LaRae's Life

Busy

2012-03-05T21:13:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness I am not a very attentive blogger! Things have been crazy! We are moving. Which is a big yeah! We are super excited and blessed to be getting into a wonderful house that is just right for our family. Maya and Jasperlyn are busy with ballet. Mason has been busy with wrestling and now piano. He seems to be a natural at both. Elise has been just plain busy!

There is so much to say and so little time, hopefully once we move everything will get more organized and less a mess! And no I am not talking about our house but everything!

Until then. I will post pictures of the new home and all. Talk to you soon!

Why we trick or treat...

2011-10-22T17:06:00.000-05:00

Long time no see! I have been crazy busy! Between a booming baby item business, 4 children, working part-time at the Macon County Health Department as a Peer Breastfeeding Counselor for the WIC office, babysitting a slew of kids in our home with Paul’s Help, you could say I am stretched a bit thin… But we are trucking on. Hoping that all this craziness will pay off for our family in the long run! Last night we made our annual trip to Boo at the Zoo. This is always a huge highlight of our kid’s year. Thought I would share some pictures of our event. We did this on the spur so more pictures to come when they get all fully dolled up for Halloween.

Here is a couple from before we left....

This one they posed for and asked to have a picture taken. Captain America is protecting Rapunzel.

This is after we got home, my sleepy little lamb after her first trip to Boo at the Zoo.

Many people ask why we do the whole Halloween thing, when we do not do the whole Santa Claus thing. So here's the deal Halloween originated in the 8th century. Pope Gregory III made Nov. 1 a day to honor all the saints and martyrs, they call the day All Saints' Day. The day before became known as All Hallows' Eve. Eventually it became a community event for children and families to come together for fun activities. So for us a family fun holiday is all in good fun, we don't dress up as evil things, we let the kids pick their costumes and we have a ton of fun together as a family. And then the kids get to keep the costumes for dress up play year around. Now as for the whole Santa Claus thing.... We chose not to take Jesus' Birthday celebration and turn it into a Naughty or Nice, Cole or Presents event. We still have presents but they are from us, not Santa. our children hear about Jesus and not Santa. And we try super hard to explain to our kids that it is not their place to tell other children that there is no Santa. We have explained the history of Santa and Saint Nicholas. And our children still love to watch the Santa movies and even pretend to be Santa at times. But that story is for another blog. :P

Until next time.......

CH CH CH CHanges.....

2011-08-25T17:45:00.000-05:00

Lots and lots of changes in our lives right now. From when Paul quit working at Wilbert Burial Vault were he worked for nearly 11 years to rearranging our home. Thanks are changing. Having 3 children all so close in age has them very close to one another emotionally as well. They have not been sleeping in their own rooms, let alone their own beds! LOL So we moved Mason into the girls room. I realize eventually we will have to separate them, but for now in our little house this works. So there is a bunk bed in the kids room his has Mason's bed on top, girls bed on bottom. The girls have nearly always slept together. Jasperlyn will not sleep alone so it's always been either with us or Maya and most day she ends up in our bed any way. Now Mason is in love with his bed. He says it's no girls allowed. LOL

Mason's room is not our "TV room" or Family room. We don't have an official name for it yet. But the best news of all. We have a dining room! That's right folks a real dining room table to eat our meals together at. We have been eating on TV trays because there was no place for our table. But now with the TV and other items from the living room in the new Family room, we have a living room/dining room! It is great for meals and for homeschooling. We love it! The house is getting bigger it seems. It's like a new house, in fact the kids keep saying "We're making a new house right mom! I love our new house!" LOL So pictures..... first off you should know, my house is never clean. ever.....

The Family Room pictures

Living Room Picture 1

Living Room Picture 2

We are also trying to find a new place where we can worship God and serve him. And now Paul and myself are in college through different online colleges. Paul is attending Lincoln Christian again, but this time through their online program. I am at Ashford University. If you wanna compare online schools ask me I've done them all. University of Phoenix is a JOKE, Kaplan is a good one, Ashford is still too new for me to give a good opinion. :)

The girls started Ballet at Richland this year. It is much cheaper and by much cheaper I mean WAY cheaper, and I have them in a Liturgical class which means all Christian music. Yay!

Of course as you can see there is Jasperlyn in the glasses, then Maya behind, then Brooklynn and Kadence Boyd. All love their teacher Miss Leanna.

We also recently tried the Papa Murphy's Lil Murph's pizza you take them home and the kids get to put it together just like the workers do with mom and dad's pizza. The kids were so proud of their pizza's here is a before oven picture.

Here's some from our most recent Photo Shoot with our favorite photographer Grandma Barb (Barbara Harp)

Of course I have to share some of the monkey.... Who just turned 9 months old!

Memories

2011-08-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

In honor of breastfeeding week, I wanted to share some old pictures of nursing my now 5 year old twins.

