Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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T (age 6): I REALLY want a violin! I have wished for it my whole life!
Daddy: I have never heard you wish for one before. Has it been a secret dream of yours?
T: DADDY! I just REALLY want a violin…and some fake nails.

Daddy, K (age 8) and D (age 4) burst out laughing. (She has seen fake nails at the mall earlier in the day that she really really wanted...but Daddy wasn't there for that so this was even funnier and more random to him)
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T spent the night with my mom...

Grandma was reading facts about Puffins out loud from the back of the Puffins cereal box. One fact was that the Puffins usually lay only one egg per year and they usually keep the same mate ever season.

Of course, T wasnted to know what that meant. Grandma told her that birds don't have weddings like humans and promise to stay with the same person.

T responded, "I know. They sleep together one night...and then (shrugged her shoulders) I don't know?"

*Made us laugh because the whole idea that they "sleep together one night" sounds like she knows more than she does...but she doesn't.
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My dad harrasses D by calling him by his name in Spanish. His name is David and my dad pronounces it "Dah-veed". This drives David crazy and he yells at Poppy..."NO! I am NOT Dah-veed."

The other night my parents came over to surprise D (age 4) by taking him to their house for a sleepover. (He LOVES it when it is his turn)

Grandma: I think it is someone's turn to sleep at my house tonight...who is that?
D: (jumps off the sofa) DAVID! It's my turn!
Grandma: It's David's turn?
Poppy: Dah-veed!
D: It's my turn. (turns to Poppy) And you can call me Dah-veed, OK Poppy?

*It was so cute He was so excited that he was willing to let Poppy call him the name he doesn't like
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Grandma: You're my buddy, D.
D: Yeah. You can be my buddy.
Grandma: (realizing that is the term his daddy uses, feels a pang of guilt, not wanting to take Daddy's place) Daddy is your buddy too.
D: no. I told Daddy to stop the other day and he didn't wait for me, so he is not my buddy anymore.
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Your Turn:

Our food makeover

I had a lovely weekend away in August when a friend of mine kept mentioning the book, “The Maker’s Diet”. She told me it was a surefire way to lose weight BIG TIME and to feel healthier!

Upon returning home, I told my husband about the book and mentioned that I was going to do the diet plan. He took a few days to think about it and decided he would join me.

Of course, we had NO idea what we were getting into at that time.

So we got the book and buckled down into the 2 week detox, followed by a slow reintroduction of foods. The main goal of the detox was the allow our gut time to heal from the horror of foods that we usually eat…LOL. Then, we could slowly reintroduce more healthy foods to our diet.

We basically could only eat goats milk dairy products, though we had to cheat and eat plain milk yogurt. Berries were the only fruits. Plenty of meat to choose from. Eggs were allowed. Lots of veggies to choose. No breads at all. No sugar at all. No caffeine at all.

The toughest adjustments were NO sugar and NO caffeine. And let me tellyou that sugar is in EVERYTHING, so we were quite limited.

Of course, for my soda guzzling hubby, this meant NO more soda. And for my sweet tea drinking self, this mean no more sweet tea and no more getting a caffeine kick from my tea.

The first week was TOUGH. We had pounding headaches and felt so tired. My hubby was pretty ill in general, with flu like symptoms. And of course, the book warned us about this, especially if your eating habits weren’t very healthy.

But we managed, using some Excedrin to wean us off of the caffeine and week 2 was much easier. By the end of week two, we had both dropped quite a bit of weight, but more importantly, we felt GREAT! We continued on the diet plan, enjoying the results in many areas.

1. Sleep. I found that I suddenly was sleeping soundly, something I rarely do. I was OUT cold until morning and struggled less to fall asleep.

2. Energy. Hands down, we both have more energy. I used to sleep in till 10 or later on a Saturday if at all possible. Now, I have found that I am up in the 8:00 hour, easily. I have NEVER been a morning person, so the change was significant to me. (and Eric, who has enjoyed more help on Saturday AM)

3. Weight. I lost all of my baby weight (7 lbs) and hit 140 lbs, my “typical” weight, in just 2 weeks. But then the weight kept coming off till I hit 134 lbs (13 lbs total). This had me at a size that I have NEVER been able to wear in my life. I had no idea I could even make it a goal to lose that much. My husband has had the most dramatic weight loss…50 POUNDS in just 4 months. AND he feels great! He is back on his bike regularly and looks quite sexy I might add.

