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Friday, June 17, 2011
Friday, October 8, 2010
BUMGENIUS ARTIST SERIES GIVEAWAY!!!!!!
I'm trying to win a set of the new BumGenius Artist Series Diapers :) That's 5 DIAPERS!!! If you want to enter you can do the same just follow the instructions on their blog. http://clothdiapers.blogspot.com/2010/10/bumgenius-artist-series-giveaway.html
www.cottonbabies.com and www.bumgenius.com
How do you encourage a creative, artistic spirit in your baby, toddler or young child?
Encouraging my 4 year old and 2 year old boys to be creative and artistic is one of my joys as an artist mama!! They thrive off of the attention they get by drawing or painting that 'snake'/squiggly line or other unrecognizable scribbles that they cherish at animals or people. Most recently my 4 year old started drawing our family all on his own! The funniest part of that is he took a BLACK SHARPIE and drew our whole family on our car window where he sits so he could 'remember us'! Some people would have got mad but the way that little picture made him feel a little at home in the car totally got me over getting mad lol!! And 3 weeks later the little egg shapped family is still on his window. :)
www.cottonbabies.com and www.bumgenius.com
How do you encourage a creative, artistic spirit in your baby, toddler or young child?
Encouraging my 4 year old and 2 year old boys to be creative and artistic is one of my joys as an artist mama!! They thrive off of the attention they get by drawing or painting that 'snake'/squiggly line or other unrecognizable scribbles that they cherish at animals or people. Most recently my 4 year old started drawing our family all on his own! The funniest part of that is he took a BLACK SHARPIE and drew our whole family on our car window where he sits so he could 'remember us'! Some people would have got mad but the way that little picture made him feel a little at home in the car totally got me over getting mad lol!! And 3 weeks later the little egg shapped family is still on his window. :)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Food Inc
I just got done watching Food Inc. I know lots of my more food conscious friends were lining up to see this because it's a great thought provoking movie that will really make you think about what you eat. Some people have been said they converted to vegans after watching. I honestly wasn't interested... yeah we know our food is less than where we live and we should eat better but really in our little tiny town in Kansas how are we supposed to do that? And with our lack of income how am I supposed to pay for it? So I didn't bother and kept on getting our cheapo meats where I can and buying some organics when I can find them, reading labels occasionally... Really, taking the lazy approach to what we as a family consume and really confused on what to do!
This movie really got under my skin in a good way! It totally pissed me off to see how big corporations treat farmers, workers, animals and with total disregard to the consumer! My Grandma and Grandpa are wheat farmers. Grandpa Stan passed away in 2007 from nonalcoholic cirrhosis. In the 70's he was known as the Anhydrous King dipping his bare arms in giant tanks of anhydrous ammonia. He lost all the pigmentation in his arms from doing so because at that time no one knew that it was that bad for you and that is what's going on our food. Now you can't tell me that his entire body was not effected by those chemicals and in turn you can not convince me all these chemicals are not passed to your food. In the past years they changed their way of farming to a more self conscious way not using harsh chemicals on their crops. But that's not the only problem farmers face! What about those seeds? Hum guess what? They all come from the same company. Really! As Food Inc points out soybeans... the 'all and mighty great source of protein' all comes from one company... well okay about 90%. Also those farmers who buy all those seeds (genetically engineered seeds)... well at the end of the year they are not allowed to keep any of them. Yes the most cost effective way of farming by keeping your own sown seed stripped away by one giant company because of patent infringement. So why not just keep them? Stick it to the man and save a few bucks.... well sadly that could potentially cost them their farm not something those families can afford to loose.
But how does this effect our food? Why should we care that one company has a hold on the seed? Because they have the power over the farmer and the consumer. They decide how that seed is engineered what goes in to the basic make up of all the soybean products. And this is the same with all most all grain, beef, pork, chicken, vegetables and fruits!
So my Grandma has been telling me buy organic meats, grow your own garden, stay away from soybean products. And I really really did take it to heart but there's something about seeing it in that makes you think 'yeah that hamburger from the store really is from about 100 different cows'. How hard would it be to go to our local butcher and buy some hamburger from one cow? Who didn't live in a giant feed lot of E-coli. How hard would it really be to support our local farmers at farmers markets and buy their fresh produce? We have a local one here in our little town who organically farms and sells her produce, why can't i buy hers instead of buying it from Brazil or Mexico?
This has always been a great debate within myself on what to do best and now that's over. The bottom line is I've been lazy about my choices and that has to stop. My children already have the cards stacked against them with a family history of Diabetes, Auto Immune Disease, Weight issues and more. Their only defense to all of that is what I.... I!!! put in their mouth! Yeah it won't be easy because that's what's sold at the grocery store but it will be worth it! My goal is to get more whole foods in our home, less processed foods, foods without an ingredients list a mile long. And to find a cost effective way to do it! So now we just DO and SEE! No more wait and see just doing.
