Shopaholic

Our consumerism and materialism in our society has gotten way out of control! As you read this story that I am going to link, it is sobering to think that people are actually living like this and are not trying to change. This story of this shopaholic mom just says how bad it really is. I know people that are into "keeping up with the Joneses". Our family lives in southern California and it is extremely hard not to get caught up in what other people have. Sometimes you feel that if someone else has it why can't you, but then you take a step back and have a drink of reality. I have to constantly remind myself that people here can't even afford their house and car, much less the extras they charge. There isn't a person I know here that isn't in debt.
I know in our case, we absolutely despised living in debt. The fact that we couldn't pay a lot of our bills was killing our positive attitude on life. We have a handle on it now without going into too much personal detail. Our attitudes are much better now. I just cannot see how people can live in a constant state of stress like that. It's no wonder people are getting sick.
I urge you to read this story. Here is the link again. Just click on the link in blue.

Consumerist.com

Here's the same lady's story on Oprah. It gives a little more detail.

Oprah.com

Public school vs. Homeschool vs. Charter School

Again, this year, we are trying to decide what is best for our family. We've moved into a new school area and have asked around about this school. The consesus is that this school is worse than our previous school. Great. (Insert sarcastic tone here.) The ONLY positive thing about this new school is that it is quite literally across the street from our house.

We've checked out the charter schools in our county and the registration is ridiculously early and already closed. There isn't a garuantee that the child enrolling is even accepted. There is a lottery. Either way, we are MONTHS past the deadline.

So it is homeschooling again this year.
Which to be totally honest, is what I wanted to do the whole time. I did not want to give up on my kid's education. I still want the best for them. In my quest to finding balance in my own life, we are going to keep the homeschooling going for them. We will make everything else work.

It's all about priorities.

Shaklee Independent Distributor

Shaklee Independent Distributor

Insomnia

Ever wonder what causes insomnia?  What do you do when you have insomnia? How long does it typically last for you?

Some nights I just lie in bed and will myself to go back to sleep. Some nights I lie in bed and read whatever book I am currently on. And on those nights when none of the above will work...  I head downstairs and try to occupy myself until I get tired.

And let me tell you, some of those nights I don't get tired and wind up staying awake all night and all day. I remember having those nights when I was a teenager. I never imagined that I would be an adult, a mom, a wife and still have those nights. I thought that was something only teenagers experienced. I had many of those nights as a teenager.

There would be mornings when my mother would come in my room to wake me up for school and she would stub her toe on my furniture because I rearranged my whole room while they were sleeping. I would organize my closet and my drawers. Or I would just write in my journal and listen to music quietly in my room when I was in middle school. In high school, I would call my friends. Well, the ones that I knew had a phone in their rooms. I didn't want to wake up their parents!

What to do as an adult... some things haven't changed. I still write, read, do something crafty, rearrange, organize... whatever my mind seems to be going non-stop about.

*the above picture is taken at Sea World of San Diego. The penguins is one of our favorite visits.

This little man is stretching my mommy abilities. I thank God for him daily. But I also lean on God daily. His intolerances are hard to figure out. I am almost certain that this last test we did for eliminating gluten has a positive affect. However, now he is reacting to something else and sadly the only thing that we've given him is his standby... rice milk. The ONLY milk he can drink. (So far.) And he is COVERED. (sighs)

I wish there was someone that I could talk to that has the answers and has a ton of advice on how to do this. How do I still give him the nutrients, vitamins, minerals that he needs to function and grow? He is, once again, not growing. He's a smart fellow, but he has problems growing. God gave him to us and entrusted us to be his parents for a reason. I am learning and stretching daily.

As I sit here this morning, Little Man has fallen back asleep after a fitful sleep last night and an early morning. So now is the time to be researching what to do now.

Spend time with God this morning and He will direct your day.

Time Off

What is that? Well as nature would have it, we all got sick. All at once. We already took the week or two off before we got physically sick because I was just mentally sick. Then once I got physically sick, I had a full on panic attack that turned into asthma attach or a mock asthma attack. I do not have asthma. And it lasted for 4 hours. I thought I was going to slip away and not wake up. For real. I actually went to our ER. I was scared. So I took another couple of weeks off. Now I feel great! 

