Coming up this week......

Let's see......

Tonight Morgan has swimming lessons.

Tommorow we're attending a 'water party' of a friend and then swimming lessons in the evening.

Saturday is Josh's and my anniversary (6 years!) and we're planning on doing something while my mom watches the girls (not quite sure what we'll do yet). Oh yeah....and the swimming lessons continue.

I almost forgot.....June 1st (tommorow) starts the beginning of Low Impact Week. I'm definitely participating.

Ok, folks. Here are the guidelines for Low Impact Week. There are seven areas of impact listed below, each one with several action items for you to choose.I chose these action items as I wanted them to be relatively easy to integrate into your lifestyle for a week. In other words, you don't have to prepare anything too much or invest in anything too special (unless it's part of a replacement project). I hope you find that these are things that are are easy to do. You can do one or all of the suggestions for each area listed and if you want to go all out, make sure you add in the action items marked with a * for an über-low impact.

1. Reduce energy consumption -
don't turn the heat above 65 during the day and 60 at night (put on a sweater and dig out those blankies!); for our southern friends, set the A/C to above 90
unplug appliances when not in use that still draw energy when off (like your cell phone charger)
turn off the TV unless you are actually watching something
use the air dry on your dishwasher instead of heat dry
use only cold water in your washing machine
line dry your clothes instead of using the dryer*
turn off the TV for the week and do something else instead (read a book, visit with friends/family)*

2. Reduce water usage -
take shorter showers and/or use a water saving showerhead
turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth
be aware of water usage when at the kitchen sink - turn it off in between tasks
save the water in a bucket that is discharged while warming up the shower and use it to water plants or for other things*

3. Change your food habits -
try to buy organic and/or locally grown food
minimize pre-packaged foods and make more of your own from scratch
use cloth bags at the grocery store instead of getting paper or plastic*
don't get take-out if it means non-recyclable packaging*
try eating vegetarian or vegan for the week (choose your level from egg/dairy acceptable to no animals products at all)*

4. Reduce your dependence on paper products -
print out only what is necessary
try out a a 100% recycled TP and tissue brand
don't use paper towels; when you can, use cloth napkins or towels instead (e.g. public restrooms)*
5. Reduce your garbage output -
recycle everything you can (for your area)
donate used items to a charity (many have pick ups and drop off locations) instead of throwing them out or taking them to the dump
compost your food waste and soiled paper products*

6. Reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle usage -
carpool when taking trips or going out to eat with friends
take the bus or other public transportation to work and on errands*7. Do something that lasts more than a week -
replace one bulb per day with a Compact Fluorescent light bulb
take your name off of junk mail and mailing lists for catalogs you don't want
sign up for an alternative energy plan if available in your area
set up a compost bin for your food scraps*
set up a rain barrel to capture water for watering your yard*

Joy School Graduation

For the past school year we've been doing a preschool co-op type thing with our neighbors and friends. Well, today we had a mini-graduation ceremony. The daddies came and we had pizza for lunch! (that's my big 5 year old in the purple)

And a couple of my tired kids today

A couple of the two that fell asleep during lunch.


And one of them who said we were treating her like Cinderella when we made her sweep the floor...... (yes, I'm rolling my eyes as I type this)

Babies in a bag.....

So in my dorky mom fashion I thought it'd be cute to pose Jack in LL Bean bag......


Until he decided to crawl out.........................



So then Raelyn wanted to give it a try......

A couple quick pics from the pool today....

Not too long into the swimming experience (but after these pictures were taken) Jack fell on his face and scraped up his cheek. :( I'll try to get a picture of that tonight.

New accomplishments: Morgan AND Raelyn went down the slide (Raelyn would only go on my friend Kim's lap)

Oh yeah- sorry about the semi-blurry pictures. I didn't realize I had a sunscreen smudge on the lens of my camera until I uploaded the pictures.

There were two in the bed.....

......no wait, make that three!!!

My girls not only share a room, but they share a full sized bed. Things work very well this way as they have each other for company- they never get lonely. Plus, one less bed to make in the morning. They sleep in the bed that my parents bought for me when I was 3. It's a white iron bed with gold accents- perfect for a girl's room.

Jack sleeps in the bed with Josh and I. I'm a very big advocate of co-sleeping with a baby. We have done it with all three kids for varying lengths of time.

