What's For Dinner GF - Smoked Sausage and Navy Beans

It's time for What's for Dinner Wednesday Gluten-Free Style. This is a weekly GF-recipe swapping meme hosted by Linda at The Gluten Free Homemaker. Click the link and play along! Tonight we will have a quick but yummy dinner of Smoked Sausage and Navy Beans. The side dish will be fresh green beans from the garden...yes, more beans. But they are fresh and tender and I can't resist them!

Smoked Sausage and Navy Beans

1 lb Smoked Sausage (I use turkey) sliced into bite size medallions

1 Medium Yellow onion

2 (16oz) cans Navy Beans slightly drained

Throw the sausage medallions and onion into a hot oiled pan and saute over medium heat until the sausage is well done and the onions are caramelized. Add the beans and heat through. If the dish is too dry feel free to add a little chicken broth or water.

Green Beans

3 large handfuls of fresh snapped green beans

2 tsp oil of choice ( I use olive)

1/2 cup water

2 Tbls minced garlic (more or less , use what you like)

Pinch of kosher salt

Saute the beans in oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, add water and cover. Steam, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Toss in the garlic and salt. Saute for 2 minutes more.

YUM!

More Changes and Potty Training

Changes

You may be noticing some more changes around here, I hope you like them and get a better sense of who I am. The first is my blogroll. There have been a few new, great blogs added. So go check them out and make a new friend :) Next, I've decided to compile 3 of my blogs into one. I'm going to merge my allergy/food blog and my travel blog with this one, my mama blog.

Now that I've been blogging for almost a year now (where has the time gone??) I feel more confident in what I'm doing. I had originally separated all my blogs in an effort to keep things organized and it worked well. But now I think I can handle throwing it all together. Our allergies and travels are such an intricate part of our lives and homeschooling I feel it makes more sense to include that stuff here. However my book review blog will stay independent, and my movie review blog too...if I ever get back to it.

So over then next few months I will be re-posting some of my favorite posts from the food/allergy and travel blogs here. You will also see some new memes I love to participate in like WHAT'S FOR DINNER WEDNESDAY GF (gluten-free) and MENU PLAN MONDAY. So, in a nutshell, that's what will be going on here.

Potty Training Day 1 (Again)

Today we're restarting the 3 Day Potty Training. Last week our day 3 fizzled out. We ran too many errands for me to really work with Littlest. I'm not entirely convinced he's ready. He knows when he's wet or soiled and asks to be changed and goes for very long periods of time in between wetting himself, he can also pee on command. But he hasn't realized the pre-pee sensation. He hasn't grasped the fact that he needs to get to the potty BEFORE he pees. He doesn't quite understand that he can't run around the living room like a firefighter-spraying everywhere LOL. He'll get there. I just may have to do the 3 Day potty training once a week for the next 6 months. One day it will just click :)

Music Monday #6

Welcome to Music Monday, a meme for music lovers. Feel free to play along! If you are new to Music Monday, read the guidelines HERE.

Earlier this week, I was having a conversation with a fellow homeschool mom about modern women and ambition. Upon comparing notes I realized we were both of the opinion that (in America) the general population has a lesser respect for stay-at-home moms than working moms. Yet at the same time, "they" scorn working mothers for heading into the workplace, or for carving out a successful career before marriage and kids. It seems that as a sex we're still rather stuck in between roles. I can't say where this mentality began or when it will end. I personally feel it is has come about, in part, due to a perversion of feminism. It seems many modern women and young girls feel that in order to be classified as feminists, or having pride in their womanhood they need to have a career at any cost. I cannot tell you how many girls I've spoken to who feel shame over their desire to be a wife and mother-as if their life will amount to nothing without a career. This saddens me. In my opinion, true feminism is the freedom to choose your path. Whether that be school, career, motherhood, wifehood or all of the above is up to you. Choose your path and walk it well. Bring strength, dignity and intelligence to whatever you do. So in that spirit, here is one of my favorite kick-butt-rocker-chicks Pink singing Stupid Girls. This song cracks me up, the video too. I laugh every time. This came out around the time where celebrity tartness/stupidity was at an all time high. Paris' naughty videos were leaked, Jessica Simpson was in her daisy dukes, Halle Berry had her hit and run, and Lindsey Lohan was partying like 1999. Thankfully they've all seemed to come out on the other side of their antics, but this video showcases that no matter what you choose to do...this ain't it!

Ahh, I just realized that embedding was disabled. Click HERE for my Music Monday selection.

Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo

Monday, we had a wonderful family day. Hubby had the day off work so we decided to pack up the kids and head to the local zoo. The Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo is a great day trip. It's big enough to keep you fascinated but small enough that you get to see everything! Also, it is a privately owned zoo, so you can take pride in knowing your money is going directly to the care and upkeep of the animals you see.

Conveniently located off Rt. 15, just outside of Frederick, MD, Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo may be small but it has so much to offer! They have all the animals you expect to see, lions and tigers and bears, oh my; as well as rare and exotic animals to catch your fancy.

They also have a way of turning the mundane into something spectacular. Let's face it, when kids go to the zoo they want to see monkeys and bears, tigers and snakes! They usually aren't as impressed with things such as goats, fish and deer. But at the Catoctin Zoo your kids can hand feed these animals, making for a fun and memorable experience...not to mention a great photo op!

My kids' favorite had to be the Koi pond. They offer a big, raised pond teeming with Koi and you can hand feed the fish! My kids couldn't get enough of this. The fish would swarm their hands, splishing and splashing to get the food, soaking the kids with their effort. The Catoctin Zoo also offers camel and donkey rides (Littlest rode the camel with Hubby and LOVED it!) as well as a Wildlife Safari Ride. And don't forget the Animal Shows and Encounters, they run 6 shows a day all summer. These shows are a great way to learn about different animals while you take a little break and rehydrate.

*This is a re-post from my travel blog. I think I may transfer my travel blog here as our travels are usually done as a family and/or homeschool related*

HALLELUJAH!

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE GOD!! MY BROTHER IS HOME FROM AFGHANISTAN!!! HE IS BACK ON AMERICAN SOIL!!!

He is in Texas right now. He needs to be debriefed and I don't know what else, so we still won't get to see him for a little while. But that's okay. He's home. He's alive. He's healthy. He's safe. I cannot begin to tell you how light my heart feels right now.

