Zeke's Birthday Onesie!

Side Note: Blogging and pink eye don't go together well. Even though I was able to cure my pink eye with breastmilk after only 1 day my eyes were still very tired and sore especially at the end of the night. 

It's SO crazy to me to think that Zeke will be 1 years old NEXT MONTH! I already have his birthday invitations made and ready to go. Awhile back I bought this fabric adhesive roll from Stampin' Up and I wanted to use it to make Zeke a birthday onesie. 

First I had to cut the adhesive roll to size and then I ironed it on the wrong size of the fabric. 

I didn't have any plain onesies to choose from, but I didn't mind covering up this little decal. 

 

After ironing on the adhesive roll I was able to run my fabric through my Big Shot machine. This shape is one of my newest die cuts. It covered up the decal perfectly!

 

Then I added layer of fabric and then cut out a 1. In this picture you can make out the decal behind, but in person you can't tell at all. He's going to look so cute in his 1 year old onesie!

Big Milestone!

 On Saturday after dinner we decided to head to the mall with the kids. Since it was raining all day they couldn't get outside and play so we figured they could stretch their legs playing on the train. Unfortunately the train is closed right now. We did walk to the other end of the mall to play on the boat, but about 5 minutes after we got there they decided to close it for cleaning. We toyed with the idea of taking the kids to a movie, but it was already getting late and I didn't want to be out THAT late with all of them. Then I glanced over and saw that there was no one in Claire's. I wandered over to see if they had two employees working and they did.

That's when I asked Ella if she wanted to get her ears pierced! She had told  me awhile ago that she wanted to, but I wanted to make sure. I was planning on making a day of it with Ga-Ga & Aunt Stephie, but it was just a spur of the moment thing. 

After the workers came over Ella got a bit nervous. Ella warmed up a bit once I introduced her to Ms Michelle and Ms Sarah.

 

Owen of coursed warmed up right away and asked about the candy jar. Ms Michelle let him hold the jar and then pass out the candy at the end. 

We asked Ella if she wanted to sit in the chair by herself or on my lap. She wanted me, but she wasn't acting scared at all. 

 

Zeke started to get a bit fussy so Michael move him over to this door with a mirror and he had the best time chatting with himself! 

 

After cleaning her ears and putting purple pen marks on them it was time for the ear piercing. 

 

Ella did great! She jumped a little, but she didn't say ouch, she didn't cry either. At first I wasn't sure if they had actually done it since she was so calm. I did feel her heart beating a bit harder than normal, but other than that it was like nothing happened! 

 

Cute red newly pierced ears! 

 

When we got home she HAD to check herself out in the mirror! 

 

So proud! 

 

Beautiful pierced ears! It was so fun to get to experience this milestone with my baby girl. I was bummed that Ga-Ga & Aunt Stephie didn't get to be a part of it so I do want to have a fun girl day in 6 months when we can change Ella's earrings out to different ones.

The Choices We Make - Medicine!

Lately I've been kind of irked with how medical stuff is handled lately. I'm not talking about Obamacare although that's awful! I'm talking about how doctors are so quick to just write you a prescription for some chemical when there might be something more natural out there that might first off be cheaper and second better for you and third work just as well if not better. 

For example...Michael had struggled for years with a flaky scalp. He has tried every dandruff or dry scalp shampoo around. He's rubbed olive and baby oil on his head. He's been to two different dermatologist. The first one was an older gentleman who quite frankly had one foot out the door for retirement. He recommended this prescription shampoo and said Michael had psoriasis. The Rx shampoo did nothing. Since at the time Michael didn't have very good insurance nor did he have the time to take off to go back he didn't. Recently Michael's been to another dermatologist twice and the first time he recommended this Rx for this medicine that was literally over a $1000! Insurance covered more than half and then thankfully the doctor had a coupon for up to $500. Isn't that ridiculous! It seemed to help for a little bit, but it didn't work or solve the problem. So back to the doctor Michael went. This time he gave him a sample of another medicine. Frankly I don't think Michael even used it because it had all these rules on how to use it and Michael wasn't sure how he was going to get it on his head without totally shaving it! Michael's been getting really fed up with this condition so he started researching and found that some natural remedies the first being Apple Cider Vinegar. We didn't have any of that so Michael just went straight to the second option which was Witch Hazel. After the first time Michael used it his flakes were gone. He still has to use it everyday, but it keeps it under control. It's actually done something which is more than any of those expense chemicals did. I mean Witch Hazel...it's natural and a whole bottle costs about $3.99 at Bartell's! Back in the day doctor...heck your grandma would have known these simple natural remedies. 