There are some aspects of our curriculum that I am not loving. Some I threw out of our lesson plans. Some we will finish the year up with and try something new next year. Oh the joys of homeschooling. I'm a planner. I like to make plans and write it all out. What looks great on paper and in theory sometimes does not manifest as well in reality. Bummer. But back to the lesson plans and the internet once again. 

After the holiday I need to add my soon-to-be-4-year-old to our lessons too. She can already count and knows her colors and shapes and can even recognize some of the alphabet and knows the sounds. Hmmm. Maybe I should have included her in the beginning like I thought. Lesson learned to listen to your intuition. Mine has never failed me yet. Only I have failed it. 

I will find what works and I know it will change. Homeschooling is a living breathing entity. It changes and evolves just as my kids do. My kids are the ones changing and succeeding. I love what I do. 

Managers of Their Homes, a photo by Southernmommie on Flickr.

I just received these books in the mail this past week. I have been devouring the first one. I can't wait to get started on our family schedule.

I have heard many wonderful things about this ministry from the christian blog and websites I frequent. I've been waiting for the moment I would be able to get them. (Thank you Jesus!)

I have read and tried different scheduling books, but I have felt God leading me to this set. I bought them from Titus2 ministry.

A Diagnosis

I believe that we finally have an answer and a solution to our lack of weight gain for the baby. Hallelujah! We are starting a trial of medicine to help with the acid reflux. The doctors missed it beforehand because he didn't have the tell-tale sign of spitting up or vomiting. But this specialty pediatric doctor caught it. Hopefully caught it. We are hoping that it clears up in a couple of weeks. However, if by 4 weeks it hasn't, then a camera tube will be inserted down his throat. (I cringe when I think about my poor little 13 pound 7 month old having to endure that!)

We also are advised to change his diet. No more dairy, eggs, fish, or citrus foods. Also, no more jar baby foods that you buy. The water content is high and I need to start making our own foods. Another addition is to add the baby cereal back into his diet. He needs the iron.

He had a tongue tie clipped when he was 5 days old. It is also needing to be clipped again. And come to find out, he also has an upper lip tie, which I knew nothing about! I didn't know that was possible. I guess anything can be possible with the human body.

My poor baby has been hurting for over 4 months now and we didn't catch it! I feel so rotten. Like I have failed him. I am so thankful that this is such an easy fix and can be done without being invasive. I really pray that this is the answer. It is so hard to see your baby and know that he's in pain and have the doctors brush your concerns aside. I am so frustrated with our previous doctors!

I celebrate a little each day knowing that this is the longest I have ever breastfed any of my children. Woohoo! Do you know what a feat that is? Especially with this baby. As I look in the past with the other children I wonder if that is why we always weaned so early with them. Were they also hurting and this was the answer for them? They each had their own symptoms that point to it in hindsight. But you know what? Everything happens for a reason. God has a plan and this is how it played out. I trust in Him.

We have a few events going on here. I am still reading through our book with the book club. Ministry of Motherhood is a really good read. Being a mom is my ministry. Raising the children that God has blessed my husband and I with are my priorities. My husband is my priority. There is no higher calling than them. My home is where I dwell and work. And I love it. The devil has tried to pull me away. Tried to seduce me with being a worldly woman instead of a Godly woman. He has tried to tempt me and to neglect my family and my calling. But I now know what my calling is.

Life has taken us on a new path. A vegan path. Now I have to admit, I am not entirely sure I know the definition or what the distinction is for vegetarians. That is something I need to look up. Our darling little boy, who is now 7 months old, is not gaining weight or pooping. He weighs as much as he did at 3 1/2 months old. He is also very irritable during and after feeding if he doesn't fall asleep while nursing.

Yes, we are still breastfeeding. I refuse to switch to formula for a couple of reasons. One, because formula is not as beneficial health wise for him. Two, because he gags on any type of artificial nipple be it from bottles or pacifiers.

He did have a tongue tie that we had clipped when he was 5 days old. A friend of mine familiar with tongue ties explained that a second clipping might be needed. We have already seen the ENT specialists but the specialist that is a pediatric ENT wasn't there that day and only works one day a week. I couldn't be "squeezed" in for 2 weeks. His appointment is next week.

