In the midst of all the chaos of moving, I am finally starting to feel that feeling again where you know you are right where you need to be.

I had my first child when I was a teenager; got pregnant the summer going into my senior year.  From that moment on my maternal instinct was in full gear!  I went from wearing belly shirts and going to parties to wearing christmas turtlenecks with snowmen on it and decorating a nursery overnight!  Looking back it makes me laugh every time.  I "nested" for that child like you wouldn't believe!  I had amazing support from Josh and we decided that there was no other option than for me to stay home with that baby once we had her.

So here I was, 18 with this teeny, adorable girl that I could not get enough of.  I felt the need to be with her at every moment.  It's like I could feel her every need running through my veins and that is all I focused on.  I nursed her EVERY time she cried.  I held her when she cried and when she would whimper as I attempted to lay her in her crib, I would swoop her up and take her to bed with me.  Josh and I did not expect this helpless little child to "self-soothe" as some experts might call it.

We continued to let Emma sleep in our bed for years.  I used to lie about it because people always tried to boss me around because I was young.  I would say she slept with me and they would say how harmful that is to children.  I didn't have a reason for her sleeping with us other than that it felt right.  I could see no other way.  She was always such a happy baby and toddler I saw no reason to change anything.

Josh and I got married and decided we wanted baby #2.  During my pregnancy I was in full gear "nesting" again.  Emma was still in our bed and we were all happy!  No tears at night.  No being awake from 3 a.m. until morning.  We all slept soundly, together.

Baby # 2 was born and contrary to what the peanut gallery was telling me I continued to do what felt right.  I nursed that baby EVERY time she cried.  I took my baby with me every where I went.  I also took that baby and her older sister to bed with me and Josh every night.

She was another happy baby.  I have NEVER been up all night with a newborn.  I slept all through the night with my newborns from the day I brought them home from the hospital.  I would wake up a couple times through the night to a baby making grunting noises and just roll over and let my breast meet the babies lips and within minutes we were all sound asleep again.

So the story repeats itself.  Baby # 3 came along and you can imagine how the story goes, lol.  Yes, we bought a bigger bed so that all five of us could fit.  This is how our bed got the name the "family bed".  Little did I know our chaos was a real thing.  It's called attachment parenting!  Dr. Sears is the gooroo and he coined the term.  We were attachment parents and didn't even know it-because we were doing what felt natural and made sense to us.

You think I am weird yet?  Hold your tongue until you do your homework.  Go ahead and type in the benefits of bed sharing in a google search and see what you find.  You will find all these amazing things that it does for your CHILD.  Now, if you type in benefits of letting your 2 week old cry through the night to teach them to self soothe you find things that benefit YOU.  I am sure I'm pushing buttons here with people but this time I am OK with that.  I am so sick of holding back.  I never want to push a parenting style on anyone because it's not right. But when I hear other women telling a new mom "oh this is how I got my life back on track- I simply put my newborn in his room every night at 8 p.m. and shut the door and let him cry.  Baby will be sleeping through the night in no time!  He will be OK" it sends fire through my heart!  NO NO NO! Mom's should already know what to do without having everyone else tell them.  If we allow ourselves the opportunity to open our hearts to motherhood and not try to keep up with the latest trends and parenting styles it will become very effortless to raise a newborn and child.

So, I too had my children sleeping through the night by 2 weeks old and it was in the comfort of what I like to call the Mommy Nook.  It's almost exactly where you would carry a baby during pregnancy except not upside down, lol.  Baby nestled right close to mama's chest so he/she can smell you and hear the sounds from you that he/she has grown to love in utero.

To summarize this very long outburst of frustration to the world, my children all turned out good so far.  Studies show that the closeness of co sleeping and skin to skin teaches a child to be compassionate toward others.  It also raises IQ significantly.  Now please do not take this as bragging; I am just simply sharing the data of my experiment.  All three of our kids have had standardize testing done of different variations and every time they test off the charts.  I don't ever tell people this because it sounds like bragging.  Emma and Ella both were reading before kindergarten and now Emma who is in 2nd grade has tested at 5th-6th grade reading levels.  It's almost unbelievable!

