I'm So Sorry Sweet Ella {neurotransmitter results}

I'm so sorry sweet Ella that your world feels so out of control!  We received Ella's neurotransmitter results this week and they don't look good at all.

See all the red?  All of these are high, really high.  She is overproducing serotonin, glycine, glutamate, dopamine, and norepinephrine.  Basically she feels really stressed, in fight or flight mode, all of the time.  What an awful feeling!
We are going to try 3 new supplements to help balance things out.  The first supplement, Calm PRT, helps reduce stress and restore communication between her hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.  Another supplement, Calm G TheaNAQ, is designed to modulate glutamate and reduce oxidative stress and includes NAC, L-theanine, and CoQ10.  The last supplement, Kavinase, supports GABA function and helps reduce anxiety.  (I think my entire family needs this!) 
I will let you know how and if these supplements help our princess. 
It will be okay Ella, I promise.  I will fight for you.

Putting the Pieces Together

I'm sorry it has taken me two months to blog again but life is crazy!  About a month ago we had Haiden, Ella, and Mason take the NutraEval test through Rhonda Marsh at Integrative Health Specialist. It is a blood and urine tests.  We had this done on Haiden when he was three and it gave us so many answers to what was going on inside his little body.  At that time his "autism" was actually food sensitivities, yeast overgrowth, bacteria overgrowth, parasites, vitamin deficiencies, inflammation, and malabsorption.  When we started treating those problems his "autism" diminished.  I wanted to test Haiden again to see what all has changed.

Out of all of the kids, Haiden's results looked the best.  He has low magnesium, B2, zinc, and vitamin D levels which can all contribute to ADHD symptoms.  So we are going to increase those supplements.  We are also going to do a Neurotransmitter test to see if we can help with his anxiety.

For the past two years I've have been told by a developmental pediatrician, neurologist, and psychologist that Ella's "issues" were due to my parenting.  Now, I know I'm not the best parent in the world but I also know that the behavior's we were seeing in Ella were something more. I also know she was a formula fed, vaccine injured baby whose been damaged.  I've also learned to listen to my instinct more than the "specialist" and it pays off.  I also am aware of some of my weaknesses and my husband's weaknesses which have contributed to all of this as well.  It is not normal for a child to be sick all the time, it is not normal to have low tone, it is not normal to have speech delays, it is not normal to have chronic skin issues, it is not normal to have memory problems at age 5, it is not normal to cry all the time and have anxiety at such a young age.  Yes, I could put band aids on all of these issues with medicine but I know her body isn't functioning like it should.  The NutraEval gave me the answers!  In a nut shell, Ella's body isn't able to detox toxins.  So anytime she comes into contact with chemicals, whether it be in vaccines or cleaning products, her body absorbs these.  Her system is broken so we are adding some supplements to make this system work.  She is also low in her B vitamins, zinc, vitamin D, and her omegas.  Ella also has some mitochondrial dysfunction which can be helped with supplements but explains a lot of what we have seen.  Remember the Hannah Poling case? That would have been Ella if we continued vaccines.  We are now waiting the results of her Neurotransmitter test for more answers to her anxiety and find out ways we can help her naturally. 

Mason's test also showed mitochondrial dysfunction and low B vitamins, zinc, vitamin D, and a-lipoic acid.  We are going to improve these with supplements as well. 

If I were to do what the doctor's tell most of their patients then I would have 4 autistic children.  Autism isn't always a brain disorder, it is a body disorder.  Why can't every child be tested for these things when they are born?  I know it would save a lot of families heartache and the financial burden of raising a child with special needs. 

So as I fix all of these organic gluten/casein free meals, use non toxic cleaning materials, use non toxic body care products, wonder if I've lost my mind, and feel the harsh judgement from others, I remind myself that what I am doing is helping my children.  What I am doing has saved them.

