Setting up

  I'm not sure why it's been so hard for me this year.  Maybe I'm intimidated by the highschool or that I have 4 homeschoolers and a toddler.  
   Maybe I'm just tired. 
   We have been doing a little bit of school each day.  A subject or two.  Mostly Math and Reading.  We've had discussions about what we will be studing. 
   The monthly chore list has not been written up yet.  I feel behind and I don't feel like catching up.
   So here's what I'm going to do.  Get out my last years charts for school, keep what worked, remove what didn't.  Pray and hopefully end up with a well put together schedule that works for us.
   Next, get out the list of chores, through all the names in a hat and assign this months chores! Yeah!
  

Eczema

  I've learned a lot about this skin condition over the years.  My first baby developed a bad case on his wrists at 6mons.  We had ups and downs with it for 5 years.  Then at about 6 or 7 years of age it just disappeared!
  My forth child had some eczema behind her knees which started at around age 6 and ended before she turned 8.
   For the first case I tried natural remedies and food allergy ideas, to no avail.  We used a cream from the Dermatologist called Elicon or com not sure.   There were no shampoos used on him, the only soap I could use on him was White Unscented Dove.   His clothes were washed in Ivory Snow and doubled rinsed.  When he got to be about 4 or 5 I switched to Unscented Purex.
   Now here we have baby #5 and she too has eczema.  On her wrists initially since about 18mons.  Then recently on her elbows as well.  The worst part is the itching.  They rip their skin apart while they scratch. 
   Josh and I had done some soul searching with the Lord.  We prayed as the Lord lead us, rebuking possible genetic lines of Anxiety.   The next day her eczema was amazingly good.  I could give her milk, cheese and yogurt without any flare ups.  We thought we were really on to something.  And we are, we just don't have all the pieces together yet;)  A few months later we have a really big flare up, (Yes I was very anxious about some stuff).  Also some other things we're working out. (Nothing to worry about though:). 
   Meanwhile through all this I'm praying and asking the Lord to give us some way to stop the itching and bring healing.  Well through a couple of unrelated conversations something came to my attention.  Something you'd never or well at least I'd never thought of for eczema.
  LANSINOH.  Yes that's the nipple cream for breastfeeding.   I know it sounds weird, but it works so well!!  It takes away her itching and repairs the skin at the same time!  Now all I'm thinking is WHY didn't I think of it sooner!!
  I even found some Lansinoh cloth wipes, perfect for her little hands and face on the go!
   I am thankful for God's great ideas as He helps us in the learning process!

Gucky, Nuk, Sucky, Binky...

  By any other name is still a ..... pacifier. 
    Who on earth invented such a thing!! I'm sure they did it just to drive me totally insane!  I know it! 
    I am forever searching for it, never leaving home without it and praying it'll still be here at bedtime!
  My first 4 children soothed themselves with a thumb or a couple of fingers.  It was a breeze!  I was never looking for it.  Never running out the drug store after hours to purchase a new one.  It was never spontaneously thrown across the restaurant or parking lot.  Nope, they pretty much kept them on them at all times.  Nice and easy. 
   You know I just thought of this one too, I never had to suck on their thumbs just to make sure they were clean before popping them into their mouths!
   Oh, Sucky, Gucky, Binky thingy you are out to get me.  I can't get any peace if you are not here.  Why did I ever, ever, ever place you in my baby's mouth.  Oh silly, silly mother am I. 
   But my sweet baby really liked you, and she still really does.  I do have a tendency to give her what she wants, especially if she's screaming in my ear.   What will I do now that you are gone.  Will you please come out of hiding??   Good thing we have a spare one hidden, although not her favorite one, it will do in a pinch.  And it's pretty pinchy now!
   Those pacimals were just to cute to say no to.  Now we're done for, had it been the old kind it would have been an easy no.
   I'd much rather have that child suck her thumb!  Yeah, I said it!  It's not really that bad, that thumb, just ask my first 4. 
    You'll be glad to know that yes they all have been weaned off their thumbs and no they did not suck them until they were 10! (It was more like 5, but whose counting?) 
   Anyway I'll be back later I have some Sucky hunting to do or in Madalyn's words  "Gucky!".

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!
  

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?

  

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. 

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.