Time to Rehydrate

We have all been sick since Thanksgiving. That is a terrible way to feel, as we're into the second week of December. Most of us are coming out of it, but a few of the Hurd are still coughing up yucky stuff and carrying around wads of tissue.

The littlest of us probably got the worst of it this past week. He had some stomach bug that had him out of commission for about a week.  Anything that he ate was coming out from both ends. That was not pretty. It was hard to tell if it was actually a stomach bug or if it was his allergies. The Monster is the one that is allergic to milk, eggs, and soy, among other things. We tried not to give him too many new things; just keeping it simple for the week.  I will say that we tried a cheese replacement when we had pizza night, but he was not too interested so I doubt that affected him too much. And it was made of rice! What?! Yeah, rice. So he should be good with that when we try it again.

A friend of ours came over and mentioned that she had a stomach bug recently and drank Pedialyte for a few days and felt so much better. I figured we could try that for the Monster; afterall it's a kids drink. He was not impressed by the taste so we had to mix it with apple juice. On the second day, the Monster broke out into a crazy rash with hives and red cheeks.  This is a very rare occurrence for my Monster. Needless to say, I was in a bit of a frenzy.  

Another friend with an allergy baby helped me regroup and think a little.  She reassured me that this itchy phase would pass.  There was no breathing issues; I could stick with the allergy meds and hydro-cortisone   As I talked to her, we talked about the new things that I had given him recently. The only new thing we could really think of was the Pedialyte.  In her daughter's case, sometimes it takes days for the reaction to come to a head.  I had never experienced this because the Monster usually throws up anything that he can't handle. So, no more Pedialyte for the boy was the determination.

I still needed to rehydrate him though because he was having diarrhea and throwing up.  I remembered that coconut water is an excellent hydrant.  This thought made me excited. The Monster has no problems with coconut. In fact, I put coconut milk in his oatmeal and he drinks coconut milk as his milk.  I was ready!

The next morning, Dad went to the store to get his baby some coconut water.  This one is sweetened and has pulp in it.  I put it in a shake bottle with a filter. I added a little pineapple juice and ice. We were in business.  It took the Monster a few tastes to adjust to the change from apple juice, but he enjoys it now.  Today, my Monster is back to his old monster self.  He's eating full meals again, singing, and running around the house.  I am so pleased that we were able to get through that adventure. Today, we're ready for the next one.  

More Gladness?!

Ever been filled with so much wonderful joy that you had to share it? Well... that's me today! I'll bet sometimes people do wonder how I can be so "happy" all the time. "More gladness?" (That's a line from one of my favorite movies.)  That would be the question in my mind if I saw me coming around the corner as cucumber cool as I tend to be.  But here is the thing: I serve a God that's GOT THIS! Worrying about things like a reduction of force at my husband's job just seems pointless. We pray about it. We save our dollars. And we go on with our days.  Dwelling on the unknown would serve no purpose.

So here is what has changed in my life thus far: I got interrupted!! My super wonderful husband woke me up one morning at about 4AM. It was not intentional, but when a person stalks around the house and turns on lights, what else can you expect? So, what happened when I woke up at 4AM? I decided to go to the gym. I had recently joined a local 24 hour gym.  I figured I'd better start using that membership. That early morning has changed my life.

Some of the other things that have changed are: (1) My house is more organized than it has ever been. (2) My kitchen is regularly clean.  (4) I am not fussing at my children nearly as much as I think I was before.  (3) I am energetic and HAPPY with life as it is.

Ok, Althea, why are you posting all this sappy happy stuff? I want to encourage you to find that thing that you need to make positive changes in your life. If you feel tired all the time.  If you feel angry all the time.  If you just want the days to end.  Make a change.  For me, it was getting organized (with the help of a most wonderful cousin that is a wiz at organizing).  That was the first step that changed everything for me. I felt physically free after this change was made. This was the weight that I was carrying around every day (but that's another post).  I was no longer going to bed with the thought of what room I needed to clean up in the morning or what dishes I needed to clean just so I could cook breakfast.  Now I can go to bed with bed on my mind only.  And would you believe, now I'm getting up six days per week at 4:40AM. WHAT?!!