When you do what feels right and natural with your children you will succeed as a parent.  It feels right for me to stay home with my kids everyday and be their teacher.  I am so happy to be able to be homeschooling this school year.  I feel once again back in tune with my kids; something I didn't feel when I was away from them for work.

[i have so much more to say....i will save it for next time]

A beautiful example of family bed sharing

http://www.attachmentparenting.org/principles/principles.php

this is how we roll!

Well...the new eating habits are going pretty good!  I started off my new experiment by going grocery shopping!  It was kind of refreshing and fun to look at new things!  Thankfully Josh was home and willing to keep all the kids at home so I had time to think and read food labels a little more closely.

Yesterday I spent ALL DAY meal prepping in the kitchen!  Since Josh would be away at work all week I made all of his meals ahead of time!  I also made some healthy snacks to have available and ready to eat when my kids start to roam in the cupboard (which is all the time)!  You should have seen my kitchen at midnight!  I am a messy cook (weakness # 1097)!  But man it was all worth it!  Still getting caught up on dishes today.  I think I dirtied every pot and pan I owned!

Things I made:
Grilled chicken breast tenderloins
fresh, garden green beans
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Shepard's Pie (with home-made mashed potatoes)
Hard boiled eggs
cut and cleaned carrots, cauliflower, strawberries and peaches
Emma made veggie dip
cold meat subs on wheat buns
put cottage cheese in small, kid-friendly containers

I think that was the most of it.  It is definitely more work to eat healthy!

Joshua has not yet had a fruit or vegetable.  We are not forcing him either.  Just taking away the bad stuff.  No matter how much he begs he hasn't had an Oreo since Saturday:)  I keep telling him if he eats his fruit and vegetable he can have his treats.  (and that is the basic idea for all of us-no junk until you have met your nutritional needs for the day)  I put teeny tiny cut-up banana in his cheerios this morning and it made him throw-up!  I am still not convinced that he doesn't have a texture issue.  A little bit texture a lot a bit stubborn!  It's a work in progress!

We started off our day with whole grain toast with almond butter and real butter, scrambled eggs and cheerios with low fat milk and cut up bananas!  Everyone ate well!

Lunch-all natural peanut butter on whole grain bakery bread, strawberries, cauliflower and carrots with dip, piece of cheese, cottage cheese and sliced chicken breast from the deli.  yum!  healthy food can be refreshing.  I have not experienced any cravings or withdrawal...Yet!

Homeschooling went smooth today!  I am really pleased with the program we selected.  Our biggest struggle is getting up and getting moving.  Once we start school though-we are fine.  We get about 5 hours of schooling in each day including lunch and breaks.  I have not yet figured out how to get housework done:/  I did get all my laundry, dishes, cleaning and cooking done this weekend but still everything piles up quickly!  We will get it down soon.  And besides-I am a firm believer in putting the kids and school first as the house will ALWAYS patiently wait:)

IT'S OFFICIAL

We are moving to the house that Josh found!  We signed the lease yesterday! Talk about trust-I haven't even seen the place! Moving the first week of September!  Wow!  We are waiting to get a confirmation from the moving company but thinking it will look something like this:

September 5, 6 -Packing days
September 7-loading day
September 8-moving day!

The following week after I will spend at our current home painting, doing repairs and cleaning.  Planning to hand over keys on Sunday, September 15.

We all layed in the family bed and cried again the other night about moving.  I find no point in trying to "sugar-coat" the situation for the kids.  I feel it's important for me to be honest with the kids.  I explained to them that I am sad and happy all in one.  It's ok to cry about it.  It's ok to feel scared.  The important thing is that we are all moving TOGETHER.  I promised we would come back and visit ANYTIME THEY ASK.  We love our hometown and all of our family that is here.  Our family members have been vital in raising our family and I plan to keep things that way even if we are a little further away.  We need our family.

