Camping, Cloth Diapering, Poison Ivy

So for several years Paul and I have been going to Cornerstone Festival.  For those who do not know what C-stone is it is a Christian music festival with hundreds of bands, lots of food, and lots of merchandise.  You spend the week camping out.  This year I was pretty worried of the aspect of camping out for a week with 4 children 5 and under in the blistering heat of July.  We left at 10 - 11 pm the night before the festival.  We knew we wouldn't get in until 9 am the next day, but we also knew some had been camping out for days and the line would already be in place.  We wanted a good camping spot so off we went.  We got there around 1:30 or so.  We were in the fourth row in the line. And we slept in the van.

So although we got there so early when we finally got in around 9:00 am we still didn't get our usual spot.  But we were close.  We still got in the shade and in the general area.  All in all I was pleased with where we ended up.

We set up our tent, and the kids tent.  The kids have their own tent that they love.  Although only Mason and Maya slept in that one, which was right next to ours.

Jasperlyn slept in her own bed in our tent per her request and Elise slept in our bed.  All kids slept amazingly all week despite any weather, noisy campers, or blaring music.

Although Maya immediately came down with a horrid case of poison ivy.  That she continued to break out in throughout the week.

We did spend some time in the van in the air conditioning.  And a couple naps were spent there as well.  But other than that we used the golf cart for rides to cool down when needed.

We lived on that golf cart.  It was a life saver.  Not only did it always get us from our camp site that was a mile or more away, but also kept the kids entertained whenever they were stressed out, bored, or hot.

The kids loved to dance and in some cases mosh around.  But when it got late they slept wherever they were.  Even if it was P.O.D blaring from the stage!

I was continuing to cloth diaper for the week despite the camping trip.  This is obviously more proof that I am absolutely in love with cloth diapering!  I hand washed every diaper and insert and then set them out to dry in the sun.  Which is what they do at home anyway since my dryer is broken.

Maya's favorite music group was SHEL which is a group of 4 sisters.  They were amazing and so very talented.  She loved their hats!

All in all the week was a lot of fun.  We did end up leaving super late on Sunday night. But everyone has tons of memories and had lots of fun!

Ford Windstar upgrade

Well our 1999 Ford Windstar has had a long life.

After we bought the van in 2007 used of course, it wasn't long before we started to notice all the things wrong with it.  Within a day of the purchase, the overdrive light continually blinks, this is not a functional issue so I never worried about it, but that's not the only thing that never worked after day 1.  The wipers have never worked right aside from working just long enough for us to test drive it.  They only function on the highest setting.  Which is something I've gotten used to and is a hard habit to break to not keep turning wipers on and off to get it to go then stop in light rain in vehicles that function properly.  But was not a big enough issue for us to actually pay money to get it fixed.  The next to go out, the Breaks.  We have put tons of money into brakes.  Trying to fix everything.  They finally got to where they work ok, but the light inside the van still says that the ABS is not functioning.  Now the transmission is broken.  It never wants to switch gears and at times will not move, this makes driving it not too easy.  Especially when it switches to neutral while driving it.  Again though something I knew would cost more to change than the van was worth, but something I could live with. The next thing to go is the doors, none of them stay shut. So not to mention the danger of driving with doors that don't shut, the incessant beeping telling me a door is ajar is quite annoying.  Okay so the radio doesn't work either which is not a big deal but is worth mentioning.  And the spark plugs we keep trying to replace, that go to the radio and our lighter plug/chargers, continues to blow as soon as we put it in, gotta be something wrong there.  Aside from all of that the engine is kaput.  The thing sounds like it is going to blow up when we drive it.  It sounded like it did blow up on Wednesday night when we were driving home.  Something blew and smoke came shooting out.  It is impossible to drive, you have to constantly be driving with your foot slammed on the gas or it dies.  So What a mess!  It still makes the coin in cup rattling sound when it is running so whatever that is did not change or blow something else did.  Now all that mentioned, we considered having it looked at and even talked to some car mechanics.  But in the end decided that the money we would put continue to put into the 1999 van was not worth it.  And since we have dozens of places to go on a daily and weekly basis.  There was no one who could loan us a vehicle that would fit our family while this van was worked on anyway.....

