Who knew?

Some of you know, my family started an intensive diet in June to cure up our gut issues.  It has pretty much turned my life upside down, and to simply put it, I get really sick of cooking and meal planning.  However, I am very grateful I came across this diet, and I plan to see it through to the end - probably another year and a half.  Someday I will tell you more about it (but I will say 1. Dana's anxiety is decreasing dramatically, 2.  The dark circles under my eyes that I have had for at least 12 years are WAY lighter, and 3.  Camille can eat cow's milk, whereas before I couldn't even eat it, as she would react through it in my milk).  ANYWAY, I am part of a yahoo support group for the diet.  Pretty much it is the group of the crunchiest people who collectively know everything about natural living.  I have been interested in health/natural living for many years, but these last few months I have come along way, thanks to the group. I thought I would share some things I have learned from my yahoo group, that I thought would be interesting/helpful to anyone who is interested in natural living, whether or not you are doing this diet:


Bubbies Pickles.  These are a very common go-to snack around here.  Unlike regular pickles at the store, they are lacto-fermented (the same process that turns milk into yogurt), and so they are not only still raw, but also contain beneficial bacteria.  I make lacto-fermented foods at home, but for anyone who prefers snacks to be pre-made, these are awesome.  You can get them at the health food store in the refrigerator section.  They are spicier than regular pickles, so you may need to get used to them a little.  I love 'em.


findaspring.com.  Because we are renting, we haven't wanted to purchase a water filter.  This website shows where all the natural springs are, and the pH and other info about them.  Cool, eh?


Chaffin Family Orchards Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I am not a big fan of the taste of EVOO on anything except sometimes salad.  It's a very strong flavor.  I used to cook with it, as that significantly decreased the taste.  What I didn't know is that EVOO should never be heated, as it has a very low smoke point and turns into trans fat (I only heat saturated fats, now, for cooking).  Well, this brand of EVOO is very mild.  This is due to the type of olive and that it's harvested late in the season.  I make mayo with it, and although I can still taste the olive oil flavor, it doesn't bother me.  It is expensive, but one thing I've really come to believe in the last year is that the type of fat you use has a major impact on your health, more than other factors.  I used to like canola oil, because it is mild, until I found out what it really was. The only vegetable oil I use now is EVOO.


Custom Probiotic 11 Strain.  Probiotics are the new buzz word these days.  And rightfully so, I think.  Pretty much the diet we are on is one big probiotic treatment.  We are repopulating our guts with all the good guys and killing off the bad.  Anyway, not all probiotics are created equal.  There are, of course, different strains.  But there also are maintenance probiotics that maintain good health, and there are therapeutic probiotics that increase health.  They can be expensive.  This is the brand we use, though there are several.  It's expensive per bottle, but the dose is very small, and it lasts a long time.  I have seen it do a lot to my kids' bodies.

If I think of any others that you might like to know about, I'll post again some other time.  Hope this helps someone!

Fall Pumpkin Soup

I don't even know where I'm going with my blog.  It's really turned into a "I feel like posting something random today" kind of thing.  So today's random thing is this yummy soup I've been eating day and night around here.  Jason's parents grew 60 pumpkins this year.  They gave us lots.  Kind of sad, but I used to think all you could do with pumpkins were carve them, or make desserts.  Not so!  It's a healthy vegetable that doesn't need sugar to taste good.  And I have to say, when I'm in a hurry to read a recipe, I get a little annoyed by long introductions, so I'll interrupt myself here and give the recipe to anyone who still has pumpkins left:

Fall Pumpkin Soup

Butter (2 TBS) (I use more)
Small onion (1)
Small garlic clove (1)
Curry powder or paste (2 tsp), or to taste (I use a lot less, since the curry we have is very spicy)
Real salt (1 tsp) —
Freshly-ground black pepper (1/4 tsp)
Cayenne to taste
Very fine grated fresh ginger (1 TSB)
Chicken broth (4 cups)  (Homemade broth is a very nutritious food, full of gelatin and other things that heal the gut lining.  Don't use bullion or canned broth!  Skip the soup if you're going to do that :)
Roasted pumpkin or squash (3 cups) pureed.
Coconut milk 3/4 cup (I actually use homemade sour cream, added just when serving.  It's just yogurted cream, so it has the beneficial bacteria, as long as the soup is warm, not hot, when added.  Coconut milk is good, too, though).


