Vaccine Facts

Resources and facts about vaccines and the diseases they prevent

Diptheria-

There are fewer than 5 cases per year.

The diphtheria vaccine does not protect people against diphtheria for the rest of their lives. Protection against diphtheria fades over time. That's why it's important to receive booster doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines every 10 years, starting at age 11 or 12

http://www.chop.edu/service/vaccine-education-center/a-look-at-each-vaccine/dtap-diphtheria-tetanus-and-pertussis-vaccine.html


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001608.htm

Pertussis-

The overall infant mortality rate is 2.4 per 1 million live births. The CDC reported 39 deaths from pertussis in 2005

Three injections of the cellular or acellular vaccine provide up to 12 years of protection. These vaccinations help account for the more than 10-fold increase reported in those older than 18 years.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/803186-overview


Tetanus-

Of the 130 cases of tetanus reported in the United States from 1998-2000, California and Texas had the highest reported number of cases. All 50 states require that children be vaccinated prior to admission to public schools. More than 96% of children have received 3 or more diphtheria and tetanus toxoids plus pertussis (DTP) vaccinations by the time they begin school. The annual incidence of tetanus has dropped to fewer than 50 cases per year in the United States.

Ingredients and risks of the combined DTaP injection-

There is a potential link to SIDS
http://www.thinktwice.com/sids.htm

The DTaP vaccine ingredients include, (but not limited to):Chemicals - formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, thimerosal, and polysorbate 80 (Tween-80), and the animal byproduct Gelatin. (not to mention the viral and toxoid ingredients, my focus is on the Toxic waste)Formaldehyde, AKA embalming fluid, is a toxic poison to the human body and is not safe for injection at any level, (maybe it will save money when you die, you've already been embalmed). Formaldehyde is more dangerous to children than
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adults as their immune systems are not yet developed. It weakens the immune system, causes neurological system damage, genetic damage, metabolic acidosis, circulatory shock, respiratory insufficiency and acute renal failure, as well as being a sensitizer, it is corrosive if ingested, and it is a suspected carcinogen.For a more indepth look at Formaldehyde click hereAluminum Hydroxide is an aluminum salt. Aluminum is a very powerful Neurotoxin and has been associated with Alzheimers and other Neurological disorders like dementia, Psychosis, Encephalitis and more. As vaccine numbers increase, so does the use of aluminum. Aluminum can build up in the body, primarily in the brain, liver, thyroid, and lung tissues.For a more indepth look at Aluminum Hydroxide, click here.Aluminum phosphate: Another powerful Neurotoxin, very similar to Aluminum Hydroxide, it is another aluminum salt and has been associated with many of the same ailments and Neurological conditions due to the aluminum content. The U.S. has 25% of the worlds Alzheimers cases, very likely because we can afford more vaccines. Perhaps the vaccine manufacturers will like you, but your brain might not.More details about aluminum phosphate click here

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/924355/dtap_vaccine_ingredients.html?cat=71

Splitting the DTaP-

This site lists all the different manufacturers and configurations for the various vaccines. Some of these are very hard to get so be sure to talk to your doctor about these before you go into your apt

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/cir/vaccode105.pdf

I will personally be asking my doctor about getting the tetanus vaccine alone.


Hep B

This vaccine is given to your newborn before you leave the hospital (if you allow it)

Hepatitis B is spread by blood-to-blood contact or by having sex with an infected person. Oral sex may transmit hepatitis B, especially swallowing semen from an infected man.
A high risk for blood contact is the sharing of needles or equipment with injecting drug users, who may not know they are infectious.
Sharing razors or toothbrushes with an infectious person may spread the disease.
Health workers may be at risk by accidental needlestick injuries.
Women who are hepatitis B carriers may infect their babies around the time of birth. Since 2000, all babies are vaccinated soon after birth, reducing the risk of becoming carriers or contracting the infection later in life.

Except for the last none of these apply to a newborn.

Hep B Ingredients-

Recombivax is the Trade Name for Merck & Co's Hepatitis B vaccine. The Recombivax Hepatitis B Vaccine Ingredients include genetic sequence of the hepatitis B virus that codes for the surface antigen (HbSAg), cloned into GMO yeast, and the chemicals aluminum hydroxide and thimerosal.Injection of any foreign antibodies or proteins is not something I consider a wise thing to do. Unknown foreign substances could potentially be injected along with it. There are some that claim the outbreak of HIV/AIDS was injected along with the
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Hepatitis B vaccine that was given to gays free of charge in New York, Los Angeles, and San francisco, and while we may never know if this is the case or not, the spontaneous outbreak of Aids in those 3 cities following the free Hep B vaccine should leave some question even in the most prudent of minds.Aluminum Hydroxide is a powerful Neurotoxin that is an ingredient in several vaccines.While used orally for heartburn and related problems, injection by passes the kidneys and other toxin filters of the body and gives immediate access to numerous organs. It has also been used in Kidney dialysis and has been linked to dementia in dialysis patients. Aluminum has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Aluminum builds up in the brain, liver, thyroid, and lung tissues. Side effects of aluminum include impairment of the kidney functions, softening of the bones and ricketts, osteomalacia, decreased liver function, loss of appetite, esophagitis, forgetfulness, memory loss, dementia, psychosis, encephalitis and more. Another name for Aluminum hydroxide is hydrated alumina.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1000662/recombivax_hepatitis_b_vaccine_ingredients.html?cat=70

Risks of Hep B to infants and other helpful info

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/bio-war/HepB.htm


HIB-I am still gathering information.

