Happy, Hoppy Easter

Kayla (7)
Kenna (6 months) wearing the same dress Kayla did on Easter weekend when she was the exact same age. Its like dejavu!
Everett painting his dino that came in his Easter basket
Tanner doing the same

The kids doing an egg clue hunt to find their baskets:0)
the kids with their Easter goodies
allll the babies! Kayla, Tanner, Everett, Wyatt and baby Kenna
Tanner and Kenna
We had a beautiful Easter weekend, lots of fun stuff. We had an Easter egg clue hunt on Saturday morning to find their baskets which were filled with new sandals, candy, and a few other toys. Sat afternoon, it was of to Grandpas for lunch of raw BBQ chicken(Nate recooked), an egg hunt, TONS of goodies and candies, and some airplane fun that landed the airplane on Grandpa's neighbors house....teeheeee! Sunday morning, we dressed in our Easter best and enjoyed a beautiful sacrament service. Sunday school entailed a lesson on pride and really made me think. Pride is so much more than I thought and its a real sin so that is my goal, to not be so prideful and to learn to humble myself. Humility is a character I admire so much in others, yet I dont practice it. There was no relief society today as we had a disaster preparedness meeting for everyone and it was downright scary. We WILL be having a major 8.0 or larger earthquake in socal and in our lifetimes as we are overdue and we HAVE to be prepared. We are going to get all our food( a few months supply) and water( a few months supply also) put together shortly as I am a lil freaked out now! :0) Anyhow, it is a nice day and everyones out running in sprinklers so I am off to join them!

The garden begins

Go to my unschooling blog to read all about it and see tons of pics of us prepping the garden plots http://unschoolerldsmama.blogspot.com/

SheKnows.com article on cheaply making your home more eco-friendly

http://www.sheknows.com/articles/home-and-money/home-improvement/7842-Easy-eco-friendly-upgrades-for-your-home.htm


Easy eco-friendly upgrades for your home
Do your best to go greenBy SheKnows Editors
As energy prices rise and environmental consciousness increases, many homeowners are choosing more energy-efficient upgrades as they consider home improvement.
Ecologically responsible home upgrades can save you money while enhancing your comfort, reducing pollution and saving our natural resources. It's not necessary to radically change your lifestyle: a few simple changes will have a cumulative effect. A project as simple as replacing standard light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (which use 2/3 less electricity) is a good start!
Get in some hot water Many homeowners are discovering that tankless water heaters can meet their needs for an endless hot water supply. Compact and efficient, tankless water heaters do not store hot water, as traditional heaters do, but heat the water upon demand. This can result in a large energy savings, since up to 80 percent of the energy used by a traditional heater is used to reheat the stored water.

