Thursday, August 25, 2016

Susan's First Day of Kindergarten

The much-awaited day finally came! Today was Susan's first day of Kindergarten.

New outfit? Check. New shoes? (With laces) Check. Flu bug and Fever? Gone.

She was all put together so that she could have her picture taken with Daddy before he left for school:


We snapped this picture together before we left the house... little did I know that this would be the last pre-kindergarten hug that I got from her! When we got to school, she didn't look back... she just walked right in. (Which was similar to what she did at the start of her three year old and her four year old preschool classes!)

A friend told me, in the case of first day of school, "never let them see you cry."  I can proudly say that I didn't. I waited until I was back in the car. I know Susan will be a rockstar in Kindergarten, but it's still a little sad, ya know? Every year she learns a little bit more, she grows a little bit older, and she moves a little closer to being an independent human being. THAT'S THE GOAL. But it's still sad to think that these early years are coming to a close.  

And three hours later, I was right back at those doors picking her up again. 

She ran up to me and gave me a knock-me-over hug, and proudly announced, "I didn't suck my thumb!!!" (Is been something Ive been cautioning her against all summer long.) And then, "I could open my snack by myself!" Wahooo and yay for little victories!

Way to go, Sus. I knew you'd do a great job. As your Papa John would say, "education today is investment in tomorrow." You're at the beginning, Susan. You've got a lot of tomorrow's that will be filled with education, and I'm glad that today you kicked it off to an excellent start.

Friday, August 12, 2016

So Long Sweet Summer



This was the summer of "Go Fish." The summer of Thumbs Up. The summer of zucchini noodles, sewing projects, buggy rides and 5K runs. The summer of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" and the summer of getting soaked by the water hose, nightly. In some ways, it was a repeat of last summer, and in some ways, it felt brand new because it was as if my kids were experiencing things for the first time. We've been looking forward to Loon Lake since the end of August of last year. 

Thank you, God, for my in-laws. And thank you for Loon Lake. Thank you for keeping us safe and giving us opportunities to have fun, experience rejuvenating family time, and learn a little each day.


























"So long sweet summer
I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays
So long sweet slumber
I fell into you now you're gracefully falling away
Hey thanks -- Thanks for that summer!"
(From Dashboard Confessional, whom I will always love.)

Animal Friends

Thursday night, the neighbors invited us over to visit with their animals: chickens and kittens and ducks and a goat! The girls' favorite part was holding and petting the chickens. This one was particularly patient with them:




And this morning, we were invited up the road to help feed horses at a horse farm. The girls had a WONDERFUL time. Yay for new friends and fun enjoying the outdoors and animals!


That horse's lips!

Okay now. Look at this picture and tell me it doesn't look like Susan is being eaten by a Clydesdale? It made me laugh, for sure! 

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Girls on the Run

Going for a run with my girls!


Monday, August 8, 2016

August is Psoriasis Awareness Month!



August is Psoriasis awareness month, so I thought that I would share a little bit of my story. If we are friends on Facebook (and if you have not hidden me yet!) you may have seen that I have been using Plexus products for the last nine months. Here's a little bit about my experience. 

Last fall, after my psoriasis kept worsening, my doctor wanted to put me on immuno suppressant drugs. You know, the big scary ones that have not had much long-term testing. Eric and I talked about it, but I just did not want to go down that road. And if we were going to do that, I wanted to make sure that I had tried every other option first! For the last five years, I've experimented with one form of diet or another: dairy free or gluten-free for extended periods of time. But the one thing that I had not tried was Plexus:  a line of health supplements that target blood sugar, gut health, or inflammation.

So I started Plexus around the middle of December. By the end of the first week, I was noticing a definite increase in energy. And by 12 weeks, my skin started to clear up - not completely, but enough that I'd notice more improvement than I had noticed with recent light therapy, or my topical steroids.

 


The next few months, I noticed I started to sleep better. I was craving less sugar, for sure. I lost some inches and I lost some pounds. The rhythm of my day was improved. And YES this is possibly too much information, but I started to use the bathroom like a healthy person is supposed to use the bathroom.... and I attribute it to Plexus! I didn't know how sick I was until I started feeling better. And as a result of all of these things, I found that I was just straight up HAPPIER, too.

Throughout the spring, I used some of my free time to learn more about Plexus and the ingredients. Natural. Free of artificial colors and sweeteners. (There are similar products floating around, but almost all of them have added chemicals or added artificial sweeteners. I'm proud to stand by Plexus and their quality ingredients!) I've learned more about gut health, and as with many things, the more I know the more I realize I don't know!

These pictures were taken on June 29, after being at the lake in sunny eastern Washington for 8 days. I captioned it saying something like, "this is what happens when I get plenty of sunshine and not a lot of stress and I take my Plexus probiotic!"


But in a cruel joke... a week after the above pictures were taken, I ran out of my probiotic.  I figured that I would be okay because I was still getting plenty of sunshine. And then, this happened:

 

(I have more pictures, but I'm not brave enough to share!) 

I swear, I didn't change ANYTHING. I was getting equal amounts of sunshine. I didn't change laundry detergent or soap or lotion. I wasn't stressed. And yes, psoriasis can flare without any rhyme or reason, but this was the worst flare I've ever had in my life. Hundreds of spots were covering my arms, my shoulders, my torso, and my back.

Lemme tell you. It's hard feeling you have no control over something that is so obvious to people around you.  And I have the best family and friends in the world. Life at the lake is safe and quiet, but I found myself starting to have anxiety dreams about re-entering our world on the east coast. I was so ashamed about my worsening condition (especially after having just bragged about looking so good at the end of June!) that I didn't even describe my worsening symptoms to family on the phone. But I had this sinking feeling that once I got back to the east coast at the end of August, I would have some 'splaining to do.

Finalllllly, after 3 weeks without my products, on August 1 my Plexus products arrived and I was back in business:

And now, here's me as of today. Clearing up again. This happened literally overnight. 


It's been one week since being back on the probiotic. I texted a friend today and said, "I am PERPLEXED. Is it this simple?? Keep taking my probiotic and my skin behaves?" Maybe it is that simple. Or maybe this is anecdotal.  I mean, Plexus doesn't claim to cure any disease. But this is my testimony and I'm happy to share it with you, because I'm happy to be using something that continues to give me hope.

I've been posting about Plexus on Facebook for several months, and I know that people peddling things on social media can be annoying. But these products have changed my life, and I don't ever want to be without them again. I hope now you understand a little more about why I love Plexus! 

Plexus has improved my health in ways I didn't think possible. And I would love if Plexus could do for you part of what it's done for me!

Friday, August 5, 2016

The Tupperware Cone Ball Toss Game

My favorite part of the day: after dinner play! And this game is one of my favorites!