update

I just thought that I would update everyone. Everyone seems to be feeling better, although, I have been holding my breath just standing by in case we aren't clear yet. I have also been in a blogging rut. There isn't too much going on right now we are all in limbo waiting for school to be out (next Thursday). I am doing my best to keep everyone on their nightly routine and schedule in a vain attempt to thwart grumpy moods from lack of sleep. Understandably the kids do not understand why they are going to bed when it is still light outside. I remember that feeling, and now I know how my mom felt. They really think they would be happy going to bed at 10 pm and waking at 6:30 am. I know for a fact that this is not the case and the battle ensues. Luckily Sean is home this time around (actually this is the first time since any of the kids started school- Connor was in K back in 2005). I have to give him credit because he has done a whole lot of the bedtime stuff since he started his new schedule. He's a good Daddy! He has also done a great job of watching the kids while I go to my monthly Bunko games to have a night out. I am also proud of him for taking Connor and his friend to the Stake Father and Sons Camp-out. It was a great experience for all of them. Connor's friend's mom is single and wasn't feeling well so in taking him Sean helped her and gave her son a good experience. I know from growing up in a single parent home how important it is to have someone to do the things that can't always get done by one person. I hope Sean and I can continue to give support whenever it might be needed. To anyone we know for that matter. We have been so blessed to have people to call on when we have needed someone to watch our kids at the last minute, or needed backup when I was so sick w/Olivia, or when she was in the hospital. Also, growing up there was always someone to support my mom when she needed it. There were a few people who were such good examples to me and my sister who opened their homes and hearts to us and a lot of people to give rides and teach some life lessons. If I made a list it would probably go on forever! I feel extremely blessed that Sean and I might be in a position to help others out. I am also grateful that Sean is willing to be so giving of his time. Thanks Babe! I love you!

Tag You're It!!

I've been tagged ~

A) pick up the nearest book
B) turn to page 123
C) find the 5th sentence
D) post the 5th sentence
E) tag 5 (or more) people

A) A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
B) did it
C) ok
D) "Cooperation is alien to the ego, except when there is an alternative motive."
I like the next sentence better: "The ego doesn't know that the more you include others. the more smoothly things flow and the more easily things come to you."
E) I tag Andrea, Timani, Renee and Maegan

You Pick...

what to label this blog-
Here are the options:

1. $200 later! no seriously $200!
2. Glad I have insurance!
3. Really? We have to go to the Dr. again? Really?
4. Sane in an insane World- or is it Insane in a sane world?
5. If it means saving her eye I'll give her the upper hand this week.
   

Wow! This last week has been insane. Just as I start feeling balanced and sane, comes along a week to challenge it all. It wasn't really all that exciting either. It all started with an eye infection which is more annoying than dramatic in any fashion. But wait, just when we thought that we had Alli's pink eye under control- WHAM! - Just like that, she woke up on Saturday and it looked like someone had punched her in the eye, except for the bruising part, her eyeball was RED. Anywhere you would have expected white was blood red. So as much as I hate doing it, I called the Pediatrician's office and took her in on Saturday. After looking over it an hmming and hawing (the noises the best dr's make when they are researching) he put some drops in it and lit her eyes up under a black light. That's a wild thing to see. He was looking for open sores on her eye ball and sure enough there they were like 4 twinkling stars in the night sky no bigger than the tip of a ball point pen. As pretty as it sounds, this is not what you want to see because this means that what is causing all of the pain and ooze is in fact not the easily treated Pink Eye. No, its worse. We were looking at a virus. (IE Herpes Symplex-cold sore or Chicken Pox in the eye). This isn't very common but it does happen. So lets start the tally:

Dr's Visit Saturday- $25 co-pay
Follow Up Sunday- $25 co-pay
Meds for eye and ear infection- $40
Ophthalmologist Appt (Tuesday)- $25 co-pay
Thank you Dr. Smith! He gave us samples for the new eye drops for Alli and also looked at Olivia's eye and gave her a sample for her medicine b/c she also had an (bacterial) eye infection
Follow up w/Pediatrician (wednesday- ear)- $25 co-pay
Follow up w/Ophthalmologist (friday- eye)- $25 co-pay

Total: $165

Oh but we aren't done. Sean has been feeling under the weather and his ears started "bothering" him (which means it feels like someone stuck an ice pick in his ear) so he stopped at the urgent care on the way home. He has a sinus and ear infection. BTW when Sean wants to go to the doctor there is seriously something wrong!

