And BABY turns 3!

So Tuesday was my baby's 3rd birthday...Friday we had cake and Ice cream with just us and her cousins Malachi and Zephaniah, who are 4 and 2. I
I wanted to throw her a real party. You know, the type with decorations, little ones running around, Moms visiting, and the whole shabang. I was so depressed to not have know anyone well enough to invite...
But then, I realized that she really doesn't know any different, and will like her birthday no matter how many people were there, and I became thankful that at least Beth was able to be there with her boys and celebrate with us!
There was only one gift, a doodle pro from Daddy and I. She loves to draw, and I thought it would be the perfect gift. It was a hit! (even with the boys!) LOL...
The cake was absolutely tasty, and adorable too. I was really so thankful to Ronald for buying both the cake and the ice cream. He did a beautiful job! It meant alot to me to at least be able to have playmates around her, even if they were boys, who cares right? I could not have asked for a better blessing!
Maybe someday we will actually know more friends and be able to have playdates on a regular basis...but for now, I'm just happy to have the time I did with the family to celebrate her special day-
So, back to Tuesday-Ronald came over, and we took C to the local Walmart store. I wanted to buy cupcakes to have with the fam, since Daddy was not there for her little "party" on Friday and it was just going to be us and no guests this day. (Ronald could not join us that particular evening, and of course Beth had gone home days prior to that.)
I envisioned cute little colorful cupcakes with maybe some sprinkles or a toy on top of them...BUT, my toddler had other plans! She chose some various colorful cookies instead, and then she saw the strawberries, and the bananas, and the apples...LOL! So, we bought them all. (gotta love veggie and fruit eaters!)
Next was the toy isle. O BOY! (or shall I say girl)
You would think for her actual "birth-day gift", she would pick something frilly and girly, like a baby-doll or a Barbie-Maybe even PollyPocket, My little pony, or something. Not my little girl! She's too smart right now for wasting time on "girly toys!" She picked out a GIANT bouncy ball with Mickey Mouse on it! This was the toy of her choice from Ronald.
So after arriving back home, Ronald left-My kids came home from their EagleRidge Enrichment Program, and we waited for Daddy to arrive. After eating dinner, we got the camera ready, sang her happy birthday (she didn't talk the whole time the camera was on her) and she "served" the cookies all by herself. (her own idea) It was adorable!
Phil and I then set up an area to take birthday pics of her. I had this gorgeous pink fluffy dress in size 4T that was given to me when she was only a few months old. I had been saving for her second birthday, but it was still way too big last year...I I brought it out from the closet and good grief there was no way she was going to wear it! She kept saying, "No Mamma, that one!" (pointing to her favorite navy blue with red polka-dot ladybug dress) O my, I lose on this one too....So, she also picked her own dress for her birthday.
You should have seen Phil and I trying to get her to pose and smile! I had to make silly faces BEHIND the camera at her, make funny noises, and flash her my boobies a few times (weird I know, but it worked!) just to get her out of her shell and make her laugh or smile! The pics turned out wonderful, and not half bad for bein done at home by ametuers! LOL (I just wish we had been able to keep the red sheet stretched out behind her.)
Needless to say we even got some nursing shots! (she was very tired already anyway!) The evening came to close about 9pm with her passing out on the floor while we were watching the family movie "Wall-E". It was a PERFECT day, free of hassel or stress. Thank you Lord, for the simple pleasures or children's birthdays!

About kitties that need homes!!!

