Pregnancy and Rhogam Shots

  The other day I took three different pregnancy tests and it came out positive.  So, unless they are wrong I guess that would make me pregnant.  I know my body very, very well so I knew right away when I became pregnant. I'm super, duper, duper, duper excited!  Wow!  I pray I'd be a better supermom to be an amazing mom to these kids but till then I'll just keep trying my best. 

Okay, so I also am in fear right now.  I always have to get that Rhogam shot because my husband is O+ blood type and I am B-.  I've had to have this shot every year since I became pregnant with my firstborn 14 years ago.  When I became pregnant with my last baby, I had to go to the hospital very early on in the pregnancy for cramping.  They actually were expecting a miscarriage.  I then told them that I hadn't had my Rhogam shot yet.  They hadn't even thought about asking me.  Kinda makes me wonder if some miscarriages can be prevented because some don't know about the blood type issues.  Within 10 minutes of getting that shot all contractions stopped and I went home. My body was trying to reject my baby.  Yeah, I'm nervous because I need to purchase that shot asap and it's around $200. Currently looking where to go without having to go to my pregnancy specialist who charges a ton for it. She even told me not to get it from her because it's way more expensive.  I found the shot at it's cheapest at the worst place ever.  If I'd be willing to go to an abortion clinic then I could only pay $40 for that shot. Sorry, I don't think so. I'd rather pay $500 than go to them and fund them any money. 


Anyway, I guess I'll find out for sure if I'm pregnant later but I'm pretty sure I am.  Uterus is achy just like every other time I'm pregnant.  But that's also a sign I need that shot asap.  I love my babies with all my heart.

Large Family Laundry Catch Up and Annoying Ulcers

Yay... I love playing catch up. Not. However, knowing I can head to the nearest laundrymat and just do 27 loads at once makes it feel better. I brought two helpers and we knocked out those loads and folded in 2 1/2 hours flat. We walked out tired and happy. 

Recently I went to the doctor for severe stomach pain. At first they thought it was the gall bladder but turns out it's ulcers. Gee, I don't know what caused that. The doctor asked what's happened in my life that is causing major stress. Well, relatives I love passing away too early. Sometimes scared something will happen again, that the economy will crash. That my husband's job would be affected again. Another major change in my life that I can't discuss. Just that attending caused such major stress I had to remove myself before breaking down majorly. I have since remedied that but it is still an adjustment. Major. Each week though it's getting better and better. 

My own kids and husband are such a huge comfort. What incredible blessings God has given me. They bring joy to my days and I love, love, love waking up to them every day. Some tell me they don't understand how I could be with my kids 24/7 and love it every day. I don't know, I guess the attitude adjustment I got back when I had my third kid stuck. It wasn't all about me anymore. :D

On a sad note: I miss my uncle Ron. He didn't have to die. Still waiting to hear results from investigation. He's in heaven but my heart hurts for his family and my dad. His funeral was amazing. He left a big impact because of his amazing work ethics, and very good husband and father. Everyone said he was always happy and made everyone happy around him. He wasn't a big time evangelist or serving in a homeless kitchen but he showed Christ's love thru his actions to people around him. Being a person like that doesn't mean it'll make the papers but it matters in those people's lives. Imagine if everyone lived like that. ;) For others and not just for ourselves. It'd be incredible.

Picking My Priorities: The Delicate Balance of Motherhood

I've been trying extra, extra hard to stay on top of my house work and get ahead before the new homeschool year starts. The hard part is staying balanced and not letting it overtake the time with my kids. I did make a schedule for myself that worked incredibly well a few years back but at times I kicked against it. I know that sounds odd but that's the little kid in me. When I follow the schedule, the house stays looking great. Well, I finally decided to woman up and try it again and the house is looking amazing. Even laundry piles shrinking. Boy, taking care of a big family is a lot of work but soooo worth it. I'm determined to not do any cleaning except for dinner cleanup after 5pm.  Mama has to have her breaks too. Sometimes I'm tempted to work on something but my grandmother (mother of nine) reminds me to not burn myself out. She's so right. I just need to enjoy my evenings. :D