And its getting late so part two will come soon!

Pumpkin Patch and All American Expo

Today our church held an event called the All American Outdoor Expo. This is the first time we have attended but were very suprised to see so much to do! The church had bounce houses, a petting zoo, ponies to ride, and little carnival type games. It even had a mechanical bull and a pool set up with fish to catch and release! We met Brandie, Jason and their 3 munchkins up there. After we left the expo and ate lunch at Chick-fil-a with the Gautreaux's (spelled that without looking so if I get it right I should get major props!), we headed out to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. It was crazy! The traffic was horendous and it was crazy crowded, but we had fun anyways! Here are a few pictures of what we did!




My pumpkins! They had so much fun and even Lukey was all smiles getting to sit up on the hay.
My little cowgirl! She held on for quite a while!

My other little cowgirl! It scared her abit more but she did good!

Little Lukey lost in the pumpkin patch. They were just his size!

This is the best photo ever. These sisters are best friends!

Can't leave out Brandie throwing the cow patties to try to win some candy.

Three of the prettiest girls I know!

My beautiful Bri!

Hmm momma can I take them all home?

Ok, what about this one?

I picked mine momma!

Swine Flu

Just a few facts about why we will not vaccinate against the swine flu.

The number of regular seasonal flu deaths out numbers swine flu deaths to the EXTREME. The media has severely over done this threat and has caused panic as a response. Even the CDC backed down.

there have been less than 500 confirmed
H1N1 deaths worldwide compared with between 500,000 to 1,000,000 deaths each
year which human influenza is credited with causing(1)

The vaccine may be more dangerous than the swine flu itself. It is being rushed into production with very limited testing. This is a list of side effects listed on the informational sheet of the vaccine. Here is the link to the entire insert

This is a list of some of the side effects that the insert is admitting to:
*Local injection site reactions (including pain, pain limiting limb movement, redness, swelling, warmth, ecchymosis, induration)*Hot flashes/flushes*Chills*Fever*Malaise*Shivering*Fatigue*Asthenia*Facial edema.*Immune system disorders*Hypersensitivity reactions (including throat and/or mouth edema)*In rare cases, hypersensitivity reactions have lead to anaphylactic shock and death*Cardiovascular disorders*Vasculitis (in rare cases with transient renal involvement)*Syncope shortly after vaccination*Digestive disorders*Diarrhea*Nausea*Vomiting*Abdominal pain.*Blood and lymphatic disorders*Local lymphadenopathy*Transient thrombocytopenia.*Metabolic and nutritional disorders*Loss of appetite.*Arthralgia*Myalgia*Myasthenia*Nervous system disorders*Headache*Dizziness*Neuralgia*Paraesthesia*Febrile convulsions*Guillain-Barré Syndrome*Myelitis (including encephalomyelitis and transverse myelitis)*Neuropathy (including neuritis)*Paralysis (including Bell’s Palsy)*Respiratory disorders*Dyspnea*Chest pain*Cough*Pharyngitis*Rhinitis*Stevens-Johnson syndrome*Pruritus*Urticaria*Rash (including non-specific, maculopapular, and vesiculobulbous)


Doctors and other health care workers who are telling you to get the shot often aren't getting them themselves. Why do you think that is? I am trying to find a more reliable source but that same article says that voluntary vaccination led to only a 30%-50% vaccination rate of health care workers. Not even the doctors believe enough in the shot to go get it!


Nurses and other health-care workers said they shouldn't be forced to get a vaccine that they don't believe has been tested appropriately as a condition of keeping their jobs.
"There's no proof this vaccine will protect us from swine flu or protect us from spreading it to others," said Sue Field of Poughkeepsie, a registered nurse who works in a hospital maternity ward and a primary organizer of the rally. (2)


At the end of the day I am not against vaccines. However I do think we all need to be researching what we are shooting into our children's and our own bodies and weigh the risks and rewards carefully! Knowledge is power. Be sure to look at sites not sponsored by the vaccine manufacturers as well!

Whether you chose to get the vaccine or not just some common sense will help cut down the likely hood of illness. Wash hands regularly, keep sick children home, eat healthy and consider probiotics and a vitamin supplement if you aren't eating properly.