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds and pulp.
3. Place cut side down on baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cooked through.  Puree.
4. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.
5. Cook onion 5 minutes, until softened.
6. Add garlic, curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute more.
7. Add broth and roasted pumpkin; mix well. (I take a stick blender here, and blend it up a little).
8. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
9. Stir in coconut milk and serve. 


I know there are a billion recipes flying around the web, but there's my contribution.

How much do you know about vaccines?

*Note:  View the video by Nov. 5 for free.  Video at bottom of blog.

Vaccines are something I've contemplated writing about for some time.  But I knew it would bring a lot of controversy to my blog (good thing comments are closed, ha ha.  However, you're welcome to email me).  There are strong feelings either way, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to invite that.  But as I thought about this, I realized that most, if not all people, who are 100% pro-vaccine (and pro the schedule recommended by the AAP) have not read the other side of the story.  All they know is our children aren't getting polio, we're living longer, and that vaccines have been "proven" safe and to not cause autism.  They may have read a research article or two, or even 6 (there are some that show safety in vaccines.  Doctors, of course, are told to read those).  I would guess there are very few people who have thoroughly studied vaccines - listened to both sides of the story - and still decide to vaccinate their children on the AAP schedule.

Above I said 100% pro-vaccine, because, actually, I am pro-vaccine.  I believe they are extremely important to society.  I believe many people are alive today, who otherwise would not be, because of vaccines.  However, I also believe that just because vaccines are HELPFUL, and even ESSENTIAL, does not make them HARMLESS.

Levi is fully-vaccinated.  I prayed hard before giving him the MMR.  [I'll insert here, that MMR is not the only one in question, but the only concern I knew of at the time].  I have a brother with autism, and it's always scared me.  I asked my doctor about it before, and he said, "This is what the government says..." and he handed me a paper.  I read it and said, "I'm just nervous, because my brother has autism."  He looked surprised and said, "Oh.  Your brother has autism.  Well, you can make the best decision."  I'll never know what that pediatrician was thinking.  I'll never know if he has suspected a connection, but is afraid to voice it.  It's scary to be a Maverik doctor today, especially when it comes to vaccines.  I'll talk about that in a bit, when I talk about Andrew Wakefield.  However, most doctors do believe in vaccines, and the schedule, but I can almost guarantee it's only because they believe what they were taught in medical school, and didn't research it any further.

Long story short, Dana is only partially vaccinated, because at that point I took the time to read about vaccines.  I'll tell you, I didn't want to leave her unvaccinated.  I really wanted to believe vaccines are safe.  Why wouldn't I?  Then she could be protected from all these diseases, and would have no ill-effect.  Our insurance even covers them 100%.  As I studied the "vaccine-awareness" side of things, I had many questions.  And I SEARCHED hard for answers.  But I couldn't find them.  I was so frustrated, I almost wrote a letter to SOMEONE - (but I didn't know WHO - the CDC?  My pediatrician?) and demanded the answers.  I wanted them to assure me that vaccines were as safe as they say.  I never did write a letter.  I got busy with life and decided I would wait until my kids are a little older, then vaccinate slowly, one at a time, and only certain brands, and certainly not things like chicken pox. 

Yes, I know my kids have an absolute low risk of disease, even if unvaccinated, because other kids are vaccinated.  I really believe in herd-immunity.  So why am I spreading the word about vaccines?   I have no idea; I should just shut my mouth, and let my kids ride the waves.  But I guess it's because I believe every parent has the right to know.

Anyway, a while back my friend emailed me and asked me about vaccines.  There was a lot of media-press at the time against Andrew Wakefield - the British doctor who found a connection between the MMR and autism.  He has been stripped of his medical license and basically dragged through the mud.  Mention Andrew Wakefield to anyone and they'll basically say "oooeeeewww."  My friend said she'd seen on facebook a lot of people saying they were so glad Wakefield was proven wrong and a fraud, and that vaccines are indeed safe.  I wrote her an email explaining what I thought of Andrew Wakefield and vaccines:

You know, I don't think anyone really knows except Andrew Wakefield and God.  I don't know what to think of it, though it's not really anything new.  They stripped him of his medical license last year.  All that happened recently is they are doing some series on him, defaming his name.  He, as far as I know, has never admitted it was fraud.  He still stands by his word.  Maybe it's true.  According to the people making charges against him, he received several hundred thousand dollars paid by lawyers for compensation if/when the parents were reimbursed by govt for the autism.  That would be the only motivating factor, that I can think of, why he would do something like that.  But even still - several hundred thousand dollars - not really worth losing your medical license for, you know?  Maybe if it were millions.  He probably made $200 a year before that, why would he give up his whole career for 2 years of wages or so?  Why would he make up something like that?  Unless he's an evil person and wants measles, mumps and rubella to come back, what other motive would there be?  That's the thing with vaccines.  It's us against the diseases.  I just don't see why people would make stuff up, if they didn't really believe it themselves. 