Urgent Care- $25 co-pay
Meds for Seans ear infection- $12

That's not all. Olivia has an ear infection, too!

Dr's visit- $25 co-pay
Meds- $12

Grand Total (so far): $239

I am so thankful we have insurance! The cost of all of this would be unbelievable with out it. My only question- Does it have to all happen in 1 week?? I am frazzled. Let me tell you how fun it is to put drops in a 4 year olds eye- IT'S NOT. I have been reduced to bribery and Alli is loving it.

1 cranky 4 year old+1 cranky baby+ 1 cranky husband= 1 cranky mom

There is an end to this. Right?

There's a Connor in My Tree!

Connor sent this ball up into the tree so with the help of Sean he was attempting to shake it out. Obviously he wasn't going to be able to climb all the way up to get it down. So we watched this attempt for a bit and then Sean decided he was going to knock it out by throwing broom stick into the tree (think modern day spear). Both Connor and I warned him not to hit the boy in the tree but none of us thought that the broom stick would hit the tree and shoot right back at Sean. No one was hurt but we all got a good laugh at Sean, surprised, dodging the wayward spear. Eventually both the ball and the boy came down from the tree and both survived the adventure.

Diaper Update!

So we have had our cloth diapers for a week now and I LOVE them. I wish I had some funny or entertaining story but the truth is that cloth diapering is easier than I thought it would be. Here is what I have learned in the last week.

1) Use the right detergent and DO NOT use very much. I know it sounds counter productive but it's true. I started out using Tide Pure Essentials lemon and after 3 days I started up the wash with the diapers in it before I added the detergent and the water started bubbling up like I added 1/2 the bottle. I had no idea that the diapers were absorbing all of that soap and it wasn't getting rinsed out! So after about 4 laundry cycles w/ 2nd rinse on I was satisfied enough to toss them into the dryer. So here is what I learned to do by trial and error: I run the diapers one cycle in warm water w. Arm and Hammer FREE of perfumes and dyes and I only put in the detergent to just under the #1 line. Then I run them in a 2nd cycle w/ 1/2 C of vinegar only. This disinfects them. The smell of vinegar is completely gone by the time they are done drying.
(I use Arm and Hammer b/c it already has the baking soda in it and we all know what baking soda does- neutralizes odors.)

2) Flushable liners are a MUST. At least for me. You see, if you don't get the flushable liners you get to spend some time washing poo off a diaper before you put it in your washer. I don't know about you but I like to spend the least amount of time possible w/poo. These inventions are GENIUS! All you do is dump the liner w/the poo into the toilet! It's amazing. $12 for 200 liners. The best part is the poo is gone it's not sitting in the garbage or diaper pail, it's gone.

3) If you are gone all day and you choose to cloth diaper you have to carry your dirties around w/you. I would suggest if you are going to go through more than 1 diaper other than the one baby has on (2 total) I would bring along disposables. On the same note bring along a freezer ziploc bag to put the dirty one(s) in. The only problem I have w/carrying around dirty diapers is that after a couple it gets bulky. The ziploc bags hold in the smell fine.

4) If you know your baby is wet...you have to change the diaper. This is what disposables have over cloth. The moisture will stay right on baby's skin which will equal rash in no time. Because you have to change baby more often I would recommend 6-8 diapers/day. We are still using disposables at night because of the rash issue and we only have 5 diapers. Also if you have a heavy night wetter cloth may not hold it all. I have read that you can purchase microfiber or fleece liners to keep the bum drier (microfiber absorbs and holds more fluid and fleece will wick away the moisture. After we get more cloth diapers we'll start working on the extras.