Here Mason is getting Burped and Maya is still eating.

Here they are holding hands while nursing. Mason on the left and Maya on the right.

Caution using Cloth diapers can very well lead to....

2011-08-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

Other things! Well I use cloth on my baby so I also use cloth wipes. Because it makes since to not dig out disposable wipes to throw in the garbage prior to throwing the cloth diapers into the dirty diaper bin. What else can using cloth diapers lead to. I use cloth on my baby so I also use cloth on myself. Yes that is right people cloth menstrual pads. Reusable, soft, comfortable cloth menstrual pads. I paid about as much as it costs for 2-4 months worth of disposable pads and got my cloth that will last 7 years or more depending on its hold up.
And what do these marvelous creations look like?

There are 3 sizes. I have mainly one size, but I also have 3 extra large over night ones and 2 smaller ones for the rare light day. As you can see they have snaps so that they secure into place.

Little Bee Creations is who I bought for http://stores.ebay.com/Little-Bee-Creations?_trksid=p4340.l2563

She makes them super fast! You can pick your own designs or you can let her decide which is what I did. I said I love pink and what ever you wanna send is fine, and this is what I got. I'm totally happy with them! m

So caution people, using cloth diapers can lead to all kinds of cloth changes!

Bedsharing....Again

2011-07-30T07:52:00.000-05:00

Warning: The pictures in this blog include sleeping children and nursing babies, if that offends you..... don't read.

Last night the whole family slept together. The twins asked to sleep upstairs too. Which I thought was cute, Paul thought was not as cute. LOL None the less. Here is a picture of the set up. I was over with the red, black, grey blanket. and though you can't see her that is where Elise is as well.

Sorry the pic quality aint great. I was trying to get a quick snap shot without waking any of the sleeping LO's! But so from left to right. It was Me, Elise, Paul. Then from top to bottom it was Maya, Jasperlyn, Mason. :) And everyone slept great.

We need to rearrange up there to get things better situated. But all in all I like the set up. I do think now we should move to a cheaper smaller place if we are all gonna be in one room! J/K LOL The twins normally do sleep seperate. But they are still fairly young, so you gotta cut them some slack. The night before last there was a lot of nightmares. Sleeping this way gives them a lot of comfort.

Here is a picture of Elise from the other night. The reason its so easy to sleep well with a Breastfeeding infant is that the buffet is right next door. I just roll over and she helps her self. LOL

What you can't see in the picture is that she has my hair in her other hand and is whipping it back and forth and cuddling it. While her eyes are closed. LOL

Bed-Sharing vs Co-Sleeping

2011-07-26T07:41:00.000-05:00

Recently I was told that co-sleeping is sharing a room, but not a bed. And bed sharing was as it says, sharing a bed. Recently we became a bed-sharing family. Well not all of us, but most of us. LOL The twins do not sleep in our bed, but everyone else does. We have two full size beds mashed up together. And I won't say who sleeps where, because we don't really have "spots". But Jasperlyn used to sleep in the same room as Maya, but she was always sneaking into our bed and then crying hysterically when we would move her back into her bed. So traumatic for her and me! So I decided that she could just sleep with us. Elise does. And last night everyone laid down for bed and all were happy. And though it may be a step backwards of sorts it is a step forward in taking back our sleep!

Now for those of you with dirty minds who are already wondering were the "adult time" is gonna happen. The answer is easy. Obviously not in the bed! LOL Here is a favorite article I read of Mayim Bialik's (you may know her as Blossom). Aside from being an actress she is also a Neuroscientist and a holistic parent. Here is what she says about bed-sharing.

"Mayim Bialik: Why we let our children sleep in our bed
Two kids, no cribs... no problem? Sharing a bed with your kids isn't the norm in the U.S., but former "Blossom" actress Mayim Bialik explains how it works for her family -- and why she doesn't think it's so weird.

Denise Herrick Borchert

By Mayim Bialik, Ph.D., TODAY Moms contributor

We sleep with our two kids. They are 5 and 2, and I have never owned a crib or a bassinet. Our family bed consists of two futons on the floor side by side: one with black sheets, the other adorned with knights, castles and dragons. We don’t co-sleep, which means sleeping in the same room; we sleep in the same bed. That’s called bed-sharing.

I know some of you think it’s unsafe. I know some of you think it’s unhealthy. I know some of you think my spoiled, coddled kids will never outgrow it. And let’s just be brutally honest: I know you think it’s weird.

Unsafe. Sleeping with your children is not unsafe. It’s actually really safe and really smart: you know the condition of your child at any time at an arm’s length. There are well-established guidelines for how to sleep safely with your baby. When you sleep with your baby, you know if they are coughing, congested, starting to fuss, or if they’re too cold or too hot. A mother’s body is designed to adjust to help her newborn achieve optimal body temperature; talk about smart! Rolling onto a baby is an exaggerated fear that is not based on any research. It is not hard to make a bed safe for a baby. Either put it on the floor or get a bed rail to keep your little one from rolling out. So it looks ugly? Sorry. So does my tummy after two kids.

