Monday, August 23, 2010

On the Road Again

   I think one of my most favorite things in the world is a road trip!  I've been on road trips that are at least 12hrs for as long as I can remember.  In fact I know that I've been on them since I was born.  That's what happens when your Mama lives 12hrs away from her family.  You travel back there, at least once a year. 
   I don't think I like them (road trips) because they are fun.  Don't get me wrong with the right people road trips can be a BLAST, (you know who you are;)  I think what I like about them is it's like going home, that place we always use to go to as kids, that old blanket that brings comfort. 
  Granted I'd much rather be the passenger than the driver.  Being the driver is stressful, you gotta watch the road, keep your shoes on, and absolutely do not put your feet up on the dash!  Yep, being in the passenger seat is where I grew up and where I like to be.  Honey, you can drive I have noooo problem with that!   Good thing my man likes to drive.  Now if only I could get him to stop!  Well pit-stop at least, come on! 
  I have been the driver lots too, with me being the Mama traveling back home with her babe.  Then babies who turned into kids.  Sometimes Josh came, sometimes he couldn't because of work. 
   When it was just the 4 kids and I it was pretty easy.  We'd just get up and go!  When I got my new 2007 van in 2007 it was even less stressful, since I didn't have to worry about head gaskets and what have breaking before we got there.
   Well in 2008 we added one more little traveller to our pose.  Since then I have not traveled back very much.  Maybe 4 times in the last 2 yrs. which is really unlike me.  It use to be once every couple months.  And I never made the trek further to my sisters even once since 2008.  Mom's is as far as I got!
   Tomorrow I will strike out 5 kids in tow to my Mama's house.  I will pick up my hubby and continue on to my Sister's for the first time in 2 years!!  Actually she moved this year even further so I'm actually seeing her new place for the first time ever!!!
   Today we are busy finishing up laundry, cleaning, packing and making a list of stuff we can't forget.  Enlisting people to take care of our pets and making sure there's enough food to go around. 
   Road trips were so much easier when I was a kid.  I just got in the car and we left, I think the only thing I packed was my pillow!   Of course Mom did everything else. 
   This is the only part of the Road Trip I wish wasn't a part of it.  Preparing the house for us to leave, yucky.  Can't we just pack up and go??  That would be so much less work. 
I guess we could, but do I really want to come home to week old dirty dishes??  UUMMMMM, not really. 
  I have been sick for 5 days so I'm a bit behind, plus I'm tired.  I'm saving what energy I do have for packing, so I am not washing the bedding, I am not cleaning bathrooms, nor will I mop the floor.  All that will have to wait until the day after I return and recuperate.  Sorry house but dishes will be the only thing done, and maybe wiped counters (no promises).  This could have been a different story had I not been ill, and I'm still not 100%.  That's the way it goes. 
     At least we still get to go on a Road Trip!
  

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Would I? Could I? Could You?

  Have you ever heard of  "Trash the dress"?  I thought it was amazing that these ladies who spent probably a couple grand on a gorgeous dress would "trash" it.



If you go to google images you'll see lots of pictures like this.  Of couples or just brides, sometimes even the whole bridal party, trashing their clothes.  There are many ways to do this, water, mud, sand, even paint!
Although the pictures are really cool, I wonder whatever happened to the old fashioned idea of the treasure.  My Mother wore her mother's wedding gown.  Which I too could have worn, but chose not to because it was very yellowed by age.  The dress had been my Grandmother's from her wedding in the early 30's. 
My seamstress cousin said that there was no way to protect the Chantilly lace from falling apart if we tried to whiten it.   So sadly I passed. 
I am sure that my Grandmother and Mother are not the only women who have saved their wedding dresses for decades. 
Maybe the idea to trash it came from women not wanting  their daughters to feel they had to wear Mom's gown.  So rather then save it let's have a little fun and do the unthinkable! Trash the dress! 
I must say that it does look like lots of fun.  Kinda rebellious, railing against tradition sorta thing.  I like that.
If I could fit in my wedding dress again (unlikely), would I, could I....trash it??
Would you?
  

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Flock

  Our little flock is growing up.  They are almost 14 weeks now, I think. 
   Sadly the 3 Roosters are getting to noisy now, so we're going to have to sell them.   I'm going to keep one.  The smallest one.  
Here they all are.

My little Rooster goes...

Our Silkie Rooster, who needs a new home

Our Golden Sebright Roo needs a new home too, he's so pretty!

My little Silkie hen, hope she won't miss her Roo to much!


My Black Cochin hens.

Well there you have it.   All the chickens in the flock, that once was 7 will soon be 5. 

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Missin' and Reminiscing

  Blue sky, blue water....aahh...beautiful.  I am missing walks on the beaches.  Night walks along tiki torch paths.  Light trade wind breezes.  All the pineapple you can eat.  Shrimp on the north shore. 








