Strawberry season

Our friends have had a farm share at local organic farm for a few years now, and I have always wanted to join.  Until this year, I would find myself looking into it too late and would miss the opportunity.  The thing with a farm share is, you have to give the money months before the food is ready to buy.  You are investing in them.  They take the money you give them and buy things to start producing the crop.  It's perfect, really.  This year, I remembered early and got to it in plenty of time!  Now that we're in, the owner will send us emails every year when it's time to buy shares again for the next year.  

This time of year, they have fresh strawberries coming out the wazoo!  Today, I planned a trip up to pick up some lettuce, herbs, tomatoes and strawberries.  The two little ones passed out in their car seats.  Ever since #2 started getting lots of attention for using the potty (1 in diapers feels so nice!!!), #1 has been starving for attention.  I saw this as an opportunity, so the two of us sat in the back and had a strawberry snack tailgate party.

They were so delicious.  This batch was extremely juicy.  #1 loved it.  I enjoyed slowing time down just a little bit to watch her little face as she ate strawberry after strawberry.  She won't be little forever!

Sick kids after vacation!

All three kids are sick with head colds! It doesn't slow #1 or #2 down much at all, but with #3 being so young, it affects him a number of ways. Mainly with his sleeping and eating. The poor little guy had such a hard time sleeping last night. At 3 months, he still does a majority of breathing through his nose, so imagine trying to drink something when your nose is all blocked up. No thanks! So, he hasn't been as efficient with his eating, isn't getting as much at each sitting, therefore needing to eat more often. No fun for him and with not much sleep for me last night, my day will be interesting. Every mom goes through this, especially with an infant. If newborns came with a warning sign, the number one warning would be "causes sleep deprivation" so I'm just going with it. However, since #3 has been sleeping for longer periods of time at night, I have been spoiled with sleep as compared to my experiences with the last two. Today, I will be in a fog. But, as long as I make sure the kids diapers are changed and they eat 3 good meals, I'll call it good!

I am a stay at home mom, so it is my job to obsess about the health, activities and overall life of my children. When something is off with one of the kids, I obsess about it. So much that, at times, it keeps me up at night. A lot of mothers can relate to this... or maybe it's just my obsessive personality and I'm really the freak here. So anyways, my new obsessive motherly concern has been #2's poop cycle. She has had digestive issues since she started solid foods at 6 months. It's like a roller coaster with her. Some days, it will be a normal consistency, but most of the time it's firm. There are periods where she bleeds because it is too firm. Considering her symptoms, I'm thinking it is either a milk allergy, or some type of gluten intolerance... but I'm not a doctor. What do I know? When I mentioned it to her doctor at #3's last appointment (they all share the same doctor), she sort of brushed it off and suggested trying fiber tablets. When I went to the pharmacy to pick them up, the pharmacist thought it was kind of odd to be giving a 2 year old fiber tablets. You should have seen the look on his face. He suggested a laxative and said that's what he has seen most 2 year olds do fine with. Needless to say, I ended up with the laxative, but luckily I didn't have to use it. On the way home, she delivered the package!!! I was thrilled!

I was not comfortable giving her either of the suggested remedies. She eats very well, as does the other one. I could see if their diet consisted of McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, but these kids eat VERY well, as I told her doctor at the appointment (and the pharmacist). Steel cut oats or yogurt for breakfast every day, 100% whole wheat or whole grain breads, veggies and/or fruit at every meal. We don't even eat that much meat. I pay very close attention to what goes into their bodies. I even buy them organic everything. Not that buying organic means you are more healthy... I'm just saying. You would never guess that one of them has a constipation problem. Something has to be up with her system. So, I have decided to cut dairy out of her diet until her 2 year check in a few weeks. After a week, I have seen some improvement, but nothing too drastic. Her regularity is a little bit better and I see a slight improvement on consistency, but not to the point where I feel like the problem is solved. I will keep dairy out until her appointment and see what happens. If her Dr. suggests a laxative or fiber tabs again, I'm switching doctors and calling a GI specialist.

If there is one thing I've learned over the years, it is to trust your instincts. Nobody knows your children better than you. If you suspect something is up, well... something is up. My mother's intuition tells me something is off. It also tells me to switch pediatrician's. I have the feeling that my concerns... as few and far between as they are... are being brushed off and I don't like that. Especially considering we are very easy patients. The only time we see her is at the well child checks... which may seem like a lot to her, but we have 3 kids 3 years and under. They go to the doctors a lot for vaccinations. Not my fault!

#1 starts preschool on Monday! So much to do before then, so I must get going.

Back to reality... why not record it?

This blog will essentially be about my life as a stay at home mom trying to raise three children three and under (for now) in a world where toxins are everywhere. From the pesticides in our food causing ADD (among other things) to chemicals in plastics thought to cause prostate cancer, behavioral problems in children and affecting brain growth in little ones. I never thought much about buying local and organic, and I certainly didn't think much about toxic chemicals leaching into foods and drinks from our plastic water bottles and fancy tupperware. I didn't think any of it was important... until #1 was born three and a half years ago. That is when the self educating began!

So, my new adventure as a blogging mom begins. I am a tad worried about keeping up with it, but if I remind myself that it can be a keepsake for my babies, I have faith that the entries will keep coming. Stay tuned...