Unhealthy. Sleeping with your baby facilitates easier and less stressful breast-feeding, which is the healthiest thing you can do for your child in the first year of life. Sleeping with your baby stimulates hormones that encourage bonding, reduce anxiety and depression, and increase the chances that you will establish a strong supply of breast milk. The vigilance a new mother has for her baby is programmed into our DNA. Mammals sleep with other mammals; we are supposed to do it. You don’t sleep alone, why should babies and children?

Outgrowing it. Do you know any 18-year-olds sleeping with their parents? Nursing? Using a pacifier? Wearing a diaper? I didn’t think so. Early dependence on our parents for comfort, warmth, safety, and love at night, as well as in the day, is natural and normal. Children outgrow the “need” when they are developmentally ready to do so. There is no evidence that children who sleep with their parents are whiny, clingy, spoiled, or less able to become productive, sensitive and caring adults. On the contrary, families who sleep together report feelings of security, closeness and trust that I think our society could use more of.

Weird. There is nothing inherently weird or wrong about sleeping with your children. It feels good to cuddle, doesn’t it? Babies and kids think so, too. It’s NORMAL. Worried about your fantastic sex life taking a hit? Find other places to have sex besides your bed. End of story. If your kid kicks, get a bed attachment like the Arm's Reach co-sleeper. If you are such a light sleeper that you feel homicidal every morning, I am not going to tell you that you have to sleep with your kid. Do I sleep as well with my kids in our bed as I would without? No. But it will be over soon, and it’s not weird to want to be close to your children when their physiological and psychological development dictates that they need to be held close.

The Lowdown. We used to have one futon for me, my husband and baby No. 1. Then I got pregnant and we added the “big brother” futon where my husband and the soon-to-be “big brother” started sleeping. Invariably, when baby No. 2 arrived, I slept with both boys. The family bed is the great unifier: It’s the place we are all equal. Even when our first son’s role in the family shifted because of the newborn, when the sun went down, we were all equal in our one big bed. These days (and nights), my husband sleeps in the knights and castles bed with our older son, and I sleep with our younger son. A few nights a week, our older son bounces over to “my bed” and returns to my husband for morning cuddles as I nurse our younger son into the new day.

The moments we share in the dawn I would not give up for anything: the whispers, the giggles, the just-awakening dreams and musings of a very small person who is happy and safe in my arms. “Mama, I’m going to sleep with you even when I’m a teenager” was whispered to me before my eyes even popped open last week. I simply laughed; little does he know how undesirable that would be for all involved!

The moments we share after we recite the Jewish blessings of nighttime are also precious to us -- watching our boys go from awake and fiery to restful and angelic: asleep at last. I find myself gazing at those faces many times a night; a reminder that although my husband and I may not be perfect, the boys who carry our names might just be. And that’s a reminder that gives us comfort -- all night long.

REference: http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/03/07/6212018-mayim-bialik-why-we-let-our-children-sleep-in-our-bed , Retrieved 7/26/2011

Mayim Bialik starred in the early-1990s television show “Blossom” and currently appears on the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” She earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007, and wrote her thesis on Prader-Willi syndrome. The spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network and a certified lactation educator, Bialik is writing a book about attachment parenting, and she has two sons, Miles, 5, and Frederick, 2. She blogs regularly at TODAYMoms.com."

Camping, Cloth Diapering, Poison Ivy

2011-07-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

So for several years Paul and I have been going to Cornerstone Festival. For those who do not know what C-stone is it is a Christian music festival with hundreds of bands, lots of food, and lots of merchandise. You spend the week camping out. This year I was pretty worried of the aspect of camping out for a week with 4 children 5 and under in the blistering heat of July. We left at 10 - 11 pm the night before the festival. We knew we wouldn't get in until 9 am the next day, but we also knew some had been camping out for days and the line would already be in place. We wanted a good camping spot so off we went. We got there around 1:30 or so. We were in the fourth row in the line. And we slept in the van.

So although we got there so early when we finally got in around 9:00 am we still didn't get our usual spot. But we were close. We still got in the shade and in the general area. All in all I was pleased with where we ended up.

We set up our tent, and the kids tent. The kids have their own tent that they love. Although only Mason and Maya slept in that one, which was right next to ours.

Jasperlyn slept in her own bed in our tent per her request and Elise slept in our bed. All kids slept amazingly all week despite any weather, noisy campers, or blaring music.

Although Maya immediately came down with a horrid case of poison ivy. That she continued to break out in throughout the week.