I've had his blood glucose levels checked and they are fine. I've had the first round of allergy testing done, the blood RAST test. He also checked out in normal ranges there too. I will be asking for a skin test and the ALCAT test next for delayed reactions. If everything still turns up in the normal range, I don't know what else to look for. I suppose xrays and ultrasounds to make sure his digestion tract is formed normal. There is a whole host of possibilities if he isn't having allergic reactions or a tongue tie issue.

Hence why we started the vegan path. It started with the possibility of cutting out dairy out of our diets. The more I started reading, the more I learned the myths that the cattle farmers don't want you to know. It would kill their business. But I won't explain any of that here. You wouldn't believe me anyway unless you were ready to hear it. So when you are ready to hear it, do your own research. You have to be responsible for your own health and well being. You just cannot take someone else's word for it. It might be wrong. Intentional or unintentional.

I feel that this is the most natural next step for us. I won't lie. Making out the menu and the grocery list was hard. What was harder was finding all the ingredients. I shopped 3 stores. Thank you to our local military Commissary, Whole Foods, and Amazon.com!

So far I've made 2 dinners. Last night was Teriyaki Rice Bowl from the book above. Tonight was Loaded Baked Potato. Which for me, needed some tweaking but was good. I borrowed this book from a friend of mine and thought the recipes sounded good. I then ordered the book from Amazon. It arrived today!!

If you are a vegan, lend your thoughts. What was easy for you, what was hard, what is your advice for beginners?

Thanks for stopping by.

Blogging

What is it about sitting down to blog that is so hard for me?

Okay, okay, okay. You can all stop laughing at me now. With 4 kids and a baby it can be a little difficult to sit down with a laptop and blog. There are some life changes that are going on.

We have decided to homeschool our kids starting this fall. I will be leading our 4th grader and 1st grader in their education. I could start with Kindergarten also, but I don't want to rush her. I am happy just letting her listen in with the older 2 and pick up what she may. I am gathering information on the things that I will need both curriculum wise and furniture and supplies wise. I am almost there completing my list of what all I need.

Baby boy is also completely "failure to thrive" only in height and weight. Developmentally he is exactly where he needs to be if not doing more. He is crawling and trying to stand up on his own. He babbles and tries to sit up on his own. But he only weighs about 13 pounds and is 7 months old. He started out in the 80 percentile range and since about 3 months his gains slowed and at 4 months just stopped completely. So we're working on that.

The summer season is here (not officially), and we aren't ready. The weather is cool and rainy (still) and the kids are still in school. But in their defense, their school is on the year-round schedule and they don't even get out till late July! Talk about hard! You try having a bedtime when the sun is still up an hour after going to bed. The sun sets late here at that time of year.

In addition to all this, the hubbs and I have agreed on moving into a 5 bedroom house. He has some paperwork to attend to and then we will do what we can. So hopefully by the fall we will be in a 5 bedroom house! I'm actually looking forward to it. We will have a bigger kitchen and dining room area which is sorely needed here.

I'll let you know how my garden has done so far. It's quite the riot! Stay tuned...

It is that time of year again. Spring cleaning. I don't normally do a once a year top to bottom cleaning. I do little by little throughout the year. However, I do go through twice a year and do a little more of the big tasks. One of my biggies is shampooing our carpets. Moving furniture to vacuum behind them and shampoo or sweep and mop.


What are some of your favorite homemaking or cleaning books? Here are 2 of mine. I have many more that I love. I refer to them time and time again.



I am planning a trip next month. I've made out my packing list. However, there are so many things that need to be done here around the house before I go. Including the spring cleaning. I have a garden to get ready and planted. All this in addition to the every day goings on here. We are already behind on laundry from everyone getting sick and passing it back and forth.


I have started my list of what needs to be done before I go on my trip.. I'm not sure if I can get everything on it done. But I'm gonna give it a go. All this with my precious 4 month old that does not do well on his own.

Now what I mean by "on his own" isn't by any means cruelty. I'm talking like a few minutes of sitting in the bouncy seat. Or falling asleep in my arms nursing and then gently lying him down in the bassinet. Or even a few minutes of precious tummy time does not seem to be comfy for our little man. He seems to feel the happiest and most secure in mommy's loving arms. That just means I'm doing something right, right?

