Engineered Mayhem

Wild Rice and Ground Beef Casserole

2011-09-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs. ground beef
1 lg. onion, chopped
½ lb. fresh mushrooms
1/2 to 1 bag of fresh spinach 1 ½ c. wild rice, (one package if prepackaged) uncooked
3 c. chicken broth

garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Directions

Saute onion 3-5min med. Add ground beef and mushrooms until all meat is cooked. Drain if necessary. Transfer the meat to a 3 quart shallow, oblong casserole.
Put wild rice, chicken broth, spinach, and seasonings in casserole dish. Mix. Stir in meat and veg. Bake covered at 375 degrees for 1.5 hours, stirring once or twice during baking. During one of your stirring times taste test to make sure you have enough seasonings. Uncover and bake 10 minutes to evaporate any excess liquid and brown the top of the casserole.
Feeds 4

I forgot to take a picture before we ate it all! LOL I would have thought it would have fed 6 adults but 3 adults and 2 toddlers = no leftovers!

Nacho Pie

2011-08-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

tortilla chips (corn/gluten/dairy free? http://www.beanfieldssnacks.com/our_snacks.html)
1.5 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8-1/4 cup taco seasoning
1 can (16 oz) chili beans, undrained (see recipe below)
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes)
shredded mozzarella cheese (or peperjack/cheddar) (dairy/soy/gluten free? http://www.daiyafoods.com/)
Sour cream for the nondairy free people

Directions

Place chips in a pie plate and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain if needed. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Add tomatoes and mix. Add chili beans and mix. Spoon over chips. Top with refried beans, and cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15-17 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Chili beans!

Make sure kidney beans have soaked overnight (or pop out the can)
Place beans in pot and cover with water just above beans. Add chili power, cumin powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper.
Simmer on low until water is almost gone and beans are cooked but not mushed.

The pressure to homeschool early

2011-08-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

There is this constant pressure from other parents to start homeschooling at an early age. Why? Why do kids need to go to school this early? Why should a child age 2, 3, or 4yrs be sitting at a table learning out of a book? Even though these are not things I agree with I still feel the pressure. I hear comments like I want to keep (s)he with their peers, or they are advanced for their age, or they love to learn so we are starting kindergarten at age 3yrs or 4yrs. I know to each their own and we all feel we do what is best for our family but why do we need to pressure others to push their kids as well?

I know that my kids are happy and intelligent. I look at what these other parents are doing and it seems like exactly what I have been teaching all along just not from a book or at the table. So why do I still feel pressured? I don't know.

Well at our house all we have done so far is learn from play. We color, make crafts, bake, cook, count, add things together, workbook activities, read, games, etc. Somehow without a structured learning environment they have learned many skills like reading, writing, coloring inside the lines, fine motor movements, bible stories, to love God, how the body works (eating to birthing babies), adding and subtracting, baking, cooking, science, etc. It is really amazing all the things kids can learn throughout a day. Really they are sponges.

Yes we will start using some homeschool ideas like using a calender and telling time as Rowan has asked to learn these skills. We will continue to foster what they desire to learn with focus on their strengths. This week we have been blessed with dramatic plays every night before bed. From puppets to ballet dancing, it has been amazing to watch them every night as they entertain us. So for now we will continue along the path we are currently headed and hope that the pressures will slow. The girls can continue to be 2 and 4yr olds enjoying life to its fullest.

Kneadlessly Delicious GLUTEN FREE pizza crust review!

2011-05-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Now I have made some gluten free pizza crust and it is better than I have bought out at a restaurant. I was lucky enough to be able to test Kneadlessly Delicious's new gluten free pizza dough. I was sent home from our wonderful co-op with this 2lb bag of dough. Very similar to the dough you can order at your local pizza store or local bakery grocer except this one was gluten free. Now for those of us who either have wheat allergies or sensitivities this is a blessing!

I was emailed the directions on how to roll out dough and prepare pizza for the perfect crust.

1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.

2. Prepare and measure all the toppings in advance.
3. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with rice flour and cut off a 1/2-pound (orange-size) piece. Dust the piece with more rice flour and quickly shape it into a ball; this dough isn’t stretched because there is no gluten in it – just press it into the shape of a ball. You will need to use lots of rice flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, but avoid working lumps of flour into the dough.
4. Sprinkle rice flour onto a 14-inch square piece of parchment paper. Flatten the dough with your hands into an even circle, sprinkle generously with more rice flour, cover with a 14-inch piece of plastic wrap, then roll the dough between the parchment and plastic wrap to produce a 1/16- to 1/8-inch-thick round. Peel away the plastic wrap, leaving the crust on the parchment paper
5. Distribute a thin layer of tomatoes over the surface of the dough.
6. Scatter the mozzarella over the surface of the dough, then the basil, olives, pepper, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, if desired. Drizzle the pizza with about a teaspoon of olive oil. No further resting is needed prior to baking.
7. Slide the pizza and parchment directly onto the stone. Check for doneness in 10-12 minutes. Take a peek at the bottom of the crust – if you’d like it to be browner, slide the pizza and parchment off the stone and directly onto the oven rack for a couple of minutes. (Parchment paper will turn black, which is fine.)
8. Allow the pizza to cool slightly on a rack before serving, to allow the cheese to set.

The only changes I will make when repeating these instructions is to add some oil/nonstick spray to the parchment paper. Just the rice flour was not enough for easy removal. I did have to work at getting the pizza off the paper but was successful. So just a minor challenge with an easy fix.

I sprinkled with the rice flour and rolled out the dough. Personal family favorite is some italian seasonings on the crust. It is bubbly on the hot pizza stone.

Roasted peppers, mushroom, goat cheese, and bacon placed on raw dough.

Then into the oven.

Cooked gluten free pizza with a thin crispy crust.

Thin crispy crust with mile high toppings.

First taste tester the perfect judge of flavor Kiernan (2yrs and wheat free)

Take note that the pizza slice is standing on its own and not flopping.

She devoured the entire slice and then ate some more!

The pizza crust was thin and crispy. It was full of flavor which is hard to accomplish without gluten. The best part about it was that the pizza could stand up on its own and did not end up being crispy like a cracker but like a normal thin crust pizza. There was absolutely no after taste like some GF breads have and my wonderful gluten loving husband liked it! Obviously he would prefer a gluten loaded pizza but this was a good alternative. The pizza dough was easy to roll out and load with my toppings. I can't wait to try it again and this time freeze the dough and see how it comes out. Our 2lb roll made 2 large thin crust pizzas. Thank you Kneadlessly Delicious for letting us try your new gluten free pizza dough.