Well, Emma is dusting away as I type and she is making me feel guilty. That is one perk of not putting things away (weakness # 312 I do not clean up after myself).  I left the dusting stuff out last night after I dusted and Emma decided to put it to good use!

Hope you are all having a fantastic day!

Off to do dishes and then focus on creating a healthy and delicious dinner!

Peace!

-and I should probably find time to shower-even though my husbands out of town haha!

Good morning!

Ok-call me crazy but I am trying something new and extreme.

I have become very lax about my families eating habits.  I think it is every mother's intention to start out feeding their child all organic, sugar free food so they are healthy human beings.  Well anyone that lives in this world knows it's merely impossible to live like this with all the processed food that's on the market and not to mention all the parties and gatherings we attend that serve high fat, high sugar foods- AND IT'S SO DELICIOUS!

I have been researching ways to introduce new [healthy!] foods to my kids.  My son is now 3 and with everything that has gone on in his lifetime we have put his nutrition on the back burner.  BAD IDEA!  I have learned that children with disabilities need extra nutrients than a typical child.  Seems like a no brainer.

Every time I offer a new food at the table -vegetables in particular-my kids act like I am poisoning them and scrunch their nose and slide their plate away.  Now we all know that produce is expensive so this is why I have given up time and time again!  I ended up scraping all the health food in the trash.  I worry that the kids will starve if I only allow them healthy options because they just won't eat!

So I have found an evident proven method that I think is ridiculous, extreme and scary but I have to do it!  I would never forgive myself if one of my children were diagnosed with diabetes due to poor eating habits.

Basically you rid your family of junk food for 6 weeks.  Yes, this means that I am going to be the weirdo that will not allow my child a cupcake at a birthday party...but it's only temporary!  Once you detox your child/self from junk you are more open to trying new things and they get into better habits.  Then treats are okay as long as they are given on occasion.

The main reason for this new plan is because more and more my kids are leaving a plate full of food because they are "full" and then an hour later they are getting in the fridge and cupboards to get Oreos, ice cream, pop and candy.  And IT'S ALWAYS THERE!  I have got to get it out of the cupboards!  I feel bad because I am yelling at them for eating junk food but when I look in my cupboards that's the choice I have given them.  Research shows that processed, junk food is just as addictive as cocaine.

I feel bad that I have allowed it to get this far but it's like I got sick of being the mean parent.  You hear people say all the time "oh, come one mom-choose your battles!"  And I also remember growing up on these foods and feel that I turned out ok with know apparent health issues.  The problem is that the food has changed over the past 30 years for the worse.  Packed with more sugar and fat.

I ask for prayers and help through this journey because I know it won't be easy.  I am in search for healthy, natural recipes that taste good!

In the world of a child with Spina Bifida

Last night before bed Joshua and I were laying on the family bed reading books.  He wanted to read to me.  All of his stories included people who couldn't stand up.  He would read "And the Mommy is sick, she can't stand up."  or  "The baby deers can't stand up they only crawl."  The only thing that is on that little guys' mind right now is standing up.

My husbands aunt read my blog and read about how Joshua wants to stand up.  She sent me a message that she knows a woman that has a stander-worth thousands of dollars-that they are not using and are willing to give it to us!  When I told Joshua this his whole face lit up!  he shrieked with excitement!

Though this stander is likely to be used only a little bit each day, the moments that Joshua is in it are going to mean so much to him!  Josh already has ideas on modifying it {slightly} to make it go!  We plan on getting it next week sometime!  God is so good!