I will be taking another blogging break. This time due to illnesses running rampant in our home. Thank you for sticking with me. This time I have it. A different illness for the second time this year when we normally do not get anything. I look forward to posting soon. For the time being I only have the energy and consciousness to just read all of y'alls blogs.

Following...

"Not following any blogs." Really? I have a l-o-n-g list of blogs that I do follow that I just checked on yesterday from my dashboard. Where did they go and what happened? Has this happened to any of you?

I'm working on a project. I had to buy this little nifty sander to do it. No, I do not have tools. We only have a couple of screwdrivers and a hammer. That's it. We are slowly building up our tool selection. This is the first of many I plan to buy my hubby. I hope he enjoys using them.

This dresser I picked up for free. I do not remember where I picked it up at. I painted it pink for my girls room a couple years ago. I did not buy any hardware for it yet. We couldn't pick out what we wanted for it. After looking at it for a while, I decided to repurpose it. It will become a side table for my bed. I do not have a night stand and do not want to spend money on one either. So after reading some of your gorgeous decorating blogs, I've seen a couple that had dressers or tables beside your beds. And then it hit me. I had my eureka moment. I can do that!

So off to the handy dandy home improvement store to look for a paint card that matches the color in my head. And that paint color card jumped out at me! It was meant for me. When I finish the project dresser I will give details of the paint and hardware. I can't wait to see the finished piece.

There will be a blogging break.

My husband just had surgery yesterday on his shoulder. And I am sending my laptop off to Apple to get it fixed. Turns out there really is water damage on the inside of my Mac. Can't imagine how that got there. It couldn't have been the drinks my kids persist on walking around the house with when there is a toddle walking around grabbing everything within reach! Oh no... not that at all. The young guy working at my Apple store informs me that it will take about 5 days. (Ummmm. FIVE days?!?!) I can do it. I can do it. I can go without internet for 5 days.

OH YEAH!!! My husband's laptop just so happens to be in the back room. I can use his!! Seeing how everyone in our house uses his and it's not really portable with it's 15 second battery life and non working keyboard, I won't be using his to blog. Just to check my emails and facebook. Because I mean really.... who can live without checking their facebook?

See you all so very soon.

PROJECT 52: WEEK 1
Repetition

This week's project was a little hard to get started. As I looked around I suddenly found repetition everywhere. Above is the sorry state of our carpet. We are not allowed to replace it. It's not great looking. We try to shampoo it at least every 3 months. We do shampoo it no longer than every 6 months. You just have to when they get this old. (After the kids getting the stomach bug, it will be cleaned again very soon. Just waiting for the bug to leave our home!)

I love love love this painting. It is a collaborative masterpiece! It started out with my 3 year old painting. Then the older 2 kids came home from school and of course my 5 year old just HAD to paint too. They both sat in the one chair, bottom next to bottom, painting away. So of course I couldn't leave out this example of repetition! It's one of my favorites.

A sigh of relief and relaxation comes over me when I see this afghan. My sweet dear grandmother crochet this many many MANY moons ago. She gave this one to me after I married my husband while living in Japan. He commandeered it many times for his trips so he could have it on his bed when away from us. It was always on our bed when he was home. We would drag it out to the couch on cold evenings. Or even if it wasn't cold and we just wanted it with us while watching a good movie or even a good show. She's made us a few more, but this one is our most treasured one. At first, I hated the color combinations. That's not the case anymore.

So there you have it. My first week with Project 52.

I have a question for all you homemakers out there.


How do you mow? Now I know that must seem like an odd question. Why yes, yes it is. And yes, I am a little odd and ask questions like this out of the blue. My hubby often asks me how my train of thought wound up where it is.

Back to the question at hand. How do you mow? Do you mow around the perimeter of your yard and proceed in a box pattern until you are at the center? Or do you mow up and down neat little rows?

I am interested to hear how everyone else does it.