Tankless heaters also may conserve space in the home, since larger-capacity units may be mounted outside or in the garage in warmer climates. These are a good choice for whole-house heaters, and homes with large families who never seem to have enough hot water for all the showers!
Smaller, usually electric, units may be placed under the sink or in closets. These more compact units are ideal for point-of-use locations, such as remote bathrooms, pools or hot tubs. The initial expense of tankless heaters is approximately twice that of traditional heaters, and installation can cost three times as much, however, natural gas and propane units will be much less expensive to operate.
Tankless heaters will last 20 years or more, compared to 10-15 years for a traditional heater. The parts are also easy to access and replace, possibly extending the life of the tankless heater well beyond 20 years. This is not a do-it-yourself project for most homeowners, since existing supply lines and venting systems must be upgraded. Installation of tankless heaters in new construction is less expensive than replacing an existing traditional heater.
Reprogram yourself Programmable thermostats are also gaining in popularity. If you are home most of the day and don't alter the temperature much, you can probably stick with your mechanical model. But if you are away from home for hours during the day, a digital or electronic programmable thermostat can quickly pay off in lower heating costs, with savings of up to 35 percent.
Traditional mechanical thermostats are set to a desired temperature, which then must be monitored by the homeowner. A programmable thermostat will constantly adjust the temperature of the home from a comfortable setting while you are awake and moving about the house, to a lower or higher temperature while you are away at work, or sleeping.
Programmable thermostats generally have four time periods that can be preset by the homeowner to ensure the heating or cooling system adjusts the temperature at the desired time. Basic programmable thermostats have a digital display, fan-operation controls, and a reminder to change furnace filters.
More advanced models may feature touch-screens, voice activation, intuitive menus, and remote access which lets the homeowner control the thermostat by telephone or internet. DIY installation will take about an hour, but the more advanced models may require professional installation. Don't let your savings go down the drain The toilet is accountable for the major amount of water used in a household, between 30-50% of the daily water consumption. All toilets manufactured and sold in the US are now required to use 1.6 gallons of water or less per flush, compared to 3-5 gallons -- or more -- needed for older models.
The first 1.6 gpf (gallon per flush) models were not redesigned by maufacturers to operate with less water, which led to consumer dissatisfaction, and often needed a "double-flush" to get the job done -- which clearly did not result in much water savings!
The newer models have been redesigned, however, with larger traps and more effecient bowl shapes to flush more effectively. Some models have power-assisted flushing mechanisms that use air pressure to increase flushing power. Low-consumption toilets can save thousands of gallons of water every year per family.
Installing a toilet is a fairly simple project that most DIYers would be able to handle. When replacing old porcelain fixtures, don't just send them to the landfill. Many municipalities will crush old porcelain to use in new roadway construction. Check with your local recycling center.
Let the sun shine in... a little A home with older windows may lose up to 65 percent of its heating and cooling energy through the windows. Technologies in window manufacturing in the last two decades have resulted in energy-efficient high performance windows that can greatly reduce your heating and cooling bills.
Low-E glass coatings are formulated to select specific wavelengths of energy and reflect long-wave radiant heat from the sun, while allowing visible light to pass through. Realize that energy-efficient windows have a higher initial cost than standard windows, with a payback time of two to 10 years.
Replacing all the windows in your home is a major expense, so you may want to consider replacing windows room by room. Depending on how handy you are, installing the new windows yourself could save a substantial amount of money over hiring a contractor.
Look at some film An inexpensive alternative to replacing windows is to apply a solar-control window film over existing the existing glass. Window film is an easy and effective choice to reduce summer energy consumption. The average savings is approximately $100 a year or more, depending on your climate.
Not only do window films provide relief from heat, they also block harmful rays which can fade furnishings, floorings, and window treatments. Transparent films will not obscure the homeowner's view -- think of them like sunglasses for your house -- and there are also decorative films available which will give your windows an etched glass appearance at a fraction of the cost and provide privacy. This is an easy DIY project; the average window can be done in 30 minutes or less. The film is also removable, although this can be tricky and usually best left to professionals.
Only the beginning These are just a few of the many home upgrades that can enhance your lifestyle while protecting our environment. Before implementing any of these suggestions, do your homework -- check out other websites (and more articles here on SheKnows), speak to contractors and visit your local home improvement stores -- and research all the options available with each upgrade. Consider your family's needs, finances and future savings and make informed decisions. Helping to preserve our environment may also bring out the altruistic person in you!

We have done/are working on allllll these things, but for now, we have to finish our budget. We have a list of things to fix/upgrade/remodel when the budget loosens.

Eco-Breathing

You know that invigorating, yet relaxing feeling you get at the park under the shade trees on a blanket in the grass or in the crisp pine scented mountain air? That is the affects of fresh air my friends. Clean, unpolluted, fresh, crisp oxygen that's just been puffed out by the surrounding trees. Fresh and pure oxygen has many health benefits:

http://www.o2fresh.com/oxygen.htm

Benefits of Oxygen:

~Provides energy
~Calms the mind and stabilizes the nervous system
~Sharpens concentration, alertness, and memory
~Detoxifies the blood and improves the immune system
~Promotes healing and counters aging
~Strengthens the heart, which reduces the risk of heart attacks
~Speeds up the body's recovery after physical exertion
~Provides a natural remedy for headaches, migraines and hangovers
~Relieves temporary altitude discomfort and jetlag
~Improves digestion and cell metabolism
~Relieves muscle stiffness and supports pre-athletic performance
~Lessens fatigue and creates better sleep patterns

