Sad

Leanna and I are miserably sick yet......Timothy's better. He's eating today and got down to play a few times. He spent the rest of the day in my arms, so he's still clingy though. Justin's fine.

The black baby rabbit that we were attached to died. I found it this afternoon. It was lying with a thin layer of straw overtop of it on the bottom cage. I suspect it was just too cold for it. It's siblings were all in the upper enclosed part buried in a thick layer of straw and they huddled in pairs of two so they had body heat working for them also. Tom and I both put the little black rabbit back up top with it's siblings, but it just kept going back down again. So we are down to two black rabbits and two tan/brown ones.

Stupid blogger

I'd post a picture of the baby, but blogger keeps closing on me everytime I try to upload it. It's really adorable-so tiny!!!

Rabbits, anyone?

So last night Tom tells me that he thought he saw something moving in the bottom of the rabbit's cage and when he went to check it out he found a baby rabbit.......and then at least four more in the hay in the top of the cage. I had thought I'd seen that before too, but never thought anything of it, there are some containers that roll around the bottom of the cage. We didn't want to poke around too much, but it looks like there are five babies. We're guessing they're about a week old. I was worried about the one on the bottom, thinking maybe it was rejected. But it is strong enough to be hopping around the bottom of the cage and we put it back in the closed off section with it's siblings, only to find it back on the bottom of the cage. I had to do some quick research on the net to make sure it was ok to touch the babies (which we were thrilled to find out that it was ok, as long as the mother didn't try to attack us when we approached them and as long as we didn't have any strong scents on our hands). I found out that Brownie is the mother, which was surprising because it's Monkey Fantastic who was acting more maternal.

The rabbits can't be separated until they're about 6-8 weeks old, once they've weaned. We've had two offers to take one. Tom and I are getting attached to the little black one though, because that's the one we're holding. Some are tan, I'm not sure if there are more black ones, I was too sick during the day to go out and check on them. At night it's too dark out there to see the ones in the hay. Does anyone want a baby rabbit, or know someone who might?

sick house

Haven't been blogging as usual because we're sick here. It started out with just me about a week ago, then it seemed I was getting better. Yesterday Leanna got feverish and just slept from when she came home from school throughout the night. No food, only sips of water. She's occasionally throwing up mucus. She just looks miserable. And I started to caugh again yesterday, just when I thought I was over it. My stomach muscles hurt from caughing so much. Sometime during the night I discovered Timothy was feverish also. So I've spent the day holding Timothy and making trips to the bathroom with Leanna. Timothy will only drink water and nurse. He just lies there. Justin's still his normal self, we'll see how he is tomorrow. He's had a rough day though also because his Mom and brother and sister just want to sleep and lay around. So he was a little stir crazy and was getting in trouble because of it.

save for kid's college?

This article says it's wiser to save for your own retirement than to save for your kids' college.

Husband "delivers" baby while driving

A brave 6 year old and safety

I've always liked stories where people do brave things unexpectedly, especially when it's children. Here's a story about a six year old whose mother went into anaphylactic shock. I'm happy to say that because of having Mr. Safety himself for a father, I've always made a point to discuss things like how to call 911 and what to do if you get lost in a store with Leanna. It won't be long before it'll be time to have those talks with Justin too!

And speaking of lost kids, check out this new way to help in case your child does get lost. I want one!! :
http://www.bloggingbaby.com/2007/03/25/usb-drive-finds-lost-parents/

Why it is important to be cautious.....

This is one of the many reasons why it's so important to be aware of security when blogging. You never know who is reading what you write. There are many sick people on the internet....I know many people argue that stealing pictures and posting them on your own blog doesn't harm her or her child, but I know I would feel very violated and creeped out by this situation!

AN EXCERPT:
Margaret Post, a writer and blogger, writes about the sickening experience of having pictures of her son stolen from her blog. Her parenting blog was primarily written for family members and friends who wanted to experience in the joy of Margaret and her husband's first child. She was astonished to learn that she had an unwelcome reader: a nefarious stranger who not only stole pictures of her son from Margaret's blog, but posted them on her own blog and told twisted tales of "her" son, renaming Margaret's son Dante.

For the record......

