Sunday's Simple Start

I discovered Katherine Center this weekend. Where has she been all my life?

"We all carry our mother inside us."

Here's my Mommy who carried me inside her and my Trilogy who let me carry him.

Quick read - Don't get mad, get enlightened.

Here's a great article shared by my red-headed, never-blows-her-top parenting idol.

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

I love me a good party. Especially one I can attend in my jammies while the hubby and kids are sawing logs.
Janice and Susan, the duo (literally - twins) behind 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting their annual Ultimate Blog Party again.
Last year, I just lurked. This year, lurking still, but thought the 8 of you might want to join me =)
Click on the button below and pick a number. Visit every blog that ends in that number. Random stratified sampling, see? =)

And don't forget to sign up for 5 Minutes for Mom and 5 Minutes for Photography - my two faves! I love the quick and inspirational reads!

Another shout-out for the store Janice and Susan own. I drool over some of the retro phones - especially the one that reminds me of my grandparents' red one with a direct line to the President.

So I'm Jennifer...I have 3 boys under 4, 2 dogs under 16, 1 marriage just under 9 and 1 husband just under 16 =)
I started 2 separate blogs in 2006 when my first son was born. One for our family's memories since I type fast and am terrible at writing things in their baby books. I think my mom still reads it.
The other was an outlet for sharing with no one in particular the results of my OCD and anal-ness when it came to researching stuff for my kiddos. I think my friends Anne Marie and Kristen are the only ones still reading. Oh, and my mom.

Got pregnant again, threw up for 25 weeks (again) and stopped blogging. Started up again. Got pregnant again, threw up for 25 weeks (yet again) and stopped.

Now I'm back.

Until I get knocked up again.

Can it be a girl this time? =) Just asking.

I don't get paid for any of the opinionated posts I put up. And if I win anything ever in my life, it's the pleasure of being the booger retriever in my house when cold season hits.

If I did win something through UBP, golly gee willikers!

Sunny Days are here again!

I'm so excited! I've been waiting patiently for my favorite kids' sunscreen to be re-released. It was so popular that it sold out everywhere. Then it was being re-formulated with a Winter 2009 delivery date.

Waiting...
Update: Spring 2010 =(
Waiting...worth the wait, but anxiously trying other products in the mean time...
April 8th! As in two days ago? Sweet!
Order placed for two!

What is this fantastically-smelling, smoothly-spreading, sun-blocking sweetness? TruKid's Sunny Days SPF 30+.

We used it all last summer and the globby stuff I found in the meantime was a far inferior second, but it did achieve paleness like only kids of mine can.

AND...I found a coupon online - "JSMA" gets you 50% off orders of $25 or more.
AND...they throw in a bottle of their Friendly Face Wash if you select FedEx Home Delivery, which was only $2 more than USPS delivery for me, so why not?

I got a free bottle of Friendly Face Wash when I posted a review for them on Yelp! No need to sway me with the swag - I wholeheartedly support this product and this wonderful mother of 6's mission to support charities in the Bay Area. (6 kids!) She did the research and development so that we don't have to =)

They've also got a cute TruKid songs page to promote healthy habits.

From their website:

TruKid products are BPA and Phthalate free! We make safe products that families can feel good about; our certified organic and natural ingredients are always SLS, paraben, 1-4 Dioxane and Gluten-free!

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has awarded TruKid's entire line the safety rating of 0-3! THE SAFEST RATING of all kid's skin care lines!

Can't beat that! Eat this one up - coupon expires 4/15/10.

The Very Hungry for Butterflies Mom

It's back!
Wahoo! Can't wait...

Prepare to be queasy, but avoiding it all is easy...=)

Don't read this article about germs while multi-tasking at email and eating your lunch..

I'm a germaphobe of the highest degree. My kids know what to do when I spray their hands with "Sprinkles" i.e., CleanWell. I have bottles of it in both cars, all diaper bags, my wallet tote and individual wipes stashed in every crevice.

Why? Because I've been a teacher for almost 10 years and I've seen it all?

No.

Because I had younger brothers and I've seen it all?

No.

Because I'm a mom of three boys and I've seen it all?

No.

Because I've had my dogs crap in the house and I've seen it all?

No.

All of the above, frankly, but most importantly I have a vivid imagination tossed in with my OCD.

I was the first person to toss my paper towel on the floor outside the restroom door because I used it to touch the handle when exiting. I've been squatting over toilet seats since the mid-80's. I clean, spray, re-spray, wash, wipe, re-spray, wash my hands so much that during the winter, they crack and bleed.

I hate germs. I hate my germs and other people's germs. I hate your germs.

Sorry. I can only imagine where your hands have been or more where they've touched and the unsanitary habits of the person who touched that before you. No offense.

My kids don't go in sandboxes unless I'm drunk. At the park. And if they do, I hose them down with CleanWell for 30 minutes afterward. Kidding. Sort of.

Am I neurotic about it? Yes. Am I healthier than the average bear? Yes. And so are my kids. Is it all a crapshoot? Maybe. But I'm not taking that chance with RandomGuy's fecal matter. Are you?

By the way, the cafeteria and drinking water spout rating doesn't surprise me. There is a fountain right next to the door of my classroom and the germs wave at me as I pass. If you want to make friends with these creatures, be my guest. But don't come over to my house for a playdate.

Dying over dyes.

The timing of this couldn't be more perfect! I have our Easter Egg dye kit out on the desk (after the fact) because I wanted to check the Food Coloring #'s to see if I had just poisoned my children in my pursuit of some hide-n-seek fun...

Healthy Child Healthy World has a fabulous article about the dangers and unknown secrets behind artificial food dyes.

Last Easter I saved lots of links to natural dyes thinking that THIS Easter I would be a better mother. One thing led to another and there we were, friend and her 2 kiddos present, looking for something to entertain the kids. With Daddy unable to join us for Easter this year, I figured that last thing I'd manage was juicing my frozen blueberries so I picked up the PAAS Color Cups kit.

Image courtesy of PAAS


Naturally, I started to second guess myself when the kids' fingers were still green two days later..

Thanks to this article, I can see that the 5 dyes listed on the back of the Food Color Tablets package: Blue #1 and #2, Yellow #5 and #6 along with Red #3 are all bad. Very bad? "Avoid" or "Caution" aren't the terms you like to read after you put Green Fingers and Blue Thumb to bed, are they?

Now that I've scared you, here's the link I saved last year to the Natural Dying we'll be doing for the rest of our short, chemically-shortened lives.

BIG CRUMBS - you have to bookmark this site: The Food and Food Coloring Database! Check it out and see why...