Our Crazy House

Gluten Free Update - Day 66

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:34:00 +0000

I'm still hanging in there. It's kind of hard because we have to make meals much differently now.

Meijer is a good place to shop for GF (Gluten Free) mixes.
Kroger has Udi's GF bread products. I've purchased GF hamburger buns, GF hot dog buns, GF bagels, and GF loaves of bread there. They're not just in with the breads or in with the GF stuff in the natural foods section. They are on a small display case set up near both sections, though. You have to really look for it.
Whole Foods has GF products, as well. I just don't get there often, plus they can be a bit pricey.

If you've gone GF, you probably know that while GF foods are not everywhere, they are getting much easier to find. It seems most groceries carry at least some GF food items.

I must admit that I have yet to find GF cookies or GF crackers that taste like anything other than yuck. If you're aware of any, please let me know!!

Review: Pirates Bay Water Park in KY

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:08:00 +0000

Right after Christmas, we had the privilege of staying at the Pirates Bay Indoor Water Park in Shepherdsville, Kentucky - just south of Louisville. Everyone had a great time, even Noah, who is not a big water person.

Noah preferred the very shallow water or the "shore".

The room we stayed in was actually big enough for all of us - I didn't even know such rooms existed. Normally when our family stays in a hotel, we wind up having to get two adjoining rooms. We wound up with a second room simply because my mother came along with us. With her current health situation, I'm not sure how much longer she will be with us and I wanted to include her in our little vacation. I am so grateful that Pirates Bay was willing to assist me in that.

Our rooms were right next to each other. Both rooms had windows overlooking the water park. Our room had two queen beds in the main room and two twin beds in an almost separate room. The kids were super excited because, not only did the main room overlook the water park, but so did theirs.

Jon, just off the water slide


Ceiil Fey on the water slide

I highly recommend Pirates Bay Water Park. They truly have something for everyone. They have two small slides for the really little ones, two large slides for the bigger kids and adults, and one kind of in between. The water ranges from the very shallow to about 4 feet.

Ceili Fey had such a good time - I don't think she had ever been on water slides before. After the first time, she wouldn't stop. I got so few pictures of her because it seemed she spent the whole time on the water slides. LOL

Pirates Bay has such a neat setup. They have a section that is made to look like a ship, complete with "cannons" shooting water out of the sides. Very cute!

Everyone enjoyed our stay.We would definitely go back. In fact, I hope to.

I would like to thank Pirates Bay Water Park for graciously providing my family with two rooms for two nights. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the water park.

While Pirates Bay did comp rooms to us during our stay, we were not paid any monies. My review is my own and was not in any way influenced by the compensation of a free stay.

Guest Post: Top 10 Workout Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:45:00 +0000

The Top 10 Workout Songs For Winter 2012

San Francisco, CA – Jan 11, 2012 – Traditionally, winter is the time of year when folks find it hardest to get out and exercise. In the hopes of keeping folks motivated, readers from Run Hundred--the web's most heavily-trafficked site for workout music--were polled regarding their favorite, current workout songs. The resulting top 10 list has a little of what you'd expect—and a little you might not. Flo Rida, who's no stranger to this list, shows up in two recent tracks. Enrique Iglesias continues his transition from balladeer to club rocker. And Kelly Clarkson, after faltering with the first single off her new album, bounced back ferociously with the second.

As for surprises, they're mostly entries from folks relatively new on the dance scene. Highlights include songs from Tim Berg (who remixed his own track under his Avicii moniker), Skrillex (whose collaboration with Kaskade is the first dubstep track ever the make the Top 10), and Wolfgang Gartner (who's made the chart with a little help from the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am).

Here's the full list:

Tim Berg - Seek Bromance (Avicii Vocal Edit) - 127 BPM
Katy Perry - The One That Got Away - 135 BPM

Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat (Maan Studio Remix) - 126 BPM
Flo Rida - Good Feeling - 129 BPM

Wolfgang Gartner & Will.I.Am - Forever - 128 BPM
Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight Tonight (Goldstein Remix) - 118 BPM
Taio Cruz & Flo Rida - Hangover - 129 BPM
Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull & The WAV.s - I Like How It Feels - 129 BPM
Kaskade & Skrillex - Lick It - 128 BPM
Kelly Clarkson - What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - 117 BPM

To find more songs--and hear next month's contenders—folks can check out Run Hundred's database of workout songs. Visitors can browse the song selections there by genre, tempo, and era—to find the music that best fits with their particular workout routine.

Chris Lawhorn
Run Hundred
http://www.RunHundred.com

Wanting to learn more about midwives?

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:36:00 +0000

Now's your chance.

Here's something you may or may not know: Midwives can also do Well Woman Exams, they're not just for birth and pregnancy-related issues.

