Amazing idea that we should all be doing.

Let us all start a new tradition this Halloween: To do this go get a pumpkin.  Shit be super mom and take the kids and make your husband go to a large pumpkin patch. We were going to do this last weekend but we all got our first Fall cold. This is truly the one and only reason I hate the fall. Because of the fact that everyone gets sick within the first week of school. Enough of that.... 

First you will paint a pumpkin teal and place it on your porch as a sign to other families managing food allergies that you have non-food treats available at your home. 

Your teal pumpkin is also a way to raise awareness in your neighborhood about food allergies! 

Examples of non-food items include: glow bracelets or necklaces, pencils, markers, boxes of crayons, erasers, bubbles, mini Slinkies, whistles or noisemakers, bouncy balls, coins, spider rings, vampire teeth, mini notepads, playing cards, bookmarks, stickers, and stencils. 

Let's try to do something different and amazing for every child and their worried parents who stress out about all the choices other parents make because it isn't effecting them. So please think of doing non food treats for this Halloween! 

Please share ;-) Also go to My Facebook page and share the pictures of your teal pumpkin.

Wordless Wednesday

I can not wait to be able to cross off these bad boys in the next few weeks.

 I love fall but I feel the rush of the holidays creeping in. 

What are you favorite fall must do's? 

Roast beef..... its what is Tempting my Tummy Tuesday!

With having the twinsters and the hubs in school and also him working full time, We have become a crock pot family. I’m all about simple recipes that I know will be loved when I serve them. When my picky of picky mom asks for me to make something again I know I’ve done something right. And this recipe falls into that category! Its also a great way to celebrate the fall with this hardy meal. Grab some rolls and a side of mash potatoes and your in for a great meal.

My roast beef recipe doesn’t require any browning of your beef before adding to your slow cooker/crockpot or anything like that at all. You simply add your roast beef to the slow cooker, mix and pour in all of your liquid ingredients, toss in your garlic and turn on the crock pot.

After it has cooked, remove your roast beef with tongs into a serving dish. I then like to just use two forks to break the meat that hasn’t already fallen apart into pieces. Then, I spoon some of the gravy over the meat grab the carrots and mushrooms put them on the side dish. Then place the meat into the serving dish. 

Ingredients

• 1 3-4 pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup of Apple cider
• 1 packet of Au Jus on top of the roast. 

Instructions

1. Place roast beef into the insert of your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over roast beef and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low)
2. Once roast beef has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs into a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about ¼ - ½ cup of gravy over roast beef.
3. Store remaining gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for another use.

The day our world changed.

Before the boys it was amazing having all the time in the world to blog.  It was comforting to have a place to go and write and release all my stress that I hold deep inside,  unless I can write, there is not any comfort.  Over the last few months I haven't had the energy nor the time to write like I want, need, or how I should be.  My dream has always been to be creative and artistic. We as a family have gone through so much over the past year,  its time for me to get it together! Or get it back together, pull up my big girl pants on and really get back to me... maybe take a shower and get dressed, from time to time maybe just maybe put a bra on. Leave the house. Start writing again. Become the person I was a little bit more then I am now.  My first post that I am going to do is about what has been going on and why life just seemed to get even crazier. 

On the day Brock was diagnosed with Autistic Disorder and Development Developmental Delay, I felt my heart break. My husband, Chris had been so optimistic, so certain that it could not be autism. And I knew by the way Chris squeezed my hand that his heart was breaking too. Chris had all the dreams that a father has for a son and within seconds I could feel Chris's dreams crumbling. I could feel his leg shaking next to mine. Like many things, going to the dr.'s with mr Brock, where he is always getting tested and poked and prodded is a every weekly thing, most of the time more then once a week. 

We have heard it all, but when we had his ear surgery done a few months ago thinking that he was deaf, after the surgery they came out and told us that "he isn't deaf." That I needed to talk to the Doctor most likely he would say would say if he had to guess that he would think he is Autistic. We have been hearing this for the past year but then this was a major way to explain it. 