My little green thumb girl.

2010-07-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Rowan and I put a sweet potato in some water to grow into a pretty plant a few weeks ago. Today we decided to plant it. It is so wonderful to share an experience like this with her. To be able to watch nature grow and contribute to it. Also she gets grow food for her family that is obviously organic. WOW my almost 3year old is providing clean healthy food for her family. That is just AWESOME! Rowan thinks this is the coolest thing ever.

Premature Forward-Facing?

2010-06-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

Premature Forward-Facing is what I think it should be called. Extended Rear-Facing (ERF) is what is it called now. ERF is what should be the norm. Should we not do what is safest for our children and keep them rear-facing for as long as possible?

Happy Girls!

Rowan 3yrs 30lbs Sunshine Radian XTSL

Kiernan 22.5lbs Britax Boulevard

CPSafety.com suggest:

Rear-facing is the safest position the child can ride in. It is strongly recommended that all children stay rear-facing beyond the minimum requirements of 1 year and 20 lbs. Children should not be turned forward-facing until they reach the maximum rear-facing limits of a convertible seat (that allows rear-facing to at least 30 lbs). These limits are either the maximum rear-facing weight limit or when the top of their head is within one inch of the top of the seat shell, whichever comes first. While most parents are aware that they must keep their children rear-facing "until they are AT LEAST 1 year old AND 20 lbs", very few are told that there are significant safety benefits when a child remains rear-facing as long as the seat allows. For most children, rear-facing can and should continue well into the second year of life.

I hear all the time how a police department or a fire department will install seats and turn a convertible seat around because the kid is 1yr AND 20lbs instead of keeping the seat RF until its max. These departments need to be informed of what is recommended by the AAP "Toddlers should remain rear-facing in a convertible car seatuntil they have reached the maximum height and weightrecommended for the model, or at least (yes it says at least which is the minimum) the age of 2." Then if the parent request the child to be FF then educate the parent. But they do have to follow the law which is one year AND 20lbs if the parents insist after being informed of the benefits of ERF.

Rear-facing vs. forward-facing

Safety experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children remain rear-facing as long as possible and never travel forward-facing before they are 1 year old and also weigh at least 20 pounds to reduce the risk of serious neck injury and lifelong disability. All new convertible seats available today allow a child to remain rear-facing until they weigh up to 30 or 35 lb, depending on the model.

When the child is rear-facing, the head, neck, and thorax are restrained together by the back of the CR in a frontal crash. There is little or no relative motion between the head and torso that could load the neck. If the same child were facing forward, the harness would restrain the torso, but the head and neck would pull and rotate forward, leading to the potential for serious upper spinal injury (ie child may become paralyzed or worst case death).

There are many misunderstandings and misconceptions about rear-facing vs. forward-facing that lead even the best intentioned parent or pediatrician to believe a child is "safe" facing forward when he is still very young. These come from obsolete ideas and advice that may still appear in older pamphlets and pediatric literature and are not the current recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Real-world experience has also shown that a young child's skull can be literally ripped from her spine by the force of a crash. The body is being held in place, but the head is not. When a child is facing rearward, the head is cradled and moves in unison with the body, so that there is little or no relative motion that might pull on the connecting neck.

The most common misunderstanding is that a child is ready to travel facing forward when his neck muscles are strong enough to support and control his head. However, when a car hits something at 25 to 30 mph, it will come to a stop at a negative acceleration rate of from 20 to 30 G. Because of the time lag between when the vehicle stops and an occupant stops, and the fact that the head of a forward-facing adult or child is still free to move relative to the restrained torso, the head may experience as much as 60 or 70 Gs acceleration for a brief moment. Even the strong neck muscles of military volunteers cannot counteract such forces. Instead, the rigidity of the bones in the neck and strength of the connecting ligaments (not the muscles) hold the adult spine together and keep the spinal cord intact within the confines of the vertebral column.

Very young children, however, have immature vertebrae that are still partly made of cartilage. These are soft and will deform and/or separate under tension, leaving just the spinal cord as the last link between the head and the torso. According to documented research, autopsy specimens of infant spines and ligaments allow for spinal column elongation of up to two inches, but the spinal cord ruptures if stretched more than 1/4 inch. Real-world experience has shown that a young child's skull can be literally ripped from her spine by the force of a crash.

Another aspect of the facing-direction issue that is often overlooked is the additional benefit a child gains in a side impact. Crash testing and field experience have both shown that the head of a child facing rearward is captured by the child restraint shell in side and frontal-oblique crashes, while that of a forward-facing child may be thrown forward, around, and outside the confines of the side wings. Field data show better outcomes for rear-facing children than forward-facing children, even though most CRs are not specifically designed to protect children in side impact.

A lot of parents feel like their child will be uncomfortable with their legs all squished up against the seat. BUT if you watch a child sit on the floor you will notice they draw their legs up as it is more comfortable for them. What about the safety of their legs in a crash? Well there are no documented cases of legs or hips fracturing in a crash because of extended rear facing. My thought on it is if my kids leg breaks I can fix that. If their spine breaks and they are paralyzed which is not something I can fix nor can I bring them back from death.

Child car seat advice questioned:

Ask any parent about graduating their infant from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing one and you’ll likely hear this common refrain — at least 20 pounds and at least one year (although some estimates say a full 30 percent of parents go against this guideline and actually face their children forward earlier).

This advice is generally what our doctors tell us and it’s the car seat safety mantra that’s been drilled into our heads from organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Two years ago, however, the American Academy of Pediatrics quietly added this wording to its guidelines: If a car safety seat accommodates children rear facing to higher weights, for optimal protection, the child should remain rear facing until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back.

There’s a growing body of evidence, however, that this lesser known guideline, which is considerably different from the well-known minimum guideline, will soon take center stage.

“In Scandinavian countries it’s common to keep children rear facing up to 3 or 4 years old and there’s some good data there that proves it’s effective,” says Chris Sherwood, a research scientist who is studying the issue at the University of Virginia Automobile Safety Laboratory. Yet, until recently, Sherwood says there was not U.S. data to prove that keeping an older child rear-facing would result in significantly less injuries.

As part of a project sponsored by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sherwood and colleagues recently completed a study looking at the benefits of keeping children in car seats that face rear. Sherwood’s research is now undergoing the necessary stage of being published and peer reviewed but the outcomes look intriguing.

