Noggin - Moose A. Moose "Are We There Yet?" Song

Well, Looky, Looky...Update

Bridgie is now going from laying down to sitting outside of the crib.  I still have not seen her do it but have come back from laundry or potty training Eoin to find her sitting up.

Here is what I found in Bridgie's room this morning:
(don't know how to turn the picture???)

Beans and Greens

"Salad is the Main Dish" 

Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Most of you know that I have been following the diet advice of Dr. Joel Fuhrman in his book "Eat to Live".  Eat to live calls for you to eat foods that are nutrient dense and advises that the stomach in particular desires nutrients and volume to provide fullness.  Eat to live is not a "diet" in my opinion.  It is an education on food and the blarney we are fed by the US government on healthy eating.  Dr. Fuhrman is an advocate for health and longevity, not a politician or a get rich quick gimmick salesman.  I am a huge fan and would recommend reading Eat to Live even if you don't need to lose weight.

So, Dr. Fuhrman is a Vegetarian and so are all of his recipes.  However, he does not say one must never eat meat.  He just chooses not to and recommends that less than 10% of your diet come from animal product.  Once you read his book you may just find out that you do not really even like meat.  Like I did.  So, as I chose to follow this idea of nutrient density, Jerry became a virtual vegetarian.  Not against his will but he chose not to bite the had that fed him.  Subsequently, Jerry lost 10 pounds.  Does Jerry look like he needs to lose 10 pounds?  NO.  Is he hungry all the time?  NO, well yes but he was hungry all the time before.  Does he enjoy the foods I have been preparing?  YES.

So, as a consolation prize I made Jerry this Beer Can Chicken and Baked Potatoes dish I found in Parenting magazine.  A recipe from Jamie Oliver for those of you who know who he is?  The Verdict: 
"It was okay.  The Skin was awesome but it was just chicken".

I am telling you, once you start eating foods that your body needs to function properly, i.e. real whole fresh beans and greens, meat will just be well "okay".

I am  not here to convert you or tell you to stop eating meat, I just wanted to share our experience.



"Since the foods Americans consume are so calorie-rich, we have all been trying to diet by eating smaller portions of low-nutrient foods. We not only have to suffer hunger but also wind up with perverted cravings because we are nutrient-deficient to boot."
— Joel Fuhrman

Well Looky, Looky

"The Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step"

For the past two days, this is what I have found when going to retrieve Miss Bridge-a-boo from her crib after naptime.

You might be scratching your head and saying well, duh, it's Bridgie.  Upon further examination you will find you are witnessing a very huge milestone for Miss Loo Loo Bell.  Bridgie is still unable to get from lying down to sitting up and vice versa on her own.  So, somehow, someway, she has emerged victorious in her crib.  This is the FIRST time I wish we had a video monitor, I would LOVE to know how she achieved this most wondrous feat.

Rock on Sister.



Ice, Ice, Baby

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Every so often an old plantar fasciitis injury flares up in one or both of my feet, so I try to prevent too much flare up by icing my feet after every run.  Lately, Eoin has taken to my routine.

When I walk in the door after a run he says "where's the bucket, mom?" So, we find the bucket and he takes it to the freezer where I dump some ice into it.  Then he carries it to the sink and I fill it up.  Then he says "Mommy needs a towel" and he gets me a beach towel from the mud room.

I sit in the recliner, put the towel down, put the bucket on top, pull my sock off my heel but leave it covering my toes, look at Eoin and say "Ready, 1, 2, 3, aahahahhahah" as I plunge my foot into the icy water.  Eoin joins me in the ahhhh part.

Here is a picture presentation of his participation during the 15 minute ice session.

Yes, he is eating the ice that my foot is in.  But don't worry, he has already had water from the hose.



Mother's Day

Meditate.
Live purely. Be quiet.
Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon, come out
from behind the clouds!
Shine
Buddha

Despite a 6:20 am wake up call by a very excited Erin and a not so gracious display of waking up by Mommy, Mother's Day turned out to be a good day.  Erin went to homestead gardens with our neighbors on Saturday and she picked out this flower for me, that she hid in the garage.  It was a BIG secret.  "It is not a flower mommy, and it is not in a pot, and it is not on the shelf".  In typical Erin fashion, she could not wait one more second for me to turn off the alarm so she could go in the garage and get the plant.   I told her to wake up Daddy and when she did he told her it was too early.  And in typical Jerry form he went back to sleep.  This resulted in about 5 wake ups by Erin, until I finally stomped to the kitchen and turned off the alarm and made my own dern coffee!!!  I quickly lost the grumblies and apologized to Erin for being so grumpy when I saw her little face light up when she gave me the flower she picked out all by herself.  While Mother's Day is just another day to me, to her it is a momentous, exciting, adventure.

Erin made this bracelet for me.  It says "mom".  "Mommy, we did not have any "m" beads so I used the u and the v upside down to make one m and a w upside down for the other."  I LOVE this.  This is a sign to me that she is a thinker, a problem solver, and very resourceful.  This makes my heart feel super happy!

These are a few of my favorite things.  Can you find them in the picture?

Coffee, hopscotch, biking, m-n-m's, tulips, swimming and running at the same time, AND Michael Jackson!

 Erin and McKenzie helping me with baby Bridgie

 Jerry's contribution!

Does not get any better than this.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.  Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.  Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.  Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."
Mary Jean Iron

Who are you?

Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

What's your story?

I have a story.  It's long, there are lots of people in it, there are some good times and some bad times, there are some downright evil parts, selfish parts, and lots and lots of human mistakes.

There is a time in my life I have titled: "It was the best of times, It was the worst of times."  This specific chapter of my life has been the single turning point in my life so far.  I could have easily chosen the self centered path and given up.  But I did not.  I made poor choices, I hurt lots of people, and did "bad" things.  But I made a choice.  A choice to grow up and take responsibility for my actions.  A choice to stand up and use my voice and try a better path.  In the words of a very humble, noble, and wonderful girl I know.  I "owned" those choices and those terrible paths.  I owned up to being wrong, dreadfully wrong.  Owned up to not knowing what the bleepity, bleep I was doing or where I was going.  I own this chapter, it is part of me, it motivates me to be better and to do better.

By nature, I am pretty quiet, introverted, and an observer.  These may be learned traits as I would say both of my parents are this way.  I don't like crowds, parties, or a lot of noise.  I like to be home.  I don't seek attention, friends, or the lime light.  I like to talk about things that matter (and this is relative of course).  I don't care about celebrities, tv shows, politics, fashion, or world events for that matter.  I care about the things that I can control and the things that are present in my daily life.

I am constantly trying to do better (which is a daunting task).  Trying to keep things simple around my house and with my kids.  My kids occupy almost all of my time.  Therefore, I can't carry on a conversation with you about Brangelina or the fact that Arnold and Maria split up.  I don't want to talk about Dancing with the Stars or Glee.  I would love to talk with you about how you are doing, what you may be struggling with, or things that you are excited about.  I want to talk about you, me, and how we are functioning in this crazy world.  I don't want surface, I don't want politically correct, I don't want what's easy.  I want real.

Everyone has a story and I want to know yours. 

Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)