf2dti_Gen6kSXQk0FFq45ZYv1_z2p_NYT21Bvpb8hm56NSAkqsN0WB_JKu67gQzKHkLVRZXE7CyybpnxX2tk01o3SWi7_jOY3i1XMuTd4lnIYkdt1OfzwoRKUgd4c67hCndqlzar59/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydnf2dti_Gen6kSXQk0FFq45ZYv1_z2p_NYT21Bvpb8hm56NSAkqsN0WB_JKu67gQzKHkLVRZXE7CyybpnxX2tk01o3SWi7_jOY3i1XMuTd4lnIYkdt1OfzwoRKUgd4c67hCndqlzar59/s320/IMG_0099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603791103679471826" border="0" /></a>Chris and I tried it first, and we both decided that it MUST be overripe, because it had just the teensiest hint of tasting "off." But if I had cut it up a few days ago, I'm certain it would have been great. The texture definitely reminded me of a grape, and it was juicy. I gave some to the kids, and they all liked it immediately. I could not get a good picture, but here they are enjoying a slice (Josh had finished his and went back to his video game).<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdX8gTRueuAn_uiDGfTBqGPcv2vFQuPzy5zZ4j1yl-Lk6M0BiYt8zvxau07aT-H065bwwH4Kq-HBvQU1GyDlxY8wInEC9JcV1hBbTdQfts4yeo49n21uJygaOl45_XGUbaFjwTd7qOzcI/s1600/IMG_0102.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdX8gTRueuAn_uiDGfTBqGPcv2vFQuPzy5zZ4j1yl-Lk6M0BiYt8zvxau07aT-H065bwwH4Kq-HBvQU1GyDlxY8wInEC9JcV1hBbTdQfts4yeo49n21uJygaOl45_XGUbaFjwTd7qOzcI/s320/IMG_0102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603791095007440946" border="0" /></a>Overall review? I would definitely try it again, and maybe even make it a semi-regular offering at our house. It is a fun shape, which is always great for kids, and is very appealing. Good taste and smell, and not a terrible price for a once-in-a-while treat. I'm glad I bought it. Exotic fruit day is back!3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-90021290301661062332011-05-04T21:23:00.004-04:002011-05-04T21:34:31.738-04:00Art ShowCheck me out! I am posting two days in a row! <br /><br />Last night we went to the boys' art show at school, where every student has a piece of artwork on display. The hallway walls are lined with the various drawings, paintings, sketches, and the like. I have always loved looking at kids art - I am always amazed at the skill and creativity that some of these children show in their work. I didn't take any pictures of anyone else's work, unfortunately, but trust me, there were some pretty amazing pieces of art.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">George's contribution: I believe these are chickens.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxE4W6a7oJN1IS4ciDDJMdNuU61f5yRQ_LOB7J-j_W-WlTDJFE9p2LJTLJGcYns1ue02OHph_WIDJ4ZMDYbwM3vq8PIkZjr5R7rM02KOfEQw52suFvC-eBSg0jrnPkYV6zFmowW5jkWz0M/s1600/George+Artwork.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxE4W6a7oJN1IS4ciDDJMdNuU61f5yRQ_LOB7J-j_W-WlTDJFE9p2LJTLJGcYns1ue02OHph_WIDJ4ZMDYbwM3vq8PIkZjr5R7rM02KOfEQw52suFvC-eBSg0jrnPkYV6zFmowW5jkWz0M/s320/George+Artwork.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603038025897096578" border="0" /></a><br />Josh's patterned turtle:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT21SZtOH8GjviquO59rv1raJx3jmkWiiugK4df65NDkaJpxcqI0HgKq4JAerBdtc-SM5ipeZiZQnWHgOU0bCiWzo0Jh4uNjSxfc5hqCXkvoAYHWCup5glep8ugekfcvysVXFcWUnIJKa/s1600/Josh+Artwork.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT21SZtOH8GjviquO59rv1raJx3jmkWiiugK4df65NDkaJpxcqI0HgKq4JAerBdtc-SM5ipeZiZQnWHgOU0bCiWzo0Jh4uNjSxfc5hqCXkvoAYHWCup5glep8ugekfcvysVXFcWUnIJKa/s320/Josh+Artwork.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603038018778525730" border="0" /></a><br />And Blake, just because he's cute and because he said "Do me! Do me too!"<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieo-YjTSKvqpTBeTMlC13Rm6QndPctbgaqpLLIal_WbJhGHzhfNspQNOOdumf7QqVS63kg_ododlC31Z4iPqtHC5RwA4emylT19qnjcGDDZTmF3KXDs0wNJ7CBZU_lA6d1orNdc4wp_YGI/s1600/Blake+at+Art+Show.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieo-YjTSKvqpTBeTMlC13Rm6QndPctbgaqpLLIal_WbJhGHzhfNspQNOOdumf7QqVS63kg_ododlC31Z4iPqtHC5RwA4emylT19qnjcGDDZTmF3KXDs0wNJ7CBZU_lA6d1orNdc4wp_YGI/s320/Blake+at+Art+Show.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603038019953672658" border="0" /></a>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-8837231130748012712011-05-04T00:51:00.002-04:002011-05-04T07:52:18.303-04:00Milestone ManiaTime is flying, and shame on me for not documenting more of our life here in the trenches. Stories have been created, milestones reached, and decisions made. But I have neglected to share with my readers (which is mostly family, whom this was originally created for anyway). So I am once again going to attempt a more regular pattern of sharing the stories, pictures, videos, and daily happenings. We shall see how it all pans out. For today, I wanted to share with you all the fact that both of my Kindergarteners learned how to tie their shoes. Today. In like, half an hour. If they can successfully demonstrate that they are able to repeat the action each day until the end of this week, they will receive a new online video game. They are excited. <br /><br />I had decided some time ago that I would make them a practice shoe out of sturdy cardboard and use different colored laces (from our lacing cards). So we started with that. George called his the "dummy shoe." I thought that was pretty clever. Chris showed him how while I was working with Joshua. George got it pretty quickly, whereas Joshua was struggling a bit. So I sent him to Daddy to see if his way would be better. He was still having some trouble, and I showed him one thing different and that was the clincher. It reminded me of when I learned how to drive (on a stick shift, no less). My dad had been trying to teach me, and I struggled to get the car to move smoothly without lurching. But my brother gave me a lesson one day, and one thing he said made me get it. Sometimes you never know what is going to make you get something, know what I mean? I bet you do. I bet you know what I mean. (Sorry, the boys watched Veggie Tales <span style="font-style: italic;">Pistachio</span> the other day, and I heard that line and cracked up.)<br /><br />Anyway, once they got the hang of it, I took a video of them each performing the long-awaited task (which we probably could have taught them SO long ago - oops). Enjoy.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZ6S9kgbDpn2Rqx-jNoSddWhnYS_aXOmsphCZ3YJ5PYSmXpgVfweCFFebE55qDr5Mnfx7SiEqWk2Ylez1n4A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwBJNZNDxiPQjjJinZax721uYIMmy9ToDAJI1ac90pwKZ7xn1-5GBnGCL5CQ2UAIWVTZ01z1jn9GmBWCDO7XA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-39917866840334930442011-03-10T12:01:00.002-05:002011-03-10T12:14:10.251-05:00Random Goings OnIt's been too long to jump in with a relevant post, so I will bullet point a few highlights of our lives at the moment. Then I will attempt yet again to get on a regular posting schedule. I have many retro posts to do, along with many current thoughts swimming around that might be nice to have documented. So here goes - our life at the moment, in snippet(ish) form:<div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Kindergarten is quickly coming to a close for George & Joshua, and there have been many firsts. And though the public school experience has overall been a positive one, we have decided to homeschool this next year. More to come on this topic.