His study, presented at a recent meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, involved 870 children under age 2 who had been in either rear-facing or forward-facing car seats at the time of an automobile accident. He found that the children in forward-facing seats were more than four times as likely to be injured in side crashes as opposed to the children in rear-facing seats. The study also found a small but not statistically significant benefit for facing rear in frontal crashes.

“The findings from the other countries and in Chris Sherwood’s work, although preliminary, should be considered carefully,” says Kristy Arbogast, associate director of field engineering with Traumalink at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a leading researcher in the field. Arbogast notes that in general the newest evidence appears convincing that keeping children facing rear longer is probably the safest way to go.

Why is rear-facing safer?Since the 1970s with the introduction of the first seat belt and child safetyseat laws, there’s been an increased focus on how to make children safer in cars. In the last decade improvements have been made in computer modeling and child-size crash test dummies to give researchers a clearer understanding of what happens to children in car crashes.

What we know is that children aren’t just pint-sized adults. Their anatomy differs significantly from an adult’s and puts them more at risk for certain serious injuries.

“The biomechanics of their necks facilitate the birth process — there’s a lot of flexibility in a child’s neck compared to an adult’s,” says Arbogast. “The youngest kids have a neck or cervical spine that doesn’t have the strength to withstand the forces they’d experience in many crashes.”

When a child is placed in a rear-facing seat there is less chance of trauma to the highly

vulnerable neck and head areas during the most common crashes. Arbogast notes, too, that even older children — up to age 12 — still haven’t fully developed. They — along with adult passengers — would also probably be safer sitting rear-facing. Of course, this isn’t feasible. Adults and older children won’t do it or they can’t because the car seats won’t allow it. So the question safety experts are trying to answer now is how long we can get our very youngest children to do it.

The answer is a lot longer than many parents might think, says Kathleen Klinich, a senior research associate at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Left to right Austin 6months, Rowan almost 3yrs, Kiernan 1yr

Girls dinner out!

2010-06-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Today I got the privilege to go out to dinner with my two beautiful girls. Rowan asked me before nap time if we could go to a restaurant and I told her we could for dinner. So we went to a fantastic restaurant called Taco Boy. I found this restaurant though my Summerville Natural Mom's group. The food here is just amazing. It is so fresh and delicious. They use local products when available. The take home boxes are cardboard and the kids cups are biodegradable. I love a restaurant that is moving towards bettering this earth. They can have my money any day. I ended up getting the Shrimp Tempura Taco and the Grilled Chicken Taco. The girls got a Chicken Quesadilla. The girls entertained themselves by playing with playdough.

Can you guess what it is?????

Well if you guessed POOP you would be RIGHT!

Yes she made Poop at dinner with her purple playdough.

Then the wonderful Rowan requested to go on a bike ride. SOO WE DID! Got the drink and lovey and off Mommy rode to burn off her two tacos. ;-)

Noodle Boob

2010-03-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Noodle boob? How did this name come about? Well... about two and a half weeks ago I found a mass in my left breast. My first thought was "A mass in my breast? This is not good at all." So with this discovery I try to massage it while pumping at work because of course I am at work and it is Saturday the first day of my two day weekend. I get home and call Jodi to tell her and I start nursing Kiernan with her chin towards the mass. A difficult challenge as she is 21.5lbs and really tall funny to see her in the football hold. I continued working the next day doing the same thing. Monday Jodi did the therapeutic heat ultrasound to get deep heat to the mass. At this point my pain would come and go and was tolerable. By tuesday night the mass would grow from 1/3 my breast to 1/2 my breast as the ducts would get backed up throughout the day.

Wednesday morning I called the OBGYN to have a breast exam knowing I needed an ultrasound. I saw April the PA and she ordered an ultrasound just a few hours later. I left Rowan with my mom as they had their special Mimi lunch out time and I took Kiernan to the ultrasound with me. I became thankful for my stroller as at times it was painful to hold her. Kiernan learned to drink from my camelback spill proof straw cup, the kind you have to bite and drink at the same time. It was my only means of keeping her quiet and entertained there. Ok well it did not last long as she was screaming and another ultrasound tech came in and held her for me while I receive the ultrasound. I was then able to get up get dressed and hold her which still did not calm her down. Thankfully my breast was not hurting at this time as we were bouncing and walking. The radiologists came in to tell me the news that he found an 18mm tumor which he believes because of its shape, size, my age, and BFing history that it is a fibroadenoma.

Fibroadenoma of the breast is a benign fibroepithelial tumor characterized by proliferation of both glandular and stromal elements. The typical case is the presence of a painless, firm, solitary, mobile, slowly growing lump in the breast of a woman of childbearing years.

The radiologist says the typical course is to do followup ultrasounds every 6months or do a needle biopsy. The needle biopsy is the only way to confirm exactly the diagnosis and ultrasounds every 6M to track the size to make sure it is not something else would be crazy expensive and outrageous in my mind. I dont even go to the doctor regularly let alone go get expensive ultrasounds to watch a mass grow.

SO the next step was to leave and call lance to let him know and for us to decide what to do. Not exactly the call I really wanted to make. It is hard to tell the man you love that there is something actually wrong with you and that it could be really serious. After discussing it with lance we decide that the biopsy is the route we want to go. I also let our families know and everyone is very concerned but I wait to tell my grandparents as I will see them in person the next day. I called April and left a message for her to call me as I already had the results from my ultrasound. She called me the next morning and also let me the know the tumor is tiny but there is also a mass which is believed to be swollen breast tissue which consumes 1/3 of my breast. I get an appointment with the surgeon Dr. Lafond one week from then as I am heading OOT that day thursday and not coming home until monday evening.

