Bawk Bawk Chicken Pock

Do you see it? Other than my ridiculously cute baby, there's something else. Right there on his side, near his armpit... yup... there are 2 chicken pox. 2 out of 13. They came on yesterday, and he didn't explode with them overnight like the other kids, so here's to hoping Max only has a mild case of them. *Sigh...* We're almost done being quarantined!

For my family in Utah

I hate listening to my own voice, haha. And I realize now, after watching this, that I say retarded things, lol. Sorry :)

Damsel in distress

That's what I feel like these days. I've had a doozy of a time the last 5 weeks or so!

Our Chevy tahoe broke down 5 weeks ago, a gear blew clear out of the back of the car, leaving me stranded right after dropping Maren off at preschool. I'm thankful to the wonderful stranger who attends the Bethlehem methodist church where they go to preschool, she gave me a ride home that day.

Then as you all know, my house flooded because water got left on while I was going to pick Maren up from preschool and run some errands 4 weeks ago.

Today, I got stuck in the mud after picking Maren up from preschool... and I mean stuck!

Usually she buckles up as she gets into the van, but she got distracted while talking to Kellan, I pulled out on the main road and she yells "I'm not buckled!"

I would have just said "Well buckle up!" But at the same time, my van made some sputtering, the 'check engine' light has been on all week, so I decided to just pull over... not my best idea ever. Because it had rained so much, the shoulder was sooo soft and muddy, my van just got sucked right down, and slid into the ditch, I couldn't even budge an inch! I was sunk half way up my tire in the mud.

The director of the preschool drove by after about 25 minutes of sitting there, and offered to give us a ride home because she had a mini van that would fit all 3 of my kids. But at that same time, a very awesome stranger pulled over in a huge truck, and had a towing strap, and he pulled me right out of the mud!

I had called James when I realized that I was stuck, and he was going to come pull me out. He stopped to buy a chain, and was on his way, so we made ourselves comfortable to wait an hour. Luckily we didn't have to!

I asked the man if I could repay him in anyway, I was sooo thankful, and he said "If I didn't stop, my wife would have beat my hide!" Well, thank you for your generosity, I was very grateful :)

Here we go again

This morning we were running a few minutes behind for getting the kids to school, but we barely made it on time, I was so proud of myself! As Maren and Kellan were heading to the door to wait in line before they unlocked it, Kellan tripped on the sidewalk (because he was running to beat Maren) and fell in the mud.

I was cursing the gloomy rainy day. It was "red day" at school, where they had to wear something red. So I dressed up Kellan and Max in their matching red vests, they were so stinking cute! I was so frustrated when he got muddy, because we had to head back to the house to change him. I was honestly more frustrated that I had to change him into something non-matching ;-P

I had just grabbed his clothes, left them in the van, and headed back to preschool to change him once I was there again. As I was switching his shirts, I noticed something...

Kellan has the chicken pox now. I guess that explains his 'listlessness' and grumpy mood 2 days ago at school when he got a yellow ticket for not following instructions.

And even though I was upset about him falling in the mud- now I can say that even that happening today was a good thing, I never would have seen his spots otherwise until he had exposed other children.

*Sigh* I'll never have a smooth day to put my house together will I? Whatever. I need some chocolate.

This was on Thanksgiving at my mom's in Utah.

Grammar police is on patrol

Listen up southerners!! You have been incorrectly using the word "Toboggan" for far too long.

I heard on the news the other day "Police are looking for a suspect wearing a black hoodie, and a grey toboggan, if you have any clues as to who this person is... bla bla bla."

He was wearing a what?

to·bog·gan - noun
A long, narrow, runnerless sled constructed of thin boards curled upward at the front end.
intr.v. to·bog·ganed, to·bog·gan·ing, to·bog·gans
1. To coast, ride, or travel on a toboggan.
2. Slang To decline or fall rapidly: His good fortune has tobogganed


So this suspect was wearing a sled on his head? Now that's sure to make it easy to identify him! James used this word to reference a knit hat he wore in the winter, and we argued about the usage! Then he heard his aunt use the word in the same context, and said "Ah ha! See I told ya!"

Not.

A toboggan was something I got for christmas as a little kid, and I totally felt like Laura Ingalls when my sister pulled me around on it in our back yard.

Just because many many people use it incorrectly, it doesn't make it any more correct. In fact, it makes it even more annoying.

End of rant. Have a great day.

What's that smell?

We're home!!

And something tragic happened :( Lol.. okay, bear with me here.

One of James's tasks while I was out of town was to feed the fish. There was just one fish, the other one had died the week before we left and I hadn't gotten the replica yet so that the kids wouldn't know. (They had fish once before, and saw them die, which as traumatic for them. So now, I'll buy a replica before I see their hearts break like that again this young!)

So after James picked us up from the airport, we ran by the house to get his work vehicle, and then went on our way to a hotel. The house wasn't finished being repaired yet, but I wanted to see what James had painted, so we went inside.

I noticed the fish net inside the fish bowl on the counter, but no fish inside the bowl. I assumed that the fish had died, and I didn't say anything to James right then because the kids would have gotten upset.

Maren was running around outside finding 'treasures' of random things from the yard, and brought an armful of items in the house. She grabbed a cup of water from the counter, dumped it into the sink, and then went to fill it up from the fridge. My first thought was that it was a dirty cup from who knows when James might have cleaned the dishes with me being gone. (Let's be honest, he's less than stellar at cleaning while I"m out of town.) But then I realized that she was using it for her yard treasures, and I didn't say anything about it.

So the next day Maren and I went by the house while Kellan was in preschool, to gather up a few things for James. I washed my hands in the kitchen sink and thought "Ugh, what's that smell?" So I looked in the sink, and there was a dead fish right there.

First thing I did was send James a message saying how disgusting he was to just scoop a dead fish out, leave the net, and throw the dead fish into the sink instead of actually taking care of it.

Uh, no. That isn't what happened. He had put it in a cup of water by the sink to clean the bowl, and had gotten an emergency page, so he left. And in came Maren, looking for a cup for her treasures, and dumped the cup of water... fish and all.

My 4 year old is a fish killer!

Oh no... are you kidding me?!

Maren has got chicken pox.

I thought I was on a vacation?!

Appearantly she could have gotten them from someone 11-20 days ago, which means she could have gotten it the day before we flew out here from someone at Preschool or Ballet. There's no telling who she got it from.

But she would only have been contagious herself for a few days before her symptoms manifested, so she's not inflicting the masses luckily with our inability to really go anywhere.

I dread the thought of Kellan getting them. He is so whiney right now anyway! And there is no 'talking him through' anything, he is having a hard time listening to regular instructions.

And ohhhhh poor Max if he gets them too. He's so tiny, how awful to be so miserable being so fresh and new!