4. Medication. My hubby has been able to half the amount of a daily medication he takes for health reasons. Clearly, our bodies are working more effectively and the way they were supposed to work!

Of course, the biggest change was all of the health information we began to learn. We began doing things like soaking our oats for oatmeal and making homemade sourdough bread.

Initially it was overwhelming, but over time we have made small changes that have started to add up. We aren’t at the finish line by any means, and like most folks, the holiday time threw us off course a bit. (yes, lots of sugar being ingested) But we intend to keep going a little at a time, trying to incorporate more into our daily eating habits.

I have been amazed now at the effect of eating too much “yuck” food. I can truly feel it, in my gut and in my mood. Amazing. And a great reminder to get back on track.

I’ll do another post with some specific changes we have made, but I can’t possibly write about all we have learned. Here are some great resources if you are interested in this topic – more whole food, natural food eating:

1. The Maker’s Diet – a great way to kick start this. It has some good information in it, and while it did help us begin this journey, we have found a lot more information out there.

2. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (cookbook) – GREAT information in the front of it, though admittedly a bit overwhelming. I am glad I began with, “The Maker’s Diet”, to ease me in.

3. I follow: The Nourished Life on Facebook and get great articles.

4. Of course, my best resource is a good friend who I shoot random questions at constantly. But if I give you her information, she won’t have any time for all of my questions…LOL!

It’s been a great change in this house, though the kids might not always agree. But they are definitely paying attention. They constantly comment on the amount of sugar in things!

Eric and I feel healthier and have a whole new way of looking at food.

Artistic Thoughts

Dear T (age 6),

I have worked on this post over and over, trying to capture a certain gift that you possess. Or perhaps it is a flair. Or some sort of energy.

I am not quite sure. And yet, I am. I guess there is one word that defines what I am trying to capture on these pages that describes you.

Create.

It sums up how you interact with the world around you. It is how you learn. How you express yourself. And it reflects the way you see things.

All that is in you and all that is in the world inspires you to…

Create.

The world sees an empty M-n-M’s candy cane, but YOU see an umbrella and immediately bring it to life.

Everyone else sees a pile of rubber bands. You pick one up and begin to pluck it. Suddenly it is no longer a pile of rubber bands, but a guitar...

On an out of town weekend, we had a longish wait for our lunch. The waitress gave everyone dum-dum lollipops while we were waiting for our food. Randomly, while eating your lollipop, you asked if they had tape and glue back at our hotel.

HUH?

You wouldn’t throw out the lollipop wrappers. Every piece of trash is an un-recognized treasure to you. You were inspired and ready to create.

And, without a doubt, the creativity overflows to your attire…

You don’t just get dressed in the morning, you create a character!

“Look, mom, I am a sunflower. My pants are my roots (brown) and then my dress is my stem (green) and I have my petals on my head.”

“Look, I am Gertrude McFuzz (from Suessical the Musical)!”

Trash becomes a treasured fish, hanging from the ceiling.

Clearly, the recycling bin is one of your favorite places in the house!

After talking to your daddy about bridges and watching videos of them, you created a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge completely on your own. It is amazing to watch you suddenly just go to work.

There is no doubt in my mind that you express yourself by CREATING. Of course, you were made in the image of the ultimate Creator, who created ALL things.

You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." Rev 4:11

The entire idea of creating began with Him and He gave this gift to you. It is my prayer that you will find ways to glorify God with your creations.

It is a joy to watch the world through your creations, my little girl.

Our Christmas Present: A weekend away

For Christmas this year, my parents decided that in lieu of a physical gift, they would give my family and my brother’s family the gift of a weekend at the Ocean with them. 

Time together.  Memories made.  A mid-winter break.

An ideal gift!  I'll take it over a new pot or pan any day….course, I could have used a new camera lens for better photos…*wink

Two  weekends ago, we loaded up our 4 children and met my parents at the Ocean for the weekend.  My brother, his wife and their three children joined us as well.  We stayed at a hotel on the boardwalk with a lovely indoor pool.  The suite was a great set up so that everyone was comfortable and there was plenty of space.

Day One. 

We arrived around 3 PM, just in time for a “before dinner” swim.  The pool wasn’t as hot as I would have liked, but that didn’t stop the kids!  After a brief swim, we had dinner in the hotel restaurant. 

This was the only “challenging” time period of the weekend.  C, age 19 months, was EXHAUSTED from a very brief nap in the car, even though the drive is 3 hours.  He was NOT happy about leaving the pool and even less happy to sit quietly in a high chair while waiting for everyone to order and get our food.  This time period involved crying, screaming, a child laying on the floor, a lot of whining, and the eventually disappearance of the culprit child and his daddy….to go play in the elevator until food arrived.

