Natural Remedies June 12, 2013

Anyone who knows me probably thinks I’m a bit crunchy. Not all-the-way crunchy (no cloth diapers yet), but at least a little. As a result, I get into homeopathic remedies for our family’s little aches and pains and colds and flus. Since some of them have proven to be quite useful this past year, I thought I’d share!

Homemade Cough Syrup

Homemade VapoRub

Homemade Neosporin – for this I have just used tea tree oil slightly diluted with water or coconut oil.

Homemade Cold Remedy (My kids even drink it! Seen below…sorry for the bad pic.)

Some that I haven’t yet tried but are on the list just in case are:

Homemade Pedialyte

Natural Strep Throat Cures

Homemade Head Lice Remedy

Anja, 5 1/2 April 2, 2013

So it’s been a month since you turned 5 1/2, my sweet, but I don’t think you’ve changed enough in those weeks that this is too late to post.

Anja, at 5 1/2, you:

• Are a sensitive soul. Always have been, and I think, probably always will be. God is teaching me how to care for your heart, but I think many times I fail, since I’m cut from different cloth.
• Are a story-teller. Just today you started reciting to me a dinosaur alphabet book that you had made up in your brain. It was quite good!
• Are an illustrator. Pictures are your love language. If you are planning to see someone, you often will sit down and make them a drawing so you have a gift to give them when they arrive.
• Eat so well. You rarely complain about something on your plate, and even if you do, you usually eat it anyway.
• Are still super-tall and thin. Off the charts for height and around 50th percentile for weight. Pants are hard to buy for you, because if they are long enough, I have to cinch the adjustable waist so tight that they wrinkle up around your middle. Could be worse problems, though!
• Love to learn. You come home from school and then give me a list of the things you would like me to “homeschool you.”
• Lean toward introversion. I never would have said this a year ago, but I am seeing that in order to interact well socially, you need some processing time by yourself, usually spent talking through things with your toys. I am a student of you kids, and I learn something new about you often!
• Are still a great sharer. You will happily hand over your favorite toy to someone because you love sharing. I think you get it from your daddy, who also loves other people to take part in something he enjoys.
• Try to mother your brother. While it’s cute when you play teacher with him and he wants to join in your creative play and take direction, I draw the line at you trying to discipline him and boss him around. Someday those skills may come in handy, though!
• Have more tears than I know what to do with. I am the stoic one of my family of origin (which isn’t saying much!), and I never anticipated a daughter who wears her heart so visibly. I am still learning how to do the right thing with your emotions, so have patience with me, little one!
• Are so, so bubbly. Your enthusiasm can get you in trouble when you can’t control it physically, but you’ve gotten better at that, too, as you’ve aged. I love watching your excitement come bursting out of you when you discover something new.
• Have a sassy attitude sometimes. This isn’t something we encourage around here, so we’re working on this one together.
• Love God and desire to please Him. You really get upset at your inability to have control over your sin sometimes, and I can totally relate! It’s the whole Romans 7 conundrum, and we will never have full victory this side of heaven, but I will do battle for you in prayer.
• Are reading! Not chapter books yet, but lots of words, and you’re great at sounding them out. A big push in this area was the Dick and Jane treasury. They’re adorably old-school, and they gave you confidence to keep at it when you were struggling.
• Are so much more adaptable than you used to be! We were in a new environment last week with a bunch of other kids your age, and you showed no hesitation at all to jump in and participate. Two years ago you would’ve been crying and overwhelmed at the idea, but you have sure grown socially and emotionally.
• Like math and “Learning Choice” (basically free play) the best at school. Your teacher said you really have a great grasp on science concepts as well. You may just follow in your analytically-minded Daddy’s footsteps in that area, too. Surprise, surprise…

Anja, it is such a pleasure to be your mama. You are getting so big and the years go so quickly. I will take every cuddle I can get!

