The hair

She is only four, and it's already begun. Emma's really been wanting me to curl her hair. Well, 99 cents only had some rollers. So, I got them, and Emma stuck it out through the combing through, the rolling up, and EVEN the sleeping on them (which was a shocker). But, you gotta admit, it is adorable...(Poor Ben wouldn't get to see, so I promised I would take pictures as soon as I took the rollers out)

New Things in Our Life

When I went to San Francisco, I attended the Green Festival. It is essentially a gathering of companies who support sustainability. I learned a lot, and saw some great companies represented. I was a little saddened, that using our resources wisely is not necessarily something that the Church, or Christians, are particularly known for. However, I recognized a LOT of areas in my own life that could use some improvement. And, sometimes the change is slow...I have 5 reusable grocery bags that I have forgotten to take with me to the store TWICE. So, yeah...but, for me, it is not about being "green" or "eco-friendly" or hippie, or any of that. It is about trying to be faithful. Interestingly enough, the kids' Bible verse for yesterday came out of this passage of Scripture, God's gentle reminder to me again!:
"If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?" Luke 16:10-12

These are not all things even from the Festival, but just new things in our life.
G Diapers-They are a cotton outer pant, with a flushable insert. They take 50 days (instead of 500 years) to decompose, and if it's just wet, you could even compost them.

Quinoa- pronounced "keen-wa". It is often called a grain, although I believe it is really a seed. However, it has more protein than any of the grains, and it cooks just like rice. Here's Lisa's Quinoa recipe:

1 cup cooked quinoa (bring 1 3/4 cup chicken broth to a boil, add quinoa, cook 10-15 min.)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1-2 cups cooked black beans

1 red bell pepper (seeded, chopped, sauted in a litte olive oil)

1/2 a jalapeno (also seeded, chopped, and sauted with the bell pepper)

Season with salt, pepper, and some chili powder and cumin!

The bulk bins at Lassen's

Now as a whole, Lassen's is really expensive. So I don't normally shop there. But the bulk bins are great!! You can get organic quinoa for less than a $1.00 a lb., as well as organic rolled oats for like $0.60 a lb. You can get black beans, split peas, split yellow peas all for under $1.00 a lb. And they have a variety of granolas for a reasonable price also. You just have to watch because many of them have a lot of sugar!

Before I Forget...

So, every night before bed, we do our "thankfuls". Everyone picks between one and three things that they are thankful for. The kids have heard us say various things, so I am sure that their answers reflected some of what they have heard over the past year from us. But, over our thanksgiving meal, we each went around and told what we were thankful for.
Caleb's answer: I'm thankful for a good dinner!! (Belch!!)
Emma's answer: I'm thankful that God never gives up on us.
Yeah, there you have it, boys...and girls. =)

Tonight, over turkey and black bean soup (there was polenta in the bottom)
Emma: "Mommy, what is the yellow?"
Me: "That's polenta."
Emma: "It's not sweet or anything."
Me: "Well, it's not really supposed to be sweet..."
Emma: "Well, it really doesn't have a good flavor."
Well then...better luck next time. =)

Clean has no smell...continuation of the previous post...

It is quite cheap!! You can get a gallon of vinegar for $1.99, and a 4 lb. box of baking soda for $3.29, and a spray bottle for $1.99 at Smart & Final. You can get smaller quantities of baking soda (a regular box for $0.59) and I'm not sure the size of the vinegar at 99 cents only. You know what is the hardest part for me?? (Confession: I LOVE cleaning products, especially ones that smell good...) But someone reminded me that Clean has NO SMELL. I know. It's so hard...but a good reminder.

Organic Cleaning

Here is a link to a great little video clip...After a discussion with some very experienced and smart women, I found that yes, you can clean your entire house with baking soda, and vinegar (and sometimes a little squirt of dish soap). Even hard wood floors. So, seeing as how this is much safer for a toddler crawling and cruising around, as well as young helpers doing chores, and helping clean...it seems like a good idea for us. Enjoy!
http://www.parents.com/parentstv/?lid=987353750&tid=992358697&cid=901546021

Redeem

Redeem:
1. to buy back
2. a. to free from what distresses or harms, b.to free from captivity by payment of ransom, c.to release from blame or debt
3. to change for the better : reform

Oh, Lord, I can only thank You that my life is not what it once was. Thank you that You provide freedom from captivity, from what distresses, and what harms. This amazing thing you have done for Your people is indescribable...Thank you.

A quick note about super-daddy

Okay, I have a ton of posting catch-up to do...but I need to go to bed soon, so I just wanted to post really quickly about the wonder that is super-daddy. I went to San Francisco this past weekend (more on that later). So, Ben was going to have the kids all weekend, by himself. Now, keep in mind that up until 8 months ago (at my sister-in-law's baby shower, I had Noah with me) Ben took Emma and Caleb by himself to the beach to ride their scooters and play on the playground. That was the first time he had ever taken the kids anywhere by himself. And I am not really sure that he has done it since then! But, he was more than willing to let me go away. So, he calls me Saturday to ask casually, "What size diaper does Noah wear?" I say, "Five...why?"
Then he proceeds to tell me that they:
1. Went to The Point (the beach promenade) to go jogging. Ben had Noah in the backpack as he walked (quickly!), and Emma and Caleb jogged. For a good 1/2 hr or so!!
2. They went to Target to get diapers and trash bags.
3. They went to the Mall to try and find running shoes for Caleb...no luck.
4. They tried Mervyn's just in case, no luck there either.
5. They went to Trader Joe's to pick up a few things.
AND!!!
When he was in Trader Joe's he probably gave an older couple a heart attack since they gave him the usual line,
"Oh, you have your hands FULL!"
And he responded,
"Yep, it's just about time for number four."
So there, I am so thankful and amazed at my husband. Yeah! I knew it!
P.S. Tons more later, but I did end up coming home early from my trip.

New Shoes and New P.J.'s

Emma must have had another growth spurt! She was really in need of some new tennis shoes, and especially since she has been kicked out of the jogger, she has to be able to walk as far as I want her to, so she needed some good running shoes. She loves them!

And, Noah got new pajamas from his Uncle Scott and Aunt Cher-Ami.

Peter Parker

Caleb and Emma were allowed to wear their costumes to gymnastics.

Me: Come on Spiderman, let's go!

Caleb: I'm Peter Parker, I don't have my mask on.

Me: You're what? (I am thinking, I must have heard him wrong...neither of my kids have seen Spiderman the movie...)

Caleb: I'm Peter Parker, I got bit by a radioactive spider.

(It then occured to me, that we have 4 Spiderman books that I had gotten at the 99 cents only store. So, yeah...that's where he must have gotten it!)

Catching Up...

It seems like I always end up playing catch up!! I don't yet know what to say about Halloween, because we haven't quite figured out how we will handle and teach regarding that as our little family unit. But I will say that I am thankful for the Fall Family Festival (I think that's what they call it) because I think it's a great way to reach out to the community and provide some fun for the kiddos. They had a blast! (Katie, please don't shoot me for posting your picture, you looked so beautiful, I couldn't resist!)