We Travel to Florida which the 6.5hr trip takes 8hours. Sigh... The kids were great but the stopping to nurse, stopping to pee pee, and then the long stretch your legs for dinner stop sure does make for a long trip. I was super thankful for the car DVD player that we borrowed from Michelle R. Once we arrived I got the kids to bed and then broke the news to my grandparents. I brought a printout of what exactly the tumor was believed to be for my retired surgical room nurse grandmother. With our stay here my pain is increasing and so is the size of the mass. By the end of the day every day half of my breast is hard and very painful. I am icing in between nursing heating right before nursing and nursing with their chins towards the affected area. I am nursing Rowan all day, which she LOVES, because I need that breast drained completely to avoid mastitis. I am taking everything herbal possible to reduce the swelling so that it is not as painful and to avoid mastitis. My mom and grandfather even go to tim buck two just to find me some raw honey. Over and over every day I am working so hard to make my breast feel ok and avoid mastitis. Monday morning we drive home to Summerville. I drove to keep my mind busy. But with all of the vibrations from the car I was in mass amounts of pain. Who knew your breast jiggled so much with just driving in the car. We are driving and driving and driving. Kiernan is fussing in the back and we are not long before our stop. At which i am so ready to stop because I am hurting so bad. I am trying to comfort her by talking to her and passing pacifiers but I just knew she was wet and wanted to be changed and probably hungry. Well we finally pull over and i check her and her diaper is dry. I pull off her diaper and pants and let her walk around right beside the car. My little angel then squats and pees right there in the parking lot. I cant tell you how proud i was of her for holding her pee pee for so long to make it to the next stop. She had her milk and I then let mom drive as I was in too much pain to drive any more. We have a nice lunch later with my dad and off we are to home again. We stop once more when we hit summerville to buy some allicin as I had already been taking some garlic but this is super garlic (aka antibiotic and antifungal).

Lance, the wonderful dad he is, took Rowan to her gymnastics class (which means he has to participate/help) Monday night when we returned. I know Rowan enjoyed her alone time with Daddy. Tuesday rolls around and all i can think about is Wednesday and how I am ACTUALLY looking forward to going to a doctor. Most of you probably dont know that we dont go to physicians unless it is something we are unable to treat at home which means our kids are not vaccinated and do not attend well baby visits. The only thing we do is yearly GYN visits. So I go to my visit with Dr. Lafond and he examines me and I ball like a baby. I am in so much pain that when he manipulates the mass i can do nothing but cry and I just want to jump out of my skin it hurts so bad. I have never had pain this bad before. I could only think of one more thing that would hurt worse and that would be to hack off one of my appendages. There is nothing in this world that can describe the pain I had when he examined me. And of course I start to leak. he reaches for a gauze to blot my nipple as he is worried about this fluid leaking from my breast because he forgot I was breastfeeding. I don't blame him for forgetting I am balling on his table and he apologizes immensely for hurting me and says it needs to come out asap. The earliest I can get it scheduled is Friday at 4:30 which fits great with our schedules. My mom would not be working and Lance would only need to take a half day of work as I needed to check in at the hospital at 2:30.

Thursday rolls around and I am feeling worse. That morning the hospital called and I gave them my history and information. They let me know what we needed to do for friday and that I needed to be NPO after midnight. I now start having a fever and the size of the mass is half my breast and not going down. The pain is not going away any more. I don't remember much of this day. What I do remember is that I kept forgetting what I was doing or things people had said which I thought was odd. I later realize I was becoming septic. Lance comes home from work and gets all of his sub stuff together. I decide this night that he needs to take off all day tomorrow which turns out to be great that I knew this. By night time I am a little nauseated which I chalk up to the pain.

Friday I wake up at 0430 so nauseated and in so much pain I am unable to sleep. Then I start with the uncontrollable vomiting but there was nothing in there so just heaving. I wait until 0800 to call the doctor thinking that maybe the office opened this early. I was wrong. The oh so pleasant answering service said they would call the doctor and let him know but did not think he would call me back. I have never had an answering service be so rude but maybe it is because I always call when I am the nurse not the patient. Well they were wrong and he said that I needed to head to the ambulatory care center. So I jumped into the shower. After sweating all night because of the pain and fever I did not want to be at the hospital all day feeling disgusting as well as in pain. I had already nursed Kiernan, gathered my breastfeeding supplies and reading material. Lance gathers things to occupy his time at the hospital and my trash can (cant go far from that). We make the 13min trip to the hospital and check in. Even though we only had to wait 30min it still felt like an eternity. Lance was bored all day at the hospital as I slept the day away until my surgery that evening. The anesthesiologist lets me know that I will be intubated for the surgery. I remember going out into the hall saying good bye to lance. Vaguely remembering moving over to the operating room table. Next thing I remember is waking up in recovery and thirsty. My oxygen sats kept dropping to 94% in which I would just take a deep breath and they would go up again. I think I was just lazy breathing with anesthesia still in my system. I am no longer in pain the first time in 2 weeks. :-) After about 10min of being awake in there I moved out to lance and they give me something to drink. My bp is 80?/40? which is on the low side of normal for me with my next bp it gets up to 90?/50? and they give me my discharge orders and I am able to go home. That night the drainage is quite a bit and we have to change the dressing.

There was so much infection in my breast I was left with a penrose drain. A penrose drain is a soft rubber tube left in to drain to avoid fluid accumulation. I was not allowed to pick up anything heavy. Post surgery I have only had soreness no pain, no memory loss, and no nausea or vomiting. Twice a day dressing changes with my husband, mother, and mother in laws help. Oh and not to forget my mini nurses help. LOL She has to watch every dressing change.

This Wednesday I got my penrose drain removed and found out the preliminary results were that the tumor is a fibroadenoma and the mass is a fibrous mass. I am still treating myself for the infection and flushing from one hole down to the other with twice a day dressing changes. I also added some steri strips to part of my incision that is not as approximated as it should be. All in all I am healing well, no longer in pain, and do not have cancer.

I have felt so loved and blessed these past few weeks. I have had so many wonderful people praying for me and my family. I have also been given so many meals that we did not have to cook the week post surgery. My wonderful family and neighbor Anna have helped me with the upkeep of my girls and the house. God is so good to send so many wonderful people into our lives.

Trip to Cashiers NC

2009-10-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

We were blessed with being invited to the Mountains with the Andrews family. We had a BLAST and that is an understatement. It was so awesome to have some family time and get to focus on our family. It was just amazing. I cant thank the Andrews enough for letting us tag along with their family. The condo was great. The kids slept in until 9ish every morning. I know AMAZING. The condo was the right size. I could totally live in a house that tiny. MAN it was easy to keep clean. We did laundry most days, if it was not clothes it was diapers. The only down side was the drive up Rowan got sick. We had to turn her around to forward facing while we were there in the mountains.

Rowan LOVED the waterfalls. She thought they were so neat. Did a little skinny dipping with Noah. LOL. One of the waterfalls we were able to walk under. Lance did some gem mining and was able to get a few gems. I really wish we could have taken the girls tubing but they said they would have to be able to swim. Needless to day Kiernan, four months, could not swim yet.

Feeding Kiernan at the most beautiful waterfall. Nothing better than this.

