A vist from the cleaning fairy

Cheerios spilled all over the kitchen floor, toys scattered around the house.... Just as I was loosing hope... just as I was starting to doubt her existence... there she stood, in the flesh,  right there in my kitchen like a magical force to be reckoned with. The Cleaning Fairy!! She pranced around waving her boom, swishing her mop and leaving sprinkles of happiness in her path.

She even makes coffee!!

 

Yep, I make that same expression when I sweep and mop!

She's the cutest little Cleaning Fairy around! And the best part is, the only payment she accepts are kisses! Lots of kisses! I am blessed!

Baby's Day Out

We decided to make a quick trip to Walmart this morning. The idea to bring Nylah's shopping cart along most certainly was not my idea since any mother in her right mind would never wish upon herself the added work at a painfully tedious pace. But alas, Daddy was there to help, and I couldn't pass up a good photo op. So, here it is, baby's day out.

What a great day to go shopping!

I wonder if they have this in my size.

A girl could get lost in here.

Can never have too many cookies!

Moving on

Can you believe these prices??

one..two..three..four..five...  That should be enough.

Excuse me, can you point me to the produce isle?

 It's a good thing I didn't bring the kids. This cart is filling up fast!

I think I'll make an Apple Pie tonight

These flowers would look great on my kitchen table!

Time to check out!

 I believe the correct term is "Little Person"

Let me think for a minute....where did I park?

OH! I remember now!

Almost there

Car loaded. Time to head home.

Shopping is a lot of work. Good thing I have a cool ride!

 A Trip To The Bookstore

Since Allen has been busy at work the last couple of weeks, including a work trip to Biloxi last week, we are making up for lost time. The sun also decided to break through, clearing up all those dreary dark clouds, so we decided to make a trip to the book store today.  It's been exciting these past few weeks watching Nylah become more interested in books. She loves to bring one to us to read, then right after we read it to her, she will sit down and pretend to read it herself.


Barnes and Noble is one of our favorite book stores, especially since there's a little bit of everything for everyone. And since we had our stroller with us, I decided to bring my camera along. One thing I will never regret, are the many opportunities to snap pictures of Nylah as she grows up, even at the seemingly simple outings, such as the book store. Real life is documented in the simple things, and they are the things we look back on and appreciate the most. So yes, if you were at the Barnes and Noble store in the Augusta mall, I was the mom sitting in the isle taking pictures of my baby while she peeked through the books, exploring her imagination. I was the mom that got a few curious looks, and even a smile, from passerbyers.  Then there is Allen. He was the dad that had to try out each book before we bought them, as if trying on a new pair of shoes. "How else will we know she will like them, unless we read them to her first?!"    Haha! I suppose he has a good point.

Some of Allen's favorite children's books are Dr Seuss, while some of my favorite children's books are The Berenstain Bears series. Needless to say, she got one of each, plus two others.

I hope Nylah grows to love books like we do. So far we've held off on TV for the most part, other than a couple Nursery rhyme videos from Youtube. No Saturday morning cartoons here yet, though I'm not completely apposed to some later on.

We also started her on Flashcards early on, familiarizing her with objects. She was a little late crawling and walking, but vocabulary is the one area she has always been advanced in.  She is beginning to lose interest in her first set of flashcards, so we got a new set to plaster around the house.

And of course, no trip to Barnes and Noble is complete without playing with the trains! I don't know who had more fun, Nylah or Allen.

Blast From the Past

I was leafing through a box of books in the garage that
I have kept over the years from my childhood, and I can't
wait to read them to Nylah (once I know she won't eat and
devour the pages).  The Berenstain Bears were my most
collected series. The first book I ever got was, "Bad Habit",
and I loved it because just like Sister Bear, I always had a
bad habit of biting my nails. From there, I pretty much
collected the entire series.









Here's a blast from the past! One of my favorite books in the 3rd grade was 'A Kitten for Rosie" And better yet, my favorite teacher, Mrs Simkins signed it and gave it to me for outstanding reading, which was my favorite subject. :)
It's hard to believe I still have it.

I also found a book called, "Monsters Don't Scare Me!"  Apparently I signed it and gave it to myself because I thought I 'deserved' it! Haha!

