Is it weird that I am preparing to do these already? I can't help it. Like, literally cannot help it. I love Christmas. I love Christmas music. I love Christmas cards. And I am already browsing Shutterfly for which is the perfect card to pick this year.
I prefer my cards with lots of pictures, like this ONE. Or this ONE. I love including several pictures with room for the kids individually and then family ones as well. I get my cards out of the way early, too. I prefer for them to be out by December 1st and then I enjoy every day going to the mailbox and seeing what cards we have gotten.
My husband had to pursuade me to hold off on Christmas decorations for another couple weeks. But honestly, what is the difference? They are usually up by Thanksgiving in our house.
Today and tomorrow the kids and I are doing THIS. (The Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child) If you have a chance I really encourage you to look into this. I saw a video for this a couple months ago and it just spoke to me. I can see those kids' faces in my mind and I am so excited about providing a couple boxes for little ones to open! This year the kids are each packing a box for a child of their age group. It is very hard for them to imagine a place where kids are not just automatically provided cool toothbrushes! I really love this idea, I want to try to volunteer with them next year.
So I'll hold off on the decorating for another couple weeks but when the kids sing a round of Jingle Bells it does not bother me a bit, in fact, I think I encourage it!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The C word
So what has been on my mind lately? Cancer. Weird and morbid, I know, but it seems like lately the word keeps popping up in my daily life. A couple weeks my grandma was diagnosed with cancer. After a couple of agonizing weeks, we got what we considered a very hopeful diagnosis and she starts chemo today. We also learned that my "uncle" (my dad's sister's ex-husband, if that makes any sense) also has tumors in his brain and is being operated on as I write this. Sissy's teacher last year was also diagnosed with cancer last spring. One of my good friends from high school, a mother of 3, was recently diagnosed.
I feel like these days, right and left, we learn of another affected by the disease. I HATE it. Despise it. And wonder who else will be affected in my life? I lost my paternal grandmother to cancer in high school and it is hard not to think about how that loss has affected my family and how it affects us to this day.
So, after giving it a lot of thought I have decided that I need to take some steps in my life for my children to attempt to ward off disease, if that is at all possible. You read the studies all the time- if you do this, it causes cancer. If you eat too much of this, use too much of this, eat too little of this- you are at a higher risk for cancer. I feel overwhelmed- where do we start? What studies are accurate? What might truly work? So I made a list to start with.
Things we already do considered to deter cancer:
-Maintain active lifestyles/weights
-Eat very little red meat
I have really pursued this option with my children. In NY we had a very renowned
pediatrician and he felt very strongly about children- especially girls- not eating red meat.
I don't bash it to my children or anything, but I also do not offer it to them.
-Gave up bottled water
-Switched to stainless steel cookware
-Get screened for cancer regularly (yearly visits to the doctor, ob, and dermatologist)
-Never microwave items in plastic or "steaming" bags, essentially trying to avoid added chemicals.
Things about our lifestyle we are going to change:
-Drink organic milk, essentially avoiding hormones. When my kids were younger I was very
strict about this- we will be going back to this mindset.
-Eat healthy and raw. Ouch, this will be the toughest. I am a taker of convenience and will work
on this starting immediately. Will go into this more below...
-Avoid processed food. Isn't everything we eat processed? It's so hard! What will I feed my
children? :) I am taking baby steps in this area. Goodbye goldfish- hello fresh fruit and
cheese. I am making my own "granola bars" for Big Boy to eat in the a.m. Trying to do
more preparing ahead of time to allow me to provide better options.
-Drink more water, get lots of fiber, take supplements where we need to.
-Switching all food storage to glass.
-Avoid nitrates.
-Avoid high fructose corn syrup.
Does this all sound preachy? I'm sure it does, and I apologize. This certainly is not a "how to" for anyone, these are just personal choices that I want to put out there in an attempt to hold myself accountable. As I said, it is all very overwhelming- the number of people diagnosed with cancer and all of the studies telling you what can cause cancer. I think you have to pick and choose your battles. In this house, we are going to focus on dietary aspects and how our food is prepared.
Did you read this blog post that my friend Renee did? Well I did and I thought it was refreshing and inspiring. So much so that I immediately asked for a wonderful food processor and blender for my birthday to put her ideas into action. And, thanks to my mom, we are putting the Deliciously Deceptive theme into action at our house. (side note to Renee, thanks for "walking me through it" on your blog. So helpful!)