Last night for the first time Tom gave Justin a bath. I was thinking it was the first time he'd ever given any of our kids a bath, but he reminded me that I had ordered him to give Leanna a bath once or twice at the end of my time at ShopRite. (Leanna was under 15 months old when they closed)

I kid you not!!

Tonight the movie Jersey Girl was on, and Tom and I were busy doing stuff but Timothy was apparently paying attention. He suddenly called out, "Leanna, I see Pop-Pop!" And sure enough guess who was onscreen-George Carlin. Who does look & sound exactly like Pop Pop J! I was impressed.

Boppy

Interesting, I always wanted one of those Boppy pillows(they go around your middle for breastfeeding and can be used to help the baby to sit). My mother-in-law got me the MY Breast Friend pillow when Leanna was about three months old as a birthday present. It helped, I thought the back support was actually its best feature, but I always really wanted the Boppy. My BF pillow has velcro which is useful for holding the baby in place if you have to stand up or reach for something, but if the baby falls asleep(as they so often do while nursing) opening that velcro to take the pillow off will wake them up! I found a post comparing the two (asking people to comment on what worked for them) and most people suggest getting both.
I thought this comment was good to know, it has uses for bottle or breastfed babies, and uses besides just feeding. Sounds like a good shower-gift:

I'd try out the My Brest Friend, and get one if you like it, but definitely get a Boppy too. I didn't use the MBF (I wasn't able to breastfeed) but we have two Boppies and we're still using them (baby is 9 months now). I've found so many uses for Boppy, it's easily one of the best purchases I ever made:
- Helps avoid arm fatigue when holding a tiny baby for hours at a time
- Perfect place for little baby to rest when being bottle fed
- Nice cushion for mommy to put her head on when she's playing on the floor with baby
- Props baby up for tummy time, helps her spend more time on her tummy
- Perfect "safety" cushion to place around baby who has just learned to sit on her own, so she can't topple over and bang her head
- Daddy likes it as a neck pillow when he falls asleep sitting on the couch ;-)
Obviously I love the Boppy. I'd definitely recommend springing for the slightly more expensive one with the removable cover. Then when you have a spill or spit-up, you just whip the cover off and launder it. Both of ours have that soft, velvety-feeling zip-on cover and we love them.

LOL-It's A Boy!

Just to be clear, since no one could tell-it is indeed a third boy. It was very clearly a boy. The picture in the post below this one shows the legs(the heels look like they are meeting at the top) and the heinie and male parts are right there, it's a picture from below him while he sits. There's a little star above the penis, the technician put that there to indicate where to look on the picture.

This was actually the least clear ultrasound I've had, because he just kept moving so she had trouble getting a clear shot of him. It always amazes me to watch an ultrasound, I saw his foot, and he was waving around his arms, putting the back of one hand to his face (in a rather dramatic pose, as the tech pointed out). We saw the cord, and it was just neat to see the little body parts moving around and feeling it at the same time.

Leanna was dissapointed, she was really hoping for a sister. She said, I guess he'll have to sleep in Justin and Timothy's room(meaning not hers-she was hoping to have a sister to share a bunk bed with). I said, it'll be ok, you'll love the baby anyway. To which she replied, "No."
LOL. But later when my sister called she told Laura that it was ok. Tom decided to wait until he got home to find out the sex, so when I told him he was actually a little dissapointed also. He said it would have been nice to have another girl, since we already have two boys. Then he said, "Oh well, I guess we'll have to keep trying til we get another girl!"

ultrasound

Sorry, would have had this up sooner but blogger keeps closing internet explorer on me!!


So the ultrasound was today.......and you can see the results(poor child, one day this will be horribly embarrassing). This is the "crotch shot" as the technician so delicately put it.

Couple in their seventies adopt 5 great grandkids

Wow-I don't think this would be my dream for how to spend old age, but in the same situation I would do the same........I wish them luck!

Nurses can make or break the experience....

The linked post and the comments on it further reinforces my thoughts yesterday on how nurses really impact your hospital experience. It also reinforces the idea that fear of lawsuits strongly affects your treatment at a hospital also, which is a real shame, IMHO. Although doctors perform a valuable service and their expertise is very important, I really think nurses are highly undervalued.

My paternal grandmother was a nurse, and in the army as well. I wish I'd had more time with her, I think she had many interesting stories to tell. She met my grandfather in England during WWII. He was shot in the stomach during WWII and that's how they met. I always thought that sounded like a fairy-tale: they met in another country during wartime, she nursed him back to health, they met again back home and married, and had four children together.