Facts About Oxygen:
~Lack of oxygen in our universe is due to pollution, the burning of fossil fuels and overall destruction of the ozone layer
~Every day we breathe 20,000 times
~The air that we normally breathe contains roughly 19% to 21% oxygen
~90% of our energy comes from oxygen, only 10% from food and water
~Blood is the liquid carrier of oxygen that fuels all systems, stimulates chemical reactions and cleans itself of wastes and toxins
~By mass, oxygen makes up 90% of the water molecule; water makes up 60%-75% of the human body
~The brain, which makes up 2% of our total mass, requires 20% of the body's oxygen
~Research has demonstrated that our vital lung capacity decreases 5% with every decade of life, decreasing oxygen consumption
~Nearly all cancer begins due to lack of cell oxygenation
~Cancer attacks every organ in the body, with the exception of the heart, which uses an abnormal supply of oxygen

What am I getting at in writing this you wonder? Plant trees all around your house, put high O2 output plants IN your home in every room and get to the park and other tree lined places often for good health. Planting trees not only helps us, but the future of our earth. My yard is filled with trees and we plan to add many more this summer to enhance the oxygen in and around my home. Its nice because when I open a window on a spring day, I can feel the crisp and clean air blowing in and its very refreshing and energizing and I know its so good for our health. We try to keep a window or door open quite often when weather allows because as everyone knows, indoor air is very unhealthy for us.

The gym is kicking my arse!!

I am so beat. I feel like I have been drug behind a car for a few miles. Well, taking Cheryl's classes, I kinda have lol. I went 2X my first week back, 3X last week and everyday so far this week. I think I will make it 4 days this week and then back to the regular 5 days a week routine next week. I am incredibly tired though. My workout schedule is as follows:

Monday: Step/kickboxing/abs(1 hour)

Tuesday: Bike/stair climber/abs (45 mins)

Wednesday: Weight training class which is sorta cardio because we dont rest at all(45 mins)

Thursday: elliptical (10 min) Bike (10 min) Stair climber (10 min) and abs(total 45 mins)

Friday: Step/weights combo interval/abs(1 hour)

Money Money Money

Well, next Wednesday is payday once again and Nate had it planned for a leave cashout so we will be getting a WAY big check, which means one thing, MORE debt payoff, thank God! I guess tithing really is sending us blessings galore. We will send 2K so as of next Wednesday our debt will be down to 14,500. Its starting to feel so incredibly in reach. 14 Grand is nothing. Esp since we are getting 2700 from the IRS deposited in our accnt in May, yay! I am so happy for us and that we followed DR. I really have to thank the Large Family moms on BBC for having introduced me to so many neat things and I will miss them for that. I learned about cloth diapering, going green, Dave Ramsey, wheat mills, homeschooling, unschooling, and so much more. I am still sorta sad to have left, however, I am making much better use of my time and my kids are benefiting greatly by not having me online much anymore. I hop on to get emails, check myspace and blog a few times a week and thats about it. I know many of the women there never really like me anyhow so I know its best to stay off there. As much as I maybe annoyed them, I hope they know how much they helped me to grow as a woman and mother. Its definitely a hard addiction to break though. ;)

California Make up your MIND!!

Heres the latest weather that moved through! Yesterday we had fog in the morning and pretty chilly, then it got sunny and moved up to 70 degrees. In the late afternoon, it chilled down again and turned chilly and rained a lil, no biggie, well then, it starts hailing pea sized balls for eh maybe an hour which then turns into sleet. We wake up this morning to snow. Sheesh, isn't spring starting Friday? Isn't it against the rules to be 70 and snowing in the same 24 hours lol?

Kenna got her first babyfood!