Weekly Wrap Up - Week "Tired of Doin' Nuthin,"

At the end of the school year I had decided to take a few weeks to do nothing. No school, no field trips, no creative activities, nothing. So for the last two weeks I've been doing the absolute bare minimum necessary to keep my household functioning. It was wonderful. I enjoyed the freedom immensely. But my, how soon "doin' nuthin'" gets old. This week, I was ready to roll up my sleeves and dive in to some fun as well as duty. After my two week hiatus I was ready to take the kids out and about and tackle my summer to-do list. Here's what we did this week:

Monday - Hubby was home today so we spent the morning at the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo. The Catoctin Zoo is a small zoo so it's perfect for little ones, you can see everything! We had such a great day. Littlest loved the sun bears and tigers. Biggest really liked the tigers too, and the tropical birds. But the favorite for both of them was the open Koi pond. There was a raised pond where you could hand feed the fish. The pond was teeming with fish, it was unreal. When you would put your hand of food in the water the fish would swarm. The boys thought that was hilarious. They got to "pet" the fish because tens of them would dive for your hand at once, it was a riot. Hubby liked the jaguar and of course, my favorite were the Cotton Top Tamarins. I love those things! Before we had Littlest I tried to get Hubby to agree to getting one :) Man they're cute, they grow to about a foot long (excluding the tail) and weigh only 2 lbs. After the zoo we had a late lunch out. We then went home for a little bit if down time before Biggest's guitar lesson.

Tuesday- Today I ordered Biggest's curriculum for next year. We will be using several Math-U-Sees, Sonlight Core 100 and Apologia Physical Science as our base. Biggest will begin learning German, continuing with typing practice and creative writing. The only thing I'm on the fence about is an English/Language Arts/Grammar program; I'm researching a few options. We also ran to the store and bought a ton of underwear for Littlest. We're going to start potty training. Oh! And I also ordered a Diploma Program Guide from our local homeschool group. It walks you through Pennsylvania state requirements and the whole process in general. And I signed up for Terri Johnson's Upper Level High School Course via Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Click HERE to read the review and sign up! What was left of the day was devoted to laundry, dinner and outside time.

Wednesday- This morning I decided to start the day with a brisk walk/jog. I felt really defeated at the end of it because I now realize just how out of shape I am. I have no muscle tone, no flexibility and no stamina. I could only jog for a minute at a time and my butt cheeks were jiggling so badly I thought they were going to pull right off my body and splat on the pavement. I've now put that defeatist attitude aside and am somewhat proud that I at least tried. If I keep it up it will eventually get better. Right? Please say yes. After the exercise I started to potty train Littlest. I'm doing a version of the 3 Day PT method and incorporating ideas I stole learned from Lisa at Our 7 Qtpies. Basically, I let Littlest run around naked and every time he pees I instruct him on how/where to use the potty. As he improves we add layers of clothing. You can click the "child rearing" label or scroll down to read about our progress. This evening we spent hours outside. The weather was perfect and I got a ton done in the garden. We were all filthy when we came in. Littlest and I took a shower together; I've never seen water turn black so fast! We were SO dirty. I think I've dumped cleaner water out of my steam cleaner!

Thursday- Today the boys and I took another morning walk with intermittent 1-minute jogs. This time it felt a little more empowering-but not much :) It was more of a down day here, household chores for me, Biggest mowed as much as he could before the mower ran out of gas- oops! Did I mention Biggest has been doing his math all week? Yup, we're working on catching him up. This evening my brother and his friend came over for dinner. They've made their military decisions. My brother is going AIRFORCE (Thank God) and active (Boo!) and his friend is going active Army (BOO!). We were hoping and praying they would both go Army or Navy reserves, but they each have to make their own decision. I think the experience will be very positive for them both, I just pray they are safe.

Friday- After breakfast this morning we went to the library. I signed all of us (Biggest, Littlest and myself) up for the summer reading program. Biggest fought me on it at first but once he realized that he could chose what books he got to read, he got excited. He went home with 5 books today,I was impressed with his choices. He chose biographies on Andrew Jackson, General Custer, George Washington Carver, Cleopatra and Frederick Douglass. Go Biggest! The rest of the day was/will be spent on math, finishing mowing and playing outside.

Wow, I really yammered on this time. We just had a really great week! How about you? Pop in and play along with the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Potty Training Day 2

Yesterday was potty training day 2. It went pretty well, but I'm finding that since Littlest is so good about "holding it" and not dribbling, I don't have many opportunities to direct him to the potty. For example, right after he woke up yesterday I took off his wet diaper and put some underwear on his bum (SO cute!). We went about our morning and he didn't pee again until 11:00! He went in his underwear so I directed him to the potty. Then he didn't pee again until 3:30! This time he was naked and peed on the floor, I again directed him to the potty. He didn't pee again until 6:30, this time he was napping in a diaper. He then stayed dry until it was time for bed. The whole day I only had 2 opportunities to demonstrate the potty.

So, he's doing well holding it, not having many accidents, but he hasn't made the connection with the pre-pee sensation and potty. So, I'm thinking this process may take longer than I hoped. I should have started Monday instead of Wednesday. But I'm not complaining. At least he's not peeing on the floor every 15 minutes :)

Goals For Summer

I've decided to copy Mothering for Money's idea of listing summer goals for myself and my children. At the end of summer I will repost the list and see how much I got through. Pressure? I laugh in the face of pressure. Haha! Maybe, this little activity will help keep me focused.

GOALS FOR SUMMER

Biggest - 13 years old:

Continue his math curriculum

Read at least one book a month

Take a cooking class

Learn basic sign language signals

Have fun

Littlest- 22 months old:

Potty train

Begin speaking in 2-3 word sentences

Use YOUR BABY CAN READ program 4x a week minimum

Learn different birds (or at least stop calling every bird "duck")

Grow like a weed

Have fun

Me- 30 years old:

Exercise at least 3x a week

Clean & organize basement

Power wash & stain the deck

Keep up with the garden

Keep up with the boys' learning goals

Continue writing & submitting my books

Finish reading and reviewing the books for my book review blog

Read for me (specifically, a biography about Milton Hershey)

Plan Biggest's high school homeschool agenda

Plan get togethers with my cousin and homeschool friends

Have Fun

Activities and Field Trips:

Library at least bi-weekly

Library reading program and storytime

State Parks (Cunningham Falls, Caledonia and Cowens Gap)

Zoo

Pool

Washington DC

Baltimore

Art Museum

Aquarium

Native American Museum

Museum and history of our home town

Potty Training Day 1

We're attempting to start potty training. I'm both excited and apprehensive. The goal is daytime potty training, I'm not worried about nighttime yet. Yesterday I bought about a dozen or so pairs of underwear for Littlest so he has a total of about 15 pairs (why are they called pairs?) I'm hoping that will be enough to start. I may need a few more.

