On the Road

Time just keeps moving. March has been a busy month for us. Well, at least for me, for the Mr. it was kind of business as usual. Several months ago when friends of ours announced they would be moving half way across the country, he decided he wanted to be their moving company. So they loaded the trailer and we packed our bags and we all headed west. We took the two youngest along. This was there first  big trip in Daddy's truck. He takes them along regularly for just a day or two but this was a whole new adventure.

The 3 school boys got left behind with relatives. The boys and the relatives all seemed to be fairly happy and healthy when we returned.

When we added baby #3 to our family we officially outgrew the bunk on the truck so it's been almost 7 years since I got to ride along and watch my Mr. in action. He makes it look easy!

  My "job" was easy enough! I was in charge of snack distribution, keeping the passengers seat occupied, and checking the e-mails from back home. Throw in a few naps, several cups of coffee and a book or two and you can see I was pretty busy. Not to mention that I didn't cook a single meal for 6 days and I was only parenting 2 kiddos instead of 5. Can you spell s-p-o-i-l-e-d?

We delivered their goods safe and sound and then spent a few days helping them to unpack and settle in We enjoyed the chance to see their new world and we did not have even one word of complaint about the 80 degree weather that welcomed us.

But it was all bittersweet, because in the end we said good-by to very sweet friends and headed back east to our little spot in the world, 24 (very long) hours from their new spot.

 

We were welcomed back to "the REAL world" with a.n.o.t.h.e.r Monday morning snow delay. But the calender says Spring is here now so we're eagerly watching for signs that it truly has arrived. Grocery store tulips make me smile, but they don't count!

This week we shivered to the bottom of our free Rita's ice cups . This is now tradition at our house, it is no longer up for discussion. Even if we tried to take a vote it would be 5 to 1 at best...must get our Free Rita's. We broke a record this year though, only 15 minutes in line, not bad at all!

Today's forecast: More Snow and more laundry...sounds like another cup (or 3) of coffee may be a good idea!!

Happy Tuesday.

Essential Oils -- Part 2

 In my last EO post (if you missed it you can find it here) I mentioned that it was the stories of how people have used oils successfully  that really got my attention. So if you read that whole post and still felt like you really didn't know what oils do, let me tell you some of our story.

 Thankfully my family came through this germ infested winter with amazing ease but when my 6 year old complained of a sore throat and an accompanying stomachache my Mama instincts instantly said 'Strep throat.' I used an oil blend called "Theives" and rubbed it right on his swollen glands whenever he complained. (A side benefit of most of the oils: being able to use them repeatedly as needed instead of waiting 4-8 hours as with tylenol or motrin.) Within 24 hours all of his symptoms were gone. Was that a little easier than dragging him (and several siblings) to the doctor, torturing him with a throat culture and 10 days of nasty tasting medicine? I think yes! Not to mention much cheaper!

  My favorite stories though are all part of "How EO's saved our Vacation." When our family traveled to Florida this Spring, I packed my little collection of oils and kept them handy. The hubs came home from work just hours before we left on our trip saying that his chest was congested and sore. Out came the Theives again and in a few days his symptoms were nearly gone too instead of mushrooming into an all out miserable cold/flu. I applied Thieves to all of us sporadically over the week as a precaution. There were a few complaints of sore throats but no one actually got sick except the Lil Miss. She spiked a fever one night right in the middle of our week long trip. My thermometer was acting all wonky that night but I'm guessing her fever was close to 103. One application of peppermint in the middle of the night brought it down noticeably and enough for her to sleep the rest of the night. By breakfast time she was fever free and back to her cheery little self. I started to loose my voice, oil of Lemon in my hot cup of tea please!

 I've had trouble with my back occasionally and it decided to "act up" the day we planned to go to the zoo as a family. I'm convinced the "Panaway" (an oil blend) and "Peppermint" saved the day.  I was able to walk all over the zoo and enjoy the day with my family. The peppermint was also kept handy during our many hours on the road through the night. A drop or two on the temples is great for helping to keep drivers alert, in addition to that steaming cup o' joe. And then for those nights when we did want to sleep but were missing our own bed, my  "Lavender" came to the rescue. If you're a mom and you know that feeling of waking up in the morning the first time your baby sleeps through the night, that "wow, that felt good, is it really morning?" feeling, (aside from the "is he/she still breathing" panic, of course) THAT is what I feel like in the morning these days, thanks to Lavender.