It all began when we were handed a 37-page evaluation, detailing all the things Brock couldn’t do, all the milestones he had yet to reach, even with him at almost two years and 6months tasks for him are much harder for him, then other kids his age.  I hated reading the evaluations: on paper Brock sounded horrible. Nowhere in the evaluation did it talk about his dimpled smile or the sound of his laugh. Nowhere did it describe how his big brown eyes sparkled when he was happy. Or that he loved to read and was fascinated by all things boy, trains, fire trucks, planes, all things Mickey Mouse. They didn't detail just how beautiful he was inside and out and his personality only a few are given the gift to even see. 

Chris stayed strong as always not showing any emotion,  I cried in the car, neither one of us really able to comfort the other. Both of us thinking of all the things we could’ve done to prevent autism. I mean how as his parents could we not think this is our fault, who's else's fault would it or could it be? The guilt of what we were feeling toward Brock's health care. 

When we got home for the appointment , we told my parents and as all of us sat and thought about what we were all just told. When doing this we sat and watched as Brock was sitting on the floor away from his grandma and brother.  It had all become to true and so very easy to imagine how isolating and sad his life , our life, would be. This was not the life we were supposed to have,  Not the life this beautiful baby boy. 

Nothing I read prepared me for the pain, anger and sadness that I felt. On the day Brock was diagnosed, I went into our bedroom, closed the door and buried my face in my pillow screaming as loud as could. Punching and kicking like a three year old having a tantrum. Why Brock? Why My Baby? Why when he already has CP, that the challenges that go with just that are going to be very hard and then we add to it. 

Everyone kept telling me, “God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle.” But autism and raising a child with a disability wasn’t something I wanted to handle. On the day Brock was diagnosed, reflecting all of it, making  me realize that I need to be the one strong for Brock. That I was the one that needed to teach him that even on his bad days, We would both take it and I would be and will always be there for him.   

On the day Brock was diagnosed with autism, I cried myself to sleep. And I cried for many nights after that. Truth be told it is something I still do. When I can steal a little bit of quietness where he or anyone else will be unable to hear me and become upset. I cry in the shower, in my car, into the pile of down feathered pillows, just outside the playroom door where many times I put a DVD in and sit right outside their door and silent sobs will come out as the tears just stain my cheeks. 

It is a one day at a time, a work in progress. I will do whatever I can do to help him because the person he was meant to be. It might not feel like it when I am in the moment but I will make a difference for him and his life. I will give him anything he needs to achieve all of his dreams. Another good thing about all of this is that my other son, Brock's twin brother Francis is so amazing and so helpful. He loves with all he has. Smiling and trying to make us laugh all the time.  Check in with his Bubba/Buddy to see what he is doing and if he is okay every few minutes.  Stay tuned, I hope to write much more about this journey and mine as the mom. 

                                Thanks for taking the time to read!!

What the heck Wednesday?? Oil Pulling Detox? What?

Well we are all about learning new things, trying new fads, and this morning I was on Facebook checking on the events of life when I saw a post about Oil pulling? I am turning 37 this July and I want any new fountain of youth to try. Detoxing is always hard when you are a type one diabetic so that is always something I worry about.  But when I started to really look into this I started to get excited!

You want to swish the oil back and forth between all of your teeth and side to side across all of your gums. You want to hit the cheeks and soft palate. Like butter on an English muffin, you want to "press" the oil into all the nooks and crannies of your mouth -- over and over again.

Pulling is incredibly simple and effective.

Here’s how to do it:

Put about a tablespoon of oil in your mouth.
Swish the oil around your mouth for about 10-20 minutes.
Spit out the oil, then brush your teeth.
If you use coconut oil like me, then you may have to chew on the oil for a few seconds for it to melt, because it is solid at room temperature.

It is best to do this on an empty stomach, before you brush your teeth.