This movie really got under my skin in a good way! It totally pissed me off to see how big corporations treat farmers, workers, animals and with total disregard to the consumer! My Grandma and Grandpa are wheat farmers. Grandpa Stan passed away in 2007 from nonalcoholic cirrhosis. In the 70's he was known as the Anhydrous King dipping his bare arms in giant tanks of anhydrous ammonia. He lost all the pigmentation in his arms from doing so because at that time no one knew that it was that bad for you and that is what's going on our food. Now you can't tell me that his entire body was not effected by those chemicals and in turn you can not convince me all these chemicals are not passed to your food. In the past years they changed their way of farming to a more self conscious way not using harsh chemicals on their crops. But that's not the only problem farmers face! What about those seeds? Hum guess what? They all come from the same company. Really! As Food Inc points out soybeans... the 'all and mighty great source of protein' all comes from one company... well okay about 90%. Also those farmers who buy all those seeds (genetically engineered seeds)... well at the end of the year they are not allowed to keep any of them. Yes the most cost effective way of farming by keeping your own sown seed stripped away by one giant company because of patent infringement. So why not just keep them? Stick it to the man and save a few bucks.... well sadly that could potentially cost them their farm not something those families can afford to loose.
But how does this effect our food? Why should we care that one company has a hold on the seed? Because they have the power over the farmer and the consumer. They decide how that seed is engineered what goes in to the basic make up of all the soybean products. And this is the same with all most all grain, beef, pork, chicken, vegetables and fruits!
So my Grandma has been telling me buy organic meats, grow your own garden, stay away from soybean products. And I really really did take it to heart but there's something about seeing it in that makes you think 'yeah that hamburger from the store really is from about 100 different cows'. How hard would it be to go to our local butcher and buy some hamburger from one cow? Who didn't live in a giant feed lot of E-coli. How hard would it really be to support our local farmers at farmers markets and buy their fresh produce? We have a local one here in our little town who organically farms and sells her produce, why can't i buy hers instead of buying it from Brazil or Mexico?
This has always been a great debate within myself on what to do best and now that's over. The bottom line is I've been lazy about my choices and that has to stop. My children already have the cards stacked against them with a family history of Diabetes, Auto Immune Disease, Weight issues and more. Their only defense to all of that is what I.... I!!! put in their mouth! Yeah it won't be easy because that's what's sold at the grocery store but it will be worth it! My goal is to get more whole foods in our home, less processed foods, foods without an ingredients list a mile long. And to find a cost effective way to do it! So now we just DO and SEE! No more wait and see just doing.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Baby Jace...
Man who knew if you had a second baby they would grow with the blink of an eye! Really it is WAY faster with the second baby. My baby's already past the half way mark to a year. In 10 days he will be 8 months old! I can't believe that 8 months has flown by this fast! He is such a happy baby! Really! And so easy going. His smile just beams all day every day. And he has already mastered the art of flirting. I'm in for it! He gets the attention of any girl/woman around and smiles with his big old dimples and cocks his head to the side just cute as can be to melt the heart of the girl he's swooning! Lately he started babbling. He'll just talk to himself or his toys or brother. It's the cutest thing! And he's learning 'Dada' and 'Mama'. He will look at us and say it so I know he really understands what he's saying. He's also eating solid foods now. Poor guy has some of the worst allergies so we are keeping it to organic jarred baby food for a while and teething biscuits. That way we can control what he eats a little easier. But he loves to eat!
He loves his big brother. Sometimes he does not have the patients for him when he's in his face. But they play together all the time and really enjoy each other's company. They laugh together and get into mystchevious adventures together and talk to each other, I love having boys that click to well. Yep they already fight and wrestle! I had no idea it would be this soon but it's just kinda par with the course!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Really Cheap Cloth Diapers!!!
So how do you cloth diaper you baby on a tight budget????
Well get creative!
Here is the no sewing skills method:
This may not be the mos convienent way to diaper your baby but if you could save $60 a month or more it would be well worth it!! The old fashioned diapers are called flats they are a single layer of fabric that you fold to make the absorbent layers of a diaper. So here is what you do with this little piece of info. Gather as many old T-shirts as possible 1 x-large t-shirt will equal 2 diapers and 4 wipes if the sleeves are long enough. For one baby expect about 10 diapers a day so if you want to wash every 3 days get 15 t-shirts. You could get the t-shirts from any where, start in your closet first! Then the Goodwill or a local thrift store. You could even ask the clerk if they have a bag that they are going to pitch. Now take the shirt and cut a 24-25 inch square. Wala 1 flat diaper! So how do you keep this diaper on your baby???? Well it's simple you can either use pins or this new invention the snappi! (see link for example) Now what can you put over this so all those cute little outfits stay clean? The options are very vast so I will start with the cheapest: Plastic pants, yep those big old Gerber vinal covers. Or you can get something a little slimmer, a velcro cover. Thirsties covers are my favorite covers and one of the cheapest. If you wanted to save yourself a little money down the road you could get a 'one size' cover this should fit your baby from infant to toddler. And then what in the world to put it all in? A trash can with a lid! You really don't need one of those fancy diaper pails they are trash cans called diaper pails lol!!! And what about those outings? One medium sized wet bag to put the wet dipes in or you could reuse a large ziplock.