Remember this as you clean this weekend.  You may have something in your house that you are hoarding :) that could bless someone else right now!  I have used this as a lesson as I learn to purge and not hold on to items forever for the sake of losing a memory.  I once read an article that tossed around the idea that our weaknesses are a result of something big that has happened to us in our life.  I tend to be a pack-rat.  I have such a hard time getting rid of things as I remember every little thing about it.  I get emotionally attached to things as simple as a purse.  Though I haven't used the purse in 2 or 3 years, I cannot get rid of it because I remember the shopping trip when I bought it.  I remember using it at a special occasion.  It's ridiculous!  I am learning to let go little by little because in the end when I am rid of clutter I am happier!

My parents divorced when I was 5 and I think that has molded me into the person I am [the good and the bad] just like all life events do.  I hold onto things for a fear that it will be gone forever.  The idea of family has been gone for a long time within my immediate family.  I can't tell you the last time that my Dad, Mom, brother and I were together for the sake of choosing to spend the day as a family and enjoying it.  I must have been 5 and unfortunately, I do not remember a lot about that.  I dream what it would be like for my brother and I to "go home" in the house that we grew up in.  Mom and Dad be sitting there together excited to have us home.

For those of you who are all one family still today wether you are an old family or a new one, embrace it.  I hope you can see the blessing!  I am embracing the blessing I have every day with my husband and our three children.  I love my family and it's what I live for.

I love this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G5HoBtdLzE

I hope this move isn't too hard on the kids.  One thing about starting your family when you are so young is you start out with nothing.  The darling cottage down a long lane that I dream about raising our children at isn't here yet.  The house the I have brought my babies home from the hospital to are not mine.  I can't have them forever.  Hopefully, someday I can pull in the drive way and just sit and reminisce.

Not sure why this was on my heart today-I promise I am not a basket case.  Well, who am I kidding, lol.  I think I am a little nuts.  But that's ok.

My wonderful husband just brought me coffee and a doughnut.

good-bye!

Happy Hour!

The other day when I was cleaning I found a bag of coins from Chuck E Cheese.  I put them up for the next time we went there.  Well today I asked Ella to come sit at her desk so we could do her lessons.  She was in her room with Joshua and Emma playing with her DS.  As soon as I asked her to come to her desk she put the DS down and came happily hopping out to her desk!  I was happily surprised!  In fact I was overjoyed that I did not have to be the not fun mom that is nagging telling her to stop playing and come to class!  So-I thought what can I use to reward the kids when they do extraordinary?  CHUCK E CHEESE COINS! Wow she was excited!  Woohoo!

Emma has been humming since she woke up.  Is this a sign of a happy child?  It's so cute!  Sometimes I can get irritated by it but I try to remind myself it's harmless!  She is being so patient while I work with Ella!

Joshua wanted to do school with Ella and they were doing an art project.  Joshua is using his crayons as cigarettes:(  We need to get his dad (sorry honey:)...) to kick the habit!  Joshua loves his Dad and everything he does...even smoking!

TGIF!

Make it a good one!

Thank you Lord for all you've blessed me with today!

I needed to type this recipe up for my mother-in law, Amy so I thought I would share with the rest of you!

We love fresh green beans from the garden!  My mom enjoys Ina Garten and she shared this recipe with me:

Ina Garten's Fresh Green Beans

1 lb. green beans
kosher salt
2tbsp. butter
1tbsp. olive oil
3 large diced shallots
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Put beans in boiling salted water for 3 mins. (until crisp tender)
Drain and immerse in bowl of ice water.

Heat butter and oil in large saute` pan.
Saute` shallots on med. heat 5-10 mins. until lightly browned.

Drain beans from ice water.
Add them to the shallots with 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper.

heat only until beans are hot

So delicious!  If you like your beans more tender rather than crisp you can saute` longer.
Shallots can be hard to find sometimes but it is worth the search-they are so much better than onion in this recipe.

This is Ina:)  Thanks, Ina!

nothing better than an afternoon cup of coffee to recharge!

Hello all!  Busy day today as we have lots of lessons to do but thought I would pop in for an update!

