Disney - Day 2

Disney's Hollywood Studios.  My favorite park!  It has my favorite ride (Rockin' Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith) and the feel is just so...cool!  I love Old Hollywood and could spend all day just looking at all of the fantastic little details that make it so Disney.  It also has my favorite spot to get a dessert as big as your head coffee.

 

 A new show (that was supposed to be just for the summer but is still around...) was the Frozen sing-a-long.  I LOVED THIS!  My girls (like every other little girl on the planet) are huge Frozen fans so of course we own the soundtrack.  They can pretty much reenact the entire movie, verbatim, but I'm not ever allowed to sing along (if you could hear my singing voice, you would understand why...).  BUT.  This show is LOUD, the music is blasted AND there are 5,000 kids PLUS their moms (and maybe even a few dads) singing at the top of their lungs!  Little One told me NOT to sing but I did anyways! 

It was really funny and cute (even the boys enjoyed it!).  I'm hoping they keep it around until we can get back!

**I'm having some issues with blogger.  I had a post scheduled about my grandfather (it was the anniversary of his death), and it's...gone.  Sigh.  Stupid computer.

Times, They Are A'Changin'

I love writing down the crazy, goofy, silly, and sometimes insane things that happen in our life with four kids.  It's a great way to keep track of things I may (and sometimes, WANT to) forget.  That being said, I've done a pretty crappy job of it lately on here.  This space is my own (no, really, it's MINE - and there are VERY few things I don't have to share around here) and I haven't been owning it the way I want to.  Things happen and I forget to post.  Or I worry that I'll offend someone.  Or I think that maybe it's not worth the effort.

This year has been one of change, most of it for the better.  It started off in the most awful of ways (we lost my Grandpa on January 2nd) and I went into a funk (for lack of a better word).  I didn't want to run.  I didn't want to socialize.  I didn't want to blog.  I didn't wanna...anything.  I started using Young Living Essential Oils in March and that started the ball rolling in a completely different direction.  I can't quite describe why; mostly, it's because I HATE taking (and doling out) medications and I haven't had to do that nearly as much but a lot of it is because deciding to become a distributor has given me a purpose that I haven't had in awhile.  Sure, getting a paycheck is nice (REALLY nice) but I love that the product I decided to promote actually HELPS people.  There are a lot of great products out there that I certainly think are worth the money (Pampered Chef always comes to mind!) but they're not exactly improving quality of life (although a new pie plate would certainly improve the Thanksgiving dinner table...).  I can't guarantee that using Young Living will change someone's life but I KNOW that it has had a significant impact on mine - sleep (glorious sleep!), pain, inflammation, energy, mood, money (don't knock it - it works!), illness, infections, allergies, warts, skin care, and probably a dozen other things I can't think of right now.  (Sleep is happening on a consistent basis since we started diffusing lavender every night, but we ALL - ALL 6 OF US - stayed up until midnight last night which means *yawn* I'm too tired to remember everything)

So, the long of the short is that I want this space - MY blog - to include all parts of our life and right now essential oils are playing a pretty big part of it. 

If you've missed reading about our insanity, you're in luck!  I'm baaaack!  If you don't want to hear anything about YL (Young Living), your luck just ran out. ;)

I am part of the Lemon Dropper team.  We don't sell anything.  We just tell it like it is. 

Disney - Day 1(ish)

Our Disney vacation was pretty awesome but uneventful.  And by "uneventful" I mean no one got sick, there were no major incidents, and we all survived with very little fighting and bickering. 

The drive down was LOOOOOONG but totally doable.  We drove to South Carolina the first day (almost 12 hours in the car), had dinner at Ruby Tuesday's (I think?) and stayed in a pretty nice Courtyard by Marriott.  The kids all were on their best behavior at breakfast (they LOVE breakfast food but they're always a little shocked to have it at breakfast since I usually only make pancakes, bacon, eggs, etc. for dinner - who has time to do that in the AM?).  Baby Girl kept asking "How long until we get to South Korea?" and then she told me Mr. MOTH couldn't leave me in West Virginia because I don't speak Spanish. (????)

The second day of driving was much better.  South Carolina is pretty much a straight shot.  And by that I mean I could have put the car on cruise control and climbed in the back to watch a movie with the kids because the road never bends.  It was a little weird, actually, when you come from the land of hairpin turns, even on the interstate.

We arrived at Downtown Disney in time for a late lunch at T-Rex.  This has become a tradition - we don't go to the parks on our first day so we start the Disney immersion process at Downtown Disney. The strangest thing about this was that the kids all ordered their own meal - by themselves.  I felt so proud...and also a little useless. After lunch we checked into the Fort Wilderness Cabins (they only sleep up to 6, so when Grandma's with us it's not feasible) where Oldest Boy managed to plug the toilet immediately (It's a little embarrassing to have to call for maintenance within 5 minutes of check-in - and I'm not easily embarrassed).  We headed out to pick up our supplies for the week (which now included a plunger...) and then we settled in for Day 2 where we would be heading to Hollywood Studios.

"Memorial of Mercy"

I tend to steer away from topics that are considered controversial.  Not because I don't have an opinion (I have very strong opinions on darn near everything) but because I don't like confrontation. 

 

Youngest Boy asked to see this painting.  On Sunday, his best bud "D" told him all about it and the ensuing conversation brought tears to my eye.  I just let them talk, only adding my voice if they asked a direct question or gave an incorrect fact.  "D"'s mom gave a great description that was understandable at their 4th grade level and I let them go with it. 

 

Pray.  Now.

 

"Memorial of Mercy" by Nikki Bruni

Maybe you can tell a little better in this closer photo - each tile is a picture of a baby.

Folks always want to talk about the killing involved in war.  56 million deaths - what kind of war would that be?

