Our New Year's Eve

My brother, his wife and their two girls weren't able to spend Christmas with us as they were sick.  So instead, they came for New Year's Eve.   My dad was also able to celebrate both Christmas and the new year with us.

The 4 cousins...

Maggie (6 months), Adeline (2 yrs), Josiah (2 yrs) and Garrison (3 yrs)

 My dad with his 4 grandkids.

 My brother, Tom with his oldest Adeline.

My dad with Josiah.

 My sisters Jackie (left) and Joanna (right) with Adeline, Garrison and Josiah.

  As a side note... the only one to make it to midnight was Joanna, her husband Shane, Thomas and Jackie (barely).

ear infection... to... God

Garrison brought in the New Year with a cold that eventually led to an ear infection.  The Wednesday night after the new year Garrison went to bed as normal, but within an hour he came looking for us in lots of pain.  For the next 6 hours we tried all we could to make him feel better, but to no avail.  

Around midnight we called the on-call doctor hoping that they could prescribe us an antibiotic and we could get our little guy some relief.  Nope!  They needed to see his ears first.  (This is our first time being parents of a child with an ear infection.  I remember getting an ear infection when I was younger, but I don't remember the process.)

At 2 am Thomas and Garrison headed to the ER.  Two and a half hours later they were home with lots of meds and one exhausted little man who ended up falling asleep before he could take any meds.  Sitting up in the car and all the activity must have been enough to numb the pain.  

Garrison's diagnosis... double ear infection!

Garrison didn't do so well taking his first dose of antibiotics.  Well, in fact, he kept spitting it out at us.  Frustrating!  Finally he took his last 3ml and I got this great idea to tell him that the "white guys" (the color of the medicine) were marching up to his ears to fight all the bad guys that were hurting him.  His eyes lit up and he got so excited.  After that we never had to fight him to take his meds.  In fact, he would ask for it.  He would ask for new white guys because the old white guys were getting tired and needed more help.  He would even put his finger in his ear and yell "don't worry new ones are coming."  

Thomas also made a sticker chart for him so he could mark off each dosage.  Garrison colored a Dinoco helicopter and taped it to his chart.  We said if he took all his meds we would buy him a Dinoco helicopter.  See there's a Dinoco helicopter in a shadow box at the ER and he wanted to take it home the last time he went to the ER.  So as a nice incentive for taking all the meds we promised him a helicopter.  Now we are waiting for it to arrive in the mail.  

I've been so impressed with Garrison through all this.  The other day we were talking about how we new the medicine was working or not.  We can't see that the medicine is working, but we know it is by the way he was getting better.  How his ears weren't hurting anymore.  This made for a perfect teachable moment!  Thank God for sparking me to plant a seed.  I started talking to him about how God is also fighting for us and helping us even though we can't see it.  He then asked me how we know.  Is my child really old enough to have these conversations?!  I told Garrison, "We know because God told us," and he said "oh" and ran away!  

I'm so glad I was able to plant that seed.  God sparked that conversation in me and now he is watering it.  

Back to work

It's always hard to go back to "reality" after having Thomas home for almost two weeks, family over two weekends in a row and being able to stay in our pajamas and veg on the couch all day long.  Well, the jammies and vegging might have something to do with us battling colds for the past week and Garrison having a double ear infection. (I'll explain more later.)

This morning when Thomas told the boys he needed to go to work this is actually what they did to him.  I feel their pain.  I love having Thomas home and being able to hang out as a family ALL day long.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Yesterday we finally received snow.  The boys were so excited.  They got all bundled up and headed out to help Thomas shovel.  (Garrison is on the left, in the garage.)

 All my cute boys posing before getting back to work.

 This is the boys and Aza hanging out on Christmas Eve morning.  They decided to bury Aza in pillows and as you can see she could have cared less.  That's why we LOVE our dog.

around our house

Here's what I've been hearing lately around my house...

Garrison had been running around the room pretending he was a car on a racetrack when I asked him to go put his pajamas on...

Garrison: "Mom, I can't."

Me: "Why not?"

Garrison: Walking up to me as if he's going to fall over from pure exhaustion... "I'm running out of gas.  Can you fill me up?"
________________
Garrison:  "Mom, I want to say bad things because I'm a bad kid."

Wherever that came from.
________________
Josiah had just passed a little gas.

Garrison:  "What's that smell?"
Josiah: In the happiest voice ever... "Me!!"

I died laughing.

wrapping gifts

Are you busily wrapping presents as Christmas is only 9 days away??!!  I finally finished shopping today.  I shouldn't say "finished."  My husbands side doesn't celebrate Christmas until his parents can be here in February.  So I'm done shopping for everyone I needed to shop for by December 25.

I enjoy watching a Christmas movie or listening to Christmas music while wrapping presents, but I think I might bust this song out tonight while-st I finish up my gift wrapping. (Caleb Hawley's music video)  Here comes 2012!!!

Homemade laundry detergent

I ran out of my store bought laundry detergent and I couldn't be happier.  (I lead a simple life.)  I ran across a homemade laundry detergent a little while ago and I've been waiting patiently for my store bought stuff to run out before I made my own detergent.

I've been trying really hard these last few months to find ways to save money.  I feel it's my responsibility to help my husbands dollars go as far as they can.  I've been clipping coupons, receiving free samples in the mail and now am starting to make my own detergent.  Next I'll try my hand out on making dishwasher soap, hand soap and fabric softener sheets.  (stay tune as I try those babies out.)

Homemade laundry detergent

5 gal. bucket
1 bar Fels Naptha soap
1/2 c. borax
1 c. Arm and Hammer washing soap

Grate and melt bar of soap in 4 c. water on stove.  Add to other ingredients in the bucket.  Fill bucket with hot water and stir.  Cover and let sit overnight. (it will turn into a thick, jello-like consistency) 

Stir and then pour your homemade soap into left over laundry detergent bottles.  Only filling 1/2 way.  Add water to fill to top.

Shake before each use.
Use a full cup with each load.

*I was able to find all the supplies at Walmart.

Savings...
fels naptha soap... $0.97
borax... $2.98
arm and hammer washing soap... $3.24

The box of borax yields about 12 batches.  The box of washing soap yields 6 batches.  I'd have to buy a bar of fels naptha soap for each batch.  If I make 6 batches that's a total of $11.13.  With the detergent that I use now it costs me $7.97 for 96 loads.  The homemade recipe makes 10 gallons which is about 960 loads (if you use 1 cup.)  To get 960 loads out of the store bought detergent I'd have to buy 10 bottles which would cost $79.70.  Take the $79.70 I would have spent on the store bought minus the $11.13 I will now be spending and I save $68.57.  Sign me up!!