FOX News Reports on Food Inflation...

This is so scary stuff!

Not Funny, Actually Very True!

So very patient...

My husband was so adorable yesterday - I have to remember this the next time I get annoyed with him :)  He took my daughter and I shopping, and we tortured him.  We only went to two stores, but went through virtually every item in those stores.

My daughter received a Visa gift card from my parents for Christmas and didn't really know what she wanted to get.  She looked at all the wallets, shoes, and clothing at store number one while I shopped for a purse that can double as a diaper bag.  We decided that we didn't really love anything at store number one, so we dragged my poor husband to store number two.  He was so cute!  He helped us pick things out and gave his opinion when we asked.  He didn't once complain, even though it was taking us forever and it was boring.  I went through maybe 50 purses and picked out 7.  My husband patiently sat and watched as I took all the paper stuffing out of each purse and went through all the compartments all the while I talked to myself about the pros and cons of each purse.  I slowly eliminated them one by one until I was left with one that I really loved.  Great!  My selection was made and now onto my daughter...

We went to the "girly" section and watched her go through every shirt, sweater, and blouse in her size.  She selected seven that she really liked and announced that she wanted to try them on.  My goodness, I want to slit my wrist just writing this....hahahahaha....I can't imagine how my husband felt at the time.  So, we walk over to the dressing room and on our way there I make a bunch of pit stops to look at all the baby items.  Being such a good sport, my husband joined in and even joked around about some of the funnier (useless) items.  He's the best!  We finally made it to the dressing room where it took my daughter and I forever to decide on which two items she loved the most and then she let her Papa decide between the two.  He selected the more sporty looking one :)  When we got to the register it was so freaking adorable to see my daughter hand her little Visa (gift) card and then watch her little face when she was told to sign her name on the store receipt.  How cute!  Wish I had taken a pic.

With that we wrapped it up and headed home; us girls happy with our purchases and my husband surely full of relief :)

And that's how we spent yesterday afternoon! The boys were so happy that they had decided to not join us when they heard the recap.  Boy, were they spared!

*If you are reading this, like Ralph Kramden would say, "Baby, your the greatest!"

Merry Christmas

I just love Christmas.  What a wonderful day!  A time to celebrate the birth of our Savior and a day to see pure happiness on the faces of our loved ones, especially our children.

This year we went to the 7:30 AM Mass.  It was beautiful to visit with Jesus before opening gifts and before eating breakfast.  My son volunteered to serve, so we had to get there extra early.  My husband worked the night before, so he met us at church.  Although the Mass was beautiful, I can't believe I am going to say this but, I missed the crazy crowd.  It was a bit to calm for me - I know, I must be mad.  I guess I am just used to having a livelier Christmas Mass.  Don't get me wrong, being with Jesus is always special and I love the celebration of Mass.  However, I think I prefer the hustle and bustle of the over crowded Christmas Mass with the choir and  all the new faces.

After church we went home.  Upon entering the great room I noticed a pink bakery box and a card!  My husband is the best.  When he came home to shower and change he placed my birthday cake and card on the kitchen island, so that I would see it as soon as I walked in.  I read the card, cried, and then peeked at my delicious cake.  We then headed to the tree and opened our gifts.  It was so awesome to see those happy little faces.  They were so grateful and so excited.  It was the best.  My hubby cooked us a huge breakfast while the kids played with their "toys" and I rested.  I am the luckiest woman - he's great.  He also made lunch and then everyone sang "Happy Birthday," to me and we had that yummy cake for dessert.

We spent the day just being together and then in the evening we went to a diner to pig out and then to the movies.  It was a bit out of the ordinary, but it was great.  I usually don't like to leave the house on Christmas  and I usually make a huge dinner, but I have to admit that it was VERY nice having such a casual day.  My husband really didn't want me on my feet all day slaving and so he insisted that I take it easy - being nine months pregnant, I took him up on that offer and I am glad I did :)

Christmas was a little different this year, but it was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing, not even the quiet early Mass.

