Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Nutritional Tree-Great Natural Products

I have been researching different "natural" products in an effort for finding things that might help my little guys. I have looked at a couple of different companies. The company that I plan on trying out next is called, "Nutritional Tree". I plan on trying out the probiotic products that the Nutritional Tree sells. I would love to hear any ideas from people who have used their products or know of different companies that have similar products.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Election is Over

I have refrained from posting anything about the election and who I thought should win because I have always felt like that should be a person's own private decision that should not get influenced by other people's opinions. But now that the election is over, I just want to say how scared I am for my children's future!
I hope that I am wrong and that Obama will turn out to be a great president but right now, I am scared about America's future. I have always believed that if a person worked hard they could make it in America. I believe that what you make by working hard should be yours and should not be spread around! It is not right to tax people more basically because they work harder. People in America have become lazy and dependent on the government. Whatever happened to the can do American attitude? Now the only thing that many Americans can and will do is wait for the government to give them their next handout.
I only hope that in four years, the Americans that voted in Obama and gave control of the House and Senate to the Democrats will own their vote! I am curious though, who will they blame since George Bush won't be there?

Friday, August 29, 2008

Pee Wee Herman's Birthday?! Not Funny! Thank's Dad!

I am still in disbelief that my little 5lb 6oz baby boy turned 11 on Wednesday! He is now a 150lb 5'6 11 year old 5th grader! Where did the time go? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was at the hospital having my first little boy. I still remember my father coming into the room after my son had been born, telling me that he was going to be special because he shared a birthday with-of all people-Pee Wee Herman! I was not amused!
Christopher was my parent's first grandbaby and they spoiled him rotten-they were allowed! Both of my parents were so proud of him! Of course, my dad had a special bond with Christopher, maybe it was because he was his first grandson or maybe it was because somewhere deep down my father knew that Christopher was the only grandchild he would have the joy of knowing! When I think of Christopher as a baby, I can't help but think about my dad. My dad passed away before Christopher turned 4. I sure do miss him.
I know that he would still be proud of his first grandson if he was still here! Christopher is such a joy-although he can be a pain-I am already dreading the teenage years! I am sure that my dad would say that is just payback for my teenage years!
I am so glad that birthday's only come once a year because even though I love seeing my babies grow up, I wish that they would stay little forever!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

He Took a Cupholder?!

Yesterday my landlord had to come to my house to fix the air conditioner because it was leaking. My husband and I have rented from him for over a year now and he always seemed normal, in fact, we are moving into another one of his properties next week. Once the landlord was downstairs, we were talking and then he said he needed to the bathroom-I started to tell him he could use the one upstairs, when all of a sudden I heard him start peeing!! Right in front of me!! WTF!!!!
I left the laundry room, where the air conditioner and toilet are, and went into the family room in the basement to give him his privacy. After about 5 minutes, I went back in the laundry room to see if he had finished fixing the air conditioner yet. When I walked in, he was holding the cup holder/snack tray to my 4 year old's car seat. He saw me looking at him, so he put it down. He said he had fixed the air conditioner and started to get his things together.
As he was carrying his equipment out, I noticed that he was also taking my 4 year old's cup holder/ snack tray. I was kind of surprised and couldn't think of what to say to him about the cup holder, so he walked out with it.
After he went outside, he cut down tree branches and left them in the yard and then left!
He did a couple of odd things, but I am still not sure why he took the cup holder. My 4 year old is tube fed and doesn't need the cup holder, which is why the cup holder was in the basement and not in the car. I guess I just find it weird that the landlord would take something that he knows isn't his!
But what do you do?!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

What Did You Say? "Boy Hearing" Explained!