I prefer to do it while I take a shower in the morning.

I put the oil in my mouth, swish it around while in the shower and try to “push” and “pull” the oil between my teeth.

When you get out of the shower  spit out the oil, rinse your mouth with water and brush your teeth.

There is no need to use a lot of force here, if doing this causes pain in your facial muscles then just relax a bit. Try using less oil next time and don’t swish it around too forcefully.

It’s important to spit out the oil. You don’t want to swallow it because it is full of bacteria and nasty things.

What to Expect
I’ve been doing this for about 10 days now.

I’ve definitely noticed that my breath is fresher and my teeth look a lot cleaner… both whiter and more shiny.

I’ve never had any dental problems, but I can see how this could have benefits for people that have them.

There are a lot of wild claims out there about oil pulling and how it “pulls” toxins out of your bloodstream. I really don’t think that makes a lot of sense.

However, oil pulling IS effective at reducing the harmful bacteria in your mouth and improving oral and dental health.


I have to say that I am really surprised at how effective this is. I plan to continue doing this for a long time.

Do not gargle with the oil. You do not want to risk swallowing it. Swallowing a little will not harm you, but repeatedly swallowing the oil after you've swished with it means you will be ingesting things that you're trying to get rid of.
Once done swishing, spit the oil out into the toilet or sink.
Rinse, gargle, and spit out again

Use a tongue scraper to remove the coating from your tongue.
Finish by brushing your teeth and rinsing with a mouthwash if you like.

Perform daily for approximately 40-50 days (three 8-ounce bottles of oil will do the trick), then as desired.

The benefits of doing this Oil pulling are amazing 

Oil pulling is said to help with:

Acne
AIDS (For real! There’s a study in the Philippines…)
Allergies
Asthma
Arthritis
Bronchitis
Cracked Heels,
Constipation,
Chronic Infections,
Cancer
Diabetes
Dental Health
Detoxification
Eczema
Gingivitis (link to a study)
Heart Disease
High Blood Pressure
Hormonal Issues
Insomnia
Kidney Disease
Lung Disease
Metabolism
Migraines
Menopause
PMS
Stiff Joints
Ulcers
Varicose Veins
Weight Loss

The Oil-therapy heals totally headaches, bronchitis, tooth pain, thrombosis, eczema, ulcers, intestinal diseases, heart and kidney diseases, encephalitis and woman's diseases. Preventively the growth of malignant tumors is cut and healed. Chronic blood diseases, paralysis, diseases of nerves, stomach, lungs and liver and sleeplessness are cured.

Now that's an impressive list. And interestingly enough, there may be some truth to it -- sort of. In fact, most of the benefits of oil pulling may actually be indirect results from the one benefit that it probably is truly responsible for eliminating mouth and gum disease! We can all use a little help with our dental bills being lowered. 

I haven't tried this yet but will post my results and I will follow my friends that are doing it as well. :) 

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday!

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dry mustard
• 1¼ tsp liquid smoke. 
• 1¼ c TVP
• 1½ c water
• ¾ c ketchup
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• soft sandwich buns

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, saute pepper and onion in oil until onion is translucent.
2. Stir in chili powder, garlic and mustard and the rest of the spices. 
3. Add TVP, water, ketchup,liquid smoke, and soy sauce; stir well.
4. Cover and bring mixture to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, simmering for ~20 minutes covered.
6. Remove lid and simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently until most of liquid has evaporated.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve hot on toasted sandwich buns, with onion slices and nutritional yeast if desired.

Meet Mama Monday!!!!

Meet Mama Monday, Its that time again. We are going to do a round of questions and answers. This weekend wasn't to eventful but we got to spend some time together with my parents and Friday the whether wasn't too bad so we go to play with the boys outside in the back yard. It teased me for a few days with the sunshine and up to 60 degrees then back down to the mid 30's. I feel like instead of Washington we are living in Colorado Springs!  I want to dig in the dirt, have the boys play for hours outside and enjoy days at the beach. I know most of us feel this way but I am so ready for the Spring and Summer. 