But I guess I shouldn't count my chicken pox before they hatch, har har har. We'll see how this next week goes. Please wish me well!

I've realized something

Max has really given me great reminders to enjoy my children more than I take the time to. I thought once a few weeks ago about people my children love seeing, and I felt bad about msyelf, like they didn't feel enough affection from me. But when I actually watched some of these people care for my children after the new baby was born, I realized that I am much more affectionate with them and that I do enjoy my children more than I realized.

With the first baby, we were so excited and consumed with all the milestones, that it really did make it feel like she grew up too fast. Because we looked forward, instead of present, to all the moments with her.

With my second, I was literally just trying to survive. Maren was 15 months old when Kellan was born. And she dispised him. James starting his therapy practice in our home, so I had to keep a pristinely clean home, AND take the babies away every day for several hours while he had his clients visiting. It was a headache. And then speaking of nerve pain, I had a stroke-like shutdown of my nervous system because my brainstem was impinged when Kellan was only a year old. It was a rough time in our life.

But Max has given me great contrast to remind me how fleeting moments are with each child. I have quiet moments to enjoy the new things Max is doing. So I'm not rushing him, and I'm not too busy to notice these things either like with the first two. And it has helped me be aware of each phase and ability they all are at in their lives.

Maren isn't going to be a toddler much longer. In two months she'll be 5. That's a young girl! It's surreal to me. She's an old soul in a little body, I like to say. She is sensetive, loving, artistic, expressive, and spiritual.

Kellan's voice seems so tiny lately. He's 3 1/2, and I realize better that he isn't capable enough of understanding things I have expected him to because he still is very young. I have tried to be more nurturing to him during different moments. He is strong, and defensive, and compassionate, and observant, and confident. He's the perfect recipe for a great big brother.

Even though I say how naughty my kids are, I realize how normal they are considering all the transitions they are going through with a new sibling, new school, and an extended vacation away from their home and friends. I just need to be more patient with them.

I realize now why Heavenly Father gives us opportunity to nurture his precious spirits. He doesn't send us children because they need someone to care for them. He sends us children because we need to learn things about ourselves to help us along in our progression in this mortal probation.

In my life, I have prayed for a softer heart, for patience, to be an example, to be a missionary of his gospel, for understanding of his mysteries, for a testimony of his love for me. I have prayed for wisdom, for courage, for direction, peace in my heart, and purpose with my abilities.

It was said once that God doesn't answer prayers, he sends people in our lives to answer them. He sent me Maren, Kellan, and Max. And through them, all the things I have prayed for in my life are being taught to me and manifesting in my character.

I am truly greatful.

A little randomness for you

We're enjoying ourselves in Utah, although we are homesick. A week is probably enough time, but we have longer, so we can pace ourselves and not pack as much into that week seeing and doing all that we want to do. Kellan asked today if we can go back to 'our neighborhood' and Maren wants to get back to her dress up things. I miss a spring-coiled bed, airbeds and I do not get along. And Max, eh, he's fine with whatever as long as he has milk!

I'm sure James is enjoying an early bedtime, and freedom to watch Bond movies with no complaints from me.

Here's a few of the things I've enjoyed this week

My brother Josh snuggled with Max practically the entire day, a little baby hungry? They took a cozy looking nap together.

"A Journey to the Center of the Earth" was pretty fun to watch in 3-D with my mom and oldest sister Gina

And Maren has been so super helpful, asking every day to "Dishwash." Um, heck yes! (As the Utahn's would say.)

,

Vay-cay

I'm in Utah! But not in the most ideal of ways to plan a vacation, that's for sure!

Long story short... my house had a little flood- James ripped it to shreds pulling out all of the flooring, and when I come home it will be practically entirely remodeled!

Here's what's going to be new:
New flooring in both of the bathrooms, and the kitchen/dining. We're upgrading it from linoleum and paying for ceramic tiling!

New carpet in the livingroom, hallway, and all 3 bedrooms.

New vanity and sink, paint, baseboards in the hall bathroom. We're upgrading to replace the window frame to match.

New vanity in the master bathroom. We're upgrading for the solid surface countertop sinks.

New paint job in the Master bedroom too, since they had to cut a hole in my wall to dry out the walls!!

And just for good measure, James and Jeremy are painting the kitchen cupboards... finally! It was a project we started months ago, and never finished. (Thanks both J's!)

I can't wait to see my house! But because of all the demolition dust and debris from James tearing everything out, and Max only 5 weeks old, we needed to relocate. It's going to take a while to get finished, and living in a hotel with toddlers just seems impossible... I tried that one 2 years ago when we moved to NC, no thanks! So we left last minute to stay with my mom in Utah.

We'll stay until my floors are back in, and furniture is put back so that the house is functional again... that's about 3 weeks. Please don't forget about me NC :*(

After a hectic day of no sleep the night before, connection flights, and all the drama of traveling, we made it. I paid for a rental minivan to pick us all up, driven by my sister. I have now decided I am sooo over the Honda Odyssy's. I want an '09 Toyota Sienna please!

Say what?

Right before Max was born, I bought a program called "Dunstan Baby Language" that is based on a world wide study of newborns, and the sounds that they all make around the world.

There are five sounds they all make starting at birth, no matter what language the birth parents speak. It's because of a reflex in the baby that causes them to make a sound when they make noise as they are crying or reacting to a need.

Like a hiccup... they all sound the same, right? Or a sneeze. It's a reflex, and the baby makes noises along with it, occuring with the same sound.

So I had James sit down and watch it with me the week after Max was born, so that he could feel more confident in taking care of the baby's needs.

Yesterday we're getting ready for church, and Max was upset. James was taking care of him so I could finish getting ready... and he remembered the sounds that we learned, so he listened.

He said "It sounds like he's saying 'eh, eh.' What was that? To be burped?" So he put Max on his shoulder, patted and rocked him for a few minutes. He didn't stop after just a couple pats and give up saying "well, he didn't burp." He rubbed him for a few minutes. And lo and behold, a big ol' burp finally came out, and Max settled right down and fell asleep!

It was so nice not to hear James say "I don't know what is wrong, he's not calming down." James DID know what was wrong, even though 95% of the time he isn't here taking care of Max. Now thinking back on how difficult of a baby that Maren was, and the endless hours that we tried burping or rocking or nursing, I wonder what she was saying all along? It probably wasn't one of the 5 sounds though- it was probably an ornry "Reeeaaar" instead!

Watch this video, it's so awesome! First time moms, or multiple time around like me, it's so helpful, I love it!

I voted!

I thought about posting a picture of my own sticker on my shirt, but you might have thought I was blogging about my boobs instead. ;-P

Voting seems a bit like putting my name into a lottery drawing. I'll likely stay up late tonight, and make some pop corn like I have the past 2 other presidential elections. Even though the person's name I wrote in won't be announced as our new president, I'm still wanting to know who will be.

