Allow Me To Get On My Soapbox....

Recently there have been commercials on TV about High Fructose Corn Syrup. These commercials show someone refusing to eat something because it contains High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The person they are talking to looks at them as if they have just sprouted a second head and goes on to tell them that it is the same nutritionally as sugar...and it is natural....and that it comes from corn.

Well, ,my friends...I'm calling "BULL" on that one.

What if I told you that diabetes has increased 90% in the last 10 years (yes, I typed that correctly) and that the increase in consumption in HFCS has been directly related to the diabetes epidemic. Scary, huh?

Also, non-alcoholic liver disease has dramatically increased...again HFCS is directly related.

Heart disease (increase in triglycerides as well as LDL - bad cholesterol) can all be linked to HFCS.

Yes, scientist have CLEARLY linked all of these diseases - as well as others - to the consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup. I could go into the all of the reasoning behind it but that will bore the socks off you and I'm sure you can find the information yourself if you are interested (the Mayo clinic and Dr. Mercola's site have some fantastic information).

Bottom Line...stay away from it and keep your little ones away from it.

There is nothing "good" or "natural" or "nutritional" about at.

In case you are wondering what kind of products contain HFCS the best thing to do is read the ingredient label. Stay away from or drastically reduce soda intake (extremely high in HFCS). Try to avoid processed foods and stay away from added sugars and artificial sweeteners (we really limit our children's sugar intake anyway - but I would MUCH rather they have real sugar than some artificial sweetener ANY day...the health effects from artificial sweeteners like Splenda are truly scary).

Always remember...you are your child's biggest advocate as well as teacher. Make your choices smart ones!

OK my friends....getting off my soapbox now!!!

Hugs,
Jamie

Strummin' my six-string....

Our little girl has always loved her guitar. It was a gift from her Mommy and Daddy for her 3rd birthday and it has been a favorite toy since. Her obsession with her guitar began because she absolutely adores Jimmy Buffett (hmmm....where could she have got that from?) and would sit in front of the TV and play her guitar along with Jimmy. It warmed her Daddy and my heart...a future Parrothead in training.

Recently one of her guitar strings broke and we were unsure how to fix it. Our wonderful friends Kim and Kevin swooped in to help our little girl out. Kevin has become a bit of a guitar buff so he not only replaced Eva's guitar strings for her...he also tuned her guitar and gave her a little mini-lesson! She was strumming a real chord before we knew it!

Thanks to Kevin our little girl is back in business....

Photography Class...in pictures.

A bit of a delay....for a good cause!

Hey friends! I know I have not posted this week and I apologize. My mom took my camera with her to go visit my new little nephew...yes, I am an aunt again! Yea! Although I am so pleased that she was able to use my camera to get some great shots of the little guy...I have to tell you I feel like I am missing a limb without my camera here!

It's obvious to me I have a bit of an addiction.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen something...or watched my children do something...or experienced something in the last 48 hours and immediately thought to myself, "I need to grab my camera!!!"

Needless to say, there was no camera to grab! Agh!

I called my mom this morning and told her that I needed to get it ASAP....I think I'm starting to twitch and have a nervous tick without it. We are entering a State of Emergency at this point! Ha!

Sooooo.....hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with a fun post and some type of pictures included.

And hopefully my body will feel whole again because that "extra limb" will be back where it belongs nestled nice and cozy in the crook of my hand.

Hugs to all....
Jamie

I Just Blinked My Eyes...

I would just like to know how a group of friends can go from this (circa 1994)...

To THIS (circa today)...

Yes, that is the four of us with our 8 children! Crazy fun times! Let me tell you, there was a lot of love and laughter in that room today as we enjoyed the company of each other and our little ones!

"The most beautiful discovery friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart"

--Elisabeth Foley

WATCH OUT...here comes Mama Bear!

I am normally a very rational person. I taught school for ten years...trust me when I say I can keep my cool under most situations.

One exception to the rule is when "Mama Bear" comes out in me.

When Eva was about 2 years old I realized I had this inner bear living in me. As I said, I am normally very rational, but I have found that when I feel my children are being treated unfairly or - gasp! - another child is being mean to them Mama Bear rears her ugly head.

Let me give you an example...

When Eva was 2 she and I were having a fun day at a local park. We had been enjoying our time playing on the swings, the slides, and the jungle gym. This particular park has big round drums you can also play while visiting. Eva and I searched high and low for a perfect set of sticks to make "drumsticks" for the drum. We finally found them and Eva toddled over to the drums to try them out.

Enter playground bully.

He walks over to my little girl and just rips the "drumsticks" right out of her hand.