So we upgraded.  We got a 2003 Ford Windstar.  LOL  When I went to look at other vehicles I did not plan on getting another Windstar or any specific vehicle.  Though I do prefer Fords I like the way they drive and usually last reasonably well.  It just happened.  Do I love it, I do.  I did not like the idea of a car payment again, since out last vehicle was paid off, but we do what we have to.  Now if we ever decide to get the ole 1999 checked out we will have two vehicles our family will fit in, which is a good thing anyway.

Paul is going to have to get a job now though.  There's no way my babysitting will pay for it, especially right now when I only have 1 full time kid.

What do I love best about the new (to us) van?

• It is just like my old one!  LOL  with lots of upgrades of course.  And everything works.  
• It has a warranty so if something is broken and we can't tell right away it will get fixed.
• It has an entertainment station.  (We had already purchased a DVD player for our last van and it hooks into the current setup, adding screens)
• Automatic doors!  Oh my goodness, I love the automatic doors!

What I don't like about the van is that I can not get used to the outside look of it, I am never gonna find this thing in Wal-Mart parking lot!

What I do find funny is that I was looking at the van and really loving it before I ever noticed what kind it was.  LOL  Too bad they don't make them anymore I'd probably buy another one in 10 years!

TV shows

So not happy when I went to eonline and saw several of the shows I enjoy watching are cancelled for next season!  I realize by sharing this information you will see just what an insane amount of TV I actually watch, but apparently I will be watching less this fall....


If the show is bolded, it's already been renewed for next season (and sometimes beyond). If the show is still awaiting official confirmation of a pickup, it's simply in italics. If the show has a strikethrough, well, you've probably already figured out that means it's been canceled.  The shows that are in Yellow are the shows I watch.  The shows that are in Blue are awful shows in my opinion and can't believe they are still on the air!  And the shows in Red I have never even heard of....And of course the shows that are without color are shows I either have seen or not, but could really care less whether or not they are cancelled or renewed.

ABC

The Bachelor
The Bachelorette
Better With You
Body of Proof
Brothers & Sisters
Castle
Cougar Town
Dancing With the Stars
Desperate Housewives
Detroit 1-8-7
Grey's Anatomy
Happy Endings
The Middle
Modern Family
Mr. Sunshine
No Ordinary Family
Off the Map
Private Practice
V

CBS

The Amazing Race
The Big Bang Theory
Blue Bloods
Criminal MindsCriminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
The Defenders
The Good Wife
Hawaii Five-0
How I Met Your Mother
Mad Love
The Mentalist
Mike & Molly
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
Rules of Engagement
$#*! My Dad Says
Survivor
Two and a Half Men
Undercover Boss

CW

90210
America's Next Top Model
Gossip Girl
Hellcats
Nikita
One Tree Hill
Supernatural
The Vampire Diaries

FOX

American Dad
American Idol
Bob's Burgers
Bones
Breaking In
The Chicago Code
The Cleveland Show
Family Guy
Fringe
Glee
House
Human Target
Lie to Me
Raising Hope
The Simpsons
Traffic Light

NBC

30 Rock
The Biggest Loser
The Cape
Celebrity Apprentice
Chuck
Community
The Event
Harry's Law
Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: SVU
The Office
Outsourced
Parenthood
Parks and Recreation
Perfect Couples
The Voice

Playing with clothes...

Busy Busy Busy, sometimes toooooo busy

Friday Paul and I took all 7 kids to the zoo.  Would have been nice if Scovill had mentioned that it was a field trip day on their website.  It was a bit crazy.


Friday night we went to our Greenhouse end of the year dinner.  Greenhouse is a Christian Homeschool group Paul and I are a part of.  It is a time when the kids can.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal and had a blast.  The kids can't stop talking about what they wanna do next year!


We got up early Saturday to take the kids to Paul's mom's house.  She watched them while Paul and I renewed CPR certification.  Well I renewed.  Paul got his for the first time.  A big thank you to Darren Barnhill for providing that class!  After the class we went to pick up the kids.  Barb offered us lunch.  Which we loved and was delicious.  We left there at 1:20.