Back at it

I'm blogging again!  Gavin just turned 16 months this week and I feel like the last 16 months have been a blur.  We have been going through the motions everyday, just maintaining.  I've come to the realization that all my kids have issues because of me.  A lot of autism parents feel this way.  Check out this blog entry from Thinking Moms. We don't want sympathy or "It's not your fault."  No, we just want to do something about it.  And that doing something is us letting everyone else know our mistakes so you don't make them. 
So what lit the fire in me?  Thanks to another autism mom on FB, she posted this blog entry from Regarding Caroline.  After reading it I was in tears and instantly knew that I needed to do more to help my children.  I read her blog from top to bottom and was inspired.  Yes, Haiden is doing awesome and has come a long, long way but he still has some learning issues and difficulty getting his words out. 

Yes, Ella had an evaluation and everything was "normal" but the girl is a hot, emotional mess, beyond the typical way a 5 year old girl should be. 

Yes, we were so hopeful with our sweet Mason because he has been so healthy and was meeting milestones, until we realized his speech wasn't quite what is should be. 

The same with Gavin, he was so healthy the first year of life but now he has a constant runny nose, sensory issues out the wazoo, and some very concerning speech issues. 

 

 

So, all of that, has lead me to stop being okay with how things are and make them better.  We are getting back on being strict with diet (we let things slip, a lot) and adding in some new supplements.  Haiden will take Super Nu Thera, vitamin D, vitamin C, B complex, Pro Bio Gold, cod liver oil, Goldenseal, Grapeseed extract, adrenal fatigue extract, and DMG.  Ella will take the same except Goldenseal.  Mason and Gavin will take Hero Nutritional multivitamin (still looking for a better multi for them), cod liver oil, and Pro Bio Gold.  There are some other supplements I want to add but I am taking baby steps.  I also know chelation needs to be in our future but that freaks me. 

I want this blog to be my little place in the world to document our journey, share information, and inspire others.  I hope other parents will join me! :-)

Truth is...

Truth is...
The truth is, I'm exhausted, worn out, tired.  Soccer season and school have started back up which means homework every night and soccer practice 3 nights a week along with the usual mommy/wife duties of cooking, cleaning, and laundry  Add that on top of running my photograhy business and a baby who is still up 2-3 times a night, my body is drained! 
This usual health nut has turned to Dr. Pepper to keep me going during the day. (Gasp!)  My muffin top is growing to about a 5 month pregnancy belly and I don't even really care at this point. 
With school starting, this means more anxiety for Haiden, which means more stuttering, which means more frustration, making for such a fun environment. 
Miss Ella has an appointment with St. Vincent Neuroscience Institute in September which has me all up in a mess of anxiety.  Poor girl, breaks my heart to see her struggle with so many things. 
Mr. Mason is still pretty pissed that he has a baby brother and will do just about anything for attention, usually negative attention.  He loves to make his sister mad and I'm certain he makes this his goal everyday. 
Then there is Gavin.  Just when I thought having 4 kids was crazy, Gavin learned to crawl.  He loves to tip over the house plants, eat the dog food, pull everything off the craft table, climb the stairs, lick the bottom of shoes, pull himself to stand then give an ear piercing scream because he can't get down, and bite you, mainly when he is nursing. 
So as I sat hear this afternoon after an embarassing trip to the library, all 3 kids left screaming, I just wanted to cry.  Cry because I feel overwhelmed by life right now.  Then I came to my senses and realized just how blessed I am.  I am incredibly blessed because I have an amazing family.  An amazing family who would do anything for each other.  I have a beautiful home, my health, a husband who is beyond amazing, wonderful friends who I couldn't live without, and 4 of the most adorable children who call me mom.

I'm Back!!!!