We did spend some time in the van in the air conditioning. And a couple naps were spent there as well. But other than that we used the golf cart for rides to cool down when needed.

We lived on that golf cart. It was a life saver. Not only did it always get us from our camp site that was a mile or more away, but also kept the kids entertained whenever they were stressed out, bored, or hot.

The kids loved to dance and in some cases mosh around. But when it got late they slept wherever they were. Even if it was P.O.D blaring from the stage!

I was continuing to cloth diaper for the week despite the camping trip. This is obviously more proof that I am absolutely in love with cloth diapering! I hand washed every diaper and insert and then set them out to dry in the sun. Which is what they do at home anyway since my dryer is broken.

Maya's favorite music group was SHEL which is a group of 4 sisters. They were amazing and so very talented. She loved their hats!

All in all the week was a lot of fun. We did end up leaving super late on Sunday night. But everyone has tons of memories and had lots of fun!

Ford Windstar upgrade

2011-06-10T06:24:00.000-05:00

Well our 1999 Ford Windstar has had a long life.

After we bought the van in 2007 used of course, it wasn't long before we started to notice all the things wrong with it. Within a day of the purchase, the overdrive light continually blinks, this is not a functional issue so I never worried about it, but that's not the only thing that never worked after day 1. The wipers have never worked right aside from working just long enough for us to test drive it. They only function on the highest setting. Which is something I've gotten used to and is a hard habit to break to not keep turning wipers on and off to get it to go then stop in light rain in vehicles that function properly. But was not a big enough issue for us to actually pay money to get it fixed. The next to go out, the Breaks. We have put tons of money into brakes. Trying to fix everything. They finally got to where they work ok, but the light inside the van still says that the ABS is not functioning. Now the transmission is broken. It never wants to switch gears and at times will not move, this makes driving it not too easy. Especially when it switches to neutral while driving it. Again though something I knew would cost more to change than the van was worth, but something I could live with. The next thing to go is the doors, none of them stay shut. So not to mention the danger of driving with doors that don't shut, the incessant beeping telling me a door is ajar is quite annoying. Okay so the radio doesn't work either which is not a big deal but is worth mentioning. And the spark plugs we keep trying to replace, that go to the radio and our lighter plug/chargers, continues to blow as soon as we put it in, gotta be something wrong there. Aside from all of that the engine is kaput. The thing sounds like it is going to blow up when we drive it. It sounded like it did blow up on Wednesday night when we were driving home. Something blew and smoke came shooting out. It is impossible to drive, you have to constantly be driving with your foot slammed on the gas or it dies. So What a mess! It still makes the coin in cup rattling sound when it is running so whatever that is did not change or blow something else did. Now all that mentioned, we considered having it looked at and even talked to some car mechanics. But in the end decided that the money we would put continue to put into the 1999 van was not worth it. And since we have dozens of places to go on a daily and weekly basis. There was no one who could loan us a vehicle that would fit our family while this van was worked on anyway.....

So we upgraded. We got a 2003 Ford Windstar. LOL When I went to look at other vehicles I did not plan on getting another Windstar or any specific vehicle. Though I do prefer Fords I like the way they drive and usually last reasonably well. It just happened. Do I love it, I do. I did not like the idea of a car payment again, since out last vehicle was paid off, but we do what we have to. Now if we ever decide to get the ole 1999 checked out we will have two vehicles our family will fit in, which is a good thing anyway.

Paul is going to have to get a job now though. There's no way my babysitting will pay for it, especially right now when I only have 1 full time kid.

What do I love best about the new (to us) van?

It is just like my old one! LOL with lots of upgrades of course. And everything works.
It has a warranty so if something is broken and we can't tell right away it will get fixed.
It has an entertainment station. (We had already purchased a DVD player for our last van and it hooks into the current setup, adding screens)
Automatic doors! Oh my goodness, I love the automatic doors!

What I don't like about the van is that I can not get used to the outside look of it, I am never gonna find this thing in Wal-Mart parking lot!

What I do find funny is that I was looking at the van and really loving it before I ever noticed what kind it was. LOL Too bad they don't make them anymore I'd probably buy another one in 10 years!

TV shows

2011-05-16T11:06:00.001-05:00

So not happy when I went to eonline and saw several of the shows I enjoy watching are cancelled for next season! I realize by sharing this information you will see just what an insane amount of TV I actually watch, but apparently I will be watching less this fall....

If the show is bolded, it's already been renewed for next season (and sometimes beyond). If the show is still awaiting official confirmation of a pickup, it's simply in italics. If the show has a strikethrough, well, you've probably already figured out that means it's been canceled. The shows that are in Yellow are the shows I watch. The shows that are in Blue are awful shows in my opinion and can't believe they are still on the air! And the shows in Red I have never even heard of....And of course the shows that are without color are shows I either have seen or not, but could really care less whether or not they are cancelled or renewed.

