new years almost here

I know I've already posted a bit of my new years resolutions, but I'm adding to it. Its a new year, a new start, and I'm uber ready! Ill be 29 in a couple days! Its the start of a healthier life style. Here's my wishes for the new year:

I want to eliminate the few chemical items that are still used in the house, deodorant, carpet cleaner etc. I want all natural products.

I want to start dinning in more, on addition I want to start cooking more from scratch, in addition to that I'd like to grow some of our own foods to be sure its not a GMO product or that it wasn't produced with harsh chemicals.

I want to loose weight! For Christmas I got some tone up shoes, a wii workout game and I'm motivated!

I want to build up our stocked up items, never know when you will need it.

I want to pay off some debt.

Become more organized.

Spend more time with friends!

On a side note were ending this year with yucky colds and ickyness, so I want a healthier next year.

Merry Christmas!

Can you believe christmas has come? oh my! and now its over....oh but what fun it was. were all a bit wore out here but we had a blast. my parents were down on the 23rd and 24th, we had one christmas with them, and then we had our christmas this morning at 8am, but 845 everything was unwrapped and it appeared as though a tornado had come thru the house. at 10am the inlaws came by with gifts as well. so needless to say after all this, after two big dinners, we are wiped out.

the boys made jack-pot this year, some wii games, some board games, toy story toys, potato heads, legos and chance's favorite, the DQ blizzard maker! of course he would love this the best....its FOOD!! the boys have a new set of pj's and zachy got lots of musical light up toys, we love leapfrog and vtech for him. hubs got some practicle items and some fun ones, some new pants, a new cross chain, watch, and a spa clock radio that he wanted. i got a pair of sketchers tone up sandles, some clothes, a new cd, giftcard to the bookstore . everyone is happy, and healthy, what more can i ask for?

hope everyone had a wonderful safe, healthy and happy holiday!

thoughts for 2011

Yep, hard to believe its nearly 2011, and I'm thinking of my resolutions, I want some that stick, not just a random wish. Here are what I've decided on in no particular order ...

Weight loss, as I've stated before I'm on the list for surgery, but in addition to this, our diets have gradually changed and I am in process of making more time for me, time to get on the treadmill and wipe the dust off, time to kick it in gear. On a small note I've lost 7lbs in about 6 weeks, this small amount is a HUGE thing for me.

Become a better cook/meal planner, this means everything from mastering new recipes, branching out and trying new foods, and getting more organized. Eating out often like we have isn't healthy for us or the pocket book.

Save more moolah! As stated above, just cutting out a few fast food crap-olla meals could help here greatly.

Be more organized, paperwork gone thru, filed, get rid of junk we don't need, get back to cracking at my planners that I've slipped on lately, find more time in the day/week.

Spend more time with friends, the organization will help with this I believe, when things are less up in the air and more calm I can enjoy myself, enjoy my friends more often.

Overall a healthier happier, less stressed me is what I'm aiming for.

family time

wahoo! my parents will be here in less than 12 hours to celebrate christmas a bit early, boys are super psyched for this, 1) they get to see their grandparents, 2) they get multiple christmas'. very excited indeed. we got the boys room clean, two words, BOYS SUCK! lol it took forever to get their rooms clean, carpet shampooed, etc. but its done! the rest of the house has been de-cluttered, carpets cleaned, mopped, etc. exhusting, but it looks great! too bad it wont stay this way long, sigh.
tomorrow the boys go to therapy, we have mrs.k's gifts all ready to give her, boys are excited, ive said it before and ill say it again, I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

Have a wonderful christmas!!

who am i ?