Okay so I am a MAJOR advocate of late feeding of solids and my kids have all started at different times, some much later than others. Here's a breakdown of when they began solids:

• Kayla 8 months table food


• Wyatt 4 months rice cereal per Drs orders because of reflux


• Everett 14 months table food(the child refused food!)


• Tanner 7 months because he weighed over 30 pounds and breast milk wasn't enough anymore lol


• Kenna 5.5 months rice cereal only so far

I am going to now explain why we began rice cereal today. It started last month. I was eating pancakes with fruit on them and she kept saying, "mmmmm" and licking her lips like she wanted some so I gave her a lil taste of the juice on the fruit and the rest is history. She has been "begging" to eat since then. I kept hoping to hold her off a little longer, but as a mommy, its our job to meet the needs of our individual children as per necessary. I had to be adaptable for her even though I wanted to wait til more like 7-8 months. Well the rice cereal was a hit. The girl loves to eat. It was even sorta fun going out and buying new baby spoons and DHA enhanced rice cereal! I tried to be positive even though deep down I am sad for this milestone. Kenna sure isn't sad though, she loves to eat! For now we will just do one feeding a day of rice cereal until she shows me that she is ready for more or something different.

I did it, I did it! I left BBC

I am deleting it from my bookmarks and not returning after 4 years. Its been an addiction sometimes a whole day would go by where I had been on and off so much that nothing beyond basic housework got done and my kids were tuned into the tube all day! lol, it feels good to be away from the computer so much now and out doing stuff. We just got home from a ward potluck and that was really fun. I have just been busy with "real life" and "real people" and I am happy and sad a lil to leave behind the world of Babycenter boards. Time to move on though. I still pop on myspace once a day and try to find time for the blog, but thats it now for the net. YAY me!

Another quick Dave Ramsey update!

Our debt is down to 16,500 now!!!! WOOOWOOOO Our first post debt purchase will be tile flooring for the whole house, next will be a jacuzzi tub for the bathroom! Just waiting....Lowes has them for 750 bucks:0)

Trying to Conceive

Well heres the update from the OB apt this am. They say pregnancy with me nursing is a big fat no no because of my low progesterone and cystic ovaries. They say its a sure fire way to have another miscarriage. So they said to either quit nursing immediately upon becoming pregnant or quit nursing first before even becoming pregnant. I'm really sad about that. I will just keep nursing along for now. My sweet Kenna needs her mama milk so that isnt a viable option to me at the moment. I will just wait it out and pray the HF will allow a pregnancy to happen at the right timing. Right now is too soon anyhow. I would love another one soon, but I wont cheat my dear baby in order to get pregnant again.

Speaking of more babies, more babies=more laundary which will be A-ok now because Nate bought me the Whirlpool HE washer and Dryer this weekend with extended warrenty for 5 years on all parts and labor as well as the pedestals to make them high up for me. OMGOSH, I am in HEAVEN! These babies crank clothes out faster than I can fold!! I LOVE NATE! Off to switch the laundary and grab a snack!

How sad does that baby look, ugh, my heart breaks....

AND The worst part is, they are trying to sell this contraption. Here is a study for the bottle propping mothers. I am posting this in love and respect for your children, PLEASE read it.

IS this REALLY what you want for your babies? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhharl.html


"Starting in 1957, Harlow worked with rhesus monkeys, which are more mature at birth than humans, but like human babies show a range of emotions and need to be nursed. He took infant monkeys away from their real mothers, giving them instead two artificial mothers, one model made of wire and the other made of cloth. The wire model was outfitted with a bottle to feed the baby monkey. But the babies rarely stayed with the wire model longer than it took to get the necessary food. They clearly preferred cuddling with the softer cloth model, especially if they were scared. (When the cloth model had the bottle, they didn't go to the wire model at all.)
In another study, Harlow found that young monkeys reared with live mothers and young peers easily learned to play and socialize with other young monkeys. Those with cloth mothers were slower, but seemed to catch up socially by about a year. Babies raised with real mothers but no playmates were often fearful or inappropriately aggressive. Baby monkeys without playmates or real mothers became socially incompetent, and when older, were often unsuccessful at mating. "