I thought tonight I'd be helping out someone who's daughter got lice from a play center. (Totally keeping this anonymous.)  She called me up and asked for help, offered to pay, hearing that I knew how to get rid of it fast. I said no to the pay and just wanted to pay it forward. Awhile back my kids had gotten lice from other kids and I had poured money into trying to get rid of it. An angel lady just came to my rescue who gets rid of them for a living. She would accept no pay and totally wiped out the problem. Believe me, these places charge a lot. I learned from her and have had some opportunities to pay it forward and help others. What a blessing she was!  Turns out they can't come till tomorrow so I missed my session at the gym with my trainer. Well, Charles took 8 kids with him and I had the house alone for 3 hours. While he was GETTING HIS BUTT KICKED (haha) I didn't even know what to do with all the quiet! We were supposed to train together at the gym but since I wasn't there, he was the focus. Basically he came back and just collapsed in a chair. Haha!  He said, "Baby, she kicked my butt. She's your kind of trainer." I can't wait to get back to the gym for sure. ;)

P.S. If you see all my pics at the bottom of my posts that means I blogged from my phone rather than on computer. Blogger app needs to fix it and make options. ;)

Mom's Don't Get a Sick Day

Yesterday I woke up really, really sick and could hardly walk around.  It is soooooo hard for moms to be the one that's sick.  I just had to put up a baby gate in the living room and lay down on the couch.  Thankfully, the little ones were contained in just that area with me so I didn't have to worry.  Man, moms sure don't get sick days.  I kind of ended up with one later.

 

 We needed some van repairs and yesterday I was supposed to be the one to take the van in with the kids to get worked on for several hours.  Since I couldn't, Charles got off work early and took four kids with him to take care of the van.  Then I had just the baby and some older ones plus a friend.  Juliet got into everything possible that you can get into even though I had her in the living room with me.  A good friend came to pick up the kids I had for Vacation Bible School.  Thank goodness for them!  Once Juliet went to sleep I finally could just peacefully lay down without hopping up to rescue her from something.  It was so quiet for several hours.  It was soooooo nice but later it felt a little lonely.  :P

This morning I woke up and felt my old self again.  Thank goodness!!!! I can't afford to be sick with all the kiddos to take care of.  So it was just a 24 hour flu.  Phew!  Back to cleaning, laundry, and taking care of the babies.  With a large family this house falls apart extremely fast. 

Summer has felt so weird not having as much of a schedule.  The kids have had more time to just goof off.  I don't mind but when it's time to do chores they complain more.  I knew it was from just having no schedule.  So we all had a family meeting and voted on a new summer schedule.  Basically no games till noon and chore time starts at 4pm.  Off all devices by 8pm and be in bed by 9pm.  They were getting to where they felt entitlesdto just party, party, party because it's summer and forgot about their regular responsibilities.  When I was sick though that all went out the window.  I think they were surprised when mom got better in one day.  Ha ha.

Amazing Souperman Detox Recipe

Here is the amazing Souperman recipe that I fell in love with during my 48 hour detox.  Wanted to share!  This lasted me 3 days and it worked!  NOT sure about adding the chicken broth and chicken as far as detoxing but it DID work for me in weight loss so I wanted to share.

 

 

To make exactly without the chicken broth or chicken here is recipe:

 

Ingredients
Makes 5 servings

2 red onions, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, fronds and stalks included, roughly chopped
2 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup sliced shitake caps
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cabbage, roughly chopped
2 quarts water
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
8 sprigs parsley, chopped stems and leaves
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Directions
Combine all ingredients, except for the chopped parsley, in a pot. Add 2 quarts of water.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer covered for about 1 hour. Adjust seasoning.

Remove whole parsley sprigs and serve topped with some freshly chopped parsley.

Serve with a side of traditionally fermented sauerkraut and chopped apples (warm or room temperature).

 

 

 

I wasn't super excited about the flavor so I decided to cook a whole chicken in a separate pot.  Once cooked I combined both the vegetable broth and the chicken broth.  Half and half.  I shredded the chicken and added to the soup.  Much better!  Add Sea Salt for taste if desired.