My friend Lori is now selling essential oils and I'm curious about them and can't wait to find out more. I know there are oils out there that can cure common things that we normal would just run to the drug store for and I want to be more educated about them. 

Also I wonder how many of our ailments are more related to my previous post about food. What we put in our body can effect how we feel and our health. I have lots of friends that are cutting out gluten and they are feeling fabulous because of it. How many times would people go to the doctor complaining of stomach issues or fatigue and then the doctors would recommend some medicine which doesn't deal with the cause of the issue. The problem is doctors don't have time to deal with or get to know their patients. It's so frustrating going to the doctor knowing you only have a measly 15 minutes! 

One another medical related note that I'm sure is going to make a bunch of people upset...lets talk birth control. Remember we can have differing opinions! First off let me set the stage...I'm pro-life. I believe that life starts at conception and each life is precious and should be cherished. When I was younger before we wanted kids I took birth control thinking it was okay. But now that I'm older and have done more research I do not believe you can be pro-life and take birth control pills. See birth control pills keep you from getting pregnant by doing these things....keeping you from ovulating and making your uterus lining unable to accept a fertilized egg. I'm sure that each of us knows at least one person that's become pregnant while taking birth control. The pills do not stop a woman from ovulated every month that's why they HAVE to have that back up measure of making the uterus unable to accept an egg. So if you believe that life begins at conception taking birth control pills means you could be actually taking a pill that lets you abort your conceived baby since it won't have the chance to attach to the uterus. Also IUD's do the same thing. The church doesn't say they don't agree with birth control, but in my opinion they should. If you truly believe that life starts at conception the only methods of birth control that are acceptable should be condoms, abstinence at certain times of the month or sterilization. I know for me taking birth control pills was just the normal. I never thought twice about it. It was just what you did when you didn't want to have kids yet. It was more about not fully understanding the medicine behind the pill. For us Michael is going to have a vasectomy and then I'm going to take birth control pills mainly because they make me feel better by helping my hormones and they help clear up my face. But since he'll be sterile there won't be anyway that we'll conceive a baby. 

There is a Naturopathy office in Federal Way that I'm going to contact them and see if they accept insurance. I'm really not happy with the kids pediatrician especially in regards to Zeke's neck and his rash. We've tried so many things and nothing is working. I'm on the second topical cream prescribed by the doctor and it's not getting better. I'm hoping that we can figure out the answer soon! 

I'm not saying all medicine is bad! I'm saying that I think a lot of the time doctors are just masking the symptoms and not actually dealing with the real issue. 

So what are your opinions on modern medicine? Birth Control? Essential Oils?

Jello Blocks!

 The irony of this post coming right after the post about staying away from dyes and unnatural food is not lost on me. It's quite hilarious actually! Remember I did say that we were going to still let our kids be kids. My mom was given a kids cook book and this was one of the recipes and I happened to have the ingredients so I thought it would be a fun activity with the kids. 

First we got all the ingredients and the utensils we'd need. 

I let the boys pour in the Jello....we used one big box of Lemon and one big box of Lime. 

 

Then I added the hot water and stirred, stirred, stirred! 

 

Ella Bean got to add the white grape juice. 

 

Then we put it in the pan and the waiting began! 

 

Later in the afternoon they were ready to eat.

 

I used cookie cutters so the kids could have fun shapes. Jack chose a rabbit. 

 

Ella chose a baby foot. Owen chose a bell, but by the time I went to take his picture he had mutilated it! Jack and Ella LOVED them. Owen on the other hand wanted to love them, but he still struggles with texture issues and these definitely have a funny texture.

The Choices We Make - Food!

Okay so this is going to be a series of posts discussing different topics. I've been wanting to blog about this and basically get my feelings down, but it's been so daunting and overwhelming to think about doing it all in one post. It might sound like I'm ranting at times and I'm sure there will be people out there that don't agree with me and that's okay. I'm just expressing my feelings on what I've learned so far...which isn't a lot. I'm just starting and I definitely want to learn more and more so different opinions are okay and feel free to share, but in a respectful way please. Also I'm sure there are others out there that have been researching this type of stuff longer than me...if you have knowledge to impart to me or can point me in the right direction please do so. Without further ado....

After watching Food Inc and Vegucated and reading a few articles and talking with friends I'm really saddened by the things we are allowing to happen in American in regards to our food. Recently the Monsanto Protection Act passed that will safe guard Monsanto from being held legally responsible if research proves their GMO seed causes damage to our bodies. I still haven't completely watched the Youtube video of The World According to Monsanto...I need to do that soon. From what I do know...Monsanto = BAD!!