Went to dinner with my brother, Graham last night and it was GREAT to catch up!  My brother is 2 years older than me and lives in Columbus.  With busy schedules sometimes we go months without a visit:( That is too long!

Josh looked at a house lastnight and I think we are going to move in!  I can't wait to see it!  More details to come...

Heading to my in-laws this evening for a cook-out...mmmm-mmmm!  Looking forward to it!

Joshua asks me everyday if I can help him to stand up.  I mean every day!  Multiple times each day!  Keep researching different options out there where he could have the freedom to stand when he wanted.  Unfortunately each option is 7, 8, 9 thousand dollars and insurance probably won't cover it!  I know his dad's wheels are spinning-he has a knack for designing things.  Prayers that we will figure something out soon!  Wouldn't that be an awesome 4th birthday present for my buddy..."Surprise-we got you this so you can stand up!"  That would be amazing!

When I was researching things last night I came across this article on how to interact with a person in a wheelchair.  Thought it was very informative!

(copy and paste)

http://www.wikihow.com/Interact-with-a-Person-Who-Uses-a-Wheelchair

    There's my buddy!  Rollin' around!

Have an awesome day!

UPDATE

The house is not official yet...we are not ruling it out but not convinced it's the right choice.

We started school today and it was great!

SO here I am!  I have totally neglected my blog this past week!  We were in a hotel again and I did not have my computer with me!  Yes, that is right-no computer for a week!  And I am still alive!

So where do I start.....

School starts Tuesday for our family.  I will be homeschooling.  Ella is starting Kindergarten and Emma entering into the 2nd grade!  We are so excited!  We decided that since last week was the end of our "summer break" that we were going to make the most of it.  Started off Monday at home still and took the kids to our local ice cream shop for lunch and ice cream.  They had so much fun. It's the small things.  We sat in there for almost 2 hours talking, telling jokes and finishing with big ice cream cones.  The girls ordered their own ice cream cones and to see them stand at the counter ordering treats together brought tears to my eyes.  They are so lucky to have each other!  I try to tell them this when one is kicking the other out of their bedroom or one of them is telling the other "I hate you"!  I always tell them I didn't have a sister!  Seems to work for now:)

Tuesday the kids and I headed out.  We traveled for the first time to the Youngstown area by ourselves as Josh was already at work.  The trip went so well! We had an appointment to see another home for rent.  The house was cute but after looking at the 1 1/2 story, 2 bedroom home we realized we would have to store everything we own if we wanted to live there.  Our bedroom suits would not even fit upstairs.  SO the the search continued.

We ate at Los Gallos...yum.  There was a sign posted that they were hiring servers-I'm tempted to apply yet I don't think I would be able to slurp margarita's if I was working which would totally take all the fun out of things.  There is a lady that sings on their patio every Tuesday evening. She plays a guitar and sings and it's fun!  It was rainy on Tuesday so she was inside.  The kids really enjoyed her music.  They were singing and dancing in our booth and by the end of our pitcher of margaritas, we too were singing and dancing on a Tuesday night at a restaurant!  She ended on Brown Eyed Girl by CCR...oh how I LOVE this song:

copy and past this link to hear it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ4FO7ZZDDQ

Between Wednesday and Thursday I called apx. 20 people regarding rental properties and I got 2 live people and all the rest were answering machines and did not return my calls.  Really?  The one that did answer said I would have to complete a credit ap and a background check just so I could see the place.  AND it was going to cost me money to fill out the application.  The world is tricky! Tricky!

Finally, Thursday evening Josh found an interesting listing "for sale or lease".  Called and was on the phone for quite some time giving me thumbs up here and there,lol.  Made and appointment to see this house that is just a few miles from  Josh's work and in the country!  Saw it on Friday and I think it's a winner.  I am 99.9% sure that I can say WE HAVE FOUND A NEW PLACE TO CALL HOME!  Of course we have not signed anything yet so I should not count my chickens before they hatch---but I want to!