1. Where is your favorite vacation spot and why?
Any vacation spot is my favorite. We've traveled to so many amazing places that truly just to travel to many different places will be my favorite vacation spots. If I had to choose one it would have to be Kalaloch Washington, or Cannon Beach Oregon, I love love love San Fransico and I of course love any thing disney... I would love to do a trip with the hubs and I need to go on an over night trip we have not gone away sense the summer before the boys were born so we are looking at almost 3 years.  

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
I have a few things that are my guilty pleasure, reality TV.  It's trashy and oh so bad but I for some reason I love them, that and oh yeah that waste of my time that I can't seem to get away from called.... Facebook! But lately I am enjoying much of my time connecting with old classmates and new clients with my photography business. 

3. What is your favorite fashion trend right now? Or, in the past?
Currently I lOVE skinny jeans with tall boots. I think it's such a cute look. But I have to say my pinterest wardrobe is so much cuter then the one I have in real life. One of my goals this year is to get some sense of style and transition into my later 30's and look like a sharp mom, and get rid of those Mom jeans. I also love fellow blogger Courtney Karr! I wish she should just come on over and re-do my closet.... 

4. What are your spring break plans?
I never realized that I would ever care about spring break. Well now we have twin boys and they start pre-school next fall so I guess this will be the start of me caring about spring break and that my husband is now a full time student and we live around his work and his breaks on school time. So this year for my husbands spring break he has a few days off so I am sure we will do some type of hotel review! :) 

5. What baby names do you hate?
I don't like bible names for baby names, I like a strong name that isn't something you hear all of the time. Being that my first name is one of the popular 70's names and there was like 80 of the girls in my class named the same as me. Then my husband has a popular name that a ton of guys had in our classes as well. So I don't want anything popular. I also hate boys names for girls and girls names for boys. I think it is dumb. That is why we name our boys names that have meaning to our family. 

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday!!!

• 16 oz spaghetti noodles Cooked. 
• 2 lb jar of marinara sauce ( I use what ever is on sale.) 
• 1 lb ground lean beef. 
• 1/2 cup chopped onion ( optional) 
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2cup sour cream
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1  cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheese ( I use cheddar/colby blend)

Here is what you need to do to make this yummy dish. :) 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease. Transfer to a bowl and mix spaghetti sauce into ground beef.
4. Place half the slices of butter into the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spread half the spaghetti into the dish. Mix cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream together in a bowl; spread mixture over spaghetti. Layer remaining spaghetti over creamy mixture. Top with remaining pats of butter.
5. Pour ground beef mixture over spaghetti and spread to cover casserole.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Spread Cheddar cheese over casserole and continue baking until cheese has melted and is lightly browned, about 15 more minutes.

DIY -V-day addition :)

This morning after I gave the boys their breakfast, I  cleaned them up and got the art stuff out! This is like playing Russian roulette. It could go well with a little mess or it could go like a bad tornado and the kitchen will have blobs of paint on the ceiling.  Today because of my love of Pintrest and found a few pins for the up and coming Love day!  I found printable valentines and this morning I went and printed them and cut them up.  

The ones we used I found on one of my favorite blog. Chic Shopper Chick this post has so many great FREE Valentines printables. I love when I get handmade things and I hope that the boys friends think so as well.( well two year old could give a crap less but their mom's I want to impress!) 

We are doing handmade ones with a added sucker for each kid we make them for. Then we will send them in the mail to their cousin in Colorado and their Aunties and Uncles and Grandparents and Great Grandparents, and special friends. These are just little things that I would love to see my boys learn. I want to try and teach them that a simple card will make someone smile and it is one thing that only takes a little while to make. It would be so nice to make sure that this lost art isn't lost with them. 