This was after our CRAZY hike that david found. It was insane to say the least. Glad we had all three carriers for the kids.

Rowan's GI appointment

2009-08-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

Just a little frustrated from Rowan's GI appointment. Her last appointment they suggested that maybe next time we should do allergy testing. That she should have already grown out of the GERD. Well we have decreased her meds to where she does not get them very often and she is doing much better.

Today I ask is there anything we can give her PRN for the GERD instead of taking meds daily. She said yes and thought that was a good idea. So I mention the allergy testing and she no longer thinks we need to do it. I think we do. She explains that seeing as Rowan does not have GERD that often any more that we do not need to do allergy testing. I explained that last time that she was thinking about doing it and I think it would be beneficial. She then ask me WHY? I explain that we do not like to take medications in our family. If there is a food allergy that is causing the GERD then would it not be the best thing to know what that is so she can avoid it and avoid taking meds? So she agreed.

But for some reason I feel bad for pursuing the allergy testing. Then having to go get her blood drawn and hold her while they stick her. I was hurting my baby...

I know I was doing the right thing for the future so she has less pain but the mom in me could not help but hurt. I try to tell myself that I am her best advocate.

Is parenthood a competition or are parents just proud of their children's achievements?

2009-07-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have heard a lot recently about people saying that raising children is a competition. Do people really do this or do parents of slower children feel like this because they are embarrassed about their children?

As a mom of two wonderful bright children I love to brag about their accomplishments. They make me so happy and I am just filled with joy when they accomplish a new skill. Even if it is Rowan getting on all fours next to Kiernan saying "Ready, Set, GOOOO". Then crawling as fast as she can across the floor looking back to see if Kiernan is chasing her.

My goal as a mom is to raise a happy, healthy, well rounded little girl. She loves to play outside, get dirty, examine bugs, look for fossils, paint, color, swim, read, learn new words, learn to read and sing, etc. If she wants to learn to read, sing, count whatever it may be I will provide the means for her to do so. In no way will I hold her back in her achievements because for her AGE she is not ready. If she says she is ready she is ready. Just because the developmental chart says she should not be doing this yet I will not hold her back.

Speaking of developmental charts. Child development refers to the biological and psychological changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of adolescence, as the individual progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy. Because these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life, genetics and prenatal development are usually included as part of the study of child development. Related terms include "developmental psychology", referring to development throughout the lifespan and "pediatrics", the branch of medicine relating to the care of children. Developmental change may occur as a result of genetically-controlled processes known as maturation, or as a result of environmental factors and learning, but most commonly involves an interaction between the two.

Piaget was a French speaking Swiss theorist who posited that children learn through actively constructing knowledge through hands-on experience. He suggested that the adult's role in helping the child learn was to provide appropriate materials for the child to interact and construct. He would use Socratic questioning to get the children to reflect on what they were doing. He would try to get them to see contradictions in their explanations. He also developed stages of development. His approach can be seen in how the curriculum is sequenced in schools, and in the pedagogy of preschool centers across the United States.

Although developmental change runs parallel with chronological age, age itself cannot cause development. The basic mechanisms or causes of developmental change are genetic factors and environmental factors. Genetic factors are responsible for cellular changes like overall growth, changes in proportion of body and brain parts, and the maturation of aspects of function such as vision and dietary needs. Because genes can be "turned off" and "turned on", the individual's initial genotype may change in function over time, giving rise to further developmental change. Environmental factors affecting development may include both diet and disease exposure, as well as social, emotional, and cognitive experiences. However, examination of environmental factors also shows that young human beings can survive within a fairly broad range of environmental experiences.

Developmental charts should be used as a guideline to your child's educational process. Everything they do at this age is educational. Even if it is brushing a doll's hair, reading a book on their own, stacking blocks, putting shapes into like shape holes, or singing to the radio are all ways they are learning. If you don't know what they should be learning at a specific point you cannot provide the items for them to learn with.

Are videos for children the enemy? NO if you use them appropriately and not as a babysitter. Our Signing Time videos have taught us both to sign. When Rowans speech was not as clear and you could not understand some words. When she learned the sign for that word we finally understood what she was saying. It was a blessing for us, she increased her vocabulary and our understanding. Now Rowan communicates to me from across the room. OR when she is eating she will sign more please instead of talking with her mouth full. The your baby can read videos have helped broaden her vocabulary more and taught her how to sing to songs. She can recognize about 20 words and strives to learn to read more words.

In lances opinion is that if the girls want to learn to read early then lets encourage them. He has too many students that read on a 4-6th grade level in 10th grade!!! If this is what you call average he does not want to have average children.

So why so much debate on what your child should be doing at a specific age. Cant we just be proud of our children and not get jealous of other moms and their kids development. Your child will grow at their own pace. If you listen to them they will tell you what they are ready for and you can provide what they need to learn that skill. Expose them to many things and help them learn to the best of their abilities.

Our Trip to Washington DC to visit Jacki!

2009-07-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

The day we arrived we went to the National Zoo which is RIGHT next door to Jacki's apartment. The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington, D.C. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Founded in 1889, it consists of two distinct installations: a 163 acre (0.7 km²) zoo within the Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., and a 3,200 acre (13 km²) Conservation and Research Center located in Front Royal, Virginia, at the edge of the Shenandoah National Park. The zoo in Washington is free and open to the public and is dedicated in large part to education; the conservation center in Virginia is closed to the public and is used primarily to breed and study endangered species. Altogether, the two facilities contain some 2,000 animals of 400 different species. The National Zoo, as part of the Smithsonian Institution, receives federal appropriations for operating expenses. It was very nice but just a little disappointed that we did not get so see more animals. We will probably go one morning early while we are here to see all the other animals. Apparently there are more out in the mornings. Rowan was SOOO cute signing the different animals. I just loved hearing her say hippopotamus. Lance had a blast playing with the camera. We also saw some Amish people which we also video taped.

Rowan Pointing at a Zebra!

Zebra

Rowan on statue

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Today is Wednesday and we were going to the Smithsonian's but Lance was carrying a few knives on his person. SOOO because they have metal detectors and security is elevated because of the shooting at the Holocaust we decided we would not bring the knives and go tomorrow. Today we went to all the monuments. They were all so beautiful.
Kiernan after her snack!

Rowan eating a snack and stopping for a potty break!