Here are a few pictures I have of her in uniform.

Parade

It was freezing Sunday-very windy. But we braved it to see the St. Patrick's Day parade. It took over a half hour for it to get to us, I'm guessing it took so long because of the weather? I don't know, maybe not everyone showed up to walk in the parade? The crowd wasn't as big as usual and it ran in the opposite direction of normal. Timothy slept through most of it, buried under his hat and blankets. Justin and Leanna seemed to enjoy it though. Leanna's favorite part was when a couple girls did a tiny bit of step dancing. I enjoy the bagpipes. They had animals marching and threw lots of candy and the kids liked the drums in the bands especially. It would be a lot more fun in warmer weather but it was still well worth it.

Leanna's picture

A picture Leanna drew for me. On the top is a rainbow and rain in a heart. Then from left to right, it's her Daddy, me, Timothy, Leanna (with hair just like the Irish step dancer girls) and Justin.

My Mom pointed out that gee, Leanna put Justin so far away from the rest of us and last.......wonder why?

22 weeks into it

I had another midwife visit today, all is ok so far. I found out that now she is only using the LV hospital. She was getting complaints from women who birthed at St. Luke's also. Apparently they are not very midwife friendly and are taking it out on the women using a midwife. That happens. If the staff changes they could go back to being normal again, you never know. Nurses play a big part in how you are treated in the hospital, if they feel women using a midwife instead of a doctor is an insult then they treat you with distain. (I have actually read of cases where they purposely withhold pain medication or perform painful proceedures on women without anesthesia to "punish" them for thinking they didn't need a doctor, or a hospital, or just for having different ideas about how they want to birth.)

Guess what I found in the pantry?

Two nights ago, while I was cleaning another mess, I found Timothy, sitting oh so quietly in the pantry, pouring ginger all over the floor. He (or his siblings) had knocked over a few cereal boxes and opened the tupperware picnic box thing (the green and blue you see in the picture) and generally made a mess in there.

Also that same day Justin found one of my little acrylic paints, pink, and decided to paint with it. He even went and found a little brush and stencil brush to paint with. I cleaned it up but couldn't find the lid. So I set the paint on the back of a counter and forgot about it. Later that evening Timothy spotted the paint and pushed a chair over to the counter and had it all over the counter, the bread, his hands, their little table and the floor.

That'sjust what I can think of, there have been so many many more incidents like this.

Beary Best Award Ceremony

I didn't get a picture of her sitting with the Bear, because the lady taking the polaroid pictures was standing right in front of her, but they send that picture home in a month anyway.

Leanna was sitting, surrounded by boys who kept talking and causing trouble. It was cute, this one boy kept poking the barette she had in her hair. I think it probably benefits her to have two rouwdy brothers at home to deal with!

Hmmmmm

The Chineese lunar calendar says this baby will be a girl.

I have an ultrasound tomorrow, I haven't decided if I will find out the sex or not.
I still don't find the idea that one should find out the sex so that people can buy gifts a compelling enough reason.

Parenting With Benign Neglect

Article on parenting, for those of you who may be interested. We know so much about all the dangers that might possibly befall our children that many people take it too far in managing every aspect of their children's lives. Also interestingly, one person points out that in this respect, Katie Allison Granjou's views match John Rosemond's perfectly. (I got the link for the article from her blog).

Benefits of Pre-Kindergarten

Yes, more links, I'm catching up on my reading today. We were outside briefly-to shovel snow in the front and to play in the back. But it was just too cold for Timothy he just stood there and cried, although he liked watching the rabbits for a few minutes.....Justin really enjoyed it this time.

It seems (from what I hear and read) that people are beginning to believe that pre-school/daycare are essential to a child's development and education. And I don't mean only parents pushing to educate children earlier, they think that children MUST learn to socialize as early as possible. I am apparently in the minority-I think children are meant to first learn to socialize with their families-both kids and adults-then expand as ready. Some kids love interracting with other, and other kids benefit from waiting until they are older. I was a shy kid myself and people who try to force you out of your shell generally do more harm than good. Often it made me retreat even farther. Anyway, apparently there is even a push to make pre-school mandatory. Don't get me wrong-preschool/daycare can be a great thing for some kids. But not all, and I definitely don't think it should be mandatory.
(I'm commentor # 14 on the link)

Cool product

I love the look of it, though I suspect, as one commenter points out, that my kids would probably just crank up the hot water to see the color change.