We're using the basics of the 3 Day Potty Training method with some tips and tricks I stole learned from Lisa at Our 7 Qtpies. Basically, today Littlest is running around naked most of the day. Whenever he pees or poos I direct him to the potty. I have the potty seat upstairs in the bathroom and the Peter Potty in the living room. So no matter which level we're on there is a convenient potty. Then tomorrow we can introduce him to underwear-I'll have to change him a lot, but I realize that's part of the process. So hopefully within a few days Littlest will understand the potty basics and we will be on our way to having him potty trained!

Littlest is 22 months has been showing signs of readiness for quite some time now. And like an attentive mother I've been praising his interest but not really fostering it. It's time for me to get off my rump. Littlest will pee in the potty sporadically, when he feels like it, he will alert me when he has pooed and ask me to change him, he can tell the difference between wet and dry and nod his yes or shake his head no when I ask him if he has peed or is wet. I've just been putting this off because, to be completely honest, he's my baby. I don't really want to let that go yet but I refuse to hold him back. I've also waited because I was waiting for the weather to become and stay warm since I knew I wanted to let him spend a few days naked. Well, the weather is gorgeous so here we go. I'll keep you posted on the progress (or lack thereof).

Find Me, Friend Me!

I've joined a few social networks, but I'm having trouble finding my friends. The problem lies in the fact that if we haven't directly emailed each other then the network can't find you via my address book. That and not everyone's username is the same as their blog name--so I don't have a clue how to find you. So in order to make it easier to find one another I've decided to list my info below. If you belong to one of the following networks, find me and friend me. Or leave your info in the comment section so I can find and fiend you :) I've joined:

Twitter: SomewhatCrunchy

Friend Feed: Cheryl/SomewhatCrunchy

The Blog Frog (specifically, the Bringing Up Benjamin and Sweet Serendipity groups): Cheryl

Dear Hubby - The Husband Handbook

Dear Hubby,

Should you ever find me hiding in the bathtub, insisting I've moved to Morocco and my name is now Princess Fraggleroni, it is due to one of the following reasons:

• I've lost my flippin' mind.
• The kids have worked my last nerve.
• I need a mental vacation.
• The name Queen Fraggleroni was already taken.

Thank you in advance for understanding the stress, care and commitment that goes into my days, and for allowing me the freedom to be Princess for a day.

All My Love,

Cheryl

xoxoxo

Music Monday #5

It's Monday, so that means it's time for Music Monday! Click HERE for the guidelines if you would like to play along.

I've been doing a lot of dreaming lately. I like to play the game "Where do you see yourself in 3 (then 5 and 10) years from now. My 10 year dream is to be writing popular children's books, semi-retired, living in France. But in order to achieve any goal you have to take baby steps and plan. So last week I sent two of my picture book manuscripts to literary agents. I've sent them out, and been rejected, before so I don't hold any grand plans of instant success, but I'm taking baby steps. As far as living in France, Hubby and I would like to buy a (very) small French home to use and rent out as a vacation home. Later, perhaps it will be my semi-retirement home. So, we've reviewed our finances and started to carve away many of the frills in hopes that one day we can afford that dream. Dream with me. Where do you want to be in 3 years? How about 5? And 10? Here's a soundtrack for your dreams, from The Mamas and The Papas, Dream a Little Dream of Me.

Happy Father's Day!!

I just have to say that I love my husband! He is truly, truly a wonderful father to our children--and a great husband as well. I am beyond blessed to have him in my life, as my partner, raising our beautiful children.

I love you my darling. Happy Father's Day!

Music Monday Guidelines

For those who would like to participate, here are the guidelines I've come up with for Music Mondays.

• Music Monday is available to anyone who would like to play along.
• You may follow my theme of the week or choose your own
• Choose a song and share it on your blog.
• Share a little about why you chose this song.
• Use the clean version of your song.
• If a clean version is not available type the word "explicit" in your comment and/or Mr. Linky link. Example: Cheryl-explicit
• Link directly to your Music Monday post.
• Mention Music Monday in your post and link back to my Music Monday for the week.
• Visit the other participants.
• Have fun!

Giveaway! Blog Makeover from Subjective Beauty! Closes 6/28

Hurry on over to Cher's blog, Mama's Money Savers for a chance to win a FREE blog makeover from Subjective Beauty. This giveaway includes:

Custom Template (1-6 columns in nearly any order, size, or shape you'd like)
Custom Header & Footer (the sky is the limit with images, text, animation)
Custom background
Navigation image (usually under the header - unlimited links)
Unlimited sidebar images
Unlimited entry/post header images
Social buttons (Twitter, Facebook, BlogHer, Feed, EntreCard, Causes, Events, etc.)
Hosting space via my server (for all images used in your design)
Button for linking (150x150 grab me button)
Post signature (featured at the bottom of every blog entry)
Email image (for your readers to easily contact you)
Post divider (to separate each blog entry)
Favicon (icon shown by url in search box as well as when bookmarked)
1 Rotating tab menu (requires certain space in the columns)
Your choice of digital scrapbook kit(s) from my library are afforded to you for no extra cost.
Installation

I know what you're thinking...WOW. There are several ways to enter so read the post carefully and good luck!

Weekly Wrap Up - Ready for Father's Day?

It's time for the Weekly Wrap-Up, hosted by Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. How was your week? Let us know by playing along!

Monday- Monday was a clean up day. The whole family worked on what will be our new office and 2nd bathroom over the weekend so we had some construction mess to clean up-yipee! The afternoon was spent finishing up the winter/summer clothes switcheroo. Ugh. One of my dreams is to have big enough closets where everything can hang all year-or to live in a climate that is perpetually one season...sigh. After the clothes were all vacuum-bagged it was time for the dreaded dentist appointments. Biggest was told his brushing was excellent and everything looked great. And I was told it didn't look like I had any cavities (Hallelujah!) just some areas that needed attention (Wha?) and they would give me some options at my next visit. Apparently I had 2 appointments, the consultation then the cleaning next time. For Pete's sake, could we make this any more time consuming or irritating? Really? So, next appointment they'll give me my options and cleaning and we'll go from there. I'm hoping I can get sealants. This time they examined my teeth, took copious amounts of notes and even measured and recorded the space between my teeth and gums. Seriously.