After this meal, we learned to have Eric keep the boys entertained elsewhere while we all ordered food and got situated.  Once food arrived, I would call Eric on my cell phone and he would join us at the meal.  This worked MUCH better for the rest of the weekend.

That evening we played in the room, watched a movie, and got everyone settled in bed by 9 PM.  After alternating sessions in the lovely fitness center, even Eric and I crashed out at 10:20, early for us.

Day Two.

We had a quick breakfast in the hotel and headed out to play putt-putt.  The kids LOVED this.  There was an indoor putt putt place and everyone enjoyed an 18 hole round. 

          

C and Grandma just walked around watching everyone, playing with arcade games, and taking in the sights.  He enjoyed the atmosphere and stayed in a wonderful mood.

D loved his first experience putt putting!  He did a great job following the rules, waiting for other players, and having a BLAST trying to get his ball in the hole!

Recognizing the need for the kids to run around, we headed to the boardwalk for a little while.

  

We were so fortunate that, although it was cold, the sun was out strong in the afternoon!  The kids ran around on the boardwalk and played in the very cold sand.  I mean the sand was FREEZING!  D put his shoes back on immediately!

But the girls didn’t care at all!

Then we grabbed some pizza at the ONLY place open on the boardwalk.

We headed back to the hotel for little C to take a nap while the other kids played in the pool.  They also had time to play outside again before C woke up…just in time for dinner.

We decided to be adventurous and head OUT for dinner, meaning OUT of the hotel.  About 7 minutes up the road was a Japanese Steakhouse, Sakura.  My kids have never been to a Japanese Steakhouse, so I knew they were in for a rare treat!  Following our new “peaceful” meal plan, Eric remained back at the hotel with the boys while the rest of us headed out.  As soon as soup and salads were served, I called Eric.  He and the boys arrived at the EXACT moment that the cook arrived at our table.

The first round of BIG FIRE…

T broke into gleeful giggles.  K, realizing this was supposed to be cool, hesitantly tried to enjoy it over her cautious reservations.  D backed up in his chair, completely panicked, shaking.  C stared in wonder and when it was done exclaimed, “Whoa.” 

The volcano that the cook created with onion rings was more thrilling to our kids because they knew what to expect and were ready to relax and enjoy it.  Overall, our cook was amazing!  He was a wonderful balance of entertainment and skillful.  The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fun!

The boys did a great job.  While D didn’t eat a bite, he sure did enjoy feeling C with chopsticks!  C enjoyed eating up everything and playing in the soup. 

Of course, we learned that T loves shrimp!

We also learned that T is allergic to shrimp. 

*sigh  

An itchy outbreak of hives all over her body was followed by a large dose of Benedryl and bedtime.  She was all better in the morning!

Day Three.

After breakfast, a quick swim and check out, we headed to laser tag.  This turned out to be the FAVORITE activity for everyone.  I had an absolute blast watching my little D’s eyes light up at the chance to go in a dark room and shoot people with a gun!

He exclaimed, “I want a gun!” 

Then, when he saw the vest he was going to have to wear, he began to cry a bit.  As soon as he realized he had to wear it if he wanted a gun, he let us put it right on him.

He had a BALL!!!  During our second round of free play (every man for himself), he had five hits!   The girls had a ball as well.  I have a feeling our family is in for more rounds of laser tag in our future!

 

After a quick bite at McD’s, we headed home, exhausted from a wonderful weekend.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful gift!

Wordless Wednesday: New Van...lots of room

 

 

 

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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Whew...after 36 hours in bed last week, then tending to the children as the stomach virus made its way through the house...it feels good to have everyone healthy!
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The Tiny Ones have been talking in this house and here is what they had to say...

K (age 8): We are in the smack middle of Maryland.
T (age 6): We are so in the middle of it that we can't see the end of the world.

T continued this conversation by asking how we get to the end of the world...the whole "globe" thing must have her a little baffled...
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C (age 19 months) has been talking...

Hi. Hi Poppy. Hi Daddy. Hi.

Woah.

Cracker.

Big Poopie.

Tricia.

E I E I O

Un...Ew...(one, two)

Grandma.