 

 

Yummy!

 

 



Working Super Hard on Weightloss

I tried a 48 hour detox and it went fantastic. My only regret was not doing it for at least a week. I didn't really have much guidance on the detox so I didn't know it was normal to feel so foggy and out of sorts. I got worried. After watching the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead I found out it was normal for everything I felt. In just five days I lost 5lbs but the key note is I kept it off. Since I'm doing lots of weight training I'm gaining some pounds in muscle so it's hard to tell by the scale. The crazy thing is I've gotten rid of some of the mommy lumpiness and get shocked when I pass by a mirror and see myself. I'm lovin' it!  Before I was doing a lot of working out but not changing my eating habits.  They really do go hand in hand.

 

 

It's sooooo much more than wanting to be skinny. I'm changing a lot of things like understanding micronutrients and healing our bodies naturally through God's creation. The way He designed it before all this processed garbage! I've had some really serious illnesses and I realized how poorly I was treating my body. I can work out all I want but if I'm eating pizza, macaroni, and burgers all the time, where are the vitamins?

 

Charles and I are thinking about a 10 day reboot (detox) but I know I'll not get much done around the house the first few days. Last time I was good for nothing the first two days. I wasn't tired but was just foggy. It can be a bit expensive too but so worth it. God gave us one body, right? I need to act like I'm grateful for it and not trash it.

Watch Video for free HERE!!!

 

 

 

How I Made Myself Sick and Changing It

Wow, the past few days have been super busy that I couldn't even sit down to blog.  I have to tell you why! 

Friday I turned 34!  Wow, time sure flies.  I've been through some serious illnesses in the last year.  One would be Occipital Neuralgia.  This is like a headache in the nerves.  Medicine through the Neurologist cured that.  Expensive. I had thryoid issues.  Big bills for Urgent Care and testing.  I've even dealt with arthritis.  For the first 10 years of my marriage I had major UTI problems that led to kidney damage.  I was one baby away from kidney dialysis. in fact, while pregnant with my sixth, I landed in the hospital for a week completely unconscious. Why did I have my 7th baby after I was told it would kill me?  Complete healing of God.  In  four years, not only have I not had any kidney problems since a pastor praying for me, but I've only had one UTI from dehydration that healed quickly and never returned since.  I've NEVER had a UTI that didn't go to my kidneys.  The next test was having a baby.  I had her free and clear.  Not ONE issue.  In fact, I no longer need a high risk doctor for having babies.  Kinda sad about that because I have one of the best doctors in the state that is hard to get.  So if God is a healer, I have began to look into His very own creation.  Eating better, and exercising more.  He made the plants and the animals.  Why am I going to so much processed foods?  Am I the cause of alllllll my health issues I've had in 14 years?  YES!!!  When I found out I had arthritis I looked up vitamins that could cure it. Well, I found fish oil and glucosamine, calcium, and vitamin D would do the trick.  Sure enough, I am not walking funny in the morning and biting my lip from the pain.  I no longer need my handicap hang tag for my van mirror.  That was embarrassing for me.  I'm in my early thirties and should not be dealing with arthritis. 

My kids visiting sick mommy in the hospital.  I couldn't even talk to them because I was completely out.  Was very sick and could have died that week.



This weekend Charles and I tried a 48 hour detox.  ON MY BIRTHDAY.  (What was I thinking?)  No cake!  We took the kids to Whole Foods and used the recipe from Doctor Oz's website.  Be prepared because its a bit expensive.  WHY does a burger from McDonalds only cost $1 when my healthy vegetables cost me a fortune?  This is sooooo twisted.  It cost $120 for 2 days worth of vegetables.  Whoa!  I did not go to a regular grocery store where I might have gotten a better deal for a good reason.  Plus, some items would not be available at a regular store. 

Here is an idea of what we did.  Just two of them.

 

1/2 cup pineapple

2 large cucumbers

1 bunch of kale, stems removed (4 cups chopped)

1/2 lemon squeezed

1/4 inch of ginger

1 bunch of mint (1/2 cup)

Put in juicer!