Now that I've seen these documentaries it's hard to just put this information out of your mind. Before I was just clueless...I think a lot of us are. I mean we just hop in the car and go to the grocery store and buy our food, right? Who really thinks about where it comes from or what's in it? The sad thing is that 80% of the "food" in the grocery stores today wasn't there 100 years ago. And most of that "food" can barely be called food! The food industry has made it easy for us and that's the problem. Real, good, healthy food isn't necessarily easy. It takes time to use real ingredients! 

I'm not saying that I'm going to immediately change everything in our diet or become a vegetarian. There is NO WAY I could become a vegetarian. We love meat. I do have issues in regards to how the animals are being treated. Yes I know that they are ultimately going to end up being killed and served for dinner, but that doesn't mean that they have to be treated poorly. It's my goal to eventually be able to buy organic grass fed beef and free range chicken from some friends of ours that have a farm in Enumclaw. If you are interested in checking them out it's the Hallet Family Farm on FB.

The things I am changing right now are small like trying to buy more whole grains such as wheat flour, wheat pasta and brown rice. I'm also not buying flavored yogurt anymore instead I'm buying the Kirkland Signature Greek Yogurt and flavoring it with honey and adding in homemade granola and fruit. I'm also not buying fruit snacks anymore. We are only buying fruit leather since it's just pureed fruit. I'm really trying to steer clear of HFCS and all those dyes.

With that being said that doesn't mean that we aren't going to let our kids enjoy life and food...just in moderation. We will still be stopping and getting a Frostie at Wendy's every once in a while. And I'm not saying that I'm never again going to buy Oreos....oh man those are good even though they aren't filled with anything good. 

Basically I'm wanting to get back to the way food was years ago. More natural, less ingredients, no chemicals. 

So how do you feel about the food industry and how things are being handled right now? Have you and your family recently changed your diet due to health reasons? Any knowledge you'd like to share with me would be great. Also are there any other documentaries I should see?

Union Suit!

 For Christmas Ga-Ga got Zeke his union suit just like his older brothers had. He wasn't big enough to fit into it until now.

Cute little personalized bum! 

Crawling around getting into everything now! 

 

In the middle of wrestling time! 

 

Not so sure about wrestling! 

 

I'm gonna get you Mom! 

 

Enough with the flash! 

 

Time to suck my thumb!

Easter 2013

 Kids all ready for church!

 When Ga-Ga and I went shopping a couple weeks back she got the boys their new shirts and shoes.

Of course we chose long sleeve shirts since you know we live in Washington...not knowing it was going to be so nice. 

 

Ga-Ga also bought Ella her little white mini coat since her dress was sleeveless. 

 

Zeke already had an outfit that looked springy...the funny thing is that both his shirt and his pants are 3-6 months in size. Cute little guy! 

 

After church we headed down to Ga-Ga & Pa's to be with family and friends. Uncle Ry was there, but Aunt Stephie was in Disneyland. Uncle Ry had a Disney character for each of the kids. Owen got Donald, Jack got Pluto, Ella got Minnie and Zeke got Mickey Mouse. 

 

Since it was so gorgeous we spent practically the whole time outside. I got a blanket so Zeke could crawl around. He was very curious about what was going on in the yard with the other kids, but he touched the grass once and that was enough for him! 

 

Love his cute little teethers! 

 

Some family friends Bill & Christina and their 3 kids were there celebrating with us. All the kids got along gloriously! We were SO ready to be outside getting some fresh air! 

 

After being outside for a bit it was time to come in and eat. Right before eating Jack used his Resurrection Eggs he made at MOPS to tell everyone the Easter story. It was so precious! 

After eating it was time for the Egg Hunt! 

 

We let the girls had a head start since the boys were older and we didn't want them to get all the eggs. 

 

Not sure what Jack was doing, but he ended up only getting 4 or 5 eggs and we had to point out pretty much all of those eggs to him. 

 

So proud of her eggs! 

 

There was some sour jelly beans in those eggs! 

 

Then Ga-Ga brought out the Easter baskets. Since she was giving baskets to the grandkids she didn't want Caleb, Anna & Addison to feel left out so she got them baskets too. 

 

Cute cheeser! 

 

Jack is admiring his new Jake and Scully toys. 

 

CANDY!!!

 

Zeke Man got some candy and a sock monkey that lights up and sings a song. 

 

  

It couldn't be a holiday without a nice family pictures. And just to show that the apple doesn't fall from the tree....

And we wonder where Owen's crazy faces come from!

Happy Easter!