Thursday, September 23, 2010

what the boys are loving right now!


1. Playing outside all day long whenever possible
* tree forts
* swing sets
* battery powered trucks and four-wheelers
* riding bikes along the trail by our house and in our yard
* building bike ramps with Daddy big enough to make me scared to ride on them.
* the sand box in the yard
* sling shots
* weapons of mass destruction (light sabers, toy guns, toy swords, etc)

2. Hot wheels tracks

3. Leggos

4. little Army men

5. Dress up costumes. Usually as superheroes.

This year for halloween, Caeden is Optimus Prime the Transformer

Caeden is loving school. The first two weeks he had a little difficulty learning how to be quiet and obey all the rules expected by the teacher. These last two weeks have changed dramatically. He has motivated himself to be the best behaved child in class. There is a stuffed lion named Leonardo, who is awarded to the best behaved child in class that day. Leonardo gets to pal around with them all day and he sits on their desk. Caeden has won Leonardo twice in the last two weeks. He is also super motivated by his chore chart. Nothing was left undone last week. Then entire sheet was covered in stickers. He has asked for Hot Lunch at school, so Monday he enjoyed School nachos and watermelon. Today he asked to stay later for after school care. Instead of getting him at 1pm he went with the other kids until 2:45. The other day in the store, he said, "Mom, look at all the phonograms in this store?" To which I replied, "what are phonograms?" ( i kinda knew, but not really) He proceeded to show me the double e's and o's and said a phonograms is like "sh, says shhh." There is a maturity to him developing that I have not seen before. It makes me so proud, as well as sad that life is passing us by so quickly.


Owen is an army guy in honor of my dad who served in the Vietnam War


Owen is super lovey boy. He can be in the middle of playing (very intense during his playtime i might add), when he just looks at me, tilts his head, and says, "Aw mom, your the best in the whole world, I love you!!" or curl up in my lap and put his head down and say, "mom, i want to love on you!" He is so affectionate, kind, considerate. He is really growing up too. He has learned to ride his new pedal bike. He was very attached to the push bike and did not want to give that up. He keeps asking when he is going to school. I can't believe he will be in preschool next year. I am really enjoying my one-one-one time with him at home this year. I love how he tells and shows us every day his super human strength. When I asked if he could really have super powers, he said that he would want to fly.

I love being a mom to these 2 crazy, lovable kids.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Homemade Chocolate Milk

Owen and I made this today
It was waaaaay better than Hersheys Syrup

serves 4 big glasses

33 ounces milk
3 ounce water
4 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoons sugar
Heat sugar, cocoa, and water in sauce pan until dissolved
add cold milk and stir.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Did you know???

I have been reading the book, The Omnivore's Dilemna and am learning a great deal lately about how toxic our foods are due to poor farming practices and a plethora of antibiotics and hormones. It is a fascinating read. It is amazing how much we take for granted as far as what goes into our food. (more on this later)

We also take for granted the chemicals that may be found in our household items.
I recently read some articles here and here and here about the toxic chemical, Triclosan which is found in most antiacterial soap.


It is said to have the following harmful effects
  • Chronic toxicity
  • Carcinogenicity
  • Abnormalities with the endocrine system, particularly with thyroid hormone signaling
    Weakening of the immune system
    Birth defects
    Uncontrolled cell growth
    Unhealthy weight loss

  • This is a list i found of items that contain triclosan:

Soaps:

* Dial® Liquid Soap
* Softsoap® Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap
* Tea Tree Therapy™ Liquid Soap
* Provon® Soap
* Clearasil® Daily Face Wash
* Dermatologica® Skin Purifying Wipes
* Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser
* DermaKleen™ Antibacterial Lotion Soap
* Naturade Aloe Vera 80® Antibacterial Soap
* CVS Antibacterial Soap
* pHisoderm Antibacterial Skin Cleanser

Dental Care:

* Colgate Total®; Breeze™ Triclosan Mouthwash
* Reach® Antibacterial Toothbrush
* Janina Diamond Whitening Toothpaste

Cosmetics:

* Supre® CafĂ© Bronzer™
* TotalSkinCare Makeup Kit
* Garden Botanika® Powder Foundation
* Mavala Lip Base
* Jason Natural Cosmetics
* Blemish Cover Stick
* Movate® Skin Litening Cream HQ
* Paul Mitchell Detangler Comb
* Revlon ColorStay LipSHINE Lipcolor Plus Gloss
* Dazzle

