Again... really?

After having some good playtime with her brother this morning, I noticed A had hives and welts all over her face and one side of her lips were swelling up.  I asked what happened to her face and she had no idea, but then she mentioned that brother drooled all over her.  So guess what, now mommy is back on the A-diet.. been a while, but at least it's not as restrictive as it was when she was tiny.. though getting rid of wheat probably wouldn't hurt me either. 

I knew that whatever I eat can cause allergic reactions in a baby when I'm nursing, but I guess it dawn on me that those proteins would be strong enough in his saliva to cause her to react like that.  Silly me, I should have known that!!  The proteins can stay in a person's saliva for as long as the proteins or whatever are traveling through your system, which can be a couple days...  by 6-8 hours the amounts in your saliva would hopefully be small enough that it wouldn't affect someone as sensitive as Dree is.  But I make it a self-imposed rule that if I have dairy, eggs or nuts within 12 hours, I will not share utensils with her or kiss her on her face.  Guess my dietary restrictions should make it easy to remember......And I was craving a blizzard!! :( 

If you have an awesome vegan recipes that don't have soy/tofu/etc, message me!  I need more variety!!

Changes.... Changes....

The kids are constantly changing... Life is constantly changing and now the house is about to start changing. My wonderful brother finished up the plans for a new addition to our home that adds almost 600 sq ft.... Yes, thats huge!!! and now it's our turn. The bank is aware the stuff will be on its way soon and daddy has already been in contact with a couple of possible contractors to do the job. He will be making calls during his breaks today to set up appointments with them to get bids on the work since we won't be doing much of it ourselves.

Oh boy!!!!

Let's try it again!!

Alright, let's give this another go....


It's been a while since I posted and I did find this an easier way to update everyone as the Moments going on in our home... especially since it's about it get busier around here!!  How to do it all... guess we'll find out.....

I am currently in the process of getting myself organized to officially start teaching homeschool this fall.  I made an attempt last fall, but I was just not ready to dive head-first into what it really took to teach school kindergarten and preschool and be very pregnant.  We did some stuff, but we were so unorganized, so we never had much success.  I don't feel too bad though, A was not officially supposed to start kindergarten until this year, so we are not behind in any way, in fact, she does pretty well with ready and math for the little bit of time we did spend on school. We have most of the cirriculum that daddy and I are, at the moment, very happy with and I have been studying in the evenings and getting things organized.  Hoping to start by mid-September!!  Of course that is where the busier comes in...  I have cut the sample schedule way back for us to start, but the schedule I've come up with will take most of the morning and go a couple hours into the afternoon.  No, we're not doing school for 8 hours!!  We will start at 8:30 and go until 2:30, but there are lots of 1/2 hour breaks and a 1 hour break for lunch and "recess".  We'll probably have a total of 3 hours of actual teaching time, but who can expect a 3 and 6 year old to sit still for 3 hours when there's so much to play with? :-)  It will get better as they get older and have a longer attention span and then we'll probably be done way before lunch time, but for now we're starting out slow.  And people wonder why so many kids are mis-diagnosed with ADD or ADHD... do you really think most young children can focus on one thing for very long?

I have such creative children.  I & A are currently putting on a concert of "5 little monkeys" for their little brother.  It's pretty cute.  He's happily chewing on his toys and watching the performance.  He absolutely loves his older sisters and they love him dearly.  I love how they are excited to see each other every morning!  I hope it continues!

Baby brother is just over 8 months now.  He is jabbering up a storm.. bub bub bub and when daddy shows up, he starts barking.  LOL!  If you know anything about daddy and his animal noises, you'll know what I mean.  Little man just changed his nap schedule on me, just when I had things figured out... yeah, right!  He went from one long 3-4 hour nap mid afternoon, to a very short nap in the morning and a little longer one in the late afternoon.  I loved the longer naps, it made a trip to the grocery store a little easier to do and plan, but we'll manage.  We did when the girls were both little.

The girls will be starting up dance class again in 2 weeks.  They are so excited!  Both will both be advancing into the next class... I is going into the 4-6 year old class even though she won't be 4 for another 6 months.  I asked about it and was informed that for some of the "babies" in her class that listenend well were moved them up to the next level.  I'm so proud of her!  And A will be going into the 5-7yr old advanced beginning class.  And mommy is thankful their classes are not on the same nights anymore.  The only thing that would make it better is if their classes were at the exact same time, but hopefully I'll never have to do another back-to-back night with activities... made for LONG nights and very late dinners.

