Rob’s cousin, Danielle, recently graduated from West High School and in the fall she’s headed off to SUU. How exciting!! This time of life is such a fun one. Lots of experiences, both learning and fun (often at the same time).
We’re so proud of you, Danielle!
…and your amazing mom.
Here’s what’s been swimming around in my head as of late.
Potty Training:
Can I just say, “Shoot me.”?
Madeleine turned 3 in March and we have tried potty training her about four times in the last year. She doesn’t have any motivation to do it. Bribery, praise, consistency, punishment, it doesn’t matter. Nothing works. This time we’re committed. I’m sure it just makes things worse that we’ve quit before, but I kept thinking that maybe she just isn’t ready. Well, she’s ready and so am I. It’s embarrassing. It’s gross. It’s expensive. We’re done.We started Monday night and she has had exactly THREE successes. Three. This girl can hold her bladder…for HOURS. I have to have her in my line of sight at all times or she’ll pee. This makes my day extremely boring and extremely frustrating. We can’t go anywhere. I can’t let her play on her own. I can’t do anything. How long can this possibly last???
Grass:
Getting our grass in is also very slow-going. Rob’s been working overtime at work and our evenings and weekends are always packed with other commitments. Of course, working by himself with nothing but a shovel and a wheelbarrow doesn’t exactly speed things along. This weekend he’s hoping to have all of the old layer of soil with the weeds/dead grass in it hauled to the dump. Then he needs to spread topsoil and fertilizer, till, and level. Who knows when all that will actually get done.
Then we are still undecided whether to do Hydroseed or sod. Both have advantages and disadvantages. But first we need to decide what type of grass we want and then get complete estimates.
We haven’t even started thinking about the front yard’s grass…
Family Vacation:
This is always a dilemma for me, mostly because I want to go everywhere and do everything. It’s a little harder with three very young kids, though. Actually, make that a lot harder.
We’re planning on going to Southern California next year, so this year do we want to go to southern Utah again (where it’s amazingly beautiful and peaceful), or Great Basin National Park and Lehman Caves (where the nearest decent hotel is 1 1/2 hours away. We’d have to drive back and forth each day), Jackson Hole (hotel is pricey), or just stay local and do fun stuff (Lagoon, Bear Lake, Real Soccer, Drive-In Movie). I wish we could camp because that would cut the cost down immensely, but I’m not brave enough to do that with Caroline yet. All the above options sound fun, but which one will be the MOST fun??
Brazilian Ju Jitsu:
Nate’s been asking for months to do karate. After doing some research I think Ju Jitsu would be the best choice for him. I don’t mind the monthly fee…if it were one or two installments. The problem comes if he really, really enjoys it and doesn’t want it to be a trial run. Then we have the monthly fee for years and years to come. I’m not sure our budget is ready for that kind of commitment. You know?
Well, thanks for letting me get all that stuff off my chest.
Nate, Rob, and I were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting at church yesterday. The theme, of course, was father’s. Nate talked about why he loves his dad. I talked about how to nurture the relationship between fathers and sons/daughters. Rob talked about how to become closer to our Heavenly Father through prayer.
Nate did such a STELLAR job. He wasn’t one bit afraid to get up in front of the congregation and deliver his talk. In preparation, he drew pictures to help him remember what to say and didn’t need any help from me. Here is his talk. It’s fantastic.
My dad is the best dad in the whole world. I love it when my dad makes paper airplanes for me. I love it when my dad plays hotwheels with me.
I love it when my dad wrestles with me.
I love it when my dad takes me to Cabella’s.
I love it when my dad goes on a bike ride with me.
I love it when my dad lets me play on his ipod. I love it when we make pizza together.
My dad teaches me about the Priesthood and reads the scriptures to me every night.
I love my dad very much. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Here’s my talk.
Here’s Rob’s talk.
Last week Benjamin was born. Our family is so excited for this addition to our family. The kids are stoked for another cousin.
Visiting at the hospital.
Ben with his Great Grandma Williams.
Nathan loves babies.
It’s hard to believe Caroline was that little a mere 8 months ago.
We wish their family lots of happiness and even more SLEEP (which aids with the happiness).
DISCLAIMER: I’m not making sweeping claims. I’m not pointing fingers. I’m not patronizing.