But because I wrote in a candidate I felt was a better option, (No, James, I didn't write your name in) it got me thinking about lottery drawings. I know the person isn't going to win- much like how I feel when I enter my name for a new Honda Odyssy every month online!

But instead, atleast the odds are much better than 1:10,000,000,000

Last week was craaaaazy!

In addition to adjusting to life with a newborn baby again, it was packed full of activities. It was the last stretch of my mom's visit from Utah, so 'Grammommy' and I took the kids to Monkey Joe's for some play time- trying to avoid naughty time from them!

We also took them to a place in South Carolina where you paint your own pottery. All 3 kids captured either a footprint or handprint on a piece we painted together, it was nice to create memories, but not nice with the meltdown from Kellan in the middle of it all.

There were also a lot of Halloween activities. Maren dressed up as Hannah Montana for the activity at church, and again at preschool. (Kellan was sick for his day at preschool.) By the time trick-or-treating rolled around, she decided she wanted to be something different, so we had Snow White as the Queen, with Kung-fu Master champion. (Yes that's Max wrapped up in the polka-dot wrap, lots of people didn't realize there was a baby in that bump!)

For only 30 minutes or so of trick-or-treating, they made out like fat cats. Their buckets were full, and we proceeded back to Kate & Jeremy's home to fill our tummies with yummy fall favorites and goodies.

We tried to stay low key during the week due to both kids having their turn at being sick. So one of the days we adorned ourselves in halloween tatoo's. Yes, even Max got inked. It was a green spider, hehe.

Saturday the kids and I made the treck up to the airport for the last time in a while to see my mom off to Utah. We were sad to see her go, sad to have our house empty from company, and I'm feelin' it most of all because I'm flying solo for the first time since the baby was born 4 weeks ago! Wish me luck.

Max's blessing

We had Max blessed this past Sunday while we had family able to be in town for it. My mom has been out here for the last week or so, and my sister and her husband flew in briefly to be there that day too. Afterward, we came back to our place and had a BBQ a-la-James and his new stone BBQ/oven that he has finished (almost) building in our backyard. It went off without a hitch!

It was a very nice day, and a special one for Max. Thank you to all of our friends and family at church who shared the joy with us, and for all of our friends and family who celebrated with us afterwards too. We are so blessed to have this precious baby in our family.

Baby Max

My baby has made his modeling debut- thank you Kate soooo much for the cute pictures!

Woah little lady!

Maren has been giving James some minor heart attacks lately. Appearantly he is going to be the double-standard Dad who has a harder time letting go of his little girl than he will about his sons.

She doesn't want to be married to Connor anymore (Sorry Cara :( But I think Connor moved on long ago anyhow!) She now wants to marry Jake.

Jake is a super cute little boy at preschool. He always fusses over how she looks, and just gushes over her. One day I was dropping her off at preschool, and he rushes over to her saying "Maren, I love your jacket! You look so pretty." Then he gets back in line next to his dad and says "That's Maren. She has a stye, but she's sooo beautiful." He melted my heart! What a great boyfriend she picked! He loves her despite the stye, thumbs way up.

Come to find out, the agreement is mutual, they want to marry each other. But then there's Morgan. Who is 'deeply in love' with Maren as she tells it. He says "Hello my love" when he sees her at school. And she says "Morgan wants to marry me, but I don't want to marry him, I want to marry Jake. I will NOT marry two people."

AAAAND, she confesses that she kisses Jake all the time. But- just on the cheek.

Oy vey!
How do you tell your 4 year old boy crazy child that she should take some time figuring herself out and maybe consider college first!?

Four!

So the rules are: Go to your folder of pictures on your computer. Open the 4th folder, and upload the 4th picture, then explain it.

To be fair, I didn't even check which picture before selecting it, but I knew it would be cute because the folder is labled "Both kids/2006" (I do need to change my folder names now that I have 3 kids! But anyway...)

This was in March 2006, so Maren was 26 months old, and Kellan was 10 months old. It was taken at our apartment in Utah before we moved to North Carolina, and playing "Ressur-on" (resturaunt) was Maren's favorite activity. She would put food on a plate, and Kellan would play along pretend munching on it all. By the looks of him, he wasn't a picky eater at all!

I tag Christa, Kate, Tiffany, and Ashley!

You can't pick your family

You know the old saying "You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family."

That has been on my mind a lot actually, I must need to get something off my chest because it isn't going away!

I was talking with a friend about our Church a few weeks ago, she wasn't that familiar with how the Mormon church works. Such as the clergy, meeting places, etc. I was explaining our "ward" as we refer to the main congregation being a collection of members of our faith in a certain proximity of each other.

And as I had that conversation on my mind, while at church that following Sunday, it was Testimony meeting. And I began observing all the people in the ward. We refer to our Bishop as the 'Father of the ward' being that he is at the head delegating all the matters that make it all function. And often, our members refer to the ward as 'the ward family.'

So the old saying came to my mind. Because our church is quite different than other churches in the aspect that we don't "find one that fits" in our religion. We don't go to different Mormon congregations until we find one that fits us personally, we are assigned to it based on the location that we live in that area.

I really like how that principle is set up. Because imagine if the mormon church worked in that way, where you drove to other meeting houses until you found one that you like. You'll usually look for common interest people, economic status, even race maybe? But what happens when those commonalities change as we progress in life? Would it be time to find a new church that makes you feel more like you 'belong there'?

I know there have been times I enjoyed a certain ward more than others in the places that we have moved. But it was the people specifically that made me enjoy it. The religion doesn't change. So if I enjoyed them being a certain way, wouldn't it be fair to be THAT person for others that might enjoy being around me?

I like that I don't pick my children as God sends them to me. Each of them have shown me different personalities and qualities that in turn teach me to refine or develope something about myself so that I can be better for them. I like that my siblings and I are so diverse, because it makes for richer conversations- how boring we'd be if all we ever said is "I know! Me too!"

And I love that our 'ward family' is on that same principle. Each person I have gotten to know isn't exactly like me. We don't tick the same way. We each have different perspectives of our gospel, but in turn it helps us all to refine or develope qualities about us that we otherwise would not be challenge do develope. I think it's a divine part of our Heavenly Father's plan for our personal progression. Because without opposition, there is no need for strengthening that which defines our purpose.

How fantastic our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's wisdom is, and how great it enriches our life when he is at the head of his church! I love all of my family- both physical and spiritual.

Brotherly Love

Introducing...