This is what I do think about vaccines (I may have already told you this, and it's still kind of the same as before): the govt wants everyone vaccinated.  I have a hard time believing it's for money, as some people believe.  Maybe it is, I don't know.  But I think it's because they want to keep diseases at bay.  And if people believe vaccines cause autism, they would not get their kids vaccinated.  So, maybe vaccines don't cause autism, and everyone (including me) is worrying about nothing.  But maybe they do, so the governments are hiding it, no matter the cost.  It's better, for the good of the whole, to have 1/150 get autism than to be huge breakouts in numerous diseases.  And I do say government s, because if it is a conspiracy, it's a world-wide conspiracy.  Every country knows the cost of people not vaccinating.  But maybe vaccines are as safe as they say.  It's hard to imagine, though, looking at the evidence against vaccines.  Some of the main things I find interesting:

1.  They have not tested all of the vaccines together.  They say, "hep b is safe, and the dtap is safe" but they haven't tested the 30 something shots they give kids by the age of 2 all together, at least no evidence I can find.  So, WHY haven't they tested it?  Vaccine awareness groups are saying that many shots is overwhelming the immune system.  Kids are too young; they're done too fast, etc. Their response: The vaccines can't be overwhelming the immune system because every person is exposes to thousands of viruses on a daily basis.  The immune system is created to withstand a lot.  That's their only response?  Well, it's a dumb one because the way we are "exposed" with vaccines is nothing like exposure in real life.  Injecting living or dead viruses directly into the body - not natural.  And all of the preservatives.  It needs to be tested, not some cop-out to that very good point vaccine awareness groups bring up. 

2.  They also attack vaccine awareness groups saying, "You're changing your story.  Before it was mercury, now it's too many shots at once..."  So.  So what if they are?  They are pretty sure there's some connection - many of them because they saw their kids CHANGE  - go from normal and healthy, to stop talking, stop looking in the eye.  That change is what's so weird to me.  What else really is a blatant change in their environment?  The pollution is the same, their diet is likely the same.  Doesn't make sense.  All it is is people trying to make sense of it.  Who cares if they change their story.  It's not anti-vaxers against pro-vaxers.  It's everyone against autism.   But I see that as an argument all the time.  A waste of breath, I think. 

3.  Autism isn't really on the rise, they say, just the way it's diagnosed.  I think that's BS.  They usually chart it through the school system, because that's a standard, where most people attend.  So they say, "Well, there are fewer cases of multiple disabilities, learning disabilities, etc. and all of these other classifications.  The kids who were getting classified as that are now labelled as autism."  WELL, actually, according to the government's own records, autism classification is going up by a MINIMUM of 10% a year, some years as much as 23%!!!  The other classifications ALL TOGETHER are going down, but only by 1 or 2% a year.  I can't find the site that gives the stats (it's just a govt site), but if I do, I'll send it over to you.  I saw it myself.  So, it seems autism IS going up.  So why are they denying that it is? 

4.  The fact that 1/150 children is being diagnosed with autism, the numbers are rising, and the government is being so lethargic - not doing anything to find out why.  Seriously, WHY is that happening?  If it's not vaccines then what?  A few people die of swine flu, and the medical field, media, and govt are all over it. Six people get e. coli from spinach, and again, they are all over it.  There are MILLIONS of people in the United States.  That means there are a LOT LOT LOT of kids with autism.  And they are pretty much ignoring the issue.  Why?

5.  Looking at the government's VAERS system, you can see that vaccines sometimes, very clearly cause serious neurological damage.  If it can cause those things, why not autism?  It's neurological.  BECAUSE, autism is too tragic, too common, and if people believed it, they wouldn't vaccinate. 