ABC

The Bachelor
The Bachelorette
~~Better With You~~
Body of Proof
~~Brothers & Sisters~~
Castle
Cougar Town
Dancing With the Stars
Desperate Housewives
~~Detroit 1-8-7~~
Grey's Anatomy
Happy Endings
The Middle
Modern Family
~~Mr. Sunshine~~
No Ordinary Family
Off the Map
Private Practice
V

CBS

The Amazing Race
The Big Bang Theory
Blue Bloods
Criminal MindsCriminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
~~The Defenders~~
The Good Wife
Hawaii Five-0
How I Met Your Mother
~~Mad Love~~
The Mentalist
Mike & Molly
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
Rules of Engagement
~~$#*! My Dad Says~~
Survivor
Two and a Half Men
Undercover Boss

90210
America's Next Top Model
Gossip Girl
Hellcats
Nikita
One Tree Hill
Supernatural
The Vampire Diaries

FOX

American Dad
American Idol
Bob's Burgers
Bones
~~Breaking In~~
~~The Chicago Code~~
The Cleveland Show
Family Guy
Fringe
Glee
House
~~Human Target~~
~~Lie to Me~~
Raising Hope
The Simpsons
~~Traffic Light~~

NBC

30 Rock
The Biggest Loser
~~The Cape~~
Celebrity Apprentice
Chuck
Community
~~The Event~~
Harry's Law
~~Law & Order: Los Angeles~~
Law & Order: SVU
The Office
~~Outsourced~~
Parenthood
Parks and Recreation
Perfect Couples
The Voice

Playing with clothes...

Busy Busy Busy, sometimes toooooo busy

2011-05-15T19:24:00.000-05:00

Friday Paul and I took all 7 kids to the zoo. Would have been nice if Scovill had mentioned that it was a field trip day on their website. It was a bit crazy.

Friday night we went to our Greenhouse end of the year dinner. Greenhouse is a Christian Homeschool group Paul and I are a part of. It is a time when the kids can. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and had a blast. The kids can't stop talking about what they wanna do next year!

We got up early Saturday to take the kids to Paul's mom's house. She watched them while Paul and I renewed CPR certification. Well I renewed. Paul got his for the first time. A big thank you to Darren Barnhill for providing that class! After the class we went to pick up the kids. Barb offered us lunch. Which we loved and was delicious. We left there at 1:20.

Then we decided to go see a movie with the kids. We chose Rio. After sitting down, right as the movie started my phone started vibrating. I didn't recognize the number, but then it hit me. Paul was supposed to meet some people at Panera. I didn't know what time though. I had hoped he hadn't missed it. So i got Paul's attention and handed him my phone. He had missed the appointment. This made both of us feel sick. Thats just the worst thing ever! Lives are too busy. When we got home I made Paul write down the new meeting time on the huge wall calendar.

On a side note the movie was adorable. It is about a little blue parrot, Blu, who can not fly and is taken to Rio to mate with the only other known all Blu parrot of that breed. Adorable story. Close to the end *spoiler alert, skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know!!!!!!!!!*But close to the end of the story the bird, Blu, fly's and at this point of the movie my 5 year old's Cheered and Maya started clapping furiously. LOL So cute! I also got to nurse during the movie. I nursed in my wrap. One more big step for me who is still over coming the weird feeling society has put on my about nursing in public. I am getting better. LOL

Today we went to McLean for a baby dedication for baby Z. Very excited that we got to spend some time with the Goggin's. They are like the best friend/family/amazing people in our lives. I really wish we lived closer. But then we'd never to anything apart..... We'd probably get sick of each other. Well Nikki and I might, Paul and Tim would move in together. LOL

Then when we got back Paul had his rescheduled meeting. While he was at the meeting Maya lost her first tooth! We knew it was loose. Pretty cool. They are growing up so freaking fast! It just blows my mind!

All and all a crazy weekend!

Natural Parenting

2011-05-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness the more kids I have the more into Natural parenting I become! I am a breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, natural feeding fool!

This is a listing of things that contain lead. Lead! That we are putting in our kids bodies. This is one reason I am slowly turning to the "old" ways of doing things. Yes it takes longer to feed your kids homemade natural foods and to cloth diaper your kids, but good grief think of all the chemicals you can avoid! Here are some links with info.

Here is one on Lead in Juice and other food
http://www.inhabitots.com/85-of-kids-drinks-snacks-could-contain-high-levels-of-lead/

Oh how I despise baby food. This is something I stopped using after the twins. The crap that is in those store brand baby food containers. Yuck! So with Jasperlyn we skipped the pureed goop all together. How many mammals in the animal kingdom do you see weaning their babies off milk and forcing food in their mouth before they can eat on their own? Now I still believe in taking it slow and eating new foods carefully.