</li><li>We have currently gotten into Dave Ramsey, and are striving to become debt-free. More to come on this topic.</li><li>We are attempting an overhaul of our home organization. We want to be clutter-free and have a home that is easy to maintain. This coincides with the desire to homeschool. More to come on this topic.</li></ul><div>Well, I suppose that covers the big areas. There is much more to be discussed, of course: weight loss goals, vacations taken, pictures of the kids, funny stories, etc., but now is not the time, as I must get ready to pick up the boys from school. I thought it would be good to get something down here though, as a baby step to getting the ball rolling again. </div></div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-36530603998307689072011-02-20T01:58:00.002-05:002011-02-20T02:25:06.346-05:00Appreciating Good HealthTaking good health for granted is something I do quite a lot, I've found. At least, I used to. I'm beginning to be thankful for every day that I (and my family) am not sick. Since the twins have started Kindergarten, we have been sick more often than I can remember. From September through December, we were sick every time we turned around. Then after we got back from our holiday road trip (something that needs to be added here in another post), we were healthy for about a month. And it was glorious! As I type this, I am afflicted with the type A flu, a strep infection, and a ruptured eardrum. The eardrum thing has been the most difficult. Along with horrible pain, it has brought issues with equilibrium (dizziness/off balance), problems with chewing and jaw pain, and really disgusting drainage. It has kept me from being able to sleep, and I've had to get creative to keep water out of it for showering purposes. All of this from one little ear.<br /><br />And as I reflect on this past week of a having house full of sickies, numerous co-pays, and a plethora of prescriptions, I am reminded of how many people are without insurance. I am thankful for good insurance. I am also reminded of how many people are dealing with chronic pain. I am thankful that my pain will go away. I am reminded of how many people are living with life-altering debilitating diseases which require much more than a doctor's visit can solve. I am thankful that my illnesses are treatable. I am reminded of how many people cannot afford the medicines to make them better, and simply do without so that they can feed their families. I am thankful for my husband's job. <br /><br />Despite the pain and difficulties of this past week, God has blessed our family in many little ways, showing us that He does care and that He is present. A perfectly timed call from the doctor (on a Saturday!) allowed us to avoid a trip to Urgent Care with all of our sick kids. The fact that my parents were here to help during some of our worst days was a blessing I can't express enough gratitude for. <br /><br />I am ready to feel better. I would like to get back to normal living. But even now, though I have a ways to go to get better, I am grateful that I have known so much good health throughout my life. And I hope to appreciate every day, healthy or not, as a gift from God.3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-6177678982340484102010-10-17T23:47:00.004-04:002011-03-10T12:15:18.733-05:003 Little WordsThere are three little words that pretty much define my life. To hear them means that I am needed, and that is a good thing. But sometimes I hear them and it is like nails on a chalkboard. At times those words make me seethe with resentment. I'm sure this is not how I am supposed to feel - I should be grateful after all for what God has blessed me with. And I am. Truly I am. SO grateful.<br /><br />But when you are in the trenches as I am, day in and day out, and the frequency with which such words ring in your ears is such that it almost seems a constant...it can get beyond annoying. It's as if the response to the previous mention of said words was nonexistent. And the never-ending thanklessness of it becomes so wearying. And yet, it is also a comfort to my heart, to know that I am source of met needs, of satisfied little people who count on me to do my job, of which those three words spur me on yet again to pick up my mantle and carry forth....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Mommy, I'm hungry."</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And there you have it.<br /></div></div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-50496344245274145772010-09-06T18:25:00.003-04:002010-09-06T18:46:26.179-04:00How I Almost Burned Down Our HouseA single decision can set off a chain of events from which your life can be completely altered (i.e. devastated). Conversely, a single decision can bring about a series of other decisions that ultimately prevent a horribly catastrophic event. The former <span style="font-style: italic;">almost </span>occurred, but latter has just occurred.<br /><br />We had been hanging out in the neighbors' yard, as they are having an all-day bonfire to which we were invited to attend. The boys played happily, got rides on the ATV, received popsicles...while Chris and I chatted with other adults and enjoyed some delicious food. I took Blake back home to take his nap, and rested and watched a lovely British movie by myself while resting on the couch. Once Blake awoke, I decided to start cooking some chicken for shredding, figuring it could boil whilst we were hanging out a bit more prior to dinner/baths/bedtime routines.<br /><br />I had let the dog out when Blake and I went back over, and he came over as well. When he showed up, my neighbor told me that Jaz had earlier come over to say Hello and also decided to make himself at home in the back yard by taking a dump. I immediately sprang into action to find a baggie to pick it up. They insisted it was no big deal, but I would not hear of it (I cannot tolerate other animals leaving scat in my yard, so I will also not allow my dog to defecate in another person's yard). I picked up the poo, then walked over to drop it off in our trash receptacle. I then went inside to wash my hands.<br /><br />When I got inside, I immediately got the very strong smell of smoke. I walked over to the stove and noticed there was actually some smoke floating in the air. I looked down and realized that, rather than the pot of chicken put to boil on the back burner, I had actually started the front burner, which had a plate, a spoon, and the edge of one of my beloved bamboo cutting boards on it. All of which were being scorched. I corrected my mistake, put the hot plate and spoon in the sink, ran cold water over the cutting board, and thanked God that I did not just burn down the house or cause any significant damage with my brainless move.