Six Months Old

I can't believe Dru is six months old already. The time has just flown by. It makes me giggle every time I think of the things she can and can't do. For instance, she has maybe rolled over about three times on her own. I know she can do it but she hates to lay on the floor, she would rather sit and look around as she has three older sibling to learn from. She still has no teeth but is working very hard at getting some. She loves her milk but really doesn't want to eat her cereal or other baby foods. I can't wait to see the changes in her over the next six months.

Great American Seafood Cook Off

As a young teenager I remember a couple summer vacations with my family that took us all the way to Canada. I had never in my lifetime seen such a lake, if you can call the massive amount of water we fished on a lake, to me it could have been the ocean. I never did figure out how my dad knew where we were or how to get us back to the cabin we were staying at. The fishing was awesome and eating the fish was just as awesome. Recently my parents made a return trip to our favorite Canadian location, my Uncle Ron and Aunt Denise’s cabin, which is located near a town called Dryden. To hear all the different stories about the big one that got away and would have been just perfect on dad’s dinner plate still puts a smile on my face. Our all time favorite fish to eat would have to be Walleye, the flavor and the texture seems to be the most satisfying for my family, how to prepare it, well that still seems to be up for debate. How to prepare the fish, steaming on the grill to let the flavor of the charcoal come through, shore lunch over the open flame, deep fat frying it, or my favorite grilled with lots of butter and lemon pepper, usually causes some kind of argument. When going to Canada isn’t an option it’s not to hard getting fish local and fresh here in the Midwest. If my family really wants it fresh we just ask dad if he wants to go fishing and we try to catch it ourselves, by doing this we know exactly where our fresh fish came from, right out of the lake.

My recipe is quite simple, put Walleye in tin foil, place a few pieces of butter on fish, and sprinkle lemon pepper over fish, fold up tin foil and place on a hot grill. After about 10 minutes check the Walleye, if it is white and flaky it is done and ready for the plate, if not cook until 5 to 10 minutes longer. Sounds super yummy I know, but if you think you can make my all time favorite fish taste even better, I welcome any suggestions.

I have heard of an event called the Great American Seafood Cook Off, I wonder if my favorite Walleye recipe could be a contender? Cook off? My Walleye recipe in a cook off, that could be lots of fun. It would be pretty neat to see all the contenders and their different recipes for all different kinds of seafood as this is a very healthy way to eat. Trying different recipes sure could spice things up instead of eating the same old thing all the time.

Humidity

The humidity here in Iowa has made today's weather seem very heavy. It feels as though there could be a storm brewing. The skies are starting to bring in some dark clouds. We may be in for an old fashion thunderstorm. Hopefully if it does storm it will cool off some and the air will be less humid. I guess I shouldn't complain to loud as I would rather have this type of weather instead of a winter blizzard. My hair sure doesn't like the humidity either, it tends to get frizzy and it wants to put add some unwanted curls to my hair. Oh well I guess we will just sport a new hairdo for awhile. Unfortunately, I think my air conditioning has ran nonstop most of the day which is really starting to make me dread my electric bill this month.

Great Grandparents

Having grandparents and the bond they share with their grandchildren I am told doesn't compare to anything else. I wonder if this is even more so when we become great grandparents. As a child I was lucky enough to have my all of my grandparents and most of my great grandparents. My children have also been blessed with all of their grandparents and most of their great grandparents. Unfortunately on May 4, 2008 we lost Great Grandpa Dell. He is missed greatly by his whole family. This is one of the last pictures of Grandpa Dell and Grandma Wanda with their great grandchildren Cole, Alli, Becca, Dru, Hudson, and Gracie. Unfortunately Logan was born about 1 1/2 months after grandpa left us so he is not in this picture. I am so glad we were able to get this picture. It is a very special memory for all of us.

Tactical Pants

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Coming Home

Today Cole is coming home from basketball camp. It is Thursday and he has been gone since Sunday. I would say most of us are excited that he is going to be sticking around for awhile now. That is except his sister Becca. There is a five year age gap between them. I don't know if this make them fight like cats and dogs or if he just likes to pick on her and she just like to make it sound worse then it really is. Anyway, I sure am glad he will be home after a combination of about two weeks away.

Special Olympics

I love all that the Special Olympics do for kids with disabilities. Having a daughter that participates in these events I see the special bond that all the kids have with one another. How they get so excited when their friends do well even if they themselves are having an off day. Alli's favorite event in the Special Olympics is bowling. She is a ramp bowler and has gone to state the last two years. The first year winning a silver medal and the second year winning the gold. It just melts my heart to see how proud she is of her medal and what she did to get it. No matter if they win or lose the kids are just happy for each other and what each has achieved. Alli also participates in the track and field events winning the blue ribbon for the tennis ball throw and 25 meter walk both years. Because of the time of year we usually don't make it to the state competition even though she usually qualifies. Her older brother is always there to cheer her on. He is so protective of her and he is also so proud as he stands with her on the podium while she gets her blue ribbon.