The bottom line (hahaha bottom) I wish I had done this sooner. Obviously we haven't totally given up disposables but I have used less than 7 disp. diapers in the last week, which from my estimation is down from about 45/week. Yay, us! We'll use even less when we have more cloth dipeys. It's taken Sean a little longer to adjust (cloth diapers require instruction which typically is not a mans best friend) but he is becoming more familiar. He even took over the washing for a couple of days when I was hit with the flu. So now that I am the local cloth diaper expert I would be more than happy to show them off and answer any questions. I will post some cute pictures of Olivia and her new dipey's soon.

I love to see the temple!

This past weekend we had some visitors. My friend from High School, Sara, and her mom and sister as well as her son Easton were here for a quick visit. We had Saturday to experience Salt Lake before they left to go back to Spokane on Sunday. Sean took the older kids for the day so I could have some freedom. We started out visiting Ikea, having lunch at the Olive Garden (pretty much a tradition for Sara and I when we get together) and then we parked and rode Trax into downtown. Saw "Baby Mama"...hilarious. Took a walk through Gateway and then went to The Garden for dinner *a restaurant with this awesome view of the Salt Lake Temple. It was so fun getting together, catching up and having a few laughs. These are some pics I took while we were out and about.

Because I'm a Little Crazy, That's Why

Well we're (ahem! I'm) taking the plunge and making the switch to "cloth" diapers. I wanted to make this change when Alli was a baby but that was a little too ambitious at the time w/3 kids age 3 and under. Cloth diapers have come a long way since diaper pins and the Gerber "prefold" cloth diapers and plastic diaper cover. Not to say there still isn't some extra work involved but I am ready for the challenge. We have definitely put our share of disposables in the land fill to decompose over the next 200 years.
Now, I don't consider myself one of those "granola" types but over the last few years it has become clear to me that there is an abuse of nature that is taking place. I believe we can all form our own opinions on all of the environmental issues that are out there. Then decide for ourselves what we can do. There certainly isn't a shortage of information. I think, however, it is hard to deny that garbage is not a problem. I'll admit that after living in the Seattle area, where recycling is required and you actually pay a monthly fee to not have recycling service, then coming back to Utah where there is a shortage of services, it felt strange to not sort my trash. Anyway, back to the diapers...the reasons I am going to try this out are very simple.

• I hate spending $40+ a month for anything that is going to be pooped on and then thrown away
• I learned how long it takes for disposable diapers to decompose and I was sad that my great great great grandchildren will be sharing a world with the poopy diapers of my children. Talk about leaving a legacy!
  
• It's more cost efficient. Although in searching out our product I have found that you could, if you wanted to, spend just as much or more on inserts, accessories, sprayers, pails, totes, covers, services etc. for cloth diapering as you would for disposable diapers. Although over time I think that cloth still comes up more cost effective.
  

I have thought this through and decided whether its cloth, or disposable you have to change it just the same. I plan on making it less icky by putting all messy diapers in a pail and doing one small load/day. If we decide that this really will work for us I will purchase more diapers and try to do a load every other day. Considering the amount of laundry I already do, 1 small load isn't a big deal. I also bought extra inserts called "doublers" as well as flushable inserts for when we are leaving the house and for anytime I might know there is going to be a "special delivery". I am also a realist, I know that there are times when I will still need to use disposables. So I have a plan and I am ready to dive right in, I'm just waiting for our products to arrive.

To learn more about the effects of disposable diapers: real diaper association and cotton babies.com just the basics
To see what we ordered: the diapers, the liners, and the flushables

I'm sure there will be some things to get used to and some adjustments to be made. I will keep ya'll posted on how its going. Wish me luck!

For the record: This is just information about what we are doing. Just because we are making this choice don't think we are trying to convert everyone else. If you aren't ready to give up your Huggies just yet, enjoy the entertainment that is sure to follow...something funny is bound to happen we are talking about pee and poop here!