Tuesday- On Tuesday we ran a few errands. Then we played outside and weeded the garden. We managed to get through that without any dirt down the pants. This afternoon I found out that I won a second blog contest this month. So after realizing I overlooked an errand I ran out to do said errand...and stopped to pick up a lottery ticket too. C'mon millions! :)

Wednesday- Wednesday was rainy, steady rain all day. We stayed home, inside. Littlest repeatedly asked to watch Star Wars. He didn't understand why PG-13 meant he couldn't watch it. :( I checked USPS online and tracked the certified letter I sent to my photographer. A notice was left at her home on the 10th, she still hasn't picked it up. Grrr. In the evening there was a slight reprieve from the rain. Around 7 we were able to slip outside and play for about half an hour before another thunder storm rolled in. Splashing in puddles is fun at any age :)

Thursday- Today we took care of the housework. Laundry, straightening up, etc. Biggest mowed the lawn. It looks great. With all the rain it had gotten quite tall. After that we all goofed around outside and Littlest took a nap from about 4-7 pm. I was very surprised because he's been completely skipping naps for the last few weeks. Today's nap worked out perfectly though because Littlest and I went to my friend, Mary's house for Thursday Night Ladies Fellowship. I hadn't been in months but every Thursday night without fail Mary opens her home to other moms and homeschoolers and their children. The kids run around like wild and we moms eat, chat and pray-it's a wonderful, blessed evening. It was fantastic to catch up with everyone.

Friday- Today the boys and I went to pick a little something up for Hubby for Father's Day, and cards for all the other fathers in our lives. I checked my lottery ticket-no millions for me :( Then I checked USPS again-the photographer still hasn't picked up the letter. I realized that when I addressed the letter. I addressed it: Name of Photographer/Name of Photography Business so I'm guessing that's what was left on the notice. If she knows it's about the business I'm guessing she just won't pick it up. She has until the 25th until it's returned to me, if she doesn't pick it up then I guess we're going to small claims court...I hope that's not too expensive. This evening we're going to be lazy as a family because this weekend we're doing a bit of running around for father's day-it should be a lot of fun :)

Children's Ministry

I was sent some information regarding a children's ministry called Operation Kid to Kid. I'm generally suspicious of "big church" ministries and such but this one looked quite promising, so I thought I would pass the information along to you. Operation Kid to Kid is a program in which you, your church, youth group or even just your family can send love and support to children who have been the victims of natural disasters. For about $2 (including shipping) you get two Comfort Critters, one for your child to keep and one to send to a child in need. The critter even has a little pocket in which you can send a few words of encouragement. I think it's a simple, loving idea. Below are some basic Q&As.

Give your kids a hands-on mission project and a chance to serve needy children around the world

What do think about when you read headlines about economic hardships, natural disasters, and politically charged conflict? Circumstances like these set families and entire communities reeling, and few people are affected as profoundly as the children involved. How do the littlest victims cope with the changes and uncertainty around them? And what can the church do to reach out specifically to these little ones?

Group Publishing, the premier publishers of children’s Bible curriculum including Sunday school and VBS, believes that some of the best ministers to children experiencing disaster and hardship are other children. That’s why they have created a program called Operation Kid-to-Kid (OK2K), which partners with nondenominational Christian ministries like International Bible Society and World Vision to provide opportunities for children in North America to share God’s love with other children in difficult or disastrous situations. Since its inception ten years ago, Operation Kid-to-Kid projects have impacted millions of kids all over the world.

“Operation Kid-to-Kid is a great way to teach kids compassion and service,” says Joani Schultz, cofounder of Group and OK2K. “Children learn by doing. It’s one thing to drop a nickel in the offering plate, but when kids make a gift with their own hands, when they can be creative and personal, this leaves a real impression on both the givers and the receivers.”

Q: What is Operation Kid-to-Kid™?

A: Operation Kid-to-Kid™ is a partnership of Group Publishing, Inc. and nondenominational Christian organizations dedicated to creating hands-on service projects for children in North America. Operation Kid-to-Kid™ projects have ministered to kids all over the world. Over the years, Group’s Operation Kid-to-Kid™ has become one of the largest forces mobilizing children in serving other children around the world. Millions have been impacted with gifts of comfort critters, school supplies, Bibles, hygiene kits, Christmas gifts, Bible coloring books, and socks and shoes. Operation Kid-to-Kid™ gives children a meaningful service project that will change their hearts as they help change the world.

Q: What is a Comfort Critter? Where do I get the Comfort Critters?

A: Comfort Critters are adorable, easy-to-assemble crafts designed especially for kids to make and receive. Custom-made Comfort Critters are available from Group and Group suppliers. This year’s special critter is a cuddly little turtle that reads “God Cares” and features a pocket so each child can include a special message to another child in need.

Q: We all want to teach our kids about God’s compassion. Why are the Operation Kid-to-Kid^TM Comfort Critters so effective for this purpose?

A: Children learn by doing. While activities like collecting spare change definitely serve a good purpose, it’s hard for young children, who don’t really understand the value of money yet, to understand how the money they collect will minister to other children. But all children know what it’s like to be scared or lonely. They know how a teddy bear, stuffed animal, or blankie makes them feel better. As they use their own hands to make these little turtles, they are creating personal, tangible expressions of compassion. The handy sewn in pocket gives them the opportunity to send a message from their own hearts. And because they make two turtles—one to give away and one to keep—they will have a touchable reminder that other children are struggling and in need of compassion and comfort.

Q: How many Comfort Critters will I need?

A: You will need two for each child participating—one for them to keep, and one to give away.

Q: Can I use a different Comfort Critter for our church service project?

A: Not if you are distributing it through International Bible Society for disaster relief. They’re counting on receiving these Comfort Critters with the special message of God’s love. IBS has learned it’s important that items distributed to children should be identical. No child should feel less special because his or her Comfort Critter doesn’t look like the others.

Q: Do I have to send my Comfort Critters to the International Bible Society for distribution?

A: Feel free to tweak your Operation Kid-to-Kid™ program. You can use your Comfort Critters as a local community service project—or send the items with your church mission team.

Q: Besides the Comfort Critters, what other Operation Kid-to-Kid™ projects can my group participate in?

A: There are so many ways to involve children in ministry throughout the year. Through the Rome VBS program, you can send monthly Bible readers to children in the underground church around the world. Since it is dangerous for these children to own a Bible, these comic book-style readers offer much needed encouragement.

The Operation Kid-to-Kid Prayer Bear missions program warms hearts and minds and allows children to share the joy of God’s love. Kids will learn what it means to help others as they create a Prayer Bear that says “Jesus” in English, Spanish, and French. Plus, everyone can personalize a message to put in their Bear’s pocket to send to an orphan in Africa. Join us in one of the world’s largest forces mobilizing kids in serving others around the world.

This easy, hands-on mission program can serve those in your local community, be sent to military personnel, or simply be sent to the International Bible Society for distribution to children around the world.

