~Happy Birthday~

Miss Mariah is FIVE years old today!!

She was such a super quiet baby, rarely ever made a noise and was a super tiny baby too. She was my tiniest baby before Breanna, weighing in at 6lbs 9ozs.

She was my first *induced* baby since Kayla had been so fast I was seduced into believing that a 'controlled' labour and delivery was much safer. *sigh* Praise the Lord, she was born at 10:50am with no complications and was happily nursing an hour later.



She has stayed tiny pretty much her entire life thus far...it's hard to believe she was THIS tiny though



She was also my very first spring baby and I spent a lot of the time freaking out trying to figure out is she was getting cold or too hot!! Never the less, we still ventured out to enjoy the sunshine.


*oh-my, look how little they all are!! Remember this Kerri???*

This is how you looked 98.9% of the time:

intently watching the world around you and of course being entertained by your older siblings and absorbing like a sponge all their crazy antics!


*one year later at the lake*

Your toddler years were interesting as you were no longer the quiet tiny weenie baby, you became an extremely talkative-get-into-everything toddler! You got into everything!!! You loved making a mess and squishing things between your fingers. The gooier the better in your mind!!

*there are many, many pics like this...I only had a select few on my photobucket*


Now you have blossomed into an inquisitive, beautiful little girl! You are still a chatter box and love to tell stories. You are extremely honest, and do not hesitate to tell the truth to anyone, anywhere, anytime. We are still working on your developing some tact and consideration with your assertiveness.
You are very caring and love to be in charge. You are creative and love to get dirty and seek out activities to facilitate that desire. You are also a wonderful helper and are the first one to do a helpful chore without being asked, simply to help me out.

Happy fifth birthday sweetie, and I promise not to let anyone else "annoy you in the head with singing Happy Birthday"





blessings!!

Terrific Tuesday!!!

Well, better than last week anyways!lol

We had a good weekend, busy, but good. Saturday we basically spent the day grocery shopping or at least it feels like that anyways. Can I just say again how much I love my natural health food store?!?! It is so nice to have that 'market' feeling while buying groceries, I could spend hours in there...easily!!

Then it was off to the big store, where there are aisles and aisles of junk....to which only a few things found their way into my cart. C'mon Bill!!!!
I am very happy to see that they now have antibiotic/hormone free ground beef in addition to pork and chicken products. That makes me feel a whole lot better about feeding my family. Now they just need to get some dairy products like that!!

Then on Sunday we went for a drive and ended up at a little public park area and the lake had been drained from it so there was this huge area of sand for them to play in. It was sooooo windy, but they had fun none-the-less. Here's some pics:













Have a blessed day!!

There are Days like This

Yes, there are!
These are the days when I wonder if it is truly going to happen, my brains have melted and are soon going to begin oozing from my ears. It's true ya know, it CAN happen!

The children are whiny and have found great enjoyment in tormenting me each other. As the day has progressed I am no longer nicely "asking" the children to please stop doing 'fill-in-the-blank' , I have now evolved into begging for the love of all mighty STOP!!!

"PLEASE stop telling your sister she smells"
"PLEASE stop hiding your sisters dolls or tying them up and hanging them from the roof or curtain rods"
"PLEASE stop telling your sister that she will in fact permanently smell like a fart should you do so while sitting beside her"

"For the love of all things holy, STOP hiding at the bottom of the stairs and scaring the daylights out of poor unsuspecting people who are making their way down the stairs"
For your information your mother no longer falls into this category as you have all shattered every fragment of nerves I have or have ever been in possession of.

"No you may not drink the science experiment water"
"No you may not create a science experiment involving your sister or her belongings"
"Put your pants back on and stop licking the table"
"Your brother IS NOT a science experiment gone wrong"
"You may not shave your brothers head, no matter how badly he thinks it sounds like fun"
"The fluoride free toothpaste IS NOT a snack"
"We don't lick the dog"

"Get the nail clippers if you need to trim your nails, we don't BITE our toenails and ingest them"
*yup, that makes me slightly nauseous as well*

To think this was all in the span of an hour.
Did I mention that it has been a cross between pouring rain and hailing outside? Or is that just the sound of my brain cells depleting and seeping out??????



Blessings!!!

Works for Me Wednesday

Works for Me Wednesday


Organizing my monthly receipts is a chore I despise, but it must be done nonetheless. Thankfully, I don't have many, just my grocery and supplies receipts and one or two monthly bills.

For the past few years I have found that organizing them monthly, makes my life easier come the end of the year.