LLL suggests this progression when introducing your baby (6 months or older) to solid foods:

Ripe banana, avocado, yam, or sweet potato (sweet like breastmilk)
Meats
Whole-grain breads and cereals (rather than baby cereals)
[wheat and corn are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
Fresh fruits
[citrus fruits are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
Vegetables
Dairy products after 9 months
[cow's milk is usually delayed until baby is 12-18 months old]

As for cloth diapering. I get such satisfaction out of it. It really is not that much more inconvenient. I don't think. Instead of carrying dirty diapers in nice smelling small disposable bags, I carry dirty cloth inserts in a wet bag. It's like 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week. Depending on how many inserts you have. It really makes me feel like I am taking care of my baby. Without cutting corners.

Now I have nothing against other momma's who use disposables or whatever. I did with my other children. I now do wish I could go back and do everything that I am doing now with them. But you learn with each child and that is just how it is.

I could have saved like $8000 if I had cloth diapered my three other children. I mean that is the more than the cost I paid for my van! And that is just the monetary aspect of it. Think of the health benefits. Check out this link!

http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

Here is one on BPA free products STILL containing BPA! I don't use a bottle for my kids, they prefer the boob, but still thought it would be good to share info.

http://www.safbaby.com/what-bpa-free-bottles-are-really-free-of-bpa

I breastfeed because it is normal and natural. Research that says breastfed babies are smarter is incorrect. Breastfed babies are normal. Formula fed babies tend to be less intelligent would be a more correct statement. Before everyone freaks out, I realize not everyone can breastfeed. I myself had to feed my twins formula after they were 4 months old because of bad advise and not enough support to continue.

This is a reason that the Human milk banks around the world need to expand and advertise more. The cans of formula themselves say they are not as good as breast milk. Instead of eating an apple would you each a chemically created ball that said on its box that it has many of the same ingredients of an apple? Or does that sound crazy? Just saying. It is insane to me that women are nearly encouraged to give up. Any time some nursing complication comes up parents, nurses, even doctors say to supplement with formula. Which is the worse thing you can do!

Again I am not talking about people who have no choice. I think there should be more milk donating places around to offer moms the option of continuing to feed their baby human milk. It was made for human babies. I don't know how many kittens I watched die because they had to be put on kitten formula because they were away from their mom. It is crazy to me. But again to each their own. Some women are so disgusted at the thought of breastfeeding they berate people like me who breastfeed. They say it is disgusting. LMBO It's the most natural thing I can do with my baby. But the USA especially has sexualized breasts to such a point that it is disturbing to see a little girl pretend to breastfeed her baby doll. Seriously? What is this world coming to?

Enough rambling for the day.

Happy Mothers Day!

2011-05-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

So a precursor for this blog. I asked Paul for a clean house for mothers day. Heres how my day went......
At 1:30 am Paul came to bed, so I thought I was in for a real treat in the morning. I woke up to my 6:00 am alarm, wanted to go back to sleep but Elise was also woken by the alarm. So I fed her then we came downstairs. At which Paul gave me a dirty look, I was supposed to get breakfast in bed apparently and I'd ruined it. But he let me eat the eggs, toast, bacon, and oj downstairs anyway. The house, not clean. He did clear off the couch's and did a load of dishes. Better than nothing.

We made it to church on time. This is always a miracle. After church we got home and Paul offered to take us out to eat. So we went to Carlos O'kellys and had a great lunch. As I was ordering my food Maya was getting her straw. I had to thank Paul as she spit the paper off her straw directly into my face as I was ordering. Ah.... the joys of motherhood... Jasperlyn also opened the salt shaker and dumped it all over herself.

We got home and since we have 1 bathroom its a bit crazy sometimes, Mason said he had to go real bad. Since he is a boy, he has been known to just go outside and pee on a tree. But nothing could have prepared me for what transpired..... My son took a dump in the back yard, because he said he couldn't wait... He also wiped his butt on the grass he told me. This prompted bath time...

Elise got her first and second tooth today as well. It was the front two bottom teeth.

I made 6 more cloth diaper inserts.

All in all it was a pretty good Mothers Day I'd say. :)

gDiaper Cloth diapering day 2

2011-05-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM! I am never going back to disposables. Though Elise is most likely our last child (especially since Paul is getting a vasectomy on May 18, this month) we always seem to get surprised by our pregnancies. Even when the twins was planned, it turned out to be twins BIG surprise! So I don't count on it being over until the doctor tells me in 6 months that my man is shooting blanks! LOL Any way, I love cloth diapering.

Washing my first load now. Which I am sure will be more disgusting when she is not solely breastfed and begins solids and her poo isn't so "not gross". But doesn't matter. The cheapness combined with the easiness of it. I wasn't expecting it to be so easy.