Ok, bathtime for baby boy..  we tried some beans tonight and his face is a little crispy. :-)

Ok... so guess what!!!

Neener Neener!  I'm not gonna say!

Sleep!! Hooray!

Audree did quite well after her tonsils came out.  The first day I think she ate 6 Popsicles all by herself.  The next few days after that were a struggle to get her to eat and drink, but once I took her off the pain meds (those things are nasty) she finally started eating/drinking again.  Now I'm starting to wonder if the Doctor hollowed out one of her legs!  She doesn't really eat much for breakfast, but for lunch today that girl ate 4 breaded chicken breast strips, 3 Bisquick rolls and a handful of french fries.  A lot of food for someone so tiny!  Now if I could just get Izy to eat them! 

She sounds so much better when she's sleeping...in fact, the few times she has slept with us since her tonsils were removed, I didn't have to take her back to her bed or leave the room since I'm a pretty light sleeper and her snoring was driving me nuts! 

Izy is also sleeping better, finally.  I finally took her "comfort" away and stopped letting her have her bottle at night.  Audree was 2 when we took away the Binky, Izy is just over 2 and she used the bottle as a comfort like Audree did with the Binky.  It was actually pretty easy, I expected a couple nights of fighting, but we didn't have that. I showed her that all the bottles were gone, as were the liners and she's only asked for it once since then.  And now that she's not waking up for a bottle, she's not waking up, so we're all sleeping through the night now.  YAH!  I love sleeping at least 7 hours w/o someone waking me up!

As for me, I'm impatiently waiting for the warmer weather to come.  I have a yard to get cleaned up and start making it look like I want, but it's so cold and windy outside!!  Last week I pulled all the bark out of the back garden so I could lay down a layer of compost (I even got a sunburn that day), but it's been icky every since then, so the bark is still sitting on a tarp on the grass.  Hope I can get out there soon and take care of it!

Life and other fun stuff

I have been working on getting my room cleaned up the last two days because our new bed is on it's way today!  YAH!  The only bad part is that I'm losing a little space in my already small room because we decided to up the size and get a king size. YIKES!  But I'm excited... I get all new bedding and a chance to redecorate.

Next week is a big week for my little girl.  Audree is scheduled to have her tonsils taken out on Thursday... a blessing!  Because she has asthma and has woken up in the middle of the night coughing many a night, I kept a baby monitor in her room... but one of my two monitors broke, so we had to move the one from Audree's room to Izy's room and now keeping Audree's door open.  Well... something we couldn't hear over the monitor was Audree's sleep apnea.  We knew she had enlarged tonsils, but doctors weren't concerned about that.. until we realized she had sleep apnea... now they are coming out, along with her adenoids.  

The really exciting part for me... other than the fact that it should help with her sleeping immensely... is that I have had about a dozen people tell me that after the tonsils come out, some of the allergies start going away!  I've been praying for a miracle for my baby girl and I think this is it. 

Mich did pass his journeyman's test on the first round.. I am so proud of him!  He is recognized by a Journeyman Electrician by the state of Washington.  Now he has one more week of school left and then he will be officially a union journeymen... that week is coming at the end of this month! :-)

Another birthday passed us by... our little monkey, Izabelle, turned 2 at the end of February.  She is such a funny little girl.  Her vocabulary is absolutely exploding right now, it's fun to listen to her figure things out. 

As for Mommy... too many projects!  But I am learning to take some downtime and relax despite the condition of the house or what I need to accomplish.  In the past 2 months I have finished 3 books...a record for me!!

The end of an era coming close...

Almost five years ago when we found out we were pregnant with Audree, Michael accepted a position in the IBEW as an electrician's apprentice.  Today he is getting ready to take his state test to become a licensed journeyman!!  Granted, he still must finish his last 2 weeks (2 quarters) of classes to be recognized by the IBEW as a journeyman.. but he's so close!  He has class next week, then his last week of class, I believe, is either the last week or March or first week of April.  I'm so proud of him.  It's been a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice, but he's done awesome and will be graduating top of his class. 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  We sure did, though I'm not sure what happened to the time... it went by way too fast and we didn't get to do everything we wanted to.  We can try again next year.

I am looking forward to what 2011 has in store for us. We have several goals, dreams and wishes for the year that I will reveal as they come.  The first priority is Michael passing his test Friday... wish him well!

Came across this article... Apple Cider Vinegar

Interested In The Apple Cider Vinegar Acid Reflux Home Remedy?

