Nominee

So my mom has nominated both myself and my sister for the Tri-cities MOM magazine makeover contest. So, why not... I think it would be a ton of
fun... A makeover/pampering and photo-shoot to be featured in the June/July issue of the Tri-Cities MOM magazine.

So this is where I need everybody's help... Vote and share with others and ask them to vote also!! The woman with the most votes wins. Voting starts April 1 and ends April 25... Not sure if you can vote more than once, but I will find out, I thought you could vote daily last year.

http://www.mommag.com/local/tri-cities/mom-makeover-contest

I'll post again when voting opens, but this should be the right link... And vote for my sis too if you can (Heather V.)

Five guys..

So I read today that Five Guys Burgers is coming to town. Never heard of them before today... So my initial thought was .. Hey cool, something new. Then I started seeing messages go back and forth between members of the local allergy group. French fries are cooked in peanut oil, you get a free box of peanuts with every order... And peanuts are everywhere. Hmm.... Looks like a place this little family will avoid! And if you come to our house immediately after eating there, you might get hosed down before you are allowed to come in... Hahaha! Just kidding! But you may be asked to come back another time after you've washed up and changed your clothes and shoes . And yes, I really do mean that. :-). Same goes with Texas Roadhouse.

For any of you that eat vegan or gluten-free or both, I'm on the hunt for new recipes. If you have any awesome recipes, (sans nuts and soy) would you send them my way? We have been eating a lot more vegan meals in our house lately... its less expensive and i was really hoping that the gluten-free sensitivity would go away, but turns out its more than a sensitivity and is really an allergy... So gluten-free is here to stay too. I'm re-learning how to bake (again). I have borrowed a ton of cookbooks from the library, on top of the dozen I own. Yesterday was the first time I've made good cookies in months, but they dried out so fast... Trying to figure out how to remedy that problem, may have to adjust the recipe a bit. I am also on the hunt for cooking/baking classes, but we live in the wrong area for the type of classes that I want to take because I've been looking for several years and never found any here that really fit what we want/need.

Have you ever felt like you lived in a fishbowl?  Well, we do right now. HA HA HA!!  The girls and I made a little aquarium that goes along with our lesson for tomorrow, sea creatures and the ocean.  A simple craft and they thoroughly enjoyed it.  Bubba thinks it's the coolest thing.. he keeps walking up to it and pointing.

 

I think we're almost all on the road to recovery finally!!  Daddy is still fighting it, but the kids' runny noses and coughs are starting to dry up.  Thank Goodness!  We're on 2+ weeks now and technically only one visit to the Dr. for Miss A's ear infection, not sure if it was related.  With a major lack of sleep I have not come down with it, PTL!!  I have been taking vitamins and supplements like crazy.. guess I'm not that crazy, huh? 

 

The good news is that we're back in school finally too... full force.  I know we don't have to keep up with anybody else's schedule, but I would like to attempt to be done for the summer so I can spend time prepping for a year of pre-school and first grade, but I'm thinking school will continue through the summer. :(  I'm thankful to finally have met someone that is doing the same cirriculum and grade level that can help me with what I'm doing because this is her 5th round of kindergarten and has 2 more to go through it, she's not local, but has been a great help already... especially since the cirriculum we've chosen can get pretty intense.

 

In the process of planning Miss A's birthday party.  She's excited and invited a handful of her friends.  We decided that the kids are getting to an age that running around hitting balloons at the adults is probly not going to be a fun party for them anymore, so I have some activities running around my brain that I've gotten the 6 yr old approval for so far. :)  Should be fun her.  The only idea still not sticking in my brain is the cake.. haven't figured that one out yet, the one I like will be pretty labor intensive and with 3 little people, school and a house to take care of, I'm not sure I want to put that much into a cake that's going to be destroyed in 5 minutes. :-)  At least I know the recipe I have works with our current restrictions and tastes good too, I hate attempting new recipes at the last minute, REALLY not fun.

#3...

Now oldest sis is complaining of a sore throat and her ear is draining again. So it's hit all 3 kids now. If you've been around them the last 1-2 weeks, I suggest you make sure to take your vitamins and get lots of rest... Not sure when we came in contact with this bug.. We really haven't been out much.

Phooey!!

Yup, now that's two kids down. Thought the girls already had it, but Apparently they didn't get this bug. ItyBity woke up with a horrendous cough right after we got Bubba cleaned up after coughing so hard he threw up... Yes, it's happened frequently. Tylenol, Vicks, honey, ice water and were hoping for a little sleep now :-(. Miss D was coughing a little before bed... Hoping and praying it passes her by.

Stay away! Stay far far away! :-). If this is the bug I've heard about, it's very contagious :-(

Never ending...

All the kids and daddy had been congested the past several days, I've had a sneaker cough... catches me off guard once in a while. Sissy's ear is getting better, its not draining like it was a few days ago, but still drainjng. Now I have a sick baby boy. I'm praying it doesn't get any worse than it is now. It breaks my heart to see a sick baby because there's nothing you can really do but give refular Tylenol/ibuprofen and snuggles and they don't understand what's going on. He's still in good spirits though. He's been running around and talking like Nothing is wrong, except when he's tired, of course. Everything is "buu"...his favorite things are bird, bear and book. :-)

Happy Dance

Just picked up A's allergy tests from the lab and for the first time there is good news! All her numbers have dropped considerably... some almost in half!! that's a big change!! Means we are doing something right. :-)

Though don't get too excited yet... her diet will NOT be changing.. She's also tested allergic, not just sensitive, to wheat, corn and soy so those will not be going back in anytime soon. So we are still serving her food free of dairy, egg, peanuts and treenuts, fish, shellfish, sesame, gluten, oats, corn, wheat, soy, etc...

I will probably request a retest in 6 months before our yearly visit to the allergist.

We have started to plan her birthday party since there is no sense in waiting for her diet to change. I have no details yet, sorry... It won't be for at least a few weeks yet because she wants to also invite her friends and I need time to plan this SuperGirl party.

Another trip to urgent care

We got there super early this morning as instructed by the nurse because she expected a crowd and we got right in. Of course we didn't see a doctor, but a nurse that didn't really seem to know what she was doing. There was no visible swelling or redness in the ear, but it hurts, plugged and draining fluid like crazy! It took me a bit to convince her its an ear infection. Then I had to explain leaky gut syndrome to her and why an oral antibiotic was a bad idea. It could have undone everything we've accomplished in the past 3 months in just 10 days. I requested the drops, which she reluctantly prescribed. They worked before, they should be fine again. No, I'm not crazy... I know what's going on with my own kid better than a grumpy nurse that is upset she had to work a holiday.