Neti Pot to the Rescue!

I haven't made the time to blog in quite awhile, but I really have something to share now, so I thought I would take a minute and update. okay, I was having some awful nasal issues earlier in the week and was feeling stuffy and runny all at the same time. The kind of thing where your whole head feels clogged! Not wanting to go to the route of medicine, I decided to try the Neti Pot that I had seen on Oprah (back when I actually liked her) and I am telling you...Neti is my new best friend! It actually worked a miracle for me and I have become a fan. It feels a little wierd the first few moments as the water is going in, but then if you just keep your mouth open and don't try to swallow, it isn't bad at all. The real joy comes in when you have successfully drained all the liquid in one side and out the other and you can actually breathe CLEARLY!! Oh, I never knew it would feel so good to clean your nasal cavities from one end to the other. That must be how my mom feels when she gets her spring and fall cleaning done!
That is my tip for you all. I am just on a roll here with the natural home remedies aren't I?? First the sty treatment and now this. Dang, I am good :)

Homecoming Night

SO, Mariah's Homecoming night turned out great! Here a few pictures to show off. Another one of the moms and I went to the restaurant ahead of time and they let us decorate the patio outside and they had it all to themselves. It turned out really cute. The biggest stress of the whole thing was trying to find a modest dress....IMPOSSIBLE! We were very lucky to fine this little jacket that matched pretty well with her dress. I was kicking myself that I never learned how to sew!! So, all of you moms who are several years away from all of this, I would suggest you start learning how to sew!

A little humor goes a long way...

So yesterday afternoon I did the daily routine of picking up 4 kids from 4 different schools, dumped the last one off at home, rushed off to the High School homecoming carnival to work at the fundraiser booth for Mariah's dance team...left there just in time to pick up a friend and head off to a parenting workshop that a friend of mine, Heather, was putting on.
Ironically, Lora called as I was on my way to ask "what is for dinner"....I said, "oh yeah, I totally forgot about that" and then she said, "well, that's ok. where are you going anyway mom?" uhhh...."I am going to a class that is going to help me a better mom" I can only imagine what she was thinking, given her first question!! oh wow.
anyway, I can't begin to recite all that I learned from this workshop, but the main tip that I got was to just have more HUMOR in our parenting. We were laughing so hard as many examples were given to us as to how to use humor with our kids. SO, be creative and learn to not only laugh more at what your kids are doing but also find ways to bring humor into your discipline!

Just thought I would share that little tip with you all. So, tonight I have another seminar to rush off to, this one being presented by none other than ME ( a Health & Nutrition seminar) and so you can be darn sure that I got up and started some dinner already in the crockpot for the kids! Now Lora will really think that workshop worked huh??

Looking for some practical ideas and tips?

Just wanted to do a little PR for April's latest post.....check it out. She found some really great and useful tips that she posted. So, just in case you don't ever visit her blog. Click on her link under my friends and family.

Gotta go clean my dryer vent now...talk to you all later.

My Sweet 16 Year Old

Mariah turned 16 a couple months back but has her first official DATE coming up on Sept. 26th for the Homecoming Dance! I don't know who is more excited....her or ME! Her date is a doll and came by the house last week when Mariah wasn't here to leave a bunch of bananas, balloons and a poster on the porch that said, "I would go BANANAS is you would go with me to Homecoming!" He called first to ask our permission to ask her, which I thought was very sweet. Anyway, it will be fun to help her find a dress and all the trimmings...and it's not Lane that I have to worry about being on the front porch with a shotgun...it's big bro Alex. I don't think he is ready for his little sis to be dating!

Her best friend's older sister just started a photography biz and did a photo shoot of Mariah and Carlee a few weeks ago. Take a look at them, I know I am biased, but they are SO BEAUTIFUL! I don't know how to insert a link so just go to the website. It is www.startinphoto.com click on CLIENTS and then Carlee & Mariah.

It is wierd to have kids old enough to date when it just was yesterday for me! How does that happen??

Happy Birthday Mom!

September 14th is always a day in the year that I am especially thankful for....it is the day a wonderful gift was given to this earth and without her, literally, I wouldn't be here. My beautiful mother celebrates her Birthday today. I actually don't even know how old she really is (unimportant facts tend to get lost in my brain) all I know is that for my entire life, she has been part of it.

My mom did all the important things that good moms try to do for their children. She taught me the Gospel, she taught me all the duties of how to be a good homemaker, taught me to serve others whether it be in the form of taking in a meal or sharing our talents. She was a visible prescence in our highschool as she helped with many school plays and performances and then was always there in the audience to cheer us on and give hugs at the end.

My mom has so many talents and special gifts that are hers. She has the knack of making ANYTHING look beautiful, even if it is a tuna sandwich....she will make sure that it is on a pretty plate and accompanied by a glass of sparkling lemonade in a beautiful goblet. She just always goes the extra mile for everything. Some have criticized her for trying to reach perfection in all that she does throughout her life, but as I get older, I appreciate more and more the "intensity" with which my mom lives her life. She is a passionate, emotional person who feels things much more deeply than some. She feels pain and she feels joy with the same intensity. She can cry harder than anyone I know, because I think she loves deeper than anyone I know. She can also help others to see the joy and beauty around her because she notices the little things more than anyone I know.

My mom has become my best friend. Being best friends mean that we accept someone for who they are with all of their weaknesses and strengths and that we share in things together. We help each other through those days when we feel like we can't get out of bed and we celebrate all the wonderful moments in life together. I am so thankful for a wise Father in Heaven who sent me to earth with just the mother that I needed. She has helped me become who I am today.She always expected the best of me, and while that was difficult at times, I know that it forced me to grow in ways that I wouldn't have otherwise. I am still a work in progress, as is she, but so many little things I find myself doing or saying...I think to myself, "I got that from mom."

My mom has risen above the ashes so many times in her life. We know that we are here on earth to be tested and go through trials. I have watched her over and over as she passes the test and comes out better and stronger because of them. The best thing about my mom is that she loves her children more than anything in the world. Each one of us knows that and always knows that she will be there for us no matter what.

Mom, thank you for teaching me how to love. Thank you for pulling me up when I am down. Thank you for always believing in me and supporting me in whatever I do. Thank you for always seeing the best in me even when I don't deserve it. Thank you for instilling in me that I am a daughter of God with unlimited potential. You are just the person that I have needed to help me through this life. We have been through alot of things together that have made us stronger and closer. I know that you struggled so much of your life with severe health issues that kept you from being the person that you so much wanted to be. I am thankful for many of those trials that came to our family because of that. It helped us to become stronger and to really appreciate the mother that we have today who is healthy and strong and able to give more fully to all of us. I feel so blessed to have a mom that is beautiful, classy, FUN, spiritual, talented and my best friend.

Thank you mom. I love you. Happy 50th Birthday....(am I close???)

New Home Remedy

I had to tell everyone about a great little tip I got from my friend yesterday. Lora came home from school with a sty in her eye and I wasn't sure what to do about it. It was not real big, but hanging down on her eye enough to irritate her and it was all red and swollen. Well, I mentioned it to Becky and she told me that her mom always used to rub a gold ring on a sty when they were kids. I reacted just like you probably are with an ...."oh right, that sounds like voo doo..." Well, I had nothing to lose, so I took my wedding band and gently rubbed it back and forth on her sty. I did this about 3 times before she went to bed that night.
ok, guess what...this morning it was GONE!! AMAZING huh?? It must be some mineral property in the metal, like maybe how Zinc works on zits....I don't know, but whatever it was, it worked.
So, there you go, another home remedy to add to our list.