Sedona Part Two

Montezuma's Castle in Tuzigoot National Forest:

People lived in these holes...high up the mountain face:




Oak Creek Canyon Stream...





This time I got to see Sedona a bit more in depth and took some pretty pictures to share with you! It sure is beautiful!

Sweet!

Last night was super fun! Our whole neighborhood seemed to be outside...the weather here is very nice this time of year so many people just sat in their driveways handing out candy so they could watch the parade of kids going by.
We got started at 6, right at dark and all the kids were super cute. Carson-pirate, Trevor-Peter Pan, Dallas-Han Solo and Dylan-Yoda.

Just last year we were TOT'ing with the whole gang in Brandy's neighborhood out in Fletcher. Funny how much can change in a year.

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!

First things first: Happy Hallowe'en! We are very excited for Sha-sha (Carson) to get out of school so that we can take a quick nap and then get ready for Halloween tonight. We went for a little drive this morning with Daddy out to the White Tank Mountains (where houses are Estates...not houses) to see a customer of his that he's become friends with, and the lady of the house...err...Estate let him pick a treat from her treat bowl. She was trying to give him a few "for the road", but he very politely said "No thank you, I'll just have this one." She thought it was very funny that a kid wouldn't take more candy, especially when offered, but he's a silly little boy.
This week at Carson's school is School Spirit Week. Monday he wore his pajamas, Tuesday was Movie Star Day--shirt and tie, hair slicked up and sunglasses and today was Crazy Hair Day. He has it all spiked up and painted black...sooo funny! He was worried he would be the only one participating until we got to school and saw all the other crazy-haired kids already there. It'll also just fit in with the pirate look tonight. Here's the pic!

The weather has been great here and now that we're all feeling better we're looking forward to going to the park every night like we like to. At the very least, we take a walk or let the kids ride their bikes after dinner...it's a ritual and they love it! I have to say, we love it too. Just nice and easy and fun and we don't have to rush off somewhere or drive. The neighbors go with us a good bit and it's fun to get together for adult chat too. I know this is sooo boring right now, but with us being sick I don't have much else to talk about besides laundry and carpet cleaner (Folex is the bomb!)

Hope you have a safe Halloween!

Missing Fall Colors

It's our first fall out west and one of the things we've noticed (besides the ever present 90 degree temps) is that the colors are the same as they always are. The grass may brown a bit, and some leaves may fall--mostly mesquite pods that my kids like to crack and make a huge mess with--but nothing pretty in terms of what we're used to--those bright reds and oranges that fade to brown. Yeah, I'm waxing nostalgic today (and I sound like I'm about 60) so I'll stop, but here's a few pictures from our last home in case you are without fall colors too. We climbed to these falls last year up in Dupont Forest and this picture doesn't even do it justice. Just beautiful.

Monday

First, Woohoo! for the Red Sox! We were waving our little RSN flag way down here in Phoenix last night for our team. And for the first time, were grateful to live out west where the game ended at 9 PM instead of 12. :) Small blessings...lol

Second, Trevor informed me that Petey Pants wears GREEN pants, and that if he could maybe just wear some green pants instead that would be just fine. He knows how to sweet talk me, so he got some dark green pj pants (that he needed anyway--the boy is a weed!) and now I think we're all set. I have a few more surprises in store for them--Carson is getting a bag o' gold coins for his belt and Trevor's getting a wee container of pixie dust. We plan on TOT'ing with Genifer and David and their boys first and then hanging out in front of one of our houses to hand out our own candy and let the boys run around. No T-ball that night, thank goodness. I'll be sure to take tons of pictures.

Here's one little pic from Disney that I liked and here's why. We were at MGM, and Trevor ADORES Jessi from Toy Story. He calls her "Joffee". So we stood in line for 20 minutes to see Joffee and when we got there...he wouldn't budge. He was scared to pieces, poor thing, but Joffee was so sweet and kind. She slowly meandered over to him, took her time, and played peek a boo with him. Then she stuck her hand out and took it away. Then she blew him a kiss and turned around for a few minutes and talked to Carson. When she was done, she turned around and looked at Trev again and made the sign like "Is he ready to talk to me now?" And he was! She waited for him to be comfortable, then she made sure she wasn't too fast when it was his turn. She gave him a sweet kiss, played high five, peek a boo and then a big hug at the end. He was SO ecstatic. "Joffee likes me! She really does!!" And after that, the rest of the week was a breeze. He went up to any characters we saw and shook their hand and hugged them.
Now, if only we'd seen her before we'd seen Aladdin and Jasmine (his other heroes). Oh well...next time!