So to recap what you need for one baby:
1 pair of sissiors
15 XL T-Shirts FREE
2 Snappis $5
3-4 covers $15-68
1 Trash Can $12
1 Wet Bag $10
Total: $42 - $95
Example of a Flat: http://www.weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=117
Example of Folding a Flat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d8wqLHCRdg&feature=related
Example of a Snappi: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=53
Example of Plastic Pants: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=7
Example of Thirsties Cover: http://www.weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=18
Example of One Size Cover: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=28
Example of Wet Bag: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=45
When you come into the world of cloth diapers it can be over whelming but remember if you are on a budget to keep it simple because in the end your kid really is just pooping on it :D
Well get creative!
Here is the no sewing skills method:
This may not be the mos convienent way to diaper your baby but if you could save $60 a month or more it would be well worth it!! The old fashioned diapers are called flats they are a single layer of fabric that you fold to make the absorbent layers of a diaper. So here is what you do with this little piece of info. Gather as many old T-shirts as possible 1 x-large t-shirt will equal 2 diapers and 4 wipes if the sleeves are long enough. For one baby expect about 10 diapers a day so if you want to wash every 3 days get 15 t-shirts. You could get the t-shirts from any where, start in your closet first! Then the Goodwill or a local thrift store. You could even ask the clerk if they have a bag that they are going to pitch. Now take the shirt and cut a 24-25 inch square. Wala 1 flat diaper! So how do you keep this diaper on your baby???? Well it's simple you can either use pins or this new invention the snappi! (see link for example) Now what can you put over this so all those cute little outfits stay clean? The options are very vast so I will start with the cheapest: Plastic pants, yep those big old Gerber vinal covers. Or you can get something a little slimmer, a velcro cover. Thirsties covers are my favorite covers and one of the cheapest. If you wanted to save yourself a little money down the road you could get a 'one size' cover this should fit your baby from infant to toddler. And then what in the world to put it all in? A trash can with a lid! You really don't need one of those fancy diaper pails they are trash cans called diaper pails lol!!! And what about those outings? One medium sized wet bag to put the wet dipes in or you could reuse a large ziplock.
So to recap what you need for one baby:
1 pair of sissiors
15 XL T-Shirts FREE
2 Snappis $5
3-4 covers $15-68
1 Trash Can $12
1 Wet Bag $10
Total: $42 - $95
Example of a Flat: http://www.weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=117
Example of Folding a Flat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d8wqLHCRdg&feature=related
Example of a Snappi: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=53
Example of Plastic Pants: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=7
Example of Thirsties Cover: http://www.weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=18
Example of One Size Cover: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=28
Example of Wet Bag: http://weebunz.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=45
When you come into the world of cloth diapers it can be over whelming but remember if you are on a budget to keep it simple because in the end your kid really is just pooping on it :D
My cloth diapered cuties!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Time Flies!
So seems like yesterday and me and my sisters were fighting over something probably some one stealing my clothes or something like that. Now 2 kids 3 years of marriage later we're all growing up starting our families. I leave today to spend a week with my sister and mom before the wedding. I really don't think I've been alone with my sister in years! So I'm really excited to spend some time with her even if we will have my two little munchkins around. We will all really miss Kevin lots and i hope i can get the boys to bed easily with out him. But anyways, she has really grown in to a amazing woman. And she has finally picked a great guy, yeah there were a LOT of losers! I'm still working on my speech for her wedding hopefully I can find the right words to say and not embarrass her to much. Here is the slide show I made for the wedding that will be played at the reception. Makes me cry to see what all we came from and grew into.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
good stuff....
Although he seems ready to eat solids we have to wait a bit longer :( He has food allergies which in turn are causing eczema so we are trying to clear that up then maybe in a few weeks or months we will try solids again. He has a flare up right after the carrots BOO!!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
whats going on...
Well right now I'm watching JW play with his wooden trains talking to his 'guys' and they are saying 'Thank you, Thank you' and 'Thank you very much'. He's so polite lol! And Jace is trying to crawl! He gets on his belly and scoots his self every where to anything he wants on the floor and he's trying to get his legs up and arms to the crawling position!! It's crazy how fast he's learning.
We've been outside a lot these past couple days. Swimming in the kiddie pool, riding bikes and walking lots of good stuff. My hubby moved our extra furniture and TV from the basement to the garage for his 'man room'. Which has been attracting men from all over the neighborhood! He also put his PS2 in there so there is lots of gaming going on and sometimes after the kids are in bed I hang out with him and play a little myself. He has me try to help him beat the hard parts lol!
We are almost all ready for my sisters wedding!! I'll be heading out soon to stay with my mom for the week before to help them as much as i can with my two little men with me. I'm not going to lie it's rough dragging two kids around when your not at your home base. They really know when they are home or not even as babies. Our last trip JW wanted to go home the entire trip! Hopefully this next trip will be better since we are staying for a whole week and we are just going to try to keep them at my moms. At least she will be there to help out.
My new finds!
Disinfectant Spray: Half Hydrogen Peroxide, Half Water Works great!!! Even as a cleaner!
Wipe Solution: 1 Cup Chamomile Tea freshly brewed. (it will stain your white wipes but I don't care) I also bought some Chamomile/Lavender tea to try. Just make the tea and add it to your wipes add water if you need it. Chamomile is a natural inflammatory so it helps with diaper rash and irritation. It's helped Jace stop scratching his bum raw. I also mad a double strength cup and put it in JW bath to help with his rash from his swim trunks.