The Washington Monument is a large, tall, sand-colored obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was constructed to commemorate the first U.S. president, George Washington. The monument, made of marble, granite, and sandstone, is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk in height standing 555 feet 5⅛ inches (169.294 m).[n 1] There are other monumental columns (which are neither all stone nor true obelisks) which are taller.[n 2] It is also the tallest structure in Washington D.C.. It was designed by Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death. This hiatus in construction happened because of co-option by the Know Nothing party, a lack of funds, and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m), or 27%) up, shows where construction was halted for a number of years. Its cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the capstone was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9, 1888. Upon completion, it became the world's tallest structure, a title it inherited from the Cologne Cathedral and held until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was finished in Paris, France.
Our family at the Washington Monument.

The Lincoln Memorial is a United States Presidential memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and was dedicated on May 30, 1922. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue (Abraham Lincoln, 1920) was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin.
Mommy, Kiernan, and Abe
The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on August 28, 1963 during the rally at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War and who died in service or are still unaccounted for.
Rowan wanting to go swimming in a no swimming area

Its construction and related issues have been the source of controversies, some of which have resulted in additions to the memorial complex. The memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the best-known part of the memorial.

The memorial was inspired by the 1971 establishment of the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel (now the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park) in Angel Fire, New Mexico, which was begun by the parents of Marine First Lieutenant David Westphall, who was among thirteen men in his unit killed in an ambush in Vietnam in 1968.[1]

The U.S. National World War II Memorial is a National Memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II. Consisting of 56 pillars and a pair of arches surrounding a plaza and fountain, it is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

It opened to the public on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated by President George W. Bush on May 29, 2004, two days before Memorial Day.[1] The memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks group.[2] As of 2009, more than 4.4 million people visit the memorial each year.[citation needed]

What I don't understand is why all of the Asian individuals were taking pictures of me. I am just a mom with a overloaded double stroller and carrying an infant. Apparently I was the attraction of the day. Maybe next time I should take a picture of them. Then I can add them to my blog. Ha Ha Ha I am sure I will have more opportunities. It did not bother me at all. I was just yesterday filming a HUGE group of Amish individuals. ;)

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Thursday was National Museum of Natural History. Rowan thought this museum ROCKED. The museum was established in 1910, with its building designed by Hornblower & Marshall. The building, designed in the neoclassical architectural style, was the first constructed on the north side of the National Mall, along Constitution Avenue, as part of the 1901 McMillan Commission plan. In 2000, Kenneth E. Behring donated $80 million to the museum and in 1997 donated $20 million to modernize it. The museum's collections total over 125 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts, making it the largest such museum anywhere. It is the second most popular of all of the Smithsonian museums and is also home to about 185 professional natural history scientists — the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of the natural and cultural history in the world.

First we hit the Saint Ocean Hall. A one-of-a-kind interpretive exhibit, extraordinary in scale, the Sant Ocean Hall presents the global ocean from a cross-disciplinary perspective, highlighting the biological, geological, and anthropological expertise and unparalleled scientific collections of the Museum, as well as ongoing research in marine science. The ocean is intrinsically connected to other global systems and to our daily lives.
Rowan looking through the Great White Shark Jaw!

The discovery room was a nice touch for Rowan to get out and play. In the Discovery Room, students interact with each other, Museum staff and volunteers around objects from the Museum’s collections to hone their scientific inquiry skills. Programs are developed from exhibition themes and emphasize comparing and contrasting objects, closely examining specimens such as fossils, skulls, and shells, and using evidence to draw conclusions.

She thought the Dinosaurs and the Ice Age was the best. She thought the Fossil Mammal area looked like dinosaurs. There was a armadillo in the Ice Age exhibit which Rowan pointed out. A little boy about eightish asked his mom if that was and armadillo and Rowan looked at him like what the hell you did not know that was an armadillo. It was too funny. The museum has over 570,000 cataloged reptiles from around the world. The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles has increased 200% over the past 40 years (190,000 specimen records in 1970 to over 570,000 specimen records in 2008). The Hall of Dinosaurs has fossilized skeletons and cast models, including Tyrannosaurus rex facing off with Triceratops, and the "Triceratops exhibit shows the first accurate dinosaur skeleton in virtual motion, achieved through the use of scanning and digital technology." The collection consists of 46 "complete and important specimens" of dinosaur
Mommy feeding Rowan to TREX

She loved the Fossils and cried when we had to go look at something else.

The Mammal area was awesome. They were so lifelike. Rowan ran around to each one telling us what they were and if she knew the sign for it she showed us that also. She just went crazy and spent a long time in there. The museum has the largest collection of vertebrate specimens in the world, nearly twice the size of the next largest mammal collections, including historically important collections from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its collection was initiated by C. Hart Merriam and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (later the Department of Interior), which expanded it in the 1890s-1930s.
Breastfeeding Statue

We did look at the Hope Diamond. Yeah not to thrilled about that. I guess not my kind of thing.

All in all we had a great time. We ended the day by going to eat Mexican and shared a strawberry margarita. Dinner was great and now everyone is asleep but me.

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Going to the ZOO!

Saturday was another beautiful day at the zoo. All five of us went to the zoo and had a blast. About 2,000 animals from 400 different species can be seen in indoor and outdoor exhibits throughout the National Zoo. Some of the exhibits show animals that live in the same part of the world, others highlight a variety of animals in a taxonomic group—such as birds and great apes—and others feature animals all on their own. This time we were able to see the pandas which Rowan loved. The Zoo's three pandas—Tai Shan, Mei Xiang, and Tian Tian—live in this state-of-the-art exhibit, designed to mimic the pandas' natural habitat of rocky, lush terrain in China.
Jacki, Rowan, and Panda
The Elephant House is home to Asian elephants, capybaras, pygmy hippos, and a Nile hippo. The Zoo is building Elephant Trails, an innovative new home for our Asian elephants. It is so wonderful to see Rowan sign Elephant and get so excited jumping up and down.

The Great Ape House is home to western lowland gorillas and orangutans.

Invertebrate Exhibit This exhibit is home to dozens of fascinating species, from the giant Pacific octopus, spiny lobster, and other aquatic animals to the Goliath bird-eating tarantula.

Asia Trail Six Asian species, including sloth bears, clouded leopards, and red pandas, can be seen in a series of habitats on Asia Trail.

Jacki and Lance went to get us pizza at Adam's favorite pizza by the slice place. The pizza was great.

Then Jacki took us on a drive around DC. We saw all the monuments and different buildings. What a beautiful city and boy was it busy on a Saturday.

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Coffee Sunday! Even in DC.