What a week

Carson brought home a yucky stomach bug this week and after T-ball on Wednesday it hit. It's never easy when your kids are sick, but he's a trooper. Does his business and says "I'm sorry I made a mess, Mommy." No whining, no crying. By Thursday afternoon he was fine! Then Friday morning it hit Trevor...not good. Trevor has never really been sick that way and he was scared and upset every time. Poor baby. We were up half the night Wednesday with Carson and then Friday night with Trevor. I think we all need naps today! Luckily, everyone seems to be fine and playing nicely. Huge Relief! Just don't stop by our house today because it's a wreck. Makeshift sick beds and tons of laundry--I did the yuckiest first, but it's still been piling up.

My friend Jennifer is coming this week for an Arizona visit and I am planning to take her to Sedona. Very exciting! We'll be sure to take tons of pictures.
Have a happy Halloween everyone!!

When did this happen?

When did my baby become a Big Boy like this? He doesn't even look like a little kid anymore...so grown up. Makes me wanna stick him in feety pajamas that say "I (HEART) Mom". Do those come in size 6??

Driving in the Desert

Trevor Today

I see Trevor stalking around with a spatula and a strainer from the kitchen drawer and ask what he's doing.
"Hunting elephants, mom." in the tone that implies that it's fairly obvious just what he's doing.
"What will you do if you catch one?"
"I check to see if it has big enough ears to fly like Dumbo. If it has baby ears, I let it go."
"Do you think the strainer and spatula are big enough to catch an elephant??"
"Well, I'm pretty strong, too."

Homemade Halloween

My mom sewed quite a bit when I was little, and I never thought I had that gene that made people WANT to sew things...I love crafty stuff and creating, but with fabric? Not my cup of tea.
But for this Halloween, Trevor wanted to be Peter Pan. The only good Peter Pan costume I could find was at Disney Store for $50! While I love my boy, I'm not quite Halloween-gooey enough to spend that on something he'll probably be over next month. So I thought...how hard can it be? And cut him a shirt out of a shirt I kept for my neice. It was so adorable (and required no sewing) so I thought I'd do a belt. That was pretty darn easy--even the little sword holder required little thought. I got more confident. So when Carson asked for me to make him a pirate outfit, I thought how hard can it be?LOL Well, it was harder than I thought--the original intent was to make a Captain Hook coat complete with lacy trim. We didn't quite get there, but what we did get is pretty darn cute if I say so myself.

Trevor as Peter Pan:



He had the sword already and the pants are big brothers. Yes, they are the same size now. The shirt was about to go to goodwill, I'm not even sure how it got moved out here. the belt was leftover brown felt from Carson's cowboy vest a few halloweens ago--my very first venture! and the hat was just felt square at Walmart for .20. woohoo!


Carson as a pirate:


The shirt was Reed's old work shirt. I cut it apart and resewed the top and sides to make a vest that was more his size. I cut down the middle for an opening. I cut out a piece of white fabric square from another junk shirt and drew the skull and bones in with permanent marker--then stitched it with big stitches to cover a work logo. I cut up the bottom in a zig zag. Then I made the belt out of the bottom of one of reed's old black shirts and sewed a loop for his sword holder. I had him put on shorts over some old stripey pj pants and we had all the accessories already. SOOOO easy.

Current Trends in the Lucky House

Carson:
*loves all things baseball, including watching the D-backs on tv with Dad...our house will never be the same and I fear I'm quickly being edged out by all the testosterone that is sure to be around the corner.
*says "Oh SNAP!" when things are "cool"
*says "Holy Shrimp!" to our constant embarrassment...because it sounds WAY too close to something else bad. He learned that courtesy of Spongebob. (I'm shaking my head in that motherly way right now)
*received PERFECT marks at his parent teacher conference and the teacher said he's one of the brightest kids in class.
*is becoming quite the lounge lizard and wants to wear pj's around the house when he's home. he can't EVER wear the same pair twice in a row, however...so this is a lot of laundry.