Cloth diapering has come such a long way. The gDiapers we chose have a cute outter shell and an snap in water proof liner, then the cloth insert. The whole thing Velcro seals. WOW. So much easier than using a piece of cloth and safety pinning it around the baby who I am sure is not very cooperative for all this. Then putting on plastic panties to prevent leaks. I love my gDiapers. The biodegradable inserts work amazing as well. We have tried those as well.

I so wish I had started it with the twins!

Last night we had a co-sleeping puppy pile! LOL In our small bed we had Paul, myself, Jasperlyn, and Elise! Bit cramped, but I still feel rested, so I must have been comfortable enough.

Here's her little gButt. LOL

gDiaper Cloth diapering

2011-05-06T11:57:00.000-05:00

Yeah the gDiapers are in! Love them! They are adorable! I got some new from Amazon and some used from eBay.

Here is what I have so far in a nutshell...

I have 8 gDiapers, 6 used and 2 new. 14 inner snap in liners, 4 packages of disposable gInserts, and I am making my own cloth inserts (see previous blog post). 1 package of RockinGreen cloth diaper washing machine detergent and a scoop for that. All this cost me under $200. And it will last most likely for the duration of Elise's diapering life.

So compared to the $2000 plus I would be spending from now until then I think this is gonna be pretty amazing. We had our first diaper change and it was a success. No leaks at all. And the disposable diaper we were using earlier today before I got my shipment in blew out everywhere! Huge mess! So already i am so happy with cloth diapering.

My only complaint is that I wish I had started it 5 years ago with the twins! Can you imagine having spent $200-400 for 4 kids diapering for their whole diapering life? Insane! What was I thinking?!?!?!? I will keep you updated but so far I am soooooo happy!

Now I just have to make more cloth inserts! I may even resell the disposable inserts I bought on eBay.

Elise playing with the gDiapers

Elise nursing in the wrapsody.

cloth diaper inserts

2011-05-03T17:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, I received my disposable liners for my gDiapers in the mail today. I plan on using the disposable liners to keep in the diaper bag for outings and such. I haven't gotten my actual gDiapers in the mail yet, but I want to mainly use cloth inserts in them most if not eventually all of the time. Since the gDiapers brand cloth inserts cost a fortune, I decided to make my own. Here's my journey.

First I took the regular Gerber large prefolds and a receiving blanket.

Then I cut the outer edges and the extra length (by measuring the disposable gDiaper insert) as shown below. The peice in the middle is the piece I will use later.

Then I measured my receiving blanket and cut out a piece to use as the cover. Then sewed all sides except one with the receiving blanket inside out.

Then I turned it right side out and sled in the pre-fold diaper piece and sewed the last side shut. Then I sewed it all together so it wouldn't bunch inside. I just did a couple designs. I suck at sewing as you can see. But it should serve its purpose! LOL

Here's the three I made. I am gonna wait to make sure they are perfect for us before making the rest.

I made these with 1 receiving blanket and 3 pre-folds. The great things is these can be hand me down material. They don't need to be new and unused. I will keep you all updated!

Last box

2011-05-02T13:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spent money for the last time on disposable diapers. I ordered my gDiapers. I got six cute pink ones off eBay for $50. Now I am going to make my own cloth inserts. I did order some of the flushable liners for travel. I will keep you all updated on everything every step of the way. I am so excited!

Nursing in Public

2011-04-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

Still trying to get my guts with this one. Tonight I nursed at Applebee's. I used my Moby wrap. I took Elise into the bathroom first and there we got all in position. I used the mirror to help get everything situated and make sure we were covered. Then I went back to the table. She did great! I still have trouble getting over nursing in public mentally. It's a struggle to not worry about what others will think. I always feel like everyone is looking at me and I know that is crazy and that most people probably wouldn't notice even if I didn't use the wrap. LOL But I am still getting braver. I would say that this is step on to being a more confident NIP momma!

Teeth come on!

2011-04-12T18:10:00.000-05:00

I feel like I am losing my mind! The drool, the chewing, the constant edginess. This child's teeth need to come in now. She is sooooo not happy!

Even the Sophie is not enough!

Unless she is nursing or in the Moby Wrap!

There's my first online nursing photo, I'm getting braver! LOL

I really hope she gets some teeth soon! I can't take much more. However she is still sleeping through the night like a pro. So she is still a great little addition no matter what. :)

The Elliptical is my friend!

2011-04-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

Finally making some time for myself! The hardest thing about breastfeeding is being the sole provider of nutrients to the baby. I feel guilty every time I leave the house with out her. So today she turns 5 months old and I have finally started going back to the gym this week. It's hard because I have to wait till she wakes up so I can feed her, but it has to still be before 6 that I go, so I am back for the next feeding and all the kids. I did manage to do it a few times this past week. Which was wonderful. But then today I really wanted to and Elise slept till 6:35am. Can't complain about my baby girl sleeping from 8:30 - 6:35... But i kinda wish she'd woke up at 5 am! LOL I was happy to see that I could still do 30 minutes or more on the elliptical. It had taken me a couple weeks to work up to 45 minutes before this last pregnancy. Now I feel like physically I could, but emotionally I don't like being away that long.

