Social media losing it's appeal

I love social media. I guess you can call me an outright Facebook junkie. I love keeping up with all my friends. I love posting thoughts, ideas and articles and get feedback from my friends. After all, we do see things from all different angles. HOWEVER..... Facebook is slowly losing it's charm. One of the biggest reasons, if not the ONLY reason, is that I suddenly find myself having to preface everything I write to MAKE SURE I do not offend someone or accidentally "spill the beans." I ask myself, "what is the point of having a Facebook account if I can't post my thoughts without having to preface them all the time?" I am not a vindictive person, nor do I purposefully seek to offend. And just because I POST some thought or idea does not make it gospel for EVERYONE! Facebook is great, but I think it has given everyone the idea that all their thoughts and ideas are something bigger than what they are. Yes, they are important (especially to you), but just because someone DOES post something, does not make it truth (for you), gospel for the world, and it certainly does not mean YOU HAVE TO RESPOND! Whatever happened to being able to disagree without giving your two cents or taking it personal? Honestly...Facebook is getting WAY TOO STRESSFUL!!!!!! I am tired of this type "political correctness." I am tired of having to run through a list of all my friends thinking about if what I post is going to offend one of them. One thing I have learned is that no matter how you say something, if it is the truth, it is going OFFEND...SOMEONE! AND...there is a truth that is ABSOLUTE TRUTH that IS truth for ALL. Perhaps, the problem is that Facebook is just TOO BIG! How many friends on there do we all have that we don't even talk to on a regular basis and then all of the sudden, THERE THEY ARE giving their two cents of why they are offended by what you wrote. Or maybe all of Facebook just needs to be lighthearted and jovial and never have anything posted that is "controversial." However, we all have things that press on us. Facebook is also a great way to get truth out to the masses. And what is controversial to one is not to another. So...how about leaving the drama of Facebook and picking up the phone to call or getting together of coffee...UNLESS...you are just too busy.

Musical Monday!!!

I love history, which means, I love OLD things. I came across this song last week and I loved it instantly! We DO need to preserve the old way of doing things!!! If you don't know where you came from, you'll never know where you are or where you are going!

Enjoy! It's the "Village Green Preservation Society."

What does eating heathy look like

When it comes to eating healthy, the definition is as extensive and different as shades of blue in a paint store. One person's definition of healthy is not another person's definition of healthy. A vegan will advocate eating no food from an animal while a vegetarian may eat eggs but not dairy or dairy but not eggs, or heck, they a may eat both. And then there are the carnivores who part take of flesh from animals.

But to add more dimensions into the definition of healthy, lets not forget ALL food is categorized in some way, shape or form. There is organic, fair-trade, GMO and non GMO, grass fed, grain fed, free-range, etc. And, how that food was made also is catergorized to the tenth degree so each person can choose, in their definition, what food they believe is healthy.

How in the world is one supposed to figure it out what "healthy" really is?

First, and foremost, I believe it starts with educating yourself on food. All food is not created equal and some food, as we ALL know, is better for you than other food.

Secondly, once you have educated yourself, convictions start to form.

And thirdly, once you have educated yourself and formed your convictions, you begin to implement your convictions, which involves even more learning and experimentation in the kitchen.

Is it worth it? You decide. I believe it is and if for nothing else, it keeps variety in the kitchen and color on the plate.

What to do?

Many of our friends know that we searched ALL of last year for a piece of land in which to build a house. We FINALLY found .7 of an acre last fall and by the end of the year, it was ALL ours.

We are still very excited about building our own house (one day), but we are faced with a horrible dilemma right now and being too emotionally involved, we are finding it hard to make a clear-cut decision. Which is where YOU come in. I'll lay out the conundrum and you can give us your opinion as to what we should do.

We LOVE our current location. It does not get any better (for us) where are house is situated and what is around us. We are in a cul-de-sac and in the cul-de-sac is a park that our son LOVES! There also is a creek that separates our neighborhood from another neighborhood and our son has taken a recent fascination with the creek. He LOVES throwing rocks, leaves, sticks etc into it. We also have THE best neighbors that anyone could ask for and they love our little Espresso as if he were their own grandchild. After having HORRIBLE neighbors in Virginia, these neighbors are priceless, and we have learned, you cannot put a price on GOOD neighbors.

That's what we LOVE about where our house is situated - RIGHT NOW.

What we don't like is how my husband and I have to walk on egg shells after we put our Espresso down because any LOUD noise COULD wake him up. We love to have people over, but we have no place where we and our company can go and feel free to use normal inside voices. If my husband and I have ever have to discuss something, we head to our bedroom and close the door, simply so we do not have to whisper and as it is, I have difficulty understanding whispers due to my ear issues. Our house is also not heated and cooled efficiently. We've really noticed that the past two winters that have been FREEZING cold! My personal dislike with the house is the kitchen. It's not very functional for me and how I like work in the kitchen.

We have come up with two solutions to fix the two main issues above. We have a covered patio on the back of the house which could easily be turned into a non heated & cooled "gathering room." It would mainly be walls and windows and we could tie into the gas line to put a gas fire place to heat it during the winter. We also could change the downstairs unit and tie into the natural gas line and put in a duel fuel system. Both of these fixes would cost money, but it could keep us in an area that our entire family loves. This would make living in this house more livable for us (in how we want to live) but it certainly would not fix ALL of issues with this house, JUST the main ones.

To be fair, these are our goals for building a new house.
- lower ALL of our expenses which would enable us to be completely debt free sooner
- have a house that is designed around how we want to live
- we also would own more land than we currently do

We are mainly torn about taking our little Espresso away from the three things he loves about living in this house: the park, the creek, the neighbors. Should we? Or shouldn't we? If it is was just my husband and I, the decision would be easy. It's been hard for us to keep a clear perspective on what is the most important. Writing out a pros/cons list really wouldn't do it because there are certain pros/cons that DO NOT cancel each other out. They stand on their own with great importance.