Then we decided to go see a movie with the kids.  We chose Rio.  After sitting down, right as the movie started my phone started vibrating.  I didn't recognize the number, but then it hit me.  Paul was supposed to meet some people at Panera.  I didn't know what time though.  I had hoped he hadn't missed it.  So i got Paul's attention and handed him my phone.  He had missed the appointment.  This made both of us feel sick.  Thats just the worst thing ever!  Lives are too busy.  When we got home I made Paul write down the new meeting time on the huge wall calendar. 


On a side note the movie was adorable.  It is about a little blue parrot, Blu, who can not fly and is taken to Rio to mate with the only other known all Blu parrot of that breed.  Adorable story.  Close to the end *spoiler alert, skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know!!!!!!!!!*But close to the end of the story the bird, Blu, fly's and at this point of the movie my 5 year old's Cheered and Maya started clapping  furiously.  LOL So cute!  I also got to nurse during the movie.  I nursed in my wrap.  One more big step for me who is still over coming the weird feeling society has put on my about nursing in public. I am getting better.  LOL


Today we went to McLean for a baby dedication for baby Z.  Very excited that we got to spend some time with the Goggin's. They are like the best friend/family/amazing people in our lives.  I really wish we lived closer.  But then we'd never to anything apart.....  We'd probably get sick of each other.  Well Nikki and I might, Paul and Tim would move in together.  LOL  


Then when we got back Paul had his rescheduled meeting.  While he was at the meeting Maya lost her first tooth!  We knew it was loose.  Pretty cool.  They are growing up so freaking fast!  It just blows my mind!


All and all a crazy weekend!

Natural Parenting

Oh my goodness the more kids I have the more into Natural parenting I become!  I am a breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, natural feeding fool!

This is a listing of things that contain lead.  Lead!  That we are putting in our kids bodies.  This is one reason I am slowly turning to the "old" ways of doing things.  Yes it takes longer to feed your kids homemade natural foods and to cloth diaper your kids, but good grief think of all the chemicals you can avoid!  Here are some links with info.

Here is one on Lead in Juice and other food
http://www.inhabitots.com/85-of-kids-drinks-snacks-could-contain-high-levels-of-lead/

Oh how I despise baby food.  This is something I stopped using after the twins.  The crap that is in those store brand baby food containers.  Yuck!  So with Jasperlyn we skipped the pureed goop all together.  How many mammals in the animal kingdom do you see weaning their babies off milk and forcing food in their mouth before they can eat on their own?  Now I still believe in taking it slow and eating new foods carefully.


LLL suggests this progression when introducing your baby (6 months or older) to solid foods:

• Ripe banana, avocado, yam, or sweet potato (sweet like breastmilk)
• Meats
• Whole-grain breads and cereals (rather than baby cereals)
  [wheat and corn are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
• Fresh fruits
  [citrus fruits are usually delayed until baby is 9-12 months old]
• Vegetables
• Dairy products after 9 months
  [cow's milk is usually delayed until baby is 12-18 months old]

As for cloth diapering.  I get such satisfaction out of it.  It really is not that much more inconvenient.  I don't think.  Instead of carrying dirty diapers in nice smelling small disposable bags, I carry dirty cloth inserts in a wet bag.  It's like 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week.  Depending on how many inserts you have.  It really makes me feel like I am taking care of my baby.  Without cutting corners.

Now I have nothing against other momma's who use disposables or whatever.  I did with my other children.  I now do wish I could go back and do everything that I am doing now with them.  But you learn with each child and that is just how it is.

I could have saved like $8000 if I had cloth diapered my three other children.  I mean that is the more than the cost I paid for my van!  And that is just the monetary aspect of it.  Think of the health benefits.  Check out this link!

http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

Here is one on BPA free products STILL containing BPA!  I don't use a bottle for my kids, they prefer the boob, but still thought it would be good to share info.  

http://www.safbaby.com/what-bpa-free-bottles-are-really-free-of-bpa

I breastfeed because it is normal and natural. Research that says breastfed babies are smarter is incorrect.  Breastfed babies are normal.  Formula fed babies tend to be less intelligent would be a more correct statement.  Before everyone freaks out, I realize not everyone can breastfeed.  I myself had to feed my twins formula after they were 4 months old because of bad advise and not enough support to continue.  