My mom gave me this super cute shelving unit quite a few years ago and it has a hinged top that can be LOCKED.
Within this marvelous unit is a collection of separated mini shelves that hold perfectly all my receipts and the calender sheet from that month (when it's done of course). This way, as soon as I am home from grocery shopping or otherwise, and I have double checked my receipt, I can just tuck it away into it's little spot on the shelf !
I always keep the calender sheet because I am notorious for jotting stuff down on it (we have one of those HUGE ones on our fridge) like doctors appointments and other appointments or achievements.

Fast forward to the end of the year...I tuck each of the receipts form the month into the folded calender sheet and tuck it all into a ZIPLOC baggie and label it with it's year. I like a Ziploc baggie because, well, I have lot's of kids and you can bet that someone has spilled something on the table in the exact spot where I will be setting my paperwork down....even IF I already wiped the table down! When I am all done with the baggie, it gets tossed into my big black filing cabinet, that I am certain was not ever intended for holding a collection of baggies containing important files. However, that is it's current life.

I have tried filing boxes with super cute labels or fancy stickers but those fancy stickers and labels almost always ended up stuck to mine or someone else's socks or even worse, stuck to the linoleum. I could never remember which color was which month. Suffice to say, it just never worked for me. This option though, DOES work for me!!

Overheard recently around here...........

Mariah:
How do I find my own daddy?(this is what she was calling a husband)
ME:
well, there are different ways (here is where I was going to explain how God will choose....
Mariah:
do I go to everyones door and ring them bell and ask then if them want to come and live at my house with me?
ME:
uh. no. not exactly
Mariah:
do I just ask all of them who will be my daddy?
ME:
um, no.
Mariah:
oh, so how will I find em'?
ME:
One day it will happen. God already has him chosen for you and knows who he is. He will show him to you when it's time.
Mariah:
oh thats good, cause my feet would be sore looking for for him.

*giggle*

So precious!!

Mother's day was nice at our house. No special treatment, but that's okay. I have a sweet collection of handprints that will keep time frozen for me, what more could any Mama want? The girls made me some beautiful cards and Alyssa kindly thanked me for being the best mom for her 10 11 yrs. *giggle*



So far I've accomplished 2 weeks of this weekly shopping experiment and I really like it! I was slightly under budget (but I also tucked away $60 towards holiday budget...trying desperately hard to save up for that!!!) I also managed to save close to $70, so that was nice. I really love having fresh produce in the house the most, usually by this time it was getting to be slim pickings!!lol
This Saturday will start a fresh new two week cycle, so we'll see how I do this time.
I am wanting to go to the Health food store and my regular grocery store this weekend, so hopefully I make that work into the schedule. There are a few things I really need to get there.

and lastly in my jumbled up post...I am trying to decide on what to do about diapering Breanna on holidays. We have a 9 hour drive (not that I am leaving her in a diaper THAT long, just an idea on how long it is). I REALLY do not want to use cloth the duration of the trip and I am wondering about using either
THESE or possibly THESE ONES. I'm sure glad that Matthew is completely toilet trained (have I mentioned how unbelievably easy he was?!?!lol) so I only have one to worry about with diapering. The G diapers look like a really cool option and a little less bulky to lug around (even after it's used and we're not near a toilet) but I wonder how well they work and what the leakage factor is? Anyone use them before? The less garbage and waste, the better is my opinion, but I have no idea how WELL they work!

Well, that's about it!

Blessings!

In other news.........

So yesterday was a long day. Mostly filled with a few grumpy children. Both Matthew and Kayla were having issues with their ears. Matthew has been having issues for quite some time, but it's hard to tell whether it's just a phase or if he was feeling yucky.

I decided that it was probably time to get them checked out. So we head over to one of the clinics around here (which we HATE). The waiting room SUCKS and the receptionist obviously has no clue how to judge time. I asked when we had signed in about how long she thought it might take before our turn (since I certainly didn't want to be waiting in there and I wanted to tell Bill since he was in the van with the others) she says about 1/2 an hour, it should be quick. I always add about 15mins to their time anyways, so that made it 45mins. One hour and a half later, we get called. No one knew was in there waiting and the receptionist had mysteriously vanished. Thankfully our doctor was pretty good and said that Kayla definitely has an ear infection, full blown. Antibiotics for her. Matthew on the other hand was just slightly pink and inflamed, so either it's clearing up or he's coming down with it. Thankfully, he didn't prescribe anything. So we will treat that with lot's of fluids (room temperature) and vitamins and silver. Warm compresses as well, if he can sit with it long enough!!lol Finally, 2 and half hours later we made it home.
WHEW!