Overall, my children do fairly well. Sissy is almost a vegetarian. Her average lunch consists of cheese, applesauce/apple, carrots, and grapes or broccoli. She is a great fruit and veggie eater, but I struggle with her trying new things. I think some squash and zucchini in her macaroni would be wonderful. Big Boy is definitely harder. He likes fruit, not a lot of veggies. He has always had issues with texture. Another problem- he leans toward some fruits canned over fresh. (oranges, peaches, pears) I am trying my best to avoid the can (more chemicals) and provide fresh options. My plan with him is to introduce a yummy fruit smoothie (w/spinach) and, of course, hide the veggies in his meals as well.
So there you have it, my deep thoughts and my action plan for our family from this point forward. I can't say that we will be able to avoid cancer for certain, but I feel compelled to do my part to try. With it seemingly all around me these days, I am looking forward to the feeling that I am trying to follow advice. And eating healthier, seriously, you can't go wrong with that! Will you see me out enjoying a big steak? Yes. Will you see me ordering a couple sugar-filled margaritas? Absolutely. But I'm working on it. Baby steps...
I feel like these days, right and left, we learn of another affected by the disease. I HATE it. Despise it. And wonder who else will be affected in my life? I lost my paternal grandmother to cancer in high school and it is hard not to think about how that loss has affected my family and how it affects us to this day.
So, after giving it a lot of thought I have decided that I need to take some steps in my life for my children to attempt to ward off disease, if that is at all possible. You read the studies all the time- if you do this, it causes cancer. If you eat too much of this, use too much of this, eat too little of this- you are at a higher risk for cancer. I feel overwhelmed- where do we start? What studies are accurate? What might truly work? So I made a list to start with.
Things we already do considered to deter cancer:
-Maintain active lifestyles/weights
-Eat very little red meat
I have really pursued this option with my children. In NY we had a very renowned
pediatrician and he felt very strongly about children- especially girls- not eating red meat.
I don't bash it to my children or anything, but I also do not offer it to them.
-Gave up bottled water
-Switched to stainless steel cookware
-Get screened for cancer regularly (yearly visits to the doctor, ob, and dermatologist)
-Never microwave items in plastic or "steaming" bags, essentially trying to avoid added chemicals.
Things about our lifestyle we are going to change:
-Drink organic milk, essentially avoiding hormones. When my kids were younger I was very
strict about this- we will be going back to this mindset.
-Eat healthy and raw. Ouch, this will be the toughest. I am a taker of convenience and will work
on this starting immediately. Will go into this more below...
-Avoid processed food. Isn't everything we eat processed? It's so hard! What will I feed my
children? :) I am taking baby steps in this area. Goodbye goldfish- hello fresh fruit and
cheese. I am making my own "granola bars" for Big Boy to eat in the a.m. Trying to do
more preparing ahead of time to allow me to provide better options.
-Drink more water, get lots of fiber, take supplements where we need to.
-Switching all food storage to glass.
-Avoid nitrates.
-Avoid high fructose corn syrup.
Does this all sound preachy? I'm sure it does, and I apologize. This certainly is not a "how to" for anyone, these are just personal choices that I want to put out there in an attempt to hold myself accountable. As I said, it is all very overwhelming- the number of people diagnosed with cancer and all of the studies telling you what can cause cancer. I think you have to pick and choose your battles. In this house, we are going to focus on dietary aspects and how our food is prepared.
Did you read this blog post that my friend Renee did? Well I did and I thought it was refreshing and inspiring. So much so that I immediately asked for a wonderful food processor and blender for my birthday to put her ideas into action. And, thanks to my mom, we are putting the Deliciously Deceptive theme into action at our house. (side note to Renee, thanks for "walking me through it" on your blog. So helpful!)
Overall, my children do fairly well. Sissy is almost a vegetarian. Her average lunch consists of cheese, applesauce/apple, carrots, and grapes or broccoli. She is a great fruit and veggie eater, but I struggle with her trying new things. I think some squash and zucchini in her macaroni would be wonderful. Big Boy is definitely harder. He likes fruit, not a lot of veggies. He has always had issues with texture. Another problem- he leans toward some fruits canned over fresh. (oranges, peaches, pears) I am trying my best to avoid the can (more chemicals) and provide fresh options. My plan with him is to introduce a yummy fruit smoothie (w/spinach) and, of course, hide the veggies in his meals as well.
So there you have it, my deep thoughts and my action plan for our family from this point forward. I can't say that we will be able to avoid cancer for certain, but I feel compelled to do my part to try. With it seemingly all around me these days, I am looking forward to the feeling that I am trying to follow advice. And eating healthier, seriously, you can't go wrong with that! Will you see me out enjoying a big steak? Yes. Will you see me ordering a couple sugar-filled margaritas? Absolutely. But I'm working on it. Baby steps...