I have a babysitter lined up for that weekend for hubs and I to go on a date, but I am thinking we might do a family date night that Saturday.  I love this commercial hallmark holiday. I enjoy getting little things for hub's and for the boys. Each year it gets more fun now that I have had the boys.  

I will let you in on my ideas for a wonderful date on 

V-day with your spouse next week. 

So stay tuned. 

Mellisa's story, Part two of the series.

When we all go through life everyone faces hard times. We all make choices and one choice can make ripples in the pool of your life. Here is the second in my series of blog posts of women that suffered with Addiction. Crawling through the fire and rising from the ashes.  

I decided to do this series to show other mom’s and women out there that no matter how hard life is, it can be better. That you are never alone and that no matter how hard it is, it is never to late for you to start over. You might have a few set backs but everyday you get up and try again and again. This is your life, not a dress rehearsal. God will get you clean, and get you better. 

We will be talking to, Melissa.  Melissa decided to pull her life back together after years of addiction. As a Mom she knew that she needed to change, in doing so she had to face major life changes.  This story breaks my heart. As a mother I couldn’t even imagine the heart break Melissa must have felt.  

I’m a thirty four year old mother of five. My life has not always been bad, from my teenage years till about three years ago it was like I was living in hell.  I know that I have  struggled with addiction for most of my life. I  come from a family that is full of alcoholics, many are junkies. This was just part of what I grew up with.  Living in a home with two alcoholics was a major influence in what I thought was okay. What I thought was normal.  My drug of choice was always meth, I started my addiction loosely with  alcohol being at a young age when I started, it was easy to get. Especially when my mom or step dad didn’t notice.  Here is the truth though. I would take or do whatever was available.  It didn’t matter what it was, if it would get me to feel numb and like nothing else mattered in the world then that is the drug for me. 

There really wasn’t a reason that I started rebelling at a young age. Never  no rhyme or reason I just did. By the time I was in the eighth grade I quit school, I don’t know why I was even allowed to quit school. I ended up in Juvenile detention, better yet known as Juvie. I was their for a while. While I was there I had a very structured and regimented lifestyle, responsible for daily cleaning duties as necessary. no television or radio amenities within the pods that we lived in. The food was so horrible I can still remember the taste like it was yesterday.  The uniforms that they put you in are starched so much that when you take them off, they stand up by themselves.  I was there a total of three times and one of the times I tried to escape. I had become friends with a few of the girls and then we made a plan. We beat the officer down and got her keys, leaving. It didn’t take long for them to catch up with me. Sadly this is the way I made it on the cover of the Bremerton sun. 

The other girls were mean and in their for far worse things then being a run away.  When I got out it didn’t take long for me to figure out that I didn’t want the calm quiet life of little Bainbridge Island any more, I wanted bright lights of the big city. I felt like a captive looking out over the dancing lights on Puget Sound of the Seattle city skyline. Its there that I felt like I would fit in and belong.  So off to Seattle  to live with a man that I had met that was so much older then me. It was as if this older man knew that I was young, impressionable and starved for love and attention. He knew I needed a place to go and I thought that I would find safety and love from him.  

Within a few months, the older man became the father of my first baby and then a year later the second baby came along. Here I was a baby myself and was going to have two babies that were only twelve months and three weeks apart. I felt like I didn’t really have anything else to do but get married to him. Here I was at seventeen married with two babies. I left him shortly after that because nothing made us get along. It wasn’t something I thought that the babies should be going through. He being so much older then I was it started to show just how little that we had in common. 

During the Divorce I then moved back home to the quietness of beautiful Bainbridge. Thinking this would be a great place in the country for me to raise my babies. Shortly after moving back I  hooked up with a guy who was quite the catch when we had been in school. Feeling like I was on top of the world and that this was picture perfect. We were around the same age, knew the same people, from the same little town. We knew what growing up on Bainbridge was like. We were the it couple for a while, feeling kind like the high school prom queen and king, He had been really heavy into the drugs, not that I hadn’t tried most of them but it is crazy just how  heavy into using the drugs he really was.  My life started to go down hill, there was tons of fights but just as crazy the fights were our love for each other was passionate, hot and never dull. Until we got together shortly into the relationship we were weekend warriors until I turned twenty one.  That is when I started bar-tending and the alcohol and drugs became a daily thing to do. With my then boyfriend, using as much as he was,  lost his job. We has a bright idea that selling would be a great idea. Needless to say that idea was terrible, it just made the drugs take our lives over. 

