From Kate

Out of nowhere and direct from Kate's mouth to my ears today: "Mommy, I love being four years old." Yes, Kate, I bet you do. :)

Organic Food Update

Quick update on our food change. It seems to be working! Ashton's having more green faced days at school, Paul and I have had the energy to hit the gym 4-5 days a week, I've lost 7 lbs and Kate, well, she always ate well.

We aren't 100% organic and unprocessed 100% of the time, but have focused on organic dairy (to help keep the hormones away from Kate's undeveloped body), organic produce for items that would be directly sprayed with chemicals(apples, grapes, etc) as opposed to items in the ground such as onions, traded up for much better tasting free range eggs and eliminated almost all high-fructose corn syrup. (I even have HFC free ketchup, but can't find a similar Ranch dressing product). It was shocking as I paid attention to the food labels of the products I was buying and where I found high fructose corn syrup. I may pay $7 a bottle for pasta sauce, but it tastes as good as it is healthy.

The other thing that I think has been of tremendous health benefits is we are getting away from the "meat and two" mentality. Instead of thinking of dinner as meat-centered and a veggie and carb side, I plan our meals around veggies/fruit in season with meat as a seasoning or side. This is proven to be less expensive and I think helps us up our fruit/veggie intake.

Great examples:
Stir Fry
Pasta dishes (just tried the butternut squash pasta sauce from Costco and Ashton loved it!)
Rice and veggie casseroles
Seafood dishes
Curries

I hope you've made some changes and are feeling better too!

Semi-Annual Fall Poem

Re-posting of my autumn poem -
Falling From Me
By Dawn Reid

O leaves that fall from our tree.
Staying one more week, frozen in time and frost.
Your peak is pretty as can be,
But in the wind and fluttering you are lost.

To my little ones I request the same,
Stay for me, young and innocent a little longer.
Alas they do not listen either,
Growing always older and taller.

Tooth Fairy Learning Curve...

Ashton, I hope that by the time you can read this, if you ever do, the truth doesn't stun you about your parents lack of basic parenting skills or the fact there is no Tooth Fairy.

Last week Ashton lost his 1st tooth. Bottom right. As exciting as that was for us all, the real story here is the faulty tooth fairy.

Ashton was so excited about thoughts of a winged being putting some cash behind his pillow he couldn't fall asleep. As we waited for a safe time to enter his room and swap tooth for money, Paul drifted off to dreamland. Around 11pm I was able to slip in, take the tooth and place $5 under his pillow. Apparently, at some point in the night, Ashton tossed and turned knocking the money off his bed.

Then, around Paul's normal time to go to work, 3am-ish, unaware I'd already played Tooth Fairy, he entered Ashton's room. According to Paul he spent a fair amount of time rooting around Ashton's room looking for the tooth and not seeing the missing money I'd already placed there. During this time Ashton apparently partially woke up, so Paul stashed the cash and went to work.

How did I know about what happened with Paul/Ashton? The next morning Ashton comes racing down the stairs to proudly show me his $5 and tell me he saw the Tooth Fairy. "Mommy" he says "I saw the Tooth Fairy last night...well at least half of it. There were no wings, only grey and white striped shorts like Daddy's. I think Daddy is the Tooth Fairy." I was quickly tried to cover the snafu by telling a white lie around Daddy coming to check on him to make sure he was asleep. I then VERY quickly threw out the suggestion of immediately going to pick out a new toy for his Tooth Fairy money to be spent on. I shamlessly admit this was to continue distracting him and hope my son still holds on to what little bit of his childhood essence his too mature self possesses.

By the way, he already has a 2nd loose tooth!

Also, side note, Ashton was able to get the $20 suitcase to hold his Hot Wheel cars as a result of a combination of this mix up and his kindness. With only $5, he asked if he could get the $20 toy he'd been eyeing. When asked where his piggy bank money was to cover the spread, he told me it was empty. "Empty?" I said raising an eyebrow and picturing candy or stickers he most likely blew it on. "Yes Mommy, I gave all my money to kids with lukemia" (fundraiser at his school) he replied quietly. "Well" I told him, "maybe I could help with the difference, just this once." And of course Kate got the purple baby doll and stroller she'd been eyeing. (Teeth are one costly body part.)