 I was originally disappointed with the results (or lack thereof) of the oil I purchased for my high blood pressure but a simple adjustment in how I apply it is now bringing me better results than my medication (which I had quit taking anyway because it wasn't doing what it was supposed to) ever did.

  These are just a few of my experiences with EO's. I've heard testimonies for using EO's successfully for everything from pink eye and ear infections to burns, allergies and Endometriosis. But again, I don't claim to be a Doctor or an expert on EO's by any stretch of the imagination. I only share these stories to give you an idea what is available, to make you aware that there is another option besides synthetic pharmaceuticals. And again I say, if you have questions feel free to message me. I'm happy to help any way I can. If I don't know the answer, I'll do my best to track it down for you.

I leave you with this link. It's one of my favorites, a list of over the counter meds and the EO that can be used instead. Fascinating and informative!

Of Sun, Sand and Spoilage...Florida 2013

 And then one day you realize that it's cold here and it's warm there. You've had about enough months of winter and you decide it's worth the 40 hours in a minivan with 5 kids to be warm again. Lucky for us, we have family in Sarasota, the perfect excuse I'd say.

And we're off...

Yup, everyone was smiley and pleasant for the whole 40 hours about as long as it took to snap a picture. Actually, over all they did pretty good. Much less stressful than the last trip when the little Miss was just a tiny baby. We played a couple hundred rounds of the Alphabet game, counted state license plates and listened to Toby Mac one. more. time. all with a good supply of junk food and juice boxes. We like to travel overnight so the kids can sleep a lot of the time. That plan works great as long as there is a good supply of this...

 But again, reality is, this was my only cup of Starbucks, most of our steaming cups o' joe came from your average scary gas station. Let me just say, the restrooms are much cleaner at 3:00 a.m. but the scare factor of the coffee is at least doubled.

  We spent part of 2 days on the beach. The first of which was rather frigid but what did we care, we played the tourist role well, sweatshirts and blankets but we were at the beach!
 

   We (ahem) 'warmed up' with ice cream afterward. No trip to Sarasota is complete without a generous serving of Big Olaf's.

 

   One scoop of food coloring, er, Superman ice cream please. It was a hit I tell you.

  The second trip was much warmer. Perfect actually.

Sand Angels :)

These 2 are only about 6 weeks apart in age and they were inseparable. They got along so well and had so much fun together from the minute we arrived until the (tearful) minute we left.

That water was C.O.L.D. but no one seemed to notice but me.

My Little Beach Babe!

  We spent a morning at the (more sweatshirt appropriate) Park.

Our super fun picnic lunch.

The little people loved it. The big kid thought of it more as an appetizer than a meal.

  We loved the Tampa Zoo so much the last time that we went back for round two. 

This guy kept himself busy capturing and documenting. I wonder where he might have gotten his shutterbug tendencies from. Hmm?

  Meanwhile in a cage nearby....

Petting sting rays ~ Big Hit!

Well, what do you know, Mom was along on this trip too.

Anybody else relate to the "we're lucky if we have at least one picture with Mom on it" issue?

  There was a round or two of golf for the guys and some retail therapy with a side of coffee shop chats for the Mommy's.

  There was a (family friendly) night on the town with a mountain of all things BBQ'd devoured in short order. Please pass the barbeque sauce and the napkins.

  We threw in an egg hunt on the last day just for good measure. Nothing like loading the kids up with a sugar stash before jamming them back in the van for hours. Since we were traveling home on Sunday, that was the extent of our Easter celebrations this year. No Sunrise service, no family feast....I have to say I missed it. It just didn't seem right to be remembering such an important event with a few worship tunes on the ipod and our gourmet lunch of beef sticks and cheese crackers.

 
  We had a great time relaxing and hanging out with these super generous people who left us take over their house and disrupt their lives for a whole week. We were generally spoiled with cheesecake and cinnamon buns and bottomless cups of coffee served with a smile and an endless supply of clean towels. Thanks guys!

 

  Miss Kyra made friends with the puppy on the first day.

 But it took her until the last day to make friends with Uncle Kenton. Silly girl!

  There was time for reading and video games and soaking in sunshine and snuggling.

Somebody found himself a best buddy for the week. 

We may have created a need here...

Thank you Land of Sun, Surf, and Ice Cream for refreshing our bodies and renewing our smiles!