Trevor:
*frequently comes up and says "I miss you" to Reed or I and asks for a kiss...even if we've been sitting beside him the last hour.
*loves fish and really really needs an aquarium at some point. It is mandatory (for Trevor) that we spend at least 30 minutes at the fish section of Wal-mart every time we go in...to the point that if I have to just get a few things I now schedule that for when Reed is home so I can avoid it. The employees there must think we are fish-stalkers and know Trevor by name.
*has begun to make up songs a la Dad and Carson--about what he's doing, what he wants to be doing, what he's eating, what he wants to eat...you name it. All are out of tune, but are also loud. Which can be fun...as long as we have aspirin in the house.
*is going to be "Petey Pants" for Halloween as long as he can carry a big sword and "not that little one what Petey Pants uses...Trevor needs a BIG sword in case someone scary comes out."
*has rediscovered his Legos and spends hours making towers that he knocks down, then starts over. which makes no sense, really, but is apparently quite fun.

T-Ball Time

Carson started t-ball in Avondale with his best bud Dallas (who is our neighbor!) and they are too cute. They both tap home plate when they're up to bat, hold the ball behind their backs before pitching...the works. They're pretty good up there and quickly getting better. It's so funny to see them running around out there. Tonight was the first game so we took tons of pics. I forgot the darn UV filter was on still so the pics were crazy dark...and now they look a little weird. Oh well.
Carson on third with the coach:

Carson in the dug out waiting for his turn at bat:

Dallas at bat:

Carson at bat:

Dads watching (so serious):

little bros playing:

Carson and Dallas:

Here I go again

You can thank my friend Marie for getting me hooked on researching health information. If you care to follow any of it, good for you. If not, that's ok, too. I'm not trying to make anyone else change...just food for thought. the next article is not quite scientific...but there is the research out there to back it up. I post this article because it's easy to understand, and if you want more info to back up these claims you can do a search and find plenty.

from Ezine's Do We Need Milk?
Most of us have been raised on milk. Not only that, many of us have been raised with the “Basic Four Food Groups” and other dietary guidelines that recommend milk as one or our daily food needs. However, there is much we need to understand about milk and how if affects our bodies, what it does and does not provide, and how today’s dairy milk differs from the milk that used to be found on the farm or in the past.

Let’s first understand that we as humans are mammals. We are the only mammals who drink milk after we are weaned. We are the only mammals who drink milk from another mammal. We are the only mammals who drink pasteurized milk!

Humans and other mammals were created to produce nourishment for their young. That’s how it was meant to be and that’s how it should be. Horses produce milk to feed their young. Sheep produce milk to feed their young. Cows produce milk to feed their young. Humans produce milk to feed their young too. That is nature’s way of starting a baby on the right and proper nourishment. But none of the mammals are meant to produce milk forever. We/they begin to dry up after a year or so. In order to produce more milk, it takes producing another baby. Yes, cows and goats have to be bred on a yearly basis in order to continue to produce milk – it wouldn’t happen any other way. (And by the way, I’m glad I am not a cow having to get pregnant on a yearly basis for my milk production, with my new baby yanked away from me as soon as it arrives!)

Today’s dairies greatly differ from the farm milk cow when I was a child. I remember my father going out and rounding up our milk cow, morning and evening, to milk her. A dairy milk cow today does not need to be rounded up twice daily. They will usually come in voluntarily three or more times a day! Why? Because they are fed hormones as well as their own bi-products to increase milk production and are so engorged that their milk bags often drag, or almost drag, the ground. They come to get milked to find relief. And just as engorgement causes breast infections in humans, it will likewise in cows. They are given good doses of antibiotics and vaccines to “keep them healthy”. If not, there is blood and pus that will show up in the milk. All milk is tested in every dairy before it is taken each time. They will know where the blood and puss level is. Don’t worry though. You won’t be drinking anything but “Grade A” milk from the store. However, any “Grade B” milk (which can have up to 5% blood and pus) will be made into cheese. Rest assured, if your cheeses, sour cream, cream, etc. does not say “Grade A”, then you know it is most likely from “Grade B” milk.

Is the pasteurization process of milk beneficial or harmful to our bodies? Dr. Mercola of mercola.com states, “Pasteurization is a destructive process that changes the physical structure of the fragile proteins in milk (especially casein) and converts them into proteins your body was never designed to handle – and that can actually harm you. Additionally, the pasteurization process virtually eliminates the good bacteria normally present in the milk and radically reduces the micronutrient and vitamin content of this healthy food.”