Markus, 3 years January 13, 2013

We had a lovely weekend celebrating our newly-minted 3-yr-old. Markus, at 3 years, you:

• Have some catch phrases. One of my favorites is when you hear the car downshift as we’re picking up speed and yell “Yeah, Daddy! Put your motor up!”
• Pretend you are Spiderman and “Buzz the Lightyear” (as you call him) often. But we also find you in a tutu and cape combo when you’re playing with Anja. For some reason you think that playing any role requires stripping down to at least your pull-up if not farther…
• Are into Cars, dinosaurs, toy story, tools, cars and trucks, and puzzles.
• Have a vocabulary that surprises me. You and Anja were having a conversation in the car the other day about dinosaurs and why they aren’t around anymore. You said, “Anja, they died from disease.” I didn’t know you knew what disease is.
• Love riding on things. You got a scooter and a Big Wheel for Christmas and your birthday, and you have already been practicing with them around the house.
• Don’t go to bed very well. You need a drink and Chapstick (which you call “chopstick”) and then you just get out about 15 more times for effect no matter how many of your “guys” or privileges you lose or how many times you are disciplined.
• Still don’t do #2 in the potty. You’ve been pee-trained for 10 months. If I knew how to help you I would do it, so why don’t you just tell me?
• Like to fight with swords. You got one for Christmas and have no problem going boldly up to someone and stabbing them. Yikes!
• Talk about Jesus with more clarity. You are very aware that he died on the cross for our sins and tell us that almost daily. Which is fine, because I can always use that reminder. You ask for help starting prayers at meal and bedtime even though you know exactly what you want to say.
• Like to cuddle with Daddy or come and sleep with him in the mornings. You’ll wake up and come shuffle under the covers with him and he’ll find you there when he wakes. Mama gets more cuddles when you’re awake, like just after a nap or while we read together, but we’re glad you are still a cuddler.
• Are getting more adventurous with foods. You’ll eat a pile of raw spinach off your plate and most veggies and fruits without complaint. We do have to be careful how much we give you of anything because you still spit up if you’ve eaten too much. Ew. You still don’t like potatoes or tomatoes. Your favorite food group is fruit (grapes, especially).
• Are getting taller but still have short legs. You can’t reach the pedals on any of your bikes/trikes yet and you’re in 2T pants while your upper body is a solid 3T.
• Are starting to help with chores. You unload silverware from the dishwasher and carry laundry downstairs in addition to trying to keep your room clean and toys picked up from main areas of the house.
• Enjoy drawing and coloring, but you still don’t make much more than scribbles or the occasional circle. That said, hearing your description of what you drew is usually quite entertaining.
• Are getting more independent in your self-care. You can wash your own hands (though it requires climbing onto the bathroom counter so you can reach) and put on your own clothes most of the time. When you feel like it you can even do your own shoes and coat.
• Like to tease and taunt your sister. She doesn’t respond well to that (imagine that!). But you seem to enjoy getting under her skin. But the two of you play fairly well together sometimes, too, especially when she is allowed to make all the decisions about what you’ll play.
• Have stopped screaming so much. I tried a treat reward system and it took less than a week to get it under control. We are thankful.
• Like to climb and jump and gallop and almost anything that involves wiggling your body. We often get the comment that you are “all boy.” True.

We are blessed to have such an active, healthy, loving, passionate boy. We love you, Markus!

A Part of Her October 15, 2012

Back in June, we had a storm one evening that knocked the power out. The thunder was loud, the lightning bright, and the kids woke and we all went downstairs to cuddle. This was about 3 a.m. Around 4 a.m., things were letting up, and we headed back upstairs to bed. Anja tripped over the fan in her room (which was silent because of the power outage) and from what we discerned later, must have hit her nose on her bed frame. All I heard was “My nose! My nose! It’s bleeding!”

I found her in the dark and brought her to the hallway, where there was at least a tiny bit of light from the storm/moon/whatever. I gasped. She was not bleeding from her nostrils, as I had assumed, but through a giant gash across the bridge of her nose. I brought her to the bathroom and immediately clamped a cloth over it and pinched and screamed for my husband to bring something to see with. The kids had been playing with our only flashlight earlier in the day and had lost it, so he brought the only thing he could think of, the Kindle. As we surveyed the damage in the dim glow, I got a little panicky. We didn’t know where the nearest ER was (forgot to look it up after moving) or if she was in any shape to be driven there, so we called 911. The cops arrived first, then the paramedics. They said she did need to go to the ER and told us where it was so we wouldn’t have to pay the ambulance fee.