Author: Kathryn Whittaker

Although you may need to take medications to help ease nighttime heartburn, did you know that there is a natural apple cider vinegar acid reflux remedy you can try to ease symptoms during the day? Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a natural treatment that has been used to treat a variety of ailments for many years, and is a popular choice among acid reflux sufferers.



ACV is vinegar made from crushed and aged apples known as cider or apple must.  When unfiltered, ACV has a brownish-yellow color. Unfiltered cider vinegar, also known as organic apple cider vinegar, contains what is known as the "mother of vinegar" or simply the "mother". The mother looks like stringy floating globs in the liquid, and is where all of the healing properties of ACV reside.



ACV contains minerals, as well as trace elements including magnesium, chlorine phosphorous, sulfur, sodium, calcium, potassium, iron, copper, fluorine and silicon. Due of all of its beneficial ingredients, ACV is a natural fighter of bacteria, which often makes it a beneficial vinegar acid reflux treatment choice.



How can apple cider vinegar benefit acid reflux sufferers? You may be confused as to how a type of vinegar could be beneficial for treating acid reflux symptoms such as heartburn. After all, doesn't vinegar have a high acid content? Wouldn't cider vinegar just exacerbate the problem? Surprisingly, for most acid reflux sufferers, ACV helps to relieve the burning sensation and nausea caused by reflux without adding to it.



Why? The reason is because many people with digestive problems like acid reflux, experience problems not because they have too much acid, but because they have too little. Apple cider vinegar mimics the acid level of the stomach, which aids in the proper digestion of food, and can help aid the stomach in digesting.



Therefore, in some cases, vinegar acid reflux remedies for heartburn work more effectively than antacids, because although antacids will cure heartburn, they are designed to diminish acid within the system. Thus, antacids will not treat the actual cause if acid reflux is the result of too little stomach acid, and instead can make reflux more frequent.



How should you take apple cider vinegar? Apple cider vinegar is available in many forms including liquid, tablet and capsule. However, when using ACV as a natural treatment, the only form you should obtain is the organic liquid that contains the "mother" enzyme.



When taking ACV, you will first want to shake it well before you ingest it to disperse the mother throughout the liquid. To start, try taking one tablespoon of cider vinegar before each meal. You will likely find the taste of the ACV to be quite potent. It is an acquired taste, and you should grow more accustomed to the flavor after the first few vinegar acid reflux treatments.



Nevertheless, should you find it too repellant, there are a few other ways you can take ACV such as:



- Mix a tablespoon in a fat free salad dressing or light mayonnaise and eat it with your meal

- Sprinkle a tablespoon on salad or vegetables

- Mix a tablespoon in an 8 oz. glass of water and add a bit of honey to sweeten the drink.

- Make a tea out of ACV by adding a tablespoon of the cider vinegar to hot water and slowly sipping it.



Although it is best to ingest apple cider vinegar prior to each meal, you can also take a tablespoon when your stomach is upset or heartburn acts up.



After taking apple cider vinegar for a few days, many acid reflux sufferers find that their symptoms improve, and continue to improve with treatment in the months that follow. However, in addition, you should be aware that ACV has a few mild side effects including stomach upset. Furthermore, ACV may worsen heartburn in some individuals. It is also known to thin the blood and should be avoided by anyone taking blood thinning medications such as anti-coagulants.



Always remember that you should speak to your doctor first before starting any treatment, including vinegar acid reflux treatment, and keep in mind that natural treatment should not replace any medication or treatment advice that has been prescribed by your doctor without prior consultation.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/interested-in-the-apple-cider-vinegar-acid-reflux-home-remedy-413860.html

About the Author

Grab your free copy of Kathryn Whittaker's brand new Acid Reflux & GERD Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you discover more about why the apple cider vinegar acid reflux is so popular with acid reflux sufferers, along with additional natural acid reflux relief ideas.   

Love Rosetta Stone!

***
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Blog seems to have taken back seat

Sorry for the lack of posts.  I have 2 fun and crazy little girls to keep up with and working on finishing up my Christmas shopping/gifts.  I think I've done pretty well, but we have a couple of homemade gifts that have also taken a backseat... eek!

I am happy to say, though, that my shopping is done.  I am almost done turning my computer room into a multi-purpose computer/playroom/school room.  It's nice to be able to work on the computer downstairs during waking house while the kids are playing with toys or coloring.  And I have a place to store the extra toys... they're tiny little rooms just can't handle all the toys they get and I have a hard time figuring out what to get rid of.


As I know I probly won't be able to get on here again before Christmas, I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!