So, do we need to drink milk to get our calcium? In the pasteurization process, the structure of the milk and nutrients are changed and the calcium becomes indigestible – our bodies cannot assimilate it. Many people in their older years feel they need to drink milk to keep their bones strong. In all actuality, pasteurized milk leeches calcium from the bones. So not only does it not prevent osteoporosis, it actually can cause it! Studies show that the countries with higher consumptions of milk and milk products also have a higher rate of broken bones and osteoporosis. Milk is not our best source of calcium.

Let’s consider what good sources of calcium really are. First of all, look at a cow and what she eats to produce all that milk: greens and grains! Not only does she not eat any meat to build that several hundred pounds of protein flesh, she only eats greens and grains (at least if she lives on a farm and allowed to stay an herbivore – unlike most dairies who turn cows into carnivores by feeding them their own bi-products mixed into their food).

Greens, grains, nuts, sprouts and beans are full of calcium, as well as protein. Most of us do not understand this because we have been programmed to believe otherwise. We do not eat near enough greens in our diets! Even if individuals have a salad or two daily, it usually contains little real greens – iceberg lettuce does not count! Greens such as leaf lettuces, Swiss chard, beet greens, collards, kale, broccoli, parsley, mints, etc. are all good greens rich in calcium. Sprouts such as alfalfa, radish, clover, lentil, and others are full of calcium and protein too. Whole grains and beans also contain good calcium and protein, but the raw nuts and seeds are some of our best sources of calcium and protein. Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds and more (all raw) are full of good digestible calcium.

Nut, soy and rice milks have often been discounted in being termed “substitutes” to the real thing. However, it is all in how you look at it. Would you rather be nursing from the utter of a cow to get that milk to pour on your cereal, or would you rather get it from raw nuts, soybeans, rice or other vegetable proteins? These other “milks” do differ in protein, calcium, fat, and nutritional content, but they can be great sources of nutrition.

If we would focus more on these kinds of foods in our diets – leafy greens, whole grains, beans, sprouts, raw nuts and seeds –instead of the meat, milk, fast foods, processed and prepared foods (that are high in calories yet lacking real digestible nutrition) we would not only feel better, but we would look better (having better weight control), and not have to experience all the diseases and disorders that we do as a people. Good sound nutrition from wholesome foods is the real key to better health!

Disney Pictorial

Morning Nugget

Carson: There's a girl in my class, and she's an alien. Well, not really, but she is. She likes to attack me, and I have to attack her back.
Me: What's her name? Is she nice?
Carson: NO! She's an alien, didn't you hear me?? Aliens aren't nice!
Me: Oh, I thought it was just a game you guys were playing.
Carson: No, mom. It's serious. Kindergarten is VERY serious.

Disney-ed out

We took our Disney trip the other week and while it was great fun and very enjoyable...I don't think it's something we will do again any time soon.
The week was pleasant enough, crowd-wise, we walked on to almost everything we wanted with no worries. We ate at some great restaurants. We saw our favorite characters and rode legendary rides. Trevor and Carson were very much in awe of the things we saw and did...and that's what it's all about.
We had a bit of Disney-itis with it being Trev's birthday, and ended up buying him a Peter Pan character set as well as Captain Hook swords and "hook" hands among other little things, but it was all worth it. We also got a really cool Potato Head set that's all Disney-fied:
Reed and I got some sort of sinus infection/cold on about the third day, and we were truly miserable. No amount of medicine would clear it up, we were merely riding on adrenaline and the understanding that this trip cost so much we HAD TO go out and do things...which is no fun. Towards the end of the week the boys were very much overstimulated and needed a break, and Trevor began getting the cold as well...which makes for noisy sleep! Three people coughing, sneezing and snoring is NOT conducive to good rest, let me tell ya.
The last two days we were there, Saturday and Sunday, were quite busy at the parks so we took it easy, saw a few things one last time and had Trevor's birthday dinner at Chef Mickey's with the big Mouse himself...which Trevor adored and I will always remember for that reason. (Trevor is enamored of all things Mickey)
Sunday we completely skipped the parks after having lunch at a pretty little cafe and grabbing some souvenirs...and hung at the pool and playground, which was actually really nice. Relaxing, enjoyable, and I think the kids needed some "run around" time without rushing to or from a ride. We gave out bubbles and light necklaces to kids at our resort, which was fun and very "Oprah" as Reed put it.
Next vacation? I think Reed and I will go to Jamaica, and let the kids go to...somewhere. Any takers?

ETA: Blogger is being cranky and I can't get my pics to load right, so I'll fix in a bit.