We could always build later, but then should we put money into this house to live how we want to live until we build? Should we just build and make our son deal with all the changes and make him wonder where his park & creek went? (I sometimes thinks he owns both of those since we are over there ALL THE TIME).

What to do? What to do? HELP!

Do you know?

Do you know what's in your lotion bottles? Your face wash? Your soap? Check on the back. Yup...you see a list of ingredients, but do you know what those ingredients are? Can you give me a definition in common English?

Did you know the FDA does not REALLY regulate the cosmetic industry? The FDA states, "A cosmetic company manufacturer may essentially use any raw material in a product and market it w/out prior FDA approval."

And what are some of these "raw materials?"

TURTLE OIL
PIGSKIN
HORSE BLOOD
PIG BRAINS
COW AMNIOTIC FLUID

Yes...some of us are putting THAT on our faces every morning/night.

However, it does go SO much deeper than that. If you take a look at the ingredients in your cleanser, moisturizer, anti-wrinkle cream and body lotion, how many of you can even pronounce what it listed under the ingredients? Most of us can't, not without stammering over our own tongues. And why can't we? Because what we are putting on our faces and our bodies is nothing short but a bunch of chemicals, that by themselves do not cause harm, but when we start adding up EVERYTHING we use on a daily basis, that is where the danger comes in. We are putting way too many chemicals and unregulated "raw materials" on our faces/bodies.

According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, some of the chemicals we use daily have been linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility, chronic fatigue and hypothyroidism.

Here is ONE biggie to avoid:

PARABENS - found in most beauty products have been linked with breast cancer
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/c.kwKXLdPaE/b.1203361/k.B169/Chemical_Fact_Sheet_Parabens.htm

So...what is one to use if you can't know for SURE what is in your cosmetic bottles or if you want to avoid a TON of chemicals?

I came across a book called, "Beauty Secrets of the Bible." Women, of all times, have always wanted to look their best. And, I think God knew women would have a desire to have radiant skin, wish those wrinkles away and look ten years younger. I also believe that God created everything for EVERYTHING! All natural is best - we all know that.

The author, Ginger Garrett, has done extensive research on what women, in Bible times, did to look beautiful. And yes...they wanted to look beautiful, even though looking beautiful back then was probably a bit tougher for them amidst all the dirt. Queen Esther went through an entire year of beauty treatments before she was presented to the king. Wouldn't that be nice! What woman wouldn't want that!

Ginger Garrett has created an" exclusive line of beauty products" that are all natural. They exfoliate, plump, nourish, moisturize and protect AND are cheap!!!!

Step One: Wash & Exfoliate
1 cup powdered goats milk (Meyenberg)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
Process together in a blender until the mixture is very fine.

Yes...I did say goats milk. According to Ginger Garrett, the "lactic acid in the milk are a natural source of alpha hydroxy that help fight the signs of aging, and the oats soothe and manually exfoliate the skin."

I know goats milk sounds really weird, and to some of you, gross, BUT...would you rather have goats milk on your face or something that you really don't know what it is.

Step Two: Nourish & Plump
Apply 1-2 drops of honey to wet finger tips and massage onto wet face. Do not rinse. Pat dry.

Every time I tell someone I put honey on my face, they ask, "Isn't that sticky?" Wet honey is NOT sticky.

Honey is an amazing substance. It gives the skin a glow and helps plump up those fine lines. It also helps the skin maintain moisture.

Step Three: Moisturize & Protect
Place 2-3 drops of extra-virgin olive oil onto your palm. Rub hands together and pat your face gently.

Extra-virgin olive oil is loaded with antioxidants!!

You're probably thinking the olive oil will make your skin greasy, oily and leave the smell of Olive Garden on your face. It does not! You're not attempting to saute yourself. You are simply adding moisture to your skin.

I have been using this three step process for several months. My skin has never been healthier! I had always had issue with commercial cleaners drying out my face. It was really an issue during the winter months. Since using Ginger Garrett's three step cleansing ritual, I have been able to say good-bye to dry skin!

Give it a try. You may never go back to commercial cleaners again.

Homemade fig bars

My little Espresso is a "bawr-aholic." A bawr being, a fig newton. I have been purchasing Newman's Fig Newtons to avoid the high fructose corn syrup found in Nabisco's Fig Newtons. And...that is getting VERY expensive. At almost $4.00 a package, for 18 little "bawrs," it's been adding up.

I searched the web for a fig bar recipe and found one that I hope would be very similar to those Newman's.

This past Monday, I tackled the recipe, and while they are tasty, they are not quite the same, and unfortunately, my Espresso knows the difference and is not all that keen on them. He'll eat them, but he knows we still have the Newman "bawrs" in the house and is very specific that he wants one of those, NOT mommy's.

Before I share the recipe, I always make a recipe the first time exactly to the instructions. That way, I have a good idea of how it is supposed to come out and from there, I tweak the recipe to my taste/texture preferences. I will also tell you how I plan to change the recipe to perhaps make them more likable to my son.

Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
12 tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into pieces
4 eggs, divided

Filling:
2 cups figs, chopped (can use dried)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup apple juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp orange peel, or zest of 1 orange

Directions for dough:
Combine the dry ingredients in a lg. bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter pieces until the dough is sandy looking.
Whisk 3 eggs together and add to the dough. Mix to combine. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

FOR FILLING:
Combine all the filling ingredients in a saucepan or skillet and cook over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed by the figs and the mixture is thick. Stir during cooking. (Side note: this took about 2 hours, the time needed to chill the dough)

Let the filling cool slightly, then puree in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
Note*: for an easier version, sub the filling with 2 cups of fig preserves.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375F.
Make an egg wash by whisking the remaining egg with 2 tsp. of water.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. On a lightly floured surface roll out each portion of dough into a rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Work with 1 portion of dough at a time. Cut the dough lengthwise into strips, at least 2 1/2 inches wide.
Paint around the edges of each strip with egg wash. Spoon the fig filling down the center of the strip and then fold the dough over to enclose the filling.