Hunting

The men in my home are big hunters. They hunt anything from pheasants, duck, geese, turkey, and their favorite deer. Here are just a few of the pictures my husband has taken with his night vision camera. John and Cole get very excited when they are able to catch any type of wildlife with their camera. Knowing what is out there to hunt in the fall seems to be very important to the both of them come hunting season. I think it's the anticipation of knowing there is that big one out there just teasing and taunting them. My philosophy is to enjoy myself while they are away, if that is possible when my three girls are at home with me. Maybe that's why the boys like to get out of the house? I just don't quite understand the concept of getting up early in the dead of winter, hoping a deer will walk under my tree stand and anticipating the final kill. Staying in bed, sleeping in and being cozy under the covers sounds just perfect to me. I guess it just the thrill of the hunt. My son got his first deer last year and he is hoping to do even bigger and better this year. Good luck Cole and I guess dad too.
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Paying Bills

I really hate paying bills. It seems all we do is work, work, work and get no where fast. It seems all our money goes towards the house payment, the phone bill, groceries, and on and on. I cannot wait for the day when money isn't a worry. When we can just live comfortably. With the economy the way it is I think that could be a long time coming.

Basketball Camp

Cole just got home from Bible camp Friday night. Today is Sunday and he is now off to basketball camp. For being 13 he is sure a busy kid. When he got home from Bible camp he said the food was terrible and he had an upset stomach the whole week. He still wasn't feeling the best when he left this morning. I sure hope camp isn't to rough for him and that he starts to feel better real soon. He did request a good supper when he gets home on Thursday, chicken gravy with mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are his favorite food, however I have never made this chicken gravy he is talking about. I guess I'll give it a try and hope it meets his approval.

No Fireworks

We are suppose to get together with a group of friends at Steve and Kendra's house tonight. We were going to grill out and watch the fireworks, but about 20 minutes ago it started to rain. John checked out the radar and it seems it may be raining for most of the night. I sure hope not because the kids are sure looking forward to watching the fireworks. If it doesn't stop raining most likely they will be held tomorrow night, which means a late night on a Sunday and that means tired kids on Monday. Oh well, I guess we'll have to see what the weather brings.

Bath Time

Tonight after giving Alli a bath I decided Dru also needed a bath. I really don't have a bathing routine for Dru, sometimes she gets one at night, but most times she gets one in the morning. Because I gave her one tonight we weren't as rushed and she was able to have a little bit of play time in the tub. She really enjoyed watching the water go down the drain when her bath was over. Dru tried to grab at the swirls that were going down the drain, which then made her splash in the water. This was new to her and she was laughing and having a good time doing it. We may have to start having more baths at night so she can continue to have play time in the tubby.

Autism And Food

My eleven year old daughter Alli has Autism. She is non-verbal and is trying to find her independence by doing things on her own. If her father and I don't read the signals that she is trying to send us we can sometimes end up cleaning up a really big mess. Tonight while I was blogging she was sharing hugs and kisses, trying to get my attention. Giving hugs and kisses back wasn't enough for her. She knew that mom was busy so she went into the kitchen, which is connected to our computer room, and proceeded to eat banana bread that I had made the night before. She is on a gluten free diet but can smell out food she cannot have from a mile away. I believe she inherited that from her dad. After telling her no and cleaning her up and the kitchen floor at least twice she decided the mess she made in the kitchen just wouldn't be enough and headed upstairs where I thought she was going to watch a movie in her bedroom. After finishing my post I followed her upstairs when I realized she had not gone to her bedroom but into my bedroom. When I walked into my room I realized that she was covered head to toe in chocolate. As I said before she can smell out any food she is not supposed to have no matter where it is hidden. As it turns out she made a detour into her brothers room where he had a box of Pop Tarts hidden, hot fudge sundae flavor I believe, and decided to take two packages into my bedroom, sit on my bed, tear them open, and dig in to have a picnic on my bed. So not only was she full of chocolate but so were my sheets. After giving her a shower to get her cleaned up for bed I then had to wash my sheets and clean up the Pop Tarts from my room. This is just an average night in the life of my Autisic daughter. It doesn't matter how picked up and hidden things are, she is still able to use her long arms and her problem solving mind to get the things she wants no matter how messy she gets.