Speak Engrish

A friend gave me a link to this site and I thought I'd share. Engrish
I found it so amusing, don't be surprised if your next holiday card from me looks like this:

family's first football game

Last Saturday a coworker of Reed's gave us tickets and a parking pass to a Cardinals game. Since we pass the stadium a lot, the boys have been very curious about it and what happens in there, so we decided to take a family trip.

Even with a parking pass we had to walk quite a ways, it seems they are definitely not ready for the superbowl traffic they will undoubtedly encounter and are working hard to rectify this--but meantime the parking lots and surrounding areas are absolutely a mess. It was VERY hot that day, and we were sweating like we were IN the game by the time we got to our seats. The inside is pretty neat, the retractable roof and retractable grass I guess are cool features if you are a stadium hopper, but we're not. We were just grateful to get out of the sun.

The game started and the boys really got into it, cheering with the crowd and booing appropriately. The man a few seats down had key phrases like "What game are YOU watching, ref??" and "You must be blind!!" which Carson picked up pretty quickly and the people around us that that was cute.

Both boys danced at halftime along with the cheerleaders and were sad when that portion ended.

Back in the parking lot, our car thermometer read 122 degrees!

Big Surf

Sunday we took the boys to Big Surf because Reed's work bought out the place for the day just for employees. It was so fun! I'd already figured we'd be stuck at the kiddie pool the whole time but the boys surprised me. They LOVED the water slides. They had some "smaller" slides, but they were still huge in my opinion. after the first time, that's all they wanted to do. they were such daredevils! the pool at the bottom was only about 2 feet deep so it was high up on Trevor but shallow enough that he could touch. he swam around really well--he's such a fish!

we were really proud at how "big" they were. Then we went to the wave pool and poor landlocked Trevor said "Is this what the ocean is like, mama?" I didn't realize he's never even been to the beach! We'll have to rectify that soon. once the first wave went past us, Trevor demanded that we go deeper to catch the waves better! such a daredevil!

This week has been really busy and is flying by. the school day starts and ends before we know it. Carson is doing really well and the teacher says that the other kids listen to him so he helps her get everyone lined up and quiet sometimes. LOL every day he comes home with a stamp on his hand a treasure from the treasure box, which means he was a good boy all day. Woohoo! we're really proud of our big boy. some people voiced concerns that he was starting kindergarten from home and not preschool, but we knew he'd be great. Go Carson!

just a few more weeks until our Disney vacation! we're really excited to get away and I cannot wait to see my babies' faces when they see Disney for the first time. Trevor gets excited at the Disney store just seeing the characters at the front door. LOL he'll really be ecstatic to see Disney.

have a great week!

4th day of no soda

I have had a nagging headache all day that won't go away. I took a few tylenol, but I was too lazy to make a cup of tea this morning so that's probably part of it. I have the water going now. :)

I went to pick up Carson from school today and he actually asked me to wait a minute, he wasn't ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a very pretty blonde girl that he is assigned to sit next to. When we left I asked him how his day was and he said "Did you see that girl I was talking to? Her name is Aislynn, and she's the prettiest girl in class. She is sooo beautiful. She has blonde hair like me and blue eyes like me, and we are best friends."

I was kinda hoping he'd find a boy to play with that we could invite over and meet at the park, but a girl works too. She really is cute. He has good taste. :)~

Trevor and I had a busy day playing pirates. I gave us eye patches and I had to use a hook (end of a kiddie clothes hanger) since I was the evil Captain and Trevor is always "Petey Pants" (peter pan). He wants a green outfit and I wish I could find one for him for Halloween. I may have to break out some sewing skills. It doesn't look all that hard to make.

He is very dramatic and "dies" very convincingly although staying quiet after he's supposedly dead is obviously much harder. He grabs the "sword" and sticks it under his armpit and staggers around. Oscar worthy. It's funny, 2 pm comes very quickly every day and I don't get as much done as I thought I would with one less kid around.

Trevor is potty trained!

I picked up a training toilet (The Royal Flush, lol) from a neighbor the other day and it's so cute! I had a feeling Trevor didn't like the feeling of dangling over the toilet because he's still small enough that he can't balance across the hole. I was right. The first day we got the potty, he went right away. It makes a noise (think trumpets announcing a king arrival) whenever anything, um, solid passes the sensor in the pot and he thinks that's hysterical. So it's been a few days now...and...we're potty trained! no diapers at all during the day! He even pottied out yesterday when we were running errands. Woohoo! He still wears a diaper to bed because he is too short to really get out of his bed easily by himself, especially in the middle of the night.