Well I can't add pics booo!!!!
We've been outside a lot these past couple days. Swimming in the kiddie pool, riding bikes and walking lots of good stuff. My hubby moved our extra furniture and TV from the basement to the garage for his 'man room'. Which has been attracting men from all over the neighborhood! He also put his PS2 in there so there is lots of gaming going on and sometimes after the kids are in bed I hang out with him and play a little myself. He has me try to help him beat the hard parts lol!
We are almost all ready for my sisters wedding!! I'll be heading out soon to stay with my mom for the week before to help them as much as i can with my two little men with me. I'm not going to lie it's rough dragging two kids around when your not at your home base. They really know when they are home or not even as babies. Our last trip JW wanted to go home the entire trip! Hopefully this next trip will be better since we are staying for a whole week and we are just going to try to keep them at my moms. At least she will be there to help out.
My new finds!
Disinfectant Spray: Half Hydrogen Peroxide, Half Water Works great!!! Even as a cleaner!
Wipe Solution: 1 Cup Chamomile Tea freshly brewed. (it will stain your white wipes but I don't care) I also bought some Chamomile/Lavender tea to try. Just make the tea and add it to your wipes add water if you need it. Chamomile is a natural inflammatory so it helps with diaper rash and irritation. It's helped Jace stop scratching his bum raw. I also mad a double strength cup and put it in JW bath to help with his rash from his swim trunks.
Well I can't add pics booo!!!!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
sights and smells....
Oh man I have that new mom smell... moms you know... that milky musty smell of spit up, sweat and maybe a little urine.... Sniff sniff ahhh!!!! I need a shower! So yeah you know your a mom when you think to yourself "what would be better buggers, pee, or crayon on the wall?" I came to the conclusion pee... technically sterile when it comes out and cleans up fairly easily. Buggers make me just want to BARF!!! and Crayon won't come off my walls, PERIOD! Flat wall paint should be banned from existence! But I do have this fear that the germ police will come to my house and quarantine it because its a bio hazard with all the little boy potty training accidents we have or maybe i didn't know happened... our carpet sucks it totally absorbs everything so i can't tell where things are so i just get the ol Lysol out spray and get the carpet cleaner and do my best to get it all clean. How annoying! Anyway we do the naked potty training approach :D My 2 year old runs around naked and goes to the bathroom when he has to go. Works AWESOME unless we have a super awesome balloon that must be played with... oh boy... now that I think about it its just freaking hilarious! So he got that 'look' any one with a tot in training knows the 'look' of wonder in their eyes as they are about to pee all over Gods creation! With us there are two separate look the 'Pee': a look of wonderment and aw, the 'Poo': a look of concern and deep concentration. So he was playing with his awesome balloon and had the 'Pee' I say hey do you have to go potty lets go try. His reply, 'No! Play!' well you can't make them pee, can you? So 3 minutes later he starts peeing on his shirt. So I thinking I want to make sure he knows to go to the potty and half mommy mush brain pick up said toddler mid stream and take him to the bathroom. What was I thinking!!!!!! Seriously what?!?!? I was like well maybe he will stop... uh no!!! Who can stop midstream! So Dads looking at me like I lost my freaking mind which is very well possible! There's pee going every where! TV, Floor, Dad's legs, some hit the baby, pantry door, Hallway Walls, Bathroom Door, then finally the Tub!!! Yeah he was um... done before we got to the potty! So what to do now clean up the mess or the tot? Yeah clean up the mess, tot is fine because he didn't pee on himself just everything else possible! All is well and clean and on to the next adventure... Oh the Joys of being a Mom!! Seriously I love it. Who else has these daily encounters to discuss on a regular basis?
And tada!! The culprit pee body :) A fitting pic don't you think!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Spring Time!!!
I'm so glad it's spring! I'm ready for warm weather, lemonade, the smell of BBQ and fresh flowers! We're going to have a busy spring. Our niece is graduating high school and my sister is getting married. So that means lots of trips to KS. Hopefully in June I will have time to see some friends! I can't believe my little sister is getting married it seems like we were just playing with our barbies together and I was just hauling her away in our wagon from another dare devil bike spill. Or fighting over her always stealing my clothes. Or picking up the phone when one of her boys called asking them how old she was and if the answer was wrong (normally was) I would tell them the right age! She could definitely pass for 16 and 17 when she was 13 and 14. Oh man did we fight at teenagers whew! We had some big ones! And now she's talking about having babies and buying houses! And I have the privilege to be her maid of honor and JW is going to be the ring bearer. It's pretty cool to actually be a part of her wedding instead of playing wedding in our basement! Maybe that's why hers is going to be so beautiful! And why we all love planning them! We've been practicing for a long time!
This is on my wedding day and Melissa wanted
to know what it felt like to be under the vail!
Melissa the Bride to be, Me, my littlest sis Crystal
Baby Jace just started using his saucer! I'm so amazed how big and alert he is seems like we had JW in there with blankets forever!