Here is an article I LOVE from Dr. Sears regarding co-sleeping. (www.askdrsears.com)


7 BENEFITS OF CO-SLEEPING: MEDICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
There is no right or wrong place for baby to sleep. Wherever all family members sleep the best is the right arrangement for you. Remember, over half the world's population sleeps with their baby, and more and more parents in the U.S. are sharing sleep with their little one. Here's why:
1. Babies sleep betterSleepsharing babies usually go to sleep and stay asleep better. Being parented to sleep at the breast of mother or in the arms of father creates a healthy go-to-sleep attitude. Baby learns that going to sleep is a pleasant state to enter (one of our goals of nighttime parenting).
Babies stay asleep better. Put yourself in the sleep pattern of baby. As baby passes from deep sleep into light sleep, he enters a vulnerable period for nightwaking, a transition state that may occur as often as every hour and from which it is difficult for baby to resettle on his own into a deep sleep. You are a familiar attachment person whom baby can touch, smell, and hear. Your presence conveys an "It's OK to go back to sleep" message. Feeling no worry, baby peacefully drifts through this vulnerable period of nightwaking and reenters deep sleep. If baby does awaken, she is sometimes able to resettle herself because you are right there. A familiar touch, perhaps a few minutes' feed, and you comfort baby back into deep sleep without either member of the sleep-sharing pair fully awakening.
Many babies need help going back to sleep because of a developmental quirk called object or person permanence. When something or someone is out of sight, it is out of mind. Most babies less than a year old do not have the ability to think of mother as existing somewhere else. When babies awaken alone in a crib, they become frightened and often unable to resettle back into deep sleep. Because of this separation anxiety, they learn that sleep is a fearful state to remain in (not one of our goals of nighttime parenting).
2. Mothers sleep betterMany mothers and infants are able to achieve nighttime harmony: babies and mothers get their sleep cycles in sync with one another.
Martha notes: "I would automatically awaken seconds before my baby would. When the baby started to squirm, I would lay on a comforting hand and she would drift back to sleep. Sometimes I did this automatically and I didn't even wake up."
Contrast sleepsharing with the crib and nursery scene. The separate sleeper awakens – alone and behind bars. He is out of touch. He first squirms and whimpers. Still out of touch. Separation anxiety sets in, baby becomes scared, and the cry escalates into an all-out wail or plea for help. This piercing cry awakens even the most long distance mother, who jumps up (sometimes out of the state of deep sleep, which is what leads to most nighttime exhaustion), and staggers reluctantly down the hall. By the time mother reaches the baby, baby is wide awake and upset, mother is wide awake and upset, and the comforting that follows becomes a reluctant duty rather than an automatic nurturant response. It takes longer to resettle an upset solo sleeper than it does a half-asleep baby who is sleeping within arm's reach of mother. Once baby does fall asleep, mother is still wide-awake and too upset to resettle easily. If, however, the baby is sleeping next to mother and they have their sleep cycles in sync, most mothers and babies can quickly resettle without either member of the sleepsharing pair fully awakening. Being awakened suddenly and completely from a state of deep sleep to attend to a hungry or frightened baby is what leads to sleep-deprived parents and fearful babies.
3. Breastfeeding is easierMost veteran breastfeeding mothers have, for survival, learned that sharing sleep makes breastfeeding easier. Breastfeeding mothers find it easier than bottlefeeding mothers to get their sleep cycles in sync with their babies. They often wake up just before the babies awaken for a feeding. By being there and anticipating the feeding, mother can breastfeed baby back to a deep sleep before baby (and often mother) fully awakens.
A mother who had achieved nighttime-nursing harmony with her baby shared the following story with us: "About thirty seconds before my baby wakes up for a feeding, my sleep seems to lighten and I almost wake up. By being able to anticipate his feeding, I usually can start breastfeeding him just as he begins to squirm and reach for the nipple. Getting him to suck immediately keeps him from fully waking up, and then we both drift back into a deep sleep right after feeding."
Mothers who experience daytime breastfeeding difficulties report that breastfeeding becomes easier when they sleep next to their babies at night and lie down with baby and nap nurse during the day. We believe baby senses that mother is more relaxed, and her milk-producing hormones work better when she is relaxed or sleeping.
4. It's contemporary parentingSleepsharing is even more relevant in today's busy lifestyles. As more and more mothers, out of necessity, are separated from their baby during the day, sleeping with their baby at night allows them to reconnect and make up for missed touch time during the day. As a nighttime perk, the relaxing hormones that are produced in response to baby nursing relax a mother and help her wind down from the tension of a busy day's work. (See
5. Babies thrive betterOver the past thirty years of observing sleepsharing families in our pediatric practice, we have noticed one medical benefit that stands out; these babies thrive . "Thriving" means not only getting bigger, but also growing to your full potential, emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Perhaps it's the extra touch that stimulates development, or perhaps the extra feedings (yes, sleepsharing infants breastfeed more often than solo sleepers).
6. Parents and infants become more connectedRemember that becoming connected is the basis of parenting, and one of your early goals of parenting. In our office, we keep a file entitled "Kids Who Turned Out Well, What Their Parents Did." We have noticed that infants who sleep with their parents (some or all of the time during those early formative years) not only thrive better, but infants and parents are more connected.
7. Reduces the risk of SIDSNew research is showing what parents the world over have long suspected: infants who sleep safely nestled next to parents are less likely to succumb to the tragedy of SIDS. Yet, because SIDS is so rare (.5 to 1 case per 1,000 infants), this worry should not be a reason to sleep with your baby. (For in depth information on the science of sleepsharing and the experiments showing how sleep benefits a baby's nighttime physiology. (See SIDS)
Co-sleeping does not always work and some parents simply do not want to sleep with their baby. Sleepsharing is an optional attachment tool. You are not bad parents if you don't sleep with your baby. Try it. If it's working and you enjoy it, continue. If not, try other sleeping arrangements (an alternative is the sidecar arrangement: place a crib or co-sleeper adjacent to your bed).
New parents often worry that their child will get so used to sleeping with them that he may never want to leave their bed. Yes, if you're used to sleeping first-class, you are reluctant to be downgraded. Like weaning from the breast, infants do wean from your bed (usually sometime around two years of age). Keep in mind that sleepsharing may be the arrangement that is designed for the safety and security of babies. The time in your arms, at your breast, and in your bed is a very short time in the total life of your child, yet the memories of love and availability last a lifetime

Having a hard time finding joy in this.....