Plantains - Fry Baby, Fry!

Today I discovered THE way to fry plantains. I have been pretending to fry them for years. This time it was real! I actually coated the plantain with rice flour, sugar, coconut milk, and coconut. I love coconut, so naturally this was terrific for me. 

 

Monster Essentials

Just some of the things that this Monster has to use every single day:

G Diapers are an alternative to disposable diapers and cloth diapers.  They are flush-able and biodegradable.  After switching to cloth diapers, we wanted to go with something that would not be too harsh on the environment.  

 

ScrathMeNot: Flip Mitten Sleeves
"For occasional newborn scratching to the constant scratching of those with skin irritants like eczema, chicken pox and more!"

The Monster scratches like crazy.  When I met the owner of the company, I knew that God had placed her right in the same space as me for a great reason.  Since that meeting, he has worn one everyday.  From their colorful sleeves, to the silk mittens, these flip mittens are excellent.  ScratchMeNots were ideal for our family during the time that it took us to get the hang of taking care for a baby with severe allergies and severe eczema.  

Shea Butter Mix Created by Mommy

I just love it when I meet someone that tells me something new that I never thought of. I started mixing shea butter and oils when I talked to a friend at church.  She doesn't like lotion, but suggested that oils were the way to go.  She suggested grapeseed oil.  I always keep grapeseed oil in my cabinet, so I decided to go home and try it. Score! I have been mixing shea butter, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and other essential oils for months now.  This combination of products has worked quite well for the Monster. We apply to his skin after a bath, on damp skin.

Coconut Milk 

At birth, the Monster's birth weight was very normal.  He was thin, but many babies are and we had no initial concerns about his size.  We just figured he was our thin baby.  As he got older, his doctor decided that he was not gaining weight at an average rate.  The doctor sent us to nutritionists, an allergist, and a dermatologist.  As milk is one of his allergies, one of the nutritionists suggested a milk supplement.  I read the ingredients and was highly unsatisfied with this choice.  I decided to try coconut milk.  Coconut milk has fat, fiber, and iron that the Monster needs. He was not able to get these essential nutrients from cow's milk and we did the research to find another option.  

It brings us such joy to see our Monster thriving. He is a major talker. He walks like a champ now. And he is FAT! Our entire family has been waiting for the day that we could say that about this Monster.  He has gone from an under nourished, skinny baby, to a thick, healthy Monster.  

New School, New Rules: Mighty Changes the Game

Mighty started school today. I prepped his lunch last night and again tonight. I totally forgot the sweet little note from Mommy that every child deserves on their first day of school. So, tomorrow's special lunch (including chocolate banana dog* with fruit) will have a special note from Mommy telling him how much I love him. 

In addition to cute little notes to my firstborn, I have decided to initiate some new rules for myself and my children. Let's see how long I keep them going. I have high hope for them though. I think they will serve us well and bear wonderful fruit in the coming school year. 

Rules for School Time

1. No T.V. after 6pm

2. Dress for bed by 7pm

3. Pack bag for school

4. In bed by 8pm

5. Wake up @ 6:30am

6. Head to school by 7:30am

7. (for kids at home) Lunch @ 12pm

8. (for kids at home) Naptime 1pm - 2:30pm

I even made cute little chore sheets for Mighty and the Princess

*Chocolate Banana Dog

hot dog bun

chocolate hazlenut spread (or peanut butter)

banana

Spread hazelnut spread in hot dog bun liberally

place banana between the bun

If your child likes chocolate like my child does, s/he will adore this spin on the hot dog.

It's TuTu Tuesday!

It's Tutu Tuesday! We visited the Museum of Nature and Science. The Princess and her caretaker for the day wore their tutus. Clearly, the Princess needs to get on AET's level and get some colors in her tutu.

This was not the only other little girl that we noticed wearing her tutu  on Tutu Tuesday. This was just the only one we could snap a quick picture of.

Under the big nose. It kept sneezing on them.

Even in the funny mirror, her tutu is still cute.

When you wear a tutu this colorful in public, you gotta be ready to get silly with the kids.

I'm Missing The Cosby Show for This?

