hodgepodge

Blog Design
If you have a small monitor, you won't be able to see the new border design on this page.  We have one small screen and one large screen, and the brown definitely overwhelms on the small screen; there's not much else in the frame.  You won't have to put up with this design for long though.  I can't decorate my own house, so I'll use this space to exercise that womanly part of me.  The part that wants to make a house a home a screen a whimsical escape.

Teenage Pregnancy
My husband's classmate relayed that the young girl will be keeping her baby.  She decided this before we delivered any letter.  I'm not sure about God's purpose in having me get involved emotionally.  Just to pray for her?  Or maybe the emotional involvement was my doing only?  Maybe the Lord wanted me to love my husband even more?  I certainly did fall in love with hubby all over again over this matter--his tender heart touched me.

At any rate, we'll keep praying for baby and both sides of the family.

Whole Food Endeavor
We still pursue a switch to whole foods.  My efforts to purge everything with food dye from our cupboards recently included the children's beloved Country Time Lemonade.  A huge undertaking; my children aren't fond of water and I'm not fond of juice.  Juice--even real juice--is mostly empty calories and lots of sugar.  Nutritionists don't agree that it equals a half serving of fruit.  Unfortunately, some kids drink their calories and suffer nutritionally.  Country Time has far fewer calories and less sugar, but it has yellow food dye.

With the lemonade out, they stopped drinking liquid and began asking for a lot of milk.  My resolve weakened, people.  Pediatricians tell you to give them water--if they're thirsty, they'll drink.  You know the mantra.  Well, they didn't.  And their urine got darker, and a serious inner battle plagued me.  I bought a bag of lemons to flavor water for them, like restaurants serve it, but no success there.

Next, I bought kid-sized water bottles, in desperation (yeah I know, water bottles aren't a "green" purchase).  But they worked!  They now drink water from their cute little water bottles!   The price of the bottles about equals the lemonade cost, but eventually we'll get a water filter to offset that.  If I can keep the baby from choking on tossed aside water-bottle lids, I'll declare this hydrating experiment a victory.

Now, if I can only get hubby to give up the Mountain Dew.  We don't drink tea or coffee, so I guess he needs it for the caffeine.  I drink only water and sip cocoa on less-busy winter evenings.   Coffee or tea would be healthier for him, but he doesn't care for either and it's hard to get him to drink water, which he needs to offset the caffeine in the soda.  The blood work from his last physical indicated slight dehydration.  Makes me wonder if caffeine skews natural thirst, as well as dehydrates a person?

Highchair Dilemma
For many months Beth had the annoying habit of standing in her highchair within a few minutes of being served (unless Italian food topped the menu).  She hearts Italian, like her Momma.  Boy, I miss the Olive Garden! My sister gave us a gift card, but we have no babysitter right now!

Anyhow, by the time I help serve all the children, and finally attempt a bite of my own food, Beth is done eating and repeatedly standing.  Various scenarios played out over these last months, but each one ended in the same frustration--I couldn't eat hot food.

Older sister Mary behaved similarly at this age, and recently it dawned on me how we solved that problem.  A  booster seat with safety belt (straps to the dining-room chair)!  I guess I was too sleep deprived to remember this earlier.  Boosters with straps make for a tighter fit and keep baby in place for the entire meal.  Walmart had one for ten dollars and I eagerly brought it home and laced the straps.  We set her in it, and BINGO!  VICTORY!

Momma can eat hot food, and maybe even finish her food once in a while!

I can also strap her in while I shuffle the laundry!  I'm just so tickled at this victory over everyday frustrations around here.  She stays safe, and now she can practice "drawing"  with crayons while I fold clothes.  So far she's just trying to eat them, but we'll get there.

She loves the new big-girl seat!

Momma is full of smiles.

Mealtime is a pleasure, once again.

Okay....maybe not a pleasure, per se.  Manners still haven't found my boys.

But we've certainly made a dent in restoring sanity.