Place the tubes, seam side down, on the greased (or lined with parchment paper) cookie sheet. Press down lightly to flatten. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Brush the newtons with the egg wash and bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Let cool, then cut with a sharp knife into 1-inch pieces.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/84230/old-fashioned-fig-newtons.html


Comments on this version of the recipe:
1. The dough was VERY difficult to roll out. It was so stiff and sticky (even with constant flouring of my rolling pin and counter top). Because it was so difficult, I probably did not get the dough as thin as I should have.

2. The orange taste (from juice & zest) is very strong.

What I plan to change next go around:
1. Substitute honey for sugar. I think this will also help in the overall texture of the dough.

2. I will omit the orange peel and/or zest and also substitute the orange juice with either pear or apple juice.


I am looking forward to making things again, with my changes. And I'm hoping my Espresso will one day yell out in joy, "Mommy's BAWR!"

Yummy energy bars

I love granola bars, breakfast bars, energy bars...just about anything and everything that comes in bar form. More or less, it is a weakness of mine. However, while I love them, most leave me still feeling hungry and or incredibly thirsty.

I found a recipe in my low sodium cookbook for energy bars. I made some the other day (very easy) and they are delicious. Of course, it helps that the recipe also calls for a little chocolate on top!

The recipe calls for pine nuts which are very expensive. I'm sure substituting walnuts or almonds would be just as effective. To roast the pine nuts, place nuts on a cookie sheet, and roast for 5 minutes or so at 350 degrees. Also, the only dates I could fine were packed, no COATED, in sugar. I rinsed the sugar off before using.


Try them for yourselves - it'll be hard to just have one, especially when they are guilt free!!!

3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
3/4 cup chopped dried dates
1/2 cup chopped dried figs
1/2 cup dried apples or pears
1/2 cup roasted unsalted pine nuts (pignolia)
1/2 cup unsalted oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 large egg
1/4 cup apple juice fortified with calcium
1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line jelly-roll pan with cooking parchment. In a food processor, combine the dried fruits until finely chopped. Stir in pine nuts, oats, flour and mix well. Stir in egg and apple juice. Turn the batter on to the pan and bake in the preheated over for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool in the pan. When cooked, set the rectangle on the cutting board and slice into bars (cut it lengthwise into 3 strips an each strip into 8 pieces). Melt the semisweet chocolate (use a double boiler if you have one) and brush the mixture on the bars. When cooled and the chocolate is set, serve. Store extras in the freezer in zipper-lock bags for future use.

Nutritional info (per serving):
Calories: 81
Sodium: 4.33 mg
Carbs: 14.9 g
Fiber: 2.1 g
Protein: 1.998 g
Cholesterol: 8.85 mg
Calcium: 16 g
Iron: .879 g
Potassium: 172.6 mg
Total Fat: 2.2 g

Recipe from: The No-Salt, Lowest Sodium Cookbook by Donald Gazzaniga

Life on the low sodium diet

For 3 weeks, I have been eating low sodium meals. It has been interesting cooking/eating the same foods I normally would eat, but without much of the sodium. I have made chicken fettucini alfredo, spaghetti, pizza, bread, white bean soup, cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, applesauce cake, chocolate cake, and baked chicken & pork chops. It's ALL been good, but when you only know one taste, or how you think something should taste, only to taste it different, THAT will take some getting acclimated to a new taste.

Garlic is in every cooked meal, along with olive oil. I've been using lots of onions as well. I have purchased the "Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, & Flavorings" by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz as a resource and textbook to help me learn what spices go great with certain foods and together.

And how do I feel???

I feel great!! I have more energy and don't feel as sluggish after eating a large(r) meal. I also have noticed that I am not nearly as short of breath as I used to be. Before I changed my diet, whenever I would read my little Espresso a story, I was always stopping to catch my breath. It's great to read with ease and without huffing and puffing like the big, bad wolf.

I have lost three pounds and have kept that off, despite being unable to get the gym to exercise and eating ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I have wanted, that is low sodium. I can't complain about that!! :):)

I do allow myself the odd indulgence. At the Super Bowl party we attended last night, I enjoyed a brat and some chili. I'm not going to be THAT strict that I won't let myself enjoy food altogether! :) Mmm...that brat was awesome last night :)

Dr. Mom

This past week my little Espresso has been down and out. He's been running a fever, (on and off), been completely lethargic, and all he wants to do is cuddle with his mommy (or daddy) and watch Thomas the Train or David Phelps (http://www.davidphelps.com/ ). We took him to the doctor and they could find nothing "wrong" with him, with the exception that his tonsils were slightly swollen and most likely that was due to him screaming (he's not a fan of the doctors office). The biggest concern I had was not his fever, but his lack of eating. It is now day 5 of my little Espresso eating very little or nothing at all. Thankfully, my Espresso is drinking is fill of juice and cold chocolate! :)

I have been beside myself trying to figure out what is causing my Espresso to be a decaf! Tonight, I had an "AH-HA" moment.

Before I tell you what the "AH-HA" is, let me first state that I completely respect the medical field and our son's pediatrician. Doctors know a WHOLE lot more than I do! However, no doctor can know your child as well as you. When they make a diagnosis, or not, they simply go on the symptoms you tell them. They do not know moods and patterns. They simply know what the books tell them and what normal patterns SHOULD be. But, if they are honest, they would realize that there is no such thing as normal and EVERY child is different. It would be too easy if we were all robots or lemmings.

My "AH-HA!"

