Kind of getting through to my kids

This morning I was making a you choose  breakfast for my kids. Joey my 9 year old pulls two boxes of cereal out and starts to read the nutrition information. My first thought what what is he doing?  Joey starts to compare sugars and fats on the boxes. I'm starting to glow. Maybe just maybe after all these years and talking to pediatricians and nutrition specialist Joey finally gets that the healthier choices are the way to go.

After Joey closely has weighed out that Cap'n Crunch all though it has a higher sodium content is a better choice than and off brand Honey Nut cereal having higher fiber and lower sugar content. The he puts them back on the shelf. To Joey I ask why he put both boxes back. He tells me he thought I was going to suggest he eat the Honey Nut cereal and he hates it. He needed to prove Cap'n Crunch was better for him. After all is said he's going to eat Reese Puffs for breakfast. What?.

The kid kills me. He is so smart it's funny. I suppose in a sense I got through because he listened and applied what I tought him. Just incase I had him eat the yucky Honey Nut cereal.

My plants at night. Just for fun!

My kitchen window. Oregano, a succulent, Basil,some homemade chia heads, and snap peas. This is my happy place.

Beta bulbs bought with our Beta fish that didn't make it.

My composting inspiration. Big and beautiful made by Sonny at school for Earth Day 2010.

Our bean sprouts. I can't wait! Yummy!!!

Our tomato seedling made it this far. Courtesy of lots of warm drinks of water on cold days.

Some of our pepper seedling thriving in the grow bags

My corn grows great. My neighbor says he can't get his to grow maybe 50 feet away???



Spinach ready to harvest. Eggplant and Squash just growing away.



My strawberries love the crazy mood swings of Mother Nature. .  

Walla Walla onions. No clue what I'm doing here. I hope they turn out.

This Mama bloggers frustrations

I started this blog because my Mom told me I should write things down. My kids have great stories and I'm fun to listen to. So I did. Why would my Mom lie to me? Well I write and I get people who stumble on my blog from time to time, most likely spammers. My blog when it posts as a note to Face Book sometimes is commented on.  I second guessing if this is worth my time.

After talking to a professional writer I was told that the most successful blogs are from people who where once writers, have something interesting to talk about with an interesting twist. I should write because I want to and enjoy it not because I'm going to make money. If I think of my blog like walking down the street people don't flock to me. Now if I was wearing a bikini walking down the street I might get some followers.

Well I never thought I'd make money on it. I do get a rush when I check my stats and see page hits. I'm not the type to walk down the street in a bikini even when I had a slamming body. *wink* I guess I just want to feel like something useful. Seeing people like it would be nice.

I think I'll give it another month to see if anything for me changes on blogger and if not then I think throwing in the towel is my best option. I have written over a year, sharing family, ideas, recipes mile stones, successes, failures and fun. Feeling like I'm standing on a soap box on a corner while everyone ignores me as they walk by. While I scream what's important to me. It's becoming too much trying to be noticed for content and not for what free goodies you could get if you follow me.

I've got five kids. I work my ass off trying to raise and make sure they turn out to be good self providing aware people. I have chronic pain I'm learning to manage. I'm active and do things you may want to try. I have a real blended family with five kids and diverse backgrounds. I'm sure there are people out there similar to me that can benefit from at least something on my blog. I like to help. I like people. I just never know. No input from anyone except my husband who loves me.

There is something out there that will make me feel like my life has meaning. I have a deep desire to be someone more than a Mom, a wife and an service rep. I just don't have a lot of time to do it. Blogging seemed like an easy way to connect. It's hard. The people who do it well I love. They are kind of like Rock Stars to me. I read them with every new post. I'm just me. Sharing with spammers my world and have no clue why.

Done venting......... on to the next thing. Have a nice day.

~Mary

My Weight Loss Journal

Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

This is me today, 179 pounds. This was my "Fat" weight after giving birth to my 4 year old Sonny. Today I feel very accomplised for getting in to the 170's and don't feel "Fat" by like I'm really starting to look better and feel better. I'm still using My Fitness Pal app on my Droid and loving it.

179 pounds.

Wordless Wednesday

Flip Diapers

Not to long ago I joined Twitter. Soon I found my self following and be followed by mom. Mom's with good values. Lots of cloth diapering Moms. I'm not having any more kids. I just got my 4 year old potty trained overnight and expect I have about a year left in diapers with my two year old son. I have no need to buy any more diapers. I have 53 covers, prefolds, inserts and covers. I just got rid of all my little baby sized diapers on craigslist to a new mama looking for to cloth about a year ago. SO why am I getting new diapers? No reason at all. I just did.
I follow Under the Apple Tree on Facebook and Twitter.  She posted a photo of a Walgreen's that's selling bumGenius and Flip. Of coarse my interest peaked. What's Flip? Googling Flip I found it's a new product by bumGenius. A diapering system. It's an One size fits all diaper cover, with your choice of stuffing. Organic prefolds, a super soft insert, or compostable disposable liners. Very cool. I then looked up the pricing. Not a bad price. They have starter kit that has 2 covers and 6 inserts for $55. Not bad, thinking back to when I bought my bumGenius 3.0 3+ years ago at $21 each. 

Now I'm doing one of my crazy Mary things I do and obsess on what does this look like? How do they work? I read in a review on one of the websites that said the inserts  including the disposable work with other cloth diapers. One was a swaddlebees and Marni of Marni's Organized Mess just got one. I wasn't familiar with the diaper so I asked her to take a picture of the open inside of the diaper for me. It didn't look any different than the other pocket diapers I had. I ended driving down to Lafayette to my favorite baby story The Nurture Center because I knew they would have a Flip I could see. They did, I bought one in a warm blue.  They did not carry the disposable inserts. That's were my real curiosity is. They said the read to many bad reviews. I wanted to try it out any how. I also bought a Econobum since it was also available, it was cheap and another product from the same maker of bumGenius. We're trying that one out today. I'll let you know.

Back to my new Twitter community. Earth Crunchy Mama was who I wanted to try. I have communicated with her a couple times and her website says she hand picks the products she sells and I believe her based on my own personal interactions with her. I bought Flip disposable inserts and GroVia  BioSoaker. I would love to use a disposable at daycare and on the go that didn't make me feel like I've leaving to big of a carbon foot print. Oh she delivers quick and is a great value with her shipping and handling. I give her two thumbs up.

We tried the Flip Disposable yesterday with cover. It lasted through nap no leaks. A plus for me since Declan saves releasing his bladder during nap. We then went grocery shopping for 3 hours to get all the things I needed including the car ride. He peed and no leaking. I think I'm in love. I may buy a case soon.