For more information about Operation Kid-to-Kid, visit www.ok2k.org.

Ants and Potato Beetles!!

Well, I think I know what's been eating up my garden. I think it's potato beetles and ants. The ants are everywhere. Swarms of ants, a new colony under every shovelful of dirt. There's probably enough to eat the flesh right off my bones and drag my carcass into their nasty little netherworld. Ew! Bugs usually don't bother me too much but there are so, so many of them. I want an organic garden, but if I don't do something there won't be any garden left.

I have moles or voles too, I don't know which. But their little holes and trails are all over the place. I guess during the three years I let the garden grow over into a jurasic-park weed bed rest, all God's creatures decided to move in. I've done a little research and I'm going to try out a few natural solutions before I break out the chemicals.

For the Ants:

Aspartame-this supposedly kills ants. So I'm going to go sprinkle some Equal on my garden like a loon :)

Borax Laced Sugar- This sounds the most promising but I'm hesitant to use it because it's quite poisonous and I have children and pets.

For the Moles/Voles:

Castor Oil-I've read various results but am going to give it a try

Grits-I don't want to do this, but if I get mad enough I just might. Supposedly the grits expand in the mole's stomach until *pop*. Ow.

For the Potato Bugs:

Make a "tea" out of cedar chips and spray it on the plants (I'll have to continue this all summer)

Milled Wheat Bran-this will supposedly make them explode like the moles. I don't have as much a problem doing that to bugs for some reason. But I have to wonder if it will just attract more bugs.

I'll let you know what works and what doesn't. Do you know of any other stategies??

The Rationale of a Teenager

Huh?? Is there such a thing. I have to wonder. This is how my Biggest's mind works. Hold onto your hats folks.

I've mentioned before how Biggest likes a uniform of sorts. This has made shopping infinitely easier and less expensive. But I recently learned it's still not glitch free. You see, Biggest is picky about his clothes, very picky...and no, I have no idea where he gets this mentality. He's quickly outgrown last year's shorts and it's time to buy some new ones.

Over the last two weeks his father and I have taken him to no less than four stores and yes, you guessed it, he didn't like anything they had to offer. So finally I told him "Okay, that's it. I'm not wasting any more of my time. You either need to pick something or go without-and I'm not driving myself crazy washing shorts every other day so you have shorts to wear. Deal with it or wash them yourself" He chose to go without. Fine by me.

Still, I was perplexed when Friday afternoon we had a conversation that went like this:

Biggest: Mom, do I have any clean shorts?

Me: I don't know, do you?

Biggest: (blank stare)...I don't have any in my room...

Me: I have diapers in the dryer so there's none downstairs. Have you done any of your laundry?

Biggest: (blank stare)...no....

Me: Oh.

I have to give the kid credit, he didn't complain. But what was he thinking? Really. If you have two pairs of shorts which stay on your bedroom floor for a week do you really think they're going to turn up clean when you need them? LOL Want to know what he put on instead of clean shorts? A bathing suit. Yep-that's my boy!

At least we're out of the re-wash, re-wear stage. You know, where all you do is re-wash the clean laundry they were too lazy to put away and all they do is re-wear the same dirty clothes.

Homeschool Showcase at Kris' Blog

Today we're part of The Homeschool Showcase, a blog carnival. There are some great ideas and resources so be sure to stop by Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and check it out. Just a few topics that are covered this week are arts & crafts, the Middle East, electronics and language. I bet you're wondering why you're still here :)

Music Monday #4

In honor of my dentist appointment today here's the song Dentist from that zany musical Little Shop of Horrors. Here's hoping my dentist is much more kind!

If you would like to play along, leave your link in the comments section. But now that Mr. Linky is up and fully operational again. I will try to come up with some participation guidelines for next week. Wish me luck at the dentist!!

Maturation Education

I'm coining a new phrase, Maturation Education. I'm using this in place of what was taught to me in school as "Sex Education". The phrase Sex Education doesn't sit well with me. I realize it probably began as an innocent term pertaining to a person's sex, not the act of sex. But when I was in school the act was the focus; the physicality of it and nothing much else. For my children, I want to bring the focus back to what it should be, a Godly maturation. Adolescence is about so much more than a physical transformation-it's about emotional upheavals, critical thinking and responsible actions-just to start.

Biggest turned 13 in March. His father and I have always tried to maintain an openness with him in which he would feel free to ask questions. We always give honest, age appropriate answers. But over the last few years, as Biggest has been reaching the point where physical and emotional changes begin in earnest he has slowly pulled away. He'd become awkward and embarrassed at times. And if we would try to initiate the simplest of conversations about sex or physical changes he would politely but firmly tell us that he didn't want to talk about it.

Part of me was alarmed and another part of me could understand his wanting to hold onto his youth a bit longer. But now, he's 13 and we decided it was time to take back the reins. So last weekend Biggest and his father had a" man's weekend". The theme of the weekend? Maturation Education.

Hubby chose to take Biggest to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland which is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from here. They used the drive up, their jaunts around town and their drive back to listen to a CD audio book of Dr. James Dobson's Preparing for Adolescence. I hear it was a great weekend. Biggest enjoyed the one on one time with his father immensely. He learned what he needed to learn and was very open and somewhat inquisitive-he didn't fight the knowledge. Most importantly this reopened the avenues of communication with his father, and by default with me too.

Preparing for Adolescence is a fantastic resource. It teaches about sex of course but it also covers a myriad of other topics from a biblical perspective. It helps to teach the Godly, responsible way of dealing with things like emotions, pornography, drugs, peer pressure, masturbation, pregnancy and the sanctity of marriage. I would highly recommend this book/audio book for anyone with pre-teens or teens.

Darn the luck! I just googled my new phrase, it seems I'm not the first to think up the term Maturation Education-no trademark for me. Thankfully, our camera decided to work sporadically so below are some photos of the man weekend. :) Enjoy!

My Biggest

The falls are ahead

The dock leading out onto Deep Creek Lake

The beach at Deep Creek Lake

Local Wildlife

Swallow Falls

The photo that almost gave me heart failure. Why is Biggest standing on that precipice ALONE??!!?

Picky Eater?

Why does Littlest prefer my left boob over my right?  I don't understand.  Does the milk taste different?  Are they shaped differently?  Even in the middle of the night, I'll try to sneak in the right and he knows...he always knows.    The only time I can give him the right is when he wakes up from nap, he doesn't protest then.  And thank goodness for that or my chest would be seriously lopsided by now!

Weekly Wrap Up : Where Did The Week Go??

