Going Green--Walking the Walk

Well, I've been wanting to do my part to cut back on my gas consumption, for lots of reasons. I think we need to take better care of the world around us, but I also want to save money. We live ridiculously close to our library and I've always been too afraid to walk to it. (Dogs--don't like them, I'm scared of them.) But I did it today. I walked the kids to story time and back. It was a nice twenty minute walk each way. I feel great. I conquered a fear, got the kids outside, and saved some money.

Rob and I actually dream of owning a greenish house. We want solar panels, a tankless water heater, and those cool windows with the gas inside of them. We wouldn't say no to heating and cooling alternatives either. But we would need a bit more money to make that happen.

Fun and Busy

This week was fun and busy. I finally got to go on a field trip with Beth. Every other field trip Jacob or Caleb have gotten sick. We went to Farm Days. Beth actually held a baby chicken and touched other animals. On Saturday she made a huge milestone by picking up a caterpillar on Saturday.

Caleb and Jacob have been super boys this week. They will put towels on and run around the house. Jacob gets so excited to be doing the same thing as his brother. I got my camera back and was ready to take some pictures when a fight broke out. So it didn't happen. Maybe next week you can see the super boys!

I went to the neurologist and I've been referred to a neurosurgeon. Basically they want to cover the bases, make sure I don't need surgery. I've got pictures of my tumor, and it is basically my entire T-10 vertebrae. There may be a little extra tissue around it, that they want to check out. The appointments in two weeks, so I'll update after that. It is an hemangioma, which means a tumor of blood vessels. It is benign and nothing to worry about extensively.

Rob has been busy with work and other stuff. He finally met up with his friend Jared. They've been friends forever, and Jared moved to Raleigh about six months ago. It's taken this long for them to get together. The two families met and hung out together. It was a lot of fun.

Hoof and Mouth Disease

This week Jacob suddenly broke out in blisters on his hands, feet and mouth. I thought it was hand, foot and mouth disease. Not a big deal, but then his rash spread up his arms and legs. So off to the doctor we went. Well, it can spread up the arms and legs--who knew? He's doing much better now. He never really acted sick, and never ran the typical fever. Just got the rash.

Beth is really reading. I think it is so amazing to have her sit down and listen to her sound out the words, and get them. She is reading over thirty sight words, on sight. : ) And then doing a great job on the sounding out of the longer less common words. Soon she will be devouring novels like me. I can only hope. I want a family of readers.

Caleb is in a jumping mood this week. He jumped into the tub, and landed on his back. Unfortunately the water was deep enough that it ran up over his face. It scared me and him. So not five minutes later, another big splash and blood pouring out of his mouth. He jumped again, and gave himself a fat lip when he hit his mouth on the side of the tub. Sometimes it takes little boys awhile to learn that they can't fly.

Rob and I are both doing well. We've committed to living a healthier lifestyle. Eat better, exercise more, and go to bed earlier every night. We'll see how long this lasts! Have a great week. PS I see my doc about my tumor this week (to find out more info) and I'll post updates midweek.)

Week of Cooking

This week I am cooking for the whole month. I've averaged putting together about six dinners a day for three days. Usually I only work for two to three hours on the meals. It may sound like a lot of work, but it is so worth it. I love not having to think about dinner. I also love that it saves us so much money on groceries as well as eating out. However, I am very tired today. Very tired.

The kids had a lot of fun at Grandma's last week. Rob and I enjoyed the quiet. Jacob stayed with us. I think it was really good for Jacob. He started talking more and interacting more with us. We also figured out his natural sleep schedule, since he didn't have to squeeze in naps around others. This will make life a lot easier down the road. Beth is having fun back at school. She is doing great reading and loves it. I am so proud of her. Caleb is a sweety. He cares a lot about others and their feelings.

I'm pretty busy with writing and mothering. So I'll run. Oh and on the news of pictures. We sent our old camera in because it has been recalled. As soon as it gets back, I plan on using it posts pictures on the blog.