(1)http://www.pandemicfluonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/SwineFlu_FactSheet_AVN.pdf
(2)http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-29-swine-flu-mandatory_N.htm

Christmas Traditions

We have decided to start a new tradition that will cut down the rediculous amount of presents my kids get at Christmas, at least from us. We are doing something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read as our shopping theme this year. We are splashing out a bit cost wise this year because we are getting the girls American Dolls, but this will also double as part of their Birthday gift. I wanted the dolls before Brianna's birthday since she has asked to go to American Doll with a friend this year for her "party". So I am still filling the blanks but here is my list so far:

Brianna

Want-American Doll
Need- Probably a school related item
Wear- Probably Pajamas
Read- Subscription to Zoobooks

Keira
Want-American Doll
Need-school related
Wear-Pajamas
Read-Still deciding but maybe highlights for kids or a new TAG book

Luke

Want-He wont care so I will get him some sort of small toy
Need-still deciding
Wear-Striderites
Read-a board book of some sort

Momma has left the building

I need a break and I am feeling guilty for it. I need an extended period of not having to be mommy. Just a few hours. Why am I feeling bad about that? Aren't I supposed to be that super homeschooling mom who loves spending time with her kids so much she just can't bare the thought of being apart? I am not that quasi-attatchment parent who thrives on having a kid on her back and two under foot 24 hours a day? Why am I so burnt out right now?! This has nothing to do with wanting to send my kids to public school BTW :) It has to do with working the equivilent of a 92 hour work week + a part time job and NEVER getting a break. I am always on duty. Even when hubby is home. Not that he doesn't want to take some of the load because he does, but the kids naturally call my name when they need or want something so I spend just as much time saying "go ask your daddy" as I do if I just get up and take care of it. I spend every moment, even those asleep, being mom and I am just tired! /vent

Shopping Smart: SwagBucks

A friend of mine recently introduced me to a search engine called swagbucks. Basically you use it to do your searches and you randomly earn between 1-5 swagbucks. Swagbucks can be traded in for a number of prizes including gift cards for places such as amazon.com! Swagbucks now offers a toolbar that gives you easy access to the search engine and has a mail feature that delivers swagcodes good for extra swagbucks. I have been signed up for 4 days and have already collected 16 swagbucks. I plan on trading in at 45 to get my $5 amazon gift card!

Shopping Smart:Gymboree

I have been saying I was going to write this for ages and finally after enough people asking me here it is, a how to on how to shop at Gymboree for Walmart, or even cheaper than Walmart prices.


So who doesn't LOVE the clothes at Gymboree? They are fashonable, hold up well, resell better, and lets not forget super expensive. I have never and will never pay $40 for a pair of pajamas my 4 year old will out grow within the month. However, all of my children have Gymboree clothing and my son wore nothing but Gymboree for the first year of his life. How you ask? Well here are my tips:



1. Don't shop "in season". Gymboree lines go in and out of style quickly. Once the new line for that season comes in, the old lines are marked down and sent to the sale racks. The older the line, the better deal you will get on it. I promise your toddler does not care if the tag on his shirt says spring '09 during the spring '10 season.

2. Look ahead. Shop in bigger sizes when you find a bargain. Who cares if they can't wear it for another 2 years if you only paid $.79 for that pair of pants (yes, this has actually happened for me)! I have a general rule that I stay within 2 years unless it's just a fantastic deal. That way I dont forget what I have because its been sitting in a box for a decade waiting for my child to grow into it.

3. Shop during Gymbucks. Pretty regularly Gymboree has periods of time that you can aquire Gymbucks by spending more than $50. The key with these is to shop the clearance racks and try to hit the $50 mark as close as possible. When you spend $50 you will get a $25 Gymbuck good on a $50 purchase made in the future. If you spend $100 my suggestion is to do it in 2 transactions so that your Gymbucks are in the smallest increments possible. Check the dates carefully on your Gymbucks and be sure not to forget to spend them! Yes this does take an initial investment but, shopping the sales racks during this time can average out the clothing to less than $3 per item easily. Redeem your Gymbucks on sale items.



4. Hit several stores. Now this wont work for the Gymbucks. You have to spend the entire $50 in one store to get those, but if you are out and about and can hit more than one store it can be worth the effort. No two stores are going to have the same selection. I will list my favorites at the end of the blog.



5. Set a limit on what you are willing to spend and stick to it. I personally don't spend over $3.99 on shirts, $5.99 on pants, or $8.99 on sweaters and overalls. Setting a price limit allows me to rationally put a cute item back on the shelf, knowing that I can get a better deal on an equally cute item later. Yes, on the rare occassion I do grab something that is special and I pay a bit more (for instance I found a monkey shirt that my son wore during his monkey 1st birthday party), but for the most part I stick to it.

6. Gymboree has just issued a new loyalty card. For every $1 you spend you get a point and the points can then be traded in for a gift card. I will update this after I have had a chance to look at it a bit more.


Ok so here are just a few quick tid-bits. Feel free to post questions and I will answer them if I miss it here.