As for Andrew Wakefield, his argument was that autistic kids have measles in their guts.  Well, kids with autism, I don't know if always, but often have major digestive issues, which is why a gluten-free, casein-free diet is so beneficial to many.  One theory I've heard, that makes sense, is that some kids, whose digestive systems are having problems anyway, can't digest the mercury and other preservatives in the vaccines.  [I've read much more about this gut issue, btw, and now have a lot more thoughts on it].

And why people believe the headlines?  Because they believe the government is altruistic, and is completely honest, and the only reason they haven't known the truth before now, is because there wasn't enough evidence.  But now there's evidence (they think). My mom said to me last year, "I heard today on the radio they just did a new study, and found that vaccines for sure are safe."  All I said is, "I know that the government wants all babies to be vaccinated."  But people are waiting for that new study to come out to prove it all.  When really, if it is a conspiracy, we're not waiting for the truth, we're just trying to not be hoodwinked. 

After I wrote this email, I watched some youtube videos on Andrew Wakefield.  Basically, he's getting ripped to shreds by his interviewees. He looks stressed (and worried) and keeps saying, "for the children, for the safety of our children..."  I'd encourage anyone to watch them. Just google it.  He may be a good liar, but if so he's an excellent actor.  I thought he seemed honest.

I believe vaccine injuries are related to the condition of the gut.  I think if your child has eczema, or allergies, or reflux, or colic, or anything showing a compromised gut, you may want to fully research your vaccine decision.  THAT, however, is a whole nother piece of info.  Email me if you have questions about it. 

http://vimeo.com/31036452
Here is a video showing what I concluded at the end of my vaccine research. I just watched this, and think it's an excellent portrayal.  It's not anti-vaccine, but vaccine-awareness.  You can watch it for free until Nov. 5.

Pumpkin Patch try #2

So after my last post about how I take after-thought photos of Camille when we are fun places, I decided I needed to change that.  We happened to go to another pumpkin patch, so I made sure I took some cute pictures, and I am making sure to blog them. 

I seriously feel like I am running 10 feet behind myself all the time.  I can't believe how busy I am.  Part of it is things I do to myself.  If I could just feed my kids boxed cereal life would be so much easier.  If I just stuck them in public school and didn't feel like I had to research every single teaching pedagogue and charter school in the area, life would be easier.  If I didn't feel like I had to scrimp and save and DIY any project I want to do, life would be easier.  But we all have stuff, ya know?  Yeah, we're all busy.  That's no excuse for me not taking the time to set up a cute picture.  I have other friends with 3 kids who take great pictures all the time, and sew, and everything else.  In fact, my friend Kristen got married almost a year after I did and is about to have her 4th child in a couple months (all girls).  Wow!  She amazes me. And she does everything, btw.  (You reading this, Kristen?).  Anyway, I won't feel down on myself, because I am a good mom.  I make due with what we have quite well, and my kids are happy.  I hope to get them a back yard to play in by next spring.  That should make things a little easier.  When we get a second car, that will make things easier, too (I do have a couple of you moms of 3 out there w/ 1 car, too, though, I know).  When Camille sleeps through the night, that will for sure make things easier.  But this is silly.  I can be happy now.  In fact, I am happy.  Very happy.  But I have to admit, looking at blogs is bad for my self esteem.  I want to do what all of you do.  Aren't we women so silly?  Jason could care less what the other men around are doing.  Really.

Anyway, I'm putting these pictures up for Camille. Little Camillie, I do love you, and I do want to blog about your cuteness, just like I did for Levi when he was a baby.  So there ya go. 

Camille

 

 This little girl has stolen my heart. I seriously can't believe how adorable she is.  Every time I look at her I can't believe she's mine.  She is soooo stinkin' happy.  She's all smiles all the time.  Unless she's tired, of course. 

 

I'm a different mom than I was with my other babies.  For good and for bad, I think.  Camille is definitely the 3rd child.  I bet I could count on my fingers and toes the number of baths she's had.  She also spends a good amount of time crawling around on the floor by herself because I'm busy with the house/kids.  However, she's luckier than the other two.  I've learned some things that have been good for my mothering.  She has never had a pharmaceutical in her body, never been to the doctor except a well-check (knock on wood).  She's never had anything besides breastmilk, until recently I've given her homemade broth, some cooked veggies, and fermented cod liver oil (which she gobbles up, btw).  She co-slept with us until 6 months old, and still sleeps in our room, which I love (she does prefer the crib, though).  And she is so fat*, so alert, and like I said so happy.  This is big, since my other kids were under the 5th percentile for weight.  Levi was negative, actually.  She also started crawling 4 months earlier than my other kids.  Not to compare or anything, but I really see her as so much healthier.  It's our diet, I'm telling you. 