My pint-size Espresso is a horrible teether - I mean, HORRIBLE. He's whiney, fussy, grumpy, needy and down right unpleasant to be around. He was also a late teether. He got his first tooth one week after his first birthday. Since then, all but five of his teeth have come in within the last 9 months. I tell people, "we've been in a constant state of teething since his first birthday."

The last two times a new set of teeth have begun pushing through his gums (1st set of molars and canines), my Espresso developed a very high fever. In both instances, he woke up with a fever of 104 but by the end of the day, he was back to normal in every possible way.

Now...he's working on a new set of molars.

I know what the doctors say and what every teething article online will tell you. Your child may have a low-grade fever, but if their fever is above 101 it is NOT due to teething. And here's my side note: if ever I read another article that says your child should not be bothered by teething, I'm tempted to write the author and ask them if they have children themselves!

It is a coincidence that the last three times a new set of teeth have started to push down on my son's gums, he has gotten a fever?? And that a fever has been his ONLY symptom? This Dr. Mom does not think so. I do believe my son had some other virus (possibly) that added to everything this week, but tonight, after feeling his swollen gums, I knew some, if not most of this, was due to teething.

So, I buck the experts!

Cold chocolate?

Taking a break from Tinnitus...

My little pint-size, never ending energy Espresso has never liked to drink much. He gets that from his daddy. We always had a hard time getting him to drink anything, including sweet things, like juice.

A few weeks ago we had a blizzard, by southern terms, and I took my son out to play in the snow. We got wet and cold, and what you look forward to the most is coming in for some hot chocolate. Of course, I obliged!

Recently, we went to Chick-fil-a for dinner (before I gave up that sort of food) and I ordered a kids meal with chocolate milk for my E. I thought he would like it and hoped he would drink more than his usual amount. He has, after all, inherited my sweet tooth. :) His first sip of chocolate milk, he said, "hot chocolate." My husband and I corrected him and said, "No. This is cold. It's chocolate milk." He took another sip, "hot chocolate." We repeated our explanation that he was drinking something cold. From that conversation, ALL that stuck was cold, and our little Espresso is now a fan of "cold chocolate."

Every day at every meal I am asked, "cold chocolate?"

Cold chocolate, anyone?

Tinnitus and food!!

Tinnitus – that awful ringing, hissing sound in your ear. It’s 2010 and doctors STILL do not know what causes Tinnitus. An easy diagnosis would be going to too many rock concerts, but when that doesn’t apply to people like myself (never been to a rock concert), it’s leaves the doctors stumped. Ear infections (which I had my share of as a child) is the next diagnosis, but why? Why? The age, old question.

In doing research on Tinnitus, two things kept coming up over and over – diet & high blood pressure. It’s known that your diet can cause high blood pressure, but perhaps, Tinnitus also?

Below are a few excerpts of what I discovered in regards to food & Tinnitus.

Salt:
Excess salt restricts blood vessels, increases blood pressure and reduces blood flow into the ears, eyes and brain. Increased blood pressure is directly linked to increased tinnitus.

Sugar:
The brain and auditory system have no inherent food supply. They are completely dependent on the regular delivery of oxygen and glucose (sugar) from the blood supply. When this supply of nutrients is disturbed or interrupted, imbalance and damage can occur. Studies have shown that 84% to 92% of people with tinnitus have a sugar metabolism disorder known as hyperinsulinemia. This is characterized by increased levels of insulin in the bloodstream. Hyperinsulinemia occurs because the body becomes insensitive to insulin and ineffective in delivering sugar to the cells, where it is needed. Therefore the pancreas produces more and more insulin in order to process blood sugar.

Sugar substitutes:
Aspartame, along with Glutamate, is an excitatory neuro-transmitter in the brain. It causes neurons to fire repeatedly until they become depleted and die. This causes untold damage to the nervous system and can lead to neuro-degenerative conditions including tinnitus.

MSG:
MSG breaks down to Glutamate in the body. Glutamate, like Aspartame, is an excitatory neuro-transmitter that triggers neurons to fire until they become depleted and die. In fact, for many of us, Glutamate is the primary villain causing our tinnitus. When hearing hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, by noise exposure, ototoxic medications, infection or many other causes, they release excess amounts of Glutamate. This Glutamate floods the neuro-receptors in the auditory pathway and excites them to the point where they fire continuously. During the course of neuron death, tremendous amounts of free radicals are released which continue the damage to the neurons. This type of tinnitus known as Cochlear-Synaptic Tinnitus is the exact condition experienced by those of us with hearing loss and tinnitus.


Fats:
Saturated and trans-fats have multiple negative effects on the body and tinnitus. Saturated fats are not recommended for those with diabetes or hyperinsulinemia. They also increase bad cholesterol (LDL), decrease good cholesterol (HDL), increase triglycerides and lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is not only a risk factor in heart disease and stroke but also significantly reduces blood flow. People with tinnitus need to increase blood flow to the inner ear to remove toxins and maintain healthy cells. Tinnitus, in fact, can be caused by nothing more than decreased blood flow to the inner ear.


http://www.tinnitusformula.com/infocenter/articles/treatments/diet.aspx

A change to ALL natural

I have, once again, started blogging. I have adopted a new lifestyle and have learned so much about natural eating and ALL it’s benefits, I feel compelled to share.

My new lifestyle change happened just recently as I went to the doctors for “dry skin.” I didn’t know what else to call it – my skin did not FEEL dry, but I was itching everywhere on my body. The doctor said I some inflammation, gave me a prescription for some soothing drops and Prednisone and sent me home. I have never been one to just “pop a pill” when something is wrong. I try to find some “natural” way. During the routine vital check at the doctors, my blood pressure checked in at 141/96. For my age, height and weight, that is extremely high. Although I take my blood pressure periodically at home, it never has been that high, so either, I PANIC when I go the doctors and it’s just a one time thing, or I do have a high bp issue and I’m just not catching at home. Either way, this started me on the path to change.