Carson is taking to school well. He's gotten all good notes so far and is excited to go and make some good friends. He asked Reed if he wanted to help him "pick out his new girlfriend" from his classmates, which got a big laugh. Slow Down, ladies man! Every morning when the class lines up he goes up to the teacher and says "Good morning, Mrs. Smith. How are you today?" which I have not seen one other child do. It's crazy how adult he acts sometimes. I think the teacher is very tickled with him.

Caffeine, First day, and black eyes

Okay, so I did have part of a soda yesterday. I wasn't thinking and it was just automatic. But that is significantly less than I usually have, and I didn't drink any at all on Sunday or today. I woke up this morning with a bit of a headache, but I'm trying to stave off really horrible withdrawls with a small cup of tea in the mornings. At least I know what's in that! LOL

Reed thinks I'm nuts but I think he's also waiting to see if I do feel better without the soda...who knows? Maybe he'll quit it too!

Our new Kindergartener!
Carson's first day of school yesterday went very well. I was a little teary eyed but nothing major. I did miss him and the house was so quiet without him! Trevor fared the worst, I think, because he was so sad he couldn't be there playing with "Sha Sha" after he saw all the fun toys they had in their classroom! He and I took a little trip to the mall and then to meet Daddy for lunch so we wouldn't feel so sad on the first day. It was very fun! I have to get used to just having Trevor around, and boy, does he talk when big brother isn't here to talk for him! I'm not sure I've ever heard him say so many words in one sitting. He talks in circles and repeats himself and it's very silly. But oh so cute! I'm glad I get to stay home with him for a few months just the two of us before he goes to daycare in January (while I'm in school)--we get one on one time that we've never had before!



Unfortunately, he started school with a black eye, given to him courtesy of his little brother. Trev accidentally knocked him in the eye with a plastic blow gun--which is a long black tube that you put darts in and blow really quickly to shoot them out. To Trevor, this is a really good pirate stick. We had to take it away and tell him that pirates really just use their fingers to fight each other, but he didn't believe us. He'll be getting a foam sword for his birthday (the only thing he asked for) and I'm grateful knowing that foam can't possibly give black eyes...can it?
poor black eye-doesn't show up as much in this pic

Another thing I love

Burt's Bees--having been in North Carolina where this line was originated and originally introduced at little country stores, I of course feel some pride at something from my home state. But even if I didn't have that attachment, I'd still love this stuff. They have make-up, skincare, and...sunscreen! I might try that next.

And please don't think I'm a hypocrite. I am also trying to do as much whole foods as I can to help our family quit using processed foods and soda! I decided yesterday after reading some very convincing arguments to quit it cold turkey. I'm sure that I will have some withdrawl, but I can live with that. I can't live with my children developing bad habits because of mine.

The sun and me

As most of my friends and family know, 4 years ago this summer I was diagnosed with melanoma. It was a horribly scary experience and changed our lives in many ways. I was never a huge sun seeker, I just enjoyed it moderately on weekends playing volleyball on the beach, going for walks, hiking, etc. I never laid out all that often and didn't care about being bronzed to perfection.
Since being diagnosed, I've been literally quite scared of the sun's rays and what I thought it could do to my body. I certainly don't want to have to go through that experience again, for my sake and my familys sake. But in the years since I quit enjoying the outdoors, too scared to venture out during daylight hours for any length of time, too worried about protecting myself fro UVA and UVB rays to go for walks unless it was extremely overcast, early in the morning or very late evening...I've noticed that I've had a number of issues that could possibly be attributed to lack of, well, sun. I've been very susceptible to depression--which, I realise could easily happen with the life changes we've had through the years, but hey, doesn't everyone?? I've gained a significant number of pounds without much being changed diet wise--and I even exercise more routinely NOW because it's more of a scheduled event than before my children arrived. I know metabolism slows down as you age, but heck, I'm not even 30 yet! And surely it doesn't slow that much this soon.
My skin is pasty white, and I realise I'll have less wrinkles and age spots than those who are tanning vigorously...but I miss it. I miss the sun, being outside in the DAYTIME and I miss being able to play with abandon outside with my boys the way I did with my stepdaughter.