Enter Mama Bear.

Forget the fact that he was only probably 4 years old.
Forget the fact that he had probably not been trained on how to properly share.
Forget the fact that I towered over him by a good 3 feet and had a good 100 pounds on him.

I WANTED to walk up to him, tear the sticks out of his hand and scream, "How DARE you take these out of my little girl's hand....and don't think for a SECOND that just because you are four I won't TAKE YOU DOWN mister!!"

ya....all forms of rationality flew RIGHT out the window.

Fortunately Mama Bear does not show up that often (and I am perfectly aware that my children are not little angels all the time either). Thus far I have been able to keep Mama Bear under control and use my better instincts to remedy situations....but Mama Bear is always ready to pounce if need be.

Mama Bear showed her face again this morning during a trip to the library. Jaden wanted to color and the local library bully decided he couldn't have any chalk.

Ya....that is NOT gonna work with me.

Again, I was able to pull it together and act like an adult, but inside I was ready to tear every last piece of chalk out of that bully's hands and make him sit with his little nose in the corner...for a very long time.

Grrrrrrr......gotta love a Mama Bear.

Eva's Painting

I'm still working on the finishing touches in Eva's room....but I thought I would go ahead and share the painting I did with all of you. I apologize for the quality of the pictures...they look pretty washed out! Anyway, here is the painting:

Many of you had questions as far as how I knew what to use to paint. I'll be real honest...I had no clue. I'm kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl when it comes to stuff like this. I get an idea in my head and just follow my heart. The last painting I did I used acrylic paint and even though I loved the way it turned out, it was very hard to blend. I knew I wanted a much softer feel for the painting in Eva's room so I used watercolors. I loved working with watercolors and would probably recommend them to anyone that may be trying this for the first time.

Before starting I usually color the picture I have in my head on paper. And when I say "color" it...I mean it! Both paintings I have done were first colored with crayons while Eva, Jaden, and I were playing. I then looked on the Internet for some advice on how to work with watercolors, but I just got a little freaked out because they were going on and on about "proper technique" and I knew nothing about any of that...again, I just followed my heart. I did watch some home decorating show that mentioned you can actually use a spray bottle of water when working with watercolors so I used a spray bottle, a sponge, a large brush, and a small brush to paint most of it. I also used a pencil top eraser to get the little circles that I put on the border. You can see them in the picture below.



To finish it off I hot glued ribbon around the edges of the canvas and signed my name! If you are planning on trying this remember that there is no such thing as a perfect picture...you honestly can't mess it up if you just follow what you feel in your heart! As I said, Eva loves it and that is the best "critique" I could ever ask for!

Eva has tubes put in...

Our brave little girl had her tubes put in this morning and she did amazing.

Life Lesson

I hope this video touches you the way it touched me. Make sure your sound is turned up before watching it...and remember my friends...love knows no boundaries.

Simple Joy #15

I absolutely love waking up in the morning and hearing birds singing outside my bedroom window. It kind of makes me feels like Cinderella...remember the beginning of the movie when she wakes up to the birds perching on her windowsill and singing her a lovely little melody?

I've gotta tell ya...it makes me smile every time.

Aw Shucks....I'm Speechless.

I would like to thank Kelli for awarding me and my blog recently!

According to Kelly this award is for turning LEMONS into LEMONADE

(or maybe in my case...turning limes into margaritas)?!

It is for trying to STAY POSITIVE and always seeing the GLASS AS HALF FULL!

Thanks for the honor Kelli!

Spring has Sprung!

OK, I know it may be a little premature to say that spring weather is here for good - I'm perfectly aware that it COULD snow again (shhh....did I just say that?!!) but I do think it's fair to say we've definitely had some spring-like weather and this Happy Housewife could NOT be happier! Just a few things that tell me that spring is around the corner...

We are actually outside quite a bit now...sometimes even without full blown winter coats!!

We've already had our first family baseball game!

Look at this handsome guy...love him. Love the fact he's sporting his TWO favorite teams in one outfit even more - Ha!

We've started getting together with our neighbors again. It seems we all hibernate during the winter and it was nice to enjoy an evening with them recently...a sign that spring is coming soon!

I am a HUGE warm weather fan so any and all signs of spring I can find I get pretty darn excited about! A few more signs warmer weather may be near...

1. Summer clothing is out (I've even picked up swimsuits for the kiddies and I).

2. I've actually started weeding (ya, I was a little floored on this one)!

3. I am planning my garden.

4. Matt and I have started a list of outdoor projects we want to do soon.

5. I've had the windows open quite a few times (L.O.V.E. this)!!!

There is more, but the list I have in my head is much longer than I think you would be interested in reading! Have a beautiful day my friends and make sure you take the time to enjoy this weather with your friends and family!!