My True Story - There Is Good In This World

I just came across this old email I had written to myself, Dec. 2007, before I began blogging and wanted to share. Enjoy, it's my true story.

Dawn's Story:
As a sleep deprived mother of a 1 year old and 2 year old, I have to admit I'm not always at my peak awareness. On Sunday, December 2, 2007 after a meeting for work I stopped for a quick bite at a fast food restaurant on the way home. Not paying attention while calling my husband on my cell phone, I left the restaurant minus my purse (which I had left on the back of my chair.)

Now, everyone cringes at the thought of loosing their wallet and/or purse, but this was a particularly bad incident due to the fact I had stowed the wedding set my father had given my mother (and was now mine) as well as the small diamond and peridot necklace my husband had managed to afford on our meager income last Christmas in there. (Apparently, due to the high stress in my life, I had been breaking out in a rash where the white gold had been touching my skin, and I was planning on seeing a jeweler about it the next day). After arriving home 30 minutes later and realizing what I had left, I broke out in tears and called the restaurant. As I had feared, the purse had not been spotted by the staff or turned in. I then called the police and the wonderful female officer that was put in touch with me went immediately to the site and checked around. Still no purse. Many tears later over the course of two days, I came to realize that while the loss was a terrible one, my marriage was still very much intact in spite of the stress of our lives and that is what mattered most.

But then, that Wednesday, there came a knock on our front door and a man stood there with a handwritten note with a name and a phone number of a man to call saying only his boss had sent him. When my husband called the number, it turned out to be the boyfriend of the woman who had found my purse! When I spoke to Cheryl, she said she had seen my purse at the Wendy’s, looked into it and noticed the wedding set first. She then told me a story of how her wedding set had been stolen when she was 25 years old and how she had never gotten over it and wanted to be sure I got my set back. She then asked if I would meet her at the restaurant so she could return the purse. I was too scared to ask about the jewelry, afraid it was not there. Still, not believing my ears I rushed my family into the car stopping only at Costco to pick up 2 dozen yellow roses and $100 in cash. While we waited I penned a thank you note telling her how much the gesture meant to me and how she had set the example I hoped to live by for the rest of my days. Just as I finished she pulled up in the passenger side of an older model car with some body damage, a woman my age driving. Cheryl's daughter handed me my purse through the window as tears came to my eyes. Cheryl insisted that I check the contents of the purse while she watched with pride in her eyes saying that everything should be there and she had carefully placed the jewelry in a little baggy, then into a side compartment. My thoughts raced – the set should have been given quietly to her daughter, pawned at a shop to get money to repair their car, sold on ebay.com to earn Christmas gift money…but it wasn’t. I will forever be grateful to Cheryl and family and while we aren’t what I would consider “friends” she will be in my thoughts and prayers always and a part of my family history and lore for generations to come.

Food Inc and Our Family

Just a note, Paul and I recently watched the documentary "Food, Inc" and it scared the beejeezus out of us both. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend. Michael Pollan is featured in the documentary and I've read his book - "In Defense of Food" and really agree with his thoughts, particularly following the recent salmonella/egg outbreak.

I just spent 45 minutes walking around WalMart searching for food to put in Kate's lunch that we have to provide each day she's in daycare and Ashton's daily snack that did not have the main ingredients as high fructose corn syrup, sugar or some other random ingredient list. My goodness...even the Mott's applesauce has high fructose corn syrup in it (except two select varieties). But, after a week of little to no eating out, mostly organic and higher quality food, Paul and I both agree that we are feeling much better. He's had the energy to work out and I've been sick, but not sluggish. Ashton and Kate seem to be in better spirits as well. I think that going forward, to be sustainable, I'll try to focus on feed our family seasonal produce, organic dairy (to reduce the amount of hormones already large Kate is exposed to) and grass fed meat and free range eggs.

We are also planning on taking the kids to more working farms, farmers markets and really making sure they understand where their food comes from.

I highly recommend the change, it's worth the investment of both time and money.

The way I view the way our family eats is this, if I'm not spending the money to feed us well, I may as well plan to spend the money on medicine to heal us and I'd rather be proactive instead of reactive.