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUjtTw21SnBEMRaEE3aQycpTF0BQbvtJ7TC91PZpJRKTVc-OjWICMRqTI8iVPp3qBsw76g2awCeEyThWkqwdQeYJ6BDvtMIhcZsUM2o_dSxEZlcu0DWcpmidpoCFcZy4xh5p6hYP-z12B/s1600/Burned-Stuff.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUjtTw21SnBEMRaEE3aQycpTF0BQbvtJ7TC91PZpJRKTVc-OjWICMRqTI8iVPp3qBsw76g2awCeEyThWkqwdQeYJ6BDvtMIhcZsUM2o_dSxEZlcu0DWcpmidpoCFcZy4xh5p6hYP-z12B/s320/Burned-Stuff.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513935397228465810" border="0" /></a><br />The moral of the story: <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Always </span>pick up after your dog.3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-85631884856096216312010-08-30T09:42:00.005-04:002010-08-30T10:07:38.603-04:00First Day of School!*sigh* Thus begins another mother's bittersweet journey of sending her babies out of the nest and into the wild. George and Josh are in school. Hard to believe, it just happened so fast. Of course, everyone says that. And cognitively, I knew it would go fast because EVERYONE said that it would. But the actualization of it is another matter. The fact that school is upon us now...well, it's just really happening! But that's okay. I feel that having the big boys gone for a whole week with my parents just prior to starting Kindergarten was a hugely beneficial step in preparing my heart for it. And I got excited about it. I didn't even cry on their first day! I started getting misty at the sneak peek the night before, but I was amazingly composed, if I do say so myself. The quiet and calmness of having just Blake was probably a good selling point too. I could see myself enjoying a lack of chaos for a few hours each day. Sure, I have a two-year-old to contend with, but it helps that he is pretty adorable and carries on hilarious conversations (no lie!).<br /><br />So without further delay, the documentation of the first day of school:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ready to go! And no, I didn't buy them (nor did they pick out) purple backpacks. These were prizes they received from playing Flag Football last year, and they were the right size. So we're reusing them until the boys care enough about style/color/theme.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwqmKkB3_5UnyPUWpl4cmUrcHSTA9gHiOQfcoF6es97LBevPzxrkDCHdbzGNMnLxwMxBm-rJsdLljvlgovjhoYog2Boxw484ksBEKMD8JzfrgLYPavZFUpc4Lk9q0EbzONN7HzPXG6S9e/s1600/Inside.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwqmKkB3_5UnyPUWpl4cmUrcHSTA9gHiOQfcoF6es97LBevPzxrkDCHdbzGNMnLxwMxBm-rJsdLljvlgovjhoYog2Boxw484ksBEKMD8JzfrgLYPavZFUpc4Lk9q0EbzONN7HzPXG6S9e/s320/Inside.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511201422196434994" border="0" /></a>George loves to ham it up for the camera. Meanwhile, Josh's less-than-natural smile makes him look like he is in pain. <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEika3uNwKCHYsIQTCt2rIbzZyc9v75NQGP4fsD4YbVDH685QNDpDW-ysOumAsTPE0G8358NQP2VREodWXx7zrR-2Az3d8a2sGr1aVl8Rg8mTEX08ZOIx0dAb033NDqp2lBQN-yuEDrH8Hrt/s1600/Outside.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEika3uNwKCHYsIQTCt2rIbzZyc9v75NQGP4fsD4YbVDH685QNDpDW-ysOumAsTPE0G8358NQP2VREodWXx7zrR-2Az3d8a2sGr1aVl8Rg8mTEX08ZOIx0dAb033NDqp2lBQN-yuEDrH8Hrt/s320/Outside.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511201415467753586" border="0" /></a>In front of the school building.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HbdNXzvQ0HjtYywMKRbCpb-gBD0qt_Vua5lHhEIq-SbALPOAvNlmVH8vP9qnwd9zV6IX6JjUxzRO082x-iy675nMmKdUADfDhMgTQW8bJ_-rkjiJr0hAjHAAPCuCNWEka7kqdRZx5OdH/s1600/School-Building.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HbdNXzvQ0HjtYywMKRbCpb-gBD0qt_Vua5lHhEIq-SbALPOAvNlmVH8vP9qnwd9zV6IX6JjUxzRO082x-iy675nMmKdUADfDhMgTQW8bJ_-rkjiJr0hAjHAAPCuCNWEka7kqdRZx5OdH/s320/School-Building.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511201407592478002" border="0" /></a>At the front doors!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMWu-pFhRcX4a2J0qwg2vHemfKBVmTY8Hn8V6RtlytIWdOPtFWg3mtdSz98j1M8N3vLYXEAx42ZJBjHgYMB3egXuNVV8pGLBf0sE5ICkmRZOxzTTL1SzMaVWe3jUiF58_yfuQecFWRrLn/s1600/Front-Doors.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMWu-pFhRcX4a2J0qwg2vHemfKBVmTY8Hn8V6RtlytIWdOPtFWg3mtdSz98j1M8N3vLYXEAx42ZJBjHgYMB3egXuNVV8pGLBf0sE5ICkmRZOxzTTL1SzMaVWe3jUiF58_yfuQecFWRrLn/s320/Front-Doors.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511201402964784274" border="0" /></a>And finally, in the classroom. They walked in and never looked back. This was the only day for them to be in the same class (before they got assigned to their teachers).<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNdybQwOLu5AJK5FKDJvxtoNZ68nnQJpCE8Pm9wl5FzyrWIOfKvKGi16GL6kn3fsJadNtrsfUlekW1XAtV18LDNs-Wn1VSZBwLYGrtkNC5-EDwGS-noYT2-Pbv2jOvO2Um7yDlMlVlMX-/s1600/Classroom.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNdybQwOLu5AJK5FKDJvxtoNZ68nnQJpCE8Pm9wl5FzyrWIOfKvKGi16GL6kn3fsJadNtrsfUlekW1XAtV18LDNs-Wn1VSZBwLYGrtkNC5-EDwGS-noYT2-Pbv2jOvO2Um7yDlMlVlMX-/s320/Classroom.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511201389747672706" border="0" /></a>So for the past 2 weeks, they've only had one "stagger day" each week. But today marks the beginning of school every day. My babies are in school! Wow.3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-72425466151017883052010-08-12T00:45:00.010-04:002010-08-12T01:07:25.095-04:00Summer Sabbatical and Tadpole TownIt hasn't been an intentional neglect - I have been meaning to post about so many things: the goings on of this summer, Chris' job situation, retro posts to include the boys' birthdays, deciding to send the twins to Kindergarten, etc. But due to the funk and just being out of the habit - time has once again run away from me. But rather than try to do too much all at once, I'll start with a fun new development - what I like to call Tadpole Town. Behold pictures taken late one night in June, when Christopher discovered that we had some tree frogs who were fond of our kiddie pool:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Just having a leisurely swim, enjoying the night in our pool.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UW4cOUxh2PaY_2ex9dfeldt_roIhDVZuhJ_WpqLgT2zdfKxg4SkLPhISGp6J4rU26Zrs2GyHFjO_rWqoOS0pzGi8z48UgRmlYnLwMh1rCBtKasiSY8UGczJjk3hy7F601f-l0Ol9vFI3/s1600/Tree-Frog2.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UW4cOUxh2PaY_2ex9dfeldt_roIhDVZuhJ_WpqLgT2zdfKxg4SkLPhISGp6J4rU26Zrs2GyHFjO_rWqoOS0pzGi8z48UgRmlYnLwMh1rCBtKasiSY8UGczJjk3hy7F601f-l0Ol9vFI3/s320/Tree-Frog2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504381446894990674" border="0" /></a>What are YOU looking at?