What did your kids do yesterday?

Well, mine took all of the cushions off of the sofas and added pillows from their rooms and created....... OK I am not sure what they created but when I asked the responses I received were... a castle, a tunnel, a pillow fight, and  a horsey ride (that means they piled them all up and "rode" the pillows till they fell of).

You just can't find those games at the store and it is hard to play them without at least more 3 children running around. If you do not have at least three kids of your own I highly recommend borrowing a few (with permission) from your neighbors to get the full effect!!

A visitor

A black widow spider was visiting our vegetable garden. daddy moved it to the drain spout. But this is one itsy bitsy spider we can do without. Daddy moved it out of our yard. I have heard that there have been a lot of black widow spider sightings in our area.

Remember slip and slides?

The kids wore themselves out. Thank you Grandma for sending it home with Evan and Eliot. Ben would not slide but he enjoyed playing in the water.

The wild flowers are doing well....

We didn't plant as many seeds as we should have. But we did only spend a dollar on the box. I think we got our money's worth.

Ben said, "They are all mine"

My poor baby...

Poor Ben got either bitten by something or stung by something on the playground this evening. It may just be an ant bite but I am not sure. His finger started to swell and turn red. We went home and I put him in a cool bath with powdered chamomile and a drop of lavender essential oil to help sooth his hand. After the bath I rubbed some oil infused with calendula and arnica on this whole hand. It did not seem to be bothering him so I hoped all my TLC helped.

It is a Sunflower!!

Now, how did it get there. I didn't plant sunflowers right next to the porch. After a bit of introspection i do believe I know where the mystery sunflower seed came from. Annika received a single starter pot with a sunflower seed in it. It sat on the rail of the front porch for a few days and then it fell off. She didn't bother to set it back up and tend to it. Well, it had a mind of its own and decided to grow where it fell. I must say, it is the best accidental sunflower I have seen.

Eliot found a corner.....

I was making bead bracelets and Eliot joined along with her beads. Evan wanted to play WildCraft. All was well with the world. Evan is getting really good at "reading" the cards. I do believe I have a sight reader on my hands instead of a phonics reader.

About to bloom...

Now I am not sure what kind of flower this is.  I thought it was a fire poker (heliotrope). It looks like a sunflower. One more day we will see.

Wildcraft, the coolest board game for all ages

I have had my eye on this board game for a while. Well, it went on sale and I ordered it. That was like 2 days ago. It came by FedEx today. It is a game that teaches the uses of common healing herbs embedded in the game. It is easily adapted for kids 4 years old. Eliot had no trouble keeping up though at 3 years old. Instead of it being a competitive game it is a cooperative game. And it is just plain fun to play! Check out Learning Herbs website for more information on it and other great items.

A cool drink on a warm day......

Such a great alternative to kool-aid or juice all day when it is hot. Herbal apple chamomile iced tea is just what the kids needed after playing outside in the heat.

Ben, my tiny little baby?

What, again? Ben hasn't been to the doctor for well visits (and dreaded shots) since he was 4 months old. He hasn't been sick aside from some thrush and a small cold or two. Since our WIC visit went so "well" I went ahead and scheduled a well visit at his pediatrician. They said his height is off the chart in the negative. His weight was in the 13th % and his head circumference was in the 66th%. So I guess I have a super short, skinny, big headed baby. I just don't buy that. They were also appalled that he was way behind on his shots. They wanted to play catch-up and give him multiple shots for the next 2 years every 6 weeks. I then asked what their no vaccine policy or modified vaccine schedule policy was. I was told no leeway, no shots no service. I checked out some other pediatricians and they pretty much said the same thing. I called my family doctor. They serve children whose parents choose not to vaccinate with no problem. Ben is covered by 2 insurances and my family doctor does not take one of them so I guess a co-pay is worth being treated like an individual. I may choose to vaccinate piece meal as he gets older but right now my "mother senses" are tingling and they say hold off for now. A mother makes a lot of decisions when it comes to the care of their children. It is my right to make this decision. Ben is very healthy. I will evaluate his needs according to my rules. I am thankful that there is at least one doctor out there that sees medical care as individualized care and that one size does not fit all. Feel free to contact me if anyone needs an understanding doctor and I will give you her name.

Thanks Jenna

You must have read my mind or at least checked my Wish List on Amazon. I have been wanting to read this book for a long time.

The skinny is....

Ben apparently is too skinny. We went to a WIC appointment today and he hasn't grown a whole lot (by their records) in 6 months. His height and weight are proportional. The nutritionist asked me if he had an underlying condition that would account for his slight size. I thought she was kidding there for a minute. She asked if he was on Pedisure. No he is not. She asked if he drinks enough milk. I told her he doesn't care for cow milk too much but yes, he drinks plenty of human milk (from me of course). Ben is a lot heavier than his older brother Evan. Ben weighed 22 pounds and was about 26 inches tall. Everyone comments on his cute cankles and more than adequate thighs. Are you kidding me? Ben is just right!

The simple things make me happy.....

I have been looking for a tablecloth for a while now. I stopped in to World Market with the kids and found this one for half off. Well, that sealed the deal. It looks pretty good. The pattern is not too overpowering and it complements my hodge podge of a kitchen just fine.

Hair soap

This stuff works great. I used it last night and I can't remember when my hair has felt so clean. I am highly recommending it to my friends with psoriasis (you know who you are). All I can say is AWESOME!!!!

Helena Market Days are back......

Oh my goodness it is HOT today! We went to the Helena Farmer's Market and to trade days. We were drenched in sweat by the time we made it home. The Cheeky Maiden herself was there selling soap and more. Of course I had to get some. Evan thought it was cool that one of the tables had his name on it. I am glad we went early by the time we got home all the little ones were ready for a nap......

Making bracelets, lotion, and lip balm

Sara didn't eat my blueberries

I was a little upset last night when I asked Lyn to put a blueberry into each juice popsicle she was making and I realized I left my blueberries at work. Well, my good friend and co-worker Sara had been eating blueberries all day and I thought she was eating mine. I almost called her to fuss at her. I didn't call but this morning I fussed and then she showed me that my berries were still there as well as hers. I guess I was wrong..... Mmmmm blueberries. I then precedded to eat the whole container!!!!

What's for dinner Lyn?

I really need to restock the pantry. Lyn wanted to make dinner tonight so we ventured to the back of the pantry and came up with canned diced potatoes, wax beans, and grapes. We went to the all knowing world wide web and found this recipe. Everything turned out really good.......

Beads again?

Evan and Eliot were a bit stir crazy when I got home so we headed out just the 3 of us to run some errands. Of course that included looking at more beads. We took our time and selected the best. Evan can be so high strung sometimes that spending some purposeful teachable moments with him helps him stay grounded and focused. I do believe he was meant to be an only child sometimes.

Stop and smell the flowers....

Life goes by so fast. Sometimes just slowing down and letting yourself just BE makes everything feel better.