The final straw was Tinnitus. In 2009, I had surgeries in both my ears to correct Otosclerosis. A symptom of Otosclerosis is Tinnitus. The surgeon told me that fixing my Otosclerosis would fix my Tinnitus. It has not. This drove me to the Internet to see if there was ANYTHING I could do to alleviate or lessen the ringing in my ears. While I do not claim to be a doctor, I do believe it is possible to come to the correct conclusions about ailments via the information on the Internet. During my research I discovered that high blood pressure and Tinnitus go hand in hand. I also learned that food plays a huge part in regards to Tinnitus. I won’t go into details just yet, but from what I learned, I have adopted a Mediterranean style of eating. I also have cut out all processed, pre-made, pre-packaged food. I am going all natural and all organic.

I have only been eating this way for a week, but I have noticed a major change in how I feel physically (SSSSOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER) and at times, the ringing in my ears has seemed to be not as loud, but I’m not ready to say I’ve found the cure-all.

This change has not been as difficult as what I thought it would be. I am doing this because I KNOW I NEED too PHYSICALLY and for my HEALTH. That has made all the difference to me. It’s just been a matter of perspective.

A year in review

My little Espresso turned 1 a couple weeks ago. Unlike most parents, I didn't think the first year flew by too fast. There were times I thought it was dragging on incredibly slow. I think that could have been due in part to my anticipation of my Espresso reaching certain milestones, which he did not reach in a "normal" time frame.

My hubby and I were discussing last night, after our Espresso FINALLY had his first tooth come in, that since about the 6th month, our son has been on his own time table with development and milestones. He took a LONG time to crawl, his first tooth did not come in within his first year, and he has no real interest in pulling up or even standing (even if we hold him), while so many other babies are walking, or at least pulling up and/or cruising, by their first birthday.

What I have noticed about my Espresso is that he seems MUCH more mentally aware, alert, cognizant and perceptive than many other babies his age. Perhaps I'm just a proud, biased parent, but when we compare his mental abilities and alertness with other babies his age, our Espresso surpasses them all. If I am in the room with my Espresso, it is impossible for me to sneak out of the room, sneak in the room or sneak anything by him. When he casts glances in my direction, it doesn't take very long for the little neurons to connect in his brain - he knows something is going on and all eyes are on me or what I'm trying to "sneak" by him. He notices new things almost instantaneously. We don't have to wait for him to find it. When we enter a room, his eyes are always scanning the room and he'll find that "new thing" within seconds. Today while we were at the park, there were two identical twin boys dressed the same. I watched my Espresso try to figure out how there were two of them. He kept looking back and forth between the boys. I think he finally figured it out, but he never took his eyes off those boys. He could have cared less about swinging (something he loves). Instead, he was more interested in the boys playing around him.

Now that the weather is warm, we go on walks, sometimes several in a day. Once again, our Espresso scans the world around him. He reaches out his hand to touch plants, notices street signs and wants to see what is on them, and is captivated by trees (trees have done that to him since he was 2 months old). When he spots another walker, he starts to wave even if they are over a block away. Unfortunately, most of the time, they do not see him, so he doesn't get a wave back. In stores, I think his arm is going to fall off he waves so much and will have the strongest cheek muscles from smiling at everyone who walks by. He also watches with incredible perception and curiosity everything I put in the shopping cart. He does not take his eyes off the item. When he recognizes his Cheerio box or some other treat I buy for him, he starts to reach for it, which I then have to let him hold it, until he sees something else more interesting he'd like to hold and tosses the whatever it is he's holding on to the floor.

His curiosity level is amazing. We see no point in buying toys. Our Espresso is interested in everything in this house and ends up playing with nightlights to coasters rather than his own toys. The other day, our Espresso escaped beyond the gate into the hallway to his room. In that hallway is a nightlight that helps us find our way to his room, if our son should wake up in the middle of the night. (Thankfully, that has come to an end!) Our little Espresso saw that nightlight and immediately made a b-line for it. Of course, he pulled it off and chewed on it a few times, but what surprised my hubby and I is that he tried to put it back in, and almost (coordination still a bit weak) was able to do so.

While our little Espresso doesn't have many words in his vocabulary, the one word he uses the most is "touch." And he wants to "touch" everything - particularly electronics. He knows those buttons do things and it's his goal to figure out what.

I like that he is (always been) curious about the world around him. I do hope he stays this way.

How $10.80 saved my sanity!

One of the hardest challenges as a parent can be to teach your baby the difference between day and night. The day is for playing (and a couple naps) and the night is for SLEEPING! Some babies catch on quickly and for other babies, it takes some long nights and many futile attempts before your baby will sleep through the night.

Our little Espresso's problem was that he has (still is) never been good at comforting himself. If something upsets him, I have an unhappy (crying, fussing) baby until I can find something to distract him not momentarily, but consistently for about a period of 10 minutes. Then it's safe to say that he can continue on (hopefully happily) playing.

At 2 months, our Espresso was sleeping almost through the night. We would put our son to bed at 9 and he would wake once during the night, usually around 3 am, but would go back to sleep quickly after something to eat and would sleep until 7 or 8 in the morning. I thought this was great and figured he would just sleep longer and longer and night as he got older until he was sleeping ALL the way through the night. BUT...that didn't happen.

When our Espresso was 5 months, he decided that he would start this new routine of waking up at 1 or 2 am, cry, act like he was hungry but not eat. It was his ploy to have mommy hold him and comfort him back to sleep. It didn't take ME too long to figure this out and I told my hubby that we were going to put an end to this. Enter Chester.

On July 4, 2008, we bought our Espresso his first teddy bear. He cost $10.80! According to my hubby, EVERY boy needs a teddy bear. We christened our Espresso's teddy bear, Chester and Chester sat in the corner of our Espresso's crib patiently waiting until our Espresso was ready for some teddy lovin'.