It's time for the Weekly Wrap-Up hosted by Kris of Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Share your week with us! I can't believe it's Friday already! Where did the week go?? We didn't do much but still the time flew by! Here's what we did.

Monday- Today was catch up day. Biggest mowed the lawn, it rained so much last week that he couldn't get to it and he was gone all weekend. He then weeded his patch of corn and green beans in the garden. I picked up the deck because it looked like a toybox threw up out there. Littlest played with a wheelbarrow full of water all the while. Then it was laundry and lunch then off to have the oil changed and Biggest's guitar lesson. Oh yeah, and I went by the post office to mail my photographer a certified letter-I shared that story on Wednesday.

Tuesday- Biggest and Littlest accompanied me to to the grocery store. I hadn't gotten around to grocery shopping last weekend (oops!) and we were out of everything. Other than that we enjoyed the sunshine, it was a good day. Come dinnertime two of the neighborhood boys were still hanging around, playing with Biggest so they joined us for dinner. Man, I was glad I went grocery shopping-it was like feeding time at the zoo :)

Wednesday & Thursday- Both these days were were full of thunderstorms. We got to go outside in the morning for about 45 minutes before the storms rolled in. So we just relaxed in the house, did some reading, watched movies etc. You'd think I would have taken this time to get caught up on the household chores...but I didn't. On Thursday my almost 19 year old brother (my father and step-mother's son) and his best friend came down for dinner. They informed us that they're going to join the military; they are in the process of talking to the different branches. I don't know how I feel about this yet. My first reaction is unbridled fear because they're leaning toward going active rather than into the reserves, but the another side of me is very proud.

Friday- Today has been beautiful. We got to go outside this morning and play. I also got to go out to the garden for the first time in forever and do some weeding. It was lovely, I was making progress and Littlest was "helping". It was so peaceful until...OH NO YOU DIDN'T!...Yes you did! Noooooo! Littlest had dumped a large handful of dirt down the back of my shorts and underwear. So it was a quick walk back to the house with me whispering "ew ew ew" all the way. Now that I'm cleaned up I'm blogging, Biggest is playing an online game and Littlest is napping.

This evening should be pretty relaxing. Tomorrow morning we will be working on the new bathroom/office then having dinner with my mom. Then Sunday we'll be working on the room all day with my step-brother, so it will be a busy weekend here.

Violence UnSilenced - A Violence Awareness Site

What do you do when you're upset or angry?  Do you pick up the phone, meet a friend for coffee and chat?  Maybe you blog about it.   When you think about it, being able to discuss our problems is a luxury not everyone has.  Some people are caught in very dangerous situations.  Those who are now free are sometimes trapped in their own private mental hell.  It's one thing to sit down and complain to a friend about your cold, or how your husband left a wet towel on the floor...again, these are "easy" rather ubiquitous problems.  But to be able to share with someone your history or even current situation of abuse is altogether different.  Not everyone feels comfortable being that open, sharing that much.  Not everyone is comfortable being that kind of friend and some don't know what to say or do.  The thing is, most times we don't have to say or do anything.  Listening is often enough.

Violence UnSilenced is a site dedicated to sharing and listening.  This site gives victims of abuse a safe place to share their stories.  All comments are moderated so that those who share will not be further abused verbally.  Violence Unsilenced also offers support resources for those who are still struggling in abusive situations.  How can you help?  By listening, that's all it takes to help positively change the life of a victim of abuse.  Visit Violence UnSilenced, read the stories and take the time to Pledge toListen.

Homey Don't Play Dat!

Do you remember In Living Color?  I loved that show...I probably shouldn't have been allowed to watch it so young, but man, it was funny.  I'm feeling a little like Homey D. Clown, ready to hand out a smackdown!  

First let me say that I try to be understanding.  I generally don't allow people to walk all over me but I can forgive rudeness if there is a good reason.  For instance, I won't bat an eye if you mow me down on the way to the grocery store cash register if you have a screaming toddler in your cart; I will smile and wave you on if you cut me off in local traffic if you obviously aren't from around here and I will forgive you for being late if there was traffic.  I'm not hard to get along with.  But when I extend kindness to someone again and again there comes a point when my ugly side shows itself.  You see, I'm having issues with my photographer.

Before I share the long, convuluted story let me say that I KNOW THIS IS PARTIALLY MY FAULT AND I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A STAND LONG AGO.  *sigh*  Hindsight is 20/20.  So here's the story.

In July 2007, when I was 8 months pregnant, I met with a photographer, I'll call her Helen.  My cousin knew Helen from church and recommended her since they were friends and Helen was just starting up her business.  (red flag)  Anyway Helen and I met, discussed the options and I paid $345.00 for the "Sweet Pea Plan" which incuded a pregnancy photo shoot and a family photo shoot after the baby arrives.  I was also to recieve a CD of the photos set to music and and a keepsake photo book of my favorites complete with quotes, bible verses, dates of firsts that I would choose.

Well, in July we had the preggo shoot and in September, when Littlest was 4 weeks old we had the second shoot.  A few weeks later we met for me to view the photos and pick my favorites.  And then we waited.  And called Helen, and waited (another red flag).  When she finally called me back it was with bad news.  She had improperly backed up the high resolution version of our photos and now I could not really do anything with them-they couldn't get any bigger than wallet size. (Big Neon Sign-blinking)  Now I'm no photographer so I don't know if this is BS or not, but it's what I was told.  I was pretty upset, but nice about it.  She offered to photograph Littlest at 4, 8 and 12 months for free to make up for it.  I agreed...verbally.  I decided to wait and have the CD montage and keepsake book done after the 12 month photos so they would be like a "Littlest's first year" documentary.

Well, we had all the photo shoots.  Littlest turned 1 year in August 2008 and I have yet to get my photos.  We contacted Helen in October 2008 because we hadn't heard from her.  She again took forever to call back, but said she was working on it and should have it "in a week or two" (her standard response) but was behind because two of her children had broken bones and been sick and blah blah blah.  We called her again in November 2008, got the same response.  We let it go over the holidays, we didn't want to be calling and harassing someone about business during the Christmas season but picked up the phone again in February.  Same response-working on it, done in a week, kids sick, kids with MRSA, kids with broken bones.  I'm now beginning to question not only her photography skills but her parenting skills as well; this is a fellow homeschooling mom.  I considered calling CPS but didn't.