Wow!  The last 7 months have been nothing short of pure craziness!  My photography business has really taken off and my four precious kids have been keeping me very busy! 
In the last 7 months we finished up Haiden's first basketball season, celebrated Haiden's 8th birthday (how did that happen?), had Haiden's ear surgery, Ella's first soccer season, Haiden's 6th soccer season, watched Mason go from a toddler to a little boy, watched Gavin go from a newborn to a very engaged baby, Ella's dance recital (cutest thing ever), got Mason's orthodics for his little feet, redid our dining room, enclosed our loft to make a 4th bedroom (my hubby is so handy), and had a fun trip to Southern Indiana to see family!
I'm not going to sugar coat it, life had been challenging but when I look at the big picture I realize I am so blessed.  Haiden is doing awesome and I am so proud of him but he still has his ASD moments.  Ella has big, HUGE emotions that pretty much run this house but she has the sweetest heart.  Mason is still pretty upset about not being the baby anymore and lets us know about it, daily.  He still loves to snuggle, says the funniest things, and tells me he loves me about 20 times a day.  Sweet Gavin loves his mommy so much that he wants to be next to me 24/7, and I'm just fine with that. :-)
The past 7 months have been a balancing act but Brian and I are a great team.  He takes such good care of me and our family!  I'm constantly growing as a mother and wife and love this crazy journey we are on!

We also had our family pictures taken by SB Childs Photography.  I love them and wanted to share!

 Haiden, Gavin, Ella, and Mason

 Love him so much!

 He loves his daddy so much!

 He melts my heart!

 My sweet, sweet princess! 

And this one makes me cry...My oh my...Haiden, you are such an amazing little boy who is growing way too fast!
One thing I've learned is that I need to slow down.  Take each day in.  Enjoy the fact that they need me so much right now because it will not be long before they want to be with their friends instead of their mom.

Welcome Gavin Johann McKinney

And baby makes 6!  We welcomed Gavin Johann on October 19th.  He surprised us only weighing 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 inches long.  The last 3 weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions as he spent the first week of his life in the NICU and IU Children's Hospital. 

As many of you know, I spent this pregnancy a little obsessive about what went in my body and what I exposed my body to.  I ate mainly organic clean foods, used nontoxic body care products, and chemical free cleaning products.  I took "clean" vitamins and worked out regularly until my 5th month of pregnancy.  I was determined to make another healthy baby!
At my 37 week OB appointment an ultrasound was scheduled to check the size of our little guy.  I have a history of large babies (9.5 lbs.) and Ella had shoulder dystosia (where the baby gets stuck).  My OB, who I love, knew from the beginning that I didn't want to be induced but she also expressed her concerns with letting me go to 40 weeks.  The ultrasound estimated that at 37 weeks, the baby was about 8lbs. 6oz. After listening to my doctors concerns, I swallowed my pride, ignored my intuition, and agreed to be induced at 39 weeks.
The days leading up to the induction I was an anxious mess.  I had a horrible feeling but couldn't tell you why or what it was.  I thought I was just nervous about having a 4th child.
The day of the induction I had my hypnobirthing music all ready, had the mindset that I was going to do this natural, and was ready to go.  Little did I know that in only 9 hours and 2 pushes (totally not natural) we would have another little boy!  As soon as Gavin was born I knew right away that he wasn't ready to come out.  He looked so, so small and had trouble breathing.  He also had that white stuff all over him, something I had never seen with my other children.  As the nurses worked on him my heart just pounded out of my chest.  They finally got him more stable and weighed him, that is when my heart went into my stomach.  7lbs. 14 oz.  What the hell!!!!  I was mad!  My baby was not suppose to come out yet, he wasn't ready!  I have big kids, someone got something very wrong!  Why didn't I listen to my God given instinct that I so strongly believed in?!
The next 5 days felt like a nightmare.  Gavin had to go to the NICU, have 2 x-rays (which absolutely devastated me), blood work, IV antibiotics, and an echocardiagram. 

 

I'm still angry but trying each day to get over it.  Being angry isn't going to change anything, it isn't going to make anything better.  As soon as we got home, Teresa, our Craniosacral therapist came over and treated

Gavin.  Since then he has had yet another treatment.  I just pray (and if you know me, I'm not good at that) he doesn't have any long lasting effects from all the trauma he went through those first 5 days. 