Why is it that your son, or for that matter your husband, has excellent hearing when it comes to video games or hunting, yet don't hear you ask them to pick up their clothes? I used to think that my 4 son's had a hearing problem that they must have gotten from their father, then I realized that it was just "boy hearing".
You may be wondering just what exactly "boy hearing" is and does you husband or son suffer from it, too. Well, chances are they do! I define "boy hearing" as the ability for a male of any age to only hear what they want to, when they want to. Not only does "boy hearing" cause males to not hear what you say, it also gives them the uncanny ability to completely tune you out when you are right in front of them.
The first experience I ever had with "boy hearing" was with my brother. There were times that he would be so focused on either a movie or his Nintendo, that he would not hear a word that I said to him. I just thought that was how my brother was-I was wrong!
After having four boys and a husband, I have found that "boy hearing" is a common occurrence. If I ask my sons to pick up their room or to pick up their toys they suddenly go deaf; but, if I am standing outside, whispering on the phone about going to the zoo, all of my kid's suddenly appear from out of nowhere and start asking when we are going to the zoo!
You can test your spouse or son's for "boy hearing" by asking them or telling them about something that does not involve wheels or games, and then see if they respond. This test works especially well if you are asking them to help you clean something or pick up their dirty clothes. If they do not respond or act like they don't hear you, then they have "boy hearing"!
Don't worry though, "boy hearing" is really just annoying, even though it may seem as if your sons or husband has some serious hearing loss, they don't-it's just the "boy hearing"!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Saving Money on Back to School Shopping

Summer is almost over and that can only mean one thing--school is starting! It is funny how the end of summer has different meanings the older you get. When you are in school, back to school is exciting and a little scary. As you get older and become a parent, back to school is still exciting but it also becomes scary-but for much different reasons!
In today's economy, having to buy school supplies and school clothes can get very expensive-very fast! I have found several ways to help ease the financial burden and save you lots of money! One of the best ways to save money on school supplies is to go to your local dollar store. In my town, it is the Dollar Tree. This might be the best store ever! You can find many of the basic school supplies that your child will need for very little-one dollar! Some of the items that I have found at the dollar store for back to school are pens, pencils, scissors, notebook paper, crayons-if you don't mind the off brand, notebooks, and binders. Many of the dollar stores rotate their items or only get a limited quantity of items. If you are looking for a specific item, it might be worth your time to check out two or three dollar store locations.
Another great outlet for school supplies is Big Lots. Big Lots is a closeout store, so their inventory is constantly changing. I have found alot of great deals on school supplies, like backpacks and novelty binders at my local Big Lots.
Of course, Wal-Mart is a great place to get great deals on school supplies. And as an added bonus, you can save gas by doing all of your other shopping there, too. The one downside to Wal-Mart is that as school gets closer, the store gets more crowded and the school supply area can become a little hectic.
I hope these suggestions help ease the pain of buying school supplies. Tomorrow, I will give ideas on ways to save on back to school clothing!
Happy Shopping!!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Randy Pausch-Goodbye!

I just heard that Prof. Randy Pausch has passed today. I just want to send my condolences to his family and friends.
His last lecture was so inspiring and it is heartbreaking that such a good person is gone. I hope that he realized how many people he touched with his lecture about life. I know that I will never forget him!
My heart breaks for his wife and his children. I know how hard it is to lose your father but I am sure that he gave his children many wonderful gifts that they will treasure in their hearts forever!
I hope that God eases the pain of his family's loss!
God bless you Randy Pausch! You will be missed!

My E-bay Store-How I started working from home-Intro

For several years I thought about selling stuff on e-bay. I always put it off and said that I would start as soon as I did this or that. At the end of May, I took the leap and opened my e-bay store. It is very time consuming and has been frustrating at time, but, I think that I am beginning to get the hang of it!
I opened my store, The Frugal Moms Boutique-http://stores.ebay.com/The-Frugal-Moms-Boutique, and discovered that it is not as easy as it sounded! In my store, I sell pretty much anything, although clothing-especially children's-does very well! I am trying to increase my sales and my feedback score and one day I hope to be a Power Seller. That day seems very far away, but I think with time and effort, I can reach that goal.
I will add more details about my journey to becoming a Power Seller in the coming weeks!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Here We Go Again....