 

 

1/2 cup almond or hemp milk (plain/unsweetened)

1 tbsp ground flaxseed or chia

1/4 frozen blueberries

1/4 banana

1/2 ice

Blend!

 

 

It wasn't too bad at first but then by the second day I felt really foggy.  I could hardly do simple tasks.  Turns out it was because my body is getting rid of the toxins.  If I had kept going, the energy and clear mind would of came.  The frustrations of forgetting a few items and having to getting ready for church on the weekend made me give up on the last part of the second day.  Charles and I were just hungry and at least only ate some meat and nothing else bad.  Very costly to do this!  However, I dropped three pounds over night like it was nothing.  Had I kept going, it would have been more and more.  I might not ONLY do a detox for 2-10 days but I would like to do this for breakfast every morning. 

 

 

3 really good documentaries I would recommend:

 

 

Hungry for Change

Fat, sick, and Nearly Dead

Food Matters

 

If you were to pick just one, please watch Hungry for Change!  I'm learning so much about why I made myself sick and how.  Pretty obvious since I'm a fast food junkie.  You can rent it on Amazon to watch for only $3 or if you have Netflix it's available on there. 

One Good Reason to Love My Fat - JUST ONE!

You'll see what I mean in a few. Yesterday I had the most amazing day.  I had gotten some test done to see what's going on inside of me.  You know, blood tests to show how I've been eating and measure other things in my body.  Basically, my stress levels were really high but it's obvious I eat well.  Those are the only two I remember.  The nutritionist told me that my body is not allowing me to lose weight because of my stress and I had to destress.  Okaaaay..... where to start?

At around 9pm Charles told me I could go to the gym and just workout alone and swim.  He said don't worry about the time.  So I didn't.  I didn't come home till 1:30am.  So what did I do all that time?  I had a protein shake in the restaurant.  Amazingly yummy.  The one I got is called Strawberry Sunrise.  I got to talk to a friend I don't get to talk to often while sipping my drink in the healthy restaurant.  No hiding in the bathroom so she can hear me.  Heh heh.  Then I went up to the gym and did some serious cardio for 45 minutes, lifted weights for another 45 minutes.  Then I went down to the pool and swam 10 laps.  I discovered something AMAZING that I've NEVER been able to do.  I floated and I accidentally discovered it!  You see, when you are bone skinny all your life you can't float.  No fat hardly!  So I was just doing some backstrokes and noticed I was floating.  I realized that the hated fat I had finally made it possible to float on my back in water.  YES!

HALLELUJAH!

I just wanted to float forever because I felt so light.  Ha ha.  For once I was thanking my fat. THANK YOU, FAT!  Okay, I can't be TOO okay with that because I'd like to lose some.  Turns out, the reason my tummy especially is holding onto some fat is because my cortisol levels are so high from stress.  It makes your body go into a fight or flight mode.  Holds onto fat around your belly.  I thought it was from having babies but in a way I can still call it BABY FAT.  Ha!  Stress from kids. 

After 3 hours of working out I picked up a good book called The Birth Order Book that I've read 5 years ago but needed to read again and got in the jacuzzi.  It felt amazing!!  Letting all my muscles just relax.

I decided to go into the steam room but I'm scared of rooms where you can't see anything beyond your own hand.  Well, even though it was only for women I was scared!  I opened the door and let it close behind me but held onto the handle.  I figured I was totally alone and HOPED I really was.  Finally, I was too scared so I opened the door and just let allllllll the steam out. I still couldn't see well but just a little better.  I was relieved not to see anyone and figured maybe I would be safe enough.  Just as I was closing the door behind me I heard a voice in the fog that said, "Could you turn the steam back on?"  I jumped so high I ran out of there like a crazy lady.  Aaaaaaagh!  Just glad I didn't fall.  I got home around 1:30, felt amazing, and just crashed.