With each child, I never think I'm going to be able to love them as much as the others but my heart just grows every time!  I'm a very protective mom but with Gavin, it's even more.  All I want to do is hold him, protect him.  He is so special to me and holds such a special place in my heart.  

Happy 4th Birthday Ella

Dear Ella,
I can't believe you are 4 years old!  The last 4 years sure have been a roller coaster ride!  Some days, you talk and act like a teenager.  You have grown so much this past year!  You love to help me out at home by doing laundry, setting the table, putting clothes away, folding diapers, sweeping, and taking care of Mason.  You love to be read to and look at books.  Some of your favorite books are Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, and anything that has to do with a princess.  You love shoes just like your momma and you love dresses!  Right now you are in tap, ballet, and gymnastic and I think your favorite thing is picking out which leotard you are going to wear to class.  You are so strong willed and spirited!  Even though this can make things extremely hard right now I keep telling myself that one day those characteristics are going to make you very successful! :-) 
Even though you love dress up, wearing lip gloss, painting your fingernails, and all things fashion, you also love to be outside and get dirty.  Daddy built a large sandbox that you spend hours in just digging and building.  You loved helping Daddy with the garden this year and didn't mind getting dirt under your fingernails.  Haiden is a soccer star and you really look up to him.  You love playing soccer and baseball yourself and are really good at it! 
You are getting ready to be a big sister again and watching your excitement is so much fun!  Before we told you that Mommy was going to have a baby you came up to me one day and said, "Mommy, there's a baby girl in your belly!"  I can't wait to see if it is a boy or a girl and I know you are going to be a great big sister!
Mommy and Daddy love you so much Miss Ella!

Home School Take 2

After a rough first week of homeschooling preschool, week 2 went much better.  By this time, I had already made a call to a public preschool and signed Ella up.  I have to give mom's who home school full time and with multiple children a ton of respect.  I don't know how they do it but I'd admire them greatly.  Even though Ella will be going to preschool two days a week, I am still planning on continuing as much homeschooling as possible.
I'm trying to keep the goal in mind, giving my kids a ton of fun learning experiences and my time.  It is so hard when there is laundry, cleaning, cooking, photography, soccer, upcoming wedding events, a new baby coming, and graduate work on my mind.  I have to often stop, take a deep breath, and remember what is important. 
This past week was our camping theme and the kids had so much fun with it.  I set up a tent in the playroom and they spent hours playing in it.  When I took it down this weekend, there were a bunch of tears.

Our letter this week was F for fire, campfire that is.  So I used Popsicle sticks, paint, a straw, and a q-tip for a fun craft.  Ella was working hard at building her campfire with wood (Popsicle sticks).

 They used straws the blow the fire (paint).  Yes, that is spit coming out of Mason's straw. :-)

 Then, they used q-tips to spread it around since they were getting a little light headed from blowing the paint.  I think Ella would of kept going but I stopped her in fear that she was going to pass out. :-)

Our sensory bin this week was dried split peas to look like grass.  I put in camping vocabulary cards under the peas and the kids had to find them and then find their match that was laid out on the floor. 

 We had a cookout and roasted marshmallows with our friends the Dunigan's and Hume's.  She let her kids have marshmallows? Gasp!  Yes, I did.  I even let them make s'mores.  Notice our "campfire" didn't hold up too well.



We read a bunch of camping books this week and did the Camping Preschool Pack from 1 + 1 + 1 = 1, http://homeschoolcreations.com/campingpreschoolpack.html. to go along with our theme. 