Maxwell Graham Moore

7 lb. 10 oz. 22 Inches

My labor started about 10:00 p.m. Friday night , slow and steady, but I knew it was different than the annoying Braxton Hicks contractions I had the entire pregnancy. It was about every 20 minutes the entire night. I had plans to take the kids to a Fall Festival at a local farm Saturday morning- I tried hard to convince James to take them! But he insisted on me going to be walking and moving... which actually stalled the labor a little. Thanks James!

So most of you know that I had planned a homebirth, and are curious to how things went. They went fantastically smooth! This was actually my hardest labor of all 3, my water never broke, which made for really intense contractions- I don't recommend! My midwife broke the cal as he was crowning. I definintely could have dealt with the contractions better if they were not accompanied by intense pressure from a full sac of water. There was never a time where I thought "I don't want to do this at home" because I had a wonderful company of midwives assisting me, and a supportive husband like none other. He dealt with the labor process along with me from about 8 p.m. until Max arrived at 1:29 A.M. He put up with the short temper and bouts of irritation and fury like a champ! I think there was only twice I blurted explicits at him ;-P 27 1/2 hours of labor could have been shorter if I had not been forced to go to a farm! And if my mind wasn't aware and hearing my kids in the other rooms all day. As soon as they went to bed for the night, things got going much quicker. I was able to move around and try different positions- of course none of them made labor feel good- but the change of scenery made things feel less eternal! My midwives listened to the baby's heart rate here and there to make sure he wasn't in distress. And he wiggled around enough to let me know he was getting in position too. James was my solid rock the entire process, letting me set the tone and doing whatever I yelled at him to do! I hadn't really planned out what position I would birth in- but the way it happened ended up being the only way I had actually pictured in my mind when I thought in advance about it. Which was, in James's arms with him supporting me up and giving me confidence and comfort. I know that he truly is my other half, things don't work without him. And I could not feel at peace or be confident in some of the paths we walk if it wasn't together with him. I think as women we tend to fear childbirth in general (especially our first experience with it) and consider that all of the risks experienced from some are going to happen to us. And the part we fear the most is actually pushing a baby through what seems like an impassible port of entry! The laboring part is much more difficult than pushing the baby out. The last part of transitioning the baby out is actually a 'hurt so good' type of adrenaline which produces an insane amount of oxytocin. This was my first birth without pitocin (synthetic oxytocin)- which overrides the body to naturally produce oxytocin. (If you've had an epidural, you've had pitocin hand in hand even if your labor wasn't induced.) To actually experience natural oxytocin makes the maternal experience a thousand times better- I had no idea what I was missing out on.

I hope you enjoy the pictures! We'll be up for visitors soon, I look forward to showing off my handsome little man. My fantastic bunch of ladies! Lisa, my main midwife (center, with Max) her partner Mary-stewart (also a certified midwife, on the left) and their assistant Jenny (on the right.)

James assuming the tradition of the first diaper

Such Sillyness

Thanks Heather for sending me the Salt Lake Tribune's article about PETA's latest effort to be quirky in addition to their advocacy. They had a few more ironic comments from consmers than the Washington Post's article about it. You can read the full article clicking here

They wrote to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream asking them to consider the use of human breastmilk instead of cow milk in their ice cream stating "If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers - and cows - would reap the benefits," wrote Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of the animal rights advocacy group.

I thought it was a little contradictory because a lot of PETA advocates don't use honey because of the attitude that bees make it for their own food supply, we shouldn't make them work for us and take what isn't made for us naturally.... um... what adult is still breastfed? Isn't it the same principle?

Also a little contradictory? "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child," spokesman Sean Greenwood said in an e-mail.

I bet if a cow could talk, they'd say the same thing.

GO SOY!

Pain in the gas

It's sort of eerie to drive through my town at night and observe some of what is going on around us right now.

I was on my way to pick up James from work last night, and I usually pass atleast 15 gas stations on this 26 mile drive. Every single one is closed. Yellow 'caution' tape wrapped around the pump area of some stations, construction barriers blocking the entrances of others. Plastic bags covering the nozzles on every single pump to indicate that they are out of order.

Out of gas. But why?

While reading through tons and tons of online news and reports as to what we are told is causing this ration, there still isn't anything that is solid.

Oil refineries were prematurely closed in Texas before Hurricane Ike hit the area as a precaution. Galveston TX hit the hardest, and 1 oil refinery burned down because of the damage. The federal reserve opened up some quantity of crude oil for these refineries to still have production to help until drilling resumed as normal in that area.

Alright- but 25% of what was refined from this area is supplied to the United States. The other 75% is exported out. No big hit, or ration being reported on the amount that they are able to export out. So this 25% that is nationally distributed is really causing the crisis and riots and rations in the south eastern states?

It's still odd. A big oil company in this area is Citgo oil. Also known as Petro Express. One and the same, owned by the infamous Hugo Chavez of South America. They're not having a crisis due to hurricanes. Their export remains the same. No pipe lines were damaged to the refineries they deliver to. The major refinery in the Virgin Islands remains unharmed, distributing regular amounts of production. Trucks who transport the petrolium to the local gas stations report supplies just sitting there, with no orders or authorization of deliveries. Just... sitting...

Can someone please explain to me why North Carolina, or any other state further south for that matter who may be experiencing it worse than us (Like Atlanta, GA) is having these rations?

I waited at the pump 2 days ago for an hour to only be allowed $40. James waited for 2 hours yesterday to be one of the last customers who got gas before this other station closed entirely. Thousands of people were unable to get to work in Charlotte yesterday, and assumably today because of this rationing. And there is only reports of small amounts of gas stations receiving a rationed amount Tuesday at the earliest.

When gas stations jumped their prices $0.70 in a day due to the Hurrican Ike hysteria, I still filled my tank full that day... and 6 gas cans as well. So we'll be okay for a while. But what about everyone else?

Why is there a big rush to get this $700 billion 'housing crisis bailout' bill passed without revisions, and with much hesitation from Congress and the taxpayers, with the address to the nation from President Bush about how shortly it will affect our local economies, local banks, local jobs, and it will cause an unemployment rate of mass amounts in the near future...

But in the immediate present moment the exact same crisis described is happening, but because of oil, and nothin' is mentioned about it at all. Am I the only one who feels like this gas situation is a deflection of our attention?

Woah Baby!

So my midwife made a home visit yesterday to "practice" how long it will take her to drive to my house, check to see if I have everything I'm supposed to have bought, and for my prenatal visit exam.

I'm 37 weeks, and bursting at the seems appearantly. I am still 10 lbs less than I was at the end of my pregnancy with Kellan, the pants I wore with Kellan are a little baggy on me at this point of my pregnancy with Max... but my belly is much bigger at 37 weeks, than with Kellan at 41. It's ALL baby. I know it's my third, muscles are not as toned, etc, but it's ALL baby.

My midwife says "What's your feeling on how big he is?"