We arrived there around 5 a.m. and were there until 9 a.m., mostly waiting for Anja’s local anesthesia to take effect, getting her nose irrigated (they were expecting water to drain all the way through to her nasal cavity from the cut, but thankfully it didn’t go through), and stitching her up.

She was a trooper. There were moments of pain and panic, just like in any situation like that, but I was so proud of how maturely she handled it all. I’ve told her for years that she would make a good medical professional for her ability to tolerate pain and blood and needles. I stand by that claim.

Now all that’s left is a lumpy, crooked scar. We are looking into plastic surgery options, but I’m not sure if those will be doable until she is older. For now, she has a little reminder of her fall on her face, a reminder to me every time I look at her of how fragile we are, how I need to enjoy each moment, how things could have been so much worse. What has become a part of her has become a part of us all. Scars remind of past hurts, of lessons learned, and I think they can be very good things.

Markus – 2 3/4 October 14, 2012

Markus, at 2 years and 9 months, you:

• Are a vibrant story-teller. I don’t know if you picked up on that from your sister or if you both just have a gift with words, but you can weave a very funny/spooky/sad tale with ease. I love eavesdropping on your creative play.
• Are obsessed with cars, swords, trucks, tools, super heros, anything manly. You have the same access to Anja’s toys that she did and are still known to rock some Mardi Gras beads, but you always turn a stick into a weapon or a piece of cracker into a “hopcopper” (helicopter). So interesting how God weaves those little things into your being while in the womb.
• Have been going through a hitting and name-calling phase recently. Some of your boyish aggression comes out not in play but in interactions with us, and we’re not okay with that. We try to be consistent in our discipline and our example, but we know we don’t parent perfectly. We and you will keep trying, okay?
• Often insist that you are bigger than me or Daddy. Um, okay. But keep in mind that you are almost three and just now fitting into 2T pants. That said, I love love love your chubby little thighs and soft, meaty hands and bulbous cheeks. I hope you keep them all through your threes, because without them you will look way too grown up.
• Are still a picky eater. Today you ate tomatoes off your pizza, but that is rare. You also don’t like potatoes in any form but a french fry (and even those are sometimes rejected). You refuse most things green except broccoli, and you gravitate toward bread and sweets (I blame myself for eating too much of those while you were in utero). But we keep giving you new foods, and you keep saying “icky” but eventually trying them. Someday we hope your palate will adjust. Because being a picky adult is far, far less acceptable/cute than being a picky kid!
• Are very kissy. We aren’t much into kissing in our family (other than Daddy and I to each other), but you are dead set on changing that! And who knows, maybe you will! Haha!
• Don’t understand much about death, but whenever Anja is doing something that might get her hurt, you warn her, “Anja, don’t do that, or you will DIE IN JESUS.”
• Have recently informed us that you “like big ladies.” This came after a conversation about boobies, during which you asked me “Why are you not fat, Mama?” (Meaning, why don’t you have big boobies.) Oh, the conversations I did NOT expect to have with a 2-yr-old!
• Are quite picky about your clothing. I will put a shirt on you only to have you start trying to rip it off and asking for a different one. When I have had you with me in the store to get you a pair of pants or something, you definitely have an opinion. Again, not what I would have expected from you, especially when Anja still lets me pick her outfits without a fuss (most days).
• Love riding your bike. You received it just 3 months ago, but your Strider bike has had many trips around the neighborhood. And you’re learning balance on it, too! I wouldn’t doubt it if you and Anja end up like me and my little brother, learning to ride bikes without training wheels the same summer.
• Are still short for your age. Almost all your friends have passed you in height. No matter.
• Are enthusiastic. You start talking about something and your exuberance just bubbles over. I think that’s typical of two-year-olds, but I love it just the same.

