New House

Just before Jason graduated, he approached his real-estate professor and asked if he thought we should buy a home before we left for the summer, or wait until we returned.  He said that he thought we'd be better off waiting a year or two to purchase.  When Jason told me that, I hit the roof.  What?  A year or two?  At this point we already had 2 children, and I was so excited for my very own home.

It has been over 3 years since then, and we still haven't bought a house.  We're better off for it, although I do suspect the market has finally bottomed out.  But because we are non-commital, we decided to move to another rental with a yard, that is closer to the charter school (in case we decide to send Levi there).

That's a short version of what we are up to.  We moved in a couple weeks ago and love it.  The kids playing in the hose all day just like children should in the summer time.  I'd like to take bets.  How long until we actually decide to buy?

Mother's Day

I like this video.

Facts of Life

Levi:  Mom!  I caught a mom and a baby butterfly!

Me:  Really?  Let's see.

(Levi comes in and shows me.  It is obvious to me this is NOT a mom and a baby).

Levi:  Are they stuck?

Me:  Uh, yeah, they're stuck.  You better let them outside.

Levi:  Wait, I want to get them unstuck!

Me:  No, you better just let them go.

(Levi totally ignores me and tries to "unstick" them anyway.  I am surprised how much it takes to get them unstuck.  Weird creatures.  Anyway...)

Levi:  There! I got them unstuck.  Now they will live longer because they are unstuck.

Me:  Um, I guess.  (to myself: Please, don't ask questions; I'm totally not ready for this)

Levi:  That baby butterfly really loves me!

Me: (to myself: I doubt it).

Another random picture tells me I need to get newer pictures off my camera.

Update:  So anyone who read my post earlier, after I posted it, Jason read it, and said I may or may not be supporting a political cause that I don't believe in (shows my ignorance to politics), so I'm shortening the quote I put on earlier to the to the part that I actually like:

"Literature is dangerous except when taken in large doses." -Martin Cothran

(Meaning when we read a literary work, it is persuasive, and we tend to think that is the way it is, or should be, or how great minds think.  But it's not until we have read around in a lot of literary works, that we can evaluate a new idea against other ideas).

That's all.

Levi is a "good kid."

I have to say, I've always wanted my boy[s] to be "good kid[s]."  I don't want Levi to worry about being cool or tough (not that I want a sissy or a dweeb).  Of course, he's 5, so there are not many kids who aren't "good" at this age, but I really can see him staying a good kid forever.  Maybe that's wishful thinking; maybe I should knock on wood.

My bug smasher

He's a normal boy in that he likes weapons, sports, etc.  But he's never gruesome, he's easy to teach (the easiest kid in joyschool, I assure you), he's not off the wall, he's respectful to me and his sisters most the time (sometimes when I don't really deserve it, too).  He's sensitive to the needs of others.  He really wants to do what is right.  The other day he was talking about choosing the right and said, "Well, it's hard to choose the right all, ALL the time."  But what really blows me away (and everyone away who sees it) is how he responds to the diet we're on.

Would you believe he hasn't had any sugar in 8 months? ANY.  None, zero, zip.  We have honey occasionally, and fruit as our only sweeteners.  We haven't had any processed food in 8 months.  NONE.  That means I bring our own food wherever we go.  If the primary teacher brings a treat for the kids, I bring something for Levi to eat instead (and sometimes it's just cucumbers, and he's totally fine with it).  Anyway, there are a lot of things we can't have (will spare you the details), and he never, ever complains.  In fact, at every meal he stuffs his face saying, "mmm."  Or, "for dessert can we have an apple?"

*side note: I have to be strict with this diet.  Although I've been health conscious for a long time, I was never strict like I am now, because I didn't see the point. The diet we are doing is a healing diet, and any "cheating" messes it all up.  So we don't.  One day, when the diet is over, we can relax a bit.

Anyway, I think my good-sport little Levi needed a blog post about him, because he really is a trooper.  His attitude about the diet is the only thing that's been easy for me (Dana has been pretty good, too, I might add. But Levi trumps).  When we first began the diet, the primary pres. brought a treat and Levi passed it up saying, "I can't have that.  I'm on a diet."  The entire primary staff thought that was pretty amusing.  And Levi didn't even think to tell me about it.  He wasn't proud or anything.  He was just following the rules.  The adults told me.

Many times primary teachers or substitutes tell me what a good kid he is, and how he knows his scriptures so well.  The primary pres. was giving a lesson on Jonah, and had a brain stupor as to where Jonah traveled to.  Levi shouts out, "Nineveh!"  I probably spend 3 min. a day on family scripture study, so it's not that I'm drilling him here.  He just remembers the stuff.

Captain Hook

Here's another thing.  I'm sure if you know me well at all you know I hate video games.  With a passion, actually.  He just got a camera from his grandma for his birthday, and what he didn't know was there are some games on it.  I toyed with the idea of taking it back for a different one, but decided to keep it.  I told Levi not to ask very often to play it.  And he doesn't.  He asks maybe once a week and says, "Can I play a video game for a few minutes, I'm wondering?"  (I love the "I'm wondering" part, and how he acts so casual in his asking).  After 5 minutes he turns it off.  He really loves to play, but doesn't push the issue at all, because I've told him how much I hate them and how bad they are for his brain, and how addictive... :)  Ha ha.  I'm just so impressed he accepts rules without a tantrum.

Halloween was the craziest.  We were actually doing an anti-candida portion of the diet where we could have no sweet things at all - no fruit, no honey, not even sweet veggies like squash.  The kids were such troopers.  Not one complaint at the halloween parties we attended, or at all.  They went trick or treating, and spent an hour or so smelling their candy before they put it in a bucket for the "Switch Witch" to come and switch it out for Hungry Hungry Hippos.  So all of this - in the trash.  They look unhappy in this picture, but they really didn't have a problem with it at all.  I am glad the anti-candida portion is over.  

Sometimes with the things that come out of his mouth, I think to myself, "Are you for real?"  He really is "perfect" in a way.  Not that he's perfect.  I use that term loosely, as we all know that person we'd describe as perfect.  He certainly has his quirks and his shortcomings (2 major ones I can think of:  peeing his pants, and being 100% non-self-entertaining, ha ha).  But I really couldn't have asked for a better little boy.  I just love him to pieces.

Oh, yeah, with peeing his pants.  So I have reason to believe that his pants peeing is physical, so I've been giving him a glass of water with a big scoop of magnesium citrate in it before bed.  It is GROSS.  Really.  But he always drinks it, saying, "I don't like this, but I'll drink it so I don't pee anymore."

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.