Fun in the storm.

   Most of us acknowledge that we are blessed in our family and our life. But the majority of the time, this is more of a general thought. Its often little moments in life that make us take a closer look, a more detailed viewing of how blessed we are. As well as the God given blessings of the people in our lives. And those moments very often come during a time of tribulation. When we are sick, we can see the gentle and caring spirit of another. When we are scared we can find security in the strength of our husbands, parents or siblings. When we have a moment of little faith, we can be inspired by the faithfulness of a friend or loved one. Our weaknesses and trials can give us a clearer picture of the amazing blessings in our lives, as well as a deeper appreciation of the gifts and strengths of the people in our lives.

Anyone with small children can find an amazing amount of inspiration from the way they cheerfully plow through most any situation... with the exception of lunch being late. ;)

This is Blake at 9 months old, with a double ear infection.

Here is Daelynn a day ago, with a cold, pink eye, a big scratch on her ear from a spill, and in the midst of a mild reaction to her eye drops. 

My children have weathered colds, ear infections, eye infections, split lips, big storms, and big life changes. And they don't just make it through. Like tiny sunflowers, they keep their faces to the sun; they find the joy, no matter how the clouds try to hide it. They don't sit around and wallow in self pity, as we adults are easily inclined to do. A child with a sick tummy or a cold will still sing and play, even if the playground is only as big as the couch. A child with a split lip will still smile and laugh. Moving to a new house is a new adventure. And big storms can be great times for fun!

We had a big storm roll through overnight, complete with tornado warnings. Nights like that can be very busy in our house. And are also great opportunities for a lesson in cheerfulness... from my children.
First, a side note about my wonderful hubby. Jim almost always gets called in to work during big storms. He is a lineman, and storms and power lines don't get along. And every time, I find myself more proud of my husband. He selflessly heads out into the storm and works long hours, doing hard work, in unpleasant weather and conditions, to help ensure the safety of many people. He teaches me a lot too, but more on that another time. 
When the storm took a turn towards tornadoes, the kiddos were brought from their beds to the living room. And this is when the real fun began. Amidst the beeping weather warnings on the radio, the howling wind, and the thundering of the rain, we had a great campout! Daelynn kept us (and herself) entertained with the flashlight. The kids had so much fun romping together in the pack and play, and on the couch, and making great piles of blankets to roll in. We had a lot of laughter. And they really made their mommy proud at how they can make the best of any situation. No tears, no fussing, no fear. Just excitement and smiles. They took it as an adventure and a time for fun.

Nothing says 'living room campout' like a flashlight. :)  

I am continually amazed at the strong and cheerful spirits of my children. They are such an amazing blessing in my life. They teach me so much about the "childlike" spirit God wants us to have. Everyday, in their lives, actions, and play, throughout times of calm and times of tribulation, they make me see more clearly the blessings and promises of God. Like most parents, I just pray I can bless their lives like they bless mine.

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18: 2-4)

The cutest little conductor

  Blake has, over the past few weeks, developed an increasingly worse rash over his whole body. His doctor said it didn't look like much to worry about at his 10 month appointment. But when we had her look at him again Wednesday, she said it was definitely a reaction to something in his environment. I kept trying to think what kind of food it could be caused from that I had not put enough thought into environmental aspects. So when she suggested detergent, it was a palm to the forehead moment for me. "Duh, Misty. You went from homemade detergent free of additives to processed detergent full of junk."

We have made our own detergent for years. We love it, and it doesn't affect sensitive skin (like mine, and apparently Blake's). But we recently got some detergent for free, and I am still not sure why I didn't think about the possible effects on our skin. This also explains why my own skin has begun to react over the past couple weeks, to a lesser degree.

Empty hamper to full hamper in less than 5 minutes.

So I spent yesterday rewashing all of Blake's clothing, bedding, outerwear, towels, etc., in our homemade detergent. So thankful we had enough left for one more gallon! And while the bulk of his clothes were in the wash, I had to put him in something... So I had to get into 'the back of the drawer', the place clothes go to be forgotten. And I found him a pair of pants that had not been washed in the new detergent. And a shirt similarly was found for him. And the finished product, to me, was reminiscent of a train conductor.

Looking into his now empty closet.

He thought it was pretty interesting how everything was gone. 

I did a double wash and rinse on each load. The rest of the bedding and clothes in the house should be done by next week. Hopefully my little man will clear up soon! But in the meantime, his big sister will be there to keep him company along the way.

Even from the outside, the tub is a favorite.

"You got a friend in me"

So thankful that even in the itchy spots in life, there are best friends to help us laugh and smile our way through. And with that, my sweet little babies are stirring, and its time to get our morning started.

Blessings on your day!

(P.S. I added our laundry detergent recipe in the comments section for those who are interested.)

Change is in the air

Here in the Palmer house, things are changing. A lot of things!

Daelynn is completely out of diapers except when she is sleeping. Boy is this Mama happy about that! She has been a complete champ about potty training, and has done phenomenally well. We even braved a trip to the store with her diaperless. No problem.

Blake is in a world of changes right now. We just changed his nap schedule around about a month ago. And a couple weeks ago we began to wean him off using a bottle. He had some experience with sippy cups, so that helped. And yesterday was his first formula free day. Bring on the whole milk! Daelynn had a hard time with that transition, she wasn't sure about milk for about a week. But Blake didn't even seem to notice anything had changed.
He got his very first haircut last Sunday! It makes him look so much more like a big boy (feeling bittersweet about that).
He is up to taking 4-5 steps at a time, and will be toddling everywhere in a blink. Just in time too, all his jeans are getting holes in the knees! He has been great at going up the stairs for a long time, but this week he figured out how to go down the stairs too.
He is learning how to feed himself with a spoon... though still has a long way to go. He is taking the flood of changes in stride, like the good little man he is, without too much complaint.