OOOOo While I am at it, real quick

Nate just called to see where we are at on the Burb payoff balance, OMGOSH I am thrilled beyond beleif to know we are down to only owing 18K. We bought it in Sept 2007 and have paid 18K off, so we are HALFWAY done. Sticking with our plan, we will be done in July this year, completely Debt Free except our home! This is just so exciting. Anyone who has never read about Dave Ramsey, HOLY cow, he is THE MAN. I love him!!!! He is the reason, (well the book, Total Money Makeover) that we are where we are today. Its been ridiculous sticking to this budget but we are almost there. ahhhhh I cant wait. We will have so much money for savings and some real fritter money, gosh that will be nice. Okay kids are getting up from Nap, gotsta go for now:) You readers have got to get his book!!! I cant say enough good things

Kat

A wonderful gal named Kat from Large Families board on Babycenter wrote a blog sorta directed to me and about me and I appreciate her so much. I hope she doesnt mind me sharing this blog with you. If your reading Kat and dont want your blog addy posted just email me and let me know! Anyway, its titled
"Well behaved women rarely make history"

http://www.alittlecrunchy.blogspot.com/

This is EXACTLY why Religion will be a struggle for me for always

I sit here shaking my head tonight. Just because I was baptised, I should loose all my values and stop standing my ground on what I know in my heart to be right? There are studies piled upon studies to back my beliefs as a mother and educator of my children. How can I or how should I sit back and allow things to go on around me like a drone and just support it all? Life is about differences and learning and changing, not sitting around in our old patterns and ways and being stuck in ruts! Without someone standing up for something new or different, how will anyone learn anything? I am me, my personality is spunky and feisty and fun and those in real life love me dearly. I am always told what fun I am. I am interesting at least, quirky, witty and educated. It states quite clearly in the Bible that we are not to sit back and allow unrighteous things to go on without speaking up. The whole, "love the sinner, not the sin theory!" Sheesh, if I didnt follow that for myself, I would hate myself as I am obviously coming from a VERY sinful past. Psalm 37 says
29 The righteous will inherit the land, and dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
I am trying to speak justice for fresh new outlooks on parenting that treats a child with dignity and respect, asking mothers to view the world from a child's point of view. As an adult, I would be so sad if someone left me to cry all alone for 30 minutes when I was in need of something only they could give. I just see things from a baby/child's point of view. That is where my passion is driven from. God didnt tell us to shut up and allow bad things to happen around us and support it, he told us to speak out in love and try to help people correct themselves. I seriously do speak in love and also from sadness when I read my birthboard and other places where people support things I find less than righteous. Jesus loved children and treated them so kindly, why can't some parents learn this behavior? I cant stomach to lurk on my birthboard because I see the same things over and over and I cannot hold my fingers back. Its who I am. I am spunky and outspoken. Humbling myself will always be a battle especially with certain subjects. I dont think being humble is ALWAYS good. Most who preach to be humble are not themselves so I take their preaching with a grain of salt anyways. Baptised or not, I am me and I am not changing myself to become some quiet sheep who follows the heard and praises the sad and ugly things I hear of people doing. Those who were harshest to me, made me think way more than those who kindly sat back watching me drink all the time and be an idiot. So I thank those who were bold enough to stand in my path and tell me I was wrong so I could change things and become a better person!

Baby Food-an Awsome Article and Breastmilk studies!!

Why do people feel the need to introduce it so early? What are we helping/proving by doing this to babies who arent ready? Here are some signs they ARE indeed ready







"Your baby is at least 6 months old



This is the most important sign of readiness. Many well-meaning relatives (and even some doctors) will recommend that you start your baby on solid food, typically rice cereal, as early as 3 or 4 months. This is not a good idea. The AAP now recommends holding off on solid food until baby is at least 6 months old. Before the age of 6 months, a baby's digestive tract is not developed enough to handle the extra workload of digesting solid foods. Introducing solid foods too early can cause constipation, gas, and spitting up. In the long run, babies who have been introduced to solid foods before the age of 6 months can run the risk of developing diabetes and gastrointestinal disease in later childhood and into adulthood. Early introduction of solids also increases the risk of food allergies in children.