JW had the hand, foot and mouth disease this past week and is cutting his last two teeth, poor guy but we are on the up and up with all that he seems to be in a better mood today. His new favorite thing is to kiss his baby brother on the head and play with his hands. They love each other!
Here are some more pics!
This is on my wedding day and Melissa wantedto know what it felt like to be under the vail!
Melissa the Bride to be, Me, my littlest sis CrystalJW had the hand, foot and mouth disease this past week and is cutting his last two teeth, poor guy but we are on the up and up with all that he seems to be in a better mood today. His new favorite thing is to kiss his baby brother on the head and play with his hands. They love each other!
Here are some more pics!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
What I'm a mom and its hard???
So yesterday on Oprah it was the Secret lives of a Mom episode. Cool, right! We're going to find out other mom's dirty laundry. So they were talking about how hard it is to be a mom and how some people thought they may have make a mistake of becoming a mother and questioning their abilities. I so get all that! We all as mothers deal with that. My problem was how they were taking lite on daily things that your children depend on you for. Examples: Not bathing for 3 weeks, Not brushing hair which turned in to dread locks, forgetting to feed them, stating you have a favorite child. These things are just not okay to neglect or say. When you have a child that child depends on you 100%. A lot of moms said no one told them how hard it was going to be a mom. No you really never know before your there but to think it's going to be easy is just lying to yourself! I knew I was in for anything and everything. I sometimes feel like my first child is the experimental child since I was a young mom and didn't do my own research! I have had 2 totally different births, one child is circumcised the other is not one had the full vaccine schedule one will have a delayed schedule. We all question things on a daily basis. But find your support group (which as seen in my previous blog I need to find a new one) and stop complaining about all the inconveniences of being a mother! You had sex you made the child if they can't depend on you who can they depend on? One of my friends put this very well: "Group thinking it into acceptance is bullshit!"
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Stupid Funk
Oh man I need to get out of this funk I've been in... Kevin's been in one too. I really miss all my friends and playgroups from Kansas. We just need to start making more friends that are like minded. It can be hard to hang out with people that are so different from you especially on parenting choices. We started making friends from our Friends of Missouri Midwives group so that great! We just need to meet with them more often! So anyways I was talking to my awesome hubby last night and our goal is to watch less tv less internet and go outside more and find more friends. For a lot of people is it so easy to get in to just being lazy and feeling sorry for yourself. The hard part is doing something about it but if you have help it is so easy! I just love Kevin for starting the conversation and knowing me so well and knowing what we need to do to change. So here's to a new chapter in our life! For our boys because they don't deserve the parents we are at the moment! And we love them way to much to let it continue...
Snow in April! Thank goodness it was gone as fast as it came!
Snow in April! Thank goodness it was gone as fast as it came!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Heartbreak...
Okay in Missouri midwifery was illegal until this past June... literally you could not have a birth with a midwife period. They could go to prison for it and still can if they are not a least Certified Professional Midwife (CPN). When moving from Kansas to Missouri I didn't know that. In Kansas my plan was to have our second child in a Birth Center and I was sure St. Louis would have tons of Birth Centers on every corner! Not the case! You see to have a birth center a Dr has to oversee the whole operation and in Missouri not many Drs want to even associate with midwives. :( So it makes the choices for parents very limited before June you options were OB and hospital birth, Midwife and home birth (break the law), or unassisted which means you deliver your baby yourself. So sad for parents to not be able to make a choice on how they want to experience the birth of their child. Parents who choose Home birth typically are very educated in making that decision because lets face it you are totally going against the grain and you want to know all the fact when your family thinks your crazy that you want to have your baby at home :) At least that was the case for me. So its not like they are just sitting at home clueless to whats going to happen ready to pop out a baby. Midwives have check up just as OB's do just not quite as invasive. And in my experience much more hands on care. I learned more about how my body worked with my midwife on my second child than with my OB (technically she was a midwife too but it was in KS where they work with Dr's and she was basically a OB with a Midwife title) with my first. So with the care you receive you form a bond with your midwife, i knew she truly cared about me and our baby almost as if we were part of her family. We had a Home Birth not totally free of complications but we knew we made the right decision and trusted the ability of our midwife and I truly believe that she helped me avoid a c-section. If you want to read my birth story go further back in my blog. But what I didn't add is the tragic loss of a baby whose mom was in labor the same time I was. Only God knows what happened to that poor baby. And I can't begin to imagine loosing a child. Tonight at our monthly midwife meeting the Dad was there furious at the Midwife, with a mission to keep her from practicing. I think as a Husbands and Fathers men feel an obligation to protect their family and I really believe that is what his goal was coming to our meeting tonight. I don't think he has come to the place yet where he knows nothing could have been done. If it were me I would be questioning everything my decisions, religion, the ability of my midwife, my ability to birth... And going through the what ifs because what if the tables where turned and it happened to our family. It could so easily happen to anyone, life is a very precious and fragile, especially a child's life. For a while the death of that baby made our birth almost bittersweet for me. I kept thinking what if I had chosen to have a hospital birth would the midwife then been able to save the baby. But driving home last night as I tried to process everything I realized she could have done nothing more. She was meant to be at my birth as devastating as it was for the other family there is nothing that could have been done even at the hospital. Yes if she was in the hospital she would have been monitored more which may have shown the baby in distress or may have not. We will never know and that has to be devastating for the parents... I would want answers... I did not introduce myself to the Dad in fear I would just make his pain even worse. What he said really tore at every ones heart for him 'this is supposed to be the happiest time of my life and it's the most horrible time of my life'. I also feel pain for my midwife for a long time she is going to wonder if there was more she could have done. That would be more than I could bear and you could see the pain she felt for them which the dad was blind to in his anger. Well I really don't know what else to say I 'm still in shock about this and I think it makes it harder to put a face with the event that happened and see all the pain that came with it.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Bubbles!!!