After a couple of years I was making more selling the drugs then I was making bar tending so I quit working, making a living selling meth and pot.  I could get you whatever you needed and whenever you needed it. I was on top for a while.  In 2004 I got pregnant with my third baby but my addiction was really bad I couldn’t quit and I didn’t quit. I smoked meth up until the day I gave birth. To this day this is one of the hardest things that I have to  deal with. I know that these choices will haunt me for the rest of my life. I still was able to bring her home from the hospital.  I continued with my addiction and selling the drugs still. I never thought of quitting either.   We were home for about four months when they raided my house and took my kids. I had just lost everything. I ended up going to prison I did sixteen  months on a DOSA sentence. You would have thought that was enough to change my life around, sadly it wasn’t.  When I was released, I was using before even leaving the parking lot of Purdy. ( Women’s prison.) 

At this point in my life I felt like I had nothing, everything had been taken from me.  I had nothing to loose so my addiction went to needles. I became an IV user and I completely destroyed everything including myself. I lost my two oldest as they went to live with there father.  While I was in prison my mom watched my children the entire time.  I lost my third baby, that I had used with because of my choices and actions she was adopted out.  I have not seen her since she was two now she is almost nine years old now. By the grace of God she was also born healthy with no mental or physical issues at all. I call her my miracle child, I miss Mary every second of every single day. 

Then after a year of using I was busted again, I was looking at prison time and I was lucky enough to do the Drug Court program, that program saved my life. I thought at first i would fake it until I made it, I was gonna use again but six months into the eighteen month program my life changed.  I never wanted to do meth again, how ever I never really drank even though I had heard about cross addiction i didn’t think it was gonna be part of my story yet here i am telling it. I thought I could drink like a normal person so i graduated from the Drug Court program and started drinking more and more.  My boyfriend and I broke up after almost 12 years because he wanted to use meth again and i just couldn’t go there again. Now at this point I had my two oldest back in my life and had a fourth child with my boyfriend and this was a way to kinda fill the loss and void of the one I lost. I lived on my families property in my own house and thought life was fine but my drinking getting out of control. 

Then I was told that I had a large brain tumor and had to go in for brain surgery which they were not sure if i was gonna make it so riddled with fear my drinking got even worse. I had surgery and pulled thru it. Even after that I kept drinking A LOT finally on November 19th 2011, I woke up early hung over knowing that I couldn’t go on like this anymore.  Taking my second chance with my babies I realized that I was not a mother.  I was a drunk bar slut that was nothing.  After all my fight to remain here I was still killing my self and showing my kids the wrong way to live. That morning I  went to a meeting, after that first meeting I went every day after that for the first few months.  

I Detoxed myself at home which was a painful process. I started to clean up my life. I sold my acre on the Island and moved away and bought a home in Illahee. I continue with my sobriety, with knowing that God does still love me today. I can feel it! What a great feeling it is. I have my kids except for my Mary. and my son because he turned eighteen, he now has ventured into the world. 

I was blessed to meet a man that knows where I have been and how far I have come, along with the decision  to remain sober everyday. He came from the same destruction and today we have a beautiful baby boy together. Today I can lead by example and I owe everything to God and would never change it for anything.  I still attend a lot of meetings. I am now leading by example for my children and some day I hope I can meet my other daughter and she will forgive me for all the wrong I have done. When I look in the mirror every morning I now know that I am doing the best I have ever done. I not only owe my children this, and my husband, but most importantly I owe this to myself.