Well, I think that the unimaginable is happening! I think that my youngest son, Dillon, may have the same problem as my middle two boys. I can't believe that it is about to happen again! My husband thinks that Dillon has the same problem. I don't want to believe it.
Dillon has started coughing, that is how it started with the other two boys. The doctor's can't tell us why he's coughing and so the uphill battle to find out why begins. The genetics doctor's want to do an MRI to see if Dillon has the same brain changes that the other two boys have, but the pediatrician wants to wait. Of course, even if he does have the same changes- what does that mean!
I dread the next few months- I guess I can always hope that Dillon just has a really bad cold that is lasting for 7 or 8 weeks. Well, I guess time will tell.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

My Special Boys- Part 2- Danny


Danny is my 2 year old son. He has the same genetic issue that Connor has. Danny had his g-tube put in when he was a year old. His feeding issues started when he was about 4-5 months old. He started choking on his food and became a very messy eater. He eventually developed a cough that sounded like the cough that Connor had. He had an MRI when he was 4 months old and his MRI was identical to Connor's first MRI.
Danny had some developmental delays as well, he did not walk until he was about 18-19 months old and he did not sit unsupported until he was 13 months old. Danny also had significant speech and language delays. As a baby he never babbled. There were several times that we thought he might be deaf but his hearing always came back ok. Danny has just begun to talk. He has less then ten words but at least he is trying to communicate now.
Danny also has crying fits for no reason. Ever since he was a baby, he will cry for no explainable reason. There is nothing that anyone can do to calm him down. Eventually he stops, but sometimes that can be an hour or so later. He still has the crying episodes. It can be very frustrating because many times he will start and I have no idea about what set him off.
Danny has also been very clingy and shy. He does not like to play with other children, except his brothers and his cousin. He is scared of people, I think. He is not nearly as social as Connor is. Danny is very sensitive. Sometimes if you look at him the wrong way, he will start crying.
Around 20 months, Danny had an autism screening. The doctors did not think he was autistic but they did say he may be PDD-NOS. Of course they said that about Connor when he was Danny's age, also. I think that just means that they don't know why he acts the way he does.
Even though Danny can be a very shy little boy, there are times, especially when he is with Connor, that he seems like the most bubbly, outgoing boy in the world. Even though Connor and Danny have the same "unknown genetic disorder", I think that there are many differences, especially in their temperaments and social behaviors.
One of the things that I get told all the time is that I am lucky because my children "look normal" and that they don't look like there is anything wrong with them and they look so "healthy and normal". I am glad that they look the way they do and I am sure that the people who tell me those things have only good intentions in mind, but it really upsets me. It upsets me because I think that every child- no matter how they look- should be told that they look normal. After all, what is normal?

Friday, May 2, 2008

My Special Boys-part 1-Connor


I have four children, they are all boys, ranging in age from four months to ten years. My two middle children, Connor,4, and Danny,2, have some special needs. I would tell you what their diagnosis is, but the doctors haven't been able to give them one. Connor and Danny have an unknown genetic disorder(at least that is what the doctors say right now). Right now, we are hoping that our youngest son doesn't have the same thing but only time will tell.

Connor was born prematurely at 35 weeks and spent the first month of his life in the NICU. When he came home, we thought the hardest part was over. Instead, we spent the next year trying to figure out why he was constantly coughing and breathing loudly. We thought it was because he had been on a ventilator for a week in the NICU. He had several episodes of pneumonia, which was diagnosed only by doing a chest x-ray because he never acted sick or ran a fever. Eventually, one of his doctors ordered an upper GI and the results were very surprising. The upper GI showed my son aspirating. One of the doctors told us he was very lucky because he had been silently aspirating, probably his whole life. He was put in the hospital immediately and was taken off oral feedings. He was a year old. He spent the next three months in the hospital while the doctors ran tests. Most tests came back ok, but his MRI showed that he had a slight Dandy Walker formation and extra fluid around his brain. They put a g-tube in when he was 14 months old.

Since then, Connor has had unexplained fevers, sensory integration problems, speech delays and developmental delays. Last week the genetics doctor took more blood to run some new genetic tests. I hope it will give us an answer.

I think that the most frustrating part of this whole thing is that our 2 year old has the same issue and I think the genetic doctor suspects that my four month old may have the same problem.

When I look at Connor it is hard to believe everything that he has been through because he is such a smart and lovable little boy. Connor is a very special little boy because no matter what is going on with him he is always happy.

Friday, April 25, 2008

The Battle of the Phone.