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRx85ftw_hI8JVf4jsBjsed9nRlVf82qwa1f_SfqIyDzsSj2ZX5_jKNvemSOyQuKWTJLJTKB3a3LClMOB3SJs_tpOk5WSounHlpLhOAb-TRyEKI0ZoceiUEyOUUNvZCaoZ9k5Yueksa93/s1600/Tree-Frog3.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRx85ftw_hI8JVf4jsBjsed9nRlVf82qwa1f_SfqIyDzsSj2ZX5_jKNvemSOyQuKWTJLJTKB3a3LClMOB3SJs_tpOk5WSounHlpLhOAb-TRyEKI0ZoceiUEyOUUNvZCaoZ9k5Yueksa93/s320/Tree-Frog3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504381440049530658" border="0" /></a>And another new little friend.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiPAWk6J73Q1tHsUEs7rcExM-bZJdJzNCd1co99bcjYcvlDJ1FE25fxEOwpnLHsf5XGbijAf4IiURq4o4jporo_KDEzkV6rFHsTtY4ZX7RUmH5zQYJvDmlGy_pfi7I2nplddo5Yd7JLQX/s1600/Tree-Frog1.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiPAWk6J73Q1tHsUEs7rcExM-bZJdJzNCd1co99bcjYcvlDJ1FE25fxEOwpnLHsf5XGbijAf4IiURq4o4jporo_KDEzkV6rFHsTtY4ZX7RUmH5zQYJvDmlGy_pfi7I2nplddo5Yd7JLQX/s320/Tree-Frog1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504381435662942850" border="0" /></a>In late July, George & Joshua went to visit my parents for a week, and we took Blake to the neighbors' pool rather than clean out the kiddie pool just for him (plus we wanted to swim). So the cleaning of the kiddie pool went undone and unnoticed for about 2 weeks. We had drained it, but there were still a couple of inches of water left, which started accumulating a nice layer of algae, along with a huge dead spider and some other dead bugs. The day I decided to have Chris clean it (yes, this is most definitely a job for him, like most outdoor jobs), something caught my eye when I bumped the pool. A little flicker of movement. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there were, in fact, tadpoles in the pool. A LOT of them! I counted at least 30. Such a cool thing to see (especially when you have little boys), albeit a bit gross considering that we allowed our pool to become a breeding ground for algae and frogs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here are the boys, checking out the tadpoles (as has become the daily custom).<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohoBKmbJOFJqEVnb3uCyqUUKju87cvTA8ST63zjQWaXETO1h6PvtGsiLxJix29BUTJJdSj54giiKeaH6G9n823L3sWaalmvTNz7zShZI3JIxJKP924TGYCvUAPslLM1-t_QNAcgNrJcxK/s1600/Boys-Looking-in-Pool.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohoBKmbJOFJqEVnb3uCyqUUKju87cvTA8ST63zjQWaXETO1h6PvtGsiLxJix29BUTJJdSj54giiKeaH6G9n823L3sWaalmvTNz7zShZI3JIxJKP924TGYCvUAPslLM1-t_QNAcgNrJcxK/s320/Boys-Looking-in-Pool.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504383401054474482" border="0" /></a>And here are a few of the little fellas:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbw9ntncafy6jdFvBDq6V_XhU04AzmnM-pdjSc-D3fv2W2jfN2NxXTFTs_YcqEkVz_P4jbRA_memLdhOVa8pVQG2e5mJsIqCF996E-8gBXrA5XjzDMHVjQMaC8ouajpu_Gfr31WJYisqk9/s1600/Tadpoles.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbw9ntncafy6jdFvBDq6V_XhU04AzmnM-pdjSc-D3fv2W2jfN2NxXTFTs_YcqEkVz_P4jbRA_memLdhOVa8pVQG2e5mJsIqCF996E-8gBXrA5XjzDMHVjQMaC8ouajpu_Gfr31WJYisqk9/s320/Tadpoles.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504383405943914530" border="0" /></a>I have done a little research on raising tadpoles, and it seems as though we may be able to just keep them outside and watch them turn into full-fledged frogs without too much effort. The water in the pool is diminishing daily, and the hot sun has to be almost cooking the little guys, so we need to get them out of the pool and into a nice shady spot with some cleaner water (not to mention that we'd like to use the pool for, oh I don't know, swimming?). But it has been fun to check on them every day. Oh, and for those of you fond of the grotesque, here's the icky dead spider that went from floating to stuck onto the bottom of the pool. Eww.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDQbPb7w7HPRJ0aoaw4omdsOji6JcoPj2J8mQx9U88STtkEnI6FbKVJy264d-EADohCdcD0MevYDGzcsHSBPNnY4g87fvNYiJKSvrIThpuB8kaQ3fxcbppSXzf1N0oZ5RUC_kor96Sa2G/s1600/Icky-Dead-Spider.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDQbPb7w7HPRJ0aoaw4omdsOji6JcoPj2J8mQx9U88STtkEnI6FbKVJy264d-EADohCdcD0MevYDGzcsHSBPNnY4g87fvNYiJKSvrIThpuB8kaQ3fxcbppSXzf1N0oZ5RUC_kor96Sa2G/s320/Icky-Dead-Spider.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504385183950691986" border="0" /></a>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-24501025053379250202010-07-12T14:02:00.002-04:002010-07-12T14:37:34.373-04:00In a FunkI have been struggling with crippling fatigue and the blahs for several weeks now. I am functioning at a less-than acceptable level, and it is starting to really affect my general well-being. I'm overwhelmed, I'm snappy with the kids, I'm getting depressed, I can't exercise, and I'm suffering from sleep problems. I saw the doctor a couple of weeks ago for a complete physical. He decided to test my thyroid along with the other blood tests. A couple of days after the Dr. visit (and before getting all of the bloodwork results), I came across a recommendation for a book from one of my <a href="http://www.cheeseslave.com/">favorite bloggers</a>. Some time ago she talked about getting off coffee without any negative withdrawal symptoms by using amino acid supplements. Then in the more recent post she talked about this book and how it is helping her to eliminate cravings for sugar and alcohol as well. She actually went to a weekend seminar the author was giving, and learned even more about nutrition therapy.<div><br /></div><div>The book is called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mood-Cure-4-Step-Program-Emotions-Today/dp/0142003646/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278958198&sr=8-1">The Mood Cure</a>, by Julia Ross. I got the book from the library and plowed through it in a couple of days. And let me tell you, this is profound stuff. I will be buying this book. Not only is it applicable to pretty much every American (especially those consuming the Standard American Diet), it is also downright fascinating. I was pretty immediately convinced that my problems are all due to deficient brain chemicals, and that I needed to change up my diet and get on some amino acid supplements. I decided to wait to hear from my doctor before springing into action, as I wanted to make sure that, if it was my thyroid at the root of things, I could take care of it first. The doctor (himself!) called me and went over all of my results. On paper, I am in excellent physical health. Even being quite a bit overweight doesn't show in my bloodwork. He had recommended during the exam that I get outside for Vitamin D every day (15-20 minutes, midday sun, NO sunscreen), and I've been working on that. It has helped perk me up a little bit, but not enough to really get me going.