Ramblings...

Last night at about 10pm Professor Chaos woke up crying, coughing, and repeatedly stating his chest hurt. So I scooped up T.B.M. and headed to the nearest Emergency Room. Before anyone panics *mainly the family and close friends who read this*, other than having a virus he is just fine! But, I did notice that even in the most unorthodox situations T.B.M. are still open to learning. Our learning started with vitals, which General Disarray watched in amazement *even in the late night, just woke up fog he was in*.

He asked the nurse plenty of questions about the machines she was using, and learned what oxygen saturation is. Then we went on to have x-rays done, which General Disarray is a pro at, so he got to comfort his little brother, and then be the “Radiology Ninja” who guarded the door while Professor Chaos had his “picture” taken. After our time in Radiology we went back to our little section in the ER and intriguing games of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Glasses, Computer, and Knife were had. Yes, they put their own twist on the classic game, and with a little help from the guy in the section next to us we determined that Computer beats Paper, and Rock beats Computer, naturally.

So what does a trip to the ER teach? Other than how to handle life’s random emergencies, it teaches that at any age we can have empathy for those around us, every situation is a chance to grow and learn, and even a complete stranger can teach you something new and exciting. Hopefully though we can avoid any more ER lessons for at least a few more months...*glances over at T.B.M*…hopefully.

I always start the year off with various goals. I don’t make resolutions because they seem too…final. You either make it or you don’t. There is no room for wiggling, messing up, and rethinking. Sometimes goals don’t come at the start of the year either…sometimes they pop up at a random moment causing you to rethink previous actions.

The current goal I’m working on is a result of The Spouse and his choice of reading material when he was on “The Throne” yesterday. We all have various products in our home, but how often do we read the labels on these products? I know there are those who read every single label of every single item they buy…we aren’t them. Yesterday The Spouse grabbed the lotion product we use for T.B.M. and proceeded to read the ingredients. After exiting “The Throne” he comes into the living room with the item in his hand and asked “How many letters are in the alphabet?” General Disarray gave him the answer at which point The Spouse looks down at the bottle and states “This has a word with 28 letters…and the word has “TH” twice…I can’t even pronounce this! This can’t be good!” At which point he sat down at his computer and started typing in the unbelievably long word. If you are wondering what this word is and what we found you can click HERE.

After our little discovery I thought for a bit about the products we use. They are great, but there have to be better *safer* alternatives out there. Now there are some I may never part with, my automatic liquid hand soap dispenser comes to mind, but there are some that need to be tossed. I already don’t use harsh chemicals to clean. They give me horrible headaches which usually lead to nausea and vomiting *what more proof does one need that something is bad for their home then that right?*. If I can get away with hot water and elbow grease I’m a happy woman *cue steam mop*. Kids can’t be cleaned with a steam mop though, so that leads me to my question:

What products do you *those who are into green, organic, natural products* use for your children and yourself?

What am I looking to replace?

Body wash *the boys both suffer from eczema (which is not a result of what we currently use, this we know for sure) so we already use things for sensitive skin that are dye and fragrance free*

Lotion *their skin dries out VERY quickly so whatever we use has to LAST!*

Sunscreen

Toothpaste *I’m not sure if I would give up the current mouth related products we use, but I would like to investigate what others are using*

Hair Care Products *we already use natural products *aside from shampoo/conditioner*, so I’m curious to see what else is out there other than what I can find at our base exchange*.

I haven’t found one site that has a comparison list of products, so if you all know of a site that would be of use to me please pass it on as well. My goal is to remove the unnecessary, unhealthy products from our home by the end of the summer. It’s a short term goal that I think is doable especially, with the help of my wonderful readers. :)

Well it’s after 1pm, the boys are enjoying quiet time and I’m exhausted. I’ve hit “The Wall” as runners call it. I think you all know what I mean. You are staring down the barrel of the weekend, you missed breakfast because errands took priority *mainly the errand to get food in the house since the kids devoured the last breakfast bars already*.

That is where I am…anxiously waiting *while savoring every second of quiet time bliss* for the door to open and The Spouse to declare he is home for the next four days. Although this could go either way *making more work than actual relaxation for me* but…at the very least I won’t be required to move from the bed until at least 830am *9am if I‘m really lucky*.

I don’t like hitting “The Wall” though. In fact it makes me feel weak and defeated. Especially when I know I could have easily turned off The Nanny marathon that kept me up until 1am *sometimes 2am*, I’ve seen it before, I know how it ends. Even if Mr. Sheffield *done in my best *or worse as the case may be* Fran voice* is oh so dreamy and far more appealing than my pillow, I must give into the pillow…not the sexy British accent. I will admit this is hard…oh so hard. So what does one do to avoid that feeling they always mention in those 5hour energy drink commercials?

Well about a month or so ago I talked about my epiphany…and unfortunately it went out the window the moment my cable box *and the sexy Brit* came in the bedroom door…so I have come up with a new plan. One I have no choice but to except, because if I watch one more Nanny marathon all the way through I am finished! My boys will be stuck teaching themselves while mommy enjoys sleeping until noon, and after their bowel movement song in the frozen food section of the grocery store today… I think it is best they have some adult supervision while learning.

So here is my new game plan:

1. Fix my alarm clock so I can actually wake up early enough to get breakfast on the table at a decent time…so I don’t have to hope that what The Spouse choose to feed them before he walked out the door that morning wasn’t covered in either sprinkles, chocolate chips/chocolate syrup, or movie style butter.

2. Mark designated computer times for myself with actual sites I need to hit *and want to hit* and allotted a certain amount of time for each one. This should *hopefully* allow me to get the most out of my computer usage while not having to be on it right before bed…because an hour before bed often turns into three…especially if I find something really awesome to read online.