*Girls clothes are harder to find cheap. They tend to leave the racks quickly and are not marked down as much or as often as the boys clothes. You may have to increase your price limit if you dont have a boy to shop for. I just mix it in with what I purchase for my son. My girls dont have quite as much Gymboree but then again they really dont care.

*If you return an item that you used or got Gymbucks on, the store will deduct the Gymbucks from the purchase. Be sure that if you return something you replace it so that you can still use your Gymbucks.

Target

The deals that I got at Target:


So you will see my lists get shorter since we are cutting out the processed food, or at least trying to minimize it, but here is what I got at Target yesterday:


5 Kashi products (4 cereal and 1 granola bar) x $2.88=$14.40-$7 in coupons-$5 gift card for purchasing 5=$.48 each.


coupons for this deal can be found at : http://www.couponing101.com/2009/06/kashi-printable-coupons-new-1-50-coupon.html

My name is Anna...

and I have been canned veggies free for 7 days. Yep thats right! I have not only been steering clear of the canned veggies, our first step into eliminating the processed food, but I have also cooked dinner 5 out of those 7 nights. I am very pleased to also announce that only once has my daughter gone to bed with no dinner because she refused to eat what I cooked.

What I am finding out is that shopping for unprocessed or even limtedly processed food at Walmart is practically impossible. There are maybe 5 healthy food choices in the whole store. Its rediculous. I am also finding that its practically impossible to use coupons for much of what I get. I did manage some egg, almond milk and Kashi coupons but that seems to be about it.

I dehydrated bananas and am going to do grapes soon. Brianna loved the bananas so I am excited to see if she likes the grapes.

Anyways, we will keep at it!

Swearing off birthday parties

That's right. We are not longer hosting huge birthday parties, and will from now on only be attending parties of those we are truly close to. Sorry if that offends, but after the hassle and heartache that went into my son's party I have come to realize just how over the top these things are.

From now on we will have small celebrations with only family (and by family I mean those actually involved in my children's life regularly) and close friends(again those actually involved in my kids lives regularly).

I was reading yesterday and read some things that really hit home. When we get invited to a party do you know what my 5 year old asks? What's going to be in the goody bags? Yep. Not what can we get or do to make the day special for the birthday child, but what am I going to get out of this. Who can blame her though? Isnt that part of what these parties have become? Who can have the most guests, who can spend the most on party supplies, who gives the best goody bags, look how many presents my child got? When did it become ok to spend $200+ on a birthday party for a child who wont remember it the next day? Then family that is there splits into groups and no one is actually in the same room for the majority of the party. Oh and the presents, and this isnt just a birthday thing, I remember Brianna's first Christmas. She had so many presents she fell asleep before even half of them were opened. Out of all the toys she got that year, there were maybe one or two that she actually played with regularly.

The same presure exists when attending the party. Who can get the best gift, and who spent the most money. I admit this probably happens more among family members than friends but seriously anything over $15-$20 (with the exception of maybe shoes?) is rediculous.

I have thrown quite a few parties by now, between all of my children. Do you know which my children talk about most? The $300 ASI party? Nope. The $250 Build-a-Bear? Well that came in second but nope. They talk about the $75 party I threw for Keira's 3rd birthday. We had a total of maybe 10 guests including family, I made the saddest looking castle cake I had ever seen, and I ordered crafts off of Oriental Trading as our activity. They took the crafts home in place of goody bags. My daughter to this day asks me when I am going to make her another castle cake, and pretty regularly tells me a story about her "best birthday ever".

So from now on my family will be taking that $200 and celebrating in style with just our closest friends and family. I am not particularly bothered about who gets offended for not getting an invite, you probably weren't going to come anyways.

For Christmas this year, something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read.

A song by Brianna Molder

You love me, you love me, you love me. This is a great family. Today we sing a happy beautiful song, so we have a nice time with my family. Sing with me, hush now baby, you are my really favorite mommy. You just love me, my mommy and daddy. Oh you love me. I have a nice happy song with my mommy, and you play with me. A happy song is pretty. We have alot of dreams. You are my only favorite mommy. Play with me. Play with me. Have a nice pretty day. We have a nice good family good bye.


Of course its much better when she sings it.

Packing

Well we are moving closer to move out. So packing has become a priority. Packing and purging. What I dont understand though, is how I have 40 boxes packed and yet my house remains a disaster area? So unfair.

Bible Study

While I am sitting in my unusually quiet house with my sick daughter laying in bed, I decided I should revive my blog. I know I keep saying this. Things are just incredibly busy and well, life gets in the way. You will find out that when I do something I do it 110% and then suddenly I crash from burn out. But I usually come back to it with a little less fervor and it helps me maintain a steady pace rather than going at everything full force and getting bored with it. Anyways onto my blog.