Project 365

I know I don't post as frequent as I want my favorite bloggers to post. How's that for hypocrisy? I found a remedy for that. (I really dislike Blogger right now. It's messing with my bold. It's not suppose to be bold right now. And no amount of clicking on the bold icon is helping undo it. ) How's that for irony. The icon is now showing that my letters are suppose to be bold and now they aren't. I quit trying to figure out Blogger some time ago. Maybe that's the reason for the infrequent blogging on my part. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. (Name that country song!)

Anyway, back to my topic. I tend to ramble. But we won't go there. Project 365. I came across a lovely blog the other day and have spent my last couple of days reading through it. (You MUST go check out her blog!) She is also participating in Project 365. I must go and get the link for ya. But the jist of it is this. Every week you post pictures of your week. Now that I think about it, shouldn't it be Project 52 then? Oh well. (Oh look! Now it decides to bold my letters!) Blogger is so funny! I just un-clicked bold and it works now! I am not even going to try and go back to undo the bold letters. Let it be. Back to the subject. I know I am starting late, but better late than never right? Or does that only apply to gifts, thank you notes, greeting cards, and flowers? I'd like to think not.

I like the idea of this project. It will force me to learn my camera better than I do now. Which isn't saying much but that is why I am doing this. I love my camera. I love pictures of my kiddos and our life over the past few years since I've gotten said camera. So this is right up my alley.

I would love to take photography classes at any of the local colleges and universities around here. (And a french course.) But that must wait until the babies are a little older and can handle a few hours without momma. (Do they ever reach that age?)

Ooooh. I hear a certain little baby of mine in his bouncy seat poopin'. It's diaper changing time. I must go now and get him cleaned up. I will post links soon. Stay with me. I'm not bailin' on ya.

ps. I must take a picture of the state of my laptop and show you how I am typing on this bad boy! You'd be amazed.


Edited to add: I should get the blonde moment of the day award! The blog that I got the photo idea from did take a photo a day for the Project 365. I know that I won't be as dedicated further down the line. So I googled "project 52" through Swagbucks instead. Oh the possibilities that came up! So I decided to follow this Project 52. And I'll start this week. Yay!! now to add those links.

Here is my baby sleeping. I know most of you have seen a sleeping baby before. So you might be asking yourself why this momma of 5 children is taking a pictures of her baby sleeping. Well, it goes like this. This baby doesn't sleep without his mommy very often. I'm amazed that he's still sleeping right now in the same exact spot at this picture! It's been over 5 minutes! It's been almost an hour now. See, this particular cutie is breastfed (as all mine were at this age) and the only spot he prefers is snuggled on my booby or actually breastfeeding. Any other position just will not do for this little man. So if I can get him to sleep while me NOT holding him, that leaves my hands free to take precious pictures while I can!


Hence, why I kept him in the carseat. I know it's not good for his spine to stay like that. He won't be like this very often. We came back from the store getting some groceries. We were out of a few necessities. Now this momma can write this blog post and then get something to eat before it's time to feed again.


Look at this little cutie. I caught her sitting in this basket drawer but by the time I came back with the camera she was standing. This is her favorite play time now. She takes the kitchen towels out of this and then takes the lining out. You can see it off to the left of the standing princess. Then she'll sit in it and then sing. LOL. Such the cutie! This wicker basket drawer thingy I got when we were stationed in Japan. I bought it out in town at a Japanese store. It was like a Japanese version of Target with many floors. This store had 3 or 4 floors. It's been some time ago and I don't really remember which it was. I've used it for various things in my home throughout the years. Right now it serves to hold my kitchen dish rags, kitchen hand towels, and the top drawer is just a baby bib drawer.



I just HAD to take a picture of this cute little outfit! My little slugger! Both of my handsome men. The only one I'm missing in this picture is the 8 year old slugger. He's not into mom taking pictures of him anymore. The only way I can get him in a picture now is to be with his little brother whom he absolutely ADORES! But he was too busy watching the movie on tv to be bothered with a picture. Kids.


She is only 14 months old, but she is just as much a toddler as my 2 year old is. She just can't talk yet.