Time Warp

2011-03-13T07:19:00.000-05:00

So Elise wakes up at 6:00 am, but it is really like 5am or at least it would have been 5 am had the time change not happened. But anyway she wakes up at 6:00, Paul and I put her back to bed and since it's Sunday we have to get up and get moving. At 7 am we both look at each other and say how tired we are and how it feels like 5! So why do I feel like I have lost 2 hours instead of just one?

The "big" kids camped out in the living room, in Mason's Cars Bed Tent. LOL All three of them on a twin size matress in the middle of the living room floor. LOL Hilarious. I hope they got SOME sleep last night.

We went to bed around 9pm, which of course then we lost an hour. So Elise slept 8 hours which is a short amount of time for her really. Girl likes her sleep! LOL Except during the day, she eats every 1 to 1 and a half hours. But I'm cool with that if she keeps giving me a full nights sleep! LOL

So Paul has been home for the last 2 weeks. Its definitely an adjustment financially as well as emotionally! LOL It is nice having him home, but it's harder to keep the house clean at the same time as being easier. That doesn't sound like it makes sense. But it does in my head. LOL He helps out, but only if I ask him too. He is not yet too much into the just doing the things that need to be done without the request for them to be done. LOL Typical man I guess, but he needs to step it up now that he is home, i can't be taking care of him and all the kids!

We have taken on some more day care kids. Still looking for a couple more, older kids preferably. Especially before the seasons change to Summer. We'll not have the kids whose mom's are teachers. The little boys we are watching now are adorable. It is weird how the kids you babysit on a regular basis, really start to become part of the family. :)

Ugh! I am ready to start back up at the gym, I just have to get over the guilt feeling of leaving the kids. I had it before Elise and now its worse. Guilt sucks! Especially since i know that it is very important to exercise and get back into shape for them not just me!

Well I need to stop procrastinating and get ready for church. I am sure this is gonna be a rough morning. Little kids like to wake up on their own and not be forced outta bed, should be interesting. I got them donuts for breakfast, should smooth the transition. LOL

Well until next time......
LaRae

Happy Days

2011-03-09T19:23:00.000-06:00

Today was a good day. Busy, but my days are always busy. :) We had french toast for breakfast and turkey casserole for lunch. We danced, we sang, the kids napped, and we had lesson time as well. All in all it was a good day, I am exhausted.

I have decided I want to trade my treadmill for an elliptical..... The elliptical does more in less time. And if there is anything I need to save on, other than money it is time!

Dakota our dog is on edge. The neighbors got a German Shepard and that dog barks all day and night. Poor Dakota is paranoid. He's barking every time he hears that other dog bark.

5 year old twins

2011-02-15T10:03:00.000-06:00

Today is the day. 5 years ago at this time I was in horrid pain, had just given up and gotten my epidural after being in labor with twins for 9 hours. And began a game of cards with Paul to take my mind off the pain. :) I can't believe its been 5 years. It honestly seems like yesterday. Everyone one of my babies birth feels like yesterday. The twins birth is as fresh in my mind as Elise's. It is so weird. They've grown up so fast my head is still spinning. Today we are going to Next of Kiln for some fun creative time just Paul, Mason, Maya and myself. It has been a very long time that just the four of us did something together. I am excited, it should be loads of fun!

My cousin Nikki is in labor right now. I hope her little guy comes soon! Nikki was born on my 5th birthday, pretty funny if her little guy is born on my kids 5th birthday! LOL

Whoo Hoo

2011-02-07T08:15:00.000-06:00

Well I'm losing weight still Yeah!!!! I am trying to do Biggest Loser on the Wii. It can be challenging at times, but that's the idea right? LOL My weight is down to 203.4 lbs. I hate that I am still so over weight. They tell me I should weigh around 115 due to my short stature. But I'd be happy with 135. I was there right before the twins so I know it is attainable and sustainable. LOL I hope in posting my actual weight it will help keep me accountable. I figure the more people that are watching the better I will be at this new lifestyle. I don't have much time to post today. But wanted to post my new weight.

Until next time....

Still going down

2011-01-31T08:41:00.000-06:00

Well the good news is the weight is still going down. The bad news is that I am not trying. Which sounds good at first. But how much could I be losing if I was working hard at it?

Weight 205.6

My previous weight was 207.6 that was 10 days ago. I plan starting tomorrow to start working out seriously at least 3 times a week. I need to keep my food consumption in check as well. I have been eating like crazy. You would think I was starving. I need to be more aware about what is going into my body and care about it!

Until next time...