For several months I have been flip flopping back and forth between reading the Bible, doing various group and private Bible studies, and embarrasingly not reading the Bible at all. Not that I dont get constant guilt from it, but I was just feeling like I was reading the same thing over and over and not gleening anything new from it. Uh oh, is that not the first sign something isnt right? It probably doesnt help that we have constantly had to miss church for one reason or another. I would say at the moment if we are going ever other week we are lucky. For the most part it isnt that we dont feel like going its just one kid being sick, or Karl has to work, or this or that. Excusses. At any rate, I have been trying to remind myself that I really need to figure out something that will help me study, no dig, really dig into the Word. I think for the first time it has really started to bother me that I can tell you all the stuff on the surface: Thou shalt not kill, love your neighbor, and so on, but I dont know that I could get into many really deep conversations and be able to hold on to myself. And not knowing brings doubt, and the ability for Satan to sneak in and use that doubt. Of course I dont want that. So yesterday, with all three kids in tow, I made my way to Mardel (this was before my DD started puking) and we made our way to the study section. Now seriously I have a stack of books a mile high that are studies on this and that, but the questions in them always left me dreading going back because they required more insight than I thought I had! So I would toss them aside and just give up. I didnt go into the store really thinking about what I was getting. Just knowing that I needed something that would teach me how to really think and dig into God's word. I hadn't even really prayed about what the Lord would have me get, but as I walk to the study section, there on the bench is a book. "How to study the Bible" By Kay Author (who I love by the way). Ok so I dont know if it was placed there by God, but there has to be something to it. I never found the place that the book came from so I never would have found it on my own, and having only had it one day I dont know how the study is going to go but after finding it, I just have this "knowing" that something great is going to come out of it. And most of all I just love that He put it right there in front of my face when I really needed it. Awesome.

Anxiety and Stress

Everything exploded for me today. Well really last night. Sometime during the night I started having an anxiety attack. It wasnt about anything in particular. I dont know what triggered it. My best guess is stress. Selling the house, work, various extra curricular activities, being a wife, a mom, a teacher to my own kids. I have no down time except for the once a month meetings with my book club and let me tell you 2 hours a month is just not cutting it. I also think I might still be having a bit of PTS from my cousins death. I dont feel emotional over it but I have been having alot and I mean ALOT of dreams about her. They range from seeing her portrayed as a baby who cant breathe to a living version of her after death. I know weird but I can only assume its my mind still trying to comprehend and cope with it all. Today though I am seriously considering seeing a doctor. I didnt used to get them that often but they seem to be getting more frequent and more intense. My friend thinks I am doing too much. Maybe I am. At this point I am almost willing to consider dropping something. I dont feel like I have that much going on until I sit down and think about it. I like to be busy but I dont know how much longer this is going to last.

Good thing is that my DH has started offering to take Brianna to gymnastics and Julie is talking about renting a place here in Forney for dance so I wont have to drive far. I still have time to back out of Girl Scouts since I havent officially started anything. And we are taking the next few weeks off of school to give me some time to recover.

I looked up the symptoms to anxiety attacks and I could have written word for word how it says you feel. I never think people understand when I tell them I feel like I am walking around in a dream but that was on the symptoms list! As school was letting out today I was standing there and everything was so weird. All I could hear was this crowd of voices but I couldnt focus on any of them. I know I sound crazy. There was only one symptom on the list that I didnt feel-trouble breathing, but I replace it with uncontrollable crying.


Surge of overwhelming panic
Feeling of losing control or going crazy
Heart palpitations or chest pain
Feeling like you’re going to pass out
Hot flashes or chills
Trembling or shaking
Nausea or stomach cramps
Feeling detached or unreal

Well there you go I have poured out my emotions for the day LOL

Ballet Recital

My two beautiful little girls had their first ballet recital the other night. It was too dang cute! It almost bothers me how grown up they are looking. Especially my Brianna. She has just changed so much over the last few months and has become quite a little personality! I am blessed beyond words.

Ok my blog wont upload pictures so will do that when DH gets home!

Worst Blogger Ever?

Am I like the worst blogger or what? Things have just been so busy here that I haven't had the energy to write it all down.

We are currently at the end of negotiations with a buyer for our house. We have gone back and forth so many times on if we were just fed up or if we really wanted the new house enough to bother with all the legalities, but we seem to have settled on an offer that is acceptable. Just waiting for the buyers to sign the papers and be done with it! We are looking at a closing date of Aug 28th on the new house so we are renting back this house from the buyers. It will keep us from having to move twice. Cant tell how ready I am just to get on with it, no matter what the answer is.


I will update again after I know what they say.

Why Lie?

This is driving me nuts. Why do people tell lies like this?

Facebook has put me in touch with several old friends from school. Some are even just around the corner from me! Others have family here in Forney. Some of these were girls that I hung out with on a daily basis. So, you contact me and tell me how great it would be to get together and talk again, and then when I get back to you about it saying yes how great that would be, I never hear from you again. If it was just once or twice that this had happened I would say, sure life gets in the way, but hey, I have 3 kids, a house, a job, I homeschool. We have gymnastics, girl scouts and many other activities. I know what a busy life looks like and if I didn't want to make the time to meet you I would have said so. Can't you afford the same courtesy? Instead of making that offer hoping I will say that I can't, just dont bring it up! I have lived 10+ years without seeing you I think I will make it if we can't meet up now.