Me: "Right now? Maybe 7 1/2 lbs? I think he'll be about a 9 lb. baby at the end."

Midwife: "If you had this baby today, I really think he's atleast 8 lbs. Atleast."

And I still have a few more weeks?!?!! I PRAY that I don't go to 41+ weeks like I did with Kellan.

Someone pass me the Moroccan curry with a shot of Castor oil.

Oops I did it again

I need to quit saying things I *don't want to happen* out loud because I'm seriously attracting everything that comes out of my mouth these days.

My friend Christa and I took our brood of kids out to run some errands, and I was talking about my minivan "If I ever got in a car accident" bla bla bla about it's value compared to what I paid, something about insurance, whatever. I don't remember the entire conversation.

Seriously 3 minutes or less, we're the second vehicle at a stop sign to turn, and the (very very big) truck in front of me decides he's out too far, and backs up INTO MY VAN. Smash.

It was a teenage boy driving with his mom and his friends, she was appearantly yelling at him for being out too far, and distracting him, he didn't hear me honking away trying to say "Stop!"

So an hour later, one police report filed, and some ansy toddlers and babies taken care of, we finally get on our way home. I shouldda just kept my mouth shut and not attracted it. Or said something like "Someone is going to give me the keys to a new Honda Odyssy just because they admired my parenting." (insert hysterics here)

But we'll get some new carseats all around for all our kids. I guess there's a silver lining?

A fakeout!

I went to the bank today to get some cash out of our checking account, and I hate that all the bills are printed differently than the older ones. I always feel like they're fake.

So I always hold them up to the light to be sure. If you do that, you see a little clear strip running vertically down the bill, that's how the machines tell if you're putting in a $5, $10, etc. It reads that strip. Fake ones don't have that.

Today I had gotten a couple $100 bills, and one of them was different than the others, so as usual, I check it. Hmm... no strip.

I asked the teller who just passed me my cash "How do you tell if the bill is fake? This one looks weird." She says they can tell, and asked me to pass it back through the drive-up slot.

She holds it up to the light... hmm... she's confused. She calls someone else over and he does the same. Then they take out a black marker and make a line on it.

IT WAS A TOTAL FAKE $100 BILL!!

From the bank!

I'm glad I never pull away before counting my cash. And I'm glad that I had asked instead of assumed "oh well, it's from the bank, it must be legit." I would have been out $100 because stores always check them before accepting them. I couldn't believe it!

Bu-Bye James

It has been a crazy week for him at work!

As most of you know, he does disaster and emergency type of services. If your septic tank explodes, a tree falls on your roof, or a pipe bursts and floods your homes, James is there. His responsibilities range from sludging out the nasties from your exploded toilet, ripping down walls, or just cleaning the carpets. It's the nastiest, manliest job ever. And last week he came home smelling like a hay ride- the horse and all. P.U.

But it's the happiest he's ever been career wise in his life so far, and that includes working for himself for far less hours a week. But because it's a job that includes emergency services- when they gotta go they gotta go, and sometimes there ain't no comin home until the weather improves and the insurance damages stop rolling in.

It started on Sunday for James getting called out to a job that had him gone for 11 hours that day. After that, he was lucky to get 4 hours of sleep at night before getting up and starting it all over again. Friday night he finally crawled in bed at 3 AM. I had just changed the sheets that day, and he smelled like somethin' fierce, but I didn't have the heart to complain. I just changed the sheets again the next day.

We finally got to enjoy a dinner with James last night, for once I didn't fuss about the total on the bill, because the kids went almost the entire week without even seeing him at all, and he worked so hard. And even with the holiday today he was back out of the house at 7 AM.

So with Hurricane Gustav hitting the southern coastline of Louisiana, and Tropical Storm Hannah to the East Coast, there is a convienent high pressure system lingering to the North/West of the Carolinas, which will bring more big rain storms this week too.

*Sigh.* It was good seeing ya for dinner last night James. We should do it again. Probably next week? Hopefully not from a hospital bed after you collapse from sheer exhaustion though! In the mean time, I'll keep holding down the fort.

I'm the president of the "Single Wives Club" and anyone missing their husband is free to join. We'll talk membership dues later.

School days, school days.

I can't believe that I have "school age" kids. Sort of.

Yesterday was parent orientation at the Preschool that Maren and Kellan start at next week. Today was open house for the kids to come and play in their classes, meet their teachers, and make new friends.

My kids didn't want to leave! Whew. I'm glad they're looking forward to going. I"m totally looking forward to it too.

Maren will go M,W,F from 9-12, and Kellan will be on the opposite schedule only T,TH 9-12. So it will give me one-on-one time with each of them. But really, I'm trying to get Maren switched to the 5 day a week schedule, I think she'll be just fine and actually do better on that schedule, and be more prepared for a full day 5 a week Kindergarten class next year.

The classrooms at the school are so fun, painted murals on the walls and 'themed' rooms to help the kids find where they need to go all by themselves. Kellan goes to the "Frog" room, and Maren goes to the "Ocean" room. It's ran by a Methodist church, so it's very Christian oriented in the teaching, but fairly neutral too so that it doesn't conflict with our teachings as well. Jesus is all over the building, and it's very obvious that "Jesus said let the little children come unto me" is their creed. I'm so thankful it's such a wonderful place!

And I already have my first fundraiser to participate in too *cringing.* Does anyone want to buy a Little Caesar's pizza kit? It's a fantastic offer :D

Boys... Blech...

Kellan says to me today "Mom, I ate the worm.

"Uh... "What worm?" I ask, a bit puzzled.

Him: "The wiggly worm."

Me: "Okay, a pretend worm? Where did you find him?"

Him: "No, the worm for the compost. I ate him all gone." (with a devilish smile)

Alright... the door was locked, so I know he didn't go outside to the compost. I had already taken out the food scraps from the bowl in the kitchen. There weren't any worms in there anyway, lol.

So what worm could he have eaten? He is insistent that he really did eat 'the worm', even when I talked with him about telling stories. Which I am positive that this is. Kellan is the little boy who screams and cries when a fly lands on his lunch outside, or a baby ladybug is on his arm. He panics and runs out of the room if he sees a spider.

I really doubt he ate the worm. But why do boys have to have such gross imaginations?

Finally!

We figured out a name we agree on for the baby. All it took was James actually having a serious conversation and listening without interjecting "Bear" for every option. ::Sigh of relief:: And who'd a thunk it, when he talked serious, he actually had nice name suggestions too. But he realized he liked best some of the ones I've been mentioning all along.