So the other day we were looking at all the fun outdoor toys at Walmart while we were waiting to get our tire fixed and we ended up getting a few bubble things. I saw the gallon size jug and thought well that's not horrible for a couple weeks worth of fun. But since I'm starting to become more self sufficient I decided to look up a recipe and whala 50 cents for a gallon!!! Here is the recipe i used:
2 1/2 quarts water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup clear liquid dish detergent (not soap for an automatic dishwasher)
Food coloring (optional)
I doubled it and didn't use food coloring cuz Dawn soap is blue already. It works great right after you mix it but a lot of sites say to let it sit for a day. We will be using this instead of buying it ever again. Although we may get a few bubble guns and stuff like that.
2 1/2 quarts water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup clear liquid dish detergent (not soap for an automatic dishwasher)
Food coloring (optional)
I doubled it and didn't use food coloring cuz Dawn soap is blue already. It works great right after you mix it but a lot of sites say to let it sit for a day. We will be using this instead of buying it ever again. Although we may get a few bubble guns and stuff like that.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Cheap and 'Green' Cleaning
So like many I am looking for cheaper ways to do things. So far I menu plan, cloth diaper and make my own laundry detergent. My next feat is making my own cleaning supplies! So far what I have found is the main ingredents to all cleaning supplies are Baking Soda, Borax and Vinegar! With some additives here and there. But you can make less hazardous cleaning solutions for half the price! Even Oven Cleaner and Stain Remover!! Here are some recipes I haven't tried them but I will update you on how it goes!
All Purpose Spray:
http://groceryshrink.com/store/WsAncillary.asp?ID=8
Green Cleaning Kit:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html
Disinfectant Wipes:
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/00/001120a.cfm
http://carlalynne.blogspot.com/2007/12/homemade-disinfecting-wipes.html
Carpet Cleaner:
http://greenliving.suite101.com/article.cfm/homemade_carpet_cleaners_lean_mean_and_green
Stain Remover:
http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles/softener.shtml
Great Ideas:
http://www.homekeeping101.com/news/cleaning/household-cleaning.html
All Purpose Spray:
http://groceryshrink.com/store/WsAncillary.asp?ID=8
Green Cleaning Kit:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html
Disinfectant Wipes:
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/00/001120a.cfm
http://carlalynne.blogspot.com/2007/12/homemade-disinfecting-wipes.html
Carpet Cleaner:
http://greenliving.suite101.com/article.cfm/homemade_carpet_cleaners_lean_mean_and_green
Stain Remover:
http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles/softener.shtml
Great Ideas:
http://www.homekeeping101.com/news/cleaning/household-cleaning.html
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Word World
Have you seen it! My husband is laughing at me right now because I love this show! Yes it's a cartoon duh! The best one ever! All the animals are made out of letters and they build a word... which means they put letters together and the letters form the object. My kiddo loves this too! I mean what could be better when you are watching cartoons when that cartoon is literally all about spelling! http://www.wordworld.com/ It's on PBS Kids which is one of the new digital channels or it's on cable. We don't have satellite or cable right now just a giant antenna and the converter box! Free HDTV! And you know we really are doing just fine with what we have. We have 11 channels and i doubt we will ever get satellite or cable ever again.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Boys, boys, boys!!!
I love being a mama to boys I really do! Sometimes I wonder if I'm gonna be able to wrestle them both at once lol! I'm sure my creative instincts will kick in and it won't be a problem but I don't really enjoy being a punching bag :) Today I was playing with JW my 2yo and WHACK!!! My nose and the back of his head make contact! Nose makes cracking sound and this mama who has NEVER broken a bone in her body swears that this is #1 broken bone! But no bleeding and not much bruising and hubby assures me it's not broken, lol! Oh but it hurt and seriously for a second I thought I was going to pass out. Now how great would that have been I would have made the head lines "SAHM of 2 found by neighbor passed out with children crying over body" How horrible is that! So that's the latest 'funny' on JW....besides the whole potty training venture but thats another blog subject :)
Now Jace... I can't believe he'll be 2 months this week on Valentines day! He's growing so fast right before my eyes! He can hold his head up pretty well and smile and just started cooing its beautiful and awesome! First of all I cosleep with my kids and love every minute of it. Anyways Jace always sleeps on my bicep and early one morning he leaked through a tiny bit of pee so instead of getting the whole gang up at 3 in the morning I changed his diaper and put a blanket over the wet spot. Good enough and lets get some more sleep. So about 9 the next morning (hubby let me sleep in and got up with JW) I felt the familiar wetness again oh geish I thought but i already knew i was going to have to wash the sheets. So i start getting out of bed when i see ORANGEISH-YELLOW every where! Yes! POOP!! Jace exploded right out of his diaper like the biggest explosion in his short little life! It was hilarious just the full gotta give him a bath then myself a bath and know I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life that little face looking at me like whats going on mom? So that's my life lots of bodily fluids going on in our house of boys and lots a wrestling!