As the kids have had multiple visits to the dentist (Ashton's had a root canal!), my mother's been ill with mysterious digestive issues, my aunt is diagnosed with breast cancer, my father has issues eating foods and my husband's family has a terrible history of health problems, I have to really work and am trying to make sure my children have some sort of chance at health and happiness... We'll see if this is sustainable, and I hope it is, but even if it's not, I suppose every little bit helps.

Food Inc., check it out along with reading "In Defense of Food". Life changing.

Life Gets In the Way

It's been a moment since I last updated this blog, but just had to come back to it. As I read my past entries, I realized how key writing this stuff down really is. The moments flutter away like the butterflies we raised from caterpillars this past spring and then, in the blink of an eye, they are gone.
After quitting a job with hours that exhausted me, I enrolled in Villanova's Master Certificate program in PM and began a new chapter in our life. Unexpectedly I got a job in my new field much quicker than I imagined and have been balancing 45-50 hour weeks (billable that is!) with completing my school work and raising these great kids of mine. = Little time to blog. But I wanted to capture some recent memories before they fly off and are gone forever.

• Ashton was outside the other day, looking for a spider to bite him so he could become Spiderman.
• Kate thinks that a red princess dress-up dress, pink fairy wings, a pink boa, sneakers and a t-shirt with a wand is the perfect ensemble to hold a video conference call with grandma.
• Our recently acquired cat's new official name, courtesy of Ashton, is "New Kitty Candy Cane Cupcake Christmas".
• Paul ran over a baby turtle the other day while mowing the lawn. Somehow, it survived the blades, and the kids really did think it could live in our empty sandbox and subsist off bananas. After careful reconsideration, we placed him back in the yard to go and "find his mommy and daddy".
• Ashton spent a great [GREAT] summer at a new daycamp. They focused on going outside 3 times a day, not a huge focus on academics, let the kids be kids, and he thrived. The kids all great him by name when he arrives and he even has a "girlfriend". I know this because he made her a bracelet at home, gave it to her in front of me, then denied it with a "Come on Mom! I don't want to talk about this!"
• We are struggling to get Ashton into school. Even though he got his 2nd and 1st choice in the Magnet lottery, though a technical glitch, he's going to his home school, the very scary Piney Grove. Paul is trying to work through it with one week left before school begins.
• The family across the street, Richard's family, moved due to a criminal neighbor invading their house. A week later, the criminals moved. Ashton has been heartbroken and will suddenly drift into silence with a sad look on his face exclaiming "I miss Richard Mommy." followed by a sigh. We try to get them together as much as possible, but Richard's parents each work a few jobs and their schedules are all over the place.
• Candy Cane cupcake eats when he's bored, according to Paul, and apparently the cat is b-o-r-e-d. It looks like he's swallowed a basketball and he sleeps on his back with his giant stomach stretched out like a stripped landscape.

We are planning a vacation soon, Ashton starts Kindergarten and Kate will have a pony birthday party for Kate. Look for more posts soon!

Photo Friday!

Sorry for the delay, I had a nasty stomach bug this week. But here is Photo Friday (on Sat) for the week!

GO BRIAN GO!

Last week the kids went to stay with my Mom for the weekend. Finally, Paul and I had some much needed time alone. And how did we spend it you ask? Exactly! Going to UNCC to watch Brian in a chess tournament. And not only did we watch him, we painted ourselves to show support in the silent room, realizing we would have to be completly slient.

Ok, when he invited us, did we know we'd be the ONLY spectators there? No. Did we know we could get him disqualified for being a distraction? No. Did we realize we'd cause him to loose all focus and subsuquently the match? No. But did we mean well? YES!

Go Brian go! (And stop getting beat by 8 year olds ok?!?)

Photo Friday!

New feature for my blog begins today - "Photo Friday". Every Friday I'll try to add a little visual interest to the collection. Here is the first one:

Art in Progress

Notice how Ashton is thinking hard and focused (you can tell by his tongue) and Kate is carefully contemplation her art and gaining perspective. My little Rembrandts!

And here is my 2nd entry:

Cat Up a Tree
This was so odd to us, seeing Candy Cane climbing a tree and being so far up. You see, Buddy Cat is not very cat-like and Candy Cane is all-cat. Buddy's never climbed a tree (and after his broken leg I don't blame him) and so the children found it odd to be told cats do this all the time.