Asthma Still Sucks But...

Maybe you guys remember this photo?

 

That's Little One at 8 months old having her first breathing treatment of Albuterol to treat her virally-induced asthma (We've also used Xopenex).  Yeah, it sucked.  Luckily, she wasn't the first one of the kids to have it - Youngest Boy was also diagnosed with the same thing when he was 2 (while I was pregnant with Baby Girl).  I knew what it meant.  I had been down that road before and I could handle it but I still absolutely HATED giving them to her.  The drugs (Albuterol, Prednisone, and Pulmicort) all had their different side effects - racing heart, hyperactivity, no sleep, etc.

We still battle this today.  Youngest Boy only develops wheezing now if it's a serious chest cold but Little One is still in the thick of it.  We just got back from a Disney vacation (more on that soon...short version - WE DROVE!) and of course, Mr. MOTH and Oldest Boy got the cold.  They're big boys and they can handle it but when I realized it was going straight to their chest I got ready.

I mentioned briefly before that I've started using Young Living Essential Oils.  There's a lot I want to talk about with that, but just know this:  They have changed my life.  That picture up there?  I hope to never see it again. 

On the way home from school on Friday, both Youngest Boy and Little One were a mess.  I could tell they would both need breathing treatments when we got home and I was feeling really disgusted with the whole thing.  Defeated.  I have nothing against modern medicine.  In fact, I won't hesitate to do whatever is necessary to keep my kids healthy and safe.  It's just that I no longer necessarily believe that standard pharmaceutical drugs are what's necessary.  I'm going to try the oily alternative first.

Problem was, the oil that I had ordered for this particular issue wasn't in my hands yet.  Hopefully, it was on its way but I wasn't sure when it would be delivered.  So, I prayed.  And God heard.  I pulled into the drive and my package was sitting on the porch!  I did a quick search on how to use it and then I applied the oil blend RC (see below) to both of their chests.  Within minutes NO MORE WHEEZING!

Let me say that again -

NO MORE WHEEZING!

Folks, you can doubt their efficacy (I did).  You can call me nuts (That's not entirely inaccurate...).  And you can most definitely call me an oil convert.  But what you can't call me?  A liar.  Because this is the truth (and I suck at telling lies, so you would know).  People nowadays use the term "Life-changing" all of the time.  But to not have to use a medication with less-than-desirable side effects on my babies?  Yeah, I'm gonna use it. 

RC Ingredients: INCI Ingredient Names: Eucalyptus globulus leaf oil, myrtus communis oil, pinus sylvestris (pine) leaf oil, origanum vulgare (Vulgare) leaf oil, eucalyptus radiata leaf oil, eucalyptus citriodora leaf oil, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, cupressus sempervirens oil, tsuga canadensis leaf oil, and mentha piperita (peppermint) oil.

There are so many other uses and oils and blends and products but I'm just going to leave you with this for now:  Being a Lemon Dropper is AWESOME!

Christian Leader...And Other News



Blogging has been pretty low on my priority list lately.  End-of-year school stuff always takes up a lot of time and this year was no exception but, YAY!, it's summer vacation.  A few highlights from the last few days of school:

 

Baby Girl won the Christian Leadership Award for the First Grade.  I'm really proud of her (and she was so totally surprised that it was kinda awesome), but I think in the younger grades it's really almost a popularity contest.  Yes, they are told what makes a Christian leader but at 7 years old they pretty much just vote for their friends I think. 

 



Baby Girl receiving her award

 My cousin graduated high school in the Salutatorian position (that's #2) and got to give a speech at commencement.  It was also kinda awesome although she wasn't surprised. ;)  She did a great job speaking in front of hundreds of people (something I don't think I could have done).  Now in a few short months she's off to Pitt!  Go Panthers!

My beautiful cousin...giving me the stink eye.

 Youngest Boy had a state project for which he chose Florida.  Because it was such a popular assignment with the class, their teacher decided to hold a state fair and some of the kids from the older grades helped out.  That means that a lot of kids in Oldest Boy's class were assigned to help their younger siblings (I think there's something like 12 in the 5th grade who have siblings in the 3rd grade - it's crazy!).  The 5th graders had to dress as someone from an historic event.  Oldest Boy chose the opening of Walt Disney World and went as a tourist! :)

Youngest Boy and Oldest Boy representing Florida

 Last weekend we installed a beautiful bench in memory of my grandfather who, you might remember, passed away January 2nd.  I thought it was quite fitting that we did it Father's Day weekend.  I really do miss him.

Installation of a bench in my grandfather's name.

 

In other news, I'm finally on Facebook (which is just as big of a time suck as I thought it would be) and I've started using Young Living Essential Oils (which is as life-changing as the other users claimed it would be).  Those two things really go hand-in-hand and I'll post about that experience soon.  I promise!

Busy Days!

This have been crazy busy around here.  Right now the big kids are on Spring Break (Yes, even though we had eleventy bajillion snow days - it was non-negotiable), so I have a little time in the afternoons since I don't have to run down and pick them up.  Here's quick update by photos:

 

Miss V at her sister's 1st Birthday party

The girls and their cousin (or, as Little One says, their "husband")

Birthday Girl!

Can't believe it's been a whole year!

The kids attended a birthday party

For Oldest Boy's Best Bud

With a Snake and Reptile guy

Except for these ones with the Boa Constrictor

I watched the whole thing from a respectable distance

ON THE DECK - about 20 feet away

Coloring eggs.  Mr. MOTH's expression is because the Pens had just scored their second goal (and they STILL managed to lose...)

Our whole family - and I didn't photoshop this - Baby Girl's dress is really that color!

 

There's a lot more to talk about but it's almost snack time and my Mommy duties are multiplied when the kids are all home.  I can hear the laundry calling!