Markus, you are a joy of a boy! We love your energy, your fierce love, and your too-big words. Thanks to God for giving us you!

Anja, 5 Years September 4, 2012

So five, to me, is kind of the pinnacle of toddlerhood, when some of your ill-pronounced words (which I love) and completely non-self-conscious behaviors (like jumping up and down flapping your arms in excitement no matter the appropriateness) will disappear. I am dreading that. Since you start Kindergarten in two days, I have been drinking up every minute I have left with you at home…we’ve knocked almost everything off our “Summer Fun 2012″ list. We’re going to miss having you with us during playdates and errands and zoo trips. But I’m so thrilled that you will learn and make new friends and develop more and more into the girl God wants you to be. So…

Anja, at five years old, you:

• Still have a penchant for story-telling. You can take two inanimate objects, such as a salt and pepper shaker set or two travel shampoo bottles or a couple of Q-tips, and weave a 30-minute long adventure story. I hope this creativity sticks with you through formal education. Don’t lose it!!
• Say that your favorite food is macaroni and cheese (we had it after swimming lessons each week last spring as a treat…bad mom!), but you will eat most anything. Sometimes with a fuss, but you finish it. You’ve even gotten over your aversion to plain avocados.
• Have become much more responsible and helpful. Sometimes the politeness that emanates from your mouth makes me blink a few times and have a moment of realization that all my repetitive “please” and “thank you” and “sure, Mama” reminders over the past 3 years have NOT been unheard. Hallelujah, thank you Jesus! It truly is a blessing to see the fruits of one’s labors borne in your child. I do not take it for granted.
• Are getting better at involving your brother in your playtimes. As long as he’s content to play whatever role you put him in, that is. When he does voice an opinion you are getting better at listening to it as well. I love seeing you mature in your dealings with him. Though you did bite him last week.
• Call yourself an “artist.” I am not sure where the line is when I should stop letting you tell people that because it will come across as pompous. I think you’re still safe for now.
• Are getting your own room soon. Again, these transitions are bittersweet. I love having you two share, but since you can’t fall asleep together in the same room, I’m ready to have the “transfer from my bed once you are both asleep” part done with. And it has been SO fun being able to finally decorate a girls’ room.
• Love taking pictures. I’m not sure if it’s because of me or your own thing, but you actually asked me the other night if you could be sure to get a picture of your new room before you sleep in it the first time so you remember what it looks like. Adorable.
• Are riding your bike very well. We have gone for lots of bike rides this summer, and though you still have training wheels, I think by sometime next summer you’ll be ready to have them off. Sometimes it takes you a while to gain confidence in yourself, and you give up easily, but once you have the skills, you’re pretty bold and fearless. So unlike me, and I love it.
• Are unaware of what people think of you. I love love love that about you. You don’t really care if your friend has a Barbie and you have a soft doll whose tummy rattles. You proudly introduce your doll and don’t even notice the look of slight disgust on their face. I am hoping you don’t get jaded by your classmates this year…Kindergarten will be far less of the safe little bubble that preschool was. *gulp*
• Are becoming more protective of your brother and other little friends around you. If he heads toward the street or is touching something he shouldn’t, you often try to drag him away or tackle him to get him to stop. Not the best methodology, but your motivation is pure.
• Miss some of your friends from preschool. There was one little boy you played with almost every day you were there, and you have asked many times over the summer to play with him or invite him to our house. I didn’t even meet his parents, so I have had to say no dozens of times. Breaks my heart, but I’m sure there will be a new “best friend” by the end of September.
• Are getting taller all the time (duh). But seriously, tall girl. You got to ride some of the big kid rides at Valleyfair because you’re 46″ tall. Even though you were 4 at the time. 5T pants are starting to be a bit short on you, so we have had to move up to buying in the girls’ department. I don’t like the sassy clothes and how the shorts are shorter in size 7 than they were in 3T. Ick. Thank goodness for Crazy 8.
• You have a great desire to love God. You spontaneously ask to pray for things/people and often volunteer to say prayers for events/trips/people in need. My favorite is that whenever you or Markus hear a siren of any kind, you ask to pray for whoever might be involved in the accident/fire. You are bringing your Bible as your favorite book in your All About Me bag to share at Kindergarten, and I couldn’t be more proud (that seems really out of place right there…pride…). I hope that you continue to grow in your faith and trust in Jesus fully.
• Have become my little helper. I ask you to run and get this or that for me or pick up the toys, and (here’s the kicker) you DO IT. Usually right away (unless you’re super tired or hungry). I appreciate this a lot, so keep it up.