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I talked to him about reading The Mood Cure (which he was familiar with, which makes me love him even more as he is very knowledgeable in natural healing/living), and told him I'd like to try some of the supplement. He was fully on board and offered his assistance should I need it. So I am anxiously awaiting my supplements (had a shipping snafu with an online vitamin company), and I have a lot of hope that this will be the solution. It will take some serious discipline (the supplement schedule, plus the change in diet, for example), but I think once I turn the corner with my energy level, I will be able to start exercising regularly again and get my life back. </div><div><br /></div><div>I know it has been a long time since I posted anything, so I wanted to give a little explanation for that. I'm hoping to get some motivation to get back into the important things of life again, and I think I'm on the right track. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you are interested in taking the mood questionnaire, <a href="http://www.moodcure.com/Questionnaire.html">you can do it online here</a>. It will give you a good indication of whether or not you may need to correct a deficiency in your brain. I can't recommend this book enough, and I haven't even started my supplements yet! I will definitely be posting about my progress, so check back in on occasion. I may even post some fun stuff too. :) </div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-5386923033656861232010-05-24T00:50:00.005-04:002010-05-24T01:08:31.897-04:005 Years: A SnapshotIt's hard to believe that it has been 5 years since I had two newborn babies in my arms. I had to reminisce a bit and look through some old photos. And while I was at it, I thought I'd share a few:<br /><div style="text-align: center;">One month old, and already full of personality.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmixJ2tVDegR8KpgvvqxWxbgI7RiDfmi5hikXD3ZxHF2iCvfu73572pkOXBxOz-Eiay_Wu_sIPNjv4TPhMa3KF0pgyUZv0ExHrkTIEHTwJtk1lZopU0VVYUL28OJTzCDPmfkkiDcntS_4/s1600/Twins+1+Month.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmixJ2tVDegR8KpgvvqxWxbgI7RiDfmi5hikXD3ZxHF2iCvfu73572pkOXBxOz-Eiay_Wu_sIPNjv4TPhMa3KF0pgyUZv0ExHrkTIEHTwJtk1lZopU0VVYUL28OJTzCDPmfkkiDcntS_4/s320/Twins+1+Month.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474695039170965266" border="0" /></a>The morning of their first birthday party, with their buddy Elmo.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnssMmuV7WUTDBjiMSIgVO1ckehAyyQmzLoWcOKrwNvmaZTqw0qecOCxlxQuRXKzwJdImluejk8MVijC735iRXN78W4y45Cl-xRZkSjoH-2vOQePcoBKrnOxOL72DBFdI57zMOYboJgA8/s1600/Twins-1-Year.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnssMmuV7WUTDBjiMSIgVO1ckehAyyQmzLoWcOKrwNvmaZTqw0qecOCxlxQuRXKzwJdImluejk8MVijC735iRXN78W4y45Cl-xRZkSjoH-2vOQePcoBKrnOxOL72DBFdI57zMOYboJgA8/s320/Twins-1-Year.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474695033639619090" border="0" /></a>Two years old, on a nature hike with Daddy.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4e-Hx9b_YKR7vHSmmua8RHn_xRgTKzpdV1iBxrVxLrS5pizGE7uMruSpa7qlPCZifZq9EOOOGuPjVVx66BVTT9WZfaeTR6BToR3_JwBIqKXj3zbUDBbqXMSaIWgWyafqdkzjqkRoqNSy/s1600/Twins-2-Years.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4e-Hx9b_YKR7vHSmmua8RHn_xRgTKzpdV1iBxrVxLrS5pizGE7uMruSpa7qlPCZifZq9EOOOGuPjVVx66BVTT9WZfaeTR6BToR3_JwBIqKXj3zbUDBbqXMSaIWgWyafqdkzjqkRoqNSy/s320/Twins-2-Years.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474695020502264738" border="0" /></a>Three years old, and wanting to do everything Daddy (and Mommy) does. Helping Daddy move some dirt here:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkHE6ae7HMsCbUjtetFr9VU4S14zG0l7-0VsC8E16pPmgSrvZp-Bwdu38DDwZpkZGkL_qsbqrWyfGLrHVoznggVdB7G0OmVgaN0JFoF2Yh0qVmtLqlQQXDZdJbUll3WMU6L0pwD0KJvML/s1600/Twins-3-Years.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkHE6ae7HMsCbUjtetFr9VU4S14zG0l7-0VsC8E16pPmgSrvZp-Bwdu38DDwZpkZGkL_qsbqrWyfGLrHVoznggVdB7G0OmVgaN0JFoF2Yh0qVmtLqlQQXDZdJbUll3WMU6L0pwD0KJvML/s320/Twins-3-Years.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474695012985786482" border="0" /></a>Four years old, and they each caught a fish (and got their first serious sunburn) on their very first fishing trip with Daddy.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBg1oL9Jg_vIEdcOTfEBeOtDCH51cJSp2vhC8J0idjUbhBRdrzeZd9HNFFwcZuxcAGkXi3oqKyVpkYc8HTgJYopWktQ91dsaUAKf1s-O0ElUqAp84Rdq4U3MNVuO94Ado819NOaurc-SIL/s1600/Twins-4-Years.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBg1oL9Jg_vIEdcOTfEBeOtDCH51cJSp2vhC8J0idjUbhBRdrzeZd9HNFFwcZuxcAGkXi3oqKyVpkYc8HTgJYopWktQ91dsaUAKf1s-O0ElUqAp84Rdq4U3MNVuO94Ado819NOaurc-SIL/s320/Twins-4-Years.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474695000171447954" border="0" /></a>Today, at barely five years old, at their church preschool graduation. Onward and upward!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNaT2Ow-zZOZardwcwVSu_jB3cWzOjcX_K2cvq4Yr-Vu2n6iu3MNCkAT5GUb7TgO0vsk8USK1WHBgkNfyCkot9bzBtRmXIRkg16Chu4CDXBgDnILaWfV8e3LbG6Cbj0fMQz1y1CWvvcC6/s1600/5-Years.gif"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNaT2Ow-zZOZardwcwVSu_jB3cWzOjcX_K2cvq4Yr-Vu2n6iu3MNCkAT5GUb7TgO0vsk8USK1WHBgkNfyCkot9bzBtRmXIRkg16Chu4CDXBgDnILaWfV8e3LbG6Cbj0fMQz1y1CWvvcC6/s320/5-Years.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474696292978521698" border="0" /></a>It went so fast. Everyone tells you to enjoy the moments when your children are small. Everyone says the time flies by. And on some level you can understand that in your head when people say it. But to experience it as your children go from 0-5 in the blink of an eye makes you truly understand. And you become part of that group of "everyone," who wistfully tells someone else to enjoy their baby, because it really goes by fast. Even though they will know soon enough.3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-78978203666261896522010-05-19T23:59:00.009-04:002010-05-20T00:30:00.581-04:00Boys on BikesIt is seriously shameful how long I go in between posts these days. And what's worse is how much stuff I could be sharing. I have many pictures and stories that have just gone undocumented. The shame of it all. So I will start with yesterday and perhaps one day I will do my series of retro posts to include things like birthday parties and milestone events. Perhaps. <div><br /></div><div>Since George and Josh turned 5 years old on Monday (ack!), they finally got bicycles as gifts (from their amazing grandparents!). It rained most of the day on their actual birthday, of course, and so we had to take them to the park yesterday (since our property is hilly and all gravel or grass - not the best terrain to start out on) to try them out. And they did great. Observe:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here is the unveiling. They were itching to ride and got on immediately. We allowed them to pedal about in circles on the deck during the 5 minutes of sunshine we got that evening. They were thrilled.