This is a reason that the Human milk banks around the world need to expand and advertise more.  The cans of formula themselves say they are not as good as breast milk.  Instead of eating an apple would you each a chemically created ball that said on its box that it has many of the same ingredients of an apple?  Or does that sound crazy?  Just saying.  It is insane to me that women are nearly encouraged to give up.  Any time some nursing complication comes up parents, nurses, even doctors say to supplement with formula.  Which is the worse thing you can do!  

Again I am not talking about people who have no choice.  I think there should be more milk donating places around to offer moms the option of continuing to feed their baby human milk.  It was made for human babies.  I don't know how many kittens I watched die because they had to be put on kitten formula because they were away from their mom.  It is crazy to me. But again to each their own.  Some women are so disgusted at the thought of breastfeeding they berate people like me who breastfeed.  They say it is disgusting.  LMBO  It's the most natural thing I can do with my baby.  But the USA especially has sexualized breasts to such a point that it is disturbing to see a little girl pretend to breastfeed her baby doll.  Seriously?  What is this world coming to?

Enough rambling for the day.  

Happy Mothers Day!

So a precursor for this blog.  I asked Paul for a clean house for mothers day.  Heres how my day went......
At 1:30 am Paul came to bed, so I thought I was in for a real treat in the morning.  I woke up to my 6:00 am alarm, wanted to go back to sleep but Elise was also woken by the alarm.  So I fed her then we came downstairs.  At which Paul gave me a dirty look, I was supposed to get breakfast in bed apparently and I'd ruined it.  But he let me eat the eggs, toast, bacon, and oj downstairs anyway.  The house, not clean.  He did clear off the couch's and did a load of dishes.  Better than nothing.

We made it to church on time.  This is always a miracle.  After church we got home and Paul offered to take us out to eat.  So we went to Carlos O'kellys and had a great lunch.  As I was ordering my food Maya was getting her straw.  I had to thank Paul as she spit the paper off her straw directly into my face as I was ordering.  Ah.... the joys of motherhood... Jasperlyn also opened the salt shaker and dumped it all over herself.

We got home and since we have 1 bathroom its a bit crazy sometimes, Mason said he had to go real bad.  Since he is a boy, he has been known to just go outside and pee on a tree.  But nothing could have prepared me for what transpired..... My son took a dump in the back yard, because he said he couldn't wait...  He also wiped his butt on the grass he told me.  This prompted bath time...

Elise got her first and second tooth today as well. It was the front two bottom teeth.

I made 6 more cloth diaper inserts.


All in all it was a pretty good Mothers Day I'd say.  :)

gDiaper Cloth diapering day 2

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!  I am never going back to disposables.  Though Elise is most likely our last child (especially since Paul is getting a vasectomy on May 18, this month) we always seem to get surprised by our pregnancies.  Even when the twins was planned, it turned out to be twins BIG surprise!  So I don't count on it being over until the doctor tells me in 6 months that my man is shooting blanks!  LOL  Any way, I love cloth diapering. 


Washing my first load now.  Which I am sure will be more disgusting when she is not solely breastfed and begins solids and her poo isn't so "not gross".  But doesn't matter.  The cheapness combined with the easiness of it.  I wasn't expecting it to be so easy.  


Cloth diapering has come such a long way.  The gDiapers we chose have a cute outter shell and an snap in water proof liner, then the cloth insert.  The whole thing Velcro seals.  WOW.  So much easier than using a piece of cloth and safety pinning it around the baby who I am sure is not very cooperative for all this.  Then putting on plastic panties to prevent leaks.  I love my gDiapers.  The biodegradable inserts work amazing as well.  We have tried those as well.  


I so wish I had started it with the twins!


Last night we had a co-sleeping puppy pile!  LOL  In our small bed we had Paul, myself, Jasperlyn, and Elise!  Bit cramped, but I still feel rested, so I must have been comfortable enough.  




Here's her little gButt.  LOL