This cat and mouse game of avoided calls went on.  I finally told her to forget everything but the CD, I'm not worried about the book or the montage with music.  I just want a CD of our photos!  She promised to get that to us "this week" along with a letter of rights relinquishment so we could reproduce any photos we wanted.  That was in late April/early May.  Guess what?  NO CD!  The last three phone calls she has not returned.  The first call we offered to swing by (even though she's an hour away) and pick up the CD to save her shipping costs.  The second call I asked her to please discuss whatever the problem may be with us.  Whatever it is we can work it out, money, back-up issues, please just be honest with us because this is getting ridiculous.  The third was me saying that I was trying yet again to reach her.  No return calls on her part.  Heaven only knows if she has any of our photos any more, if ever.

So on Monday I sent her a certified letter of demand. I stated I wanted those photos and if she didn't turn them over within 30 days we would file a small claims court case against her.  And she better hand over the photos.  I'm done being nice.  The gloves are off.  Homey don't play that!

What Do You Do?

Somebody in my family has hurt Someone I love, again.  Deliberately and Connivingly.  Somebody has issues, serious issues that will require mental help.  Of course, Someone has issues too since they keep putting themselves in the position to get hurt.  I try to stay neutral, it's not my fight.  But I have a lot of anger at Somebody for being so selfish and thoughtless, self righteous and unremorseful.  So what do you do in this situation?

  

What do you do when you want to council Someone to run in the opposite direction and never look back, but you don't believe in divorce (unless there is abuse or infidelity-which there isn't)?  But you do believe in counseling and the transformative power of God's love.

What do you do when Somebody just doesn't get the depth of their actions and isn't being honest enough for counseling to help?

What do you do when you want to be a beacon of God's love, grace and forgiveness when your first reaction is to claw Somebody's eyes out?

What do you do when Someone you love is hurting and there is nothing you can do to make it better?

What do you do?

Music Monday #3

Okay, I'm looking for some more modern Christian music.  I've lost touch and I don't know what's out there any more except for Steven Curtis Chapman and Jars of Clay.  The last time I was current with Christian music Amy Grant was the stuff :)  I wish I'd saved my old cassettes, you remember cassettes right?  Here ya go, the ageless and hauntingly beautiful El Shaddai

Translation of the Hebrew Verses:

El Shaddai, El Shaddai (God Almighty, God Almighty)

El-Elyon na Adonai (God in the highest, Oh Lord)

Erkamka na Adonai (We will love you oh Lord)

**I've been informed Erkamka na Adonai isn't really Hebrew.  Can anyone tell me the correct verse and translation??**

I went searching for the Hebrew translation and found THIS fascinating article.  Apparently El Shaddai can also be translated as "God who is enough".  The article touches on some other points I personally believe-such as God allowing us the freedom to (as much as possible given the situations and decisions of others) to make our own future, amongst other points.  I found his explanations interesting.  

Ingenious

Littlest is growing so quickly, although he's only 22 months old he's really beginning to assert his independence.  He likes to try to do everything himself, washing and combing his hair, brushing his teeth, washing his hands.  He can almost reach the bathroom sink taps already! It's a small sink, but still.  I decided to buy him a step stool to make it easier for him.  I got this bright little stool and showed him how to use it.  He was ecstatic that he could reach the taps and turn the water on and off on his own.  But he quickly realized and became angry that he still could not reach the lever for the stopper.  I was glad of that because I could imagine him making a huge mess with a sink full of water.

I walked out of the bathroom for TWO MINUTES

 and the ingenious little monkey had gotten up on his stool, turned on the taps, gotten off his stool, turned said stool upside down and placed it in the sink.  Voila!  He made his own "sink" full of water with his overturned stool.  I just had to laugh at the brilliance of it all.  Of course he did end up making a huge mess.  But I was so proud of his problem solving skills I just couldn't be mad :)  Yet another moment where I wish my camera was working, it would have been such a cute picture!

Still Not In Love

Ugh, I'm obsessing and need to just leave it alone.  I'm still not crazy about the new background/colors but I'm going to leave it alone for a while...I think :)

Weekly Wrap Up : Week Lots Of Rain

I knew I was forgetting something yesterday.  The Weekly Wrap Up!!  I really enjoy this meme...or is it a carnival...I'm still confused by those two terms.  I love to share our weekday activities and see what everyone else has been up to.  This  is hosted by Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers; head on over and share your week.

Not much went on here at all.  I'm not exaggerating.  But it was nice to relax.  At first it stressed me out, but then I took it as a blessing, an easy way to get into the "lazy days of summer" vibe.

Monday-  Biggest and I had dentist appointments scheduled.  I wasn't looking forward to this as I'm positive I have a few lot of cavities.  I've never had a cavity in my life so I'm a bit apprehensive.  My mother took my brother and me to the dentist every six months, every year without fail.  The dentist was always fun.  I'm 30, I think I've been to the dentist 3 times since I moved out when I was 18...the dentist isn't looking so fun this time around.  The dentist ended up canceling so I have another week to stew and get myself all worked up.  Grrrrrreeeaat.  So basically all we did today was some reading and Biggest's guitar lesson-in which he didn't do well with because our schedule has been slowly eroding over the past few weeks.

Tuesday- Today was our only sunny, warm day this week.  Biggest did a little reading but mostly he just played in the hose and the neighbor's pool.  I did a lot of reading myself for my book review blog.  Ahhhh, summertime.

Wednesday- Rain.  We did lots of reading this day.  I helped Biggest finish The Rat Catcher's Son.  He "forgot" that he hadn't read that book :)  Other than that we took it easy-have you noticed that math hasn't been mentioned once?  Oops.  Yes I'm still planning on doing math all summer...I've just gotten off to a slow start with Biggest *blush*.

Thursday- More Rain.  Biggest is finished with everything for real now, I checked.  So rather than actually start on math we did a bunch of cleaning and laundry.  I finished tweaking my new 3 column layout (like it?) and tried to figure out how to navigate twitter.  Biggest spent his time gaming.  We went our separate ways-I think he needs a day or two of not having me in his face :)

Friday- Lots More Rain.  This was another absolutely no structure day.  We played some games, took a trip to the health food store so I could order my case of hemp milk, folded and put away laundry.  We didn't even have established meal times, we kind of just munched until dinnertime.  That doesn't happen very often, but sometimes its fun.  Biggest got a surprise from Hubby this afternoon.  I'll share about it the beginning of next week, I want to see how it turns out and give some details.

That's pretty much it.  It sounds like a lackluster week, almost pathetic in it's slothfulness, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Oh, and at some point this week Hubby downloaded/uploaded (whatever) Google Chrome to my mini.  I LOVE this browser!  It took me a few days to get used to it but I really truly love it.  Blog pages don't go all wonky any more.  For instance, over on Kris' blog I used to have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see her posts, the top half was always blank.  Now it's laid out in a nice, uniform, 3 column page.   Love it, and it's so easy to use.