....GRRRRR!!!! Morgan (yes, she's 5) cut Raelyn's hair (she's 2). Not where it's hidden either. I don't know whether to laugh or cry (ok, I really want to yell-but I've been trying to limit that to really serious things) There are 3 places where she cut it- SHORT- it's really blocky and I don't know any other way to hide it other than a million clips. One layer she cut is on the side and I have no way of hiding it. One is cut right at her eyebrow (which you can see in the picture) and the third is pretty short on the same side that the eyebrow length cut is. You can see it in the picture if you look close- otherwise it just looks like light shining a weird way. Oh well.....what's done is done.

Spring Garden Joy

Look at how big those peppers are getting. (They're Yellow Hungarian Wax Peppers) I'm finally starting to see the fruits of my labors. :)

BTW....I'm growing Beefmaster tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, some type of purple heirloom tomato, some half runner bush beans, tons of cucumbers and of course the hungarian peppers.

All organic, all natural.....yum!!!

Mother's Day Joy

Some pictures from Mother's Day at my Uncle Scott's land

This was the best Mother's Day yet- relaxed, wonderful, with the people I love- could I ask for anything more?!? Josh gave me an orchid corsage to wear to church.

And a quick little poem I like (author unknown!?!)

"Be sure you are right, and then stand.
At first, you will be denounced, and then you will be deified.
At first, you will be rejected, then you will be accepted.
First, men will swear at you, then if you wear well, they will swear by you.
First the sneer, then the cheer.
First the lash, then the laurel.
First the curse, then the caress.
First the trial, then the triumph.
First the cross, then the crown.
For every scar upon they brow, thou shalt have a star in thy diadem.
Stand somewhere and let humanity know where you stand.
Stand for something and let humanity know what you stand for.
Be sure you are right and then STAND."

Strawberry Joy

Here are some pictures from this morning. We ended up with 5 gallons of berries. Morgan picked nearly half that and Raelyn spent the entire hour and a half eating berries. Enjoy!

Earrings, sickies and more.... (with of course lots of joy!)

Ok, long time no post.

Raelyn got her ears pierced last week. They are precious on her and she only cried for a minute until the lady doing it asked her if she wanted to look at them in the mirror. She had been asking for weeks and finally we gave in. Morgan had her ears done at age 2 as well, so I figure we couldn't hold off much longer. She has told everyone she's seen since then that she has earrings. (picture to come soon once I charge up the digi camera)

We cancelled Joy School yesterday and today due to the sickies. Jack has had a runny nose, cough and fever (I think) for the past couple days. Raelyn has also had a cough for the past couple days. She cries everytime she coughs. :(

So....today and yesterday we've been bumming around the house not doing much other than making a mess, doing laundry and watching TV. Ick! Maybe we'll head out for a walk this afternoon.

Josh subbed last night for his dad's softball team. He used to play every season (games once a week) until this year! I think he had forgotten how much he enjoyed it and he decided to play regularly again. I don't much mind other than the fact the games are on Monday nights (our family night) but the girls really love going so I guess it's worth it.

Upcoming for tommorow: a trip to the strawberry patch in the morning to pick, eat and buy yummy berries and tommorow afternoon is our Music Playgroup that a friend of ours runs. We normally take turns hosting and tommorow is my day so I need to make sure the house is nice and clean and mop the floors.

I'll be back later to post some pictures.

2007-2008 Homeschool K Curriculum

So many folks have asked me what curriculum we're using for next year with Morgan so I thought I'd do a short run-down for everyone.

Science- a self-created curriculum to follow a unit study approach with Social Studies

Social Studies- see above

Math- Saxon K math

Handwriting- A Reason For Handwriting Level A

Vocabulary- Wordly Wise K

Home Ec/Home Skills- The Pearables Curriculum

French- a self-created curriculum

Art- I think she'll be taking a homeschool art class at the local art center

Music- Piano lessons in addition to all of our usual musical things around the house

Oh- and one of the girls today eating lunch! Boy was it hot!

International Day of the Midwife Celebration (a few days early!)

May 5th is celebrated as the International Day of the Midwife every year. This year our state organization decided to celebrate TODAY in our lovely state capital right behind the Legislative Building.

It was a wonderful day with education, food and fun for all!!!

The above is just a photo of only a FEW of the folks that were there!