All in all, Anja, we are loving being a part of your life, watching you grow. You are an enthusiastic, loving, strong-willed girl, and you’ll always be our little peanut.

Love,
Mama & Daddy

Sherman’s Birthday – 2012 August 28, 2012

This is our 3rd year celebrating for this little doggie. He sure is spoiled!

Before the guests arrived woke up from nap.

Some bleary-eyed guests.

Blowing out his candle:

Ate all his treats!

Morning Play in March August 25, 2012

I just got around to editing some of my family photos from 2012, so I might be playing catch-up here for awhile. Here’s some fun photos from a morning playing in our jammies.

“This seems questionable, Sister dear.”

Took awhile to get some smiles out of him that morning, but here they come…

Markus, 2 1/2 July 16, 2012

Markus, at 2 1/2 years, you:

• Are a funny jokester. We laugh at your jokes constantly. So far you’ve only made a few attempts at lame preschool humor; we hope you never go that route and just stay hilarious.
• Like to sing. You make up songs, sometimes funny ones, sometimes ones about what you are doing and sometimes random ones about objects.
• Like lullabies. Particularly one that I used to sing to you when you were a baby. You request it almost every night and a lot of naptimes, too.
• Are a picky eater. You went through a short phase where you would eat most vegetables and even declare that you liked them, but now you don’t eat most of them without a fuss. Oatmeal, on the other hand, you can still consume like no one I’ve ever seen.
• Need Mama. And you tell me and Daddy that regularly. “I NEED you, Mama.” It’s cute now, but even if I might like it when you’re 12, your friends won’t.
• Have three special “guys”: Biggie (a lovey bear you got from Grandma when you were born), Pup (a smaller version of Anja’s Coco that we bought you at IKEA), and Warthog (a stuffed elephant you “bought” with your pacifiers at Target when you turned 2).
• Got a new bike. It’s your 3rd birthday gift from us, but we wanted you to be able to use it this summer, so you got it for your half birthday.
• Are adventurous. You have very little thought about harming yourself. You jump off things with abandon, wade into the lake until your face is lapped at by water, and do all sorts of “tricks” (“Look at me, Mama! Look at me, Daddy!”).
• Apparently have small enough fingers that they can get squished in the door crack without ill effect. Found that out last week.
• Like to jump off of things and stamp on bugs and stab things with sticks and swords and fight bad guys. You enjoy trucks, cars, trains, machinery, and anything that makes mechanical noise. In essence, you are All Boy.
• Love books. Some favorites right now are: Owl Moon, The Big Brown Bear, and anything you picked up from the library.
• Still have the softest skin and squishy little legs and tummy. Love. Them.
• Have started to tell fibs about your sister hurting you. You’ll fall over near her and then blame her for doing it. (We have to catch you doing it, because she does hurt you a lot, so we don’t always know who to believe.) Daddy says this scenario seems familiar…
• Are full of bright, happy smiles. You have such a little chipmunk face when it’s serious, but your chubby-cheek smile really lights up a room.
• Look up to some of your older friends and love to coo at babies. Your cousin Jaylee has already got a special place in your heart.
• Still identify any man with long-ish hair and a beard as “Jesus!”  And you’re not afraid to shout it out in public. I waffle between cute and mortifying on this one.

We are so glad you’re our boy, Boofy. It’s hard to believe you’re already older than Anja was when you were born! We pray that you will grow into a godly little man.

