Baby #5!!

Yes we are Expecting Love baby #5! This was quite the journey for us. In fact it taught us how
precious the process of creating life is. About 2 years ago we tried for our 5th child, after 6 months of trying, nothing came of it. We decided that it was time to move forward with the 4 we have. All was fine and dandy until people around us started popping out children like crazy! That will stir up the mommy instinct in anyone. Jokingly I asked my husband if he was ready for another. To my shock and surprise 'Mr. I don't want any more', said yes. What?! Really?! If you know me, you know I would give the Duggar lady a run for her money, my husband, not so much. So moving on along, Oct. of 2012 we started our family expanding adventure. I was very nervous knowing what happened last time, so I did not go into it very positive. Oct rolled by, than November, A small setback in Dec with my body, led to very off ovulations for January, February, and March. I was hopeless at this point, willing to cave and just move on. But my husband assured me he had prayed about it, and he felt we should continue. I got a lot of advise from other women. All who conceived quickly the first couple times, but struggled as they got older. I did as they said, just stopped worrying and moved on. I started back on my strict diet, and P90x. (After all we were going to SD in 2 months). Focusing on Homeschooling, and spring cleaning. For some reason I felt my full on ovulation the month of April. I was very relieved I was back on track. It was an over all positive month, lots of great news all around. Come May 3, I spotted a tiny bit, and chalked it up as another month gone by. My husband bought me a tanning package to relieve some stress. That sat. I spent the whole day shopping for summer cloths, which turned up nothing lol. Come Sunday I felt off. Went to the Lords house and worshipped very emotionally. We came home and I realized I had not started yet. Its not like me to be late. I just felt like death and knew. My Love went to the store and bought me a test. I wasn't going to take it till the next morning but my patience got the best of me. 11:30 pm, I cried with joys to see those beautiful lines. I stared at in in shock for hours, didn't go to bed till 3am. Crazy!

So here we are #5. We are so thrilled it isn't even funny. They say you appreciate the things you work the hardest for, well this blessing is well appreciated. All the boys can say is they hope its a girl. To much testosterone is probably and under statement haha. I am beyond excited to have my boys at the age where they all can enjoy this. I cant wait for them to go to the ultrasounds, watch my belly grow, and feel the baby kick. It will be a nice addition to Home schooling. And a welcomed addition to our little family ;)

 

 

> How far along? 6 weeks

> Weight gain/loss: 117 same
> Maternity clothes? Yes. im very bloated and
> uncomfortable.
> Stretch marks? no
> Sleep? Odd. cant fall asleep till late, but up with the sun
> Best moment this week? My positive!
> Food cravings: Everything lol
> Belly button in or out? in
> Movement? nope
> What I miss? my energy
> What I'm looking forward to: ultrasound.
> Milestones: The tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.

 

 

Love to teach.. The decision to Home school, A Beka Style!

OK so im not the teacher type, but I should be, I do like telling people how to do everything lol. So I have been having some issues with the way my oldest children are coming along, educationally speaking. I have not seen eye to eye very well with the way their school does things. Without getting into to much detail we will just say its a small town power trip ;). So I decided to just show up at school, and spend the day with my little men. To put it nicely an over rated baby sitter in a low security prison comes to mind. I very much encourage any parent to spend the day with their child to see my point.
Moving forward, I was not happy with it and I had had enough. Children are not being taught how to learn, they are being told what to think. And nothing they are being "taught", is even coming close to molding them into a productive humane being, let alone an educated one. 
Instead of complaining the next 13 years, I'm going to take the high road and teach them my self! Yes that's the high road, the long road, the hard road haha! But its also the productive road, the Loving road, and the road to an everlasting bond most parents don't get the chance to partake in. God has blessed me in being a SAHM, so why am I allowing the government to raise them 8 hours a day. Shame on me, I know! In all fairness I have been battling this decision for quite some time, a couple years. I just never thought I was capable of doing it. But we all have our tipping points, and sticking my head in the sand hoping for the best was just delaying the inevitable.
Now my nerves have turned to excitement. I'm all ready planning everything I want to share in my head. And i'm actually excited to re learn! To set the record my husband was homeschooled, I was public schooled. I loved public school, and was all for it. I believed the boys needed to not be sheltered, and kids who didn't have Christ needed a light. My husband felt differently, and you now what, he was right. My boys are my first priority. It is my job to protect them mind, body, and soul. To teach them the ways of the Lord and the world through Christs eyes. To send them into the world spiritually and mentally ready. To raise bright and talented children. Lets face it, public school can not provide that.
So after extensive, months long research, we have decided on Abeka as the curriculum. The only negatives I hear about this program is A. Its ahead of others by at least a year. and B. its hard work. Both I find to be positives in my eyes. I want the best for my children, and I want them to meet their true potential. I do not want to go easy just so they can "get by". I do not feel God wants us to just get by. We were created for far more than that.
Im so Stinkin excited to take on this new adventure. I trust God will be with me and bless me. I know if I do this through Him and raise my children in His glory nothing can go wrong.
Blessing's to All!
Xo!