Hooray for Ebay!

My husband and I have been racking up on Ebay, our many coveted baby items.  We got a like-new, Arm's Reach Original Co-sleeper that retails for $209.00 plus S&H for only $101.00 including S&H.  It arrived a few days ago and is awesome!  I love it and will give a review on it when baby arrives.

We also got an Arm's Reach  Beautiful Dreamer Cocoon for only $73.00 including S&H, saving ourselves a whopping $87.00.

And today...drum roll please...I won FIVE, yes, FIVE AMP Stay-Dry All in One Cloth Diapers for only $23.00.  Helloooo, one retails for $20 - $25 bucks! Three of them are brand new and two are slightly used.

 I  am so happy!  I can't wait for the diapers and the cocoon to get here! 

LOL! Reusable Diapers

This is HILARIOUS!

Cloth Diapering

After MANY hours of research on the good, the bad, and the ugly, I have decided that I WILL try cloth diapering my baby girl.  I will do it in tandem with disposable diapers while I test drive it.  I just think it is healthier (no chemicals) for the baby and better for the environment, not to mention the pocketbook.  However, my sanity is also important, so I am not committing 100%.  I am test driving and we'll see how it works.  

Who knew the world of cloth diapering was so complicated?  There are so many brands and styles to choose from.  There are ways of cleaning them, special detergents to use and not use.  I think my organic detergent should work, but I will double check the ingredients.  I also need some accessories like a wet bag, a stain /odor sprayer, and a diaper pail with liner.  

After much deliberation, I have narrowed my selection to: FuzziBunz, Charlie Banana, and AMP Stay-Dry AIO.   The FuzziBunz and Charlie Banana are both pocket diapers with adjustable elastic and snaps.  This ensures a good fit and no leaks (so they say...) It's basically a waterproof cassing (diaper) with a pocket in the inside where you can slip in an insert (microfiber, hemp, or bamboo).  The insert is your absorbent layer.  Most moms rave about hemp and bamboo because it holds more and there is less / no odor.  The AMP diapers that I'm interested in are considered "AIO - ALL in Ones."  This is the closest you get to a disposable diaper and preferred by most dads, yes, I said dads...lol.  There are no inserts. 

I narrowed my choices down to these because after reading hundreds of reviews these three seem to have the most positive outcomes.  I am also going to email some moms who have bidded on homemade cloth diapers on Ebay to see how they like them.  These are so much cheaper and I would love to love them just to save some more money.  Will keep you posted on this very NEW journey...

Open

Today is a new beginning.

I shed my skin that has served as armor.

As I walk pieces of the past fall all around me.

I lie naked and vulnerable for a chance at love.

The crutches are gone, I am no longer debilitated.

I will no longer rely on distorted glasses that fog my view.

I will believe who you are and embrace your love.

-Yvette Negron-Torres

Is Your Doctor Paid to Promote a Drug?

"Many people are still completely unaware of the many ways in which they are being manipulated into taking dangerous and unnecessary drugs.


There's the $5 billion direct-to-consumer marketing, of course, which is rather obvious. But physicians also play a major role, and the manipulation that takes place on this level is more obscure.


Drug reps often give 'gifts' to convince doctors to prescribe the medications that they represent. These drug reps usually have no medical or science education. Instead, they're armed with some of the most potent brainwashing techniques used throughout the world...

Perhaps the manipulation technique most difficult to detect is the 'education' given by doctors, to doctors.

Here, it's very easy to forget that the doctor presenting the material is working entirely on the drug company's behalf, and not as an independent, well-educated, appropriate source of objective information.

And then there's the insidious Drug Industry sponsored "education" that takes place in medical schools across the US.

For example, out of Harvard's 8,900 professors and lecturers, 1,600 admit that they or a family member have ties to drug companies that could bias their teaching or research. In 2008 alone the pharmaceutical industry contributed more than $11.5 million to Harvard for "research and continuing education classes."