Tips for Camping with Preschoolers June 25, 2012

This past weekend, our family went camping together for the first time! Husband and I used to camp several times a summer before the kids were born, but let me tell you…it’s a different story with littles! My packing list was 3 pages of 2 columns typed! My husband thought that was nuts, but I don’t feel like we over-packed. Here are some of the things we did/learned; hopefully they can be useful to others planning to do this with small ones. Our kids are 2 1/2 and 4 1/2, if that is helpful to know.

• Go somewhere near home. If there are storms or noisy fellow campers (see next tip), you won’t feel like you have to stay and tough it out. We were within 20 minutes of our home and knew we could skidaddle in a moment’s notice if needed. As the kids get older we’ll probably venture further out, but staying close while they are young gives us peace of mind.
• Check the location of your campsite in relation to others before booking. We booked a walk-in site that was fairly private, but what we didn’t know was that it was also very near a group campsite. There were a bunch of very loud, drunk 20-somethings within a couple hundred feet of us that kept the kids awake until after midnight the first night. None of us were happy about that. Next time I’ll make sure to look at the full map, not just the one of our site area.
• Bring lots of snacks. There were times when dinner was cooking (and it’s hard to know how long it will take sometimes to get the fire just right), and the kids were hungry. We were able to pull out a granola bar or fruit or trail mix and water bottles, and they made it to mealtime without getting crabby. Eating trail mix while we unpacked the car and set up.

• Stock up on glow-in-the-dark stuff. I brought glow sticks/glow bracelets/flashing toys from the dollar store and their toy bin. They enjoyed playing with them a ton, plus it helped us keep an eye on where they were.

•  Go to a campsite that has a park. It wasn’t right near where we were camping, but within a half mile walk. We took the kids there one morning to play.

• If you have room, bring an all-terrain stroller (we didn’t have room). Husband was fine with carrying the kids on his shoulders in turn, and we had paved trails which worked great for our umbrella stroller, but if we’d planned on doing any long walks, Markus wouldn’t have made it with his short little legs!

• Do a lot of your cooking in advance. We had these excellent Campurritos, pre-marinated fajitas that just had to be heated in a grill basket, hobo dinners, and pancakes, all which were made in advance, stuck in the cooler, and just had to be pulled out and cooked at the site. Most of them were in heavy duty foil that we just stuck in the coals (wood), and the pancake batter I kept in two separate bags–wet and dry, then mixed the two and shook it up, cut off a corner of the batter bag and squeezed it into the pan. Easy peasy! And hobo dinners are basically a hunk of hamburger, some spices, onions, potatoes, and veggies (I used carrots and green beans) wrapped in foil and tossed in the coals to cook, too. Tongs were helpful to have along to rotate the foil packets. Since I didn’t have to spend a lot of time doing meal prep or clean-up, I was able to engage with the kids and even have some time reading in the tent during nap time!

• Plan activities for the kids. I had about 10 different activities at the ready: play dough, coloring, the glow sticks, scavenger hunt, bubbles, hiking, playground, paper boast, leaf/nature rubbings, singing around the fire, ghost stories, board games. We only ended up using about half, but it was nice to know we had things to fall back on.

• Make your own hand-washing station. I read this in the comments on someone’s blog, and it proved to be a very valuable tip! We put this jug at the end of our picnic table along with a bar of soap and a towel and we didn’t have to use hand sanitizer (which neither husband nor I like) all weekend.

• Bring your own potty. It was SO NICE to not have to use an icky outhouse with the kids. I get hives thinking about public bathrooms, so outhouses are like a living nightmare for me. We brought Markus’s little toilet and both kids used it. Between that and our hand-washing station, we only had to leave the campsite for fun and to get wood or drinking water. It’s over there…on the right.

So, what are your favorite camping-with-children tips? We enjoyed ourselves and wouldn’t mind going again sometime, and I love learning from others!

Sidenote: For anyone wondering  what happened to Anja’s nose, she tripped over the fan in her room last week during a power outage and split open the bridge of her nose. It was terrifying to be in the dark, not knowing what had happened and trying to stop the blood (we’re still trying to get it out of the carpet). Ended up in the ER and got 12 stitches, including some sub-dermal. She was very brave and continues to handle it well.