How about you?  What did you do this week?

Save 10% On Travel Gear

I have a great new site for you and a terrific money-saving offer to go with it!  BabySafeTravel is the place to go to research or plan your next family vacation.  This site offers themed blogs on which parents like you and me can submit our own experiences with specific destinations, hotels, parks etc.  You can get the scoop and find out how family-friendly your next destination actually is.  You can review hotels you've stayed in to help other families make informed choices or get connected with other parents in your area.  What a great resource!

You can plan and book your trip as well as get some great travel tips for kids of all ages.  And don't forget the Baby Boutique!  This is where the money savings offer comes in.  Right now you can save 10% on your order by entering coupon code 'summertravel' at checkout.  There are plenty of great products to choose from, my favorite is the SippiGrip,

 that's the product on the upper left.  It keeps your baby's cups, toys etc. from being thrown overboard (but still supervise baby, you wouldn't want them wrapping around themselves).  And I bet you can't guess what the product on the right is...take a guess...I'll wait.  It's a fold up infant travel bed!!!  How cool is that.  Stop by BabySafeTravel, you're sure to find something you like.

Ecostore USA Product Review

Recently I was given the opportunity to review some Ecostore USA products.  I had never heard of Ecostore USA, so if you haven't either here's a bit of information:

Ecostore is an extension of a 20 year old New Zealand company  www.ecostore.co.nz  that makes plant based , non-toxic Household Cleaning, Baby and Personal Care Products that contain No Nasty Chemicals(tm).  Our eco friendly, plant-based household cleaning products are as effective as the leading supermarket brands, and our body and baby care ranges are gentle on your skin and are simply beautiful to use. Our pet care products let you spoil your pets with our nourishing, rich blends of ingredients and show them how much you care by reducing their exposure to unhealthy chemicals.

All of our products are made from plant- and mineral-based ingredients, free of toxic chemicals that bring people closer to nature with non-toxic, environmentally safe solutions that also help to reduce our carbon footprint.

I enjoyed all four products I tried out.  I will definitely be shopping for more Ecostore products in the future.  Especially given the fact that I was the lucky winner of a $25.00 Ecostore gift certificate from a giveaway over at Mommy Maestro's blog!  I  can't wait to try their Orange and Rosemary Shampoo!

First up is the Goat's Milk Baby Soap.  I didn't specifically request this product but it made it's way into my shipment so I figured I would give it a try.  Littlest and I are allergic to dairy so I was a little leery.  We haven't had any contact reactions so I tried it first.  I used it on the right side of my body only at first.  When I had no reactions I used it all over and then tried it out on Littlest.  I'm happy to report that this is a very mild soap.  It cleaned well and left the faint scent of lavender and chamomile lingering on our skin.  I also really liked it's creamy texture, it was a very smooth soap.  This bar currently retails at $4.00.

Another baby product I tried was the Anytime Bath, an aromatherapy baby wash.  This too was very gentle on Littlest's skin.  It foamed nicely both on a washcloth and directly on the skin.  It rinsed clean, leaving his skin silky smooth.  And it smelled great!  The first thing I noticed was it's scent, a light eucalyptus oil scent.  I love eucalyptus oil, it smells crisp and is really good for stuffy noses.  Overall, a very great baby wash.  A 6.8 oz bottle retails for $10.00.

Next was the Manuka Honey and Kelp Soap.  I LOVED this product.  It smelled so good.  Seriously good.  I am 100% serious when I say that I had to restrain myself from taking a bite out of the bar of soap.  It smells edible.  Manuka honey is made by bees feeding on the Manuka flowers of the Manuka plant-which is where we also get the anti-fungal tea tree oil!  That's exciting.  Aside from the great scent and interesting ingredients this soap lathered and cleaned well, leaving my skin smooth.  I especially liked that (if you use the bar directly on your skin) it had light exfoliating properties due to the bits of bran, kelp or honey (I'm not sure which) in the bar.  Each bar retails for $4.00.

Last was the Wool Wash.  I REALLY LOVED this product!  Like all the other Ecostore USA products this wash had a great light scent.  The wool wash I used to use had a lovely lavender scent, but it was so heavy.  If the cover didn't dry quick enough that lovely lavender scent quickly became funky.  Not this one, it smelled great from start to finish.  I used this wash on Littlest's wool diaper cover.  It cleaned like a champ!  It took out spots I'd long since given up on.  Even with all that cleaning the fibers still came out soft time and again.  This has quickly become the must-have wool wash here!  A 17oz bottle retails for $8.50.

So there you have it, my experience with some great earth friendly products from Ecostore USA!  Every little bit helps-choose one household or personal product to swap for an earth friendly version.  You can find Ecostore USA products at your local Meijer store or online.

Thursday 13 - Goals For Summer

Here's a list of 13 things I want to accomplish this summer!

1. Potty train Littlest. He's been showing signs of being ready and I've been putting it off until warmer weather. I want to try the 3 day potty training method where you essentially let them run around naked for 3 days and have the potties uber-accessible.

2. Start an activity routine. I say activity because exercise sounds like a chore, and I believe "exercise" should be part of our daily lives...let's see if I can make it work in my life :)

3. Keep up with my garden!! The last few years with laziness, pregnancy and then a newborn, it's turned into a weed bed. I don't want that to happen this year.

4. Stain the deck. Biggest will help me with this one.

5. Order next year's curriculum for Biggest. I want to do this soon. I loathe waiting until the last minute and then scrambling to get everything organized before the school starts. I try to avoid that when I can.

6. Work on the Your Baby Can Read program with Littlest. We spent a bit of money on that program and I've only done it sporadically, he needs a little structure.

7. Have the bug guy out to treat the house. We live in a log home and I've been putting this off--NOT good!

8. Read for me! I want to find a biography on Milton S. Hershey and a book Kris twittered about called Reading Lists for College Bound Students.

9. Take the kids to the pool--a lot!

10. Buy a new camera.

11. Reassess our finances and find ways to cut, cut, cut expenses! I want to do this for three reasons 1) We spend way too much money. 2) I want to buy a new, outrageously expensive camera 3) We want to save as much as possible and create and create a 2-4 year financial plan to achieve our goal of saving up a down payment on a small vacation home.

12. Get Biggest involved in the spirit of frugality. We want to instill in him the importance of saving and sacrificing for what you want; diligence in achieving your goals. Patience and responsibility.

13. RELAX!!!

Want to play along? Join us at Happy To Be At Home.