Some of the best ideas come from my kids. We went for a walk one morning and my oldest son asked if we could go to the park. I quickly said no due to the sweltering heat. I was actually trying to figure out why I was outside at that hour anyway.  I told my son that we could go to the park if we got up really early the next morning and went then. Well... early morning outing means, breakfast outing. So, we had breakfast at the park the next day. Having breakfast at the park also meant that I didn't get to watch The Cosby Show that morning. Geez, what these kids do to me!

I fixed bowls of foods that we could all snack on together. Since my kids don't really eat a lot for breakfast, I simply wanted to give them little bites of good calories.


                         
             

Things That Make You Say "Duhhh"

I just can't believe that our local dollar store does not sell muffin tins. Every time I went into a dollar store in the last week, I was looking for muffin tins. I had zero luck. Well... I finally decided to go to a larger all-purpose store. I do not like going in those stores with my kids because it's just too much work. So when I finally got a moment to shop by myself, I went to the store and got some muffin tins. I got the 6-cup muffin tins.

I am so happy that I finally got them. I got to put this concept to work. It was such a "duh" when I saw it on the Muffin Tin Mom blog. Even though it made so much sense, I did not think of it myself.  Today I doled out lunch to the Hurd in muffin tins. Perfect portion sizes and variety. I am elated. This method ensures that I am giving each child a healthy serving of each component that I wish for them have.

Today we had corndogs with yogurt and grapes. I gave the two big kids a small portion of yogurt (this way they won't fill up on that yummy goodness).  The Monster cannot have yogurt yet so he missed out. I gave them each a whole corndog with ketchup in its own compartment; I cut up the Monster's and put in 3 compartments. They all had a small serving of grapes. And lastly, they had a cup of water (the cups fit perfectly into the tin also).

Great ideas should be passed on. So here ya go!

Wordless Wednesdays

There is Beauty Everywhere... Just Look Thru a Child's Eyes

When our Realtor brought us to visit our house for the first time, she did not mention to us that it was located in a questionable neighborhood.  Being from another state, we were unaware of the area that we were interested in. We simply arrived at the house and fell in love with it. I can say, for me, I just thought every neighborhood in this southern city was a little dusty and "tumbleweedy."  The block seemed quiet enough. And there were plenty of families standing around. 

Well... After moving in and living here for a few years, we're figuring out the many colors that our neighborhood has to reveal.  Our strong Christian faith has driven us to persevere through all of the debauchery that is prevalent here.  Our strong commitment to teaching our children to love and be respectful to all people also drives us daily.

Today the kids and I took a walk around the neighborhood.  The Monster is just getting the hang of his little legs and he wanted to do it all by himself.  That was fun!

Yes, the Princess is wearing a tutu. She does that sometimes.

This is the root of a tree that stood on the side of our neighbors' house.  There was a storm last week and when we returned home, this tree was on it's side.  I drove by this tree today. How long has it been like this?  The homeowners have to clear the part of the tree that is on their property first. So sad.

When people don't want something they just throw it out. They don't wait for the appointed dates for bulk pick up.  Sometimes piles like this stay out for weeks.

These kids could care less right now about the trash that impedes their neighborhood walks.  I adore the innocence in their eyes; and the silliness.

Happiness is A YELLOW TUTU!

Brother and Sister love!

They enjoyed their walk together and finished it hand-in-hand.  Life is beautiful to these three. I pray that we can nurture their love for life for many years. 

It is the little things that make them happy. The Monster found this rock and was taken by it. I love that he and his siblings can appreciate the simplest things.

I Feel Like a Cow!

Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A was today. The kids woke up talking about chicken. We cut spots out of black felt cloth and glued them to old white t-shirts. We made tails out of black yarn. This project started out fun, until Mommy wound up doing it by herself. Nice, huh?! T.V. and board games proved to be much more entertaining.















As soon as Daddy got home, the kids were dressed in their cow outfits and racing to the door for Chick-Fil-A.  The trip was worth the outfits and the kids really enjoyed their time with Daddy and Mommy.











Mighty did pose for this picture. He's such a ham! 

The Princess was serious about that dipping sauce.

My Monster can really eat now. We're thankful for places like Chick-Fil-A that don't make this allergy prone baby sick.