Cervical cancer & vaccine warning

Something to think about for women (and their daughters) Keep reading past the part about allergies, there's more:

First if you have a yeast allergy do not get this vaccine! The US FDA (online) has said that any one allergic to yeast or any other agent in the vaccine should NOT be vaccinated with 'Gardasil'. This information missing information from the product's insert.The advertising bills this as a cervical cancer vaccine - it's not. It's a HPV vaccine which has not been proven to DIRECTLY cause cervical cancer. From the US Cancer institutes's website http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/cervical/HealthProfessional/page3 "direct causation to cervical cancer has NOT been established".Article from NVIC on the VAERS reports on Gardasil to-date:Out of the 385 individual GARDASIL adverse event reports made to VAERS, two-thirds required additional medical care and about one-third of all reports were for children 16-years-old and under, with nearly 25 percent of those children having received simultaneously one or more of the 18 vaccines that Merck did not study in combination with GARDASIL. NVIC is calling on the FDA and CDC to warn parents and doctors that GARDASIL should not be combined with other vaccines and that young girls should be monitored for at least 24 hours for syncopal (collapse/fainting) episodes that can be accompanied by seizure activity, as well as symptoms of tingling, numbness and loss of sensation in the fingers and limbs, all of which should be reported to VAERS immediately.From http://www.909shot.com/Diseases/HPV/pr022107HPV.htmIf you inject a viral antigen into a person (the HPV vaccine), the body produces specific antibodies against this antigen. Over time (usually 5-10 years)the level (amount) of antibody in the body naturally drops, while the body is no longer exposed to the antigen. At some point this becomes "low dose" levels. AT THIS POINT IF YOU ARE EXPOSED TO THE VIRUS, THE VIRUS WILL MULTIPLY FASTER THAN IF YOU NEVER RECEIVED THE VACCINE (HPV) AGAINST THE VIRUS AND THE PERSON WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY FIGHTING OFF THE VIRUS. 80% of persons infected with the HPV naturally clear and the destroy the virus with their own immune system. Then there is NO risk of cancer from the virus. It is the persons that do not clear the virus (the viral infection becomes chronic) that develop cancer if they are infected with one of the few cancer producing strains of HPV.As young girls will naturally drop their antibody levels, by the time they reach sexual maturity and engage in sex and get exposed to HPV, the low-zone antibody levels will interfere with the body's immune system (enhancing antibody effect) and a larger proportion of the women (presently 20 %) will NOT CLEAR THE VIRUS AND THEREFORE WILL BE AT RISK FOR CERVICAL CANCER! THIS WILL BE A PUBLIC HEALTH NIGHTMARE. I am guessing this will double or triple the number of cervical cancers.From Linda L. Shelton Ph.D., M.D. at http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2007/03/researcher_blas.htmlHonestly, why would anyone give their daughter this vaccination?
Posted at 2:53PM on Mar 16th 2007 by Tash

She almost had it right....

Leanna mentioned seeing "Mr. Rogerhood" on tv while passing channels today. I think a show called Mr. Roger's hood would be quite different from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. : )

Timothy

Here's the little imp himself.....in a rare still moment.

Enjoying nature

I like this picture. Although it's not the best picture of the kids themselves I just like the three of them, in age and size order, climbing the twisting branches.

Hard to believe.......

These pictures are from

a few days ago. We visited West park after school until Timothy got to difficult. He just couldn't stand being reined in anymore so we had to leave. A shame, but there were too many things he was getting in trouble with like trying to pull the flags out of the memorials and such. And he just plain kept running off! I brought the camera to try to catch a picture of all three together for that scrapbook present my Aunt is making for my grandmother. I'll try again another day-I'd like them to be smiling for the picture.

This amuses me

A seven year old calls 911 to report her grandfather was cheating in a game of cards.

Yay Leanna!

Monday Leanna will be awarded the "Beary" Best Bear Award for February. To receive this award, a child must display good behavior, put forth effort, show a positive attitude toward school, and get a long well with other children.

Color me jealous.......