Many of you know that our youngest was born at home January 2011 and was caught by Holly Hopkins, CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife) at Believe Midwifery Services. Things actually happened too quickly for Penny Lane, CNM to get there or we would have been attended by both midwives - that seems to be the norm at the practice.

For any of you who are interested in learning more about midwives and just what they do consider coming to what they call an Interview Session. Yes, you're basically interviewing them.

Believe Midwifery offers one-hour, group interview sessions once each week as an opportunity for potential clients to meet with the midwives and discern if the practice would be a good fit for their maternity and/or health-care needs.

•    Thursday        January 26 – 10:00am        118 W Main St, Thorntown, IN 46071
•    Thursday         February 2 – 3:30pm        9322 East 100 South, Lafayette, IN 47905
•    Wednesday     February 8 – 1:00pm        118 W Main St, Thorntown, IN 46071
•    Monday        February 13 – 6:30pm        118 W Main St, Thorntown, IN 46071
•    Monday        February 20 – 6:00pm        9322 East 100 South, Lafayette, IN 47905

•    Thursday        March 8 – 1:30pm        9322 East 100 South, Lafayette, IN 47905
•    Wednesday        March 14 – 2:00pm        118 W Main St, Thorntown, IN 46071
•    Thursday        March 22 – 3:30pm        118 W Main St, Thorntown, IN 46071
•    Monday        March 26 – 6:30pm        118 W Main St, Thorntown, IN 46071

If you're interested, RSVP to 765-436-7527 or e-mail gretchen@believemidwiferyservices.com.

If you have any questions about midwives and what they do, I will answer to the best of my abilities although, feel free to email - or call - Gretchen.

Please note: I'm receiving no monetary - or other - compensation for this. Midwives are something that I very much believe in and love to share my wonderful experiences with them with as many others as I can. When I learned about these upcoming Interview Sessions I felt as though I had to share.

Gluten free day 43

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:54:00 +0000

Wow. I can't believe I've done this for 43 days now!! It's somewhat difficult. Either everyone has to eat GF (gluten-free) meals or we have to make a separate, GF version for me. It's not too bad but there are a lot of things I really, really miss.

So far, I've found that:

Betty Crocker GF brownies aren't too bad.
GF crackers really stink
Some people actually think that whole wheat doesn't contain gluten
GF bread is very... different. And small.
Quite a few restaurants actually have menus or meals that are GF, but you still have to frequently double check everything with the waiter/waitress because, hey, they don't know unless you tell them
Chocolate is naturally GF

It's a learning experience, that's for sure.

Gluten Free Day 35

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:19:00 +0000

Just wanted to say that, so far, GF crackers kinda suck. I haven't been very impressed with them. I miss crackers. We had cheese and wine on New Years Eve. Very yummy although I won't lie, crackers would have been awesome. Oh, well. I'm still managing.

Gluten Free Day 30

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:49:00 +0000

We came home from Kentucky today but not before stopping at Martini's Italian Bistro in Louisville because, again, they have GF options. Yay!! I had spaghetti and meatballs. The "spaghetti" wasn't true spaghetti but it was still pasta - with meatballs! Awesome.

Gluten Free Day 29

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:17:00 +0000

For supper tonight we went to a place called BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse in Louisville, Kentucky due to their GF (gluten free) menu.

To say the service was slow would be an understatement. It would also be very nice because service was just plain bad. My mother ordered grilled cheese off the kid's menu - she didn't see senior menu options or they didn't have any, not sure - along with a baked potato. When our food (finally!) arrived, hers was cold. She thought about having them redo it but was concerned that with the length of time it took to get our food, everyone else would be done before hers even arrived so she declined.

Our waiter screwed Ceili Fey's side up and then insisted that it was what she asked for - I was sitting right next to her and knew it wasn't - although he did have the correct side brought out. Elias and Noah didn't care for their grilled cheese at all. I cannot help but wonder if it wasn't because they were cold.

Jon's burger was alright, but not overly warm.

My GF pizza was very good.

Unfortunately, everyone else's meals were mediocre at best. Based on that, we'll never go back which is a shame because there's a good chance that we will return to Pirate's Bay Indoor Water Park there in nearby Shepherdsville and it would have been nice to have a good GF go-to place.

Gluten Free Day 28

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:45:00 +0000

Going GF for Christmas wasn't too awful.

When we went to Jon's parents for Christmas (Eve), almost everything there was safe for me to eat.

For our Christmas Day meal, Jon did make two separate macaroni and cheeses, one "regular" and one GF. The GF used corn noodles which, funnily enough, we came across at very good prices while wondering through a Big Lots, of all places.