Your baby can sit alone



A baby should have good head and neck control before being introduced to solid foods. This is fairly common sense. Think about it: if your baby can't sit up, you'll probably have to feed him in a reclining position. If he's reclining, he's much more likely to choke on his food. It's just not safe.







Your baby doesn't refuse food when it is offered



This is not a sign of readiness on its own. Many babies show interest in food well before they're actually ready to eat it. But if your baby turns his face away or refuses to eat, don't force the issue. He will accept the food when he is ready. Young babies are remarkably in tune with their bodies - follow his cues." http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/157774/how_to_tell_if_your_baby_is_ready_for.html







Many babies wont even be ready til long after 6 months, my kids ranged from 8 months to 14 months in readiness. All baby needs is breast, very simple! There are all the nutrients they need packed and equiped in mommies breast! My favorite is this study done by American Academy of Pediatrics that states, "The highest rates of breastfeeding are observed among higher-income, college-educated women >30 years of age living in the Mountain and Pacific regions of the United States." I do not fall into the age category, but do fall in the other categories so maybe thats why I nurse? The question remains, but for how long?







#1 9 months because I was pregnant with #2 and milk was drying up and I dropped to 112 pounds and couldnt get my weight up.







#2 had to be tube fed so I pumped til I dried up around 6-8 weeks







#3 nursed around 14 months and had to be weaned on Drs orders because he was not growing at only 16 pounds and I couldnt keep weight on(thyroid issue for me)







#4 nursed 9 months, I was at a bad stage in my life where at the time, alcohol seemed more fun than nursing.







#5 is going strong with NO solids yet at 5 months and we plan to try for a few years







American Academy of Pediatrics states this in regards to nursing:







"The policy recommendations include:
Exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months and support for breastfeeding for the first year and beyond as long as mutually desired by mother and child.
Mother and infant should sleep in proximity to each other to facilitate breastfeeding;" (sounds like they promote co-sleeping! Go AAP)http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/breastfeeding/aaprecommendations.asp







World Health Organization is my fav though!!!







"How long should a mother breastfeed?The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mother and baby desire. The World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond."http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm


While I could go on and on and on about the benefits of later feeding and longer breastfeeding, I am on the go, we made it to the gym this morning, homeschooled, the park at noon and now we are off to Brownies and the Post office. tootles til next time

Okay so I will cut back starting tomorrow

but for today, I must admit I have had a great time giggling and lurking on the whattoexpect.com October 2007 board, those ladies are hysterical. They have a whole thread about me hehehee! During nap I ate brownies and read along. They think my kids were rented hahahahaha! Oh how I wish some days when they are all going nuts!! So kidding, but yeah its just funny. Then they accuse me of not being organic because there is a picture of my kids baking with regular food, well I guess they didnt read my blog in its entirety that only 70% or so of our food is organic and even in the pic, the Ragu IS organic....whatever. I guess they must not see too well. The funny part is that they think I was banned, I was banned only for 1 week though and I changed my SN simply because I was baptised and wanted my SN to be something with LDSmama in it. Oh and fellow bloggers, I was banned because I stood up for the rights of babies, NOT to cry it out. It gets me so upset to think of babies crying it out. Some of them acted like 30 minutes of crying was no biggie and they were even patting each other on the back for it and they surely didnt like it when I stood up for those poor innocent babies whose lil brains were swelling at the cost of mommy "needing a break because their 1!!!ONE! child was too much" Seriously its hard to want to say nice things when you read that. Its also cracks me up because they are laughing about lurking on me, but yet, I am also lurking on them, sort of two way creepiness. I must say though that I warned them about weight also in the beginning of pregnancy when they were all putting on 20-30 lbs in 1st trimester. I didnt do it to be malicious but because I felt so bad for them that they would be in the position most of them are in now, crying constantly and posting pics of their tremendously overweight bodies. I tried to tell them, but they told me again that I was mean. Not that I care if they are overweight and happy, but I predicted exactly what would happen and it did! I laugh somedays at all the whiny overweight posts because I tried to tell them pregnancy was no time to eat for 2.