I woke up to a delivery of flowers.  I didn't see a name on it and only the words MY LOVE.  Um, who is this from?  I got a little worried but was just hoping it was from Charles.  Ha ha.  I got the hint when I got a text from my husband that said, "Good morning, my love!"  Ohhhhhh, so it was my very own stalker.  My husband who's been following me for 14 years!  Lovin' it too. Not perfect but perfect for me.

Guest Post: Live Naturally During Your Pregnancy

Live Naturally During Your Pregnancy
It's so easy to make excuses for eating poorly during pregnancy. Why not have the slice of pie or extra piece of candy? You already know you're putting on weight, so how could a few extra calories hurt? Unfortunately, eating poorly can diminish your energy and make you feel awful at a time when you should be healthy and happy. Instead of junk food and comfort food, take time during your pregnancy to research natural and healthy alternatives.
Getting in touch with your body is a big step to living naturally. You'll want to pay attention to how much energy you have, how your body feels and how what you eat affects you and your growing baby. Try some of these tips to increase your stamina and feel better during your pregnancy:
Prenatal Yoga or Pilates

Exercising during your pregnancy may not seem like it belongs on a list of "natural" things, but exercise secretly has lots of benefits. It makes your body stronger and more able to deal with being pregnant. You'll have reduced aches and pains, which means fewer medicinal treatments. Look for a specific prenatal class to learn poses and exercises that are good for you and your baby.
Drink Water

Water flushes toxins from your system. It also hydrates you and makes you feel better. You'll also feel fuller, which can reduce your need to eat junk food. While you shouldn't diet when you're pregnant, that doesn't mean you have to overboard. Water can help you with that.

Eat Organic Foods

Whenever possible, strive to eat raw and organic healthy foods. Carrots, apples and spinach are all excellent options that are relatively easy to find in organic form. Try farmer's markets if you can, or use coupons at the grocery store to bring the cost down.

Cut the Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates can make you feel sleepy and can lead to additional weight gain if you're not careful about eating them. When possible, try to eat fresh vegetables instead of carbohydrates. Swap pasta for steamed veggies and cut out bread whenever you can. You'll feel better and have more energy all throughout your pregnancy.
You don't have to make dramatic changes to live naturally and healthfully during your pregnancy. Make sure to talk with you doctor throughout your pregnancy. I was fortunate to talk to my doctor about every aspect (eating healthy, cord blood banking, swaddling and more!) Try making a few of these simple changes and see how you feel. You might even get inspired to continue living a healthy and natural lifestyle after your baby is born!

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26

Taking My Herd and Tired Body to the Mall

December 5th was our 14th wedding anniversary.  It was a Wednesday. Not only was it a church night but we didn't have sitters anyway.  Charles brought home these beautiful flowers along with a present.  His card and words were amazing. He makes me feel cherished.  ;)

By Saturday I just felt worn down. All this up and down stuff with doctors, trying to keep up with the house and homeschool,  it was just harder than usual.  Usually I am just packed full if energy and rarely ever sit down. I have to stay busy and love to. Now, I'm wiped out pretty quick and have to take rests. It's okay, just different.  My mom has just been amazing. She has been picking up our dirty laundry and taking the kids places to let me rest. I know it's not easy for her and she is disrupting her routine for me.

By Saturday I just desperately needed to get out. Charles took us to the mall. We played games, rode a theatre roller coaster, ate at the food court with my dad, and walked around just having fun looking at everything.  At one point I couldn't take it anymore, found a corner, and just sat down on the floor. I was completely exhausted and couldn't do it anymore. Everyone waited till I got back up and then we had some more fun. ;)   It was such a wonderfully great night and much, much needed.

7 month old Juliet wearing a mask. :D

My dad came and hung out with us

Caleb holding my hand



Watching the coins spin around



Inside the "roller coaster theatre"



Destressing With 7 Kids

I hate to admit weakness. I hate writing about it. I lay here in the darkness listening to Juliet trying to soothe herself to sleep. She is overly tired and fighting to stay awake. I calmly from across the room tell her its okay, hoping it will settle her. I hear three year Caleb in the kitchen having a late night snack of Tortillini soup. I lay in the dark to destress as the doctor ordered me to.