Something special for Eva...

We moved into our home over a year ago, and little by little we have been adding things here and there to make this house our home. A home filled with colors, textures, and decorative touches that we love. We haven't moved very quickly in decorating, but rather very precisely. We don't put something out or hang it on the wall unless we love it.

Eva's room was painted a simple color when we moved in but I always knew I wanted to do more with it. I wanted to make it a very special place just for her. Eva loves cooking, she loves gardening, she loves reading. I wanted to incorporate all of that into her special place. Sooo....that is my new project. I've actually been working on it for weeks now....picking out colors, shopping for little touches, and then there is this project...

Yes, I am painting again. I wanted to paint a very special picture for my little girls room that she would always know mommy made especially for her. Yesterday I finally finished it and Eva loves it. It warms my heart to see her get excited about it. For those of you that don't frequent my blog often you can read about my other painting experience here. I am by no means a professional, but I do love doing it and I find it calming.

So stay tuned my friends to see the finished project....I am anxious to share it with you as soon as it is done!

PS. I actually posted twice today (yes, I'm feeling ambitious) so don't miss my previous post!

My New Secret Weapon...

I brought in one of the big guns and added it to my arsenal. In my relentless effort to get my kiddies to eat their veggies I found V8 Fusion at the grocery store and- low and behold -the little ones L.O.V.E. it!!

Each 8 oz. serving contains an entire serving of fruit AND an entire serving of veggies! On top of that, it tastes GREAT...like strawberry banana fruit juice (not like veggie juice). The only drawback to this little miracle concoction is that it contains the same amount of sugar as orange juice, so it's not something I would let my little ones sip on all day....but every morning for breakfast it can't be beat!!!

Simple Joy #14

I love having art time with my little ones. There is something about watching them create their own little masterpiece that does my heart good. This morning we spent nearly an hour painting, coloring, drawing, and making creations out of various shapes of stickers.

"Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up"

--Pablo Picasso

A Little Bit of Heaven....

My husband surprised me this week when he came home from a business trip with a little bit of heaven just for yours truly. I am not a big sweet tooth. My husband does not buy me chocolates because he simply knows I don't really enjoy them.....unless they are Vosges. Ahhhhhh....I can't even talk about these little beauties without my mouth watering. For those of you that have never heard of Vosges chocolates, let me tell you - you are missing out. The description of these chocolates says it all...exotic.

Unlike normal chocolates the makers of Vosges use exotic ingredients to make their chocolates truly unreal. Let me just give you a description of one of my favorites...

Naga.
Named after a tribe in Northeast India, we've combined natural coconut extract, milk chocolate and a pinch of fragrant curry. Dipped in milk chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of sweet Indian curry, this truffle creates a beautiful balance of spiciness, sweetness, and color.

Yes, you read that right..they used curry! Other ingredients they use include wasabi, paprika, and edible flowers just to name a few. Each truffle is seriously an experience within itself - not something you just pop in your mouth, chew up, and swallow. Matt laughs because I savor every. single. bite. of the truffle. A box of four will last me days...it truly is an indulgence.

In case you were wondering where you could pick up these little treats, at the present time they are only available in Chicago and Las Vegas...or via the Internet. If you love chocolate - or you're like me and it's not one of your favorites - I would suggest at least giving these little babies a try....I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

It's Time...

The "photography bug" has hit me. HARD.

I am forever messing with my camera, taking photographs, looking things up on the Internet, changing the settings, taking more photographs, etc. It's a bit obsessive.

To further my obsession - I mean passion - my family has joined in...gotta love them! For starters, my husband surprised me with Photoshop for my birthday! For those of you that may not know, this allows you to manipulate your photographs so they look more professional and it also allows you to add creative touches to them. I am starting with Photoshop Elements, as it is not quite as technical as the regular edition. On top of that, my parents got me a GREAT digital photography book that I seriously devoured in one night (was up until 1:00 in the morning). I can't seem to get enough of it all!!



That said, I become frustrated when my pictures don't turn out the way I want them to and I can't figure out why. As much information as I was soaking in....I needed more.

Sooooo.....(cue the Hallelujah Chorus music)....

I start PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES tomorrow!!! Wha-hoooooooooo!!!!

Can you tell I'm excited? Ya, I can't even contain it!! My hope is that this will give me just the gentle push I need to quit relying on that darn "auto" button on my camera and put all this creative energy to use! Oh, the IDEAS I have....

Just wait and see......