Love Buddy Fruits Review!

Buddy Fruits, my newest snack pack. I ran across these awesome little yummys on and end cap in Wally World. Lets face it, its hard to get your kiddos to eat the all there servings of fruit they are suppose to in one day. But they love things that look like candy, or are fun to eat out of. That's what makes Buddy fruits so wonderful. the are convenient, yummy, and Natural!
Lets start with the Buddy Fruits Fruit bites. They are lovely little fruit bites (gummies) that come in a small package of about 12. Its got this great little zip lock seal on the top, and are perfectly size to grab a hand full to shove in my purse. They come in Pomegranate Acai, Raspberry, Orange, and Apple. They are super yummy. My kids Love them, their favorite is orange, I'm partial to the raspberry. They don't taste so sweet and junky like fake fruit snacks, they are actually very refreshing, prefect mix of fruit and sweet.  I grab them running out of the house, or at night when I'm craving something sweet. At one full serving of fruit per packet, I never tell my boys no. The ingredients are simple: fruit extract, fruit concentrate, pectin and glazing agents. "NO preservatives NO colorings NO additives NO fat NO genetic modification NO artificial flavorings NO dairy or gluten NOthing artificial ONLY few calories ONLY fruit " Buddy Fruit W.S.
On to the Buddy Fruit Blended fruit pouches..Talk about Awesome! No spoons ! They are pureed fruit (apple sauce texture) In this great little pouch. It has a twist off top,and then it acts like a straw, they just suck the fruit out. These again are great on the go, or great for the house as a quick addition to lunch or a snack. Best part, if my littlest chooses to not want anymore I can put the cap back on, throw it in the fridge and presto! No messy cups. These come in Apple-Strawberry, Apple-Cinnamon, Apple-Banana, and Multifruit. Again All Natural, and a Whole Serving of fruit.
Can I say thank you to the Brains behind this. It is about time to make something healthy, yummy, not messy, and convenient. What my kiddos put in there mouth is super important to this mom. 
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."(proverbs 22:6)
You can take this verse and apply it to so much in life. I definitely apply this to food as well. I believe if I teach my children how to eat now, it will save them from a multitude of health problems in the future.
I give Buddy Fruits an A+

 

http://www.buddyfruits.com/



Love The Paint!

I am a painting physco. If you can see my hands right now you would get it. I paint everything and anything all the time. I mean really a fresh coat of paint can do wonders. It makes things look so nice and clean and new. Well i have learned from years of painting that you can NOT go cheap-o on paint-o. Trust me you invest in a nice can of paint and your work will be cut in half, and it will hold up twice as long; not to mention you can clean marks off the walls easier. So my Paint of Choice... Why Behr of course!

Behrs new premium plus, and ultra premium plus rock my world. They have such a nice deep rich color that glides on like butter. In fact i did my whole living,hall, and kitchen in 2 gallons and 1/partial coat. Partial meaning a few spots peaking here and there due to a dark going over a light. My life just got so much easier.

I paint my home; walls, trim, and all other paintable things, at least every 6 months. With 4 little boys they tend to take a beating. I use to do cheapy walmart paint, it was taking me 3 coats and looked like crap in weeks. So really i was saving absolutely nadda. I will post some photos of behr paint vs crappy paint later so you can see the depth difference. Another huge thing is there is really no overwhelming paint smell, so you don't have to be concerned painting your kiddos room, and keeping them outta there for a week, cause the smell is so bad it gives you a head ache. And if you are new to color my suggestion is to buy a couple handy dandy samples for 3$. In the mean time, treat paint like your toilet paper Invest in the nice stuff.

Behr Premium Paint

20-30$

 Its a one-can paint—you don’t need a separate primer on either existing or uncoated surfaces, even for drastic colour changes. And with just a single set of brushes or rollers to clean, and only one can to store, you save time, space and hassle.

A revolutionary paint and primer in one, it is made with the finest raw materials and was developed using NANOGUARD® technology.This advanced technology helps provide a unique, interlocking molecular structure that results in a denser, harder, more durable paint film.The highest performing paint BEHR has ever offered, BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA™ is liquid protection for your home, inside and out.

BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA™ also proudly offers quality low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) products. These low-VOC products contribute to less indoor and outdoor air pollution and may be safer for you and your family.

http://www.behr.com/

Love your Skin w/ Coconut oil!