My "baby" sister gets to go to Scotland for about a week at the end of the month. Lucky!! I'm looking forward to seeing pictures and suveniers when she returns.

Stay at home moms get worse sleep

I'm not surprised.

Also: http://www.babycenter.com/news/?id=602416#story About scientists creating a new "super tomato" with extra folic acid. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Extra folic acid is good, it prevents birth defects, but I'm not crazy about all the manipulation of food that's been going on. I wonder if it will turn out to work as well as they think?

Hannah Montanna

If you're curious about Hannah Montana-one of Leanna's favorite shows. Apparently she is extremely popular now.

Bad stuff in kid's medicine

Banned additives found in Children's medicine.
There are so many dyes in food and personal products (Shampoos, lotions, etc.), it's scary. I wonder if my kids aren't among those affected by them. Not all kids are, but they do cause reactions in some. I suspect Timothy might have a slight food allergy too but it would be almost impossible for me to eliminate things to definitely pinpoint it.

Prophesy?

Tom had a dream that we had a baby girl with dark hair.

What's been going on....

I haven't really felt like posting here for a while, I've been a little on the depressed side and that always affects my writting. Tom has a few more job prospects, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Plus I figured out a birthday present I am making for Justin. I'm making a little wall hanging with Finding Nemo material. It'll be a quilted thing, which I've never done before. So the thought of using my creativity and making something is enough to cheer me some. Even if I haven't started yet.

Let's see, lately Timothy's been getting into more and more things. He's as bad as his brother. He loves to throw everything off the end tables and climb on top of them, then he climbs the top of the couch. Justin keeps sneaking into the kitchen and playing with the kitchen hose. I had to take the silverware tray out and wash it today because Justin had flooded it with water the last time he sprayed!! Timothy's latest is taking the silverware out of the drawer and either rearranging it or just plain throwing it on the floor! Justin's also been into decorating his body with pens lately. Leanna's been doing simple addition in school. She's been painting and drawing a lot at home. This weekend we had Maree' over for the first time since before Christmas. She's such a preteen. It seems like she's grown so much the past few months, she's so tall. The huge heels on her shoes help with the height though.

I had to order her to play barbies with Leanna, which I don't like to do. But Leanna was doing nothing but talking about Maree's visit the whole week before and she really really wants Maree' to do something besides computer and tv. If I truly thought Maree' didn't like playing with dolls I wouldn't make her do it. I really think she is just attempting to act more grown up than she truly is. She's 10 and she plays with those littlest pet shop toys and I know before Christmas she said she still plays with Barbies. And Leanna got a cool barbie house for Christmas that I knew Maree' would like too. So I figure one time playing dolls won't kill her, right? Afterwards she admitted to me that she still likes playing with Bratz dolls; which are Barbie dolls with the Bratz image(Ugly, I think). So I felt better about it then. But I was a little worried that she might complain to Korinna and I might get yelled at for it. (Lucky me, I escaped her wrath. Tom got an angry phone call because he had to drop Maree off at a birthday party and apparently Korinna thought Tom should have known to buy a birthday card and put money in it. Let me be clear here-there was no mention of buying a card, present, or giving money beforehand. He assumed that she had everything she needed if he was supposed to drop her off. Korinna knew Maree was going to the party since before we made arrangements for Maree to come this weekend. So I fail to see how this was Tom's fault!)

Getting depressed

I should be used to this by now, but I still get my hopes up......the guy who pulled Tom's card from Labellas decided not to do the job. Tom was supposed to start in two weeks and he had all kind of stuff he wanted done to the house. But he's now thinking about just renting the house out, so he's not going to fix it all up then. That really sucks......we need the money so badly.

Crust policy

This is kind of funny-this Mom asks people what their "crust policy" is? In other words, do you cut the crusts off bread or not?

I grew up having to eat them-you don't waste food. I absolutely hated them.
I didn't start out cutting them-Leanna would leave them most of the time. But when we went on vacation to NC Leanna was asking my cousins and cousin-in-law to make her peanut butter sandwhiches and they cut crusts off for her and she got used to it just like that. I figured you have to choose your battles in life and this one wasn't worth it. So I started cutting them and now she just peels them off. Occasionally she will eat them like on buttered toast with fried eggs. I am encouraging when she does eat them, but I have enough to deal with every day. It's just not worth fighting about. That's my policy.