thanks lori, im stealing your post idea:)

thought i would leave a few thoughts on who i am and if you would leave a comment about who you are!:)

im 28
a stay at home mom to 3 boys
been married to my high school sweetheart for 10 years
im currently an army wife
ive lived in texas, germany, and georgia
i homeschool my kids
i enjoy relazing weekends with the family
i love taking photos, but am horrible at getting the photos off the camera and on the computer
i love sales!
i love coupons too, what a rush to save money!
ive debated several times in my life with being a vegitarian
all my boys have special needs, my youngest is by far the most medically fragile of them all
growing up i wanted to be 3 things, a mom, a teacher, and a nurse (funny how life works out, i get to be all 3)
i love starbucks, a venti mocha frap with no whipcream and an extra shot of expresso will melt my heart!
im working on becoming more self suffiecent, learning new skills, stock pilling, im not a dooms-day type of person but do believe we should be prepared.
i love the color blue!
i follow many many many blogs, probably about 40 in all, they range from being frugal, crafty, making homemade items, special needs, friends blogs, and more. i love them.
i have a hard time making friends, but treasure those that i do have, and heart them:)

okay your turn......

life beyond

hubs is getting close to the end of his current enlistment in the army, a desicion has to be made, re-enlist and continue, or stop at 10 years in and look for a DOD/civillain/or contract work etc. im pushing for life outside the army, i believe hubs is leaning towards it too. the army has been great in the aspect of insurance and a steady pay check, but the seperations and bs that goes on inside the units is enough to drain anyone.

some of the things we know are a deal breaker are insurance for the kids, with all the medications, supplies and nursing we have for the boys we have to have insurance that will cover this.

of course a good pay check is also very important, from what i gather most counterparts for dh's job in the army, get paid much better on the outside world.

and less seperations, some of the contract and goverment jobs still do deployments (much better pay, and shorter than the army ones) so we know there is a chance he could still have to leave.

things are still all kinds of sideways for us right now, dh is working on his ACAP classes that help prepare him for outside life, job fairs, reseume help, etc.

please send good thoughts that things work out for the best! thanks

judgment

lets get real for a bit, okay,
are you judged? im sure we all are, i can list a million reasons im sure as to why im judged, does it make them right? no, does it make me right? no, just different views on different subjects.

im a mom to 3 special needs boys, ive heard from some, maybe i should have stopped....but then i wouldnt have my babies, why would that be a good thing?

every time the boys have a episode in public i see the looks, the parents who think im not doing enough, or trying hard enough, those who think the kids are mearly brats and acting out.

because i choose to homeschool, ive been told lots, most negative, i admit it can cause me to second guess myself, to think that i should feel bad for doing something wrong, i try to let it roll off, but it hurts.

because im "crunchy" i get weird looks for being eco friendly, for trying to be safer with our food, comments like "everything is gonna kill us, why bother"

im okay with being different, i dont fit a mold, thats okay with me, my problem comes when i meet someone new, typically i try to stay as much mainstream as possible in our talks, dont mention the boys problems, or that i dont vaccinate, or that i homeschool, but as soon as one of these come up typically the person is no longer interested in talking. hard to make friends, thankfully i have a cyber world of wonderful like minded people.

if you take nothing more than this away from this, please try not to judge someone before knowing them. the world would be boring if we were all the same right???

crunchy?

eek i have lots of thoughts in my head, always a scary thing for me, trying to become more organized, trying to purge harmful things from our daily life, i spend many hours a week in my natural, organic and simple groups. ive learned alot from them and love my groups. ive decided to make a list of things we are doing to be more "crunchy" and then ill make a list of things we are working towards.

we try to buy our food items in less packaging
we try to buy mainly organic
i make our house cleaners, laundry soap, floor cleaner, mirrors, disinfectant, etc.
i buy "safe" items such as method dish soap and dishwasher tablets, as much as possible
the boys bathe with burts bees
i wash my hair in baking soda and vinegar (and no its not yucky or smelly:))
we dont use paper towels at all, only cloth
we dont use artificial sprays, candles or any other kind of fragrances, i use essensial oil in water to add sent
we try to buy as much as possibly without BPA in it
try to use natural cures to protect our health
no longer doing vaccines
we try in general to think about our health and the enviroments health when we purchase items

id like to do these and am working more towards it

making 90% of meals from scratch at home
using cloth wipes for zach (cant get harold on board with this)
use cloth diapers with zach (again hubs isnt going for it and im not sure they would have any in his size since he is beyond the typical diaper age)
grow a small garden
make more of the things we need at home
learn how to sew
learn how to knit

what are some things you do or would like to do to become more "crunchy" or if you arent interested in being crunchy what are your reasons for this?

