Its Raining Its Poring!

Today had been a wet mess of a day. It has rained so much here that the basement has a puddle trying to invade. I am keeping it at bay but it is still upsetting me. Also the kids are driving me crazy being cooped up in the house all day. Finally I had enough of Talon's complaining and, with the help of Yaz, picked him up and put him face down on the front porch. It was down-pouring and he was not happy about it yelling that we are going to get him sick.

As he runs off to change his clothes Wyatt makes the great escape out the door and out into the yard. He was loving the rain. So after I coaxed him back inside I got him into some underwear and shorts and I got into my swimsuit and out we went. By this time Talon decided that being out in the rain was not going to be such a bad thing and out he goes too. I had Yaz take some pictures of us for me to share.


This is Wyatt playing in the brand new moat in our front yard.


Here is me yelling for the kids to come back for dad to take a picture.


Here is the 3 of us making the best of this rainy wet day.

Yaz is not very good with camera so the pictures are not great, and I wish I could have taken some outside of the kids playing and splashing in our overgrown puddle but the rain was too much to hope for that.

Wyatt was still playing a half and hour after Talon gave up. I grabbed some rubber ducks from our bath toy bag and Wyatt had a great game of "save the ducks". I threw them in the water and he ran after to save them before they drifted too far down the driveway. He was loving it.

Now, 2 hours later they are sitting in the bathtub getting cleaned from whatever mud and gunk got on them during our outdoor adventure.

“One day, someone showed me a glass of water that was half full. And he said, "Is it half full or half empty?" So I drank the water. No more problem.”

Quote by Alexander Jodorowsky

This week, as part of my path to a healthier me, is water. I dislike the taste of city water, and I find that bottled water is not much better. I have recently found out that there is a reason for this. Most bottled water is nothing but filtered tap water. (by the way, ever noticed that Evian is naive spelled backwards? Something my doctor pointed out to me.)

I have known for years that water is important to being healthy. Drink to little and you could die, drink too much and you could die. How much is enough? Well, according to my Nutrition teacher I should be drinking about 1/2 oz of water per pound of body weight I have. So that means that I should be drinking around 110 oz of water every day. 110 oz! do you realize just how much that is? Think of the 1 liters of soda you can get at the gas station. Now imagine drinking 3 of them. That is how much water I am going to be attempting to drink every day!

According to articles like this one, water may actually help me loose weight. As I loose weight, I am required to drink less water. I figure that if I drink 3 liters of water before I have any other types of fluids it will considerably cut back on my soda consumption in a day. Truth is, 6 months ago I was drinking a 2 liter of Mountain Dew every day on average. If I think of the water as replacing the soda I could be drinking it seems much less of an unreachable amount.

Well in closing, Glasses up and here is to my health. Cheers!

First Steps To Overall Health

I have decided to embark on a new health routine. Not a diet, not anything crazy, just making adjustments to my day to day life that will make me and my family healthier.

I started this a few months ago by adding essential oils to my life. I cook, clean and self medicate with essential oils for me and my family. I will start posting these as I use them.

I also have been a hair color fanatic for almost 10 years now and have not been able to go a whole year without dying my hair one color or another. I have found a solution to this. NO... I haven't stopped dying my hair I have simply found a healthier way to do this. I use Henna in my hair for a beautiful Red color and there are natural alternatives to coloring my hair most any natural color.

The introduction of a Nutrition class has made me realize that my family and I are not eating anywhere near as healthy as I thought we were. Too many Carbohydrates and proteins, not enough fruits and vegetables. I am taking it slowly in changing our eating habits because a drastic change will guarantee failure. This week I am simply adding a can of fruit to the dinner menu.

As far as exercize goes, it is pretty much does not exist beyond housework. I find myself feeling like a hippocrate telling the kids they cant watch tv or play Video games all day when I spend 8 hours a day in front of the computer. I plan to change this, but have not decided on how to start just yet. Maybe just taking the laptop outside so that I can watch the kids play while I do my work online. Sun and fresh air can be healthy too.

Next week, I will think of something else to add or subtract from our diet or routine. 1 week at a time and we just might keep the change.