The one thing, is she's still a terrible sleeper.  TERRIBLE.  I don't blame that on attachment parenting, though, I blame it on her reflux.  Refluxy babies are notoriously bad sleepers.  My other kids as well.  With Levi I was so sleep deprived I slept walked off the bed and sprained my thumb (the ER admittance people thought I was lying and Jason had abused me).  With Dana I was so sleep deprived I suffered from mild depression on and off.  With Camille, though, it all seems to work out. Yeah, I'm tired (she wakes up around 5 times a night still), but it's do-able somehow.  (Why am I up in the middle of the night blogging?  Because Jason's out of town and I have no self-control to go to bed).  Anyway, I did sleep training with Levi, and he started sucking his thumb.  It worked like a charm, but with Dana, I had to do it sooo many times, and I believe that was a major factor in her anxiety.  Nothing's worth that, so I just accept that Camille's a little baby, and she doesn't need me to "train" her to do anything.  So I wake up with her.  And when I get her gut turned around, she'll fix herself.  I know, sounds like a fairy tale, right?

 

Okay, she's not smiling in this picture, but I think it's funny how we go places, and I have all these pictures of the big kids, then I realize Camille is strapped on me, and I should probably document that, yes, she was there, too.  So I turn the camera around.  We went to Disneyland when she was a couple months old, and I bet we have less than 5 pictures that actually show her face :)  She was just tucked inside the wrap sleeping the whole time.

This stage makes me laugh so much.  I remember it well from when Dana was a baby.  "MOOOOMMMM!  Camille's getting the train!  Stop Camille!!!!!  AHHHHHH!  She's coming!!!!!!  MOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!"

I love my Camillie.  She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger.  She does all of us. The kids adore her to pieces.

 

And I just had to include this one of Jason with the distorted setting on the camera.  Ha ha.

*I thought I should include, after my post about saturated fat, that Camille is fat, but I am at my regular weight - the weight I was when I got married, and the weight I've always been except while pregnant.  And I eat a lot of real fat :)
*Also, nothing against skinny babies.  I actually love them, and think it's adorable.  But at least for my kids, I think underweight was a sign of malnourishment, despite exclusive breastfeeding.

A tiny piece of what I believe nutritionally. Please read and pass it along.

I have changed so much in what I believe is nutritious.  Growing up, and really until 2 years ago, I very much followed the food guide pyramid.  We ate whole grains, fruits, veggies, beans, meat, a little bit of cheese, skim milk, and small amounts of extra virgin olive oil and canola oil.

Then, I started to see deception in the FDA.  I could write on and on about that, but I want to get to the FAT of the issue.  Anyway, I came to the conclusion that if you believe that God or Mother Nature knows more than man knows, you can't believe the FDA, because they promote many things which are unnatural.

A little over two years ago, I found 2 views - two opposing views - in 2 books.  The first was the China Study.  This is a very convincing book about a huge, huge study done, and what they found was that animal products cause disease.  If you eat more than 10% of your daily calories of animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, etc.), your chance of diseases like heart disease and cancer go up.  What's more convincing, is the study was done by a researcher and a doctor who were both raised on farms.   They argue that humans are not baby cows, and therefore, should not be drinking the milk of a cow.  We are the only species to drink the milk of another animal.   I also read research about how early consumption of cows milk was linked with an increased incidence in Type 1 Diabetes.  As you know, Jason's sister has type 1 diabetes, which puts my kids at highest genetic risk for the disease.  I am paranoid of it, and because of that I gave up dairy.  We were more or less vegetarians at the time.  I have always eaten eggs.

The same time I heard about the China Study, I heard about another book called Nourishing Traditions.  I knew it was opposite the China Study.  It highly promotes animal products.  It claims that our ancestors were incredibly healthy because of what they ate.  I brushed this book aside for a long time, because vegetarianism seemed healthier - doesn't it?  But I couldn't get it out of my head:  The pictures I'd seen of the isolated primitive peoples and their perfect teeth, etc.  I bought the book.  And it knocked my socks off.  It turned my world up side down. 