My Second Addiction

Cloth diapers. Yes, I know. You think I am nuts. I mean they are just diapers right? But have you seen the number of super cute diapers you can buy?! Everything from plain colors to my newest with dinosaurs. I even, as you know if you follow my blog, can custom order a diaper. How can I resist all the cute things to put my babies bum in?

Fans of Jesus

Ok I hope some of you don't get mad at me for saying this LOL...

On facebook you can be a "fan" of just about anything. I am not really sure what being a fan does for you. Maybe you get special page bling or something? Anyways, when I say anything I mean anything. I just noticed tonight that I can be a fan of Jesus as well as the Bible. Can I say this is really strange to me? I mean am I a "fan" of Jesus? I dont know. I am a follower of Jesus for sure. I love Jesus, reverence Him, and can't wait to meet him one day, but does saying I am a fan sort of belittle that reverence somehow? Like those t-shirts you can find with sayings like "Jesus Rocks" and "I am down with the J-man". It just doesnt seem right to make a Jesus fan club. Like we are Jesus groupies. Oh yes, I know that no one really means it that way and I suppose that respect and reverence all come in different packages from each individual, but being a "fan" of Jesus on facebook, well it's not for me.

Confession

Ok so its time I confessed. I am a treky.Not a dress up and go to conventions treky but I love watching star trek on tv and I am currently netflicking all of DS9. Now you know. I am shameless I know.

Painting with our friend Lily

Cassey and I have been attempting to alternate a day each week where one of us watches the kids so the other can clean, run errands or just rest. This week Lily and Thomas came to our house so I thought it would be fun to try out something I saw on John and Kate. They went to an art studio and did this layered painting on canvas. So mind didnt turn out anything like the ones they did but I was still quite pleased! In the interest of letting Cassey blog about this too I will only post pictures of my kids art work :)

Getting ready to paint!

So much talent in such small packages
Brianna is on the left and Keira on the right

I blog in my head

Am I crazy LOL? Almost every daily activity I do a "rough draft" blog inside my head. Mostly to see if it is blog worthy and sometimes just to memorize what I would like to write. Even in the middle of the night I do this. I blog way more in my head than I actually do on here. I think in blog...


My cousin appears to be in labor with her baby boy. It's such a bitter sweet thing, but I think God has turned this into a healing moment for her family. You see this is Rachell's sister. Now, obviously the baby was welcomed and will be loved beyond measure before the tradgedy, but this has given them something to celebrate in the midst of some great sorrow.

Menu Plan Monday

Ok so I sent karl with my list of meat without actually knowing what I am going to do with it this week. So as soon as I feel better (strep) I will post this weeks menu:)

I am still struggling

It's amazing how so often at just the right time the Lord reminds you of His presence. I have had Rachell constantly on my mind over the last two weeks. I wake up thinking about her, I go to sleep thinking about her, and I dream about her, when I get up to feed the babe I think about her. About how one day she was here and then the next she was gone. I am not visibly upset anymore, but I am struggling internally. Tonight, I was online and listening to my i-tunes. I have a play list that I play off of and a song that I listen to quite often hit quite close to my heart tonight. Enough so that I want to post the lyrics:

Praise You in This Stormwords by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie HermsI was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen and it's still raining as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. Chorus: And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to Youand raised me up again my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away Chorus I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth Chorus


Sorry they are so jumbled. Its how the coppied :S

Luke, Scoot n Boogie

Ok just a bit of a scoot and it's more of a slow and steady than a boogie, but I am proud momma none the less! Now, to get the girls to keep the legos off the floor :S Of course I had to entice him with something he wasn't actually allowed to play wit, the vacuum cleaner cord. LOL

Dallas Children's Museum

Since we have season passes we have been trying to get to the museum as often as possible. So yesterday we went with Colton, Lily, and Thomas. It was a good thing we went too because I passes expired today. It is so much fun though that I am thinking of renewing them!





Keira, Colton, Brianna and Lily. What a cute bunch of kids!

My little Lukey Poo!

Brianna and Keira and Colton in the background being silly

The girls

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:

Hamburgers on the grill

Chips

Tuesday:
BBQ Chicken Bake
Brown Sugar Carrots
Mashed Potatoes

Wed:
Spaghetti
Garlic Bread
Salad

Thurs:
Honey Glazed Chicken Stir-fry
Rice

Friday:
Steaks on the grill
Baked Potatoes
Corn on the Cob

My Martha Stewart Moment

Ok so you all know me. I struggle with cleaning, cooking, and well, just about everything and anything domestic. Today I found this cute idea about turning old jeans into skirts so I thought I would give it a try. I know it's not perfect but not a bad first try! The bottoms are hemmed off so that they can fray. Same with the patches. Oh and I will be cutting it a little straighter.