Chester was introduced as our Espresso's comfort, rather than his mommy or daddy. During those first few nights of introducing Chester as his comfort, our Espresso had the 'caffeine' (crying fit) of 100 lattes! He's a rather persistent and determined little boy. Thankfully, after two hard nights of enduring cries, yells and blood curdling screams, our Espresso cuddled up with his teddy Chester and this began our son seeking out Chester, rather than mommy, to help him fall back to sleep. The rest is history and I have my sanity thanks to the consistent 7-9 hours of sleep I now get every night thanks to Chester.

Every night when we put our Espresso to bed, we place Chester by our little boy's side and he grabs Chester and gives him a ferocious hug. At times, I have watched from the door to our son's room as he reaches out and grabs Chester and cuddles up with him. It is one of the sweetest sites for a parent (or anyone for that matter) to see. Chester is doing everything a teddy bear should do for a boy: offering love, companionship AND giving a mommy and daddy a good nights sleep!

I love you Chester! :)













Hubby with his teddy bear he had as a boy and my Espresso & Chester.

The new teething rules

My little espresso, as I like to call my son, has been teething what seems to be like forever. He has a nice row of teeth snug in his gums, but so far, they don't want to pop through. I've received countless advice from other mommies but my little espresso is not taking to any of those methods. If my son could offer his teething advice, this is what he would tell other parents of teething babies:

1. Hold or play with something because the child will want it. Note to parent: It is best not to hold anything valuable or breakable during this phase.

2. If the dishwasher is open, let your child chew on the edge or let them pull out forks & spoons to chew on. It's beneficial because they may take in some dried food for extra nutrition.

3. Give them a remote (not a play or old one), but the tv or dvr remote, and let them slobber and chew the dickens out of. You don't really need a remote. You can always get yourself up off the couch and change the channel's manually.

4. Get them addicted to teething drops so they will wiggle, smile and scream for them.

5. Offer your chin as a teether.

6. If you would not like offer your chin as a teether, an empty egg cartons work wonders too.

7. If the child is no longer interested in your chin or egg cartons, offer them the antenna on a cordless phone. This would need to be a phone you use every day, not an old one you could care less about.

8. Leave your shoes scattered about the house. Teething children, like puppies, can't resist shoes!

9. Mommies, leave your purse in a place when the child can chew on the straps. If you leave it open, make sure there are packs of gum accessible where child can chew your gum.

10. Cut a lemon and make it accessible within their reach at the table. If you're lucky and they grab it the sourness will distract them momentarily and you'll get a kick out of their sour expression!


Before any one takes this seriously, please don't. These just seem to be the things that my son WANTS to chew on or do during his teething phase. I really don't let him chew on the edge of the dishwasher or forks and spoons. What kind of a mom do you think I am! :p

Andrew's Song

This story is not really about me, but for sake of background and understanding, you'll have to bear with me to lay some foundation.

I became an American Idol fan during season 4 as Carrie Underwood boosted her way on to the national season. The following year, I was drawn to Mandisa, a big, black girl with big pipes and big testimony for Jesus. Simon, the notorious, critical judge, had made a comment about Mandisa's weight which was aired on national television, and which Mandisa viewed with a roomful of her friends. (OUCH, SIMON!!!) During the selection of the Top 36, Mandisa was able to confront Simon on his "weight based remark." She blew everyone away with her response. To quote her as best I can, she told Simon that she had forgiven him for his remark because Jesus had forgiven her for all she had done wrong. I can only imagine how uncomfortable it was in that room. She made it known right there she was Christian and was going to make no apologies for it.

Mandisa made it through to the Top 12. :) I do not know which week it was, but the contestants were told to pick a song from the past three years to sing. Mandisa chose Mary Mary's "Shackles(Praise You)," a Christian artist and very Christian song. I was blown away again! Not only does she tell Simon that she's forgiven him because Jesus has forgiven her, she goes on a national stage and sings about Jesus setting her/us free! You go girl!! However, one week later, Mandisa would be voted off. But that was not the end of Mandisa. She has now come out with three CD's and is still singing about/for Jesus.

My hubby and I moved to Huntsville in 2007 and started the long process to find a church. (This is the South so there are lots to choose from.) Eric & I felt led to Willowbrook Baptist and a specific Sunday school class. We've met some great people there, and some extra special ones in Billy & Rebecca. When we joined the class, I was pregnant with Ethan. Rebecca was also pregnant - just a few weeks behind me. Ethan was born in April 2008 and in May we were awaiting the birth of Andrew, Billy & Rebecca's son.

Jumping back in time a bit, Ethan was extra special to us because the week I found out I was pregnant with him, our good friends in VA lost their unborn son (Matthew) when he was six months along, still snug in his Mommy. Finding out I was pregnant that same week was bitter-sweet to say the least. We decided to honor Matthew's life by giving our son Matthew as middle name.

With the foundation laid, let the story continue....

Rebecca was given a baby shower by some friends and one of those friends knew that Rebecca was a Mandisa fan. She wrote Mandisa to ask if she would write a blessing for Rebecca's baby shower. Of all the fan mail Mandisa receives, she chose that e-mail to read and graciously replied with a blessing for Rebecca. Just weeks before Andrew was due, Mandisa was in Huntsville at another baptist church and Rebecca was able to meet her.

It was nearing the end of a work week, when Rebecca started to feel some labor pains. She was scheduled for an inducement in just a few days, but it appeared as though baby Andrew wanted to come early. Billy & Rebecca headed to the hospital thinking that they would meet their boy earlier than expected. However, tragedy struck. While the nurses attempted to find Andrew's heartbeat they could not. God chose Andrew to skip this world and join him in
Heaven.

This sounds like such a sad story, but hang on...