3. Set the sleep timer on my bedroom TV. Yes this may mean not getting to see something I really want to see, but it will also mean I actually get sleep *which is the most important thing, since it ensures I’m at least half-way functioning throughout the day*.

4. Handle small chores throughout the day so they don’t become massive pains in the rear end at night. I know I’ve done it more times than I can count…I’ve made/served breakfast or lunch…gazed over at the sink and then responded “I wonder if *insert friend’s name* put up *insert something random that I would find of interest*?”.

At which point the dishes shed a tear because they are once again neglected, and I go give some face time to that darn Facebook. Whereas, if I just suck it up and take it like a big girl I could enjoy my evenings instead of having to spend them improving the self-esteem of my kitchen.

5. *This is a big one*. Actually eat something that has some nutritional value. Really am I the only one who has this problem? I will give the kids something and never does it enter my mind that maybe I should make a plate for myself too. Instead I go on to the next thing on my list of things to do. Then quiet time hits and my stomach loudly protest the neglect I have put it through. At which point I go and grab the nearest and quickest thing, or I act like it’s Child #2 throwing a fit and ignore it.

Neither of which is good for me…but that last bite of cookie dough ice cream sure is yummy. Until I realize that in the process of getting to the last bite I just ate a whole pint…a yummy pint yes…but not so yummy on the midsection.

So that is my new game plan.
It’s just five small little things…that *hopefully* I can actually follow through on. I’ll keep telling myself that I can ,while I march upstairs and try to rationalize why I need to set the timer for an hour later than I know I should be up.

The Golden Girls comes on tonight though… maybe I could just hire a maid, stock up on 5hour energy drinks, and low-fat ice cream instead…

The latter sounds way more appealing then a bedtime...

I was laying in bed last night quickly sub-coming to the comforts of my pillows when I had the most interesting thought: In order to take good care of my children I must take good care of myself. I’m sure I must have heard that somewhere before, possibly a doctor or nurse during my early days of parenthood.

This message isn’t just for mothers or homeschoolers, but for everyone who takes care of children. It is hard work, and in order to do it effectively we must ensure we are meeting our own needs as well. This has been a topic The Spouse and I have been discussing over the last few weeks, maybe that is why I finally had the epiphany. The Spouse constantly tells me to take my vitamins, sneak a nap during the day, or just get adequate food and water, but that doesn’t always work in with the plans of the day.

So what is a parent to do? Well here are some realizations I have made and that I plan to implement.

Realization #1: Sleep is not overrated! I have the following quote by Wolf Blitzer on my FB page “Sleep really is overrated”, and while it is nice to think that, reality says otherwise. Our bodies need sleep and according to WebMD lack of a good night’s rest can have some pretty horrible effects on our health. The average amount of sleep an adult needs is roughly seven to nine hours, The Spouse and I don’t achieve this. In fact most adults don’t, so what can we do to change this? Start a bedtime! Yes I know that may sound silly, just think about how often as kids we fought against bedtime, but there is a sound reason behind the bedtime practice. Other than the fact that mommy and daddy need peace and quiet. By setting a bedtime for ourselves like we do the boys, The Spouse and I will ensure we get the recommended amount of sleep. As well as pay a little on our “sleep debt” so we can eventually wake up feeling happy, refreshed, and energetic just like Child #1 and Child #2 do every single morning.

Realization #2: Animal crackers are not a food group! We have all done it at some point in time…running this way and that…we stop to feed the kids not acknowledging that the rumble, that could be mistaken for a car on its last leg, is coming from our stomachs. By the time everyone has enjoyed their meal it hits you…that sound is coming from ME and I should probably eat. So you dig in your bag, pocket, ect., and find it, that slightly stale day old animal cracker. It sure does taste good going down, you pause…maybe you should actually eat something…then the phone rings, someone screams, and as you spin in a million directions you notice your sink full of dirty dishes. Just like that lunch has taken a backseat to life, no big deal, there is always dinner.



According to the USDA this unhealthy eating, just like lack of sleep, isn’t good for us either. Eating three well proportioned meals, and two healthy snacks is the goal. I know, I know you are asking yourselves the same thing I’m thinking “What parent has time for that?”. But if I’m already planning and making meals for the boys then adding another plate or two *if The Spouse is home* shouldn’t be that difficult. Just taking the time to plan and prep my own meals would ensure I also sat down and ate them. In the end that is the goal, to actually eat something other than the animal cracker at the bottom of my purse.

And Realization #3: There is power in Yes and No. Just because something needs to be done, that doesn’t mean it has to come before your health and wellbeing, it’s ok to say no even to yourself! For instance tonight if it gets to the time that I have set as my bedtime and I still haven’t finished cleaning x, y, or z, it is perfectly ok to walk away. Will the world end if I don’t put that last load in the dishwasher? No. Will my house be overtaken by the roaches from Joe’s Apartment? No. Will I get the sleep I need in order to function the following day? Yes!, and is that more important than a spotless house, or any other chore I may need to take care of, YES! That is the power of realizing that there is power in yes and no. In just five minutes I can determine how my whole next day will play out, by taking the time to use those two little words. It doesn’t just stop there, it extends to saying yes to a 30 minute kid’s show so I can work in a healthy snack or a chore that would cut into my evening downtime *which is important when trying to obtain a good night’s rest*.

These are just a few of my realizations, there are others, but for now I’m going to focus on these three. I’ll fill you all in on how things are going a month from now, and if they are going well I’ll share some other realizations I’ve had.