Nigh Nigh. (night night)

WOW!
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T: I went to someplace new yesterday. I went to someplace new today. And I want to go someplace new tomorrow.
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D (AGE FOUR!): I WANT A GUN!
(yes, we took the boy to play laser tag)
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Mommy: D, are you sure you want to play laser tag? You run around and shoot people with a gun and its really dark?
D: YEAH!!!!

(and yes, the boy LOVED it)
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Your Turn:

Please excuse this private note on a public blog...

but I have no other way of getting in touch with...

sbarnett79

You left a few comments about toe-walking and your 7.5 year old daughter, Grace. I know you are going to see the orthopedic doc tomorrow. I'd be happy to write back more details about our experience, but your user name isn't connected to your email account so I can't respond. If you'd like more information on our story or have some questions...

Email me directly at notbefore7 at gmail dot com

FOR EVERYONE
In your blogger account, you have to click the little box in the settings that says, "Show my email address" if you want folks to be able to write you back! It's a great way to communicate if you leave a question or want a blogger to respond to you :) So go to your profile and click the box.

Sorry for the strange blog interruption here :)

Wordless Wednesday: Sipping once, Sipping twice, sipping chicken soup with rice

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday is cancelled this week. :( Mommy is down with a stomach virus. See you next week.

Advent Season, Part V – Christmas

Christmas Eve

For the first time in MANY years, we were able to spend Christmas Eve at home!  We decided to host a Christmas Eve dinner for my parents, Gema, and Uncle.  I had never hosted a holiday meal and was quite excited to do so.

You would think I would have taken a picture of our lovely evening, but I did not.  l will just have to remember how wonderful it was through this blog entry... 

I cooked a turkey for the first time and it was DELICIOUS!  It took HOURS because it was still partially frozen (OOPS), so we began dinner before it was done, but it was well worth the wait.  It finished up just in time and we all enjoyed it immensely!

My hubby declared it was  the best turkey that he has ever had.  Perhaps he was exaggerating…but the entire group agreed that it was delicious and juicy!

Since I don’t particularly enjoy cooking and it was my first turkey, I was delighted to hear that I had done such a great job!  I wish I had written down some trick that I did, but I didn’t.  I’ll just have to wing it again the next time.

If there is a next time.  Because it seems that I can only go downhill from here when it comes to turkey baking!

We also sang Happy Birthday to my mother and I made her a cheesecake.  Her birthday falls on Christmas Day, so she usually gets a bit neglected during the craziness of the day.

My hubby and I spent the evening finalizing the wrapping of the kids’ gifts.

Christmas Day

Each child wakes up to a little mini stocking in their bed.  This year they contained a parachute soldier and a littlest pet shop pet.

Then we proceed downstairs for gifts under the tree.  Our general rule of thumb is three gifts:  one you really want, a game or puzzle, and something else small you’ll enjoy.

(I read the following somewhere this year and thought it was a cute way to purchase gifts, though we don’t use it:  something I want, something I need, something to wear, something to read)

Both of the girls received American Girl dolls this year for their “big gift”.  (The story behind finding the EXACT ones I needed at the EXACT price I needed is a post for another time)  They were thrilled.  K received Molly and T received Emily Bennett. 

T’s smaller gift was a “paint your own dollhouse furniture” kit.

D (age 3) received a large collection of cardboard blocks as his big gift.  (Thanks to craigslist and freecycle)  And, as shown in the picture, he also received the bucket of soldiers.

C (age 1) received a “Band in a Box” for his big gift. 

We spent the evening at my parent’s opening gifts and spending time with family.  One of the most exciting gifts of the evening was the "Blurb” book that my father gave my grandmother (his mom) for Christmas.  She wrote a short story that he typed into a blog for her.  Then he had each of the grandchildren illustrate three scenes for the book.  Finally, he scanned in the pictures and turned it into a book using, “Blurb”.

She was thrilled!

We all got the book autographed by the author, because Dad got copies for each of his kids as well.

The kids enjoyed their gifts and playing with their cousins.  C had a great time getting in the mix with everyone.

 

D loved his new pirate ship.

My brother’s girls got AG dolls for Christmas as well, so it was an AG doll party.

Then the kids put on a Nativity finger puppet show while Poppy read the Christmas Story.

It was a wonderful Christmas!

Idiopathic Toe Walking (an update)

Last time I wrote about K’s (age 8) toe walking, I summarized the background of her problem and explained our desire to correct this issue without surgery.  She was a TIPPY-TOE walker.  Whenever she walked, whenever she stood, she was on her very TIP TOES.  The picture below is April 2010…she has been walking this way since she began walking at age 1.