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv18raJo4JyGuXIOz4nycN_u4JVVwI94FYmsbf4XT4QaWhpIT44NuLAvMCX4wm86ZuFkoCtO25Lqv_pfOob9lHIgI8UCDv86Djdf0lCGVRfD4duG7NbK7lhwoSIIYXAjCvN1hUK0QsHaIA/s1600/Bikes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv18raJo4JyGuXIOz4nycN_u4JVVwI94FYmsbf4XT4QaWhpIT44NuLAvMCX4wm86ZuFkoCtO25Lqv_pfOob9lHIgI8UCDv86Djdf0lCGVRfD4duG7NbK7lhwoSIIYXAjCvN1hUK0QsHaIA/s320/Bikes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473198592894377122" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Now for the <i>real</i> riding the next day. Helmets and all. This was a rare side-by-side moment. Most of the time they were passing each other, racing, or doing completely different things.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR0Xv6cORCZQ3SnnidGrhooiqKly-BeGBrtQAIoaE-tt7J58otDsWKHyfrjUNM6XMDV0IA5_Gh3TJsKZ_1GcLedRuwu2fArzbDsNUmz9ljXt0yqxPe0YhMcYyIXi3TWZw_wVQvMRk5f6n/s1600/Boys+on+Bikes+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR0Xv6cORCZQ3SnnidGrhooiqKly-BeGBrtQAIoaE-tt7J58otDsWKHyfrjUNM6XMDV0IA5_Gh3TJsKZ_1GcLedRuwu2fArzbDsNUmz9ljXt0yqxPe0YhMcYyIXi3TWZw_wVQvMRk5f6n/s320/Boys+on+Bikes+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473198588856065202" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Josh, happy as a clam on his new best friend.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvXjwu-1_m1ZGK-Zbazq-ld1bTx72_ho3bMqMfLjqHaiZGqITx7VHdBa1GNxiCKeOGfqF0HdF6MxzSx5YbYFPn2Pkt_Ptl1U2VQkUtBZUxZ4fqhAGYG2pYI4TgGM_U2ZLFqD0yzhHyElX/s1600/Josh+on+Bike.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvXjwu-1_m1ZGK-Zbazq-ld1bTx72_ho3bMqMfLjqHaiZGqITx7VHdBa1GNxiCKeOGfqF0HdF6MxzSx5YbYFPn2Pkt_Ptl1U2VQkUtBZUxZ4fqhAGYG2pYI4TgGM_U2ZLFqD0yzhHyElX/s320/Josh+on+Bike.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473198587294177346" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Giddy George with his favorite toy.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeHW9z0F1-bWkgzZY4mQ6aizKMZkCuWYPnr-cKDGKEf7qirANkHj2qmd6CUUfruMeeguMtU7aJwQ0XjH7j0VFs9soDxr8mWhTzeRmLEOu1l_lUbGmePyFTdsWQy52pugu1N4qKoKEIgqK/s1600/George+on+Bike.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeHW9z0F1-bWkgzZY4mQ6aizKMZkCuWYPnr-cKDGKEf7qirANkHj2qmd6CUUfruMeeguMtU7aJwQ0XjH7j0VFs9soDxr8mWhTzeRmLEOu1l_lUbGmePyFTdsWQy52pugu1N4qKoKEIgqK/s320/George+on+Bike.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473198581228637010" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">And not to be left out, Blake received a hand-me-down tricycle (thank goodness!) at the same time. He is also in love with it (though he needs a bit more practice). Here he was saying "I used the brakes."</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLNjd7Obzkaf9IkLTRhKOM05OEvyvbzAeF1URnswam78nGQD-7T5RkgnXievxGcUnpMS525YEFBPpO3_GfB1Mf41zoVByG1eiWOLAVtNh41DdesT-tkWmGS731sQLDc1QPIlMxR8D0Fcd/s1600/Blake+on+Trike.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLNjd7Obzkaf9IkLTRhKOM05OEvyvbzAeF1URnswam78nGQD-7T5RkgnXievxGcUnpMS525YEFBPpO3_GfB1Mf41zoVByG1eiWOLAVtNh41DdesT-tkWmGS731sQLDc1QPIlMxR8D0Fcd/s320/Blake+on+Trike.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473198575465338450" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Josh and Blake after an intentional collision.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJDQiGuZ8gwlxuOfLq1CFTIhtRfStgwmdlZ7U8ZOtt9ZlCOH2uefyHrG65_omnVN1AKOksDSSV8BtiAFM_t_U7feEJ0UrlveEwzmkrWfs4MK82wZW5S0zsDj91IUIb71jmZaxGNWGlijw/s1600/Josh+and+Blake+Collide.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJDQiGuZ8gwlxuOfLq1CFTIhtRfStgwmdlZ7U8ZOtt9ZlCOH2uefyHrG65_omnVN1AKOksDSSV8BtiAFM_t_U7feEJ0UrlveEwzmkrWfs4MK82wZW5S0zsDj91IUIb71jmZaxGNWGlijw/s320/Josh+and+Blake+Collide.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473201506953374722" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Passing each other on the way to somewhere else.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq1cXWlsSSJUUvoNzPTeTmvZeU8JLcZc1HLdTwjuQH9LY64UzlBkXPxTqRDf3so7dyLv-4z8190O83Js4EDTKyTNgEddfATGbemkO2_HVrvix_BwQzudpJp-Zq1HbQej1bCPx6ASe3tpSF/s1600/Passing+Each+Other.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq1cXWlsSSJUUvoNzPTeTmvZeU8JLcZc1HLdTwjuQH9LY64UzlBkXPxTqRDf3so7dyLv-4z8190O83Js4EDTKyTNgEddfATGbemkO2_HVrvix_BwQzudpJp-Zq1HbQej1bCPx6ASe3tpSF/s320/Passing+Each+Other.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473201502695020946" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Then we went on their first "trail" ride.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xt4WvqvMowAUvMssVBCXs-qNAcNUgcW3yZj5NlfZmQ3V2CwCj3ol5zxgSNce7IvOry6ghb8uzRlaPRv5_x1c_HGfjuVvjMuSYAUwckJzpTRv00NgMAMsl2Z9qcEAKfRzJ99D2j8t6nmz/s1600/Trail+Riding.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xt4WvqvMowAUvMssVBCXs-qNAcNUgcW3yZj5NlfZmQ3V2CwCj3ol5zxgSNce7IvOry6ghb8uzRlaPRv5_x1c_HGfjuVvjMuSYAUwckJzpTRv00NgMAMsl2Z9qcEAKfRzJ99D2j8t6nmz/s320/Trail+Riding.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473201496659343394" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">And there they go!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-6VpLFERdukb3Qnb66SsHlymOLmaqS5O72b23OYvWRvGlmexhFjKQ7JOk5gnc0iNruh9SKRBqMogfXXh8lCoNYxktpsIMcTBGV3eVK_CRXGDIKiEql6bmU2liExe0oMJo9g1gjD9Mh9O/s1600/Trail+Ride+Back+View.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-6VpLFERdukb3Qnb66SsHlymOLmaqS5O72b23OYvWRvGlmexhFjKQ7JOk5gnc0iNruh9SKRBqMogfXXh8lCoNYxktpsIMcTBGV3eVK_CRXGDIKiEql6bmU2liExe0oMJo9g1gjD9Mh9O/s320/Trail+Ride+Back+View.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473201494431033170" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The trio in all of their pedaling glory.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUywAR4S6ppFv21oVBWjeBRgI5Q3ocjkz0CUt7Vfystcmwvju1g17qDesllVDCFy22Imo9L7h5-cUWKf7QQDjkNTelDOZpRDHyTwTVQmNF9Hkw8b3__LPqMoEGJxkTRguKU0L-LAQvzNbV/s1600/Trio+of+Bike+Riders.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUywAR4S6ppFv21oVBWjeBRgI5Q3ocjkz0CUt7Vfystcmwvju1g17qDesllVDCFy22Imo9L7h5-cUWKf7QQDjkNTelDOZpRDHyTwTVQmNF9Hkw8b3__LPqMoEGJxkTRguKU0L-LAQvzNbV/s320/Trio+of+Bike+Riders.