 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Born Free

   "But whereas the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh and had an ordinary birth, the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise." Galatians 4:23
    "So brethren, we [who are born again] are not children of a slave woman [the natural], but of the free [the supernatural]." Galatians 4:31
   "In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]."  Galatians 5:1

    I love all of Galatians 4.  Paul is telling the Galatians not return to the yoke of slavery.  I use to think he was just talking about sin.  I love how scripture is alive and as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we can reread scriptures and find a deeper meaning.  
   I now believe that Paul was teaching the Galatians something more than just not returning to sin. 
   Looking back in the middle of Galatians 4 we see in verse 17 Paul refers to Judaizing teachers, "these men".   In verse 10 we see that the Galatians have begun to "observe days and months and seasons and years".  Which is common practices in Jewish beliefs.   I believe the yoke of slavery here has more to do with taking on another's ideas or convictions or religious practices.  
     I have encountered wonderful Christians who have strong ideas and convictions about certain ways of life; homeschooling, vaccinations, birth control and more.  These things are not bad or sinful either way and yet we can place our ideas and convictions on one another as if they were. 
   What Paul is saying is that to take on another's ideas/convictions and follow them is putting on a yoke of slavery.  We are born of the free woman and we are free to follow the convictions that God gives us.   If it is not your conviction, if Christ has not placed it as a desire in your heart then why are you doing it?  My convictions are just that, mine and my husbands,( because I am married it's not just me anymore it's something "we" must agree on.  But that's another bible study:)  
     We who are born again are children of the free woman.  There is no reason for us to "put on" any yoke of slavery. 
    
   SO, my brethren, we who are born again are not children of the slave woman the natural, but of the free, the supernatural. Gal. 4:31

And whatever you do, do it readily, as to the Lord and not to men.  Colossians 3:23

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Lactivist!

  There are some really cute and funny sayings for shirts and hats at this site.   I don't know if you can order these in Canada, but you could probably create your own:) 
  I think Breastfeeding information should be widely shared and every week should be breastfeeding week, and I guess it would be if you are currently breastfeeding!

   I had some misconception when I was breastfeeding my first 4. 

Myth #1 You don't need to breastfeed past 1yr. 
Truth:  There are many benefits to breastfeeding longer, one big plus is your baby stills gets Mama's action packed nutrient filled milk.

Myth#2 Once your baby is eating all the food groups they no longer need breast milk.
Truth:  Well since breast milk aids in digestion and still protects little ones immune system I don't see why you'd want eliminate it from their diet.

Myth #3 Nursing a toddler is unnecessary and inappropriate, especially in public. 
Truth:  What?  Are you kidding me?  My toddler is putting anything and everything in her mouth, it's a good thing she's getting some boosting to her body for virus and bacteria protection!!

I can't think of any other Myths but this article really changed my perspective of extended breastfeeding.  Ok for some reason the really good article at Peaceful Parenting has been removed.  I have requested a copy with permission to post it!

Here's a really good fact sheet! Kellymom.com

Monday, August 2, 2010

I Make Milk, What's Your Super Power?

  WARNING, THIS POST IS ABOUT BREASTFEEDING, IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH THIS IS PROBABLY NOT FOR YOU ALTHOUGH IT WON'T BE AS GRAPHIC AS A BIRTH POST!  :)

  Did you know that Aug. 1- 7 is Breastfeeding week?  I did not know that, but I've been thinking about writing about this very thing.  What perfect timing!  Although I am not currently producing any milk, I have breastfeed 5 babies, so I figure I qualify in sharing tips and info!
  Each baby is different, and each of my babies was a wonderful breastfeeding experience.  Some had ups and downs but perseverance always wins!
  With my first baby it took me a good 3 months to get a good handle on the technique.  I had worsened my situation by trying an electric breast pump, from which I received cracks.  OW, OW, OW!  I was in tears nursing him it was so painful and I almost quit.  And I would have, had it not been for a great supportive team of Mamas around me, cheering me on.  I kept nursing, being disciplined in not letting baby "slide down".  A couple weeks all was healed and nursing was going great!  I loved not having to wash bottles or prepare formula.  Plus Josh was just beginning his apprenticeship so funds were very low and formula very expensive! Well compared to breastfeeding anyway!
  Baby Number 2 was a breeze!  Sadly I only nursed him for 9 1/2 mons.  I was in a car accident and he had to stay with Oma for a week, I only got to nurse him during the day, and by the end of the week he was done. 
  You see bottles aren't bad, they can be good, but a smart baby knows they don't have to work so hard for that sucker!  There's no problem with proper latching and you can chew like there's no tomorrow without someone screaming in your ear!
   Babies 3 and 4 were pretty much the same.  No repeats with blisters and cracks like the first one. 
  One thing that I was blessed with was good suckers, or as we call them Barracudas.  If you have a baby with a weak suck or no suck you may need to hand express while they nurse.    There are some tricks to help them get better.  Read here for some help.  It may or may not be lots of work, but oh so worth it for baby's immune system and so much more than that!
  Now baby #5, she was a different story.  You see with a 6 year gap in nursing babies I was really out of practice. 
  I had heard about a new thing (and this always seems so funny to me because these "new things" were so common before hospital births, anyways) called natural latching.  Or that's what I call it, I don't know if it has a technical term.      This is where instead of grabbing baby and some nurse squashing your boob mammaries and shoving the little guy/gal on there, you just let them find their own way. 
You will find a great article about that here.
   I tried this very thing with Madi and she bopped around for about 2hrs, happy as a lark.   I did give her a little nudge up the "mountain".  She open her mouth and latched on perfect all on her own.  My Doc. Dr. A, watched in amazement and we both thought it was the greatest thing!
  Now later the next couple of weeks I'm not sure what happened but I was sore.  A wonderful, lovely doula friend directed me to the Breastfeeding Guru, Jack Newman.  I learned so much from this website.  I got the most from this article about latching.   After that it was a breeze.
     That's all the info for today.  I'm going to try and post about Breastfeeding all this week.  I'll let you in on some of my regrets and mistakes.  And some of the best things that worked for me. 
 
Note about the title.  I saw this message on a nursing T-shirt once and I thought it was the funniest thing!  I really should have bought it! hahaha