MDC

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Spit Up

When I picked Dru up from daycare today Jessi informed me that Dru had just spit up on her. It was not just a little amount either, Jessi's shirt was really soaked. Dru is not the type of baby that usually spits up and when she does it's usually not very much, however tonight Dru seems to be making an exception, she has been spitting all night. I just get her cleaned up and then she does it again. I hope this is just a fluke and not the start of some new hobby.

Working Late

It has really been quite hot the last few days. My husband is a contractor who is currently in the process of shingling a house. This afternoon the temperatures were so high that John and his crew decided not to work this afternoon because of the heat. When I finally got home from work today he informed me that he was going to shingle tonight when the temps were cooler. I didn't think the temps were very different tonight then this afternoon, however waiting would mean the sun wouldn't be directly over them, which will make a big difference up on that hot roof.

Medical Software

Going to the doctor for me is like going to the dentist for other people. I just don’t like it. Before you will see me at my doctor’s office I am usually crawling out of my bed and barely able to make it there. I really don’t like to go through everything they put you through, from recording your weight, any lab work, and being prescribed medications. It’s a good thing that 50% of doctors now use some kind of medical PDA software. By using Epocrates medical software physicians are able to use a drug reference guide that has been loaded onto their PDA. By having this technology my doctor can make sure she prescribes the correct dosage for any drug, research any possible side effects, and determine whether my health insurance will cover the drug being prescribed, all from the convenience of my exam room. Epocrates is also available for other devices such as palm, windows mobile, and pocket PC. They also just released software for the BlackBerry devices and will soon have software to work on Apple devices. How great is that, instant information at your physician’s fingertips.

"This announcement was paid for by Epocrates"

Old Clothes

It seems as though my children out grown their clothes faster than most kids I know. They just seem to keep on growing taller and taller by the second. One day their jeans are to long and it seems like the next day they are headed for the to small pile. And socks, I can't seem to keep them clean and not only that, but they always seem to come through the wash with holes in them, and I don't think it's the washing machine that puts them there. I wonder if my mom thought the same thing when I was a kid?

Zenni Optical

Ever want to change up your look? Who doesn’t? Well Zenni Optical can sure help you with that, and at a great cost too! Visit ZenniOptical.com to check out their Rx glasses starting as low as $8. How they can offer these great prices on all types of frames and single lens, tinted sunglass lens, bifocal and progressive lenes is easy. Zenni Optical sells their own manufactured frames, they have little advertising, and with no middleman they are able to pass the savings on to their customers. Everyone is talking about them. Zenni on Fox is another place you can go to check them out. Look them up today and see how they can help you change up your look.

Blogging

Having four children and the youngest being 5 1/2 months old, I have found it very difficult to parent, work, and find the time to blog. I am hoping now that Dru is able to entertain herself a little more that I can get back at blogging and making a little extra cash for the family. What a great way to work from home, as long as everyone cooperates. Blogging is such a great way to get information out there for others to read or to just keep a daily journal. Well, I hope I can now start blogging on a regular basis again.

Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research, hasn’t that been the topic of a lot of different discussions lately. Is it the right thing to do or not? Some might say that it depends on your beliefs with God, while others might say it may have to do with ones life situation. I say, couldn’t it be both. In my own life story, I really think it could possibly be a wonderful thing, however my husband doesn’t necessarily agree with me. Even though we are both the parents of a daughter with Autism, our views are very different. I have to agree with him when we think of stem cell research in the conventional way, instead of the way C’elle has proposed. They have found a way to use a women’s menstrual cycle to collect stem cells and use this for their research. If this is truly possible, I find it absolutely fantastic. If I can donate a small amount each month to help them understand Autism and this helps them find a cure or at least get a better understanding of this rapidly growing disease, I am all for it. Not only is this a great thing for Autism, but any disease we are battling, Cancer, heart disease, strokes, Alzheimer’s, and many other terrible things. Visit CNNMoney today and read the article that will help explain this process. People always tell me that God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle, so I have to believe he is trying to help us all by sharing this information with us. There is a safer way to get stem cells to do the research that could possible help us all, a way that doesn’t involve the terrible out come of a child.

Press Release:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST


OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

Camping

Last weekend my family and I went camping with my parents, my sister's family, and my brother's family. We stayed at my parents permenant camping site. It was so much fun to be with everyone. We ate, ate some more, and had a few beverages. We visited the local Flea Market and a few other small shops in town. It was very hot and the swimming pool wasn't filled yet, but that was ok we just went boating instead. They also had their annual Karaoke night. My 8 year old daughter was just fasinated with everyone singing and even tho the music was loud it calmed my 5 month old down, who was fussy because of the heat and the cold she had. I hope to get together real soon.