Its next to impossible with a larger family and no older kids. I love this season of my life and never wish my kids older. Sigh. Why do I have to constantly take breaks and lay down? I try to ignore my head, hot flashes, and the lightheadedness I feel. I like to pretend I'm my normal active self. I try to ignore the fact that a string of tests given by a Neurologist is ahead of me. I don't want to pee in a jug for 24 hours and then lug it into a crowded office.  I just want to wake up each morning like I always did, have Bible study with the kids, homeschool and then do chores. I love to cook, find new meals to make, and enjoy running around and playing games with the kids. I don't want to have consequences from just taking care of my kids I adore.

No matter how hard my days can be at times, I love every minute and never wish anything away. Having so many kids makes my work load so much harder but I would never trade it for anything.  Yes, I deal with attitudes,  rebellion, arguing, and laziness.  I tell them every single day we will fight against these things and never give up. Its in all of us and I tell them "there go I but for the grace of God."

If I cry, get upset, or stressed, I feel blood rushing to my head. Its the weirdest thing but I don't know why it does that. I wish I could know sooner but it seems to take so long to get seen by a specialist. 

My friend holding Caleb

I've been really sad about a friend moving away. The doctor told me to avoid anything stressful. Well, she is in a very stressful situation and it kills me that all I can do is talk to her on the phone. I feel like my limitations were causing me to abandon her. Even talking about this makes my head feel tight again and my throat constrict. I feel like a bad friend right now having to only talk to her and pray.  I know prayer is a lot but I hope you know what I mean.

Little Ballerina Girls and Chicken Soup for the Soul

Ivy and Ashley had pictures today for their upcoming recital.  So cute.  I had to wait in the mommy waiting area but I could hear Ashley shouting out "That's how you know!  That's how you know, he's in love!" from the movie Enchanted.  The ladies told me she was dancing and singing around the studio.  I guess she doesn't have stage fright.  Tee hee...

It can be fun sitting in the waiting area for two (Agggh!) long hours listening to the other moms.  I heard one mom say she goes to Starbucks every single morning for her drink.  I started adding it up in my head and it comes out to $210 a month!  Whoa!  Hey, if you got the bucks, you got the bucks.  LOL.  I think sometimes it's more than just the coffee because I love my Keurig at home.  Maybe it's the atmosphere that people would actually drive there every day just for a cup of joe.  Hmmm.... I don't know.  Haven't figured it out because it just tastes like burnt beans to me.

While I waited I also mentioned the frustration of my dieting.  I told them I lost 10lbs like nothing when I started but then it just stopped.  I guess I'm gonna have to hit the gym again and I seriously don't have the time.  I will have to MAKE the time.  Argh...  A lady mentioned that she does the Insanity workout and she lost 20lbs really fast.  It's a video she buys to do in her home.  I asked her if she ever tried to do aerobics in her house with kids everywhere trying to do it with you.  It's cute till you fling your hand and knock another kid across the room.  I always had to wait till they were sleeping.  She mentioned that on her diet you can eat whatever you want and just not go over 1,500 calories.  I told her I can't eat the carbs because it just makes me hungry again real fast.  I basically eat only meat and vegetables.  Here is one of my favorite meals.  Just chicken soup without the noodles.  So it's just chicken, keep the broth and add NO extra fake chicken flavoring.  That's basically just the broth from the chicken there.  I also added the celery and spinach leaves.  Sooooooo good and the bone broth is so good for you.

Meatoplasty Surgery on My Toddler

Yesterday Caleb went into surgery for Meatal Stenosis.  He has been in a lot of pain and it was causing an infection.  We didn't have time to try alternate routes because it was worsening fast.  It's not fun when you have a toddler that is screaming and jumping up and down every time he has to pee.  Poor guy.  My friend came over to watch the kids so we could go alone with Caleb.