The home is not perfect.  I have only seen the exterior.  Josh drew it up on a piece of construction paper last night.  It is not what we are used to (ie: new, updated) but it will work!  Some key things we were looking for was:

1) all one level for Joshua to be able to get around in his wheelchair
2) not an apartment complex
3) in a county setting
4) a place for the kids to run free

This has all of that!  And the price is right on!  It will be temporary; 1-2 years at most.  Once we plant our money tree we are going to start saving for a down payment on our mansion...pft.

Ahh, I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted.  I also feel it has sunk in that much more.  We are leaving town officially.  I love this place.  And unfortunately you don't truly realize it until you have to say good-bye!  I am however excited for new beginnings.  I love a new challenge.

SOOOOOOO

My mother, grand-mother and I plus the kids spent the afternoon together on Friday- did a little shopping and went to Chuck E. Cheeses.  Another fun thing to do before school starts.  The kids had so much fun.  Emma was so helpful with her brother carrying him from game to game helping him.  She has a heart of gold.  I had to force her to spend her tokens on herself and not her brother.  She was so out of breath taking him all over.  He is lucky to have her!

At one point Chuck the mouse came walking through with a sign that said "Follow me for free tickets".  So the kids all followed him and if they did a dance with him he would throw tickets in the air.  I was pushing Joshua's wheelchair around so he could feel like he was "dancing" like the other kids.  Then the mouse told everyone to sit on the floor.  Joshie wanted to sit on the floor too so I took him out of his wheelchair and put him on the floor.  When the mouse threw the tickets the kids went crazy!  Joshie was trying to grab as many tickets as he could but the other kids were just so fast and crazy!  Poor kid I was grabbing tickets and putting them in front of him so he could grab them and just as he was about to get it another kid would swoop it up.  Another challenge that a  kid in a wheelchair will have to face.  And though you try to be strong for your kids sometimes it's hard.  Breaks my heart.

Well, my coffee cup is now empty so it's time I sign off for now.  Not sure what I will do today-but for now all 3 kids and my husband are sawing logs.  Peace and quiet!

Give all your thanks to Him friends.

Well, I miss everyone.  I miss my house...but it's all good!  Thankful to be with my whole family!

So Josh was able to fix the van...amazing!  We traveled east late Sunday evening and arrived safely at our destination.  The hotel we normally stay at had to empty their pool.  3 kids staying in a hotel for a week...we gotta have a pool.  We drove around checking for hotels for about an hour(thank goodness the kids were asleep after all it was midnight or after...don't ask) and got nowhere.  All the nice hotels with good reviews do not allow pets.  All the creepy, poor rating hotels allow pets!  We finally said the heck with it and pulled into a nice hotel.  It said "Please, no pets" as you enter the front doors!  We checked in anyway and snuck Lady in the back door!

It was all fine and dandy until Monday morning when housekeeping was knocking on all the doors in our hallway to see if they could come in and clean.  Now, we all know what dogs do when there is a kncok at the door!

I was panicking!  Called Josh at work and told him we needed to come up with plan B!  (we are pretty familiar with plan B!)  To make a long story short-he called the front desk and we discovered that they recently changed their policy and that Lady was more than welcome!  Whew!  Thank God!

Monday was smooth otherwise.  I found a car online that I wanted and as soon as Josh got home from work we went to look at it.  4 hours later we were pulling out of the parking lot with a Ford Freestyle!  I am a lucky girl; I have always wanted a stationwagon and now I have one!