For my father-in-law

I had to post this one, if no one else appreciates it, I figured my father-in-law would!

Just like Daddy, almost

Justin tries a pair of Tom's long johns. They're a little big.

Cute pronunciation of the day

It sounds so cute when Justin talks about wearing his "Be-jamas." (pajamas)
"'

I'm jealous!

Yup, I read this one to Tom too. He just laughed.

I'm hoping to feel this way one day.....

A Mom writes about her college age daughter.

I like this idea

No surprise to me-they say teenagers sleep cycle changes, making them stay awake later and want to sleep in later. They say some schools are starting to adjust a little for this, with positive results. I know it surely would have benefited me back then........

On the subject of iron......

In my email about the pregnancy tonight it had a blurb on iron, so if you're curious about iron rich foods: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregnancynutrition/1468.html?scid=mbtw_preg21:20070226:0:0:0

About 140 days to go! (pregnancy wise)

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts:

*I tried Snapple's White tea, Green Apple flavor. It tastes like very watered down apple juice. *So you might as well juice your own apples and get more benefits.
*Timothy poops WAY too much!
*Leanna is starting to become much more helpful-she's getting a little better at cleaning up, her desire to help has been in place more lately, and she's able to do things like stand in the bathroom to ensure her brothers don't knock each other unconscience in the tub while I dash to their room to get the pjs I forgot to have ready.
*Justin really likes to sing and to draw.
*Timothy's been getting better and better at speaking.
*I'm reading and enjoying Tracy Chevalier's The Lady and the Unicorn. (She also wrote The Girl With the Pearl Earring.)
*My aunt called tonight to ask for a submission for a scrapbook she's making for my grandmother's upcoming 80Th birthday. I really wanted to get started on it right away, I had ideas, but instead had to make supper and clean. Then I was too tired. That's how it always is here. No time for me! I really miss making stuff.
*I ran out of one box of dish-washing soap and while I reached down to get a new one Timothy scooped up a handful of dish-washing soap and shoved it in his mouth. About five minutes later he threw up everything he'd eaten the past two hours. Here I thought it would just give him diarrhea. Fun! So I had to run him up and give him a bath, then come down and finish the dishes and making the cake(That was actually what I was doing-Tom tossed me a box of cake mix and said can you make this now?) and then sweep and mop the floor to get all the throw up cleaned. Meanwhile every two seconds one of the kids is wandering into the kitchen getting too close to the mess on the floor-even though Tom is supposed to be keeping them out until I've cleaned it up!!!!
*My Mom got some Almond Breeze Chocolate non-dairy beverage. It's like chocolate milk without the milk. Predictably, Leanna didn't like it, Justin and Timothy loved it. We haven't used soy milk for a long time now-too many bad things are said about it. I tried it and thought it was pretty good too.
*My Mom also brought over an avacado and two limes and blended it with honey for key lime mousse. Very good and easy to make.
*I am very hormonal this pregnancy (I was with Leanna too-maybe this means another girl?)
*Organizational supplies are way too expensive!!

WIC

I am partially signed up for WIC (this time they refused to let me sign up with last year's tax papers, I have to come back when we get our taxes done) and they check your weight, height and iron levels. I think it's funny how so many people ask me if Justin and Timothy are twins- Justin is clearly bigger and they don't look much alike. Now I have an actual comparison since they were both checked on the same day. Usually their doctor appts. are a month or more apart. Justin is 27 1/4 pounds, Timothy is 20 1/2 (he finally hit that 20 pound mark!) Justin is 36 inches tall, Timothy is 30 3/4. They are 16 months apart.
I don't understand the iron levels though. Doesn't your iron level mainly come from vegetables and meat? We are all doing very well in that department-I have a level of 12.6, Justin's is 12.9 and Timothy's is 11.3. Justin and Timothy eat little to no meat and neither is very big on vegetables. Makes me wonder how they have such high iron levels then? That is a good thing though, I'm not complaining!

Wooly Boobs

I think this is such a great idea. They knit boobs to help women learn how to breastfeed or pump and they can also be used for women who've had mastectomies! They have a picture of a baby surrounded by them, so they can be just pillows too!

