Try it if you dare!

After the success of the homemade liquid laundry detergent recipe, I have been exploring other items we can make on our own.  This recipe for natural homemade deodorant is anther hit.  I was skeptical at first, but after putting it through it's paces ;)  I can say it works better than store bought!  And without the carcinogens (think lymph nodes and breast cancer here) and aluminum (which has been linked to Alzhiemers disease) that most store brands contain.

Next up, my sister and I are going to attempt homemade soap...

        

Deep thoughts...by Owen....

My morning conversation with Owen, we are snuggled on the couch with his hands and nose in my hair:

Me: "Good morning buddy, how did you sleep last night?"

O: "Good, except when I woke up."

Me:  "Why did you wake up?"

O:  "My bed is not comfortable."

Me:  "Is that why you came into Mommy and Daddy's bed?  You know Daddy wants you to stay in your own bed."

O:  "Yes, your bed is so big and comfortable, and I just love you so much.  When I'm big, you will buy me a new bed?"

Me:  "When you are big and have a job and move out, you can buy what ever bed you want."

O:  "But, I'm not moving out remember?  I'm going to stay here with you and Daddy forever."

Me:  "OK, will you have a job?"

O:  "No."

Me:  "What will you do all day?"

O:  "Well, I guess I'll do my chores, and the girls will be gone so I'll have to do their chores too.  I'll be in charge of the dishes, and the napkins, and the wiping, and stuff, is that OK, Mom?"

Me: "Sure, big guy, but why do you want to stay here?"

O:  "Because I would miss you and Daddy if I wasn't here, and you would miss me."

Me:  "That's true"

O:  "You won't forget, will you Mom?"

Me:  "Not a chance."

Baked Oatmeal

Because growing bodies need good food, to have the energy to do fun things like this...

Here is a recipe for baked oatmeal, it sounds yummy.  I'm starting it tonight!  

Oh, I'm also attempting to make my own yogurt in the CrockPot....wish me luck!

Pondering this today...

"Here is how I see it – God does not trust us…he knows us all too well for that!  He knows our abilities, he knows our talents, and he knows our weaknesses and he also knows that we are just about guaranteed to screw up most of what he asks of us.  And he is perfectly ok with that.  What I believe is that, knowing our inabilities and our fears and our weaknesses, God intentionally gives us challenges that are way above our pay grade.  Way, way, way, way above it in many cases! Do you really believe that God would test us just to confirm for himself that he knew we could handle it all along?  Again, I’m no expert, but I do not believe this is how it works.  Rather, I believe he tests us in order to force our hand, to create circumstances in our lives which cause us to make the decision, one way or the other.   Do we leave our own ambitions and judgments and understanding behind us and lean on him like we have never leaned before?  Or instead do we continue to do things our way and shoulder the load with no guiding hand from above?"

-Ethan Jones

So happy to see this...

     Reece's Rainbow has started an out-reach program called Connecting the Rainbow.  The goal is to eliminate the need for Reece's Rainbow, by allowing children born with special needs to stay with their family of origin.   This can be accomplished by changing the social stigma of raising a child with special needs in Eastern European countries.

    As we move closer to bringing Ben home, I find myself thinking about his birth mother more and more.  Was she young and unmarried?  Married with other children?  Was he their first child?  Did she want to keep him, but a doctor advised her to go home and forget about him?  As a mother, I can't imagine having to make that choice, simply because my child was not going to fit the typical mold.  Society would not accept him, so I shouldn't either.  How many times a day does she think of him?
 
    We don't know much about the circumstances surrounding his abandonment.  I hope for his sake that she did not know about his defect before he was born, so that at least he felt loved and wanted while she carried him.  Suddenly being separated from that familiar heart beat is one thing, but being bathed in rejection for 9 months is another.  The research showing just how much the fetus is actually aware of is amazing.

   I will never sit in judgement of her.  I truly wish that they were able to remain together, that there was no photo listing of waiting children.  I do no deserve him more than she does.  I will forever feel a deep sorrow for her loss, and hope for a day when the stigma is erased.

   I will do all I can to support organizations like Connecting the Rainbow that are working toward eliminating the need to find forever families for these children, through awareness, education, and social change.  Not by simply eliminating the problem with the development of a more reliable and widely used prenatal diagnostic tool.  Remember, the abortion rate is over 90% for DS.  It's a double edged sword.  Ben was allowed into this world probably because he was conceived in a third world country, yet shut away because of that same fact.  The solution is not easy, nothing surrounding adoption is.  It is not acceptable, however, to allow those currently being affected to wait in inhumane conditions while we figure it out.   Every child deserves a family.  Thank goodness there is a plan B for these children.  Thank goodness that to adoptive parents every where, these children are not second best to us.

Way to go Reece's Rainbow, keep up the amazing work!