Our salesman, Brian was great!  Had lots of good stories to share and super nice and accomidating to our 3 kids and dog.  Yes, our darn dog goes everywhere with us becasue she is nuts.  Brian insisted the dog come inside while we did the "paperwork".  So there we were:  Joshua whizzing around the showroom in his wheelchair, Lady pacing back and forth panting...we made lots of friends:)

It turns out that friendly salesman Brian is a part-time assistant youth pastor.  God is good!  I have been looking for a church and haven't felt "led" to check any of them out.  Brian invited us to come to church-he said we will love it there.  He told me a story about this little boy named Joshua that went to church there.  Joshua had lots of medical issues and was told he wouldn't live past the age of 5.  The church held a fundraiser every year to help Joshua's family with medical expenses.  Well, Joshua went to Heaven a couple of months ago:(  He died at age 15.  The fundraiser is coming up and they are looking to help local families with their medical bills who have children with disabilities.  I felt overwhelmed with emotion when Brian was telling me this story.  I could have cried.  Not becasue I thought we could get money to help with our medical bills but becasue I was amazed at how the Holy Spirt works.  Incredible.

Brian even invited our family over for a cook-out at his house!  Wow! Nice guy!

On Tuesday I was up bright and early!  I finally have a car and you better believe the kids and I were going to go see the world!  Ate breakfast, got ready and away we went!  Drove around in Canfield; a nice, safe neighborhood that I would like to live in.  The unfortunate thing is safety comes with a price!  The challenge is trying to find something affordable and pet friendly and safe and clean...thats not too much to ask is it?

Found an adorable house for rent so I immediately called.  I was crushed when I heard the lady's voice exclaim a confident "$1300 per month". Ugh!  Keep looking!

On the bright side we got to visit Los Gallos for dinner!  Woohoo!  It was delicious as usual!

Wednesday has been good!  The kids and I went to Kohl's.  I am starting my end of season clearance shopping for the kids.  Today I shopped for Emma and Ella's next summer wardrobe.  I let them pick things out but they had 3 rules to follow:

a.  It has to be on the sales rack
2. It has to be under $10.
d.  No skimpy clothes!  (yes, i had to tell emma no to the black lace skirt that barely covered her bottom)

[did anybody catch that? a,2,d.  a little humor there:) made ya laugh!]

We did so good!  We got 23 items for $430.00.  But wait...those items were all on clearance so subtract the $   380.00 in savings plus the 15% coupon I used and you get $136.00!  We got back to the hotel and the girls put on a fashion show.  They looked so cute and they were so excited.  We don't shop much and it's so awesome becasue they genuinely love and appreciate what they got today.   The  only bummer...they can't wear the clothes until next summer because we bought the next size up.  We always try our best to make choices that favor modesty.  I am trying to teach the girls that their body is something special that should be saved.  I am trying to teach them that they don't need to wear short shorts and belly shirts!  They are very receptive to the idea and are learning quickly.  I am hoping that if I teach this early enough it will help when they grow into young women.

Ella on the other hand enjoys being naked, lol!  She understands that that is acceptable at home and takes full advantage of it.  She is running around naked as I type:)

This is our last night in a hotel this week!  praise the Lord.  My germ problem has been at full throttle.  I have not taken my flip flops off since we checked-in to our room Sunday evening.  The thought of my feet touching the carpet almost sends me into shock.  I am sitting in a chair in our hotel room and I put my quilt that I brought from home over the chair before I sat down.  Headed home tomorrow evening!  Until next time take the time to {stop and smell His roses.}

So it's so funny that I wrote about our van on Friday.  Our wonderful family van decided it was time for a rest and it broke down when Josh was on his way home Friday evening.  We have spent the weekend fixing the situation and car shopping.  Thank goodness Josh knows exactly what is wrong with it and he is out in the driveway working on it right now.  He's awesome!

The Big Latch On was a success!  A nice group of women gathered at my house Saturday morning and we nursed our babies until their hearts were content.  I was proud to have a sign hanging in front of my house saying "stop here for The Big Latch On"!  (In fact it's still out there!  I am notorious for throwing parties and cleaning up a week later!)

