What about you?

Since I only have about one comment on my blogs and I know there's more of you that read my blogs than that I decided to turn it around to you... So I want to hear from you! I would love for you to post a few topics that you are passionate about. Please let me hear from you! :D

Do I think...

Do I think because I breastfeed, cloth diaper, eat mostly raw & organic and such that I am better person than you? Absolutly not!!!

Do I think that breast is BEST for ALL babies?. Yes. Do I understand that every women has her own set of circumstances? Yes. Do I think that a none breast fed baby is less loved by their mother if she chooses not too? Nope

Do I think cloth diapering is the best for our family? Yes. Do I think that it's best for all families? NO. Do I believe a mom loves the earth & baby less if she uses disposable diapers? NO. (I also use on occasion)

Do I think that eating a mostly raw & organic diet is best for people? Yes. Do I know that not everyone can? Yes.

Do I eat meat? Yes! Do I try to avoid non-organic meat and feel that all should? Yes. Do I think everyone can? No. Do I think your less of a person because you eat a McDonalds burger? NO. (I do on occasion too)  :/

Do I think it's best for everyone to eat less meat and processed foods? Yes. Do I think your a bad or unintelligent person if you don't. Nope.

What I do think.... I believe as a wife, mother and christian I have a responsibility to share what God and my life have taught me. I believe that growing, changing and learning should be apart of my life and yours. I desire to learn and teach others what I have learned. I think that if I'm passionate about certain things that I have a responsibility to share them. Does my passion come off Know it all, rude, pushy, better than you? Maybe. Is that my heart? Nope. I desire to serve God and do what I think he would want me to do for myself & family. In all that I do I strive for excellence.

Thanks for hearing my heart!

similarities

So here are some of my kids similarities. Again. M=Mercedes and I= Isaiah

M and I both seem to have very stubborn personalities. :) Which probably came from their dad. LOL ;)

M- never seemed to like standard baby toys. I- is the same way. Give him a piece of paper or string and it will keep him entertained for hours. (and yes I watch him the entire time he plays with these items)  B)

Mercedes always loved baths when she was little and now loves to swim. I- He loves to splash in the water like crazy!

M- never liked being rocked to sleep. I- now does not like this either only wants to be laid down! :D

M- She would live outdoors if she could. I- He is the same way. Loves to be outside and is happy when he is.

Both love rides in the stroller.

Both will sleep late if it's dark & rainy outside

Both hated sucking or chewing on anything cold/freezing when infants M- loves stuff that is cold/freezing now.

Both love music. M- will brake out dancing as soon as she hears music.

Both do not like playing alone. They always want someone to play with them.

Both have dimples when they smile!! )**(

Both were born with darker hair and now both have blonde hair

Both would rather stay naked all day. I- although he is much worse. Screams like he is being murdered while being changed and or dressed...

Both have pug noses. M- her's is more pug though.

Both love camping.

Both seem to love animals

Both hate loud noises. M- still does not like them and gets startled easily.

Both enjoy fire works with their ear muffs on

Both LOVE watermelon

Finally both of them LOVE their mommy and daddy. :D

Differences

So I decided to write a blog about the differences between my kids. There's a ton, so I may miss a few. :) Some of the difference will probably be due to girl/boy, first born/second born, preemie/full term and the fact that they are two different people. M=Mercedes and I=Isaiah

M- Born at 27 weeks  I- Born at 41 weeks and 2 days.

M- Born by emergency C-section   I- Born by a natural V-bac delivery

M- fed B-milk through tube til she was able to nurse at 5 weeks and just over 2LBS   I- Was able to nurse with no complications at birth :D

M- quit nursing at 8 months due to the fact I was not producing milk anymore... Was a very sad day for me, but because I wasn't able to nurse her for so long I never developed a full milk supply. I even tried medicine 3 times to help me produce milk. It was one of the toughest 8 months...  I- has been a happily exclusively breastfed kid and I hope to nurse until the age 2.  :D

M- Slept through the night as soon as we stop waking her to feed her- We had to, because she was a preemie .   I- He also is a really good sleeper and has only got up about once a night since one month old. BUT has definitely been more of a baby we had to train to sleep! :)

M- wanted to eat any food we gave her! :D  I- Has been the fussiest baby to get to eat all varieties of food. But for the last 3 days he has stopped fighting and has been eating everything I give him. Hooray!!  :D

M- would sleep anywhere at anytime we put her down.   I- Needs more routine and consistency

M- Not affectionate, likes to sleep alone.  I- hates NOT to be snuggled 24-7 LOL

M- didn't mind diaper changes  I- hates them :(

M-thumb sucker  I- paci sucker

M- Loved car rides   I- Not a fan

M- didn't get teeth til over a year  I- got teeth at 6 months

M- would take bottles no problem  I- took the last 2 months of fighting to take a bottle- But he is finally taking one and I am SO happy. Still B-milk though.

M- daddy's little girl  I- Mommy's little boy.  :D

M- very out going. Loves to be with new people.   I- not so much. Likes mommy and daddy.