Everyone in Utah heard about the sweet family in Layton who had two little daughters killed from pesticides that were improperly applied to their yard. So, so tragic. That family lived just a few blocks from me.
Almost everyone in the world has had a loved one die from cancer and wondered what caused it.
My son has a rare endocrine disease. Why?
Learning/behavioral disorders, type 1 diabetes, migraines, the list goes on and on.
I have been trying to live and raise my family in a more healthful way for a few years now. We've all heard about "going green" when it comes to food and energy, but I haven't heard very much reported on how toxic the world around us has become.
I picked up this book and decided it would be a good read in order to open my mind and be less ignorant of what is going on.
I'm not into scare tactics, which some of this book does use. But if you have a clear head and read it for general knowledge about what's going on, it's very informative.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: What’s Gotten into Us? is a deep, remarkable, and empowering investigation into the threats—biological and environmental—that chemicals now present in our daily lives.
Do you know what chemicals are in your shampoo? How about your cosmetics? Do you know what’s in the plastic water bottles you drink from, or the weed killer in your garage, or your children’s pajamas? If you’re like most of us, the answer is probably no. But you also probably figured that most of these products were safe, and that someone—the manufacturers, the government—was looking out for you.
The truth might surprise you.
After experiencing a health scare of his own, journalist McKay Jenkins set out to discover the truth about toxic chemicals, our alarming levels of exposure, and our government’s utter failure to regulate them effectively. What’s Gotten into Us? reveals how dangerous, and how common, toxins are in the most ordinary things, and in the most familiar of places:
• Our water: Thanks to suburban sprawl and agricultural runoff, 97 percent of our nation’s rivers and streams are now contaminated with everything from herbicides to pharmaceutical drugs.
• Our bodies: High levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals from cosmetics, flame-retardants from clothing and furniture, even long-banned substances like DDT and lead, are consistently showing up in human blood samples.
• Our homes: Many toxins lurk beneath our sinks and in our basements, of course, but did you know that they’re also found in wall-to-wall carpeting, plywood, and fabric softeners?
• Our yards: Pesticides, fungicides, even common fertilizers—there are enormous, unseen costs to our national obsession with green, weed-free lawns.
What’s Gotten Into Us? is much more than a wake-up call. It offers numerous practical ways for us to regain some control over our lives, to make our own personal worlds a little less toxic. Inside, you’ll find ideas to help you make informed decisions about the products you buy, and to disentangle yourself from unhealthy products you don’t need—so that you and your family can start living healthier lives now, and in the years to come. Because, as this book shows, what you don’t know can hurt you.
We all know these chemicals can be dangerous, but I don’t think we take it very seriously. We always hear “Yes, it can be dangerous, but with the small quantity we are exposed to, it’s not.” Seriously, how many times have we heard that? The problem is…what about the cumulative effects of ALL the hundreds of “small quantities” we’re exposed to every day, let alone over our entire life???
Obviously, I’m not going to commit all of my energy and savings to implement everything non-toxic, but there have been some small changes we’ve made over the last couple of years to be more “green”. They include:
In all honesty, these changes haven’t cost us any extra money. In fact, they SAVE money. Our grocery bill has actually gone down considerably.
The book has a hundred things we can do to limit our exposure to toxins but the top things we hope to implement over the next couple of years are:
I’m really not trying to be a preacher or to put myself out there as an ultra-conservationist freak. I’m not blaming all cancer and other health issues on these toxins. I just want to be informed, not ignorant. I believe that continually implementing small changes can make a difference to my family’s health and wellness of life.
Here are a couple of links I’ve found to be helpful.
Safe Mama http://safemama.com/cheatsheets/
The original One-Stop Child Safety, Product Recall, Health, Well-Being, Non-Toxic, Eco-Conscious Resource, For Parents.
Oompa Toys http://www.oompa.com/
We offer our constantly expanding collection of European wooden toys, baby toys, educational toys, lunch bags and modern children's furniture to urbane and discerning adults who want to expose the young children in their lives to non-character branded, quality toys that are designed to withstand generations of use. We believe baby toys should be natural, safe, eco-friendly, non-violent and from manufacturers who provide safe and nurturing environments for their employees.
Shop Smart http://www.shopsmartmag.org/ 