All of these tactics (and others) are employed on a massive scale in the name of "education," but nothing could be further from the truth." (Mercola.com)

Reusable vs Disposable Diaperss

Okay, so most of you know how conscience I am of my carbon footprint and how anal I can be about recycling and reusing.  If you don't know, my husband would be more than happy to tell you how annoying I can get, especially if he accidentally throws a recyclable item in the regular trash.

So, with this in mind I have been toying with the idea of using cloth / reusable diapers.  However, I am also a realist and know the limits to my patience, especially when it comes to poop and pee - oh and lack of sleep.  I tried using cloth diapers with my first child and that lasted two weeks.  Actually, that lasted about two days b/c in the two weeks that I tried, I cheated BIG TIME.  I remember being desperate and riping into this diaper cake decoration that someone gave me at my baby shower (insert sheepish smile). I had it in the room b/c it looked cute, but at 2 AM desperation kicked in and cuteness went out the window. Also, during the "two weeks," my mom was visiting and helping me out. Not to mention I only had one baby to care for and all the time in the world.  I now will have 4 kids, very little time, and no mommy to help (unless she surprises me).

Pros to using reusable diapers:

1. Environmentally friendly
2. They've come a long way since my fourteen year old was first born
3. Some which come with liners can be composted 
4. Better for baby (no chemicals)
5. SOME are cost effective
6. Cute patterns 
7. I can gain some bragging rights and feel a bit superior to those "disposable-diaper-moms."  Hahahaha... dang real I will!  If I am cleaning poop and pee off of cloth while suffering of sleep deprivation, I will brag and will feel superior! 

Cons to using reusable diapers

1. Cleaning poop and pee off of cloth.
2. The ones with liners are more expensive than disposable.
3. I am pretty sure no one else will want to help with this kind of diaper change. 
4. More work.
5. More work.
6. Going insane and being grouchy because I am working more
7. Did I mention the cleaning of poop and pee? 

Pros to using disposable diapers

1. So easy! 
2. No cleaning poop or peed diapers - just toss them out. 
3. No going insane. 
4. Hubby and kids can help change diapers.

Cons to using disposable diapers

1. Horrible for the environment.  By age three, baby will use over 6,000 diapers and it will take anywhere from 350 to 500 years to decompose! 
2. Not as healthy for baby.
3. Not as cute as the cloth 
4. No bragging rights :( 

Now with all this being weighed out, I have NO idea which way I am going.  Also, my goodness, there are so many reusable diapers to choose from!  I don't know where to begin or how some of them even work! I have tons of research to do. 

So the question is will mommy guilt prevail or will sleep deprivation win? I think that will be the final deciding factor... 

It's Too Cold!!!

My goodness, maybe it's true!?  Maybe Conspiracy Theorist are correct in saying that the government is trying to induce a mini ice age.  Maybe they do want all of us to run up our fuel cost, so that these darn oil companies get richer.  Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to corruption.  It's just ridiculous that it's this cold - 32 degrees in Orlando, Florida?!  Not normal.

Thinking of all this made me want to post this video:



Tell me what you think?

Mind over Matter

Since my last post I have been a MANIAC.  Oh no, now I have that stupid Flashdance (Hall & Oats) song on my mind!  "She's a maniac, maniac, on the floor..."

Gosh, I get so easily distracted...lol. Okay, back to me being a maniac.  I finished all the laundry!  And I mean finished -  folded, ironed, hung, put away... I cleaned all of the children's rooms, my master bedroom and closet, the children's bathroom and my main floor bathroom.  I read all of my children's paperwork and threw lots of stuff out.  I filled out three more Christmas cards... hmmm, what else?