Sunday we went to coffee down the street from Jacki's. The atmosphere was quiet and comforting. The coffee was good. The back of the restaurant was a little outside sitting area. The tables were covered with grapevines. It was very neat.

Next we went to the spy museum. This museum was all about spies. From how to be a spy, history of spies, and spies today. Very interesting and eye raising. Makes me think even more about my surroundings.
I ended up carrying both girls as they got cranky.
Mommy holding the girls in front of the spy museum. No pictures were allowed to be taken in the spy museum.

Then we went to potbelly for lunch. WOW were their sandwiches great and milk shakes also.

Then Lance gave his knives to Jacki and she went back to work on school stuff. That is never ending. Took mom to The National Museum of the American Indian. We really worked her walking around everywhere. Got her a wheelchair at the museum so she did not have to walk around in there. There was a neat boat there.
Yes this is my life. My wonderful husband!

The National Museum of the American Indian is the sixteenth museum of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Established by an act of Congress in 1989, the museum works in collaboration with the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere to protect and foster their cultures by reaffirming traditions and beliefs, encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the Indian voice.

The museum's extensive collections, assembled largely by George Gustav Heye (1874–1957), encompass a vast range of cultural material—including more that 800,000 works of extraordinary aesthetic, religious, and historical significance, as well as articles produced for everyday, utilitarian use. The collections span all major culture areas of the Americas, representing virtually all tribes of the United States, most of those of Canada, and a significant number of cultures from Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. Chronologically, the collections include artifacts from Paleo-Indian to contemporary arts and crafts. The museum's holdings also include film and audiovisual collections, paper archives, and a photography archive of more than 300,000 images depicting both historic and contemporary Native American life.

Then we went to the cheesecake factory for dinner. The cheesecake was AWESOME. Oh and I had a fantastic drink. My new favorite drink. It is a lemon drop martini!

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Monday is Mommy, Daddy, and Kiernan's day!
The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. "Holocaust" is a word of Greek origin meaning "sacrifice by fire." The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.

During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also targeted other groups because of their perceived "racial inferiority": Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples (Poles, Russians, and others). Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals

In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe stood at over nine million. Most European Jews lived in countries that Nazi Germany would occupy or influence during World War II. By 1945, the Germans and their collaborators killed nearly two out of every three European Jews as part of the "Final Solution," the Nazi policy to murder the Jews of Europe. Although Jews, whom the Nazis deemed a priority danger to Germany, were the primary victims of Nazi racism, other victims included some 200,000 Roma (Gypsies). At least 200,000 mentally or physically disabled patients, mainly Germans, living in institutional settings, were murdered in the so-called Euthanasia Program.

As Nazi tyranny spread across Europe, the Germans and their collaborators persecuted and murdered millions of other people. Between two and three million Soviet prisoners of war were murdered or died of starvation, disease, neglect, or maltreatment. The Germans targeted the non-Jewish Polish intelligentsia for killing, and deported millions of Polish and Soviet civilians for forced labor in Germany or in occupied Poland, where these individuals worked and often died under deplorable conditions. From the earliest years of the Nazi regime, German authorities persecuted homosexuals and others whose behavior did not match prescribed social norms. German police officials targeted thousands of political opponents (including Communists, Socialists, and trade unionists) and religious dissidents (such as Jehovah's Witnesses). Many of these individuals died as a result of incarceration and maltreatment.

This is my favorite museum!

Arlington National Cemetery was next on our list. We saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Eternal Flame of the Kennedy grave.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Kiernan

Eternal Flame

Then Jacki took us out to an AMAZING dinner. OMG was the food fantastic. And the server was the best.

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Tuesday mom decided she would venture out with us. Rowan started the morning off by wearing some more of Jacki's shoes.

We drove out to see the Iwo Jima statue. The Marine Corps Band was practicing on the field and we got to enjoy their music. It was wonderful to listen to the band and have the Iwo Jima statue behind them.
Iwo Jimia

Marine Corps Band

Then we drove by the White House for mom to chatch a view of it. Then off the Potbelly's again for lunch.
Daddy and his girls

Kiernan along for a ride

We wound up at the Natural History Museum again while the kids took their nap so we could enjoy some of the parts we did not get to see. Then we headed off to the Air and Space Museum. There was a plane you could go in and Rowan did not want to stop going in it.
Skeleton section

Lance going into the airplane

inside the plane

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Wednesday was just a relax day. Got to go out to eat with some old friends Chris and Russ, whom we have not seen in 7years!! It was wonderful getting to spend some time with them and their kids.
Myers Family

Rowan's Second Birthday!!

2009-07-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Rowan turned TWO!
Where did the time go? My baby is grown up. She had a dinosaur party with some of her little friends. She got way more presents than she needed. They had a blast painting and playing together. The cake was amazing. Mimi made the cake as I asked and it was beautiful and tasted delicious. OHHH how we love butter cream frosting. Kiernan did a lot of sleeping throughout the party. She is growing and developing into a beautiful, fun, loving child. She makes me so proud.

2009-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Drying CD's!

Rowan having fun putting her CD's on the clothes line!

2009-07-16T19:45:00.001-07:00

My baby girl is growing too fast. Here she is sitting up by herself. 3.5months old.

2009-07-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My babyshower gift to Christina

2009-07-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Sushi Diaper cake!!
In each Sushi roll is 1prefold and 3wipes.

If you dont cloth diaper you should!

2009-07-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

We have cloth diapered both of our children. We LOVE our cloth diapers and would have it no other way. We have many different cloth diapers but the most we have are bumGenius They are so easy to use your husband will even like them. You put the on just like a disposable you just dont throw them away. We have 20now. We started out with 18 and have the older colors but once the new colors came out my BFF bought me one then I just had to buy another ;)

Rowan with a green BG when we were at Ben and Mary's! Should have gotten a Picture of Titus in a BG and Rowan in a BG together! She was walking in this picture so she was over 9months. Not sure of her exact age here. Now she still wears them at night just in case of an accident. She is 23months and potty trained.

Kiernan in her FIRST BG!!

My baby thinks she is grown up.

2009-06-11T20:52:00.001-07:00

Wednesday Kiernan was 9weeks old. I put her down for tummy time while Rowan and I were eating our breakfast. Before I could get back to my chair and turn around she flipped over to her back. Amazed I wanted to catch it on video. So like the good mommy I am I rolled her over to her tummy to see her do it again. She was PISSED. So on video I caught her screaming mad at me. She must have rolled over for a reason, go figure. Maybe one day soon she will let me video her.