Ohh the miracle of coconut oil. It not only is wonderful for your internals, but recently I found it to be wonderful on your skin. My youngest child has recently went head to head with some sorta skin issue that is causing him what looks and feels like chicken pox (but not) and a ton of eczema. My biggest stresses was, what the heck is it, and Omg the scars. Well I'm a oil fan and lathered him in tea tree oil/vitamin E. His sores are healing (more about that later) but for some reason I grabbed my coconut oil the other day on a whim.
I Love! it instantly relieves his red inflamed skin, and seems to help with the itchys. And I'm quite positive it will help with any scars.
Anyway I decided to try some on my face. You know to stop the aging around the eyes/lips. Most moisturizers are way to oily and break me out, and I know its coconut "oil" but surprisingly it does not.
In fact, I'm nice and glowy, and it seems to be helping my T-zone acne. Hooray for me!
Anyway I cant guarantee it will work for all, but I can guarantee it will work for something.

You can purchase EvCo at any local health food store & online!

Love Yourself..Birth control?

Birth control, to take or not to take??
In High school I took the pill, for a variety of reasons, bad periods, cramping, acne etc. I did very well on the pill, no obvious side effects and did not have any after.
Well after my 4th child I decided to give it a shot. I went to my gyno and got a script. As I was in there she was giving me side effects and all that good stuff, and had me sign a paper for liability. OOPS red flag 1, why do I have to sign something that says its not there fault, what can possibly happen to me?? Red flag 2, when I asked that question she laughingly said "well if you taking this short term you are fine, but they have said after 3 years your risk to ovarian cancer goes up exceedingly.) hmm, wow! well I was desperate not to get prego again, so I risked it.
In the first month i started taking it I became terribly sick, this went on for 3 months. In the fourth month I had a terrible women infection that never seemed to go away. The only thing that put it at bay was taking probiotics. In about the 6th month I was moody, getting pudgy, and my periods were whack. So by month 8 I had Enough! I got off the pill. It took 2 months for that infection to go away (it has never returned) And about 6 months for my periods to re-regulate. That was the most terrible thing I ever did to my body, and Roy gave me the I told you so the whole time. :) ..So after my lovely little adventure, I did some research. Here is what i found:

For 40+ years millions of women worldwide have taken BCP's, believing they were safe and effective for contraception. Unfortunaltly since the introduction of the Pill, there’s been an explosion of women’s diseases and maladies in a scope never experienced before in the history of medicine:

Migraine headaches

PMS

Breast Cancer

Heart Disease

Heart Attacks

Strokes

Blood Clots

High Blood Pressure

Uterine Cancer

Infertility

Depression

Post-Partum Depression

Uterine Fibroids

Unnecessary Hysterectomies

Anxiety Disorders


Before 2003, doctors used to cite protection from breast cancer, heart disease, depression and fibroids as advantages of oral contraceptive use.  But all this has changed with further follow-up studies.  What was once thought to be the protection is now the cause.
As with many prescription medications, it takes time to figure out the true side effects.
And many tragedies have occurred. PremPro® is one of the most significant embarrassments to the pharmaceutical industry ever uncovered. It was stopped prematurely in 2002 and reported on the front page of every newspaper throughout the world. PremPro® was fingered for causing or increasing breast cancer, heart attacks, lung clots, Alzheimer’s Dementia and for even causing a decline in memory capacity. 
What’s truly scary is that BCP’s are nearly chemically identical to PremPro®.  What’s even worse is that the level of synthetic hormones in most BCP’s are FOUR TIMES the amount found in PremPro®.  The main difference is that women taking BCP’s are considerably younger than women taking PremPro®. But how long does the fountain of youth last?
How this Pill works??
The Pill contains two types of synthetic hormones(chemically altered substitutes):  Chemically altered estrogen's and progestins. They are similar – but not identical - to hormones made by a woman's ovaries. These hormones work by preventing the ovaries from releasing its egg (ovulation). The earliest versions of the Pill contained very high levels of estrogen's and progestins.  Over the years, it was discovered that high levels caused numerous health problems. Subsequently,  later generations of BCP’s kept coming out with lower and lower synthetic hormone levels. The latest versions of BCP’s are called “third generation” pills, featuring synthetic estrogen's and synthetic progestins in the lowest doses to date.  Unfortunately, even these doses are still four times higher than the equivalent natural hormones in a menstruating woman.
Most of the health problems now known to be caused by oral contraceptives were uncommon before the birth control pill appeared on the market. 
PMS is a new condition that simply did not exist 50 years ago.  It’s been only recently (in the last 10 years or so) that the medical profession has even acknowledged its very existence! 
The key reason why birth control pills are so destructive is precisely because of the synthetic, chemically altered “hormones” used in their formulation. These “fake” hormones exert unnatural effects on a woman’s entire body. Altered estrogen and altered progestin act similar to their natural counterparts. But your body knows the difference! It recognizes them as chemically different and foreign elements – substances it had never seen before. Altered estrogen and altered progestin (the two main synthetic hormones in the Pill) act in many ways similar to their natural counterparts. But your body knows the difference! It recognizes them as chemically different and foreign elements – substances it had never seen before.
Looking at the chemical structures of estrogen and testosterone, they seem to be very similar.   the only difference between estrogen and testosterone is a single electron. It’s that small and seemingly insignificant variation that separates whether a baby will manifest male or female characteristics. Crazy huh??
If a single electron can produce such a massive difference between men and women, imagine what an entire, long chain of artificial chemical additives can do to an existing hormone! 
The progestin chemical in particular causes the ovaries to shut down production of natural progesterone, because it’s being flooded with a synthetic variation. Once the ovaries stop production of natural progesterone, a radical shift in the estrogen-progesterone balance occurs.  Estrogen becomes dominant - and natural progesterone becomes essentially non-existent. Once the estrogen-progesterone balance makes this fundamental shift - then the adverse medical conditions we mentioned begin to form.
Additionally, the synthetic, chemically altered hormone itself can cause irreparable damage, remember.