I can't remember, maybe b/c I am really tired.  However, I feel good and I feel accomplished.  I was the Energizer Bunny, but I was also a good girl.  I didn't push, lift, carry, or haul anything heavy.  I took breaks in between tasks and I popped a pizza in the oven for dinner to compensate for some of the other work I did :)  I guess you can call this nesting? Right?

I think I will sleep well tonight, unless crazy baby decides to do her gymnastic tricks...

Ayi, I feel so restless...

Today is one of those days when I feel the itch of doing everything.  I want to clean, organize, blog, cook, bake, make a chore list for the kids, sit down and go through the mounds of paper in the "drawer"... ugh!  In my mind I have knocked all of these things out.  In reality, I've been doing laundry since this morning and I am still not done!  I have sat down and gone through a small pile of paper, the rest I stuffed back in the "drawer." I wrote out three Christmas cards and that is it.  I am wired tired and have little energy.  Why doesn't this register with my brain?  Why is my brain tricking me into wanting to do all these things when it very well knows that my body is exhausted.  I got very little sleep last night b/c of crazy baby movement and I woke up very early - earlier than usual.  Instead of resting I am doing laundry, this also includes changing out everyone's bedsheets and putting fresh ones on.  Not a small feat when you are 8 months pregnant! Anyway, I thought blogging about it would make me feel better, but I just feel more anxious.  Oh well...

Hospital Bag

Okay, I have a few items, so I feel a bit accomplished.
So far I have:

• two granny panties
• two nursing bras
• one nursing tank
• toothbrush
• toothpaste

Is this America?

My brother sent me this Youtube link and I was absolutely floored!  I cannot believe this is happening in America.  I cannot believe that mainstream media has not covered this!  How can we let a town go to shatters and not do anything about it?  I am completely appalled.

Somersaults

My goodness, this baby girl wins the award of "crazy baby in my tummy!"  All of my children had healthy fetal movement, but this is ridiculous.  When she was smaller the nurses would laugh because they couldn't get a good fetal heart reading due to all of her crazy movement.  However, they would say, "once she runs out of space, she'll calm down."  Yeah right!  Running out of space means that I feel it more and that her movement is sometimes painful.  She does this odd thing, well, odd to me; she moves a complete clockwise rotation.   Yes, she makes full rotations!  It's crazy.  I feel like my insides are being rung.  Also, she loves to kick downward.  You know, toward my bladder!  Anyone who's ever had a baby knows that once you hit your third trimester you feel, well, BIG!  No matter how small your tummy, you feel huge.  I say this because everyone comments on "how tiny" I am.  However, I feel like a whale who washed up on a beach somewhere.  Anyway, I got off track.  My point is that I am very uncomfortable and it takes me forever to fall asleep because of this.  And you know what sucks?  What really sucks is FINALLY finding a comfortable position and FINALLY falling asleep, WHEN, kick, punch, kick!  All of sudden your crazy baby starts to do somersaults in your uterus.    Man, oh man, if this is any indication of her personality, I am skeered!

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day that honors Mary, the mother of God, and celebrates one of the most important events in salvation history.

On this wonderful day I got the BESTEST news ever! The Holy Church has approved the very FIRST U.S. apparition site - on same level as Lourdes and Fatima.  Our dream of taking a pilgrimage is now more of a reality.

I am so excited about this!


Here is a link to an article that describes the site: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20101208/GPG0101/101208049/1207&located=rss

Vaccinations

Unfortunately my awakening on this subject occurred after having my children.  Now I have a fourth chance to get it right and my research has been relentless.  I've read personal accounts, medical journals from the USA and other countries, web sites, books, and I've seen countless videos and movies on the subject of vaccination.  My conclusion is that this is a money making industry that has weakened our natural immunities and has actually increased and created diseases.

I found this article that is short and sweet.  It pretty much tells the truth and summarizes most of what I have read  in a simple way that's easy to understand.  I will post the link and an excerpt.