We also learned over the last few weeks that Arni's - all of them, from what I've been able to ascertain - has a GF crust so I can still enjoy their pizza. Yay!!

Tonight we are in Kentucky on a trip that we planned to an indoor waterpark. We've done a bit of research and found that Louisville has several GF choices. We'll have to explore them.

Christmas sucked

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:06:00 +0000

Today was the worst Christmas ever. We got into fight after fight - or, maybe it was really just one big long fight with breaks in between, I don't know.

At one point, I threw open our pantry door - the same way I always do - only, this time, my three year old was running through at the same time and I got him under the eye with the door handle.

Next, he is yelling about getting everything cleared off the island. I was working on that. I went to slide our small wine rack over a bit only to lose a couple bottles on the floor, one of which shattered into a million pieces. He then proceeds to scream that I'm a stupid fucking bitch and something I didn't quite catch that sounded like how I'm the most stupid person he's ever met.

When my mom arrived shortly afterward, he proceeded to tell her how I had purposely done all this stuff - which I immediately corrected him - and we got into it again. She had enough and left. I did finally convince her to come back but it wasn't easy.

Yeah, I know I'm not all that sharp. Honestly, ever since my car wreck where I got whipped around and knocked out when I was pregnant with my oldest, I have never been quite the same. I'm not trying to say that I was a rocket scientist or something before, but I was considerably smarter then. I never slurred my words. I enunciated beautifully. I wasn't nearly as forgetful about things. But I can't go back and redo it, yanno? So, this is me. And I just live with it. Why can't he?

Gluten-free Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:45:00 +0000

This is my fourth full day of going gluten free. It's a little difficult having to double check ingredients, especially in restaurants, but I'm already noticing that my gastrointestinal symptoms have diminished greatly. Yay!!

I did feel like an idiot because yesterday, when I took our sick kids to the doctor's office, I hurriedly grabbed lunch for everyone at the drive-through. It wasn't until I was midway through my McDonald's cheeseburger that I realized what I was doing. Ugh!!

I kind of wish I had given myself a little bit longer before doing it, maybe after the holidays, because I've been sort of lamenting the things that I won't be able to have. No more Italian, that's for sure. And I really loved Sal's in Plainfield (Indiana) and Papa Joe's Jr in Avon (Indiana).

We are meeting Jon's parents for supper tonight and I hate that I'm basically hijacking where we can eat now.

Going gluten-free

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:49:00 +0000

I've finally decided to do it. I'm going gluten-free again. Today was my first day. I am just so tired of feeling yuck and having the side effects all the time that I decided to bite the bullet and do it. Wish me luck.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:33:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Halloween 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:25:00 +0000

I do hope everyone had a happy Halloween and/or a happy Samhain. Our kids seemed to.

Unfortunately I waited 'til late in the season to buy costumes again this year. It just seemed like it got here so quickly, though. Elias wound up being Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story), although he would have preferred Jesse - I just couldn't find any Jesse costumes in his size that were in stock. Noah was Woody (Toy Story), which delighted him. Ceili Fey was Alice in Wonderland (conservative "tween" version). Henry was a pumpkin.

I'm just curious if anyone else is as disturbed by the slutty costume trend for "tweens" as I am. I looked long and hard over many different websites for hours - literally hours! - trying to find a costume that would fit my daughter that was age-appropriate. It's bad enough that all of the "career" costumes are geared toward boys but to have all the "girl" costumes so short they cannot bend over without exposing their underwear. WTF is up with that?? It makes no sense. Are there truly moms out there who are okay with their daughters dressing as though they belong in porn? Or are those the same moms who think it perfectly fine to dress like that on a daily basis? Honestly, I want my little girl to stay a little girl as long as she possibly can. She'll grow up soon enough. I'd prefer that she not think that the best way to draw attention is to dress in such a manner.

Weekend trip to Louisville

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:01:00 +0000

Friday after Ceili Fey got home from school, we headed to Louisville for the weekend. Our original plans were to spend the weekend at a hotel and water park but they were having some maintenance issues so that got canceled. Luckily, my awesome husband realized how disappointed the kids would be so he booked another hotel (with a pool) for us to stay.

Saturday, after breakfast at the hotel, we headed off to the Louisville Zoo for a couple of hours. The kids had a great time. Every animal we saw, Noah would greet with "Hi, (animal name)." and "Bye, (animal name)." Very cute! Unfortunately, Elias and Ceili Fey did nothing but fight over who got to push Henry in the stroller. For awhile, Noah pushed him while they were distracted by their fighting. Oddly enough, Noah did a better job of pushing the stroller than the other two combined.