In a moment

Why is it that we tend to only focus on how good we have it and how each and every moment is a gift from God when we lose someone or hear of a tragic death? Yesterday evening my cousin and her 3 year old daughter were on their way to get food with a friend and were killed in a car accident when a car struck the rear and then another struck the passenger side. It was over in an instant. As these things tend to do it has made me think of whether I am living each moment in the complete and utter joy that it should be. Not that every moment will be a happy moment but each moment should definitely be a joyful one, right? Yet I fail so often. I take my kids, my husband, my friends, everything down to my house for granted so often. As if I know they will always be here. I have to admit that I am having a hard time processing all of this. I have been fortunate enough to have not experienced any other close family members deaths, other than my very old and ailing great-grandmother whose death was a relief to her. But, this, this is different. My cousin was 10 days older than me. I am 26. Her daughter was 3. This wasn't an old woman suffering from Altzheimers. This was a young mom of 4 and her baby girl. Now, I find peace in knowing they are in the Father's arms, and I know that He uses everything for His good, but I can not help but wonder how any good is going to come of this. Maybe that isn't for me to question, but at the moment I feel the need to try to rationalize, something that I just can't rationalize. I know it's completly rediculous. I know what I should be feeling, thinking and saying, but I am not sure I really feel those things yet.

Anyways I am not een sure this post makes sense.

My First Menu Planning Monday

Ok so I am starting to feel really guilty that we don't usually sit down for meals together so I am giving this a shot. I have to do my lists on Saturday though since shopping usually happens Saturday night or Sunday right after church. Also, because my husband is partial to fresh meat I can't freeze any for later so I have to buy the meat each week(ugh I can feel all you fellow couponers cringing LOL). We also don't do left overs. So here is my first menu with inspiration from I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Mon- Chicken Kiev with salad

Tues- Coconut Shrimp with rice and mixed veggies

Wed- Oven Fried Pork Chops with roasted potatoes and fried greenbeans(yummy)

Thurs-Fajitas

Friday- Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos

I am getting old

Besides the fact that I know I can see the beginnings of laugh lines I found out today that I am really not as young as I used to be. We took the girls to the park today and already having a backache from who knows what, I decided it was a good idea to join the girls in rolling down a hill. Fun right? Not at all. Its been about an hour and I still have a headache and that backache, well its more like back agony now. Other things that have clued me into my age, I have stopped caring for fast motions like those of a roller coaster and I seem to get dizzy really easily if we are doing anything that revolves. Even as I type I am still feeling like I had one too many drinks. I am glad I had my kids young.

It's Clean Quick Take a Picture

My house is the cleanest its been since we moved here. I mean you could eat off the floor! Now that we have officially listed it, and the agent is coming to snap pictures I figured I better get with it. Mom came over tonight and no kidding, from about 4:30-8:30 minus a 30 min dinner break we busted it! I will have to post the link once the pictures are up to prove to you just how immaculate it is right now. Lets hope I can keep it this way while its being shown :S


Brandie has talked me into moving Luke out of my room. Actually she just kind of gave me the push to do what I knew I needed to. He is 7 months old and its time. So last night Karl moved the crib into his room and he began his new sleep routine there. The other thing you should know is that he isnt sleeping through the night yet. In fact he normally wakes up between 3-5 times a night still. Yikes, I know. I just am a pushover and cant help but cuddle my baby when he cries. I mean this is my last time to do this. Ever. But, alas, the lack of sleep is starting to get to me and I know he needs to establish good sleep habits so we have started sleep training. Last night actually went really well. He at at 10 then woke at 2 and I fed him at 2:30, the second time was not so great. He woke at 4 and cried off and on until I got up and fed him at 5:30 (dont worry I did go check on him several times). Once I fed him the last time he slept until 7:30 and woke up happy as can be. Considering we dropped from 3-5 times to just 2 last night I am pretty happy with how well he did. I wish he had not have cried quite so long the second time but seriously, the child does not need to eat every 2 hours anymore.

So we shall see what day 2 brings!

Lack of blogging motivation

I am sorry I have had such a lack of inspiration recently. It's not that things haven't happened, in fact every time I talk to Brandie she replies with "You need to blog that!". I just have been feeling lazy, tired, overwhelmed, something. So lets see if I can get going again.


Karl and I are considering putting our house on the market. In fact, I invited Cassey over today so she could watch the kids while I cleaned! LOL of course she ended up dusting and helping me fold laundry, but it was such a help not to have to run to the kids every 5 min, and we have now decided that every other Monday we are going to swap babysitting for a few hours so that we can get some stuff done. Anyways, after all that hard work the realtor didnt even look at the house! She sat in the living room, made a comment about the open floorplan and that was about it! We arent going to make anything off the house, but we are hoping to get a good deal on a foreclosure and make up for the low selling price that way. We will see how it goes. No big hurry so we at least have time to look and find what we really want. I so want my next house to be my "forever" house, though I am not sure if that will actually happen.