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Halloween 2010
The week of Halloween went in one big blur! Here is our Halloween 2010 recap:
Pumpkins- 5 carved and about 15 other small ones surrounding them:
Cowgirl Sis aka Jessie
Cowboy T aka Woody
Trick-or-treating- left house at 4:30 not to return until 9. Multiple stops around Wichita- 3 grandmas visited before the hard core treating began.
Darkness! Headed to our favorite neighborhood to see the spooky sites and receive enormous amounts of candy.
The loot is in! Big Boy actually wore holes through his bag! (It was so heavy he had a hard time carrying it)
Two days later- Mommy wants the candy GONE!!! (We are starting a new health-concious kick, to be blogged about later...) We visited a local dentist's office who buys candy and distributes it to cancer patients. Perfect! Sissy had no problem saying goodbye to her candy. She is very literal so the thought of a cavity made her perfectly fine to send her candy packin'. Big Boy was not so easy. There was some crying and he will happily tell you about the "mean teachers" (aka receptionists) that took his candy.
JACKPOT!
A quick stop at Target and each child got to pick out something $10 or less- Sissy came away with a Rapunzel book and Polly Pocket (sooooooo exciting) and Big Boy picked a Little Einstein alphabet book.
This was definitely the way to go for us. I was happy to see the temptation out of the house (no amount of working out could balance the candy I was eating) and the kids are loving their new books. I LOVE the fact that the candy will be given to people who need it and who will enjoy it. Next year we will be trick-or-treating for others instead of ourselves and hopefully the kids will really be into it!
Pumpkins- 5 carved and about 15 other small ones surrounding them:
Cowgirl Sis aka Jessie
Cowboy T aka Woody
Trick-or-treating- left house at 4:30 not to return until 9. Multiple stops around Wichita- 3 grandmas visited before the hard core treating began.
Darkness! Headed to our favorite neighborhood to see the spooky sites and receive enormous amounts of candy.
The loot is in! Big Boy actually wore holes through his bag! (It was so heavy he had a hard time carrying it)
Two days later- Mommy wants the candy GONE!!! (We are starting a new health-concious kick, to be blogged about later...) We visited a local dentist's office who buys candy and distributes it to cancer patients. Perfect! Sissy had no problem saying goodbye to her candy. She is very literal so the thought of a cavity made her perfectly fine to send her candy packin'. Big Boy was not so easy. There was some crying and he will happily tell you about the "mean teachers" (aka receptionists) that took his candy.
JACKPOT!
A quick stop at Target and each child got to pick out something $10 or less- Sissy came away with a Rapunzel book and Polly Pocket (sooooooo exciting) and Big Boy picked a Little Einstein alphabet book.
This was definitely the way to go for us. I was happy to see the temptation out of the house (no amount of working out could balance the candy I was eating) and the kids are loving their new books. I LOVE the fact that the candy will be given to people who need it and who will enjoy it. Next year we will be trick-or-treating for others instead of ourselves and hopefully the kids will really be into it!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Yee haw
Yes, here they are folks! A cowboy and cowgirl aka Woody and Jessie. The kids are ecstatic for Halloween and as usual are wondering if it is ever going to get here. We love all the fun events there are around the holidays but while we do things weekend after weekend the kids start to ask "is it really Halloween today?" This week we'll be carving our pumpkins in anticipation and then it will finally be here! We are mapping out our route and can't wait to trick-or-treat.
(A special thank you to my grandma for making their costumes- we picked out fabric and she made their special vests and chaps. It isn't easy making costume for Big Boy, it was almost impossible to get him to hold still to fit him!)
We had a great time at our annual Halloween party with our playgroup. As always, we enjoyed some awesome food, games, and activities!
We also hit a few more activities around Wichita last weekend with some friends.
Watching the Halloween play
Trick-or-treating
Sis got a bracelet painted on and T got his face painted for the first time ever. He picked out a rocket ship and did a great job holding still. However, when we got home that night he was very upset to see his rocket ship had worn off- and I mean devastated! The combo of no nap and a child who thought he was getting a permanent tattoo was not good.
(A special thank you to my grandma for making their costumes- we picked out fabric and she made their special vests and chaps. It isn't easy making costume for Big Boy, it was almost impossible to get him to hold still to fit him!)
We had a great time at our annual Halloween party with our playgroup. As always, we enjoyed some awesome food, games, and activities!
We also hit a few more activities around Wichita last weekend with some friends.
Watching the Halloween play
Trick-or-treating
Sis got a bracelet painted on and T got his face painted for the first time ever. He picked out a rocket ship and did a great job holding still. However, when we got home that night he was very upset to see his rocket ship had worn off- and I mean devastated! The combo of no nap and a child who thought he was getting a permanent tattoo was not good.
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