I have working really hard to find homes for all the cats that come our way. I believe God has chosen me to do this service for him. It started in 2002, when we had a very small house in a very run down neighborhood. There was so many feral cats there that were reproducing. I managed to rescue them one at a time and try to domesticate them. Some of them were in too poor of condition, others we kept or adopted out.
To this day, we now have a total of 7, and 6 of them are adoptable. I am not certified nor am I a shelter. I do not have the funds to get them vaccinations or neutered/spayed. They have all been given lots of love and affection and are all very sweet. The small ones are now 7.3 weeks old. Orignally there was 5, been one was adopted last week and another one today. YAY!!! I always screen the people interested in them, and meet them first before allowing them to bring them home. The trouble I am having right now is people only wanting kittens and not the older ones we have, or they respond to my add just to get my email address to send stupid adds. I hate that!
Anyway, I just wanted to vent my frustration and if any of you know someone in my area, please ask them if they want a lifelong member to their family. The kids and I feel overwhelmed right now with all the tasks of feeding them and everything. It is becoming quite costly and right now we are out of food and litterbox sand. Please say a prayer for us that the Lord will provide homes, and food/litter. Thanks! P.S.-Ask your friends to follow my blog! -Barb

My kids are so talented

This is a drawing H did a few months ago, and just one of her many creations. Chika Hyuga is a character she designed herself. V can also draw well but sadly I don't have any pictures of any of his on my computer.
I am so proud of them both! I really need to get a camera again, so I can take pics and upload them to my pc. Then I could even add things C has scribbled or colored!
All my kids love to draw. We have encouraged them scince they were very small to be creative and expressive when they are drawing. Daddy has major talent too. Sometimes his are a bit provocative in nature, as he uses anime to base it and works with DAZ studio. I can't draw at all, but wish I could. Though I have tried, I just can't seem to get it right...

Thrifty way to treat a sunburn...

Well, usually I like to swim alot during the summer, but my favorite time of day is in the evening when the sun is almost down! However, last week I did go during the heat of the day, and regret it a few hours later. (bad burn!) My kids have been fish scince they were born, and can never get enough pool time! So anyway, this photo is not new, I think it was taken last week or maybe the week before that. Cheyenne was tired cause it was around naptime.
I have a great tip for you all for sunburns! You know that dry, itchy, burning, and peeling that happens to your skin after a sunburn? Ever spent money on Aloe Vera Gel? That stuff has some pretty harsh chemicals in it if you look on the back. Well, I like to add Aloe Vera Gel to my babywipe solution. I was spending the $10 (approx) on the organic stuff from Sprouts-Farmer's Market out here. The bottle is very small! Well, now I do not have to EVER do that again!
Let me explain...My friend Ronnie has Aloe Veras growing all over his Mom's backyard. He brought 4 of them over about 6 weeks ago and planted them for me. They are now growing beautifully! I use this for sunburns, which was in the title of this blog entry, BUT-I also use it for cleaning, moisturizing my skin or scalp, on cuts burns or bruises, in the laundry, (I wash by hand) AND on my face as a cleanser. I gently cut off one arm from the plant and shed the green skin from it. I rub the contents all over the effected areas or area that needs the moisture or natural coolant. I swear by this stuff! It works so well in so many ways, and all it costs me is the water from the baby pool every other day. LOL!
But wait! Hold on! There is one other thing I have not mentioned yet! Have you ever tried Aloe Vera Juice? Might I suggest you look into this wonderful plant, and find out how it can benefit your family, cause it sure does help ours! (we all have very soft clear skin!) ~Barb

A bit about my children, and my parenting!

A few weeks ago, C. decided she wanted to help with laundry. This is usually how she helps, LOL. I had sorted some clothes and had not had a chance to put them all in the proper hampers. Her favorite thing to do when helping is either play in an empty hamper/basket, or climb "laundry mountain." I just love the cute things she does. My life would be so boring if I didn't have children! C is a very active, outgoing, affectionate, and outspoken confident child. I choose to believe that being breastfed, along with worn in carriers/slings, and co-slept with PLUS gently disciplined has helped her and her siblings in many ways.

This other pic is V and H on their first day of school in August. (They are homeschooled but also attend an enrichment program just up the road from here with ONLY other homeschooled children). I thought they looked great! They are both kinda into mild "goth" styles. I do not allow weird peircings, fake OR REAL tatoos, or a bunch of chains, or weird makeup, evil sounding music, etc. Even in the support I give them, they know there are bounderies. I am proud of them. Proud of the way they look, and proud of them as individuals.