Then my friend Marie sent me some links and I have to admit, they make a lot of sense. http://www.newstarget.com/021903.html
From the article:

more people use sunscreen products, the more they'll get cancer. And that's due to two primary reasons: 1) Sunscreen blocks vitamin D production, a nutrient that strongly prevents cancer, and 2) Sunscreen products almost always contain cancer-causing chemicals that are absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream where they cause severe DNA damage, leading to cancer.

Basically it's saying that by blocking the Vitamin D you get from natural sunlight, it's actually helping PROMOTE cancer in your body. It certainly doesn't say "Go to the Tanning Bed until you fry!" or "Stay out all day without so much as a hat!" but it does say that sunlight in moderation very often is absolutely essential to your wellbeing, and that the sunscreens that are so highly touted are actually full of carcinogens that we are not only letting absorb into our skin, but putting into our environment via rivers, oceans and drains.
I was amazed at all the symptoms lack of sunlight could cause, including but not limited to the ones I mentioned I have. Obviously, I don't think just going outside more often is going to make me happier all the time or help me drop this 20 lbs...but I think it's a valid point. It also encourages people to eat berries, spirulina, carrots, and more to increase your skins own natural SPF, which allows the good rays in without being damaged by it on a cellular level. Makes sense to me! I've already begun introducing some of these things into my diet, and I plan to replace my sunscreen with some of the natural alternatives they suggest and throw out mine (which after inspection, I realised contains alot of chemicals that have been directly linked to cancers and birth defects--scary!) and see how it goes. Any thoughts on this? Email me at smithstation@cox.net
I'd love to hear opinions. And I'll let you know how my own experiment goes. I know I'm happier already...I get to go outside!
**Edited to add: when I say throw out my sunscreen and use natural alternatives, I mean I will still be using sunscreen--just ones that they reccomend with lower chemical compositions--mine is called UV Natural SPF 30. Here's one of the ones we used to use and it's score is "7" of "10"...10 being the most dangerous for use by their scale. The one I switched to is a 1. Almost everything man made has some sort of chemical in it, and some risk. My plan is to try to minimalize those risks as much as possible. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=49576&refurl=%2Fbrowse.php%3Fatatime%3D500%26sunscreens%3D1%26worst%3D1%26
Here's the list to see what yours has in it. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/summary.php

August

I can't believe August is here already. Time just flies by...faster and faster it seems.

My sweet friend Brandy is celebrating her birthday tomorrow--won't mention any numbers, kay? Happy Birthday Brandy! She is one of the few people I met in Asheville (at a dinner/movie house, to see Miss Congeniality 2, LOL) that I liked almost instantly. I'm usually more reserved about making friends. But she's bubbly and vivacious and just easy to gab with. She's also a surrogate mother for a couple that can not have their own, which I think is just amazing. I certainly couldn't make that sacrifice (plus I'm a horrible preggo). Enjoy your day, girl!

School is kicking my behind...I'm on an accelerated program and working my tooshie off to get things done early. I'm doing really well though, still have my 4.0! I should graduate next summer...unless I decide to go further. Yes, I know I am insane.

Carson starts school on MONDAY! Kindergarten, here we come! His teacher is named Mrs. Smith. Easy to remember! She's already sent several cards and postcards as a countdown to the day and Carson is already smitten. He says that his teacher is gonna love him, and that he wants a girlfriend. Lord, help us. We've been working hard the last few weeks doing our lessons and he's doing really well. I used to teach him some Spanish, French and English words at the same time and I'm not sure why I stopped. I've sort of picked that back up but not like I used to do. I'll get more serious about it, but I think I'll let him soak up some Kindergarten first so he can just concentrate on enjoying that. He's so smart and quick to learn, it's crazy. Lately he's been sitting next to me while I do my homework (anatomy books) and asking questions about organs and he remembers things really well. I have started giving him more info and he still seems interested and says he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. We'll see!

Trevor is still stuck on Aladdin and pirates right now. For his birthday he says he wants Pirate stuff. I know that means a sword (foam, please!) but what else does a pirate need? He goes around poking us all with imaginary swords* and saying ARGH!!! and Walk to Bank! which in Trevorese should be "walk the plank", but now he gets very excited anytime I tell him we have to go to the bank. Maybe there are pirates in the credit union that I don't know about, who knows?

(*I had to take away all hard stick-like objects because the game was getting out of control--see earlier posts about his game)

Argh! I'm so cute even my pits are cute! No, I didn't ask him to pose this way, honest!