I have decided that babies must be born with some kind of sixth sense that tells them when their mom picks up the phone. My four sons, all of varying ages, seem to wait until they see me move towards the phone to ask me any random question that comes to their mind or to start crying, in a coordinated effort to keep me off the phone. Of course, there are times when I have to make a call and it cannot wait. I eventually get past all of their initial attempts to stop me and mistakenly believe that they have given up and will behave and play quietly while I am on the phone. But, that is just another trick they use and I fall for it every time.
I think that most moms have witnessed this phenomenon on many different occasions. Your kids can be playing outside, but the minute that you pick up the phone to make an important call, your kids suddenly appear in front of you. Of course, in a perfect world your kids would see that you are busy and realize that their sudden urge for a Popsicle (you can substitute band-aid, snack, drink, toy repair,or any other very important, need it right now, absolutely can't wait critcal item or question they might come up with) is not a national emergency that requires your immediate attention. But that is in a perfect world, in the real world they will talk to you progressively louder, cry-if they are young enough, or any other crazy and annoying tactic they can think to get you off the phone. Please note, that the more serious and important the phone call is, the more obnoxious and loud your children will be. Eventually you are forced to either put duct tape on your children's mouths or get off the phone. And since the duct tape would be just a little harsh-you hang up the phone and hope that the person you were talking to has kids too.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Saving Money on Diapers...

OK, like most moms out there, I am always looking to save money! One of the biggest expenses that parents face is DIAPERS!! The problem that I always run into is trying to find a cheaper diaper that doesn't leak. I have tried every generic brand of diaper in my area (Midwest) and the one generic diaper that works the best is Parents Choice-sold at Wal-mart.
I like Parents Choice because the fit is good and it has a soft feel. Plus, the diapers don't leak! I have three boys in diapers right now and Parent's Choice works for all three. The Parent's Choice diaper looks like a Pampers Swaddler- which is what I had been using on my soon to be four month old. I think that the absorbency of the Parent's Choice diaper is superior to that of Pampers and Huggies, not to mention all of the other generic diapers that I tried. I had been hesitant to try a generic diaper on my youngest for two reasons. First, he has very sensitive skin and sometimes generic diapers can irritate a new baby's bottom. Second, and I am sure most new parents will agree with me on this, newborns can pee through almost anything(especially if they are wearing a new outfit and look especially cute at the time)!
My two older sons, they are 2 and 4, also use the Parent's Choice diaper. The diaper works well for them also. I think that if it can work for two very active toddler boy's, then these diapers can work well for any baby.
When it comes to the money you can save by using Parent's Choice rather than Huggies or Pampers, it will add up quickly. At my local Wal-Mart a package of 48 size two Parent's Choice diapers were $5.74 while a 48 count size two package of Huggies and Pampers were between 9 and 10 dollars. If you buy the larger size packages, the difference in price is over 9 dollars. The amount of money that you save will definitely add up.
I will admit that I had been skeptical about using a generic brand of diapers because I worried that I would spend the money I was saving on laundry detergent because I would have several more loads of laundry to do because of leaky diapers. But happily that has not been the case. I definitely recommend that you try using Parent's Choice diapers- I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Politicians and Economic Problems

Like most Americans these days, our family is struggling to make ends meet. I am still in shock over how much gas has gone up and I can't imagine paying more than 3.39 a gallon- but I think that day is coming. I dread going to the grocery store now because everything is so much more expensive now. It seems like all the politicians do is talk about how hard it is for the American public right now but I don't think that they have any idea. Most of the politicians, especially our three presidential candidates, have no idea how hard it is right now. They don't have to go to the grocery store and wonder how they are going to be able to buy everything on their list. I am also sure that they don't have to give up going places because they can't afford to put gas in their car.
I wish that the cantidates would stop talking about how they 'understand' and 'can relate' to the American public.
Instead of trying to tell America how they 'relate and understand' what Americans are going through right now, I think that the politicians should be trying to 'understand' and fix the problem that got America into this position in the first place.

Friday, April 11, 2008

It's My Birthday-Again!?