I never get weird looks or comments from people due to their clothes. All the families who's children' go to this enrichment program are homeschooled, so 99% of them are very sweet kids and do not treat others badly. I have taught my children to be proud of who they are as individuals, and treat others with respect. They know that they can be whomever they want to be and know they will get respect also by showing respect. They also know that they can be free to express themselves through their clothes, music of interest, and through their drawings and writings. I have taught them to be creative and enjoy their life even when they feel bored.

Scince we monitor their activities online, they both have their own myspace pages. They have been given our trust, and know what is appropriate and what isn't concerning online and off. We have filters on the computers (there is 5 in our home) and all of them are in the family room. Often times, they are given only an hour a day (This hour does not include homework) of "playtime" on the computer once their chores are done. If they have to be told more than twice to finish a certain chore, they lose their hour for that day. I do not feel this is unfair. If they had tons of chores, then I would reconsider the fact that maybe I am being unreasonable.

C. (the baby) has many many toys. She is asked to pick them up (which I help her with) throughout the day, or before moving on to another activity. (such as blocks or dolls, etc.) My older two are slobs! I admit, their rooms are a disaster! I guess this is normal for a teenager? I honeslty don't bother them much about it...the way I see it is this: It's their space. If they want it to be messy, they floors nowhere to be found, then as long as they keep their door closed when they are not in it-I DO NOT CARE! Granted, once in awhile I do make them clean it when it gets too out of hand.

Did I mention I am not the best housekeeper? LOL! (I'm not super messy) or the house is not unhealthy gross or anything, just a bit of clutter here and there, and maybe it could use a sweepin and moppin more often...but we are happy!

DIPES DIPES DIPES!!!

I admit it...I am a cloth diaper freak! An addict, if you will. I LOVE LOVE LOVE cloth diapers! I love them so much, I make them and the ones I don't make, I bought second hand!
My favorite parenting site is www.diaperswappers.com
I became interested in them when my cousin Briana was born in 1987 and I watched my Aunt Wendy changing her baby. I remember asking questions and recieving answers that made me very curious. My first child, my son was born in 1995. My Mamma flew out when he was 2 days old. She showed me how to use prefolds, pins, and plastic pants. (EWW! I HATE PLASTIC PANTS!)
C. is potty training now, so she only wears them at night and is naked during the day other than a shirt. This makes me soooooo sad :( I miss handling the diapers. Washing them, drying them, and "playing" with them is something I don't get to do very often....BUT,
DID I MENTION I LOVE CLOTH DIAPERS? LOL

First time blogging/Day out for only $14!

Tuesday, September 1st 2009 10:26 pm

Hello everyone! Kelaiah Lynn is my pen name, you can all call me Barb, which is my real name.

Today is my first day as a blogger. I don't quite know what I am doing yet, so bare with me. Feel free to contact me if you have any helpful information on how the heck to do this! LOL...
Today Cheyenne and I ventured out and went all over the place via city bus. I only spent $14! I bought breakfast at McD's (yes I know, not healthy-but it was mostly to let her play in the playplace, and we do not make a habbit of eating there very often) To save myself money I bought the "big breakfast, and shared it with her. (The lady working there gave me 2 free bus passes because she heard me talking about how expensive it is, and scince her husband works with the bus sytem out here, she wanted to be nice) so, I used one for the day andI saved the other) It costs $5.25 for an all day pass if bought as you are boarding the bus, but if you buy one at a ticket location ahead of time, it is $3.50.
I bought my daughter a "cooking" set for $1, 2 12 packs of pens for $1 each, and some green cleaning scrubbers at the .99 cents only store, a tiny "hope chest" and a pair of $1 earings at Bookman's, and...THAT'S IT! We brought frozen water bottles (that used to be sobe lifewaters) to drink from, and 2 apples for a snack.
I had so much fun getting out of the house, and enjoying spending time with my toddler on such little money. By the time we got home we were both very hot and very tired, but it was all worth it.!
Do any of you have some money saving tips on how to have fun? Contact me!
***Anyhow, tomorrow is grocery day. I am not looking forward to that!