School shopping

Talon went shopping today for his back to school stuff. He surprised me by getting everything in green. Before now he has always said that he hated the color. When I asked why he got everything in green he says "Well, I think I'm kinda getting use to it. Now I kinda like it." So, here he is, with his very green school supplies.

Cherry Grape Cordial

This is something I threw together today because the cherries and Green grapes that I had left over from making previous cordials was starting to look a little dark in color. I filled 3/4 a Prego Jar with Cherries (crushed with seeds) and the juice that had leaked to the bottom of the bowl. I also crushed the green grapes for another 1/4 of the jar.

I am not sure how this is going to work out but I will let you know in about 3-6 months!

A Wet Night

Last night was a wet one for our family. At 11pm my oldest child, Talon, came to my husband and I and said that he may have wet the bed. Sure enough, bedding was soaked down to the sheets. (thankfully he was sleeping wrapped up in a blanket and the moisture did not get into the mattress) It only took about 15 min for my husband, Yaz, to get that sorted out and Talon back in bed.
Talon was totally awake when he came to us last night.

I say this because he has been sleepwalking for the last 3 months and it has been causing him to wet himself. We will often find him in an area of the house crying and holding his crotch. We then guide him to the bathroom and back to bed. Sometime it is in time, sometimes it is not and there is a change of clothes needed.

So, Anyway, we finally got him off to bed, and Yaz and I hit the hay about midnight. 4pm and I wake up to the pitter patter of little feet coming across the kitchen. Wyatt, my youngest is awake and soaking wet. I fully become aware of this fact when he crawls into bed and sits his wet little but against my stomach. ew. Again, Yaz gets up to change his sheets and I change the diaper and get his new pajamas on. (a fight by the way, that lasted about 10 min) by this point he is fully awake and taking offense to my hubby putting him back to bed. 10 min later I say to put the little butt-head in bed with me and go to sleep. After a 30 min fight and a lot of screaming on Wyatt's part, he passes out. At 630 like clockwork he is back awake and wanting breakfast. I am soooo glad it was Yaz's morning to wake up with the kids.

Baked Steak with Cheesy Gravy

4 Cuts cuts of Filet Mignon
1 Can Campbell's Cheese
1 Can condensed Cream of Celery Soup
1/2 Can Milk

First brown the cuts of mean on a grill or in a pan. Place the meat in baking pan. Separately mix 1 can of cheese with 1 can of cream of celery soup. Fill cheese can to half with milk and add to mixture. Pour mixture into pan with meat. Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 350 for 45-60 min.

Serving suggestions: I like to eat this with Baked or mashed potatoes and use the sauce as a gravy.

Leftover suggestions: I reheat this sauce and use it with a microwave baked potato for a quick lunch. Also, if you use Capbell's Fiesta cheese, it can be reheated for a kick ass dip for Tortilla chips.

Alterations: I have used this recipe with boneless chicken breast, many different cuts of steak, lamb chops and pork chops. My mother has also adds rice to the cheese mixture before baking so she doesn't have to make potatoes too.

Who dropped the Horseshoe?

Today was a trying day. I am already going crazy because it is midterm and I am behind almost 2 weeks in one of my classes. My ever loving husband is upset because I have chosen to clean the house and unpack instead of doing my homework. He is also upset when I tell him I need help. I need help with my classes. I need help with housework. I need help with the kids. Not only do I need help, but I need his help. He things I am being dramatic and a nag.
He agrees to take the kids out of the house for me to catch up on my homework. Then the other shoe drops. I receive a phone call from my brother telling me that one of the families horses died today. Not just any of the horses, the stallion. The barn's namesake. Sabsson, my stepfathers Arabian stallion, died today at age 23. He is heartbroken and so am I. There are only 2 of his children left at our barn to carry on the bloodline, 1 filly and 1 colt. I was hoping to get my hands on the colt, Jack, in the spring. With Sabsson's death I doubt that my stepfather will let him go. I can only assume that Sabsson's CrackerJack will become the new stallion at their farm and I am S.O.L.