I did however, find this awesome little store there that has all kinds of natural foods and supplements as well as accupuncture and Chinese Medicine. I spent a bit of time chatting with the lady (while Matthew re-arranged her Lara Bar display) it is always so refreshing to talk with someone who is in the same mind frame when it comes to health and wellness. She reminded me that should Kayla need antibiotics, that I need to make sure I replace her intestinal flora with prebiotics and probiotics. I knew that already, but it's so good to see it being reiterated since it is extremely important.

Grocery shopping tomorrow. No money saving coupons this week...bummer. Thankfully though, I have my two $25 gift cards to use.
There are some good ideas and info at Grocery Cart Challenge Blog she manages to feed a family of six with $60 per week! There is no way I could pull that off and still eat decent foods. I do not use coupons anymore (except some of the store coupons) because 95% of them are for processed foods or chemical stuff, which we avoid. Right now my budget feeds a family of 8 (we're a family of 9, but I didn't calculate Breanna since she doesn't actually consume foods yet) at around $8.00 per day, per person. Three of my kids eat adult sized meals and I also feed two extra kids 5 days a week since I still look after my friends two little girls (which I didn't calculate in (my brain is not in a mathematical mood this morning) so it's a bit smaller than that amount. Unless we were to experience financial hardship again, I will never go back to el cheapo foods just to save money. I am so grateful to the Lord that I am able to put healthy, nutritious foods on my table. So very grateful!
I will be much happier when I can eliminate some other foods from our budget, but for now it's baby steps! So far having eliminated cereal and swapped it for more eggs and flour to make good wholesome breakfasts, has been wonderful and has everyone very happy. They did have a bowl cereal for a snack earlier this week and I don't mind if they do that, since moderation is the key and I believe that their palates and stomachs will ultimately guide them in the long run. I have found (and have heard many others say the same) that I actually crave healthier food choices now and the thought of something laced with junk actually makes me a bit nauseous.
I hope the same for them!!!

Here's to health and nourishing foods!!!
Blessings!!

Friday Five

Goodness, I haven't done one of these in ages!!!

You can find your own over at Friday Five

1.What’s your favorite card game?
Definitely FRUSTRATION!! Bill's family taught me and it is hands down my fav!
2.What’s your favorite roll-the-dice-and-move game?
Monopoly!! I love that there are so many different versions now too.
3.What’s your favorite playground game?
Anyone remember 'GROUNDERS'? I'm sure it has other names but the idea is basically tag on the playground.....how we played anyways!!lol
4.What’s your favorite party game?
Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary...I know I'm fairly old school
5.What’s your favorite computer game?
I actually don't have one personally, however, WoW is pretty popular at our house with the boys....ahem! Bill included! Yup, I have a couple of WoWheads here!!


Blessings!!

Promoting Organic foods...a new way!!

I found this over at Amy's Blog and it had us all laughing our heads off!! I hope you enjoy it!!

Works for Me Wednesday

Cloth, cloth and more cloth.......

I LOVE anything that is cloth that I can use for stuff around the house.
Cloth napkins, tablecloths (except for birthdays sometimes), towels (although I do buy some recycled paper towel for extremely dirty stuff like dog messes...she's a puker) and of course cloth diapers and wipes. My newest most favourite has got to be personal cloth or family cloth as some know it as. I have been using family cloth for quite sometime now and I have decided to share it with cyberspace (yes, I know very thoughtful...I thought so too!!lol)
Ok, so I hear you know "Ewwwwwwwww" that sounds disgusting! No toilet paper?!?!? YUCK!! I know this because my husband shares the same opinion!!lol
I have done this for so long now, it is just second nature. However in the beginning it took some getting used to. Mostly just the concept and remembering.
It is very easy and economical, although I'd imagine there would be much more saving involved if the entire family converted. Right now it's just me and Matthew and I am trying to talk the others into it. The younger ones think it's cool while the older ones think it's a bit weird.!!

So here's the positives I have found so far:
*I have not had issues with bladder or yeast infections since switching (I switched about 10 months ago) now this could be partly because of dietary changes as well.
*It is really, REALLY easy to do especially if you are using cloth diapers. I just toss them in the diaper pail and wash with them.
*The cleanliness level is WAY up there...nuff' said
*I'm sure there would be a huge cost benefit if the whole family used this method, but since we don't, I'm not sure.

The Negatives:
* It does get tricky while out and about or visiting people, not so bad while I am toting a baby since I normally take the baby to a bathroom with me. Or at least a kid anyways!!lol
I have found that just by keeping two ziploc baggies in my purse or diaper bag one labeled DIRTY and the other CLEAN is pretty easy.
Before we go out I wet some cloths and stick them in the clean baggie...good to go!