Ella had her first day of public preschool today and I feel great about it.  She was awesome, of course, and loved every minute of it.  I have moments where I feel like a complete failure in that I wasn't able to home school her full time but I also realize that my sanity is important to our relationship too. :-) 

My Love for Teaching

Since I was young girl, I've always loved working with other children.  In high school, I started giving swim lessons as a summer job and LOVED it!  I also had a strong passion to work with children with disabilities.  Maybe God knew I was going to have a child with special needs and was preparing me? 
For the longest time I wanted to be a pediatric nurse but when I had to go to Riley Hospital and saw where my sister had her last days, I couldn't.  My heart broke for all the sick kids I saw while I was there and I didn't know if I could handle that pain on a daily basis.  So, that is when I decided to become a Special Education Teacher.  I only taught for 5 years before deciding to stay at home with my kids but I can't hold back my love for teaching! 
This past summer I decided that I would do home school preschool with Ella.  (I'm blaming it on the pregnancy hormones.)  The first week felt like a complete disaster but now that I look back on it, we did a lot of fun activities, and I feel like Ella did learn something.  If you know Ella, you know she is one of a kind.  She is a strong willed, impulsive, stubborn little girl!  By Day 2, I was calling public preschools and put her on a waiting list for the same preschool she went to last year, Calvary.  She will only be going 2 mornings a week and I still plan on doing activities at home.  I feel like a failure but at the same time, I have to realize that she will learn more if she isn't being taught by her mom.  We are too much alike and I remember being the same way when I was her age.
I wanted to share some of our activities from last week.  I didn't even think to get my camera out amidst the chaos so I don't have any "action" shots.  I got all of my ideas from the following websites:
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/letter-of-the-week
http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/index.html
http://totallytots.blogspot.com/

Brian created this space so I can display all the kids work.  Our letter of the week was O for Ocean since that was our theme. The kids colored an ocean and made fish out of paper plates.  The kids glued pieces of paper on their fish.

 Here are some of the books and activities we did.  We also went to the Library, played in our sensory bin, played with the felt board, had a dance party, made sea creature out of playdoh and toothpicks, looked at our pictures from our family vacation to the beach, and spent a ton of time outside!

 Every morning we start with calendar time which is really basic.  We sing the Days of the Week song, talk about the date, count to the date, and do the weather.  We then sing the ABC's and a song to go with our weekly theme.  This week's song was I'm A Little Fishy.  We then read, and they usually want me to read all the books at once. :-)

This week our theme is Camping and I'm doing a much better job of capturing the activities.  Ella starts preschool next week and I plan on continuing a weekly theme with a lot of fun activities.  At least that is my plan. :-)

Smoked Ribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce and Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

The chef of the family, my hubby, did it again!  He created this wonderful meal on Sunday and it is a keeper!

Smoked Ribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce (Grilled Sweet Potato Salad recipe is below)

We bought organic ribs at Moody's Market in Avon and Brian smoked them on the charcoal grill all afternoon.  Here is the Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe that Brian got from Mark's Daily Apple (primal eating) blog, http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

1/3 cup (about 3 ounces) tomato paste

2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 – 1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 – 2 tablespoons honey
2 – 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons tamari
1/2 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons water
1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

In a small bowl mix together tomato paste, butter, hot sauce, honey, vinegar, tamari, mustard and water.
In another small bowl mix together allspice, cinnamon, pepper, chili powder, paprika and onion powder.
Mix the spices in with the wet ingredients.
Brush on meat before grilling or dip cooked meat into the sauce.

I LOVE sweet potatoes and could eat them everyday.  When Brian told me he found a new sweet potato recipe from his Weber Grilling Cookbook, I was pretty excited.  It was delicious!!!  I ate all the leftovers for lunch yesterday and I'm ready to make it again! :-)

Grilled Sweet Potato Recipe
Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced jalapeno pepper
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
4 large red bell peppers (we used canned roasted red peppers)
3 green onions, cut thin
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

To make the dressing, whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into thin slices.  Lightly brush with dressing and grill over medium, turn occasionally for about 20 minutes.  Once done, chop the sweet potatoes, add the onion and cilantro, and any remaining dressing. 
Enjoy!