Deodorant:

* Old Spice High Endurance Stick Deodorant
* Right Guard Sport Deodorant
* Queen Helene® Tea Trea Oil Deodorant and Aloe Deodorant
* Nature De France Le Stick Natural Stick Deodorant
* DeCleor Deodorant Stick
* Epoch® Deodorant with Citrisomes
* X Air Maximum Strength Deodorant

Other Personal Care Products:

* Gillette® Complete Skin Care MultiGel Aerosol Shave Gel
* Murad Acne Complex® Kit®
* Diabet-x™ Cream
* T.Taio™ sponges and wipes
* Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel

First Aid:

* SyDERMA® Skin Protectant plus First Aid Antiseptic
* Solarcaine®
* First Aid Medicated Spray;
Nexcare™ First Aid
* Skin Crack Care
* First Aid/Burn Cream
* HealWell® Night Splint
* 11-1X1: Universal Cervical Collar with Microban

Kitchenware:

* Farberware® Microban Steakknife Set and Cutting Boards
* Franklin Machine Products FMP Ice Cream Scoop SZ 20 Microban
* Hobart Semi-Automatic Slicer
* Chix® Food Service Wipes with Microban
* Compact Web Foot® Wet Mop Heads

Computer Equipment:

* Fellowes Cordless Microban Keyboard and Microban Mouse Pad

Clothes:

* Merrell Shoes
* Sabatier Chef's Apron
* Dickies Socks
* Fruit of the Loom Socks
* Biofresh® Socks

Children's Toys:

* Playskool® :
o Stack 'n Scoop Whale
o Rockin' Radio
o Hourglass
o Sounds Around Driver
o Roll 'n' Rattle Ball
o Animal Sounds Phone
o Busy Beads Pal
o Pop 'n' Spin Top
o Lights 'n' Surprise Laptop

Other:

* Bionare® Cool Mist Humidifier
* Microban® All Weather Reinforced Hose
* Thomasville® Furniture
* Deciguard AB Ear Plugs
* Bauer® 5000 Helmet
* Aquatic Whirlpools
* Miller Paint Interior Paint
* QVC® Collapsible 40-Can Cooler
* Holmes Foot Buddy™ Foot Warmer
* Blue Mountain Wall Coverings
* California Paints®
* EHC AMRail Escalator Handrails
* Dupont™ Air Filters
* Durelle™ Carpet Cushions
* Advanta One Laminate Floors
* San Luis Blankets
* J Cloth® towels
* JERMEX mops



The hand soap in my kitchen and each bathroom was Softsoap and the actice ingredient in it was Triclosan. Since, I have an endocrine disorder already, this really alarmed me, so I looked for

and I ordered the brand Clean Well




Hope this helps you too!!


Thursday, September 2, 2010

Eggplant

I tried eggplant for the first time today. There is an organic farm down the road and the eggplant looked so pretty I thougt it was time to taste it.
This recipe was delicious and I liked the eggplant more than i thought i would
Here ya go:

i cooked it on the skillet since we have no grill and I had zucchini and not squash


Grilled Eggplant and Squash Caprese

(Makes approximately 4 servings)

For the grilled eggplant and squash:

  • 1 small Japanese eggplant
  • 1 yellow squash
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper


To finish the salad:

  • 2 tomatoes
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 4 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Preheat the grill to medium-high. While the grill preheats, slice the eggplant and squash on a diagonal approximately 1/4-1/2 inches thick. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Brush each slice of eggplant/squash with the oil right before placing oiled side down on the grill. Grill for a few 3-4 minutes and then brush with oil before flipping and grilling for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool slightly.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Yummy


I discovered these delicious organic lollipops in the market nearby our house!!
The kids love them
and I love them........ nothing arificial, no chemicals, no corn syrup, no dyes, casein free, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free, GMO free
and 100% vegan
but seriously they are delicious!!

here is their website Yummy Earth



addendum:
anonymouns asked what Is in them
the ingredients on the back of my bag at home is for 4 different flavors and it says:
organic evaporated cane juice, organic tapioca syrup, and/or organic rice syrup, citric acid (from beeet sugar) Natural flavors may contain organic black carrots, organic black currant, organic apple, organic carrot, and organic pumpkin.
So there ya go