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473201489467926658" /></a><div><br /></div><div>They had a blast and did NOT want to go home. And asked if they could ride bicycles the next day. And when we left for the doctor this morning, they asked if they could ride them today. I have a feeling we'll be going to the park a lot this summer. </div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-40056091438656928022010-04-11T22:47:00.006-04:002010-04-11T23:22:18.658-04:00Just BreatheThis is the worst spring allergy season ever. Ok, so maybe that was overstating it a tad, but really, it is bad this year. Just Google it and you'll see. <div><br /></div><div>Poor Joshy has allergies. Here's my little sneezy, itchy pumpkin (isn't he too adorable?!):</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_8se-wNhAvMzj5UIm-g_iId3BPKNPL3GPCjbq9FGdgCOUQCqXY8St-qjIAbL46hRwM6NidFPI5IP6Kt6XfFe_j3OqaPbuCKVesG3GBb5Mmn7MeJR9GAmM_Jn4mUPWC6kDyo5OpSUQL3T/s1600/Josh+in+Wagon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_8se-wNhAvMzj5UIm-g_iId3BPKNPL3GPCjbq9FGdgCOUQCqXY8St-qjIAbL46hRwM6NidFPI5IP6Kt6XfFe_j3OqaPbuCKVesG3GBb5Mmn7MeJR9GAmM_Jn4mUPWC6kDyo5OpSUQL3T/s320/Josh+in+Wagon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459085384467698194" /></a><br /></div><div> He gets the aforementioned (nay cursed) allergies from my side of the family. When he touches the cat and then touches his eyes, you can bet his eye will be red and itchy in a flash. It happens to me too. So we have to remember to wash our hands whenever we touch animals. That's pretty manageable. But since we <i>live</i> with not one but two pets, there are some indoor allergens to contend with. And of course, when Spring and Fall roll around, a fresh set of allergy pollens, molds, dusts, and whatever else crops up. So the pediatrician suggested trying Claritin with Josh. And since we've started it, Josh has done better. He takes it once a day, year round. </div><div><br /></div><div>But this year? Once the weather finally turned warm, nature exploded into a yellow-tinged, hazy, polleny mess. And Josh has been suffering. He had the worst of it last week. We were giving him his daily Claritin, but we had to add in Benadryl because he couldn't deal with the itchy throat and eyes, and he had drainage and a slight cough from that.</div><div><br /></div><div>He woke up crying two nights in a row, nose stuffed up to the point where he could not breathe. And he had a slight wheeze. I think he was scared because he felt like he couldn't get a breath. Then he would start crying, which only made things worse. We brought him to our bed both nights just to spare George and to help comfort/treat Josh. We did saline in the nose, and gave him Benadryl whenever it had been long enough, but he still had a hard time. </div><div><br /></div><div>On top of all of that fun stuff, he ended up getting a monster case of poison ivy (which is thriving wonderfully all over our property). Thankfully, we started our second annual regimen of the wonder product <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boericke-Tafel-Oral-Ivy-liquid/dp/B0001APXWY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1271041347&sr=8-1">Oral Ivy</a> a few weeks ago, or else I think he'd have been suffering a fate I shudder to ponder. But even though it wasn't as bad as it could have been, it was still not pleasant and he would sometimes scratch it in his sleep.</div><div><br /></div><div>So after those two bad nights, we decided to take him to the doctor. And the doctor said that Joshua has asthma (no doubt allergy-induced). His oxygen levels were low, and he took a breathing treatment while at the doctor's office. And after 3 hours at the doctor and a whole booklet's worth of prescriptions to bring home, we have a new situation on our hands. </div><div><br /></div><div>Joshua (for now) has to take breathing treatments 4 times a day with a nebulizer. He uses one inhaler twice a day, plus is taking a steroid twice a day (for the poison ivy), plus is on Singulair daily, and will continue his Claritin daily. Oh, and there's a rescue inhaler in the mix too, just in case. And, being how I am, I had to create a spreadsheet medicine chart for the fridge so we could keep track of it all. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am not thrilled with the idea that we are infusing our son with medications aplenty. But I am very thankful that these medications exist and can help treat him. I will seek out alternative and natural methods of healing him from (or at least reducing the symptoms of) this asthma and the allergies from whence it came. I would like to get him down to minimal (or no) medications if possible. But for now - I am so grateful for drugs. My son has slept soundly the last two nights, and he back to his chipper self. Now we can all relax and take a breath. Literally.</div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-34959416101348713762010-04-10T23:25:00.003-04:002010-04-11T00:28:35.851-04:00Life Can Change in an InstantI have a very special group of friends. I met them over 5 years ago, when I was pregnant with George and Joshua. We were all pregnant with our first children, as a matter of fact. Women from various locations and backgrounds happened to have this one thing in common at the same time, and we came together in an online group. We were called "June Joys," because our babies were due in June. <div><br /></div><div>A core group of us have remained friends throughout these past 5 years. We have shared our joys, pains, frustrations, phases of motherhood, the birth(s) of subsequent children, and just about everything else you can think of. When one of us has an issue with our child(ren), we bring it up to the group. And many times, others of us are going through the same thing. I think of these women as true friends to me. They have supported me in so many ways, laughed and cried with me, complimented my children and my efforts in motherhood, lifted me up when I have felt like a total failure, and have offered advice, suggestions, and resources that have proved to be incredibly valuable in my life. And though I have never met any of them in person, I love each and every one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of these special friends is Stephanie. Stephanie is an amazing woman. She is a woman of great faith in God, a math teacher/tutor, an outdoors enthusiast, skilled in crafting (knitting, etc.), and a very devoted wife and mother. She became a La Leche League instructor as she is very passionate about breastfeeding. She was a great resource to me when I was trying to <a href="http://bergmanboytrio.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-nursing-saga.html">nurse Blake</a> and when I needed to increase my supply when I was pumping exclusively. </div><div><br /></div><div>Stephanie is the mother of a little girl who is George and Joshua's age, and a little boy who is (I think) around 3 now. She had not been posting regularly on our group's board for a while, but many of us are Facebook friends with her and found out there that she became pregnant with number 3. We were all thrilled for her, of course.</div><div><br /></div><div>During this pregnancy, Stephanie came down with pneumonia, and one day in February she became unresponsive. She was taken to the hospital, and has been hospitalized ever since. Her pneumonia turned into spinal meningitis, which caused paralysis from the neck down. She also suffered from other infections, and they had to deliver her baby at 28 weeks by emergency C-section to save both of their lives. She had a baby boy, and he is doing well at the time I am writing this (and I am unsure of all of the details, but this information is to the best of my memory/knowledge).