Back to School

Ever since I received this email last spring, I've been a nervous wreak for Haiden.
Hi Abby,
Haiden did such a nice job at the play today. I love when he is proud of himself... that confidence continues to grow! It was so cute to see your little group of kids sitting around you for the play! They were so good! The reason for this email is to share that the whole special ed team at WL feels that if you were interested or ready for Haiden to head back to his home school, we are all in agreement that he is ready. We are basing this on the level of sp ed support he needs to be successful. He has done so well in every facet, everyone has readily agreed that he could return to Eagle if that is what you would like for him. This is not a decision you need to make right away but if Haiden attending Eagle in 2nd grade is a goal, I need to start some transitioning discussions. Let me know your thoughts.
Maria
While at White Lick Elementary, I always had a sense of security for Haiden.  I knew he was in a good place with exceptional teachers, and had a crutch if he ever needed it.  It had always been our goal for Haiden to be able to go back to his home school but I didn't realize it would happen so quickly.  I was thrilled and nervous all at the same time!
So as the summer flew by and the school year crept right around the corner, I became "crazy, nervous mom" as Haiden was ever so cool about starting his year in a new school. 
The morning of his first day, I sat down to eat breakfast with Haiden.  He just kept smiling with excitement.  He then said, "I can't wait to walk to school with Tate."  (Tate is our neighbor and Haiden's best friend.)
I replied with, "Yes, that is exciting, I think I'm going to walk with you too."
With his head down, he looked at me, and in the most annoyed voice said, "Seriously?"
All I could do was laugh but I still walked with him. :-)

All day I thought about him and how he was adjusting.  Were his teachers going to understand his quirks?  Was he going to be okay with all the change?  So when he came home in tears, my heart broke.  I immediately went into "crazy mom mode".  The procedure for what to do with lunchboxes was different than he was use to and his lunchbox was misplaced, the teachers couldn't find it, so he came home without a lunchbox.  I figured I could come to the rescue, run back to the school, and find his lunchbox.  When I returned to his school, I was met by a very busy secretary who seemed annoyed by my request to find his lunchbox.  I was allowed to look in the lost and found but that was it.  I couldn't look in his class and she didn't want to contact his teacher.  So I stomped (yes, I'm sure I stomped) out of there after saying a few things that I shouldn't have, got in my car, and started to cry.  Why in the hell was I crying?  I'm pregnant and just hormonal right?  I had a rough day with the two younger kids and that was just my breaking point?  I was a mess over a freaking lunchbox!  I called his teacher and the special education teacher at the school to see if they could help.  Thank goodness for them!  They quickly got ahold of me, found his lunchbox, and I went back and picked it up.  I'm sure I've terrified them and I'm THAT mom now.  

Haiden had a great rest of the week and I'm calmer now. 

I need to learn to let go, he is going to be okay, I can't fix everything, and he needs to learn how to handle frustration and disappointment without me.  Always easier said than done. :-)

Making the Most of Everyday Play

I've been working really hard to encourage play based learning.  Don't get me wrong, I believe there is a ton of power in free play and I make sure the kids get plenty of that each day.  I just also think it is important to make the most out of play. 

Remember those "gems' I bought?  Well, I also purchased small plastic cups, gave the kids a container full of gems and let them explore.  They spent about 10 minutes dumping, pouring, and throwing (that would of been Mason).  Then I stepped in, and we started counting, sorting, and labeling. 

 

Ella loves anything jewelry so when I told her we were going to make bracelets, she was thrilled.  She spent almost 20 minutes stringing beads onto pipe cleaners.  When I notice her starting to finish up with an activity, that is when I step in.  We then counted the beads, identified colors, and made patterns.

 Haiden is probably the most difficult to engage with and get creative with.  He is very rigid and everything has a purpose.  So playing with clay was a great opportunity for sensory play, exploration, and using his imagination.  Of course, he wanted to spell his name first.  Then we made animals and food with the clay.

