Life with the Liechtys

Easter Fun

2011-04-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

The girls and I made a yummy bunny cake for Easter. While frosting our cake, they decided it would be fun to frost each other - and fun it was!

The Frosting Sisters!

With their bunny cake

The final product (she had to have a pink bow, of course!)

Before showers:

My clean little bunnies!

Happy Easter!

Some Stories

2011-04-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Guess what?!?! Tonight I randomly feel like blogging! It has been over a year now since my last post...I guess it is time, right? :)

Well, I've got two little stories for your entertainment. I already posted one of them on facebook, but you don't really have room for an entire story on a status update, so I thought I'd give a few more funny details here.

So, we went to Chipotle for lunch today. Yum, I love Chipotle! Hits the spot every time. It has actually been my #1 pregnancy craving for all 3 pregnancies. With the first two it was always a burrito, but with this one I'm totally digging the salad. Anyways, lets get to the story....

So...waiting in line at Chipotle. There is a very overweight lady standing in front of us, who happens to also be facing our direction as she leans against the wall. Suddenly Hannah notices this lady, gets very excited, points to her and exclaims, "FAT!!! Look mom, she's fat!!!" It was completely innocent, and she had no idea that she was being rude, but it was still very embarrassing! THANKFULLY, the lady somehow thought that Hannah had said, "what's that?" and thought that she was asking about what was on her T-shirt. Big Lady kindly responded, "It's a penguin!" and Hannah just stared at her, very confused :) Awesome.

Speaking of big fat ladies....being the growing pregnant lady that I am, I usually get hungry again after the girls go down and need to eat a second dinner. My wonderful husband is always very willing to come to my rescue and get me whatever I am craving that evening. Well tonight, that wonderful husband was out of town. What's a hungry pregnant girl to do?? Order pizza! So I went online to order pizza from a place right here in our neighborhood. After clicking submit on the order form, I got one of those "your computer is working" little circle thingys and the order wasn't going through. I then realized that it was already past their delivery hours for Sundays. Boo. So I called up Papa Johns and made an order there. Later, there is a knock on my door, and guess who it is?? The pizza man from our neighborhood pizza place! I was so suprised and confused that I just signed my receipt and thanked him for the pizza. A few mintues later....a knock at the door. A pizza from Papa Johns! Whoops...

Needless to say, there is a lot of pizza at our house tonight! Pizza party, anyone? ;)

For Elliana

2010-03-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Stephanie's sweet daughter, Elliana, will turn THREE on Monday!

Elliana is so girly - I just love it! I wanted to make her something fit for a princess for her birthday, and here's what I came up with:

And in case you're wondering, here's how it all went down:

I made the skirt from a pattern that was designed and created by my very talented friend Joy. Isn't her design just adorable?! I love the ruffles! I chose Disney Princess fabric (b/c what could be more girly than that?), and polka dots b/c well....I love polka dots! Hannah has been asking me to make this skirt for her in Fancy Nancy fabric, so I've added that to my list of things to sew!

The shirt started out as a plain white long sleeved shirt. I decided I didn't want long sleeves, so I cut them off and made some puff sleeves instead. I got the idea for the "E" in the middle from a shirt I saw on etsy. I'll be honest...this was my first attempt at this kind of applique, and it definitely has some, shall we say, "personality". So don't look too close! :o)

All in all, I'm really happy with how this outfit turned out, and I can't wait to see it on Princess Elliana!

Giveaway

2010-03-17T11:59:00.001-07:00

Want to win something cool?

Go here and enter this giveaway!

Little Miss Mary Kate

2010-02-25T12:56:00.001-08:00

Mary Kate had her one year check up today! A little late, I know, but the dr. was totally booked until now!

Well folks, we still have a teeny tiny princess on our hands! She weighed in at 17lbs 2 oz. For those of you who don't have kids, that's the size of an average 6 month old! We love our little tiny girl :o)

Mary Kate is entering what Lorne and I like to call the "language explosion" phase. She says lots of words, but of course never performs them when I want her to show off her skills to someone! Some of her favorite things to says are: hi, up, daddy, eye, "ah-da" (all done), "beh-yee" (belly), "buh-yee" (bunny), apple, "ight" (light), tree, etc etc and she loves to do animal sounds!

Her favorite song at the moment is The Wheels on the Bus, and she loves to make her arms go round and round when we sing it to her :o) She also likes to play "where is/are your - eyes, nose, mouth, hair, ears, belly, teeth, knees, etc".

She still hasn't braved her first steps yet, but she enjoys pushing her walker around the house and cruising on furniture. Here are some pics of our soon-to-be walking girl:

Tag

2010-02-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

My lovely friend Allison has tagged me with the Beautiful Blogger Award and the task of listing 7 things about me. I feel so special! :o)

So here are 7 very random things for your reading pleasure:

1.) I'm having so much fun learning how to sew! Feel free to send me a request! I can't promise it will be perfect, but I love making things for my friends! :o)

2.) I have my dream job! When I was little, I remember people asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and deep inside I wanted to say "a mommy!" but I felt like I was supposed to pick a real occupation. Eventually I chose being a teacher as my answer because it was the closest thing to being a mommy that I could think of. I get asked often if I ever regret not teaching and the answer is no! I feel like I get to use my degree daily by teaching my own kids, so I think I have the best of both worlds!

3.) I always eat a snack or "second dinner" before bed. This is an almost nightly scenario in our house: The kids are in bed a sleeping. Lorne and I hop in our bed with our respective computers and start checking e-mail, reading blogs, etc. A few minutes later I look over at him and say, "I'm hungry. I need a snaaaaack!" And you know what the response is from my most amazingly amazing husband? "What do you want?" Depending on my answer he either goes to the kitchen or gets in the car and gets my whatever I want! Can you BELIEVE how awesome he is? Sorry girls, he's taken :o)

4.) I don't grocery shop anymore. As you can imagine, going to the grocery store with 2 kids can be pretty stressful. After Mary Kate was born, Lorne offered to do the grocery shopping for me. (Again, he's the BEST!) So every Sunday after church and lunch, Lorne does all the grocery shopping for the week so I don't have to. he actually enjoys it and says it's relaxing for him, so I guess it's good for both of us!

5.) I love having 2 girls! Our house is full of pink and girlyness and sparkles, oh my! (Poor Lorne!) I never had a sister growing up, so it's fun for me to watch a sisterly relationship develop between Hannah and Mary Kate. They are very different, so it will be fun to watch each personality grow!

6.) I HATE being cold. I would rather be dirty for a month than take a cold shower. I like HOT showers, like the kind where your skin is red when you get out :o)

7.) I am wondering if I will ever get a full night of sleep again? As I blogged about before, the girls were both sick twice in a row. That was pretty bad. Well guess what.....Mary Kate is sick AGAIN! That is 3 times in a row with one week in between each time! I don't know how this keeps happening! My pediatrician tried to reassure me that this is normal, and it's better that it happen now than when she goes to kindergarten. I guess I agree, but I feel so sorry for my little sweetie, and boy am I tired!!!!!

If you read this far, consider yourself tagged! :o)

Back From Sicky Land!

2010-02-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well, there hasn't been a lot of time to blog lately b/c the girls have been sick TWICE in a row! We had one healthy week in between viruses. Poor Mary Kate had her first ear infection! Hannah has never had one, so this was my first ear infection to care for as a parent and let me tell you......ear infections are the WORST! We have had many sleepless nights around here in the past few weeks, and I'm so very thankful that things are finally getting back to normal.

A while back Hannah asked me to make her her very own nursing pillow. I know that sounds a little strange, especially to those of you without children, but let me just explain that little girls want to copy EVERYTHING they see their mommies do, including nursing babies! It's actually quite hilarious....when Hannah "feeds" her babies, she pinches her belly fat and nurses her baby from her belly! haha I guess that's what it looks like I'm doing in her eyes :o) Anyways, below are some pics of the finished product. I made a small Boppy style pillow, but added a strap to it b/c Hannah wanted hers to be just like mine.

Hannah has been LOVING her tap/ballet class! She gets so excited every Friday and just can't wait to get there! As you can see below, she's a pretty adorable little dancer!

And finally, some random pics of my little cuties:

More Sewing!

2010-01-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of my latest sewing project! Mary Kate loves her new reversible pinafore and ruffle bloomers! :o) Please excuse the runny nose you may see in these pictures - poor little baby is sick!

Comments

2010-01-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

I love to read blogs....whether they're written by one of my best friends or a total stranger, I just think blogs are great. Real people, real thoughts....saying things that pop into their heads...things that they may not say out loud to someone in person.

I was thinking today about how much I enjoy reading blogs, but rarely ever leave a comment on them. Why is that? It's like when you think someones shirt is really cute, but you just think it in your head instead of telling them, "I love your shirt!" Leaving someone a comment takes like 2 seconds and it makes people feel good...so I'm gonna make an effort to leave more comments.

So if you notice that I'm suddenly commenting on your blog out of nowhere - now you know why :o)

Sweet dress...or shirt!

2010-01-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest sewing project!

It was intended to be a dress for Mary Kate:

But it works as a shirt for Hannah too:

I really loved making this, and I got to learn a few new sewing skills in the process! I love the way it fits both girls - and they both seem so comfy in it! Because of the elastic and style of this dress/shirt, I think they'll be able to wear it for years before it gets too small!

Sew Fun!

2010-01-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to learn to sew for a while now. Thanks to my wonderful parents and in-laws, I got a sewing machine for Christmas and my wish is coming true! Below are some pics of my first creation! Hannah picked out the fabric, and I had so much fun making it! I love that it is reversible and can be worn all year long - by itself when it's warm and over a shirt when it's cold!

FRONT

BACK

REVERSIBLE

Prune Beard

2009-10-29T13:06:00.001-07:00

Here is Mary Kate with her awesome prune beard. Oh, how I love this baby! And since I've been horrible about doing any blog updates about her, here ya go:

Mary Kate is 9 months old! She's such a sweet, happy little baby. At her 9 month appointment it was confirmed that she is teeny tiny! She weighed 15 lbs....her little dot isn't even on the growth chart! But, she's as healthy as can be and growing at a steady pace. She's been a crawling girl for a while now, and she loves it! I love it too! It's so fun to watch her explore the world. She loves to clap and if you are super special, she will wave to you :o) She calls me by name now, "mama". She also says "ba" (ball). In the picture above, you can see that she has 2 cute little bottom teeth. She LOVES dogs and gets very excited when she sees them. She also looooves baby dolls. She likes to chase Hannah around the living room. If she's fussy and I ask her, "Do you want to take a bath?" she instantly grins from ear to ear, looks towards the bathroom, and starts kicking her little legs excitedly. Needless to say, I don't get such a happy response when it's time to get out of the bath :o) She loves it when her Daddy sings to her. She especially likes the Mario Bros theme song...it mesmerizes her! We love our little Mary Kate!!!

Shaker Dance

2009-10-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here's how we like to spend a Saturday afternoon at the Liechty house....

Family Fun at the Pool

2009-09-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

exciting news, and a little somethin' to make you laugh

2009-09-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

Two very exciting things have happened!

First of all, Mary Kate took her first crawling "steps" today! She has been on the verge for a while, but today she reaaally wanted one of Hannah's toys and decided that it was worth about 3 crawling "steps" to get it. Unfortunately, when I tried to get her to do it again, she did not approve of me putting the toy she wanted so far out of her reach :o)

Secondly, after I put Mary Kate in her crib for her afternoon nap, she decided that she'd rather play than sleep. Eventually she got bored and started fussing. I had every intention of letting her fuss a little until she fell asleep on her own, until I heard this: "ma-ma! ma-ma! ma-ma!" This was her first time to say mama - how could I not rush in there and tell her what a good baby she is?! So I did, and I rocked my sweet baby to sleep with the biggest smile on my face :o)

Whew! What an exciting day!

And now for something funny....

Hannah has a really great memory and has memorized many of her favorite books so she can "read" them word for word. At the end of one of her Berenstain Bears books, it says: "As the sky grew darker, they looked up and saw a tiny point of light in the western sky...."

Here is how Hannah reads it to Mary Kate: "As the sky grew darker, they looked up and saw a tiny point of light in the restroom sky...."

haha :o)

We're Alive!

2009-09-10T19:00:00.001-07:00

Hello!

Did you think we had disappeared??

Well, we are back in the blogging world and SO happy to be living in Austin!

Here's a little recap of the last few months for ya:

- We moved in with my parents in June.
- Hannah turned THREE!
- We hunted for houses like crazy.
- We found a house that we love!
- Lorne went back to Atlanta for a month to work on research :o(
- Lorne came back and we officially bought our first home!
- Lorne went up to the house every night after work to paint the girls' new rooms.
- Lorne's parents came to help with painting and moving our stuff in. (Thank you!)
- The Cooks came last weekend to help put up some finishing touches (Thank you!)
- On Monday we officially moved in to our new house!

We love our new house, we love our new neighborhood, we love being in Texas! We feel so incredibly blessed.

Our next door neighbors just moved in a week before we did, and they have 2 little girls just about the same ages as Hannah and Mary Kate! We are so excited! We went over to their house to play yesterday and Ava and Hannah dressed up like princesses and danced around Ava's room. It was so precious!

I'm not going to promise pictures of the house anytime soon b/c there are still many boxes to be unpacked, but eventually I'll post some :o)

Two nights ago Mary Kate woke up in the night crying, and when I looked at the video monitor I saw our sweet baby sitting up all by herself! I was so surprised and so proud! She has also been getting up on all fours a lot lately - I'm just waiting for her to take off crawling!

That's all for now :o)

A little ramble for today

2009-05-19T18:06:00.001-07:00

Hannah LOVES to run. Today we were outside for 45 minutes and she never stopped running. She'd get ahead of me and then look back and say, "Run like me, Mommy!" Wow, I haven't run in such a long time! So I'd run for a bit to humor her and then go back to walking when she wasn't looking :o) While she was running she'd pump her arms in the air and repeat over and over again, "We're not going to get sick!" In her mind running=healthy=not sick, haha

On that note, I have an amazing fact for you....Hannah has not been sick since February of 2008. I mean not even the slightest runny nose in over a year! That's one strong immune system!

New Pics

2009-05-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Finally posted some long overdue pics!

http://theliechtyfam.shutterfly.com/

Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Lorne

Hey everyone! I wanted to give Maryanne a blog post as a present for Mother's Day this year.

Maryanne is an indescribably wonderful mom. Despite this, I'm going to put forth an attempt at description. Here goes:

She is perfectly obsessed with the health of our family. I was just telling her the other day that I never would have dreamed that my children would eat so well. Hannah eats a very well balanced diet, and if given a cookie will often stop half-way through and say, "That's enough sugar for now". Ummm... have you ever heard of a 2 year old not finishing a cookie?
She is self-sacrificing. Maryanne will give up sleep, food, water, comfort, and any other personal desire to make sure that everyone else is getting their needs met.
She is patient. Even when I'm at the end of my rope dealing with crazy, whining babies, Maryanne is able to speak in an even tone and encourage Hannah to "use her words".
She is perfectly strict. You can't let kids get away with everything... and while I will sometimes not let them get away with anything, Maryanne strikes a perfect balance on discipline. She's very good at recognizing which are the battles worth fighting and when somebody just needs a minute to pout instead of a time-out.
She helps me. I've got a lot of work to do and usually very little time to do it. In those situations Maryanne always helps me make time for my job, while still bringing the kids by for kisses and hugs so that Daddy doesn't go crazy. At the same time, I've sometimes got a lot to do and unlimited time to do it (*cough* PhD *cough*). In those times, Maryanne helps me stay focused and moving forward.
She's one hot momma! After *almost* four years of marriage and two kids I'm still very much in love with Maryanne. I love spending time with her and talking about anything.
She loves Jesus. Maryanne and I both want our family to love and serve Jesus more than anything else. We help each other in this path and I'm so glad for it. There's nothing more important in life.

I hope you enjoyed the post. Feel free to give Maryanne some mom-props in the comments.

-lorne

Random Stuff

2009-04-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have had no motivation to blog lately, but here is a random mix of things:

We're moving back to Texas June 13th!

We are going to be house hunting for our first house - yeay!

From now on I'll be busy packing, packing, packing!

Mary Kate can roll over!

Grammy (my mom) is coming to visit tomorrow!

Hannah and Mary Kate LOVE each other and it's the cutest thing ever!

The weather is finally HOT and I love it!

That's all for now :o)

2 Months!

2009-03-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Mary Kate turned 2 months old on Wednesday!

She had her check up yesterday and she is doing great! She's a petite little thing, but she finally reached double digits, weighing in at 10 lbs even!

She loves to smile and make all kinds of sweet sounds.

We love our little baby!

New March pics on our shutterfly site: theliechtyfam.shutterfly.com

Silly Names

2009-03-10T01:31:00.000-07:00

We rarely go by our real names in the Liechty home. For a while now, Hannah has been assigning us new names each day. I think it started with different animals, then Winnie the Pooh characters, and on and on from there.

The funny thing is, if I slip and call her Hannah or sweetie or any other nickname, she'll politely remind me, "Actually, I'm (whatever name she has that day)"

The popular cast lately has been Clifford characters. Hannah is Clifford, daddy is T-Bone, Mary Kate is Cleo, and mommy is Emily Elizabeth.

Well the other day she decided that she was "punch punch", Daddy was "tennis", Mary Kate was "little punch punch" and I was "big punch punch".

You're probably wondering where in the world those names came from, right? Well, whenever I take Mary Kate to the doctor for her well-baby check-ups, Hannah gets to stay home and play Wii with Daddy! Her favorite games? Tennis and "Punch Punch" (boxing). So yesterday we were named after her favorite Wii games, which I thought was hilarious. It's so funny to hear things like, "Mommy, where is Tennis?" and "Aw, Little Punch Punch is hungry!"

Her stuffed kitty also gets different names. Lately she has been called "Little Bitty Elmo" haha

And the one that cracks me up the most....Hannah was in her room "napping" the other day, and Lorne and I were listening to her on the monitor. She kept saying, "I love you, Markle." We were so confused - who is Markle?! Well, when I went to get her up from her nap later, she informed me that her blanket (formerly called "stripe blanket") was now named Markle. I was like, "You mean, Sparkle?" and she replied "No mommy, Markle". I have no idea where that came from, but I think it's adorable!

Fun Weekend

2009-03-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with Grandpa and Mimi this weekend!

Pictures here:

http://theliechtyfam.shutterfly.com/

Valentine Pics

2009-02-15T10:33:00.001-08:00

Added some new pics of our little Valentines!

http://theliechtyfam.shutterfly.com

Updated Photo Site

2009-02-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

I finally updated our photo site, and will try to do a better job of keeping up with it!

Enjoy!

theliechtyfam.shutterfly.com

Pics of Our Cutie!

2009-01-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

It's Friday Night Movie Night!

2009-01-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

Our little fam has a tradition (stolen from Jon & Kate plus 8) of having Friday Night Movie Night. This is something that Hannah really looks forward to all week. I make homemade pizza (which I learned from my friend Stephanie) and steamed broccoli (gotta throw something healthy in there!). Then Hannah gets to pick out whatever movie she wants to watch and we all sit on the couch together eating our pizza and watching the chosen movie. I must admit, Hannah's movies aren't that exciting for Lorne and me, but we really enjoy having this family time together! At the end of the night Hannah always says, "We'll do it again next Friday!" and then proceeds to talk about it throughout the week until the next Friday finally comes. I guess she'll have to take turns choosing the movie once Mary Kate gets old enough to care! :o)

Happy Friday!

Just like Mommy...

2009-01-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hannah has been my little copy cat lately - it's so funny!

Example #1:

Hannah gets in her Little Tikes car.
Mommy: "Where are you going, Hannah?"
Hannah: "To get me belly checked!" (her interpretation of my prenatal appointments)
Daddy: "Is there a baby in there?"
Hannah: "Yes!"
Daddy: "What's her name?"
Hannah: "Mary Kate!"
Hannah gets out of her car and lays down in a chair. She finds a toy and puts it up to her belly to check the baby. Then she gets back in the car and returns home.
Mommy:"How was your belly check?"
Hannah:"It looked great!"

Example #2:
Hannah gets on the couch, puts on my nursing pillow, lifts up her shirt, and nurses her kitty.

Example #3:
Hannah "pumps" haha

She basically does everything with her kitty that mommy does with Mary Kate: swaddles her, rocks her, gives her a pacifier, changes her diaper, puts her in the car seat, etc etc etc

Hannah is such a good mommy - it's precious!

2 weeks!

2009-01-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Mary Kate is 2 weeks old today! I can't believe how fast time is flying by.

We have been blessed with such a happy little baby! She's so laid back and content. We love having her around! Lorne and I are so spoiled right now b/c she's such a good sleeper!

She had her first tub bath today - it was a success! She liked being in the water, but cried when we took her out b/c she was cold. She took a good long nap afterward.

Sweet Sleeper

2008-12-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

When I went in to wake up Hannah from her nap the other day - this is what I saw! She had lined up her stuffed animals (Roary, Bunny, and Ellie) and tucked them in with a blanket. Then she slept next to them with her arm stretched out, holding Ellie's hand! So adorable! :o)

A Quick Post

2008-12-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hi!

Sorry it has been forever since I've posted! Now that my laptop is broken, my computer time is very limited! Just wanted to pop in and post a few pics of Mary Kate - and of course one of our cute little big sister! Enjoy! :o)

Banana Bread Recipe!

2008-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well, Lorne was able to set up an old computer for me to use the internet - so the blog posts will comtinue! Unfortunately I can't upload pictures to this computer, so you'll have to use your imagination for a while :o)

Today Hannah and I made banana bread! We've been having a lot of fun cooking together the past few weeks. Here are her favortie things about cooking:

- the fact that we both wear aprons
- holding her own wisk
- dumping ingredients into the bowl
- stirring occasionally

and most of all....

eating what we make!! :o)

If your looking for a good, traditional banana bread recipe (meaning not some kind of healthy version) then I've got a recipe for you!

I got this from a recipe book called, "Secrets of the Mennonite Kitchen" by Neil & Jeanne Liechty (Yes, they are related to Lorne!)

Banana Bread

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 cups flour (all purpose)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
6 bananas

Beat bananas first and set aside. Cream butter (melted), sugar, eggs, vanilla; then add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and bananas. Mix well. Bake at 350.

Now all it says is "Time depends on size of pan". I used two different sized Pyrex dishes, and just kept checking them until I could poke a knife in the center and it came out clean.

I'm eating a piece right now....mmmm - delicious!

Sad News, Funny News

2008-10-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, my computer finally decided to die on me a few days ago. Sniff sniff. So sadly, there will probably be a shortage of blog posts until I have more computer access. Not sure when that will be...

In other news, Hannah has finally discovered that she doesn't have to wait for me to come get her out of her bed. Up until now, she would just sing and play in her bed until I came in and got her in the morning or after a nap. A few weeks ago she came into our room at night, and I really thought that she was sleep walking! Well, the past two nights we've had a little night-time visitor. I do have to say that although I don't enjoy being woken up at 4:30 am, I couldn't help but laugh when I heard our door knob rattle and saw her smiling face burst through the door. She was so excited and proud of herself - it was just too cute! I mean, what kind of parenthood would this be if I didn't get to experience the "kid coming into your room at night" thing? :o)

Family Pictures

2008-10-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

If you want to see lots of pictures of our girls, we'll be posting family pics at this site:

theliechtyfam.shutterfly.com

We made it mostly for the grandparents, but feel free to check it out! :o)

Hannah + Leap = BFF

2008-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

This is Hannah's new best friend, Leap! Aren't they so cute together??

Leap is such a cool toy! We've had him for over a month and we love him! He sings songs, tell stories, plays games, etc....kind of like a high tech Teddy Ruxpin!

We did have a bit of a scare when Leap stopped working a few weeks ago, but our electrical engineer Daddy came to the rescue and fixed him! Hooray!

Just so you know...

2008-10-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

I decided to delete my blog about natural living. I didn't want to lose all the posts that I wrote, so I just copied them to this blog to have somewhere to save them. So that's why the previous 6 posts may look familiar :o)

The Deodorant Dilema

2008-10-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

You may have heard or read about the deodorant debate: Are deodorants causing breast cancer?

There are conflicting views on the subject.

The main argument is this:

Aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants. Some research suggests that aluminum-based compounds may be absorbed by the skin and cause estrogen-like effects. Estrogen has the ability to promote growth of breast cancer cells.

Other research has focused on parabens, which are preservatives used in some deodorants and antiperspirants that have been shown to mimic the activity of estrogen in the body's cells.

Here is an interesting article on the issue.

I know two women that have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and both of their doctors have told them to stop using deodorants with antiperspirants and parabens.

Personally, I'm ditching conventional deodorants. Why take the risk? And why wait until AFTER you have cancer to switch?

So now we come to the real topic of this post....the deodorant dilemma.

The most common solution for people who are concerned about this link to breast cancer is to go to the local health food store and pick up a natural, paraben-free deodorant that doesn't contain antiperspirants.

Although some people are pleased with their results, the majority of people I've talked to or read about agree that these deodorants do NOT work! So, they are faced with this dilemma...."Do I take the cancer risk, or the major stink risk?"

Well, I did a little research on some natural deodorants that WORK, and I found one that works great for me - coconut oil!

Yes, I know this sounds crazy, but let me tell you why it works...

In short, the odor in your armpits is caused by bacteria. Coconut oil is known to have antibacterial qualities. So, no bacteria = no stink!

Here's what I do:
I wash my armpits as usual in the shower. Then, I pat them dry and rub them down with coconut oil.

To test this method, I went out for a brisk walk on a hot afternoon. I did sweat a little, but I was stink-free! I even had my husband smell my armpits when I came inside, and he said they didn't stink at all!

Keep in mind that we all have different body chemistry, and what works for one person does not keep the stink away for another. So, this suggestion may not be your ticket to being stink-free.

If coconut oil doesn't work for you, but you are interested in a natural deodorant, I encourage you to do some research of your own. There are a lot of different suggestions out there!

Some people swear by splashing their armpits with vodka.

Others use a product called "Funk Butter" that seems to have a high success rate.

So check out the options, I'm sure there's something out there that will work great for you!

And if anyone tries the coconut oil or anything new, I'd love to hear about it!

(image from www.skrewtips.com)

The Story of Stuff

2008-10-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law (go Sarah!) sent me this video: The Story of Stuff.

It explains where our "stuff" comes from and where it goes, in a way that's really easy to follow.

Enjoy!

Keeping Our Children Clean....Naturally!

2008-10-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

So...

We've established that many personal care products are harmful to our health.

We've discussed a few natural options for hair and facial care.

But what about our children??

Infants and children are very vulnerable to harmful chemicals in personal care products. Children's skin is 30% thinner on average, which means they can absorb more chemicals from the skin's surface. Also, the blood-brain barrier that helps block chemicals from penetrating brain tissue is not fully formed until a baby reaches 6 months of age. (more info)

Phthalates are chemicals that are getting an increased amount of public attention due to potential toxicity.

This is a recent article published in the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It basically describes a study that found a link to phthalate exposure and the use of infant care products.

This is an article put out by msnbc about the study.

And this is a follow up article where leading pediatricians answer some questions from concerned parents. I'm going to cut and paste two of these questions and answers here and give some of my own comments:

How concerned should parents be?

Dr. Catherine Karr, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington specializing in environmental health issues, says:

"We don’t really know the answer to the health impact of childhood exposure to phthalates. But if parents want to decrease their children’s exposure, they can limit the amount of baby products they use on their child, and only use products that a doctor prescribes or recommends. "

Dr. Lev Linkner, who practices family medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich., and specializes in holistic primary care, warns:

"These are chemicals that are really unknown to nature, and there are no good studies on what a lot of these chemicals do to our babies and pregnant mothers. The article that came out on phthalates is very important because it’s usually not put on labels, so we don’t even know what chemicals we’re slopping on our babies."

Dr. Benjamin Danielson, a pediatrician and clinic chief of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle, agrees:

"Sometimes you need to be able to get a little more information before deciding which way to jump. I think that this is an important issue, but it’s also a stay-tuned issue. It’s a good sign when issues are brought to light and people have a chance to address them, but I also worry about getting too panicked, too quickly."

Ok, I'm not really a "stay tuned" type of gal :o)

I totally understand that we shouldn't make a huge deal about something before we know the facts, but we are talking about our precious children here. I think that these products should be deemed safe BEFORE we use them on our babies, not after! The way I see it, if a product has even the slightest potential to cause harm to my child, why wouldn't I just use something else? It's not like there aren't other perfectly safe options out there...

What’s the alternative to using these baby products?

Karr: "In terms of bathing your baby, plain water is all that you need. Special soaps and shampoos marketed for your baby are really just a cosmetic choice, so parents can save money and save worry just by using plain water. With the exception of maybe excessively dry skin, most babies don’t need lotions or creams at all."

Linkner: "Parents should go to health food stores, and read labels the best they can. Buy organic as much as possible. If they’re concerned about diaper rashes, they can look for a non-petroleum, natural product. But natural soap and water is what you can use most of the time. Let’s face it – do babies really care what they smell like?"

Danielson: "You don’t really need to bathe your baby every day — a couple times a week is enough. Let the natural oils that your baby produces stay on the skin and keep them moisturized. "

On the day we were leaving the hospital to take our sweet little newborn home, I remember the nurse telling me things very similar to the comments above..."You don't need to wash her everyday....you can wash her with plain water...skip the lotion so her skin learns to balance itself....etc"

But I remember thinking..."Of course I'm going to bathe my baby with soap. I want her to be CLEAN, don't I? And I thought all babies use lotion after a bath? Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

Well, now I realize how silly my thinking was...

As consumers, we are lead to believe that we are not clean unless we have scrubbed ourselves down with something that is pleasing to the senses...fragrant and bubbly. But the chemicals used to make these products lather and smell nice are anything but healthy!

In the Mothering forum that I've mentioned before, I read this post that inspired me to break free from conventional ways of keeping my child clean:

Hi, my name is Rachelle -

When I was pregnant, Richard and I decided we wanted to be as 'natural' as
possible in EVERY way for our child - extended breastfeeding with me eating
organic food, etc etc.

I also had this aspiration through researching chemicals in toiletries
products that I didn't want her covered head to toe in Johnson and
Johnson cocktails, so I looked into 'green companies' for alternatives and was
shocked at my findings - the loopholes in the laws, the amount of rubbish allowed
into products, the 'mass medication' I suppose that we enforce onto
ourselves and our children through the efforts of being a 'good consumer'.

We finally decided that we would use no products at all - we made up a
combination of distilled witch hazel and grapeseed oil for her nappy
area and that was the sum total of her toiletries. I did an experiment while I was
pregnant because I strongly felt I did not want to wash Verona's hair, so I
stopped washing mine.

For two months, hats and scarves became my closest friends - my hair
looked dreadful; lank and greasy, but interestingly neither smelly or itchy -
from going through dietary changes at various stages in my life I saw this
greasiness as a 'detox' process and just went with it; rinsing my hair with warm
water, brushing it with a natural fiber brush and tying it back.

After a couple of months things changed and my hair started to look
better, *Much* better - the thickest it has ever looked (my hair has always
been impossibly fine), shiny and just in superb quality and condition.

I'll fast forward here, otherwise this will turn out rather long:

Verona (2 1/2) has never had a product anywhere near her - never had shampoo, soap, powders or lotions and strangers still comment on her beautiful hair and skin. She is an active child who loves mud and running food through her hair :-) but everything has come out with water alone. She has not had the natural balance of oils disturbed, so things just wash out easily - even things that you would consider not easily water soluble such as scrambled eggs or butter just come out with a bit of water. It is a wonderful indication of her health too - when she is ill then it is clearly reflected in her hair, so it acts as a kind of 'health signal' for us; as soon as she is getting better, any oiliness or dryness readjusts itself.

blessings
Rachelle

So after some research and inspiration, we decided to cut down on our product use on Hannah. Her baths are so easy now! All I do is rinse her hair and body with warm water, and use a little soap on her diaper area. Her hair looks just as beautiful as it always did - she gets compliments on it all the time! If her skin needs a little extra moisture, I rub coconut oil on it.

Now let's be realistic here...I'm sure if Hannah were to roll around in the mud one day, I'd probably use some soap to clean her up. But for basic everyday care, all she needs is water to keep her clean and smelling great!

Going "No-Poo"!

2008-10-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, after reading the title, you’re probably a little hesitant to read this post. Well let me assure you, it has nothing to do with the toilet :o)

Today I’m going to tell you about how I wash my hair….without shampoo!

In earlier posts I’ve discussed the fact that many beauty products contain chemicals that can harm your health. You can find more information about those chemicals at the Skin Deep website that I've mentioned before.

So, in my search for healthier, more natural alternatives to shampoo, I stumbled upon the idea of “no pooing”!

What I’ve learned is that most shampoos contain harsh detergents and ingredients that dry out your hair. The oil in hair, know as sebum, protects against damage and keeps hair shiny. Bristol-Myers Squibb conducted research that found that sebum even has natural antimicrobial properties that helps stop scalp infections. Shampoo strips your hair of these natural oils, leaving it dry and dull. Just like your face, your hair produces oil as needed. The more you strip your hair of its natural oils, the more oil it will produce in an attempt to restore itself and protect your hair and scalp. If you only used shampoo, you would have split ends and breakage. So, you reach for the conditioner. Conditioner coats your hair with artificial esters to make you think that it is shiny and smooth. This builds up with the natural oils that your hair is still desperately over-producing....time to shampoo. It's a never-ending cycle.

If you stop using shampoo constantly, your hair will begin to produce less oil and balance itself out.

So, this is where the idea of "no-pooing" comes in. There are so many ways to do it, depending on your hair type. I chose the simplest method, but you could do your own research and find many different recipes!

I have thin, straight-as-a-board hair that has to be washed everyday or it gets greasy. After reading some of the "cold turkey" methods of no-pooing, I decided to take a more conservative approach in order to avoid a major detox phase. I'm not a big fan of feeling like a grease ball :o)

So here's how I started...

I continued to wash my hair everyday, except instead of shampoo, I used the no-poo method:

To wash hair:
While in the shower, rinse hair with hot water, then squeeze off excess water. Put 1 tablespoon of baking soda into a glass of HOT water, and let it dissolve. Slowly pour the baking soda mixture over your head, making sure to massage it into your scalp as you go. After you've poured the whole glass on your hair, take some more time to massage it into your scalp using your fingertips, not your nails. I let that sit while wash my body, then rinse thoroughly.

Some people prefer to put the baking soda in their hands and let a little water run over it to make a paste. They find this easier to work with. Also, some people find it more effective to put the baking soda wash on dry hair instead of wet hair. If you're a scent person, adding a few drops of an essential oil that you like (for example, lavender) will leave your hair smelling nice.

If you don't like the idea of having to mix everything up each time you wash, you might want to try this recipe for making "no-poo balls":

Take about 1 TB of baking soda, add just enough water to make a paste, add a few drops of honey and a few drops of essential oils (if you want), roll it into about 1/2"- 1" balls and let them dry for a few days. You can keep a dish of them in your bathroom and just bring one into the shower, cup it in your hand, let some water mist over it, and work it into your hair.

To condition hair:
Many people use apple cider vinegar, but I chose to use lemon juice instead just as a personal preference. Both work great. I add one tablespoon of lemon juice to a glass of cool or luke warm water. I pour it on the ends of my hair (from the ears down) and then rinse. Sometimes I even just take my hair and dunk the ends in the glass.

Then I blow dry like I normally do, or sometimes I put it back wet if I don't have time to dry it.

I did this for a week. Then, I gradually started weaning my hair, washing every other day instead of everyday. On the days that I didn't "wash" I still rinsed my hair with hot water in the shower, which is actually enough to get rid of most of the dirt and grime that it is exposed to throughout the day.

Now, I can go 2 days between washings and my hair still looks nice! Some people have gotten to where they only have to do the baking soda wash once a week, and hot water the rest of the time. Considering my hair type, I'm not sure if I'll get that far, but that would be cool!

Keep in mind that you hair will still be overproducing oil and there will be a lot of oil until your body reaches balance again. You might also have to play with the measurements a bit before you find what works. I did have to go through some greasy days while my hair adjusted, but it was nothing compared to what it would have been like if I had chosen the cold-turkey method :o) The transition period can be weeks or months. If you can outlast this period, you'll be rewarded with a low-maintenance, non toxic, and cheap hair routine, and beautiful hair!

Here are some troubleshooting ideas:

- If your hair becomes frizzy, try using less baking soda or leaving it on for a shorter period of time. Adding honey may also help.

- If your hair becomes greasy, try using less apple cider vinegar, switching to lemon or lime juice, leaving out the honey, and/or using a comb instead of a brush. Make sure you’re applying the apple cider vinegar just to the ends of your hair. Also, this might just be adjustment.

- If your scalp itches, tea tree, lavender, or rosemary essential oils are said to help.

- If your hair becomes dry, try a *tiny* bit of oil (any oil, like coconut) smoothed on bottom of hair.

No-pooing is not for everyone. Some people love it, and some people say that it doesn't work for them. There are some good, natural shampoos and conditioners out there that are great options to use. But buyers beware, "natural" does not always mean non-toxic! Make sure you check out the ingredients before you buy.

If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, I recommend going to this site! It is based on the book by Lorraine Massey and Deborah Chiel:
Curly Girl ~ The Handbook
A Celebration of Curls: How to cut them, care for them, love them, and set them free

This is a really great article that will give you ingredients to avoid and safer suggestions for shampoos, conditioners, and hair dyes.

So Commercial Products Are Harmful, But I'm Not Diggin' This Honey Thing. What Do I Do Now?

2008-10-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Yesterday I talked about what I use as an alternative to commercial facial cleansers - honey!

So maybe the honey thing is a little too extreme for you, but you don't want to use products that are filled with harmful chemicals either. Are you stuck? No!

Like I've said before, what works for one person may not work for another. Don't worry, you have options :o)

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit public-interest research group known for making connections between chemical exposure and adverse health conditions. Their #1 goal is: "To protect the most vulnerable segments of the human population—children, babies, and infants in the womb—from health problems attributed to a wide array of toxic contaminants."

This organization has made it easy to calculate your risk of exposure to potentially harmful substances through the personal care products you use. Simply go to the Skin Deep website and type in the brand name of your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, and whatever else you put on your body.

EWG uses a complex formula to assign a health-risk rating to each of the personal-care products:

You'll see a dual rating system that includes both a hazard rating and a data gap rating.

The hazard score represents a synthesis of known and suspected hazards from more than 50 definitive databases. The hazard rating of a product can be higher than for its individual ingredients — it adds up the hazards of all ingredients, and is scaled higher if the product has penetration enhancers or other ingredients that increase skin absorption. This score accounts for more safety references and we show it on a 0-10 scale (with no decimals, 10 corresponding to highest concern).

The "data gap" rating is a measure of how much is unknown about an ingredient. Not all ingredients have the same amount of safety data. For example, some ingredients may appear to have low hazards, but this may be due to the fact that they have not have been studied or assessed completely. Other ingredients may appear to have low hazards and have been thoroughly studied or assessed. This score helps differentiate between ingredients and products that have been studied to different degrees.

The hazard score calculation does not account for data gaps. The two scores are separately calculated. So now you can see both what is known about the safety of an ingredient, and how complete the available science is behind that safety score. As always, scores are subject to change pending new science that we are able to integrate into Skin Deep.

This site is awesome, I have used it so much! I really like how it lists all of the ingredients in each product so that I know EXACTLY what I am putting on my body and on my child!

If you find that your personal care products have a hazard score that you are not comfortable with, search this site and find something that is better for you!

It's important to remember that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve cosmetics and personal care products before they go on the market.

From the FDA website:
"The regulatory requirements governing the sale of cosmetics are not as stringent as those that apply to other FDA-regulated products. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act, cosmetics and their ingredients are not required to undergo approval before they are sold to the public. Generally, FDA regulates these products after they have been released to the marketplace. This means that manufacturers may use any ingredient or raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, to market a product without a government review or approval."

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has great info on this subject.

One rule of thumb that I always go by is: the less ingredients, the better! Products that contain a long list of ingredients (many of which have long names that I can't even pronounce) tend to be filled with harmful stuff. I like it when I actually know what all of the ingredients are when I read the label! Let's keep it simple!

If you use a safe product that you love, please share!

Natural Face Wash: Honey!

2008-10-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

Today I thought I’d talk about my newest adventure in facial care!

But first, let me tell you why I think this is important…

As you may know, so many of the products that line the shelves today contain ingredients that are harmful to your health, even some “natural” products! These ingredients can cause cancer, trigger allergic reactions, interfere with the endocrine system, impair reproduction, damage a developing fetus, the list goes on...

Did you know that the skin is our body's largest absorption organ? Tests have shown that absorption through the skin (which can go straight to your blood stream) is almost always greater than ingestion through the mouth. It is far more toxic to take a 15 minute shower in chlorinated water than to drink a glass of it! That’s crazy! So then, why would I want to put something on my skin that I wouldn’t put in my mouth? I know what you’re thinking…..and yes, there might be some exceptions to this, but probably not as many as you would think! All I’m saying is, if I have the choice to use something that is natural (and even edible!) rather than a chemical laden product, why would I choose the latter?

So now on to the fun part!

I recently found a thread on the Mothering website (which I love!) where ladies were raving about their experiences with washing their faces with honey! Yes, HONEY! But this isn't a new idea. Cleopatra's legendary milk and honey baths are just one of many historical examples of people using honey to pamper their complexions. I read through the entire thread (all 33 pages of it!) and it took me 3 days to sort through all the great info! So, I thought I’d compile a little summary here about what I’ve learned.

There are lots of different options and ways to do this. Since no one routine will work for everyone, you have to tailor it to your skin type. And, this is not just for women! It works just as well for men too!

So let’s get started! First, you need some raw honey. The main reason to get raw honey is because regular honey brands can sometimes be just “honey flavored” syrup, not real honey.

First Step: Wash your face with raw honey!

(If you wear make-up, you can use cotton cosmetic pads soaked in olive oil to remove it.)

Here’s what I do:

In the morning I wash my face in the shower. I plan on buying a little squirt bottle to keep some honey in the bathroom so it will be more readily available. I put a little glob in my hand, then rub it all over my face using circular motions. I let it sit there while I wash my hair and body, then rinse with warm water. Voila! My face feels clean and sooo soft! You'd think that the honey would feel sticky and gross, but it doesn’t at all! I wash my face again before bed using the same method, but at the sink.

Now here’s why it works:
Honey has glycolic acid, which helps skin get back to its naturally acidic pH. Honey also has antibacterial properties, which help with acne.

Step 2: Exfoliate

Exfoliating can help unclog pores which trap acne bacteria and other gunk, and rid your face of dead skin cells.

As for how often to exfoliate, it depends on your skin and sensitivity. In general, it’s recommended to exfoliate no more than every 3 days. Some people can gently exfoliate twice a day, some people can only stand it once a week or once a month. It's up to you and your skin type. The problem with over-exfoliating is that you risk drying out skin and stripping off the top layer. Your skin responds as if it were injured and produces more oil, resulting in acne.

If you want to exfoliate, you can add a little bit of baking soda to your honey when you wash your face. Baking soda exfoliates and can dry out acne. If this is too harsh for you, try brown sugar, sea salt, or ground up oatmeal. Another option is to use a wash cloth when rinsing off the honey. Gently rubbing your skin can help exfoliate, but don’t rub too hard or your skin might end up irritated.

Step 3: Tone your skin

I personally don’t use a toner because I have very sensitive skin, but toning can be very beneficial if you are dealing with acne or if you wear make-up. Also, it might be a good idea to tone your face after using baking soda (very alkaline) to exfoliate, to restore your skin’s pH.

For a great non-toxic option, just dilute some apple cider vinegar in water and use that like you would a normal toner. I would start off using 25% ACV 75% water to see how it works with your skin type. If you need more, bump it up to a 50/50 solution.

Step 4: Moisturize!

This is such an important step! Even if you skip the toner, you should definitely moisturize your skin after you wash it.

Great options for moisturizing:

- Coconut oil

- Shea butter

- Jojoba oil

- Rosehip oil

- Sweet almond oil

Remember, a little bit goes a long way!

If you have oily skin, you;re probably cringing at the thought of puttin goil on your face. Once you wash your face, the oil is no longer there as a barrier to keep the skin's own natural water content inside. If you don’t moisturize, your skin over-reacts and produces way too much oil in an attempt to balance itself out, and the result is oily skin! The reason skin gets so oily is because it needs more moisture than it is getting, so if you do use a light moisturizer, it may calm down the excess oil production.

Moisturizing also gives the skin a glow, helps makeup go on better, and improves the texture of skin!

Random Tip: Make sure you wash your pillowcases often. Oils from your hair or face can aggravate acne and it builds up on your pillowcases.

If you decide to try this honey thing out, keep in mind that your skin may go through a “detox” period before you begin to see results. Your skin is used to commercial cleansers, and may need time to get used to your new routine. Some people say they have breakouts or oily skin at first. This can last days or weeks for some people. But stick with it and be patient! Once you find the right balance and routine for your skin, you’ll never want to go back to commercial cleansers!

Feel free to comment! I'll try to answer any questions the best I can.

Thanks for reading :o)

A Fresh Start

2008-10-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new family blog!

I was getting bored with our Multiply site, so we (ok, I ) decided it was time to start something new!

Of course most of our posts will still be about our little sweeties, Hannah and Mary Kate, but I'm hoping to throw a few new things into to the mix :o) Maybe some deep thoughts, recipes, craft ideas, etc. We'll see!