Our parental desire to avoid surgery was against the opinion and advice of the orthopedic doctor.  He truly feels that our daughter will still need surgery and repeatedly reminds us that we are going against his advice.  Honestly, we are thankful that we have been confident in our desire to try alternatives with the knowledge of our daughter and our situation.  It hasn’t always been easy to have the professionals continually question your decision.

The good news is that things look GREAT!  In fact, the results are very promising and we are so grateful for K and her hard work.

When her casts were removed, K was immediately put in orthotics for her foot.  We immediately headed to the store for a wide range of cool knee high socks…she loved picking out some fun ones!

She wore the braces for 22 hours a day for the first month.  During this time, her range increased from 8/9 (immediately after the casts were removed) to 15/16 (in a NORMAL range!).   *If you recall, we began this process at –1 and –5.  This increase was due to her PT and her commitment to do her exercises 3 times a day.  We were so excited.

At the end of month, the orthopedic doctor was clearly shocked at the results, but expressed, yet again, his opinion that she would revert and still require surgery.  Admittedly, this was quite discouraging, but I knew that he had the right to his opinion based on his experience, so I just smiled and nodded my head.  Afterall, if she does need the surgery, we certainly don’t want to have offended the surgeon!

He also wanted to remove her from PT completely.  I was very upset at that suggestion.  Her PT has been one of the one folks “on our side” through this process, completely hopeful and supportive of our decision to avoid surgery.  She has monitored K so closely and helped us make some great decisions.  In addition, the exercises have been so wonderful for K and have clearly built her muscle strength and flexibility.  Thankfully, I was able to convince him to continue to send her every other week.  (I need him to make the referral for our insurance company)

For month #2, K was able to continue to take a 2-3 hour break each day from her braces.  She also was able to begin to alternate the nights that she wore the braces on her legs.  Finally a break for her legs at night!!!

We continued to see great progress and whenever K was off of her braces, we never saw her walk tippy-toe.  When we returned to the doctor at the end of month two, our main concern was sore spots on her foot being caused by her braces.  It was quite clear that the doctor felt that this was being caused by her attempts to toe walk while wearing the braces.  He basically said so much when he came into the office.  Then, he reiterated his opinion about the surgery…again.

BUT, when he took off her braces and had a look, he admitted his error.  The braces needed some adjusting and her sores had nothing to do with attempts to toe walk.  He FINALLY admitted that we “might have proved him wrong”.  K’s feet are doing excellent and she is on the road to avoid surgery.  At that point, he suggested that we pick an entire day each week to let K take a break from her braces. 

So, she now wears her braces every other night, and everyday of the week except Wednesday!  We have continued to see her remain flat feet, even when playing basketball twice a week.  We feel quite confident that we are coming toward the end of the road!

I was searching for a picture of her braces, but I couldn’t find one.  I found one more meaningful to me instead.  Before this process, we would never have been able to get a photo like this one…

K has worked very hard to focus on her walking and exercises.  Without a doubt, this is a huge part of the reason for her success.  Yet, the fact that we homeschool has been a HUGE advantage in beating the odds.  The doctor has admitted to us that most 8 year olds just won’t wear the braces and they fight it until the parents wear down.  Most 8 year olds get teased at school and don’t want to feel different.  Thankfully, in our homeschool situation, the children she hangs out with at bible class and co-op classes wouldn’t dare make fun of her.  Instead, they have sent her cards, prayed for her, and supported her through the process.  I am immensely grateful that at the tender age of 8, she can’t even fathom someone making fun of her “difference” right now, nor could she see a reason to make fun of someone else’s.  In this case, homeschooling has definitely been a clear advantage.

While I worried about the “late” timing of our attack on this issue, once again God’s timing has proved perfect.  K is at the right age to stick with her exercises and commit to this change.  She understands what is happening and has worked hard to break her habit.  For her, this timing has been wonderful.

If all continues to go well, then at the end of this month she will be allowed to drop another day.  We will keep dropping days at a more rapid rate at that point, assuming we continue to see her walk flat footed.  I think we’ll be done with braces sometime before Spring, or around that time.  It’s been a long journey, but one we are thankful has worked out.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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It's been one of those weeks...a cold bug hit the house; moods aren't great; and Hubby came down with another round tonight.

I am enjoying a few moments of peace, reading a good book on a Nook borrowed from the library.

So no Tiny Talk from me...I'll be back at it next week, when health returns and brings some more sanity with it...I hope.
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Your Turn: