Get Your Kids Involved

Sleepy Boy

Blogger Hiccups

Yesterday and today I have tried uploading some pics for a blog post, and blogger won't seem to let me.  So, I am left with my words only.  If you haven't noticed I rely heavily on pics for much of my blog content, lol!  So after wracking my brain for a few moments this morning, I figured I could give an update on our homeopathic results with the kids.

Teething - Gunnar seems to be in the thick of teething, so we have relied heavily on Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets and Gentle Naturals Homeopathic Teething Drops this past week.  They seem to take the edge off.  I see an almost immediate improvement in his demeanor, as he tends to be quite ornery when teething.

Nightmares/Anxiousness - For the past several months, Julius has been struggling with bad dreams at night.  This then can take a turn for the worse, as he can become quite irrational and unreasonable in the middle of the night.  I think it is a combination of him not always being fully awake and that he is just scared to go back to sleep for fear of the dream returning.  He will go to extremes of crying and screaming, doing his best to not let himself fall back asleep.  We have been giving him Nature's Sunshine Stress-J Liquid Herbs.  Nate and I have probably appreciated these results the most, lol!  He is still waking up with scary dreams, but he is no longer throwing temper tantrums and crying in the middle of the night.  Praise the Lord!  Now, he just wakes up from the dream, we make him use the bathroom, sometimes we will give him some more of the herbs if he seems more agitated, and he goes back to sleep.  A few nights he has not even woke up.  Very good results.  Our nights have been much more peaceful.

Leg aches - Layla and Julius have both taken turns with some leg aches this past week. We have given them a smaller dose of Borion's Arnica Montana.  When we usually have used Tylenol or Motrin in the past for leg aches, it took 10 to 15 for the medicine to take effect so the kids could fall back asleep.  With the arnica montana both kids were back asleep in 3 minutes or less.  The one night Julius did wake up a few hours later complaining that his legs were hurting again and he required a second dose.  Unlike conventional medicines, you can give multiple doses of homeopathic meds with no toxic side effects.  Within a minute he was back to sleep.  Layla said the arnica took away the pain quickly.

Fever - Thankfully we have not had to use anything for fever.  I have Borion's Belladonna and Nu Age Ferrum Phos Tissue Salts on hand for the next time we need to treat a fever.  I have read good things about these and I trust we will get similar results to the what we have already experienced.

Hope this information is of any help to anyone out there.  We are happy with these alternative treatments we have tried and we have plans to pick up a few more remedies for things such as digestive issues, headaches and possible nightmares.  Have you tried alternative methods with any success?

Why Should I Blog Today

...when you can just read my husband's hilarious blog post.  Beware.  Coffee almost came out my nose as I proof read it for him this morning!  Enjoy!

Falling Off A Toilet

Tumble Bugs

Layla and Julius just finished a six week session of Tumble Bugs at our local recreation center.  They had lots of fun and got to do things they just don't get to do at home, like walk on a balance beam and jump on a trampoline.  Yeah, these pictures don't really show any of that fun stuff, but what can I say.  You get a little mesmerized watching your kids do things that you sometimes forget to get the camera out until the last minute!  They had a week off this week and they start again next week.  Maybe next time I can get some real action pictures!  Gunnar can't seem to understand why he can't go have a turn on the tumbling mats.

A Different Way

I was becoming increasingly bothered about our rather frequent usage of Tylenol and Motrin for the kids.  While we tend to not treat fevers in our house until they get over 101, I was having to give the kids a pain reliever for either teething issues and leg aches on a pretty regular basis.  Uggh!  It was frustrating enough that I began to look into more natural alternatives.  This past week we purchased a few herbal and homeopathic remedies for anxiety, leg aches, teething and fevers.   Julius has been using some stress relieving herbs the past few days to help with his bad dreams and night time anxiousness.  The baby has been using the teething tablets and drops.  Last night when Julius woke with leg aches, we got to try the pain relieving remedy.  So far we have been pleased with the results and the Tylenol and Motrin have stayed in the medicine cabinet, only to be used for more emergency type situations.

If you have never looked into the concerns with Tylenol and Motrin, I encourage you to do so.  Not only have they had recent problems with contamination, but there is plenty of evidence of liver damage and other health concerns related to these medicines.  I appreciate these medicines' ability to reduce fever and treat pain, but because of their side effects, I would rather reserve them for times when other, more natural remedies are not effective.  If you are interested in more natural ways to treat yourself and your family, head on over to Keeper of the Home.  Stephanie and other contributing writers have written numerous articles this month on natural remedies, treatments and alternatives. 

As I stated earlier, we are just beginning to try out these natural methods, so I will try and keep you posted on how they are working over a longer period of time!

Height and Weight

The kids had doctor's appointments recently, so I need to put a few important numbers for the record.

Layla (5 1/2 years old) - 49 pounds, 49 inches

Julius (3 1/2 years old) - 31 pounds, 41 inches

Gunnar (19 months old) - 21 pounds, 31 inches

One Reason...

...we only eat chocolate occasionally:)

Fall Garden Pictures

These two trees are so strange.  One has started to turn.  The other staying all green.

This fiery red bush is one my favorite things in the garden. 

Pumpkins waiting to be carved.  Thanks Grandma Meredith and Papa Wally!

Please stop growing up so fast.  You are scaring me and making me sad at the same time.

As much as you don't want us to, we are going to have to at least trim that head of hair sometime soon.

Such a big boy now!

Nate, are you ready to help me tackle this mess in the next few weeks, lol!?!

These pics were taken last Wednesday.  The kids declared that this was actually the first day of fall because it was the first day that we had a visible amount of leaves on the ground.

Autumn blessings to you and your families!

Black Bean Salad

I always get requests for this recipe, so I figured I needed to put it on my blog so I can tell people where they can find the recipe.  This recipe is fresh and delicious.  It makes a large amount, so its perfect for parties, potlucks or just sharing with others.  If you have no one to share it with, I would recommend only making half.

Black Bean Salad

4 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz. bag of frozen corn, cooked and cooled
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 bunches of green onions, chopped, green tops only
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
very generous amount of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and even a bit of cayenne pepper if you want some extra spiciness

Taste and adjust spices to your liking and add more olive oil as needed.  Refrigerate for a bit to let the flavors meld together.  Will keep covered in the fridge for several days, but will just get a bit juicier.  Enjoy!

16 Week Belly Pic

We Love Tomatoes

Cleaning House

 Toys have been significantly pared back recently.  This mommy was getting a bit frustrated with the sheer amount of toys scattered all over the floor and the lack of obedience in actually picking up toys.  So one day I lost it and pulled all the toys off the shelves and began piling them on the dining room table.  The kids helped me put correct pieces with the correct toys and we got everything sorted and matched up.  I then went down in the basement to survey the other toys stored there.  After throwing away broken toys and junky toys, I filled a laundry basket full of toys that would be donated.  After that I picked a few select items for upstairs and everything else went to the basement.  I told the kids that their behavior over the next few weeks would determine if I would bring up more.  They specifically want their kitchen and a big box of Duplo blocks.  I said they would need to earn them. 

What started as a punishment or consequence, has turned into an epiphany.  The kids don't really need many toys at their fingertips.  They are very happy with a few things and they end up using their creativity more to accomplish what they want during playtime.  Sure, they still want that kitchen to come upstairs, and it probably will here in the near future, but I would like to keep things more simple.  I am already a big fan of rotating toys.  I think now I will rotate and see what small amount of toys the kids are happy with.  They seem like they are having fun to me.  What do you think?

Surprise Hay Ride

While visiting family this past weekend, Uncle Jamie offered to take the kids on a hay ride.

,

Cousin Cara joined in on the fun!

Nate and Cara said it was pretty bumpy, but the kids didn't seem to notice.

Hugs of gratitude for Uncle Jamie.

Cousin Cara, Grandpa, Nate's brother Jeremy, Grandma, Uncle Jamie and Nate

all were enjoying the warm autumn weather.