They are quite hysterical now saying they "caught" me in lies and they are things THEY are lying about. I never ever claimed to make my clothes lol, not my style! They have said some funny stuff in the past about thinking I was fake because there is no way I homeschool, cook from scratch, use organic products when possible, cloth diaper, babywear(nope I never claimed to wear kenna 24 hours a day, but they tend to have exaggerative qualities about them), dont allow CIO, cosleep, am 24, have my bachelors degree in education and have 5 children and am skinny. Well I called my husband that evening reading that thread to him and he was laughing so hard he could barely stand it. It was such a compliment that someone thought I was fake. I really do/am all those things so I guess I am doing something right for people to think I am fake, however, that doesnt make me any better, I am just more experienced. I have had way more time at this and read a lot more than many people in my years of being a mom. Young or not, I have been a mom for 7.5 years now and had a lot of time to read a lot and implement a lot. No, I have not always homeschooled, the ladies on Large families board on babycenter can vouch for that one, we went in school, out, in and out one last time and I vow not to go back. My life is a learning and growing process, but I try to catch on quickly. Yes I committed some huge sins a few years ago concerning same sex relations, I have repented and moved on and thankfully I have an awesome husband who loves me and our marriage is stronger than ever so to the naysayers, Ya make me stronger!! For that, I thank you. If they think I am fake, doesnt change my life, except to make me step back and realize, oh yeah, I AM only 24, and wow I have lived a fulfilling life, never wasting a minute.....well except to write this of course :/

Cutting Back

Too much internet for me this winter, spring is here in full swing, we are getting many invites to go places and I am going back to the gym 5X a week again starting monday. I can no longer work out at home because the kids start wrecking everything while I work out and its becoming impossible. Anyhow, I am going to cut back to scarely posting on Babycenter. Its served its purpose for me at a time in my life when real support wasnt readily available, but I am in a different place now having real support in real life. I have family and friends who care and that makes a huge difference for me in not needing online friends. I will stay pop on myspace daily to see who wants to head to the park or whatnot. I am planning to update here every day or other day or so, but really I just dont have the time anymore and the large families board split in half so its pretty stupid now. I just have had a huge schedule shift that will allow for maybe 20-30 minutes a day online.

I will be going to the gym each morning, homeschooling when we get back, we have tons going on at church all the time, park days, playdates, the library and museums to explore since weather is gorgeous again, TBall starting in 2 weeks, brownie scouts going strong, boy scouts will start up for Wyatt in a few months. Life is just busy is all. Those who want to keep up with me, reading here will keep you updated and of course I will try to share inspiring things as I learn. Maybe my next post will be about workouts and eating healthy. I have been eating like a heathen hehehe, time to fix that!

My Regulars

I seriously got a swarm of around 100 emails asking for invites and realized that people enjoy my blog and why should I have to limit who is exposed to it? I am leaving it public, Exmos or Antis as you call yourselves, your writings of me are hysterical. I know you are reading and I am writing to you to say thank you for reading and I am happy to have been of interest to you. I hope you learn something new. For the record, I afford my children quite well, the world knows I engaged in bisexual acts and I have repented and moved on, that was almost 2 years ago now. I am super happy you had some ammo though for your threads. I am obviously not unintelligible as you claim though as anyone who reads about me long enough will realize, I am educated with a Bachelors Degree and I am an AVID reader. Its hard to be ignorant when you read so much. I will be praying for my friends as well as those who write so rudely about me and seem to be enemies. Anyhow, all my regular readers I feel so loved that so many people wanted invites. I am leaving my blog public and I hope I can continue to write freely without persecution and I will be updating tomorrow about my baptism tonight!!! SO EXCITED!