Kate the Komedian

Kate, Kate, bursting at the seams with personality these days. So silly with your life-turned-musical-turned-melodrama. So funny with your jokes and quick wit. And so tiny still, at 3 years of age.

A song she sang today while on the potty in the bathroom of Costco: "Don'tttttttttttttt say stupidddddddd. Or you will go to time out, time out, timeeeee oooouuuutttt. And that won't be very fun, fun, fun."

Story she told me yesterday while I put her to sleep: "You be the Kate and I'll be the Mommy. And Daddy can be Ashton and Ashton can be Daddy. Yes, you grow down and be Kate and I'll grow up and be Mommy."

Looking at her hairbrush "Someone colored on this hairbrush and it wasn't me. The man is gonna come and get someone who colored on this hairbrush with a pen. Mommy hold me!" (She then used her hairbrush to brush the wall and sang "Brush, brush, brush the wall. Merrily, merrily, merrily, brushing the wall with haaaaaaaaaair brush.")

Talking about colors. Kate: "Mommy, I don't want pink and purple to be my favorite color any more. I want blue." Me: "But blue is MY favorite color and you can't have it." Kate: "Hey, wait! We can share favorite colors and there can be two blues! One for me and one for you." Me: No, I'll just make pink and purple my favorite colors then and you can have blue." Kate: "Nooooooo! Ok, I'm sorry. Please give me back my favorite color pink and purple."

I found myself watching one of my favorite all time movies last night, "Funny Face" with Barbara Streisand, and couldn't help but think of you, my darling Kate. So tonight I put you to sleep saying "Hello gorgeous" in my best Babs impersonation. You were not impressed, not at all, but maybe someday you will be. Sweet dreams for my sweet Kate.

Carefully Laid Plans

Today, I feel a heavy weight on my shoulders as I register Ashton for our school system's magnet program lottery. For those who don't know, in Charlotte we have the option to send out kids to our neighborhood school or to enter a lottery for a chance to send them to various programs tailored to start them on specific tracks. My 1st choice is the Talent Development/Learning Immersion school down the street and the 2nd choice is a Padeia Academy. (Info on both - Padiea http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/ci/MagnetPrograms/MagnetThemes/Pages/PaideiaAcademy.aspx and TD/LI http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/ci/MagnetPrograms/MagnetThemes/Pages/LearningTalentDevelopment.aspx I'm not sure if these programs are "better", more structured, or just different. As I click the submit button to put my child's future into a bucket of chances I wonder, hope, and pray that I am doing what is best for him. What if he gets a lottery selection and it's too hard and he beats himself up all the time or too easy and he goofs off? Or what if he feels like I short changed him if he doesn't get in because the 1st day to register was today but I waited until the afternoon to do it? What if the kids are too rough on my rising kindergartner and he becomes rough to fit in? What happens when he leaves the safe confines of my home and kids his age to be around big bad 5th graders? He'll want to ride the bus and I will want to drive him. He'll miss his best friend Richard, who is not in a magnet program, and I'll feel guilty.
I feel myself wanting to cry as I type this because, while I'm gaining a kindergartner I'll be loosing my baby forever. It's been awhile since the roundness of his toddler face melted into the slim profile of a boy, but I do find myself still wanting to cradle him at times, swaddled in a blanket.
As he goes off to school, my first born and valuable treasure, I know that Paul and I will no longer be his only heroes. He'll be learning life lessons we won't/can't teach him and we can't fully protect him anymore. He'll go through the rough patches and the proud moments and I won't be there to help him or applaud him. People warned me raising a child would be a roller coaster ride of emotion. I still find myself caught unprepared as we ascend this hill with the slow click-clicks-click of anticipation.
I hope I am doing what is best for him by interfering and that the track I'm setting him out on brings out the best and happiness in him and to him. I can only wish that because I am doing this with love and care it will all work out for the best. I know that he will be so excited and happy on his first day of school and hope it stays that way as he crosses the stage and holds up his college diploma high.
What I do know is that he will grow to be a capable and fulfilled man and will find his place and happiness in the world. I just can't help but feel the weight of my little boy's future on my shoulders, knowing that the first step of his life's academic journey is still such an important one.
Don't get me started on Kate and how emotional I will be when she runs off to her 1st day of school and I am left alone!)