Attitude Detangler

I recently received a bottle of Attitude brand detangler in a goodie box from Influenster to try out. Having a tender-headed kiddo in the bunch, I immediately put it to the test. Happiest hair brushing session we've ever had! This stuff is amazing! She was all smiles as I did her hair up like "Queen Elsa" and the smell was amazing too. I recommend this for any other mamas out there with tender headed littles, it's totally worth it!

'Food Poor" a New Mission

     Over the summer my husband and I watched a documentary discussing the growing problem of a "food poor" generation growing up. "Food poor" is defined as the inability to afford or have reasonable access to food which provides a healthy diet. According to FeedingAmerica.com last year alone there were 49.1 million Americans living in food insecure households, of these, an estimated 15.8 million were children.
     The welfare system is not the answer. Many of these food insecure/food poor Americans qualify for some level of food assistance (along with other government programs) but either they make to much to qualify for a sum that would allow for a healthy diet, or they have never been taught how to eat healthy (sometimes both). While schools cut corners on meals and poor nutrition training is being taught thru a fast food society, our children suffer in their mental development.
     This blog is my attempt to start a discussion, and set forth an encouragement to struggling families that with some planning, healthy eating habits can be maintained, even for a larger family. My goal is to keep our grocery budget each week at or below $75 for our family of 7, allowing $11 per day for our whole family, cutting most 'convenience' foods and sticking to homegrown, homemade options.

Influenster TLC Vox Box Review!

The TLC Vox Box

This past week I received a Vox Box (box of goodies) to review and share my thoughts on, from Influenster. My box included Avon's ANEW, a coupon voucher for Breyer's new Gelato, A Shell gas card (for discounts at the gas pump-- seriously, who doesn't want that these days!?), a bar of Ivory soap, a pack of Puffs tissues to-go, and Neosporin to go. Now as a Mama, each of these are handy to me in their own right. Puffs are soft yet strong, perfect for all the tiny little noses around my house (5 kids under 7 with allergies, need I say more?) Neosporin to go is terrific for the diaper bag, as I have some adventurous kids in the mix, and there's no telling when the next playground injury may occur, but it never hurts to always be prepared! Breyers gelato for an after park/playground treat, because its a delicious way to cool down! The Avon ANEW wrinkle cream for the wrinkles I have from tending to my 5 kiddos (kidding! I blame lack of sleep!) It goes on smooth and really helps with those pesky wrinkles that have been taking shape near my eyes... The Ivoy soap has many uses today. Upon a quick google search, there are science experiments to be done with a bar (microwave and watch it explode into foam), make your own hand soap or laundry detergent with it, or use it for bath time. After park days, it does wonders cleaning the layer of dirt of my kiddos, leaving them sweet smelling and squeaky clean. :) 

If you haven't heard of Influenster before, but are interested in a chance to review your own Vox Box, send me a message and let me know, including your email address so I can shoot an invite your way! ;)

My Boy is 3!

Today is a wonderful day... We celebrate the anniversary of the day our wonderful, sweet little boy joined our family! He's 3!!

1 Samuel - Prayer

So lately my bible study has been in 1 Samuel. I've been thinking about how Samuel and the Lord communicated, and sometimes wonder why I don't have that. Samuel was in constant communication with Him. He walked with the Lord, wholly consumed by Him. Now, I'm not saying that I don't talk to the Lord, because I do, but it's not what my day revolves around, but it should.
Our pastor recently gave a message about just this: prayer. The power of prayer. He spoke about the impact that overseas missionaries have because of their constant communication with the Lord. How much more could He do thru me, if I just let him? What if we as a church sought the Lord like Samuel or Elijah? After all, they were just regular guys capable of nothing spectacular on their own... But God. What kind of impact would we make in our community, our nation? These missionaries (my in-laws included) are being used in powerful ways to extend the kingdom. What am I doing?
I feel so challenged to pray, and pray, and pray.... I'm at home most of the time, so even if it gets a little loud, am I going to embarrass myself in front of my kids? Nah. Not sure why I wait, when we start, the Lord will guide us into praying for what He has for us.

This week my heart and thoughts keep going back to the girl I knew in high school who lost her sweet baby Sunday night. The Lord keeps putting it on my heart, and I can't help but weep and pray. When I feel I've reached the end of things to pray for, for this family, in tongues I go. Isn't that how we pray the perfect prayer when our human minds can't find words? Hopefully this is the gateway to stretching me into MORE prayer time, less ME time...

Baby News...

Yesterday I got my lab results (finally) and as expected, everything was fine except the antibody test. An antibody was detected in my blood, so the midwife said they will test again at my next appointment just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.  The midwife assured me that it could have been a false positive, because I had the Rhogam shot just over a month prior, but more than likely it's due to a condition that developed at the end of my last pregnancy with Hepzibah.

I have a negative blood type, so usually with the Rhogam shot pregnancies progress without any hitch. Somehow, between 28 weeks and delivery of Hepzibah, the Rhogam failed, and my body began to "attack" her. The midwife at the time (Donna, love her!) thought the first test was an error, so she retested us both while in recovery (post delivery) and got a second positive. Dr. Simpson (my fave OB doc) was then sent to discuss what that meant, and what possible risks would arise in future pregnancies. She informed me that the chances of the Rhogam failing, is less than 1%. In the cases of mamas with negative blood types (when Rhogam fails), the mother's body recognizes the baby as a foreign invader, and the body begins to build up antibodies to rid the 'invader'. Now, as subsequent pregnancies go, the body would target earlier and earlier, eventually leading to later term miscarriages. But we're not there right now. And Praise God, He is bigger than any of this. So while all of this seems a bit overwhelming, nothing is too overwhelming or difficult for Him to fix.

As for right now, my current OB will be retesting in a few weeks when I go back for my next regular appointment.  From there, we'll know more about how they want to move forward in treating me this pregnancy.

I'm not really worried at this point, but if you would be willing to pray for us, prayers are always appreciated. :)

What a week...

I've heard so much bad news lately. The end of last week, a blog mama lost her twin boys at just 19 weeks. From her previous posts, there wasn't any high risk to her or anything, her water just spontaneously broke at 18 weeks, and she did her best to hold them off until they were 'viable'. Unfortunately, that's not what the Lord had for her, and they came anyway at 19 weeks, where she and her husband were able to say their good byes and hold their sweet babies until the last one passed.

Today I learned that a girl I knew in high school has lost her 8 month old baby girl. A beautiful, sweet, playful baby girl who was perfect and healthy-- until yesterday when they had to say their own good byes. My heart aches for these Mamas, I cannot even begin to imagine what they are going through, or the road they must face as they bury their babies.

I am so grateful for my children, and praise God that He chose me to be their mom. And being pregnant again,  I continue with the most grateful of hearts. I have found myself wondering why these terrible things have happened, but am quickly reminded of what the Lord had shown me so many times before. In every seemingly bad situation, there's an opportunity for His glory to be revealed. Somehow, these tragedies are woven into His perfect plan. I continue to pray for peace for these families, that the Lord would mend their broken hearts. I pray that, instead of holding onto anger, (why did God let my baby die?) the Lord would show them how courageous they can be, and bring them through this grief to a happier place.