Thursday, March 14, 2013

Lately...

start 'em young
largest mango on planet earth - bigger than Des's head = HEAVEN
taught a cute little dance class over the summer - i miss teaching
morning playground date with Sums - it's her spaceship
all's fun and games until she cuts her finger off
Sum's baby addiction extends to cardboard diaper box cutouts

serendipitous find while waiting for car repair - YES!

Is our 2 year old bright or OCD?
HEAPS o' swimming (been fooling around with Instagram filters - I likey)
I think she's starting to look like me a little??


Took a great little weekend out in the countryside at a Relief Society overnighter with just the ladies of our church. We chatted, discussed, learned, laughed, played, ate, slept, were instructed and edified. It was a delight. The atmosphere was beautiful. And there was no phone service which made it truly a respite from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. I think these events should be made mandatory on every mum's calendar. A real blessing.
I call this our Mother Hubbard lunch
Techno Fort
another broken neck diverted - a frighteningly regular occurance
Suzuki group lessons at our house now - yippee!

I love happening upon these random scenes
started a music class that she's just eating up
unexpected friend found in our trap that's been empty two years

could barely drag these girls outta there - poor deprived souls
Engagement diamond's lost. Still devastated.
Stop. Growing. Up.
my little smother buddies
another introduction to the ever-impressive GAK
 I walked out one evening and felt like I'd just stepped into a painting. Celestial cloud action rocks.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Alternative

Liquid chlorophyll. Have you tried it? I've been drinking it for a week now and man, it took me by surprise. By day 3 I was spraying Des in the face every time he unlatched because apparently it boosts milk supply too. Awesome. There are a whole list of benefits but basically it does for us what it does for plants: creates energy, makes things function better, detoxes, and alkalizes. I've never paid attention to the pH balance of my blood but apparently most of us are out of balance. In an effort to neutralize all the acids we take into our bodies we need to eat more alkaline through leafy greens and such (or a nice shot of chlorophyll every day if you find it hard to eat enough of the right foods.) Otherwise the body is out of whack and stores up the wrong stuff in your fat creating cellulite. I'm doing a pathetic job of explaining why it's worth taking and there are many more reasons - just Google it or here's a nice article.

So now I drink this each morning before breakfast and another throughout the day. It's spearmint flavored and pretty palatable. Even the kids will drink it. Between that and the On Guard oils I had her take, Kenna's wicked sore throat lasted less than 24 hours. Pretty awesome. And I've found it really cuts down on my sugar cravings. I stopped eating late at night for Lent (my kids go to Catholic school) so that help has been priceless lately.

Is liquid chlorophyll in the same vein as aloe vera supplements and coconut water? I don't know, haven't gone there yet. I was introduced recently to spirulina too, looking forward to incorporating that, especially with the kids when they fight their veggies. It's basically seaweed that's considered a complete food source (used by NASA in space, and certain Japanese seniors have lived off only spirulina and water for 20 years.) It's a great way to boost nutritional intake especially for growing teens, little kids, athletes, elderly, pregnant women, etc.

Oh, and here's another one: Oil-pulling. Who's done it? Fascinating stuff to me. It took me a few days to get over the disgusting sensation of a mouthful of oil, but my teeth are whiter and cleaner than they've ever been. And of course there's a whole list of other benefits: detox, better sleep, curing various illnesses, oral health (as in healing your own cavities), etc.

I've always been a fan of coconut oil as you may remember from my previous post. I use it daily as a natural deodorant and moisturizer and have recently mixed up my own toothpaste, but that needs to be tweaked a bit before I replace my Colgate. It's just a mixture of coconut oil, peppermint essential oil, baking soda, dash of salt (I think I went too heavy on the salt.) Anyway, it continues to impress.

We've also been pleasantly surprised with GOOT - a concoction of fresh pressed garlic, olive oil, and coconut oil that a couple friends swear by. A nasty cold has been spreading through the fam, so each night I rub this concoction on everyone's feet (except Darren's because he doesn't want to "smell like Papa John's.") I especially love it on Des as it turns him into a little garlic baby that I just want to bite into. Here's a link to a similar garlic ear oil remedy that does wonders for ear infections, too.

My favorite part about all this stuff? Brilliant to have in your food storage! Cleaner, healthier, lasts longer and packs a punch in the nutrient department, which is pretty vital if you think about food/supplies becoming harder to get someday. Whether it's the end of the world or the end of your income, good to have some stuff on hand, right?

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Mobile

 Not sure if we've ever had a child get mobile by 6 months, but I'm pretty apprehensive about it. I'm a proud mama, don't get me wrong, but dang - we're in for it. He's moving fast. Within a 48 hour period he cut his first tooth then learned to crawl, unstrap his diaper and pull up on everything in sight. He was so pleased with himself, giving us looks like "Hey, look at me, I can do cool stuff, too!" Then he grins ear to ear and giggles himself right over onto the floor again. I'm not surprised, his legs are super strong from 6 months of non-stop bouncing on every hard surface they touch.


It is all incredibly endearing. He's just so big now. And adorable ~ the kids eat him up about as much as I do. I tell you what, each milestone gets better now that we have all these bigger kids to enjoy them with.

I'm afraid it's the end of sanity for me though - nothing's safe anymore. And neither is he.

Funny thing, with your first you're all about keeping the carpet vacuumed and not buying any toys with small parts. With your fifth, you just count your blessings if they haven't fallen down the stairs by the end of the day. With all the Barbie shoes, Legos and Polly Pockets scattered about - here's hoping his guardian angels are looking sharp.



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Positive Vibes


 Least favorite parenting jobs? Potty-training is pretty high up there. We've been putting it off. Much more fun this time around though. Not sure if it's that she's older or there are more examples to watch (and people to do the potty dance with) but she's quickly getting the hang of it. Like wayyyy easier than the others. And way less clean up, because she's pretty darn independent. I used to hate the little potty because it spread the mess but it's definitely the ticket for her. She literally went 4 times in the last 90 minutes, and she is so darn proud of herself. We'll see if it lasts... fingers crossed.

 I can't complain about having some cute little buns on display lately either!


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Rocket Bagels

Bagels are amazing. I love them. I wish I could find more of them here. Occasionally I make them. I use THIS bagel recipe.

It's delish. DE-LISH. And fun. Who knew you could boil bread? I usually make my bagels into a rocket (salad) sandwich.

Kinda like I eat a Costco cheese pizza - with a pile of greens on top. Can't eat it plain - just too much choking on globs of bready cheesey goodness.

Anyway, try out the bagels. They're nice.






Don't forget to share!