I use two kinds of cloths, one is just regular plain white facecloths. I used a totally different color since my husband was worried about the possibility of using a facecloth that may have inadvertently been used for another purpose!lol The face and body cloths are colored (blue, black etc). After use, I just take it with me and toss it in the diaperpail.Done!
I also have a bunch of 'baby washcloths' that I use only for butt's....they're a bit smaller and are pretty portable. All of the clothwipes and diapers get washed on my sanitary cycle, so I'm not worried about bacteria. Plus, I trust vinegars antibacterial properties as well as a shot of teatree oil every once in awhile...or even a bleach wash every two or three months.

I also can't recommend enough about using cloth for feminine hygiene as well. I made a bunch before Breanna was born and let me tell you how happy I was to have those in the hospital and afterwards.
I am a complete convert....and let me tell you I NEVER thought I would ever be able to get rid of my tampons, but here I am!!! Happy to never buy those again!!
The health benefits are amazing too!! Can't beat that aspect!

So, that is my tip for this week's edition of WFMW-Frugal Edition!!
Any questions? Leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do!!

Oh, and by the way...for those I know in real life....
If you're ever in my house and find yourself looking for a cloth for some reason in my bathroom....heed this word of caution:
USE THE COLORED FACECLOTHS!!!lol!!

Shall I put rocks in my pocket?

oh wait, they're already there!lol It's supposed to get very windy here in a bit, which means where we live now, I should be making advance preparations otherwise I will find myself in a place where everyone is 3 feet tall and telling me what to do...hmmmmm oh wait, I'm already there!!lol

Well it looks as though the guys are all done outside. I'm not sure what comes next, I'm assuming the fence? Sidewalk paving? Who knows! I think I need to accept that I will not have much of a garden this year. Hmph! Most of what I would like to plant should've been started indoors already. Unfortunately, I have no idea how it is going to be set up outside and where exactly I'll be able to garden. I am going to do some bucket gardening though and hopefully get a few things planted. Hopefully!


The excitement is building about our holidays!!
I was so lucky and scooped up a luggage set off of Freecycle, I think if I can find one or two more large ones, I'm set in that department. So here's the list of stuff to get/do:
*suitcases/luggage
*two or three large coolers (47-50L size)
*make a 'to bring' list
*plan out menus and food stuff for those two weeks


Blessings!!

Spring Fresh!

Even though we are well into Spring, it's finally feeling like it here!
It's about time too!

We have bobcats in our yard, getting things ready for fencing and sodding!!WHOOHOO!!! You have no idea how nice it will be to have those!Then I'll be able to get my gardening all planned out and hopefully be able to make room for a composter and rain barrel.

We had a good weekend. Saturday I went to a new health food store, oh-my-stars, it's even better than the one I went to the other week!!lol I love...LOVE....LOVE that store! I have to figure out a way to get there at least a couple of times a month since it's quite a drive from here.
I totally wish I could do all of my shopping there, if only they had larger sizes of things. This is week two of no cereal for breakfast and I can't tell you how awesome it has been! I used the money I would normally spend on cereal and instant oatmeal and put that towards baking needs for muffins and breads as well as bacon and extra eggs.YUMMO!!!

I've also discovered that my kids LOVE Wheat Grass!!!lol I have just thrown some in with their smoothies, but I wonder if it's better to actually juice it and then use the juice?!?! Anyone know? they also just grab handfuls of it and eat it like that!!lol

I was able to get Goat's Milk, butter, cheese, yogurt and unfortunately not raw or unpasteurized milk. but at least it's not homogenized! It's taking some getting used to, since Goat's milk has a different taste to it. However, I'm getting used to it. Matthew LOVES the milk!! The butter really has no flavour, and the yogurt is so yummy. The cheese has the strongest flavour I find, but at least it melts!!lol

Hmmm, I've been interrupted so many times since attempting this, I have no idea where my thought process was going!!lol So, I'll sign off and go do my menu plan monday on the
Foodblog.

Blessings!!

It's Friday!! The sun is shining!! It's Friday!!!

Whooohooo!!!!

I have all my windows open, the kids are outside...FINALLY!!!! No birds though. Bummer.

I have spent the day thus far in my kitchen! I have my Amy's Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Soup simmering away. I have two loaves of bread rising and pizza dough doing the same! I am going to attempt to make a loaf of WF/CF for myself, yet again. If not, I am going to the health food store this weekend!!lol
I need to get some Coconut water and some rice and pasta for me as well as some wheat grass and some stone ground flour. Last night's grocery trip went fairly well. Oddly enough I wasn't any quicker!!lol I am soooooo excited that my grocery store carries antibiotic free and hormone free chicken and beef!! It's about time! So I bought a chicken and some steaks to make into dinners this upcoming week!


Not much on the go this weekend, laundry and maybe some spring cleaning...maybe.lol!!

Have an awesome weekend!!
Blessings!!