</div><div><br /></div><div>Stephanie has only seen her children twice since being hospitalized, and has only gotten to see her newborn preemie once. She has a trach tube, which means she cannot talk. And because of the paralysis, she cannot sign. The only way she can communicate is by having people read her lips. She has been transferred to a hospital many states away from where they live so that she can get specialized care, and her husband has to travel back and forth to be with her as much as he can. But he works full-time, of course, and is running out of paid time off. The medical bills are racking up quickly, and there will be more costs added due to the special care she will continue to need once she does get home.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a family that needs help. Their lives have been turned upside-down, and life as they knew it will never be the same. God is with this family, and there are tons of prayers going out for them daily. But they need support of a tangible kind, from people who are willing to give just a tiny bit. Whenever I think about what life must be like for them, it makes me wish I had some kind of real clout in the world. If I only had some celebrity who would tell this story and pull the heartstrings of millions! Oprah, we need you! </div><div><br /></div><div>Alas, I have no connections. No clout. But I do have this blog. And I figure that this is a way that I can attempt to help out this family. So I ask you, dear reader - would <i>you</i> be willing to help? My goal is to raise $1,000 by July 1st. In the grand scheme of things, this is chump change. It won't touch the bills that this family will surely accrue. But it could pay for a couple of plane tickets. It might help with the need for ongoing childcare. It may be enough to help out in a moment of crisis. </div><div><br /></div><div>How, you may ask, can I help? Well, I have placed a handy-dandy widget in the upper right corner of the blog page. All you need to do it click on it and it will direct you in how to donate (using PayPal). No amount is too small. </div><div><br /></div><div>I applaud those who are helping out in the wake of the disaster in Haiti. I am grateful to those who give and serve in far away countries. And I know that there are many people fighting daily to better the lives of so many who struggle in our own country. But this is a chance to really make a difference for one family. A family who has been facing and will continue to face incredible challenges. A family who needs to know that people are praying and pulling for them. Will you help me make a difference?</div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-55702497442908185652010-03-26T02:37:00.005-04:002010-03-26T03:03:20.792-04:00A Revolutionary TV ShowSo I saw some buzz on a few of the blogs I frequent about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show. I decided to check it out (<a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution">you can watch it online here</a>), and it was truly a breath of fresh air. What with all of the junk they serve up on TV these days, it is tough to find truly quality (and family friendly) programming. But this show? It is a must watch. You can even sign a petition to support it (I did!). I think this is so important that I added the badge on my website. Just click on the image that looks like the one below (on the right hand side of the page) to show your support.<div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTRPs7pw8mRZ_ufnhwieJfKufUyq5jyJtSYhI0mW-DOZYx0YBZBhU7wNxdjAESqPXDOKEt4mNc9NEXjePEq316c0f8nkJbM_Wk2le0ekBnEmHuFmhcsrjdtszMm4DBOZ8xblr05Ln8Ga_/s1600/JOFR-badgeLg.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTRPs7pw8mRZ_ufnhwieJfKufUyq5jyJtSYhI0mW-DOZYx0YBZBhU7wNxdjAESqPXDOKEt4mNc9NEXjePEq316c0f8nkJbM_Wk2le0ekBnEmHuFmhcsrjdtszMm4DBOZ8xblr05Ln8Ga_/s320/JOFR-badgeLg.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452832585330477378" /></a><div><br /></div><div>My food philosophy has changed drastically over the past couple of years. I used to buy into the low-fat, low-calorie hype. I thought that you should eat as much soy as possible for good health. I thought that artificial sweeteners were THE way to lose weight, because then you didn't have all of those extra calories to worry about. I thought buying frozen meals like Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice were perfect, easy, and above all healthy options. But I have since been convinced that real food - and by that I mean unprocessed, raw, and in its natural state - is a much better way to provide good nutrition. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sure, it takes more planning to cook from scratch. And yes, it does take some more time to prepare wholesome, healthy meals on the stove and in the oven rather than popping them in the microwave for 2 minutes. But the benefits are SO worth the extra time and effort. And with practice and a little strategy, you won't have to slave over meals every night to feed your family well. </div><div><br /></div><div>Imagine my delight to see that this is what Jamie Oliver is trying to teach America. He is hoping to get into the schools and the fast food restaurants and change things up so that people will have better choices. So that a child's school lunch will consist of substantial nutrition, not just processed junk food and super sugary drinks. </div><div><br /></div><div>What can I say? I have only seen the preliminary show, and I am a BIG fan. This is a guy with passion. Heart. And a mind to change the world. I believe he can do it. I think that God will take this one man's vision and bring about real change, even if for only one person, family, or town. But I believe it will be bigger than that. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you are someone who reads this blog, then I implore you - watch this show. It is disturbing, fascinating, and heartwarming. And real. </div></div>3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8257993601424754015.post-66079536793362760972010-03-08T15:42:00.002-05:002010-03-08T15:48:49.343-05:00Sample of SpringI have been struck with Spring Fever. A taste of sunshine and warmer weather has me dreaming of gardening, long walks outside, taking the kids to the zoo...and so much more. I am tired of dreary gray skies. And cold air. And rain. <br /><br />The boys and I are in Indiana visiting with my parents and with my brother Tim's family. The boys are having a blast with their cousins. And it is a nice day here too, so the boys have been playing outside for a while in the sunshine. So nice!<br /><br />My newest dream is to have some honeybees. I think next year we may get a couple of hives for our property so we can have our own raw honey. And maybe, someday, we might have some chickens in the backyard. Who knows. But all of it makes me think of and want Spring to be here NOW. I'm ready!3BoyMommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090125651413634534noreply@blogger.com0