Jim finally shaved off the goatee that he has had for some months now. And got a haircut to boot, right after Blake. Looks like a whole new man.

As I stated in my previous post, our diet has changed quite a bit. That has been going well. We are finding new foods we never knew we liked, as well as some we never knew we didn't. Everyone is benefiting from the change to healthier food. And I am getting to try new seasonings and recipes, which is a favorite activity of mine. I love being creative in the kitchen.

I found out last night about an unexpected benefit of moving to a bigger house where I use the stairs so many times a day: I am in much better shape! I have not been in good shape for running in a few years. But last night I decided to try a little run... I ran a mile... nonstop, without barely breaking a sweat, and without loosing my breath! The only thing that stopped me after that was my calves threatening to cramp. I was, and remain, stunned and excited! Oh the possibilities...
Between the change in diet, and a slightly increased exercise regime, I have been loosing a fair bit of weight. Just this morning I found out that I have hit a goal I have been working at for nearly a year: my pre-pregnancy weight from Blake! Within 2 months after delivery I was within 2lbs of it, and that was the closest I have been able to get until now. I am so excited!

Lots of positive, healthy changes. And lots to rejoice for. I am so thankful to God; for my beautiful, healthy, growing children. For my amazing husband, who's support and love has been invaluable, especially with so much change occurring. For leading us through these changes, and for being our strength. The Lord has blessed our family so greatly.

But I don't like sweet potatoes...

 Jim and I have began to put more emphasis on "healthy and natural" when it comes to our diet. Cutting out almost all processed foods and mainly taking in meats, fresh or frozen produce, and dairy. And within those healthy categories getting rid of many of the carb-heavy starches. We have wanted to do this so many times before, but we always get caught up on one thing... potatoes. We love potatoes! And it is difficult to get rid of them. (Don't even think about mentioning cauliflower! Yuck!! Been there, tried that, YUCK!) People have said "try substituting sweet potatoes." But I don't really like sweet potatoes.

That is... I didn't. I am not a big fan of the fries, or of having them mashed. I can put them in with a stew and not really notice them. But that doesn't solve my "potatoes as the main side dish" issue. And then I tried them a different way, by suggestion of my husband, I must say. We have a recipe for seasoned cubed potatoes that I got from a friend a long time ago, and he suggested trying the sp's with that recipe. It was fantastic! So, I wanted to share it. The recipe is super simple:

Oven baked seasoned cubed potatoes
Cube potatoes (in this case sweet potatoes)
Put in baking dish (no need to use cooking spray)
Lightly coat in mayo
Season with Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning (found in all supermarkets I have been to)
Bake @ 350 for 45 min or until tender.
Stir before serving
Yum!

The SP's made a wonderful substitute in this recipe. Jim even said he likes them more than the regular spuds. So if you are not so sure you can make the change, or if you simply enjoy sweet potatoes, try these.

I also make my home fries with them now. Which are very similar, but a slightly more healthy recipe.

Basic Sweet Potato Home Fries
Cube potatoes and dice some onion
Warm a frying pan over med heat
Spray pan with cooking spray (if you have a gas stove, do this away from the burner please)
Add onion, and saute a few minutes
Add potatoes
Season with Greek Seasoning
Cook until tender (and slightly crisp on the outside if you want) stirring occasionally.


I can now say that I do indeed like sweet potatoes, I like them a lot!

The healthy food changes have had quite an impact on our lives already. I lost 5lbs the first week!! I was excited and surprised about that. Now I find myself excited to see what week two will bring. I have also noticed that I am sleeping better and feeling better during the day. And I feel better about what I am feeding my family. We still enjoy sweet treats a couple/few times a week. I believe in moderation, not elimination, on things like that. And I see a lot of hope for us to stay on the healthy track, now that we have a solution to our potato conundrum.

Happy cooking!

Re-entering the world of potty training.

Being a parent leads you to casually say things that you never would have considered saying if you weren't one. Funny things like: "Don't put your foot in your mouth while you're eating."

Today I got to have a moment like that while comforting my daughter and telling her how proud I was of her, even though she hadn't gotten it exactly right.

"I am so proud of you for going and sitting on the potty like a big girl when you had to go pee pee! But next time you need to pull down your pants and undies first, ok honey?"

She is doing well today as we re-begin potty training. We began first when she was 17 months, she had the interest and the ability. She did great for three days, and then started getting quite anxious about it so we stepped back and decided to wait a bit longer. We have tested her at a few different times along the way to see when she might be ready. She recently has again shown a lot of interest in it, frequently asking to wear her undies. And randomly asking to sit on the potty, which typically has led to nothing. But today, I let her go ahead and wear her big girl undies, and she has worked hard to earn them. Of course there have been a few accidents, and she is not a fan of wet pants, but she is really doing great. And this Mommy sure is proud of her big girl.

Lazy Man's Truffles

For all of you who love chocolate as much as I do, here is a quick and easy recipe for a wonderful chocolate treat. Three ingredients, super easy to make.

Last week I decided I really wanted some chocolate. And as we don't keep candy in the house, I decided to try to make something. And I got the idea of mixing cream cheese and melted chocolate chips. And... Wonderful!

Slowly melt about half a bag of chocolate chips on the stove, and mix them with about half a package of cream cheese. Then spoon drop the mix in little dollops onto wax paper on a cookie sheet and chill it in the fridge overnight.

They are great just like that, but for an extra "truffle-like" addition, form the chilled dollops into balls and roll them in unsweetened bakers cocoa. Keep chilled.

Both Jim and I enjoy these; they don't last long in our house.