The friend that wrote Mandisa to ask her to write a blessing for Rebecca, contacted Mandisa again to tell her that Billy & Rebecca had lost Andrew. Mandisa set about to find songs that could comfort Billy & Rebecca and was searching particularly for a song from Andrew's perspective in Heaven. She could not find one, so she decided to write a song ("You Wouldn't Cry," or as we like to call it, "Andrew's Song") for Billy & Rebecca.

The blessings that have come from this are numerous. You'd have to ask Billy & Rebecca about them all, but I know they could go on and on for hours. Rebecca was asked by Mandisa to be in the video for this song and next month, she and Billy are flying to Dallas to hear Mandisa sing live the song written for their little boy.

While I know Billy & Rebecca struggled with many emotions after the loss of their son, it was the power of Jesus that got them through. If ever I saw Jesus and God's grace in anyone so vividly, it has been Billy & Rebecca.

Mandisa's new CD, Freedom, which includes "You Wouldn't Cry (Andrew's Song) comes out March 24. To hear her CD visit:http://www.imeem.com/mandisaofficial "You Wouldn't Cry" is #11. I ask that you take a few minutes to listen to this song. It's powerful!! Before you do, please keep in mind that even though the circumstances of both Matthew and Andrew are extremely sad, if we really could see them in Heaven (or any loved one) we really "Wouldn't Cry" for them.

I hope you will share this with anyone you know. Not only is the CD awesome, I know God is gonna use Andrew's short life in his Mommy's tummy through the song, "You Wouldn't Cry," to be a blessing and encouragement to SO many people.

Oh, our friends in VA that lost their son Matthew have since had a beautiful baby girl, Hannah Renee AND Billy & Rebecca are expecting a little baby this Fall. Praise Jesus!

An article about Mandisa and her upcoming CD: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/11/mandisa/index.html>


Lyrics - You Wouldn't Cry
You Wouldn't Cry (Andrew's Song)

All you saw was pain
All you saw was rain
But you should see me now

Moments filled with tears
Lasted all those years
Disappeared some how

You never said goodbye
On your knees you cry
You're still asking why

But blue has never been bluer
True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet
There's a song in the breeze
A million voices in praise

A rose has never smelled redder
The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place
You wouldn't cry for me today

What you think you see
Isn't really me
I'm already home

You've got to lay it down
'Cause Jesus holds me now
And I am not alone

Your faith is wearing thin
But I am watching Him
And He is holding you too

And blue has never been bluer
True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet
There's a song in the breeze
A million voices in praise

A rose has never smelled redder
The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place
You wouldn't cry for me today
You wouldn't cry for me today

Oh what may seem like years
Will just be a moment
Oh the day will come
When I'll show you where you're going
I can't wait to show you

And blue has never been bluer
True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet
There's a song in the breeze
A million voices in praise

A rose has never smelled redder
The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place
You wouldn't cry for me today
You wouldn't cry for me today

You wouldn't cry for me today
You wouldn't cry for me today
You wouldn't cry for me today

WARNING: Say NO to Lortab

This past week I had a wisdom tooth extracted and part of another tooth removed. It was a quick 35 minute surgery and before I knew it, I was on my way home. As with any surgery, the doctor sends you home with a prescription for pain. I have had numerous pain medications, but this was my first encounter with Lortab and it will be my last!

My surgery was mid-morning and it was not until mid afternoon that I started to feel the first twinges of pain. Wanting to be on top of the pain and not wait until I was IN pain, I decided to pop a pain pill and continue chilling on the couch. I did just that minus the chilling.

One hour after taking the Lortab, I started to feel nauseous. My first thought was that it was the anesthesia working it's way out of my system that was making me nauseous. I was told following my ear surgery that I might feel some nausea due to the wearing off of the anesthesia. With this knowledge, I decided to take a nap and sleep the nausea away.

Just as I was about to doze off, the doctors office called to check on how I was doing. My hubby told them I was nauseous and they said it was from the Lortab, but not to worry. They would call in a prescription for nausea and I'd be good to go!

I woke up a couple hours later and I thought I was feeling better. "Thought," that's the key word. After taking care of my son's needs, it was after 6:30pm by the time I was able to get my supper. I had developed a nasty headache, which I thought was from lack of food. (I did not have breakfast because of the surgery and lunch was mashed potatoes and yogurt.)

I settled down on the couch with my tomato soup and started sipping away. Three sips later, I put down my tomato soup and curled up in the fetal position. The nausea was back.

Having experienced nausea with my pregnancy, I immediately started doing things that helped me during my pregnancy. I also took a nausea pill and waited for it to do it's work. (It definitely did not work as fast as Zofran). Fifteen minutes later, I was leaning over the toilet bowl offering it my lunch.

During my pregnancy, vomiting always made me feel better. "Ok," I thought, I'll be able to eat now. After two more sips of tomato soup, I put it down again and curled up in the fetal position. Fifteen minutes after that, I was back before the toilet bowl offering it the nausea pill and the few sips of tomato soup that I had managed to get down.

Surely, NOW I would feel better, right? Cold foods always did the trick for me during pregnancy, so I thought, "ICE CREAM." Much to my horror and dismay, I had three small bits of ice cream before I set it down and watched it melt. And, you guessed it, fifteen minutes later I gave the ice cream to the toilet bowl.

Everything gets hazy after this. I know I get on my pj's and crawl into bed. The headache I had earlier was now a throbbing, aching, pounding headache. As I lay in bed, the headache would subside, but as it did, my nausea would return and I would find myself leaning over the toilet boil in heaving convulsions. I had nothing in my stomach to offer. I think what did come up was my saliva!

I tried again to take a nausea pill only to leave it in the toilet bowl. After three or four times of laying down, having my headache go away, getting out of bed, heaving, having my headache return, laying back down etc...I FINALLY fell asleep and slept 11 straight hours and thankfully NO MORE NAUSEA!!!