 A felt board is a great, inexpensive tool for pretend play.  I just tucked a large piece of felt in the frame of a bulletin board we already had.  Then I cut out shapes and other figures for the kids to explore with.  I didn't step in at all with this activity.  The kids made different things with the felt and even role played.

 Sensory play!  Haiden wouldn't of touched shaving cream 4 years ago but now he loves it!  I just let them play with it in the beginning and then I step in.  I encourage Haiden to draw pictures and spell words.  I helped Ella work on basic prewriting skills like drawing vertical and horizontal lines.

 You can never go wrong with play-doh.  Ella wanted me to play with her right away.  We made pancakes and pretended to serve each other food.

 Ella loves Fancy Nancy!  My friend, Karin, got Ella an awesome Fancy Nancy sticker book.  What I loved about this sheet of stickers is that Fancy Nancy was making all kinds of facial expressions.  I took this time to work on emotional intelligence (if you know Ella, you know this is an area of need).  She would peel off a sticker and tell me what she thought Fancy Nancy was feeling based on her facial expression.

 I got this dropbox idea from www.playathomemom3.blogspot.com.  I just had it on the floor with a ton of objects and let the kids explore.  After awhile I stepped in and guided Mason in color matching.

 I love puzzles and so do the kids.  My grandma got Haiden a puzzle of the world.  Not only did he love putting it together but this opened up a whole new obsession.  (If you know Haiden, you know, he just doesn't get interested in something, he gets obsessed.)  He now loves anything geography!  It has been so fun showing him new information and watching him learn so many new things.

 Mason's favorite, dry rice and beans!  I have two storage containers filled with rice and beans.  He loves to pour, mix, and scoop it.  I usually let him play then we pretend we are making "taco soup". 

I'm learning there are so many play based activities to do with your children.  Luckily I found some on-line resources that have helped me expand my creativity a bit. 
http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/
http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/index.html
http://totallytots.blogspot.com/
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/my-printables

Homemade Mayo

I got this recipe and idea from my good friend Aimee.  She has a great blog that focuses on Paleo/Primal Eating,
http://thedunigandaily.blogspot.com/2011/07/walnut-chicken-salad.html.  My husband, Brian, gets all the credit for making this.  He is the chef in the family and I am very grateful for that because I'm capable of burning ground beef. :-) 

Aimee got this recipe from a blog that we are slightly obsessed with called Mark's Daily Apple,
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/alternative-healthy-condiment-recipes/. He has anything and everything you would want to know about the Primal lifestyle. 
We made chicken salad with it and I loved it!

Gooey Bags

I had no idea what to call these things.  When I decided to do this activity with the kids the first thing that came out of my mouth was gooey bags...it stuck with them.  I've been trying to find fun ways for Ella to practice pre-writing skills.  You can do so  many different things with these.  Here are a few we did,
practice writing horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines with finger
practice writing with "gems" (the little clear colored stones you find near vases)
practice making shapes using our fingers
put on the light table (Ella's idea)
squish, role, and feel how cool it is

Haiden "erasing" after he wrote a few words.

 Mason enjoyed putting squishing it with his finger and putting the "gems" on the bag.

 Ella practiced writing for a little while but she loved rolling it up.

Here is how you make Gooey Bags.
Gallon size bags
Hair Gel (I got the cheap stuff at the Dollar Tree.)
Food Dye
Glitter

The kids had just as much fun making these themselves.  Hold the bag and let them squirt the hair gel in the bag.  Let them put a few drops of food dye and glitter in the bag.  Seal it off and let them squish it around until it is all mixed together. 

P.S. Those little "gems" have opened a whole new world of discovery.  I'll be sharing all the activities the kids have been doing with those in a future posts. 

Baby #4

For my family I don't see very much but keeps up with us through our blog, here I am at 27 weeks.  It looks like we are having another 9 1/2 lb. baby!  I feel huge but great.  I think eating well, exercising (which isn't as often as I'd like), and running after 3 other children, has helped make this pregnancy a great one so far!