And last but not least, I LOVED LOVED LOVED Amelia Bedelia!! Her innocent, and literal interpretation of life was roll-on-the-floor hilarious! I could never get enough of her books, and I remember getting so excited whenever I saw a new one come out in the school library!

Oil Pulling 101

Oil Pulling 

I've determined that 2015 is going to be a year of health and wholeness for me, as well as for my little family. Back when I was living in Italy, a friend introduced me to a holistic lifestyle that I absolutely fell in love with. I began researching new and alternative foods, skin care products, home remedies and even music, and I started making little changes to improve my lifestyle. It seemed like whatever culture I was in at the time, there was always something new to learn. So my goal for 2015 is to get back to that....to cultivate this holistic lifestyle that I've grown to love so much, and to keep improving myself. The holistic lifestyle is about the person as a whole; the body, mind and spirit. It's not a weight loss goal, or a diet. It's not a treatment plan or temporary solution, but rather a path to wholeness in every aspect of my life, body mind and spirit. It ranges from food and skin care alternatives to emotional wholeness and stability. It also includes being balanced in the things I plug myself into, such as TV, texting, etc. It includes my faith and being sound and strong in what I believe in. And it means keeping everything balanced, so that everything can run smoothly and evenly. If one aspect of my life is off, chances are it will effect other aspects of my life. My goal is to bring balance and health in every aspect of my life. And it's a path of continual learning and growing, so I am bound to make mistakes from time to time, and that's ok.  I believe that the holistic life, when applied to every aspect of our lives, is the healthiest lifestyle, and it can make us happier and healthier in the long run. So that is my goal for 2015. Health. Healing. Balance.

One thing that is new to me this year, is Oil Pulling. I've heard of people doing it and seeing many health benefits, so I decided to try it. My hubby even hopped on board and is doing it with me.
You can use several oils, such as sesame oil, but we use a cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil from Viva Labs, and the idea is to simply swish the oil around in your mouth for 10-15 minutes each day, ridding yourself of toxins and bacteria. I like how one website describes it,

"First, the oils mix with the saliva, turning it into a thin, white liquid. Lipids in the oils begin to pull out toxins from the saliva. As the oil is swished around the mouth, teeth, gums and tongue, the oil continues to absorb toxins, and usually ends up turning thick and viscous and white. Once the oil has reached this consistency, it is spit out before the toxins are reabsorbed."  (globalhealingcenter.com)

 Most people focus on the oral benefits such as whiter teeth and healthier gums. But there are many health benefits such as detoxification of the body, relief from eczema, sickness avoidance, bad breath and keeping the heart, blood, lungs and kidneys healthy....among countless other benefits. Perhaps the biggest two motivators for me in doing this is allergies. I've been oil pulling for a couple of weeks now and I can definitely tell a difference in my allergies. My allergies got so bad that none of the medications that the doctor gave me would work, and he recommended weekly shots. Needless to say it has been miserable, and I don't want to rely on medication or shots. There have been many times that my allergies have got so bad that I've had migrane-like headaches that last days, and my nose becomes so stuffy and congested that it feels like a constant cold. Since I've been oil pulling, I've noticed that my nose completely clears up right after an oil pull, and I feel relief for at least half of the day. I'm hoping the continued practice of oil pulling will only make it better.

Oil Chews

I ran across a few people who were making 'oil chews', so I decided to try it in an attempt to make it quicker and easier in the morning (oil pulling is best in the morning before breakfast). You can use a small round ice cube tray or any kind of mold. As silly as it is, I happened to have a lego mold so I just used that. I heated my oil in a pan and let it melt, then I transferred 1-1/2 tablespoon to the molds. For added benefit and some flavor, I also stirred in two drops of peppermint essential oil in each slot of the mold and stirred it. And that's it. You stick it in the fridge (or freezer for faster set up) and let it solidify. Once it solidifies, you transfer it to a container and store it in the fridge.  

When I pop one in my mouth in the morning, I love that its cold. I also love the fresh peppermint taste in my mouth. It's much better tasting than plain coconut oil. Some people can't tollerate the taste of coconut oil very well, so this is a good alternative. You can also use other essential oils such as cinnamon, orange or lemon.