Here is the link: http://www.sunherb.com/truth_about_vaccines.htm

Excerpt:

When one understands what exactly is in these vaccines and how they are made, one would wonder how vaccines could possibly be of any benefit to health. Vaccines are produced from either dead or live attenuated (weakened) disease microorganisms. In the dead vaccines, viruses or bacteria have been have been inactivated by heat, radiation or poisonous chemicals. However, there is no guarantee that all of the microorganisms have been killed. If just one microbe survives it can multiply very rapidly and actually create the disease. This has been known to happen. In fact, every case of polio during the 1980’s was caused by the polio vaccine.

Vaccines created from live attenuated viruses and bacteria are made from the pus of animals that have been infected with disease and then butchered. In these vaccines, the live virus must be weakened by passing the virus through animal tissue several times to reduce its potency for human use. The measles virus is passed through chick embryos, the polio virus through monkey kidneys, and the rubella virus through the dissected organs of an aborted human (yes human!) fetus. The weakened germ is then stabilized by adding drugs, antibiotics, and toxic disinfectants such as neomycin, streptomycin, aluminum hydroxide, formaldehyde, and thimerosal (a mercury derivative). Studies have shown that even microscopic dosages of some of these substances can lead to cancer, neurological damage, and death.

UPDATE: Spelling Bee

My daughter saw my blog and corrected me, she didn't lose on the word Monstrous, that she said she can spell, she lost on the word Monstrosity. This new info just makes it worst!

MONSTROUS

 My daughter, who is only in the third grade, got eliminated from the National Spelling Bee because of the word "monstrous," yet some fifth grader got the word "warrior" (same round) and made it to the county level?!  Now that's what I call monstrous :P

I'm so proud of her, she did an awesome job even if she didn't make it all the way through.  Not to mention she was not feeling well and only went to school because she didn't want to miss the competition.

Vomit, Fever, and Other Fun Things

The bug that everyone has been bitten by and we have successfully dodged, has finally gotten us.

My husband and my daughter who have super immune systems, thanks to long term breastfeeding, (NOTICE: my daughter not my husband) have even gotten a glimpse of this horrible monster.  My daughter who usually exhibits illness through a slight rash and very light 12 hours symptoms, is for the first time, in eight years running a fever and exhibiting real signs of illness.  I can't stand seeing her this way.  She needs to get better because tomorrow is the first rounds of the finals (at her school) for the National Spelling Bee.  She is one of the finalist in her grade and would be crushed if she missed it.

What's worst than being sick?  Try being a sick mom who is pregnant and who has just had another pre-term labor scare!  Yes, it happened again.  I will save that for another post!  Anyway, last night sucked so bad and this morning was even worst.  My wonderful husband has been so good about helping me, but today was his first day back at work after having taken a few days off, so I knew that I had to tough it out.  Tough it out I did! I was up all night administering medicine, love, back rubs, chest rubs, sitting on a toilet in a steamed up bathroom with a too heavy little girl on my lap crushing my belly while my back took a beating from the uncomfortable position... I thought after a marathon of a night my reward was going to be cuddling with my little girl as we both watched TV or slept until the boys got home.  Yeah RIGHT! Boy, was I wrong.  At 10 AM I got a call from my son's school nurse that he was also not feeling well and needed to get picked up.  This is the strict High School Nurse, so you know it was serious. My mind raced.  How was I going to get my battered body that wanted nothing more than to rest, to actually get up and get dressed.  Just sitting up hurt my head.  Some how I managed to get ready and guess what?!  I get in the car and the gas light goes on.  Of course my car is on EMPTY!  So on top of everything else I have to go to the gas station with a fever, chills, and no sleep!

I thought I could tough it out today, but I can't.  I don't want another hospitalization, the last one scared me. So I have thrown in the towel. I gave in and called my husband.  He is coming home to rescue me.  What would I do without that man?

My head hurts, my body aches, and I can't get comfortable.  I actually feel like crap!

Honestly, I don't even have the energy to continue this post...