Now Jace... I can't believe he'll be 2 months this week on Valentines day! He's growing so fast right before my eyes! He can hold his head up pretty well and smile and just started cooing its beautiful and awesome! First of all I cosleep with my kids and love every minute of it. Anyways Jace always sleeps on my bicep and early one morning he leaked through a tiny bit of pee so instead of getting the whole gang up at 3 in the morning I changed his diaper and put a blanket over the wet spot. Good enough and lets get some more sleep. So about 9 the next morning (hubby let me sleep in and got up with JW) I felt the familiar wetness again oh geish I thought but i already knew i was going to have to wash the sheets. So i start getting out of bed when i see ORANGEISH-YELLOW every where! Yes! POOP!! Jace exploded right out of his diaper like the biggest explosion in his short little life! It was hilarious just the full gotta give him a bath then myself a bath and know I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life that little face looking at me like whats going on mom? So that's my life lots of bodily fluids going on in our house of boys and lots a wrestling!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
25 Things...
25 Things about Me...
1) I really do love my life right now... I have a awesome hubby and two beautiful...oopps handsome boys a roof over my head and food in the pantry.
2) When I was little I loved playing in the rain! Because that was when all the worms would come out, HAHA!! So i would go to all the mud holes and see how many worms i could collect in my hand.
3) When I was about 7 i used to play in this really cool pond there were tons of baby frogs and lots of different flowers, i used to play there all the time. A few years ago i found out it was a sewer pond! Yeah i was playing in poo!
4) I have totaled two cars! One when was 15 and one when i was 18. Both times all the air bags deployed. I think thats why i get so freaked out when someone else drives even though I was driving when i wrecked.
5) I have been in a private christian school home schooled and then to public school. Hated them all and really did like college and my technical school.
6) I love art! I love painting and just making things with my creative skills. That is why i have a degree in graphic design. Even though i don't use my degree i'm glad to have the experience of college.
7) My senior year in High School I worked as a Nanny. Very interesting! Would much rather have my own kids :)
8) My mom wants to start a new business making jewelry designed by me and my sister. I really thinks its a cool idea and she wants me to make a baby line and a website and I'm really excited about it! She said she's tired of everyone making money off the internet and wants to see if we could profit from it.
9) I would love to go to Germany on my own terms. My sister and I went to stay with my Dad 6 years ago but we didn't get to see all the history making stuff! I would love to go in a few years.
10) We moved to St. Louis/Wentzville in July to try to get a better start and we are still trying. We really miss our family but at the same time we have never got to spend so much time together as a family and i really love that. Kevin can really get to know his boys and not feel like he's missing all the growing up stuff!
11) I just wanted to cry and cry every time Kevin said he was sick or needed to see the doctor when he was sick. I just all reminded me of 2004 when he was in ICU for 4 days and in KU Med for 7 days with no real explination for his illness. I felt helpless but hopeful because i knew that this time we would find a doctor that could help him. And neither of us was gonna give up we were going to figure out what would help him. One of the other reasons i love living here!
12) I am a 1/4 mexican and pretty proud of that! My mom's family is from New Mexico before it was part of the US. Part of my dad's side came from the Oregon Trail.
13) Kevin and I met on a blind date in High School and he became my type lol!! I learned from my Grandpa Stan that it was important to laugh! So I always wanted to marry someone who made me laugh and I pretty much hit the jackpot, LOL!
14) Kevin and I moved in together right after I graduated. My mom hated it but can't really blame her. I still think I made the right decision.
15) I am really passionate about breastfeeding and honestly think it is the best way to feed a baby but understand if it's not possible but really think everyone should at least try if they can. I'm thinking about becoming a Le Leche League Leader when i get the hang of two kids, LOL.
16) I love watching the clouds and stars and just found out JW likes it too. My favorite moment in the past couple weeks was laying on the grass with Jace on my chest sleeping and JW next to me as we watched the clouds pass by and looked for planes...blissful!
17) I really think we all have a purpose in life but that it may change from time to time
18) I love Spring!!! All the pretty flowers and wonderful smells!
19) When I was 12 I had my tonsiles removed
20) I know more Amy's than i can count lol!
21) I have 8 sets of Grandparents! 5 still living... And wish my Grandpa Stan was still here... I really miss him and all our conversations and his great look on life
22) I would love to go snorkeling and learn how to scuba dive!
23) We are trying to eat healthier in our house but i'm starting to despise salad already
24) I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday and want more. My Dad called me and I told him I was at Walmart while I was in the tattoo parlor parking lot LOL!!!
25) I am going to be a Maid of Honor for the 2nd time in my life for my Little sister Melissa and am thrilled I love all the girlie girl stuff with planning weddings.
