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See you there!

But my daughter is so cute!!!

I love my friends. They are so different, yet hip and “crunchy” in their own way.

Some birthed their children in a hospital, others used a birth center or had them at home.

Some cloth diaper, some use disposables. Some use nothing at all!

Some breastfeed their toddlers. Some don’t.

We all make different choices regarding what’s best for our child(ren), and yet we still respect and support each other. None of us are what you would consider “mainstream” in our parenting styles, but as more and more join our circle it becomes easy to forget just how different we are.

Until it comes to vaccination.

Most of us don’t, and those that do usually delay until after the age of two. I had forgotten how uncomfortable it can be to find out you’re on the other side of the debate in the midst of casual mom chat.

Uncomfortable . . . and possibly volatile. Remember the reaction I got when I told a complete stranger that I was still breastfeeding my toddler? That produces shock and possibly disgust, but revealing that I don’t vaccinate made a mom downright angry/indignant today. I get why . . . she has an infant that isn’t old enough to be vaccinated and feels that my choice is putting her daughter at risk. I told her that I had done my research and felt that the risks outweighed any potential benefits, but I know that it probably seemed to her that I was selfishly choosing the good of my child over what’s best for all children.

Worst of all, I am afraid that she will tell all the other moms and that Katie will be ostracized as “unsafe.” Oh well. I am who I am. I pray that every day God will purify me and make me a better wife/mother/friend/neighbor/etc. But I still want to be granola me.

A couple of days ago Katie broke my heart. Actually she broke her front tooth, which almost broke my heart. Seriously, I vomited for hours during labor and REFUSED all pain meds  because I didn’t want her exposed to anything that might harm her, but the moment she chips a tooth I’m all for knocking her out and performing a cosmetic procedure.

Fortunately, a good friend of mine is a dentist. After examining her he talked me out of doing anything drastic, so for now the only cosmetic to-do on Katie’s schedule is  getting into my makeup. But, my friend told me that her enamel seemed weak.

How did that happen?

Let me take you back a little. When I was pregnant with Katie I ate SO WELL. Seriously, I craved Skittles for an entire month but I refused to give in because I didn’t want to eat nasty food dye. And not only did I keep (most) of the unhealthy junk out of my body, I put a lot of great (and expensive!!!) stuff into it. During the 42 weeks I was pregnant I drank a daily green drink (powder made from vegetables, fish oil and liquid minerals). One day I was sooo nauseous but totally determined to get good nutrients to my baby. I was about nine months pregnant at the time.  I tried so hard to keep it down that when my will finally caved to my body I was heaving so much that I wet my pants!

All that to say, I am a little compulsive about nutrition. I like answers, too. Answers to questions like, why are my little girl’s teeth weak? And what can I do about it? I ordered some books today for the new dental health section of my library. I’ll be ready to take the NBDE when all is said and done, I assure you.

And then I will put the answers here. If you’re interested, that is. And if you’re not, perhaps you’d like to peruse my library on some other topic. Brain functionality, fairy tales, emotional healing, C.S. Lewis, philosophy, food, etc.  Did you notice how Lewis got his own category? He’s my favorite author of all time. Ever. Forever and ever.

Aside: How do you like my new blog layout? Daniel surprised me with it after I mentioned I’d like a more photo centric blog. We’re still working out some design elements, but I really like it. Thanks hubby!

We had a blast this morning with some other families from our Wednesday mommy home group. Everyone brought food to the park and we had a great time throwing the frisbee, playing in the sandbox, and just getting to know each other better.

This is a test blog post, so blame my husband for the copy, not me.

Yesterday, Katie did a rain dance.

Or, at least, she was dancing in the rain. If I believed in that stuff, I would say that it was pretty effective, because it is supposed to rain for the rest of the (work) week!

So, instead of our planned trip to the park, we went to the mall. At 8:30 a.m. the mall is grandparent heaven! If your kid’s grandparents live far away or you just need a few extra pairs, stop by the mall early in the morning while they are all taking their power walks. Your child will be fawned over and adored like you wouldn’t believe!

After that we went to the indoor playground, which was full of mothers whose plans were also thwarted by the rain. Fortunately, they brought their kids, so Katie was very entertained : – )

See?

Despite the fact that she really was having a good time I was barely able to catch a smile on camera. Usually she is very expressive, but today she was so subdued I barely recognized her. Maybe the rain had something to do with it. Here’s a halvsie that I pried out of her with a raisin bribe.

What happened next (or actually, what did not happen next) almost derailed the whole day . . . no nap. Before Katie came into my life I thought napping during the day was an indulgent luxury, if not downright lazy. Now I consider it an absolute necessity at least a few days a week. After driving her around in the car for almost an hour and being truly close to a mommy meltdown, I was rescued by Daniel. For some ***inexplicable*** reason he decided to work from home today.

And that’s it, folks!

Harper!

Thank you Cindy for letting me borrow your handsome little guy for photography practice. It was so thoughtful of him to be on his best behavior so that Katie could observe how our photo sessions are supposed to go : – )

When I met Daniel he was a fast-food loving, Dr Pepper drinking smoker (I know, I know). Obviously, what he needed in his life was someone to show him how to live healthy. Right.

Anyway, although I would never nag anyone like this now, I totally drove him nuts with detailed descriptions of how his lifestyle choices were affecting his health. And because he is so progressive and all, he actually listened to me! He knew he couldn’t tackle each lifestyle issue right then, but decided it was time to reduce the toxic load on his body.

He stopped wearing deoderant. Ya know, because it has aluminum in it, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s, breast cancer and other brain disorders. Not the “sacrifice” I would have chosen, but it was pretty clever on his part. Rather than give up something that would bother him, he ditched the product whose absence would bother me. A lot. Because it was a hot Texas summer.

Poor college student status prevented him from buying expensive natural alternatives. Since we’ve been married, though, he’s tried just about everything under the sun with no significant results. This summer, things got out of control. Now that we have a toddler we are outside a lot, sweating bullets and praying for Katie to take a long nap as our reward. By evening we smell like a whole gaggle of children who have been on the playground all morning. Do you know that smell? Blech!

All that is over now. I have found the solution and I’m sharing it with YOU!!! It’s so easy I can’t believe I missed it. Cheap, too.

Homemade Deoderant That Really Works

Mix equal parts aluminum-free baking soda and cornstarch. Mix in a little coconut oil . . . just enough to help the mixture form into a little ball. The baking soda and corn starch will keep you dry and the coconut oil
is moisturizing and has antibacterial properties to keep odor at bay.

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I love you stinky!

Karen and Eric’s new little boy, Conner Alexander, was born one week ago today. I got to meet him over the weekend and let me tell you is one beautiful little boy. See for yourself!

I can still remember when I thought Taco Bueno burritos fulfilled my fresh veggie requirement for a meal. After all, there were diced tomatoes and onions in there! Sometimes even lettuce.

Oh how things have changed. When did I become a foodie? When did I start reading books about food, not just cookbooks?

I want to hunt for morels in California, pick olives in Greece, and make cheese with the milk collected from our very own goats. Since none of that will happen today, I will be content with the yummy goodness of one, or ten, homegrown tomatoes.