Adventures in Potty Training

I started potty training Gabriel this week. It has been pretty successful so far. On day 1 we had all misses, but day 2 was a good day. After 1 1/2 misses (he started to have an accident, but finished in the potty) he went the rest of the day in his potty chair. Today is day 3 and we have had 100% success with pee. Yeh! However, he has not yet learned to go poo in the toilet. Yuk! So here is what I learned about hard wood floors, they are great for pee accidents. However, our Australian Cypress has lots of knots like Knotty Pine. I thought I cleaned up all of his poop from both of his accidents, but I missed a few spots. The floor looked clean, they just blend in with the knots. Then all of a sudden, squish! I have gone through three pairs of socks today. Also, Andrew found a gem and decided to eat it. I hear him spitting violently and then he comes running to me for a drink wash the bad taste away. I look in his mouth and there is a piece of poop stuck in his teeth! After a good brushing and a glass of kefir, he was all better. I am sure there is nothing like eating your brother's poo. I am sure he will be thrilled to here he did it; when he gets older. Anyway, wood floors are great for potty training. They clean up easy, don't stain or stink. However, if you have the choice and are planning on potty training at some point in your life, I highly recommend you put in flooring without knots. Light bamboo would be a good choice. It'll save you laundry and if you have children who eat off the floor, it'll save them from a yucky surprise.

Mmmm Money

The other day I was feeding the kids and I heard Andrew say "Mmmm money." I immediately checked him for any loose coins. He still loves to put them in his mouth. I wondered where he would have found them, since we usually keep them out of reach. But he was "clean," as they say, no coins. He continued to eat and said it again. "Is that yummy?" I asked. His reply: "Mmmm money mom." So money = yummy and it is his favorite new phrase.

Cloned Meat and Milk on its Way

The FDA approved the sale of cloned meat and dairy products in the US earlier this week. I am totally grossed out! The food will probably not be available immediately due to the high cost of cloning. Hopefully it will take several years. Also, the FDA is not requiring labeling, so there will be no way to distinguish between food from cloned and "natual" animals. I put the "" around natural, because animals that are not raised organically or free range are generally given antibiotics, growth hormones, vaccinations, may be fed genetically modified food or other animal parts and are often raised in close proximity to other animals. I think this is far from natural. Just another reason to always buy organic or free range animal products. I also try to buy from local farmers. Then I know how the animals are raised and fed.

To see the full article from the Organic Consumers Association website go to : http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_9699.cfm

Homeopathic Update

A while back I wrote about the blood tests that both of my kids submitted. We found worms, intestinal bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, viruses, vaccines, antibiotics, and allopathic drugs. I have been giving them homeopathic drops for parasites, bacteria/fungus/virus, and chemicals. They have been pooping like crazy. I have noticed a few improvements. Before treatments Gabriel had very dry dull hair. It was not soft at all. He has been on the drops almost two months and his hair is much softer and shinier. Andrew was experiencing daily diaper rash before the treatment and now it is gone. He has been on the drops about 1 month. He still has a month to go. After two months of treatment we will test each child's blood again. I am looking forward to seeing the results. I will keep you posted on their blood results (probably around March). I expect them to be much improved. I am also thinking about testing them for heavy metals and doing a heavy metal cleanse. I was exposed to industrial chemicals and metals for 8 years before I had Gabriel. I would not be surprised if they have high concentrations of heavy metals in their tissues. I need to do a heavy metal cleanse myself.

A Gold Bond Moment

We had a Gold Bond (foot powder) disaster this morning. But the story actually begins yesterday morning when Gabriel woke up with a fever. Traci and the kids were coming to attend church with us and Gabriel just wasn't himself. So, Todd decided to stay home with him, while we went to church. I got home to find that Gabriel had thrown up a couple of times while we were gone. He continued this all day until the evening in between short naps. We had him in bed by 7pm and I hoped we would have a nice quiet night. However, to my dismay, Andrew woke up at 10:30pm crying and then Gabriel woke up at 12:30am because he was hungry, which also woke up Andrew. Now both kids had had a midnight snack and were tucked back in bed, but at 1:45am Gabriel decided he was up for good. All of his afternoon napping on Sunday had messed up his sleep pattern and he was hungry again to boot. Between 2am and 4am I got quite a bit done. I did dishes and laundry, read to the kids (of course Andrew had to get up too), fed the kids again, watched Toy Story 2 and finally got them back into bed. Surely they would be tired and sleep in, right? Wrong, they were both up at 6:30am. I was so exhausted at this point that I stuck another movie in for them and crawled back to bed. A little while later I heard a cough, which actually turned out to be a sneeze. I got up to check on the kids and what I found was two little boys on top of the dinner table covered in Gold Bond Foot powder. They found it while riffling through Todd's backpack, which he left on the table. I took a few pictures for posterity's sake and then promptly cleaned them up. I never got back to bed after that.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 thin slices ham
two-4 jack cheese (traditional is swiss cheese)
flour for dredging
2-3 eggs beaten
1 cup Panko style bread crumbs

Slice a cavity into one side of the chicken. Dip the chicken in egg and then flour. Shake off excess flour and allow it to dry a minute. Dip into flour again and then the bread crumbs. Stuff the cavity with cheese/ham/cheese. Bake at 350F covered with foil for 1 hour. Remove foil and cook 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Sauce:
2-3 TBS sour cream
two slices cheese (1 jack and 1 extra sharp cheddar or 2 swiss)
1 TBS butter
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until all cheese is melted and the sauce is uniform. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to one and all! We spent our New Year's eve at the River with Granny and the kids. Granny made Yorkshire pudding and prime rib. Todd made us "camp fire" baked potatoes in the fireplace. It was a delicious meal. The kids had fun playing with toys and terrorizing the cat; who only put up with it because he was so lonely. We all made it to bed before 11pm. So, it was a fun, but quiet night. Todd started the new year with a bang, literally. He shot two ducks. I plan to cook them tomorrow. If they turn out well, I am sure you will see a recipe eventually. I hope everyone had a good start to the new year too.