Maxwell (Max) Graham Moore :)

Maxwell/Max- Spiritual Connotation meaning 'Righeous'
Inherent Meaning 'From the Great Spring'
Matthew 6:22 The eye is the lamp of the body; so then
if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

Graham- Spiritual Connotation meaning 'Generous'
Inherent Meaning 'From a Grand Home'
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

I thought it was a little funny, most name books have my name to mean "Spring of life" or something to do with Spring... how original for my name (rolling my eyes.) And the name Max means 'From the Great Spring' ... Why yes, he is :) Harharharharharhar

Man vs. Wild

James is going to brave the great outdoors, including the wildlife, for a campout tonight.

By wildlife, of course I mean Maren and Kellan. He's pitching the tent in our backyard to camp out with the kids for a 'super fun adventure' he dubbed it.

They have little indoor play tents, which they think they'll get to sleep in, they have no idea we have an actual outdoor tent which will keep them critter-free.

So while they are "roughing it" with the bunnies, deer, and maybe a racoon that might come sniffing around, I'll be enjoying a quiet house. I hope the loud sound of the caddydids in the trees don't scare the kids too badly, it sounds like the Predator is lurching up there.

Maybe I'll make some cookies (share some for their adventure of course), take a bubble bath and rent a movie for myself!

Sooo not a morning person

The kids start preschool in less than two weeks, so I figured I better change their morning schedules to get adjusted... but not this week, Kellan is getting over a cold so I'll do it next week ;-P

But who seriously calls at 7:00 AM to anyone, even if they are a morning person? I got woken up by a phone call- atleast it wasn't a telemarketer. It was a woman from the Charlotte Rescue Mission thanking me for my donation. That was it. Not asking for anything, or telling me my payment for a bill is late. Okay, so it's a nice thing. But I was sleeping! Grrr.

Kellan popped his head out of bed a few minutes after that, he had heard the phone- got up- and got dressed. Okay, so no snoozing a little longer. Then Maren got up because she heard Kellan. I swear they have a radar on each other.

So I get them set up with breakfasts, and our Bishop rings my doorbell around 8. Again, usually I'm still sleeping!! He was bringing by dishes from the dinner I made for their family on Tuesday, his wife had her tonsils taken out, and I'm her visiting teacher :)

A sight for sore eyes I am not in the mornings. Especially this one! My hips are killing me already, this baby is so low in my pelvis, I was having a hard time moving around yesterday, so I avoided it as much as possible. I took a shower finally before bed, so my hair was still wet when I went to sleep. I woke up with serious 'whatever' hair... resembles something a witch would sport around. I am super fabulous in my husbands 2x size shirts due to my tummy that has outgrown my maternity clothes already... And I had to answer my door like that?

Can I go back to bed now?

It's definitely a...

Boy!

No more confusion or doubt.

We went for a 3D ultrasound yesterday so I could feel more at peace about the location of the placenta, the cord length, etc., since I'm having a homebirth. I don't want any surprises that could be avoided... the first ultrasound that I got at 22 weeks was not very thourough, and a total waste of my money.

And since we were there, we took a good look... yup, definitely a boy. Now James just has to move past the whole "Bear" name thing, I'm not gonna grow to like it. I think we've narrowed it down to two that we like atleast.

It was a nice place, they had an area with couches and toys for the kids in the same room as the ultrasound equipment, so that family could get comfy and view the whole experience too. So James had a front row seat to sit back and enjoy the images of his baby. It was very neat.

Ain't he a cutie?

Free at last, free at last!

Maren's eye is free at last!

So after 4 months of continuous effort to get rid of the clogged lumps in Maren's right eye, it seemed to take a turn for the worse almost 2 weeks ago. I started putting a heating pad over the washcloth to keep heat on them longer. She would have to lay on my bed for 15 minutes 3-4 times a day like that... what a trooper.

But that's when it went from just big and pink, to being huge and purple! Okay, so that didn't seem to be helping it drain.

Her skin under her eye started to crack because it was soooo big. And it was at that point it became painful for her, she never complained about pain before that. It seemed that it became infected.

So we finally try one more option, which was Sarsaparilla dried herb soaked in a coffee filter like a tea bag, and patched over her eye. The herb "draws" out sicknesses from the body.

By the end of the first day when we took the patch off of her eye to put a fresh one on, the center of the bulge had changed, it had a hard yellow spot in the center. Mount St. Helen was about to explode.

The next day, when applying some 'drawing' ointment on her eye before another Sarsaparilla patch, lots of junk finally gooed out. I know you're as excited as I am about this!

So I'm happy to report that after 3 days of the Sarsaparilla, her eye is noticably smaller, and is on its way to a positive change.

Hallelujah!!

(too bad we didn't know about the Sarsaparilla 4 months ago. But ya live and learn.)

James' Birthday Spoilage

The kids gave James his birthday present early. His birthday is saturday, but taking toddlers with you to buy it- and letting them wrap it- proves to be too much excitement for them to hang on to. (And I have to confess, I don't like waiting for surprises either, I was fine with it!)

He bought himself a 'present' last week, one that he's been wanting for a long time. It was a Fallkniven knife (for those of you who aren't nerds like he is, it's high quality steel that can cut through your thigh bone, so there ya go.) What's he gonna use it for? I have no idea. He'll carry it around for a while, feel awesome to have something for show and tell, then he'll put it away with his hunting/camping items that he never uses. And it wasn't cheap.

So what did we get him? A Sirius satellite radio car system. He talks about never getting to hear current events, and misses some radio shows that are in other states, hates commercials, etc. He said once that he wanted Sirius. I listened, I got it. It's only $12.99 a month for the service, not so bad at all! So he can have CNN all the time, music, Nascar, even all Elvis 24/7 (my personal favorite!)

He 'said' that he loved it... but was a bit fussy because he was concerned about "how much he'll get use out of it." Um... he's in his work truck all day long. He works ALL the time. How can you NOT use it, ever? He's always telling me about what he heard on the radio. Appearantly he does listen to the radio, but he's worried that the cost wasn't worth how much he'll use the item.

Ha! It was much cheaper than the knife he bought himself, funny how he didn't apply that logic when purchasing his man-crush's knife of choice. (Bear Grylls on Man vs. Wild show.)

But he did enjoy the M&M's we also gave him. Thouroughly.

Sorry that the pic is blurry, it's from my cell phone camera, I soooo need a regular camera! One candy has a profile of James's face- which is hilarious because it's very detailed, and the others say "Happy Birthday" and "Big Daddy"

Mis-quoted

This weekend, Kellan kept positioning his stool far enough away from the end of his bed so that he could jump off of it, and 'fly' onto his bed over and over again.

This was keeping him amused for a little while yesterday, and I thought that he was pretending to be Buzz Lightyear shouting "To infinity and beyond!"

Until I listened a little closer....

He was actually saying "To Bed, Bath and Beyond!"

Can you tell he's with me always running errands? Poor boy!