Elias "trying on" a rhino horn

After the zoo, we had lunch and then went to tour a cavern only to learn that we had missed the most recent tour by about 15 minutes. We knew that the kids wouldn't last an hour and a half until the next one so we decided to come back for that on Sunday. Instead we drove around a bit trying to find some trains, then we stopped at a seafood restaurant. Unfortunately, once we arrived at the restaurant, and Jon mentioned having clams - Noah loves clams and all seafood - Ceili Fey decided to pull what has recently become her usual, "Ewwww! I don't like that." So of course, Elias and Noah decided they didn't want to eat any either. Great. Especially since we had just got a $40 meal deal that fed six people.

Luckily, we took it with us and, after swimming, everyone polished it off.

Sunday we went to the cavern and learned that, starting in November, they decorate it with lights and let you take a drive through. We're going to try to reschedule that hotel water park to coincide with the lights. I'm super excited about that and I know the kids will love it, too.

Great deal on 4 GB memory card

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:48:00 +0000

I just found a great deal on some Sandisk memory cards!!

A 4GB digital SD HC memory card is only $5.49 (regularly $19.99) right now at Amazon.

An 8GB digital SD HC memory card is only $9.27 (regularly $44.99) also at Amazon.

I have no idea how long they will be on sale, so you might want to take advantage now!!

How much do you know about STDs

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:18:00 +0000

Via: Health Testing Centers

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:05:00 +0000

Henry holding he menu he absconded with

Comparing Henry's feet to his prints shortly after birth

Henry and his daddy

How many of you know this one quite well?

No words

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:13:00 +0000

The night before the burial of her husband 2nd Lt. James Cathey of the United States Marine Corps, killed in Iraq, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of “Cat”, and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept, "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said, "I think that’s what he would have wanted."

Our children are so gross!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:29:00 +0000

Okay, I just want to put this out there. Our children are disgusting. Or at least Elias and Noah are. They just will not stop messing with (and playing in) their poop. Most recently, they'd taken Noah's diaper and dumped it out onto the floor. They then took a mop bucket that they had managed to get in their room, turned it over and smooshed the lip of the bucket down onto the poop. WHY????? I cannot for the life of me understand the thrill of playing in poop. It stinks! What can possibly attract them to poop? At least now they've stopped touching it so much. Although, that just means that they use other things to move it or pick it up. Toys, blankets, diapers... Ugh! We've shampooed their carpet, although that only took care of some of the stains. Not too long after we shampooed the carpet did they decide to play with the mop bucket. Now we need to do it again. We had hoped to switch rooms and put the boys in the larger room but there's no way we can move her into a room that smells like a shit factory. We've truly tried everything we can think of. First we heard that cold baths will stop them. Yeah, only for about two or three weeks. We tried making them clean up their own mess. That didn't work terribly long either. We even got them pajamas that zip and snap up the back, but Elias will unfasten Noah's pj's so that they can... you guessed it: play in poop.

We're truly at our wits end with them. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Sign up for great deals

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Some neat sites with great deals:

Fab.com - features daily design inspirations and sales at up to 70% off retail
HauteLook - featuring the best names in women's and men's fashion and accessories, beauty, kids' apparel and toys, home décor, and travel getaways at up to 75% off
Totsy - offers moms on-the-go and moms-to-be access to brand-specific sales, up to 90% off retail, just for them and the kids, ages 0-8
Zulily- offering daily sales events on top-quality apparel, gear and other goodies for moms, babies and kids at a savings of up to 90% off retail prices.

Great giveaways

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House is giving away a really pretty DXG Luxe Collection camcorder (ends 10/31).

I'm baaack

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 02:22:00 +0000

This is my attempt at a comeback. I've been gone for quite awhile. I know.

I realize that I just left in the middle of everything and I apologize for that.

I just sort of lost interest due to so many other things going on. My mom has been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. With that, raising four kids, managing the office, plus a few other personal issues, I've had a lot going on and just sort of left everything related to the blog in limbo. I plan to try and rectify that.

My goal is to post once, maybe twice every week. I will try to pick one day to post every week. Not sure yet which day that will be, I'm just giving the heads up on this.

Day Out With Thomas

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:24:00 +0000

Yesterday we went to Connersville (Indiana) to the Day Out With Thomas.

My sisters bought us tickets for Elias and Noah's birthdays back in April. They had such a good time. In addition to the train ride, they had all sorts of activities included with the ticket price, like pony rides,

a barrel train,

a petting zoo,

and more!

I had no idea just how many activities they had other than the train ride.

We had originally thought our tickets were for Saturday, but luckily realized in time that they were for Friday! It was nice because it wasn't too crowded and the lines were not too horribly long. I'd like to take them again next year!

Happy Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 05:06:00 +0000

Happy Father's Day to my husband and dads everywhere!