There is so much I've learned, and so much I think, and some day I think I'll make a video where I can talk about it, because I don't want to type up my own book about it.  But I do want to tell people to PLEASE eat saturated fat.  Please eat butter - and lots of it.  I really believe it is vital to our health. Of course, don't eat shortening.  But eat the skin on your chicken, don't cut the fat off your steak.  Back when I was an "FDA follower" (i.e. normal), I remember looking up recipes, and I came to a nutrition blog, and on the top of the web page was a picture of eggs and bacon.  The post was titled something like, "Why saturated fat is good for you."  I raised my eyebrows in disbelief that people could be so stupid - EVERYONE knows saturated fat is bad for you.

Well, guess what?  "Everyone" has been duped.  There is so much evidence to the contrary.  Consider the following:

1.  Breastmilk is mostly saturated fat.  Our physiology doesn't change as we get older. The ratio of saturated fat should stay about the same throughout life.
2.  Heart disease is going up.  Guess what?  Animal fat consumption is going DOWN considerably.  This is something that's hard to see, as we only see life as it is today.  We are the first group of people in the earth's history to eat a low-fat diet.  Or even a moderate fat diet.  All groups of peoples valued fat, especially animal fat, and ate of it liberally.  And yet, heart disease is largely a 20th century epidemic.
3.  If people ate these fatty foods for thousands of years, guess what that means for us?  Our bodies are ADAPTED to eat these foods.  We need them.
4.  Auto-immune diseases, cancers, autism, ADHD, depression, allergies, etc. are not normal.    A study of primitive cultures shows that these things did not exist.  We are much less healthy than we are supposed to be, than our bodies were meant to be.  And cutting down on saturated fat is part of the reason that is so.
5.  Yes, there are studies that show fat causing disease and obesity.  But they don't distinguish between natural saturated fats and artificial ones.  They also are very politically driven.  There are also plenty of good research works done showing saturated fat is good for us.
6.  Do you really think that God would tell us to kill a chicken, use it's breast, and throw out the rest because it's too fatty?  Or a cow - only use the lean meat?  It's extremely wasteful.  I can see, if you believe we shouldn't eat animal products, well, fine, believe it.  But I hope nobody believes we should eat only lean animal products.  I don't think God would make it that way.

Today I was listening to the radio, and they were saying they are trying to help the obesity epidemic, and are trying to cut down on fat in children.  EEEKKK!  It makes me so mad.  Okay, I'm not saying McDonalds is good for you.  But what is bad for you about it is NOT the saturated fat.  It's the refined carbohydrates and sodas, the preservatives, the VEGETABLE oils, etc. etc.  Anyway, the media and the food industry have a lot of power, and they control a lot of information that gets passed along.  But thankfully we live in a day where we have blogger (and youtube) and regular persons can have a voice.  I really had to hear, and read evidence of saturated fat being good for you over the course of several months to believe it.  We are conditioned from the time we are tiny that it is bad for you.  So we all think it, and we think that we think it because it's true, or it makes sense.  But we all think it because we've been taught it forever.  So I'd like to plant the first seed in your minds about this.  It may take you, like it took me, a long time to let it sink in.  But that's okay.  You may think I'm crazy now, but I'm telling you, I'm right :)  I'm just doing my part to try to clear up the lie that has been taught by the food-industry-controlled FDA to the unsuspecting doctors and nutrition experts, then passed on to us. 

So do your kids a favor, and melt butter over their veggies - every meal.  And make sure it's not margarine.

We do lots of fun things, really.

 

But I never want to write about the things we're up to.  Living in a townhouse with 3 small kids has gotten me to get out of the house a lot of the time.  We go so many places, and my kids are spoiled rotten.  They are so bored when we're home.  Ha ha.

And I've been thinking a lot about education - what I want to do for the schooling of my children.  I am collecting ideas and thinking outside the box (i.e. being weird- it's what I do best, I guess.  Sometimes I surprise myself with how weird I've become).  Doing lots of research in that area, but still have no idea what I'll be doing.

And finally, because it's easy to post about, this is what we've been up to nutritionally.  I've been headed this way for a while, and I'm really doing it.   But it'll probably be a year or so until I put the details of it up on my blog.  Inform yourself of Weston A. Price in the mean time, if you're so inclined.  He's rockin' my world.  I've known about him for over 2 years, now, but am finally embracing his research. And I believe that my next baby will not have reflux, because of what I am doing now.  I have high hopes. (And no, that's not an announcement).