We now know that HRT actually makes heart disease, strokes, memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease worse – or just outright causes those conditions.  But it took 30 years to figure it out.

But Hormone Replacement Therapy was mostly for older women.  But what about younger women taking BCP’s containing four times the synthetic hormone doses?

So, why do drug companies manufacture these potentially harmful drugs?  The existing patent laws are to blame.  In this and most other countries, natural substances or compounds already found in nature can’t be patented.  In order to patent something, you HAVE to chemically change what nature created. Essentially, you must invent a non-natural substance.  It’s THAT simple.

The dangers of BCP’s don’t stand a chance of getting recognized, simply because 90% of all doctors believe “Nothing is harmful until the drug industry or FDA finally admits it.”  Why? Because that’s the way they’re taught in medical school.

Drug companies spend more money on marketing and advertising to doctors than they do on new drug research – a whopping $8.5 billion in the year 2000 alone.

There are other forms of birth control similar to BCP’s that utilize the same poisonous effects of chemically altered hormones.  Birth control patches like Ortho Evra, now the target of a nationwide class action suit, along with the long acting injection (depo-Provera) and Norplant implants are just such methods.The “Morning After Pill” (Emergency Contraception) is just a much higher dose of BCP’s  - albeit a little late.  They all have the same toxic side effects as BCP’s and should be avoided.  Ortho Evra has been singled out as doubling the already unacceptable risk of blood.

Amazingly, many women have done just fine.  Initial observations indicate that fully 50% of women who have taken BCP’s or HRT haven’t experienced any noticeable medical problems.

This is more a credit to the resiliency of the human body rather than the actual substances themselves.

So how do you get the benefits and convenience of the Pill and not play Russian Roulette with your health?

Best Advice, Get off the pill! There are plenty of other options available.

If your not married I suggest Abstinence 100% effective.

Check out the Web site for more info.

Summarized from:
http://www.ditchthepill.org/

Love laundry?

I am in the moment of "fall cleaning". Living in a city that gets all four seasons, I must switch out my closet to accommodate the weather. In a perfect world I would have a huge closet to hold all of my clothes,

unfortunately the perfect closet is not in my cards at this moment.

Back to the point.. I'm now bringing out my tons of sweaters in an array of colors, I love my sweaters due to my cold blooded nature. But sweaters can get pricey, luckily I take care of my clothes. The sweater I bought 3 years ago look the same as the ones I bought this year.

So I am here to share my tricks of the trade with you. You too can keep that sweater that keeps you warm and cozy, and looks Awesome on, in the best shape possible.

1.Wash inside out

2. Cold Water

3. Gentle Cycle

4. Add a cup of vinegar, keeps the color rich.

5. Softener, keeps the softness

6. DO NOT DRY! get a hang line and evenly lay it over the line, or a drying mat (its mesh fabric stretched over piping in a square shape) Drying ruins everything, fades it, shrinks it, & ruins the softness.

7. FOLD! Do not hang on a hanger in the closet. just as important as not drying. it causes the shoulders and neck to stretch, & no on wants that.

8. Wash as needed, if you only wear it for a couple hours, no need to wash. Over washing can ruin anything.

Well there you go. I hope this method works as good for you as it has for me. Don't be a stranger to color dye, no mater how good you are to clothes, dark will fade eventually.