M- takes a lot of pain to make her cry.   I- cries if hit with a foam ball. LOL

M- loved to be read to.   I- just wants to take book and bang it around or eat it


Next blog I will write about all there similarities. I know you're thinking what could they have that's similar, but there's plenty. HA!

Blessing from above! :D

I had to blog, because it was to good not too. :D So we've been using the 19+ year old washer & dryer that came with the house. It was free, so I can't complain. I also didn't want to complain, because we don't currently have the funds to replace it.

For some reason I felt the urge (from the Holy spirit) to look at washer and dryers again. In my head I was thinking "why would I want to do that again we can't afford one and even a used one would be to much". I didn't want to look and be disappointed that I couldn't buy one. I decided to look at new ones then I moved onto used ones on Craigslist. Same thing I did a few months back...

Our current washer & dryer have also been not working at times, but we always seem to get them working again. Well 3 days ago I found a washer & dryer for sale right where we live! He said only a year old and $400 for both. They are moving it said. I thought to myself "NO WAY"! I am always a skeptic. :) I thought even though we don't really have all the money I should check into it anyway.

So I called him. They were posted a month ago, so I figured they might not even have them anymore. He tells me he still has them for sale!!! I decided we should go look at them. In my skeptic head I was thinking "I will go and see if they're really that new and if this family is moving then I'll by them". HA.

So I just looked at them. They're beautiful! It also has a hand wash cycle which I kept telling Aaron I only want to buy one that has that cycle and that's extra large capacity. Well it's all that and more. The lady even has this beautiful white cabinet that she said I can have for free. She used it to put laundry soap in it.

All this to say that God is awesome!! He cares for me in ways I can't even imagine. I'm crying now at the thought of how much he heard my cries for a new washing machine and answered them all. Just for me he did this. He is so faithful and continues to remind me. Don't ever loose faith and always ask him. He loves us!  :D

Baby food

I've wanted to post about baby food making for a while now. So here it is..

Here's a picture of the food, food blender and ice tray to get you stared.

Why bother with making baby food you say?? What's wrong with baby food in a jar?? Take a look at that baby food in a jar and look at the expiration date. It's been designed to last 2rs after the purchase date. That doesn't sound fresh to me. Does it sound fresh to you? Also if you taste a jar of baby food and compare to homemade baby food there is no comparison in taste.

The ingredients of most commercial baby foods have been heated to a very high temperature and then cooled, in order to sterilize them. This gives them a long shelf life but destroys a lot of the flavor and some of the nutrients also. There's nothing better to do for your baby (after breastfeeding of coarse) then to make homemade baby food. It's also a whole lot cheaper to buy.

Is making baby food hard you ask? The answer is NO! Baby food making is more work then going to the store and buying food for sure, but it's not hard to make. Honestly I enjoy making my baby's food. It's easy and I can make enough to store in fridge and freezer. I guarantee once you start making baby food it will become second nature. It does require time and work though.

This is how I typically make my food. Peel, cut and steam a veggie (say carrots) let cool. I then put it in my Cooks blender (JcPenney off brand-looks just like the Bullet) blend it and I'm done. I normally make enough for him to eat one meal right away, store a couple days worth in fridge and freeze 3 meals worth in freezer.

Best way to seal in nutrients is to steam. You can also heat food on the stove in water or microwave. I wouldn't recommend the microwave, because it cooks a lot of the nutrients out. When re-heating from fridge or freezer I have a little tiny sauce pot for heating or I heat in microwave when only available.

Storing the food in freezer is easiest with baby food ice cube trays that have a lid to cover food. You can also use plain old ice trays and cover with plastic wrap. I also like using the 6 or 8oz glass Mason jars for storing on the go food to grab. It's much better to heat glass in microwave when out then to use plastic.

So give baby food making a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and how much fun it can be.  :D

MINE!!

SO... The other day after hearing my daughter yell mine a few times it got me thinking. I REALLY hate the word mine. It really bothers me when I hear kids say it after grabbing one of their toys back. It's really a selfish attitude and it's not Godly either.

So I decided to start a new trend in my house. Goes something like this "Mercedes grabs a toy from her brother and says MINE, I say Cedes it's not yours it belongs to Jesus and he's letting you borrow it, so how about you let your brother borrow it for a little while. Almost every time I say this she gives it back to him with no problem. Really isn't that the truth for all of us. God put us here and he gives us great "toys" but they're actually his and he is letting us borrow them. These toys can be anything from a house, cars, friends or family. They're not really ours, but he graciously gives them to us for a time and we can enjoy them, take care of them and love them, but they're still not ours.

Seems like being a mom always points me to Jesus or my selfish nature. HA! Anyway it got me thinking that even though Cedes is only 2 1/2 and she might not understand that by being generous she is walking in Godliness, but that doesn't have stop me from instilling a generous spirit.  She can learn anyway. Even though she is only doing it, because she loves me and has to obey me one day she will realize why she is really doing it. Someday she is going to know that God calls her to obedience and she will do it out of a love for him. Right now as her mom I can teach her not only by my words but my deeds to follow Godliness. What a privilege I have and what a responsibility I have too.

Hope this encourages you.  :D