1) I really do love my life right now... I have a awesome hubby and two beautiful...oopps handsome boys a roof over my head and food in the pantry.
2) When I was little I loved playing in the rain! Because that was when all the worms would come out, HAHA!! So i would go to all the mud holes and see how many worms i could collect in my hand.
3) When I was about 7 i used to play in this really cool pond there were tons of baby frogs and lots of different flowers, i used to play there all the time. A few years ago i found out it was a sewer pond! Yeah i was playing in poo!
4) I have totaled two cars! One when was 15 and one when i was 18. Both times all the air bags deployed. I think thats why i get so freaked out when someone else drives even though I was driving when i wrecked.
5) I have been in a private christian school home schooled and then to public school. Hated them all and really did like college and my technical school.
6) I love art! I love painting and just making things with my creative skills. That is why i have a degree in graphic design. Even though i don't use my degree i'm glad to have the experience of college.
7) My senior year in High School I worked as a Nanny. Very interesting! Would much rather have my own kids :)
8) My mom wants to start a new business making jewelry designed by me and my sister. I really thinks its a cool idea and she wants me to make a baby line and a website and I'm really excited about it! She said she's tired of everyone making money off the internet and wants to see if we could profit from it.
9) I would love to go to Germany on my own terms. My sister and I went to stay with my Dad 6 years ago but we didn't get to see all the history making stuff! I would love to go in a few years.
10) We moved to St. Louis/Wentzville in July to try to get a better start and we are still trying. We really miss our family but at the same time we have never got to spend so much time together as a family and i really love that. Kevin can really get to know his boys and not feel like he's missing all the growing up stuff!
11) I just wanted to cry and cry every time Kevin said he was sick or needed to see the doctor when he was sick. I just all reminded me of 2004 when he was in ICU for 4 days and in KU Med for 7 days with no real explination for his illness. I felt helpless but hopeful because i knew that this time we would find a doctor that could help him. And neither of us was gonna give up we were going to figure out what would help him. One of the other reasons i love living here!
12) I am a 1/4 mexican and pretty proud of that! My mom's family is from New Mexico before it was part of the US. Part of my dad's side came from the Oregon Trail.
13) Kevin and I met on a blind date in High School and he became my type lol!! I learned from my Grandpa Stan that it was important to laugh! So I always wanted to marry someone who made me laugh and I pretty much hit the jackpot, LOL!
14) Kevin and I moved in together right after I graduated. My mom hated it but can't really blame her. I still think I made the right decision.
15) I am really passionate about breastfeeding and honestly think it is the best way to feed a baby but understand if it's not possible but really think everyone should at least try if they can. I'm thinking about becoming a Le Leche League Leader when i get the hang of two kids, LOL.
16) I love watching the clouds and stars and just found out JW likes it too. My favorite moment in the past couple weeks was laying on the grass with Jace on my chest sleeping and JW next to me as we watched the clouds pass by and looked for planes...blissful!
17) I really think we all have a purpose in life but that it may change from time to time
18) I love Spring!!! All the pretty flowers and wonderful smells!
19) When I was 12 I had my tonsiles removed
20) I know more Amy's than i can count lol!
21) I have 8 sets of Grandparents! 5 still living... And wish my Grandpa Stan was still here... I really miss him and all our conversations and his great look on life
22) I would love to go snorkeling and learn how to scuba dive!
23) We are trying to eat healthier in our house but i'm starting to despise salad already
24) I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday and want more. My Dad called me and I told him I was at Walmart while I was in the tattoo parlor parking lot LOL!!!
25) I am going to be a Maid of Honor for the 2nd time in my life for my Little sister Melissa and am thrilled I love all the girlie girl stuff with planning weddings.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Detergent
My friend gave me some awesome recipes for CHEAP natural soaps had to post so we can all save some moula!
Dishwasher Detergent:
1tsp Liquid Dish Soap
1/4 cup Borax
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1tbsp Vinegar
2 gal water
Mix well until dissolved.
add vinegar to jet dry for streak free shine
Laundry Detergent:
1 bar Dove (or bar soap of your choice)
5 gallons of water
6 cups water
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax powder
~You will also need a bucket, about 5 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 1 gallon hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add the rest of the water. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load. 1/4 cup for front loading machine.
I saved some of my old detergent bottles and filled them with the soap, you could probably use milk containers too.
I did a accidental flop of this recipe. I used baking soda and left out 4 gallons of water and i use that on my diapers and it works great!
Dishwasher Detergent:
1tsp Liquid Dish Soap
1/4 cup Borax
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1tbsp Vinegar
2 gal water
Mix well until dissolved.
add vinegar to jet dry for streak free shine
Laundry Detergent:
1 bar Dove (or bar soap of your choice)
5 gallons of water
6 cups water
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax powder
~You will also need a bucket, about 5 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 1 gallon hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add the rest of the water. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load. 1/4 cup for front loading machine.
I saved some of my old detergent bottles and filled them with the soap, you could probably use milk containers too.
I did a accidental flop of this recipe. I used baking soda and left out 4 gallons of water and i use that on my diapers and it works great!
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