Well, today is my birthday. It is funny how birthdays change as you get older. As a child, I used to love my birthday and couldn't wait to be one year older, now, I dread my birthday and I wish I could be one year younger!! I think that as I've gotten older my birthday is just another reminder that another year has passed and I am getting older. I don't feel older though, in fact I still feel like a kid sometimes. I still find myself thinking about what I am going to be when I grow up. Some days I just don't feel old enough to have a 10 year old son and three other munchkins younger than him. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was babysitting someonelse's children and now I am taking care of four of my own! Where has the time gone?
Life seems so much faster and more complicated now than it did ten years ago. I think the whole adult and parent responsibility thing sneaks up on you. One day your free and life is at your feet and then suddenly your old and you have four kids and you are responsible for them.
Don't get me wrong though, I wouldn't change a thing. I think that there are very few people in this world who can honestly say that where they are in life now is where they thought that they would be when they were a child. When I was a child I thought that I would be a doctor by the time I was 30. I thought that I would have two children a boy and a girl and have the house with the white picket fence. But instead, I have four wild boys and a small white house with no picket fence. But that is okay because I love my simple life and my goofy boys. Plus, not only am I another year older, I should be another year wiser, too. Right!?

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

First Baby Syndrome

The biggest problem that I have encountered with my fourth child is that he didn't get the memo that he is not the first baby! For those of you who only have one child or who are expecting your first baby, you may encounter what I like to call the "first baby syndrome". Simply put, this means that your baby will expect to be held almost every waking moment and since you will only have your one precious bundle of joy, you will gladly accommodate this need. "First baby syndrome" isn't that bad, as long as you don't want anyone else to hold your baby or get anything else done in your house for a few months. I remember how I loved to hold my first son all the time. Of course, my parents also contributed to the problem by also holding my son constantly, but that was okay because he was there first grand baby.
You can always spot new "first baby" parents, they are the ones who buy EVERYTHING for their baby. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but there are some baby products that a seasoned mom would never waste their time on. But when a baby and their parents have "first baby syndrome", every cute, but pretty much useless, piece of baby gear is deemed a necessity.
The downside of "first baby syndrome" is that eventually most new parents have second and third babies. I just had my fourth son, and while I didn't have problems with"first baby syndrome" with my middle two sons, my fourth son has decided that he is the first baby. He wants to be held all the time, which tends to be a problem when you also have a two and four year old. I have to admit that I have also fallen into the "first baby syndrome", too. I think it is because I know he will be my last baby, but I find myself drawn to all the useless baby gear that I would never have thought twice about getting with my middle two.
So to all the new parents out there, BE WARNED, you too could have a baby with "first baby syndrome". Of course, there is nothing you can do to stop it because how can any parent not want to spoil their first, or even fourth, baby!!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Dieting

Well, I have decided to try to lose some of the baby weight that I gained with my last child. I found a website called SparkPeople. I really like it because it has so much information. You enter your information and it creates a diet plan for you. It allows you to enter the food you eat and calculates the total calories you take in daily. It also creates an exercise plan for you. The exercises that it suggests are simple enough for a beginner like me to do. Most of the exercises don't require equipment and are fast. It calculates the calories burned for each exercise you do. I like it because the more you do, the more sparkpoints you get. The sparkpoints don't really give you anything BUT if your like me, they give you encouragement to get more.
The site is also packed full of articles on everything from diet and exercise to motivation and health issues. You can also create a family plan that allows you to include your whole family in your weight loss.
There are hundreds of tried and true healthy recipes that other participants have posted and many of the recipes are very easy to make. I have been using this site for two weeks now and have lost ten pounds. I think part of the reason that I am losing weight now is because I am becoming very aware of what I eat and have started to exercise.
I definitely think that Sparkpeople is a great site for people looking for an easy and free diet plan to use. I will keep updating my progress.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Kindergarten roundup....Already???

Well, I haven't posted on here in a while because my life has been so busy. I have been running around in circles trying to get everything done. Two weeks ago, my 4 year old had kindergarten roundup and that was crazy!! He has some medical issues so he is very small and to see him with all the other pre-k kids was a little suprising. He is a head shorter than every other child that was at the kindergarten roundup...but I think his enthusiasm will make up for his short stature.