I am finding that it is harder than I thought having a baby and a 1 year old. This is the closest of my babies in years. It's just shy of 2 years between this girl and the 2 year old. (She's almost 3.) But this time, I have 2 babies. One can walk, thank goodness, but can't go down the stairs by herself. And only because I don't want her falling so I haven't been letting her. She climbs onto the tops of all the tables. She scoots chairs to where she wants to go. She climbs to the tops of the back of the couch. Anywhere she can get her little leg up to, she's up on. I'm so thankful that she still naps. She is only napping once a day, but I still need her to take that one to give mommy a break. Daddy is still off so having him home has helped tremendously! But I need to figure out how to keep the home from being a wreck, laundry kept up, and keeping up with the needs of my 2 babies and diapers changed on all 3. Whew! That sounds like a lot even without the extra cleaning that needs to be done on top of that! Right now, we are only sweeping the kitchen and dining room, mopping, and vacuuming the downstairs. That's it! That's all we have time for. Dishes are like 2-3 loads a day! Which that won't be so many once Daddy goes back to work. (Two weeks from now.)

So in light of the upcoming schedule with Daddy going back to work, I am going to try to get little guy on a routine. I did it with baby girl, but I also stopped breastfeeding her and switched to formula in her second month. Way too early, but I had to have surgery. So with this one, I want to keep at it as long as possible. Sometimes I think it would just be so much easier and I could get so much more done around the house if I just switched to formula and brought the swing out of the garage. But then I realize that I wouldn't be as bonded with him and my milk supply would dwindle. Both things I am not ready to battle yet. I think in a month or so, around the 3 month mark, I could start introducing more. My milk supply is so sensitive that I need baby to be on me for the first few months in order to establish a good strong supply that won't diminish later when changes to the routines happen. The only thing is that waiting that long is hard for me. I want to get up and get stuff done and get the errands done and keep up on the organization and cleaning. But I have to rest and not try to be supermom.

Okay folks. Baby is starting to stir and I still need to grab a bite to eat. Love y'all. And don't forget to take some time out of the busy shopping, decorating, errands to run, and just BE with your loved ones!

It’s All in the List by Daryl Hoole

You can bring order out of life’s chaos by making lists. The best way to talk about the benefits of list making for successful home and life management is to simply make a list of the many benefits. So, here goes:

A list . . .

* Allows you to put the pressure on paper rather than on your mind. In other words, instead of feeling the weight of so much to do on your mind, it helps to “set it down,” so to speak, on paper or an electronic device.

* Does not change all that needs to be done, but writing it down can help you feel more in control of the situation.

* Helps you get to your appointments on time. One’s mind is not intended to be a calendar.

* Helps you keep things from “falling through the cracks.” From an efficiency perspective, a sharp pencil is better than a sharp memory.

* Keeps track of where and when something needs to be done—it can prevent double scheduling.

* Is something to check off so when you go on a trip you take everything you need. It can be a serious problem to open your bag and find you left your prescription medicine at home.

* Is a storehouse for ideas. Ideas, like birds, fly in and out and can become lost unless you catch them and “cage” them.

* Is only as good as it is read.

* Has no magic in it. It works only when you do.

* Helps you direct your efforts and focus on whatever task is at hand. It’s an anti “spin your wheels” technique.

* Drives you to get things done. In the words of William James, “Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”

* Enables you to see the beginning and the end of your work. Knowing where to start and when to stop is a favor you can bestow upon yourself.

* Makes it easier to prioritize your tasks. According to Stephen R. Covey, “The key is not to prioritize your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

* Can be a procrastination deterrent. Personal discipline can be cultivated, and a list can be an aid in such an endeavor.

* Gives you a track to run on. Even if you run a bit behind, you’re still on track. Someone quipped, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I’ve finished my list; the bad news is that it’s yesterday’s list.”

* Provides a plan from which you can arrange your life to suit the situation. Elder Dallin H. Oaks put it well when he said, “Plan specifically so you can implement flexibly.”

* Is therapeutic. Crossing items off can energize and motivate, providing a sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, and peace. (Sometimes it can provide encouragement to list things that you’ve already done, just to cross them off. It’s evidence that you are productive.)

* Helps you to follow through, carry out intentions, and keep your promises which may include returning what you borrow.

I saw this on Mrs. Teresa A. Haley's blog; Practical Housewifery. If you haven't yet visited this blog I encourage you to do so.

Lynda