In waiting room before prep

Good thing I left an extra half hour early because we got lost and barely made it on time.  There was several other little kids there and I wondered what they were there for.  Can't help the curiosity but of course I didn't ask anyone.  After they led us back they gave him a little gown and socks.  He would not keep the socks on and kept taking them off no matter how many times we put them back on.  Finally they just brought him a blanket.  :)

In prep before surgery

It was sad when they took him from us and we saw him walk away holding the nurse's hand.  What parent excitedly waves bye to their baby going into surgery even if it's minor surgery?  It's scary when you know they are getting an epidural and being put under.  We couldn't wait till he woke up and when he did he had a sad face for a long time.  He was begging for us to take his I.V. out but he had to wait.  He's in a lot of pain now and on some strong medication.  I'm supposed to help keep it open every diaper change and it's tough because he doesn't want anyone near that area.  Poor guy. :(  The medicine knocks him out thank goodness because he needs to let himself heal.  

I got back from the hospital and my poor friend looked tired with nine kids in the house.  She has three kids herself but you know it's quite a jump when you come along and go, "Here is six more!"  She so amazing because I don't know of anyone else that would do that for me.  She went a step beyond and had them do their chores while I was gone so I could come back to an easier evening.  Phew.  Thank goodness for such an amazing friend!  :D

When Is Our Time of Death?

Oh man, as faithful as I have been on my Paleo diet I was getting frustrated that I couldn't lose anything passed the 10lb mark.  Ohhhh, so frustrating.  The rest of my family is only half Paleo so I have been having to cook them dinners that I can't eat.  It doesn't bother me because I like being skinnier more than eating a plateful of pasta.  After I cook for them I'll make what I want and then my husband will look at my food and want to eat it.  "I told you I can cook yummy and healthy!" Ha ha.  They never believe me.  Well, I've gone a whole week being 100% faithful to my diet and not losing another single pound.  Finally today I broke that darn 10lb mark. I stopped going to the gym after Ivy got burned.  I was at the gym when it happened.  It's not that I'm blaming anyone it's just that it was such a horrible experience I just lost my taste for going.  That and I have NOT found the time for escaping to the gym.  Having 7 kids is AWESOME and WONDERFUL but I put taking care of them first so if I don't have the time, I just don't have it.

You want to know another reason why I haven't gone back to the community center?  When we first joined a nearby community center, Chaz got hurt on the first day.  This was only two months ago.  Well, Chaz was going down the slide and the lifeguard let another kid start going down right after.  Chaz got kicked in the head and got a mild concussion.  I went and got a lifeguard who is also an EMT.  He was the nicest guy and spent time with Chaz making sure he was okay.  He told me if I ever needed anything just to come and get him.  Well, he recently committed suicide and he was in his early 20's with a 10 month old son.  When we went back to the center, it just didn't feel the same.  I walked into the pool area half expecting to see him there with his kind smile but he wasn't there.  My heart just broke.  I know I need to go back.  Life moves on.  The sun still sets, but it still hurts.  That was someones boy, someones dad, someones grandson.  :(  Life is short and he took it.  The rest of us don't know when it's our time.  It's foolishness to just hope eternity will take care of itself and it's not something we should think about.  If I were to die today, am I ready to meet Jesus?  Will Pershing, a blogger, didn't know this would be his last post. The very next day he died in a crash on his way to lunch with his family after church.  Will was ready to be with Jesus.  

On a lighter note we visited the zoo this past weekend and my mom came with us.  What a treat!  We never, ever get sick of the zoo because it's full of nature and animals.  The kids can run around and we don't have to worry about being quiet! Ivy wanted to wear shorts instead of pants over her swimsuit but I said no because of her burn.  She can't expose her leg to the sun for over year.   She wasn't happy about it but she got over it.  :)

My mom playing with Juliet near the giraffe area.

All of us rode the camel.  I was a little worried about getting on because I was worried my weight would deflate his hump.  Turns out Dale is pretty durable.  Ha ha.

Hi Dale!  You are such a patient Camel.

Juliet is 4 months now!  She is very social and likes to be part of the action.  If I try to put her in the baby swing she only stays happy for about 5 minutes.  She has to be sitting straight up to see what everyone is doing.

The kids checking out an exhibit