Apple Cider Vinegar- or as the Cool Kids say, "ACV"

Three years ago, when I was pregnant with Ivan, I got the worst sinus infection I've ever had. Sinus infections were nothing new to me, but this one was a beast. The kind where your head is throbbing, you can't breathe through your nose, even though you're trying every few seconds in vain. I refuse to take any medication when I'm pregnant unless it's absolutely necessary. So I waited it out. After my sweet boy was born and I wasn't breast feeding anymore, I went to the doctor in hopes that he had a magic pill that could cure me. I wasn't very hopeful, because I've been a sickling my whole life. Ever since I was a little baby, I've been sick. I started taking antibiotics at an early age, so I guess my body got immune to them. My doctor put me on a modest round of amoxicillin. I wasn't expecting any relief, and sure enough, by the time I was shaking out my last pill, my sinus infection raged on. So he put me on a stronger prescription- nothing. Frustrated, I called his office and explained that I've been on antibiotics for so much of my life that they just don't work for me. So he called me in a prescription for something I can't even remember the name of. But it was horrible. It made me experience some crazy side effects and it did nothing to ease my sinus infection.
Desperate to find relief, I went to earthclinic.com and looked up natural remedies for sinus infections. I was surprised to see that apple cider vinegar was prominently the suggested cure for sinus problems. I decided that it was worth a try. So I went to my local health food store and picked up some ACV. To get the health benefits, you have to use ACV that has "The Mother". "The Mother" is the funky stuff floating in unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. It looks gross, but it contains some pretty amazing enzymes. After drinking ACV for a few days, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my sinus pressure was actually subsiding. After a week, I could actually breathe through my nose again. Something that I hadn't been able to do in, no exaggeration, two years. After a couple of weeks or drinking the vinegar 2-3 times every day, my sinus infection was gone! And I haven't stopped drinking it since. My favorite way to drink ACV is about 2 table spoons in warm water with a little local honey. I got Bragg's ACV when I first started drinking it, and that's all that I use now. I'm sure other brands are fine, I just love Bragg's.
I drink ACV every  morning. Sometimes if my allergies are really bad or if I feel a sinus infection creeping up on me, I'll drink it a few times throughout the day. But I haven't had a sinus infection since I started drinking ACV.                                                                                                                                                          I really think that ACV is the best medicine!!!

Don't they look so happy together? (:

Another trip to the lake without kids? What??!!?

This weekend Nate and I had an impromptu opportunity to go back to Lake of the Ozarks. We found out Friday afternoon that we were going early Saturday morning. Our sweet friends, Mike and Andrea, were more than willing to stay with the kids over the weekend.

We went to Tan-Tar-A for kind of a work thing, but mostly fun. I think I might have gone there when I was younger. My parents were spur of the moment vacationers. In fact, my mom came up with a name for the last minute mini vacations we would take- "Doo-dahs". It sound silly, but as soon as my older brother, Paul, and I heard her singing, "I know something you don't know, Doo-dah, doo-dah," we knew we were in for some serious fun. I'll certainly write a blog post about "Doo-dahs" in the future! (:

My favorite thing about Tan-Tar-A is the history behind it. It was built in 1960 and it's somehow managed to keep the charm and character of that time period. For most of the day on Saturday, we lounged in both of the pools there. It was fun to be without the kids, but there were so many families there, it was hard not to think about how much fun the kids would have there too. It's definitely a place we want to take the kids in the near future!

On the drive home, we stopped to take some artsy fartsy pictures. I've gotta hand it to my husband of almost nine years- he let me listen to Jimmy Eat World on the way home and he sporadically pulled over in a farmer's field to take some pictures. Be still my heart!!!

Tan-Tar-A

The amazing pool and view of the lake.

Me and Nate <3

My favorite artsy fartsy shot.

I love this picture! He indulged me by letting me take his picture, even though the farmer was driving by and waving at us from his tractor! (:

All in all, it was a very fun, relaxing weekend. We even got home in time today to swim in the pool in our backyard and work on a 1000 piece puzzle. Oh yeah, and go grocery shopping with only two kiddos. Talk about a great weekend!!!

Zeke Turns FIVE!

 Turning five is a big deal. There's something about going from four to five that seems like an initiation into big kid world. I love thinking back on the day my kids were born on their birthdays. None of my kids decided to enter the world on their own. I've been induced every time. So with the fourth kid, I pretty much knew what to expect. I thought for sure he would come out pretty easily, but he didn't. I can remember pushing and pushing and he just wouldn't budge. When he finally did make his appearance, the first thing I noticed was his funny, wide nose. He was a fat, fat baby. But he's turned into a teeny, tiny little boy. He still has his adorable nose that looks just like the day he was born though!!!






                    Traditional birthday pancakes- complete with strawberries, whipped cream and m&m's (:

                                                                        Cute 'lil bro

                                                    Someone is excited to open presents!!!

                                                           He looks like a big boy!

                                               His first bike. He isn't too sure of it just yet.

                              This was his favorite present- a 300 piece puzzle he finished that day!

                                                          Happy Birthday, Z Man!!!

How to Survive the Summer with KIDS!

The summer sneaks up on me every year. I love the hot, sunny days that summertime brings, but I'm stumped as to how to keep my five kids entertained (and not killing each other) for the summer.
I came across an article where a mom talks about how she started a thing called "kid of the day" in order to keep peace amongst her kids. I decided it was worth a try. After the first week of them all being home from school, I was willing to give anything a try. But my unorganized brain needed to take it one step further. I pride myself in being a free spirit. Our weekends are never planned. Taking an impromptu trip to the beach or some cool little town is right up my alley. I started thinking about a time many years ago when my sweet friend Summer lived with me. She had organization down to an art, and she taught me how to plan out a schedule for the next day. (Yes, someone as unorganized as me actually needs to be taught how to plan things) We would have so much fun writing out our schedule for the next day. So I decided to try scheduling each day and start doing the kid of the day. And guess what? It worked! The kids love waking up in the morning and seeing who is chosen to have the esteemed KOD spot. Even though we don't follow the schedule exactly, it gives us all a good idea of how the day is going to go. There's no chaos, no rolling around on the floor complaining of being bored, no fighting over who chooses what cartoon to watch.
After making these small changes, I really feel like there's a chance I could homeschool and succeed at it. That's something I'll talk about more another time. But for now, here's a typical summer weekday-

Getting a membership to the YMCA was the BEST thing I've ever done. The kids always have a blast and I get an hour (or more!) to work out and have some time to myself.

Monday was Malachi's turn to be KOD. He got to help me prepare lunch. The kids love carrots!

We packed up our lunch and ate at a walking trail by our house.

We're learning about butterflies. Actually, the older kids knew more than I do about butterflies! But after our lunch, we went for a butterfly hunt. They drew pictures of what they saw.