Today tried to put sunglasses on her and she flipped. She does not care for things on her face. I have to pull her clothes over her face really fast or she will freak. SO I guess sunglasses are out of the question for now.

The Penis Mushroom is back!

2009-06-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

The penis mushroom is back. Phallus impudicus, commonly known as the common stinkhorn, is a widespread fungus recognizable for its foul odor and its phallic shape when mature, the latter feature giving rise to several amusing names in 17th-century England. It is a common mushroom in Europe and western North America, where it occurs in habitats rich in wood debris such as forests and mulched gardens. It appears from summer to late autumn. The fruiting structure is tall and white with a slimy, dark olive colored conical head. Known as the gleba, this material contains the spores, and is transported by insects which are attracted by the odor – described as resembling carrion. Despite its foul smell, it is not poisonous and the young mushroom is consumed in parts of France and Germany. No way would I EVER eat this mushroom. It smells like old you know what!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus_impudicus

Here is our original Penis Mushroom.

Here are our new Penis Mushrooms

and the limp noodle

Today was John Michael's baptism.

2009-06-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

Today was JM's baptism and Joshua and Rowan had a blast together. The baptism was
beautiful and we all went out to California Dreaming for dinner (Thank You Joe). Rowan and Joshua said good by and gave each other a hug. On Joshua's own accord he decided to FRENCH KISS my 22month old daughter!!! My only question is WHERE did he learn this??? ;)

Visit from Great Grandmom and Great Great Aunt Carol

2009-06-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Sleeping through the night!!!

2009-06-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

Kiernan slept from 2100-0545!!! Then she nursed and slept until almost 0900. She is growing so fast. She holds her head up so well. Loves to jump in the jumparoo. She is pulling her clothes up or blanket up to eat them and holds her binky in her mouth. Who knew you could appreciate the little things. I feel so blessed to have these two beautiful girls in my life.

Today was Nanny's Funeral

2009-06-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Today my family -lance, went to Myrtle Beach to be with my sisters and their families for their Nanny's funeral. My sisters Nanny went to heaven on my nephews birthday. This is a tough time for all of them. I was glad I could be there today to lend a shoulder to cry on. Although it's difficult today to see beyond the sorrow, May looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow.
It was nice seeing my family today even under these circumstances. I have missed them dearly.

Yummy Dinner!

2009-05-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mom is on our eat healthy bandwagon!!!
So tonight we had Stuff Peppers. We used red peppers, ground turkey breast, wild rice, tomatoes, garlic, onion, shredded carrots (hide a few extra veggies in) and spices. They were FANTASTIC!!! I already ate mine and I wanted a picture so I pulled the one out of the freezer to show yall.

First bottle

2009-05-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

Kiernan took her first bottle Friday. Mimi gave it to her. It was not as hard as it was for Rowan on me. I know she needs it when I am at work, and it is a good skill for her to have.

Happy Birthday Mimi

2009-05-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

My girls are growing up to fast!

2009-05-28T19:08:00.001-07:00

My big girl yesterday was just amazing. At breastfeeding class she was wearing a onesie, overalls, and a daper (because previously she has had an accident every time we go, the only place she wears a diaper). She came to me while playing with her friend Emery and told me she had to pee pee. So I jumped up got her little potty out, stripped her down and sat her on the potty. Next thing you know she is peeing right there in the middle of class with 3other kids watching and all the other moms in shock of the 22month old peeing in the potty. I was just dancing inside, trying not to jump out of my skin.
Today riding down the interstate she told me she had to pee pee so pulling over on the nearest exit. As she is crying pee pee pee pee and I am singing a made up hold it song. Pull over and whip out the cool little potty and get her out of her seat as fast as i can. Put her on the potty in the car on the seat because where I pulled off was fresh dirt with fresh rain, not a pretty site. And again she peed in her potty right there in the car! She makes me so proud of her each day.

My little girl has great head control and loves to jump in her jumparoo. She fell asleep in it tonight. Hope this means Mommy has a good night sleep! ;)

Lances AMAZING Owl!

2009-05-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

Lance, my husband, just picked up drawing. He is doing an AMAZING job. It is just unbelievable. He drew this owl last night and it is fricken award winning. I had him scan his owl in the computer so I could share it with all of you.

My first diaper!

2009-05-17T15:25:00.001-07:00

Made my first diaper! I used the pattern from Jessica (thank you). Going to make my own modifications and I made a snap template to go with it and I am pretty pleased with it. Excited to make some diapers that are so fricken cute. Going to JoAnns while I am in Florida and hope to get some really cute fabrics so I can make some diapers for my prego friends ;) This is the second thing I have serged on my serger and it looks pretty fricken good in my opinion. Hope to get some sewing in while in Florida while I have some babysitters!!!

Baby Ktan

2009-05-12T17:22:00.001-07:00

Received my Baby Ktan today!!! Kiernan loves this thing and falls asleep so easily in it. Rowan likes to sit in it also. Rowan thought she needed one also. SO Mommy became creative and took the wrap from my Ktan to wrap around Rowan like a Moby. Then we stuck her baby in it. She LOVED it. She carried her baby around forever. Even played in the back yard carrying her baby.

Got our photos today!!!

2009-05-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

We won a free photo shoot when I was pregnant and here are some of the beautiful pictures of our family.

Our CRAZY Life Narriated by me (mommy)

2009-05-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

I thought I might start a blog on our crazy chaos life. I have a fantastic husband that is currently a High School English Teacher (please don't fault me for my horrible spelling and grammar). I am a SAHM to two beautiful girls. My mom also is in the mix of this crazy house. She has moved in after her divorce.

Lance and I grew up in Beaufort and have landed ourselves here in Charleston after attending CSU. We built our house here in Summerville and have developed a lot of friends here. We have had two little girls. Rowan is 21months and Kiernan is 5weeks.

Rowan is a firecracker. She amazes me every day. Her vocabulary is far beyond what I ever expected at this point and she strives to learn more each day. She likes to learn to read and sign. Diego is one of her favorite shows. She has just started being a little jealous of her new baby sister. I guess she has figured out that Kiernan is not being returned. Potty training is going well. We have started going out of the house with panties and this is our second night in panties. She loves the outdoors just like her mommy and daddy.

Kiernan is our new baby girl. She is only 5weeks old. She is growing rapidly. She is a very good well mannered little girl. She loves to eat and smile. She has rolled over a few times and has two teeth!! I guess she is trying to keep up with her big sister.