The taste of milk

Something I never thought about before......she talks about being able to taste what the cow ate with organic milk. I know I've read that your breastmilk is flavored with the foods you eat, as is your amniotic fluid. The one commentor mentions that having delivered babies from different ethnic groups she says the smell when the bag bursts(the amniotic sac) is quite apparent! Some comment on the fact that breastfed babies are exposed to different taste from your milk (verses formula always tasting the same) and therefore are less likely to be picky. Not that I eat a great amount of variety (budget is a huge factor there) but I surely did something wrong then!!! I have the three pickiest eaters ever!!

Good Kids Bad Habits: Book Review

I want this book!! If anyone plans on getting me an Easter or Mothers's Day or ST. Patrick's day or Friday present, this would be good!

Here's the review:

The title of the book alone was enough to get my interest. But as I dug in, I began to become one of those parents who realized that this book was written for me. For my children.
Listen to the facts that should scare you when it comes to your children.
Kids today have developed so m any bad health habits that they're facing heart attacks in the 30's. 30's!!
Experts predict this will be the first generation of children to have a lower life expectancy than their parents!
Our kids our developing ADULT diseases as children:
Kids with High Blood Pressure
Kids with Clogged Arteries
Kids who can't breathe
Kids with Sydrome X (a cluster of conditions from high blood pressure to high triglycerides and insulin resistance)
Kids with weak bones
Kids with Self-Esteem problems
Kids who can't sleep, Can't focus and can't learn
Kids who get sick alot
Does that scare you? It scared me! But those are just the things that COULD happen. It is not at all too late to fix these things and to help our children battle and BEAT these conditions so that they can live healthier, longer lives. (I mean, we want them healthy enough to take care of us in our old age, right?) That is where this great book comes into play.
Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children by Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, gives you the tools to reverse some of these bad habits. And who of us as parents don't want to help our children live the healthiest lives possible?
The first thing the book does is gives you the tools to see exactly where your children fall in their bad habits. A test to help you determine what you can and should do to have healthier children. (I took the test and passed out realizing how much work I need to do to get my kids back on a healthier track.) BUT it isn't a book to say, "Bad parent! Look what you have done!" It is a book that says, "Hey, let's get these kids healthy NOW." It actually provides you with the tools to start making simple changes now.
After you determine your child's risk factors and the habits that need work, the books dives into how you can turn the bad habits into good ones. Starting with eating habits.
It shows you how to create healthy food habits that will last a lifetime. When I say shows you, I mean in detail. You really learn how to create in your child ways that they can eat that will help them forever. Including menus and recipes and ideas on getting your children on board with this new way of eating.
But good eating habits are only part of it. Kids need to shape up. This generation of gamers is creating sedentary children There is a section in the book that gets kids up and active, doing more than just playing video games.
So, you have the tools to give them healthy eating habits and to get themselves off of their couches and their faces out of their Gameboys, but isn't there more? Of course there is! This book teaches you how to convince your kids that being clean "From teeth to toes" is worth the effort. I loved this section! Teaching good hygiene--even to that tween that things you are a freak and it doesn't matter-- is a great teaching section for kids of all ages!
Other areas this book covers:
Teaching Kids Good Homework Habits (which will lead to good work habits as they get older and live in the real world.)
Giving you the tools to have routines that will build up your child's self esteem. We all know that self-esteem can make or break people. Don't we all want kids who are self assured?
Habits that keep our kids from getting hurt when playing--from sports to life. Hey, I am all about fewer ER visits! What about you?
And finally, tools to stay on top of all of this. Ways to keep your kids healthy and preventing illnesses that threaten our kids the most.
I am sent many books that are for pleasure reading. This is one of those rare books that is not only a pleasure to read, but will make a HUGE difference in the lives of my children.
I highly recommend you pick up Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children and really dig into it. If not for yourself, do it for you kids. I for one want my kids to live long, healthy lives. (And not just so that they can take care of me when I am old and have dementia and need them to be there for me!) This book is a fantastic tool to get you on the road to healthier kids and keeping them there.
Here's to a healthy future for our children!

A Light at the end of the tunnel (maybe)

Yesterday a man called looking for Tom for some work to be done to his house. He said Tom came highly highly recommended by his neighbor, and he'd seen the work himself and it was good quality work. Then today another man called and said he'd pulled Tom's card from LaBella's (thank you Sue!) and needed work done to a house he'd bought. Neither of these is a certain job yet, but getting calls two days in a row is certainly encouraging. As Tom said, well, spring is coming and people start to think about getting work done.......I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this tiny flow of luck increases. We so desperately need it!