My first love

Yesterday while I was resting in bed recovering in between throw up trips to the bathroom, I was watching "The Pursuit of HappYness" with Will Smith. Ahhh... what a gorgeous man.

I've seen it twice before, and I bought the DVD a long time ago- I just hadn't opened my copy of it until yesterday. I figured it was long overdue! I was bawling at the end of it, when my husband called, reminding me of the other fantastic man in my life *wink wink*

I just wanted to thank Will Smith for still keeping me in love with him. 13 years ago I adorned my school locker like a shrine to him with every magazine article I could get my hands on. Every day after 10th grade for 3 solid months my friend Shyla and I watched "Men in Black" from which we also picked the song we attempted a duet performance to at a state competition. My first email address was "Willy's girl" in dedication of my love for him.

And I'm happy to say that after 15 years since I first became hooked from The Fresh Prince of Bel-air (of which I still know all the lyrics to the theme song :) I am still in love with the man.

Blah

Why do I get sick easily when I'm pregnant? That's one thing I'm looking forward to being done with, not the pregnancy itself necessarily.

Yesterday Maren and I spent the day being sick with the flu. First thing in the morning it was a lovely wake up call to tend to Maren exploding out of both ends, followed by my own weak stomach reacting to it all. I thought my indigestion the night before was just from my big baby belly... appearantly not.

So a tear-filled phone call to James with several muttered "what am I going to do?" moments later, followed by a few more barf runs- I hit the phones to find someone to take Kellan.

THANK YOU CARA for being willing to take care of him. He is appearantly fine, I suspect that we caught it from him anyway, which he probably got from Nursery at church- good times.

I spent most of my day yesterday unconscience on my couch- only waking up to throw up again or change the channels on the t.v. for Maren. She spent most of the day in her sleeping bag beside me on the floor.

So after another night last night of the same episode for me, and a calm night for Maren (thankfully) Kellan returned for another day of fun with Cara and her cute kids (and to reclaim his beloved teddy bear that he left there yesterday, bedtime was very difficult last night!) And the Bishop's daughter came over today to hang out and play with Maren.

I'm gonna find my way back to my bed for several hours. And maybe I'll find the shower today too... lol.

I can't wait for tomorrow. I miss my kids. Kellan especially.

P.s. did I mention I was having contractions most of last week due to a U.T.I. and was supposed to be taking it easy with as much bedrest as possible? This throwing up action isn't what I call taking it easy, it's thrown a few extra contractions in there.

Oh yeah- and the other guy who James works with is getting married today, which means James is solo. No way possible to get off work, lets hope it's a quiet weekend with no emergencies to respond to please.

Someone pass the Ambian.

Potty Break

A couple of weeks ago Maren and Kellan were outside playing in their pool, and Maren realized that she needed to go potty. The idea of her dripping wet throughout my house makes me cringe! And I was working in my vegetable garden so I couldn't help her in the house. So I told her to sit on the grass and pee, then rinse off with the garden hose. (Yes, I know, some of you cringed at that too. Lol.) I also told her not to do that all the time, we're not dogs, we don't pee outside.

So yesterday they were playing outside most of the morning, then went swimming for a while, and ate their lunches outside. Twice they had come into the house to use the bathroom. Maren remembered that they aren't dogs, and it was a one-time exception.

Or so I thought anyway! As I'm fixing their dinner later that day, I was watching them outside the kitchen window. They both jumped out of the pool and ran to the grass where they both put their hands on their knees, leaned over to watch themselves, and peed on the grass. BUT they did get the water hose, and proceed to squirt the crap out of each other afterwards.

Ya gotta admit, it's a funny image, seeing them both in that position *knowing what they were about to do* just made me laugh. I wish I had a camera! My cell phone just ain't cuttin it anymore for the family album moments.

*tear* Ahhh, that's one I'll enjoy laughing about for a while.



(Disclosure: Yes, we had another talk about peeing outside, and where we really need to go.)

I'm not anti-doctors...

But I'm starting to get that way.
(*not really, I'm just bugged.)

Are they all so under educated that the mere stay at home mom makes them stutter?

So you read my last blog about Maren's eyes.

Yesterday we head to CVS minute clinic for a scrip for steriod eyedrops to help the oil glands, they can't do that- just the antibiotic ones. Alright. Back to the optometrist we go.

He says "antibiotic ointment this time, and a stronger antibiotic at that." Hmmm... why?
So I say "From what I've learned about Chalazions, it's an oil gland that is clogged because it's under developed. Mostly occuring in children because of that. It's not bacterial, why an antibiotic?"

He says: "Because it's red and swollen."

I say: "Yes, because it's clogged. And inflammed. Antibiotics don't help with the clogging issue, or the inflamation... so again, why an antibiotic product?"

His reply? "Uh...Uh...Uh...I'm confident in another month it will clear up. If not, then we'll look into injections and drainage treatment before they rupture."

Sure, in another month of me treating it with a wet washcloth and a heating pad 3-4 times a day to losen the oil, and a homeopathic specific for Chalazions, it's likely to clear up. And you'll think it's the pointless antibiotic ointment.

Thanks for wasting my time! And money! This isn't my insurance company that you are billing for useless treatments and bad medical advice. This was ME!

Baby Blues

This is a picture of Maren's right eye. It started back at the end of April with just one on her top eyelid, which we thought was a stye.

Then it became two on the top eyelid. Then one on the bottom, then two on the bottom.

Yup, 4 all together. Her poor eye!

So we did a natural antibiotic eyewash for styes. No improvement. We did warm compresses and gentle massaging. Nothin'. Took her to an optometrist and got an antibiotic eye drop. No improvement there either. We've done vitamin A in the eyes. Then we tried homeopathic eyedrops for a week. You know it... didn't work.

We've done everything seemingly 'normal' and took it a step up from that doing wives tales stuff such as a slice of potato on the eye, which is told to 'pull' things such as bacteria and clogs from the body. Of course that didn't work.

Maybe because it's not a stye! It's called Chalazion. A stye is a pore, usually an eyelash folicle that sometimes gets irritated by a hair or bacteria. The bacteria comes from the surface, into the pore. A Chalazion is different because it's a pore in the tissue region, not the eyelash region. And it becomes clogged from the inside of the body from the production of oil.

She's got 4 of them, so it seems her oil glands in her eyes are under developed.

And it's not gettin' any better, in fact they are getting bigger and worse. Especially this last week. So much so, that even strangers are making comments as they see her such as "Oh, your poor eye, what happened?" Before, it went unnoticed for the most part except by close friends and family that saw her often and noticed her bumpy eyes.

It looks like someone socked her a good one. So I've taught her to say "You should see the other guy!"

Ahhh... we're off to the minute clininc at CVS to get a prescription for a steriod eyedrop, then to the Herbal store for a homeopathic.