Free Dr Pepper

For a free 20oz or 2 liter click here!

So behind

I am a bad blogger :( I am so behind! I just had a bit of a blog drought!


So what happened this week?

Occassionally I will run the water while Luke falls asleep, bad habit I know. Anyways, apparently sometime during the course of me putting him down and then going to check on him the plug to the bathtub closed. Nice huh? Well, let me tell you that I now know where the low spots are in my master bath. There was 4" of water gathered around my toilet, and the rest of the floor had a good 2". Luckily, I came in right as it was about to reach the carpet in the bedroom. So of course Brandie got to hear an earful as I took out my frustrations over the phone.

On a good note we had our first book club meeting. So fun! I think the more we get together the more open we are going to be able to be with each other and I am really looking forward to having friends that will be straight with me! We all need that. Especially me. I am hard headed LOL.

We are reading two new books for book club, The Shack and Sheet Music. Let me tell you that the second one (for married couples only!) is such a great book if you dont mind bluntness. It has convicted me in more ways than one. Email me if you want more details on the book. I haven't started the shack, but I am looking forward to it!

I am continuing the Love Dare with Karl. We are on Day 6. I think we are doing well, but it takes work let me tell you! Even not being on the verge of divorce we have realized that we have let each other down by lowering our standards of how we treat each other.

Diaper Cake

Pictures of the cake I am making for my cousins baby shower. Its not finished as I left a bag of stuff for it in my Aunts car but Its just about there! I am very proud since this is my first time doing this sort of thing.

For Stephanie

Chicken Noodle Soup

I know this sounds strange but my kids had never tried chicken noodle soup before tonight. Alright, so if you know my husband that maybe it really isnt so strange after all. So how did the taste test go? Well, they seem to like it although I think it still intimidates them as they are asking to be able to be done after only 5 or 6 bites, but we are going to trudge through and my kids are going to learn to like different foods! Our new rule is that you eat what I make. PERIOD. I am tired of making 2 different meals for everyone. I don't think its fair and I dont think its neccessary.


On a side note I am really seriously almost caught up with my coupons. I suspect next week I will be back on track and ready to start kicking some butt!

Living Like the Amish

I have been reading these great books by Beverly Lewis. Lewis writes about life within Amish communities, with which she had close contact with having lived in Pensylvania. Anyways, while Brandie and I were enjoying a few minutes of childlessness(while they played on the indoor playground at chick-a-lay) we were chatting about how freeing it would be to be Amish. I mean imagine no pressures of fitting in, or keeping up with the Jones'. No big screen TVs taking up family time or filling my kids heads with violence, no chemical laden food, no washing machine, diswasher, indoor plumbing...

Ok, so maybe I would pick and choose which aspects I would live, but I think that something about it would be so free.

First Giggles

Luke's New Diaper!!

Isn't it cute!

Daniel the Fly

My Brianna came running to me announcing that her sister had caught a fly. She was so proud that I couldn't tell her that we had to take it outside. Keira informed me that they named the fly Daniel, so I went and looked at Daniel. Of course he was already on the way out, so I figured they would look at him under the jar that they had set over him, get bored and I would pick him up when they were done. I had no idea that they would actually play with it! Not just play with it though, they gave it a bath! I heard the water running so, asked Keira what was going on and she tells me "We are giving Daniel a bath". Well, if Daniel wasn't dead before he was now! Luckily after Daniel had his bath they decided he needed to go potty...

Strange Package

This afternoon fedex visited my house. Not really that unusual considering that my hubby has packages arrive almost daily. This one however, was addressed to me. Well, it was actually addressed to Bits and Pieces Scrapbooking (my company in case you didn't know). I open the package assuming that with CHA around the corner, I was getting a box of samples; not so unusual. That was not what was in the package. Inside the package there is a mix of items which include: Christmas wrapping paper, a collection of nutcracker pins, 2 pen lights, a zen garden, a Lucky Frog (?), a 50 piece mini-puzzle, 3 themed soaps, various book marks, a magic ink sports book, a pair of leather gloves, a 53 piece silverware set, and finally a Tommy Hilfigure watch with the price tag of $135 still attached. On the box there is no return address, and in fact a not was on the box saying it was being returned to me. I tried the tracking number, but it only led back to me and was only available from Hutchins. I know that at some point it was in Denver because of the label. I can not return the package as it will only come back to me, so I am going to try giving Fed-ex a call and seeing if there is anything to be done. I do feel bad as I know that there were gifts for kids in it. I found three mini-snowglobes labeled Emily, Noah and Hannah.

As for how it got to me, here is my best theory. I no longer sell items, but I used to sell on Ebay. I at one point shipped out this box to a buyer and the buyer re-used the box. Her label fell off so they used the little piece of mine to look up the sender, assuming it was the current label. Of course this is only a guess.


I don't expect that there will be much I can do in terms of returning it to the sender. I will probably toss most of it if this is the case, but here are some pictures for your amusement!