Arggghhh

I am getting very tired of hearing one of Justin's current favorites, "Banjo Knee" over and over and over! (That'd be "Oh Susanna" for those of you with no imagination.)

Runaway Bunny!

Yesterday was just bizarre. It started out crazy. We had a runaway bunny! It turns out that during that big snowstorm we had Valentine's week, Tom put more straw in the rabbit's cage and forgot to put the heavy pole over the door(that lock is broken). Sometime the night before or yesterday morning the door was opened. Only Brownie got out. Monkey Fantastic, who was the frisky one when we bought them, stayed in the cage. My Mom took some leftover vegetable parts out to them and noticed a brown rabbit that looked like ours running around and straw showing on the one side of the cage. I ran around outside looking for him and couldn't see him anywhere. At this point I was panicking, thinking that he ran out in the street and was going to get hit by a car. I made Tom get up and snapped at him for taking so long in the bathroom while the rabbit was on the loose! (Need I mention those pregnancy hormones again?) At that point I was sure the rabbit was gone. Tom later said he took one look at my face and knew he had to find the rabbit. He went into work a little late.
He found Brownie hiding in the yard behind ours(it faces sideways and doesn't have a gate on our side). He was hanging out under their fallen backyard tent. The snow had completely crashed their tent, so it made a nice hiding spot. But Brownie was scared and catching him wasn't easy.....that little guy is fast! Tom said he came out from hiding when he heard my voice, so I came over too. He wouldn't let us come near him though. Then when Tom got too close Brownie dashed out to an unfenced yard, two houses down and right next to the street, then raced through two yards and back into ours. As we're trying to trap the desperate rabbit I hear a police car pull up. Sure enough an officer comes down the walkway behind our yard with his gun drawn. Tom leans over the fence and the officer asks if he's seen anyone hanging around here. "Yeah, us!" He responds. The officer says he's looking for a black man who was in the yard behind ours (where the rabbit was hiding). So we proceed to quickly explain that we're looking for our rabbit. Tom had knocked on the backdoor of the house twice because he felt funny walking through their yard but no one answered. He didn't want to go to the front door because the rabbit might move again. Here the woman inside was terrified because her house had been robbed (don't know the details there) and she only heard someone at her door. She said she didn't even look at who it was but the police said she said it was a black man at her door. It took the officer a while to even get her to open the door for him. While he was inside explaining what had happened to her we finally got the rabbit in a corner and Tom finally caught Brownie. Tom showed the officer the rabbit when he came out again, and of course he had to take Tom's name and info. When I told Leanna what had happened her little face crumpled a bit as she asked if it was the rabbit that she had picked out (it was). I reassured her that Brownie was safe in his cage now. Then Tom had to get to work and we had to rush to get her to school. What a way to start your day!!

Shower idea

On Gilmore Girls this week they had a really cool baby shower idea. I'm not hinting here I just thought it was a neat idea so I'd share in case anyone ever has to plan a baby shower. At a table they had plain onesies and paint for people to decorate as a gift. The guests had fun decorating, and their children (it was twins on the show) will have lots of unique clothes made by their parent's friends and relatives.

Breakfast dilema

I was looking online for breakfast recipes because I am having trouble finding things for Leanna to eat before school. It seems she is FINALLY growing tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast. She still eats them, she just hasn't been wanting them for breakfast anymore. When we have money I'll buy Trix yogurt and they'll be gone in a day. The cereals she likes change rather quickly, so I never know if she'll eat the kind I buy. Rice Krispies has been the most steady favorite. She currently doesn't eat pancakes, and rarely french toast. Right now she only eats fried eggs-but they have to taste just exactly like Grammy makes. And the pans I have don't make them taste the same. She has to eat SOMETHING, she needs fuel in her body to help her think in school! I'm in the middle of exploring this website, http://www.mrbreakfast.com/index.asp and I found this interesting recipie, http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=1230 for blender pancakes. May not help Leanna, but I keep seeing these commercials on tv for either Perkins or IHOP and they have thick delicious looking pancakes that make my mouth water right now!