Keep your fingers crossed that the drops help her glands develop. Because otherwise, surgery is what we're lookin' at, and soon. Because they could rupture, which is 1)painful, 2)damaging to the tissue, and 3) could get infected if that happens and 4)expensive! We're still paying on the dentist bill from June!!

This girl is getting expensive! Oy vey.

Not my kid to brag about...

But super duper cute :)

My friend Christa and I discovered (accidentally) that her daughter Caroline is terrifed of Kellan's cabbage patch doll. The first time she saw it, her knees trembled, and her hand shook, but she just couldn't take her eyes off of him! Cora was less entertaining, she didn't mind him at all.

So their next visit, I couldn't resist. And neither could Christa, who was far more menacing about it than I was!

Maybe it was that commercial about insurance with the life-size cabbage patch that traumatized Caroline?

Why?

Why does Otis the MALE cow on the movie "Barnyard" have udders? And his dad too?

Why does my toilet flush counter-clockwise? I thought that was the southern hemisphere, below the equator, that flushed that way. I'm freaking out.

Why is it that regardless of how careful I place my napkin on my lap while I eat, food always spills other than ON the napkin?

Why is it that 'the rolling stone gathers no moss' but my high speed ceiling fan gathers all the dust?

Why is it that when I'm talking directly to my 4 year old, and I ask "What did I just say" to make sure she heard me, she says "I don't know." But when I'm talking in another room, to someone on the phone, she hears everything?

Why is it that the Law of attraction will work for me for some things, but not for others. If it's a universal law, then it should be infallible, right? Gravity isn't so selective, why is this law?

Why do I always second guess myself, go with my second reasoning or answer for something- then find out it wasn't the right one, and say "Ugh, I knew it, I should have picked the first one."
Why don't I get it yet and NOT listen to myself secondguessings?

Why do I start singing a song that I haven't heard in years, and within a couple of days or even just a few hours, I'll hear it being played? Is the radio tuned into my mind?

Why do I always have so many great ideas, and never do anything with them, and see some of them in stores being sold? I could have been the one rich from it. I'll even give good ideas to other people then say "Oh, I should have done that for myself, now they can make money instead of me." I have no entreprenuer motivation. And they say 'necessity is the mother of all invention.' Pshh... nope. Just my rambling mind.

Oh well.

High Five

So it's probably no surprise to hear some of the things my kids say- I'm bad at censoring for one thing, and I intentionally teach them others.

Last night Kellan kept doing silly things and running up to me saying "High Five" afterwards for a slap. One of the times he said it, it reminded me of Borat. (A really gross, crude movie. Go to Youtube if you want to see some clips to see what I'm talking about.) But Borat's accent is hilarious. He's from Kazahkstan in this movie.

One of the other things Borat says is "Sexy time" but you have to throw the accent in there for effect, or it's just not the same :) "Sexeh tym-muh"

Now back to my inappropriate parenting. Kellan runs up to me again for another high five, and I say it Borat style to him "High fyv-uh, Sexeh tym-muh" And James partly gasps/laughs and says "April! Don't teach him that!"

Don't worry. It's Kellan. It came out "High five (with a growl) Sixty times!"

Hair today, gone tomorrow

So appearantly Maren and I will be known as the "hair girls" from now on!

Maren was a little nervous that no one would notice her haircut at church- after all, when she wears her "prom dress" (easter dress) and I fuss her up, the compliments start flowing. She beams. She loves the attention. Yes, she is a beautiful little girl, but I am quick to remind her that it is all MY doing :) And that being beautiful inside is much more important, because if you're ugly in there, then no one cares how you look.

But people did compliment her on her haircut. I was even surprised at some of the people coming up and telling her they loved it. But most importantly to Maren, her true love Connor noticed and told her that he loved it.

Then the relief society president came up to me and "had to ask" some questions, because appearantly my hair care routine is getting around the ward. She listed 4 names of people who "heard it from so-and so" in the chain of tracing the news. I bet if we tried, we could have connected it back to Kevin Bacon in 2 more degrees.

So in the days of my blossoming belly (and rear-end) atleast my hair gets complimented on? *shrugging.*

Here it is:

I don't use shampoo!

Okay, so I buy some. I do use it, rarely though. Like when I got paint in my hair from doing Maren's room a few weeks ago.

After moving to the south, I thought my desert environment hair would get healthier... pssh... that's a myth. It turned to dry grass. It was awful! So much so, I stopped using shampoo out of fear of baldness, and only conditioned it whenever I got it wet. That helped it repair a bit, but also left it a bit 'heavy' feeling from being weighed down.

So here's my routine in case you care to know as well, it has peaked some interest: I wet my hair, and put in conditioner during my shower. Sometimes I put a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends for repair. Yes, the kind in the cooking section. It's fantastic. Then I put a pile of baking soda in my hand, and work that into my scalp all over, rinsing it all out at once. And I'm done. I do that every 2 or 3 days, I never wash my hair daily. And it shocks a lot of people to learn that we over-wash our hair with harsh shampoo's that aren't PH balanced. Baking soda actually conditions as well as cleans. Try it on your face. That's all I use in that department too :)

Happy washing to you all. I guess it's my calling in life to make the world a better place one head of hair at a time.


And P.s. James's reaction to Maren's haircut was surprise, but a happy one. He kept fussing over her the next day and even said "I hate to say this, but she looks cuter." Woohoo! Point for me!

Maren's makeover

I'm nervous for James to come home and see what I did today!!

I cut about 7 inches off of Maren's hair, and then added layers in it!

She has been asking for atleast 7 months, since we went to Utah last, to have her hair cut "like Aunt Heather's." (My sister Heather had a short bob cut that went to her jaw-line area. Super cute.)

And I kept trying to convince Maren to let her hair grow long. She's had trims, but that's it. I said "I won't be able to curl it super fancy anymore how you like it." She said that's okay, it seemed like a fair trade in her mind. :(

I said "I won't be able to put it in a bun for ballet anymore." Again, she says "That's okay."

Appearantly, there was no convincing her. Just trying to convince her parents.

So I ask James about it last week, and said "She really really wants it short, this isn't a spontaneous idea of hers. She'll be happy, she won't regret it."

He says "So what? She's 4, she doesn't call the shots!" (He's not the typical anti-haircut type of Daddy... but he does like his princess to be fussed over from time to time.)

I think she should get to call some shots, even if it's not what I want. (Within moderation.) I let her pick her outfits when we go shopping, she got to pick what color we painted her room, etc. With guidance and help in making good choices, I think kids should have more of a voice in their image, surroundings, and experiences. Clearly this was something she "really really wanted" as she put it all the time.

So today I cut it.

And yes, I cried! (A little. She didn't see the tear.)

But doesn't she look super cute?