So after last week's Bible School and nonstop running, DS5 ended up with the stomach bug. While camping with my parents, he got very pitiful. We brought him home and gave him some activated charcoal caps. He slept all day Saturday, but woke up yesterday feeling 100%. To keep the rest of us from getting it, we have all been drinking grape juice three times a day. It's a hack we saw on Facebook, but I swear by it. When the bug went around last time, none of us got it but the one kid who started with it.
We all started taking the activated charcoal, as well as diffusing thieves oil. Of course like with most illnesses, hand washing is key! We only do soap and water, because I have little faith in hand sanitizer and some germs are good for you. Unfortunately, it looks like the bug may have a long incubation period and we might have spread it to my friend's family. I feel horrible.
What do you do to keep your family healthy?
Disclaimer: Although I am a licensed nurse, I am not a doctor. This post is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any illness and is not guaranteed to work. This post is intended to state what works for our family. Seek medical attention as you would with any illness. If this is a life threatening emergency, call 9-1-1.
I am very excited to say that I finally have some plants of my own that I am growing! I have wanted a garden for as long as I can remember. Needless to say, living in a home with no yard makes that a little hard. So urban gardening it is!
A while back Brad built me some planter boxes. I found some starter plants at farmers market and decided that they would work great in our small area. I get 4 tomato plants, a leek plant and a chamomile plant. I already have some herb plants and a citronella plant.
When we eventually move we will be buying enough land to have a garden. I think that this is great for the kids to learn. It is skills that you are not really taught in school. Everyone should know how to grow their own food and preserve it and should be taught hard work and responsibility.
What do you grow in your garden?
DS3 has had a dairy allergy up until recently. This limited us on what we could cook or eat. I have found several alternatives to ice cream that I will be happy to share. One of our favorites is super simple. Banana ice cream as I mentioned in my Meal Planning post.
Banana Ice Cream:
What you need:
Bananas
Blender
Ice
Instructions:
Peel bananas... I do one per person
Freeze bananas. A couple hours work, but honestly I just peel and freeze in a bag as they are about to go bad and pull them out when we have enough.
Put in blender and mix until creamy. If too runny add a few ice cubes.
Enjoy :)
Pretty easy right!? We use this with the kids for cooking lessons. Ok who am I kidding... we are homeschoolers, its cooking, math, reading, economics and science and possibly greenhouse.
Welcome! We are glad you are here! The purpose of this page is to journal our story so all of our kiddos can look back on our lives together. I will be sharing stories about our big, blended family, ideas, recipes, deals, products we like and things I have learned in this process. Feel free to contact me if you have ideas because God knows I need them. Ha ha.
So a little about us... The kids have not decided whether they want to be apart of the blog and have their pictures or stories out there for everyone to see. So to protect their privacy until/unless they give permission, I will not be posting their names or pictures of them identifying them. DS1 and DS2 do not live with us full time. We enjoy every second we have them. If it seems there are more stories with DS3, DS4 and DS5, that is because they do live with us full time, except when they get to go spend time with their daddy.
I'll start with me. I'm Sarah, a 30 year old stay at home mom with three biological kids of my own. I have psoriatic arthritis which at times is life hindering for me and is the reason I now stay at home. I am a dementia nurse by trade and will have a passion for it until I die. I love to be active: hiking, playing ball, riding horses, gardening, or pretty much anything else you can think of. At times, I am sarcastic. I homeschool my three little guys. I am an activist and work with many organizations in my community pushing for improvements in the areas of healthcare, human rights and education. I am one of those crunchy moms... pretty much if it can't be fixed with breast milk or coconut oil it can't be fixed. We practice gentle parenting. We believe in child autonomy. They are tiny humans, but humans none the less and deserve respect and a say in their lives (the reason they won't be identified until they say so). I have been a single mom since March 2015. I am still very close with my ex and we are still great friends. We raise our boys with a team effort of co parenting. So yeah, there will be times that a story includes the ex. If you are hoping for drama concerning our relationships with our exes, you've come to the wrong place. No, we don't always agree with or get along with our exes (I mean they are exes for a reason), but we are all adults and try to be friendly and civil and keep our personal business out of public eye. *steps off soap box for now* I am a coupon queen and deal hunter. I love to bake and am actually turning out to be quite the cook (not bad for someone who literally had to Google how to make boiled eggs just a few years ago).
Have you ever met someone who you instantly connected with and couldn't imagine your life without them? That is how it was when we met. Neither of us were actively looking for a relationship and just happened to cross paths and here we are... planning our wedding!
Brad- He is the sensible one in our family. He is the glue that holds us all together. He is my biggest child who needs the most supervision as I always tell him. He is the type of man who will work all day and come home and wrestle in the floor with the boys or throw a ball around. I sometimes have to remind him, "It's almost bed time, please don't get them riled up." He is my polar opposite! While I am high strung, hyper, temperamental, and talkative; he is calm, quiet and always in chill mode.
DS1- He's our gentle child. He loves animals and history. He is so good with the smaller kids and so helpful with me on high pain days.
DS2- He's our ladies man. The girls love him...note to self buy a huge gun to clean (Hey boy moms are scarier than dads)! He is a people pleaser and peacekeeper.
DS3- He's our outgoing child. He is a future politician or CEO I think. He is charismatic and can't talk his way out of anything. He is my mini me. He is an activist in his own rights.
DS4- He's our tough boy! He was born at 28 weeks. He fought for life. Now, he daily deals with autism and sensory processing disorder. Despite his daily struggles, he is so smart and funny and loving.
DS5- He's the joker. He will do anything for a laugh. He is also our mischievous child. But is also the sweetest, most loving, most bullheaded child on the planet!
We are excited to start our journey together. We can't wait to see what life has in store for us or our kiddos.