During the Latch On a police officer whipped in my drive way!  I was immediately nervous.  Why is it that in the presence of a police officer even when we have done nothing wrong, we get nervous?  The last time a police officer came to our house was because our friendly (insert sarcasm) neighbor called the police when Josh took the kids baha-ing (is that a word) in his 1990 Chevy Suburban in our backyard/field and he got stuck in a huge ditch that wasn't there before!

The Suburban.  We ended up selling it but there isn't a day that goes by that we don't miss that memory maker...tear.

Anyway, back to the latch on story... I walked to his cruiser and greeted him.  He explained that he was a new officer in our town and he was just trying to get to know people.  He said "I see you are having a party and didn't invite me!" with a smirk.  I proceeded to tell him that I was hosting an event for the La Leche League and we would be latching our babies on soon.  He couldn't speak.  He turned a shade of pink and finally managed to say "Wow, way to make a man blush".  He put his car in reverse and said "Have a good day"!  Cracks me up that people react this way.  This is the whole point of the latch on-to normalize breastfeeding.  Unfortunately, America has a long way to go!

This is me nursing Joshua at the Big Latch On.  Does this make you uncomfortable?  It's ok-I will keep posting pictures until your comfortable with it;)

You see, my son has lots of medical issues.  His body doesn't function like a typical 3 year olds body.  Because of my understanding of the health benefits that breastfeeding has on children-not just babies-but children of all ages I am continuing to nurse him.  I am proud to have a giant nursing baby!

Okay-gotta go.  Josh is wearing swim trunks-not because he is going swimming but because that was his only pair of clean shorts.  Off to do a mind numbing-using no brain cells-chore called laundry.

Enjoy Sunday with your family and give all your thanks to Him!

Hello world!  It's Friday!  Sorry I haven't posted very faithfully this week.

I have to share that August 1-7 annually is World Breastfeeding Week!  Tomorrow I am hosting a Big Latch On-a nationwide event where women all over the world come together and all nurse there babies at the same time and get a nationwide count!  This is my 2nd time hosting one and I am so excited!  Promoting good health and good parenting!

For more info visit www.biglatchon.org

Josh is coming home tonight and we are excited!  I plan on cleaning like a maniac today and having something delicious on the table when he walks in!

The kids all need a haircut so instead of paying someone else $50-$60 for 3 haircuts I am going to put on my hairdresser hat this afternoon and cut their precious hair:)  That's right-my kids will be sporting a homemade-my-mom-cuts-my-hair-please-help-me haircut!  Pictures to be posted soon!  That my friend is how we save a dime!

Speaking of saving money I think the time has come we need to get a new car.  We have had our van for 6 years or so.  We bought it used.  I love our van and I don't intend on getting rid of it anytime soon.  It makes me proud to own something!  We paid on that sweet mama for 5 long years and it's MINE!  It's great to teach the kids about this too!  They always went with me to the bank monthly when I would pay the loan payment.  They always would wonder what we were doing and I explained all 60 months how a car loan works:)  Here recently they would say that we needed a new car.  And we would explain to them why it's awesome to drive an old car-it's almost like it's free!

 We have always said it will be Emma's first car-and she thinks that is cool!  It now has 245,000 miles on it and has it's own way of being stylish.  The a.c. no longer works.  The doors all squeak when they are opened and closed.  My heated seats no longer heat up.  The leather armrest are cracked and exposing all their stuffing.  Emma is going to love her first car!

The other day when the kids were all "starving" for lunch and I discovered we had nothing to eat.  Josh had our awesome van with him at work.  So, I loaded Joshie and Ella into my bike trailer and Emma hopped on her bike and we pedaled our way to the grocery store.  I bought milk, orange juice and some items for lunch.  We pedaled all the way back home and then made lunch!  I thanked Emma for being such a trooper-she never complained even though it was hot and up-hill both ways (haha).

Ok-things are starting to get crazy around here.  Ella's got an umbrella in the shower and Emma is running through the house naked screaming "spider!".

Make today a good one friends!