From sharing this story with a few people, they shared with me that Lortab has this affect on many people. Others, like my neighbor, it does not bother. With all the pain medications out there, why would they prescribe one that may possibly cause some unpleasant side affects, similar to what I experienced. The nauseousness that I experienced Wednesday night was by far ten times worse than any I experienced while pregnant. Thankfully, I did not experience any severe pain, and the pain I did feel, was quickly sent packing by 600 miligrams of ibuprofen.

The moral of this story is, don't take Lortab if you've never had it before . It's not worth it. The next time I am at the doctor and they ask me if I am allergic to any medication, I am telling them Lortab!

sssssoooo bad

I've been so bad at writing on this blog I created.  I get too distracted with other things that by the time I remember I need to write something on my blog, I'm way too stinkin' tired. I need to write myself a note where I can see it daily to get on here and write.  But then again, it's not like I have a super large following anyway.  I do a lot on facebook, so this is just really extra.  

But, I will try to be more consistent. 

I can hear you NOW!

YES! I CAN HEAR!!! As of a week ago, my hearing as returned.

January 9, we headed off for Nashville for my surgery. Everything went well and hubby and I came home the following day after spending that night with Eric's parents. The surgeon told me that every day I should hear things louder and louder. That didn't happen! There were some days following the surgery that I was hearing less than what I had been hearing. I had quite a bit of swelling in my ear and quite of bit of dizziness that lasted for 5 days. Thankfully, those were my only major side affects of the surgery.

Last Monday night, I was frustrated that I was not seeing an improvement in my hearing. I was trying to be patient and hold out until Thursday for the 2 week followup visit with the dr/surgeon.

Tuesday morning I woke up and I noticed something immediately - I COULD HEAR! It was amazing. It was like I woke up in a whole world. I could hear myself DO things around the house. I could hear myself walk for the first time in who knows how long. Everything WAS SO LOUD! The first time the phone rang I jumped about 2 feet! It was piercing!!! Even though it's been a week since my hearing returned, I am still adjusting to how things REALLY sound!!

When we saw the dr. on Thursday I told him what happened and he nonchalantly said, "Oh, the packing must have dried up." So...some packing in my ear that dried opened for sound to return to my ears! Glory HALLULUJAH!!! A hearing test was also done that day and it showed a 40% return in my loss of hearing which bumped me into hearing in the normal range of hearing! The dr. is also confident that I will regain another 5-10% of my hearing! YAY!!

I feel like I'm living in a whole new world, or at least, back in your world! Wow! I knew I was missing a lot, but not as much as I know now that I was missing!!

The OFFICIAL ear update

Sorry it's taken some time to get out the update, but I couldn't see straight yesterday (side affect of some of the meds they gave me).

We left Friday morning for Nashville. My surgery was scheduled for 12:00 pm so we had plenty of time to drive the 2 hours it takes to get to Nashville. At 7:30 that morning, the Dr.'s office called us and said that they had two shows for surgery and whenever I got there, I would go right into surgery. Had we lived in Nashville, that would have been great, but since we were coming from Huntsville, it didn't make much of a difference.

We arrived at St. Thomas at 10:30, I filled out all the paper work, and minutes later I was getting ready for the surgery. I thought I would be going into sooner than 12:00 pm, but it was just after 12:00 pm that I have my last memory before waking up in recovery.

Eric's dad, aunt & uncle came down to take care of Ethan and take him back to Eric's parents house since Eric would have his hands full with me once I woke up. The pastor at Eric's parents church also came down to visit and pray with us quickly.

As I stated earlier, just after 12:00 is my last memory. Two anesthesiologist nurses came in, said they were giving me something to relax me while the rolled me down the hallway. Yeah right! I don't even remember closing my eyes! Man that stuff works fast!!!!! My next memory was in recovery and my first thought was, "It's all over?"

While I was waking up in recovery, the Dr. was speaking with Eric and said everything had gone fine. I had very little bleeding, which is great. The surgery did take longer because apparently my ear anatomy is not 'normal." Instead of going straight in, as with most people, he had to go in at an angle, which is more time consuming and tedious. He also said my bones were pretty fused together. That didn't surprise me. I could barely hear out of my right ear!!! But other than that, everything went great and i could go home as soon as I woke up.

So...the big question I'm sure you all are wondering, "Can I hear better?" I do hear more, but I can't say it's a noticeable difference yet. I do know I hear things that I didn't hear before or could barely hear. I still have a cotton ball, attached by a band-aid, to my ear to catch the excess drainage, but even through all the cotton, I can still hear things I couldn't before. I know my ear is still swollen from the surgery, and once the swelling goes down, that is when I will really be able to hear (hopefully back to normal levels).

My ear is still in some pain, not much, but if it does start to ache, I have some pain meds that will quickly take care of that. I'm also on an anti-biotic to prevent and infection and thankfully, I've not had to take any of the medicine for nauseousness. I had enough nausea while pregnant with Ethan that I could forgo that side affect. The only side affects I am having are dry mouth, some dizziness, and a nasty metal taste in my mouth. Food does not taste good right now and that side affect may be around for up to 3-4 weeks. Guess I'll be losing those few holiday pounds I put on.

And for the next few days, I have to take it easy. Eric is taking off 3 days of work to do all the lifting and taking care of Ethan. Eric's parents are coming at the end of the week to take over for Eric so he can go back to work. My personal nurse, Nurse Eric, is doing a fabulous job taking care of my every little need. He is also changing the cotton balls in my ears, as ordered by the Dr. Isn't he such a sweetie :)

We'd like to thank everyone for praying. I thought I would be more nervous about the surgery, but I was as calm and peaceful as you could possibly be and I know that was from all the prayers. I think some of the prayers affected Ethan too. He was the most perfect baby the entire time he was at the hospital and for his Pops after they took him home, and all without a good nap!! Ethan is generally good, but he was exceptional on Friday!

I hope I can report soon that I am hearing at normal levels out of my right ear. I go back in two weeks for a hearing test. I can't wait!