more pictures

Zach got to see superman!

chance busted for eating the gingerbread house!

despite their faces, they WERE excited to see superman!

pictures

zach finally got a haircut....that was not an easy task, and of course i decided to do it at 1030pm alone cause the hub didnt want to help, since he knew zach didnt like the shearing sound, but we accomplished it! the boys loved seeing santa, even zachy, this was his first year to see santa!!
our house for christmas

christmas party

Tonight was the special needs network annual Christmas party, this was our first year to attend, it was at the peaceable kingdom. And as everything is at the place it was amazing! The boys saw some super heroes and Santa, they made gingerbread house's, decorated stockings and had a really good time. They each received a gift from Santa and one a outdoor game set, volleyball and some others, very cool. The best part for me was being with people who understand, so many things never needed a word uttered, a simple nod of the head. The kids had a blast with other kids, they were all so nice to each other. I was able to talk with another mom, a lady from Eci, and a lady who helps with the special needs bikes as well. Over all an A+.

Christmas is only 14 days away! Harold goes on leave in 5 more working days! I'm loving it!!

Fruit Chart | Nutrient chart | Vitamins and minerals in common fruits

Fruit Chart | Nutrient chart | Vitamins and minerals in common fruits

i heart december

hey all, wow once again its been a while, no excuses time just seems to pass so quickly thru the day and then its bed time. hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is having a great begining of december! we have our deco up, our tree up, i LOVE christmas, my all time favorite time of year and i tend to get a bit overly into it. :)

for thanksgiving i gave zach some baby food in his formula mixture for his tube feeding, it was a first but there were no bad reactions to it, it flowed a little slower, but nothing major, i have been thinking alot lately about a blended diet for zach where he would recieve more "real" foods, i want to discuss it and learn more with his nutritionist soon.

earlier this week while tube feeding zach he decided to get up and walk away....and when i say walk i mean RUN! couldnt catch him in time, he ended up popping his fully intact button full of water in the balloon out and we had to re-insert it, needless to say that was a first....he is such a wiggle worm now!

Another first for zach was he got to see Santa!! we hadnt done it in the past, either because of a hospital stay or fear of germs, yep im one of those that would bubble up my kid in a bubble if i could to protect him from everything, i know it seems extream sometimes, and im working on being better.but anyway back to santa, he didnt scream or fuss, but wasnt thrilled to be sitting on th ebig dueds lap either, he wanted to get up and run around. it was so awesome to see all the boys up with santa though, they all still believe, i know part of it is the autism, and part of it is the fact that they dont go to public school so they arent hearing other kids burst their bubbles about santa not being real, as long as they choose to believe i will go right on along....


before i end this i have a few prayer requests, one for a sweet baby born recently in a nicu waiting for a surgery to remove fluid from her brain, she also has a eye defect where she will be at least partially blind, she is having heart issues and has a cleft palate, they are waiting for genetic testing, a year ago her mom gave birth to another daughter born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia who lived only 28 days, please pray for peace and understanding for this family, her name is Ellie.

the other prayer request is for a beautiful nearly 3 year old girl named Liviana she was also born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia and survived it! she was doing wonderful until a few months ago she began to get clumsey and having probles walking and playing mom got her in to see aneuro and after a mri of her brain they determined the problem, that was the good news, they have an answer, however its one you never want to hear, its one that isnt cureable. here are the words from her mom's mouth...

"Liviana has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Leukodystrophy. There are 2 dozen types of LD and we are awaiting tests to determine what type she has. The hard part....LD is not treatable. It is a progressive, degenerative brain disease. She is basically losing the white matter on her brain. I am sure I will talk in more detail about LD later but that is the basics for now."

she says she has showed rapid signs of regressing already. its heartbreaking, if you can please go to their blog and pray for livi, thank you.
http://livianasjourney.blogspot.com/


thank you all so much!