I Kicked Chuck Norris....VGNO

I kicked Chuck Norris on your car because I'm NOT crazy!

Ok, so I am jumping in this week and joining the Virtual Girls Night Out with Ann and friends. Thanks to Pam at Country Mouse City Mouse for introducing me to it. Its a virtual party where you don't have to get out of your jammies while hanging out with blog friends. Its time to blog-hop and meet new people. Looks like fun! Head over to Ann's to join in!

As for the Kicking Chuck Norris thing...
here is a fun game Ann has posted for tonight, from Sassy Irish Lassie, its called "I Did What?!?" Please join in the fun and let me know what YOU did! =)

Pick the month you were born:
January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I karate chopped
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbour
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19------ - a smurf
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------an iPod
29-------a surfer
30-------a homeless guy
31-------a llama

What is the last number of the year you were born:
1--------- In my car
2 --------- On your car
3 ----------- In a hole
4 ----------- Under your bed
5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle
6 --------- sliding down a hill
7 --------- in an elevator
8---------- at the dinner table
9 -------- In line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White---------because I'm cool like that
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red-----------because the voices told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green---------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown---------because I can.
Other----------because I'm a Ninja!
None----------because I can't control myself



And also, head on over to JAM's for some virtual daydreaming. I just saw it so I had to add it in!

Your blog has gotten incredibly popular. You have been asked to be a guest on all of the talk shows to discuss the amazing contents of your posts. (Yeah, I'm chuckling too. But a girl can dream.)

I think I would appear on either Ellen because I would get to dance and have lots of fun and we share a love of animals, or I would go on Regis and Kelly because I have watched Regis since I was little and he cracks me up every time he says "incidentally". Regis and Kelly have a special place in my heart =)

I would wear a cute little dress with some awesome heels on Regis and Kelly (Kelly loves heels!) and on Ellen I would be more casual.

Our Little Visitor

This morning I looked outside and saw that we had some company staying in one of our 2 big trees. Here is a pic. Sorry it isn't very good, my little Nikon doesn't have a very good zoom =(


Our little raccoon friend must have gotten treed by Cody, our Border Collie since his doghouse is right under that tree lol. Poor little guy! He must have been feasting on some leftover corn in the field and wandered over to the tree and discovered Cody. Yikes! Up the tree to safety. Too bad he didn' realize that he could jump down onto the other side of the fence that is also right below the tree and then Cody couldn't get him, oh well.

Thankful Thursday - My Hubby

Ok, so this really should have been my first Thankful Thursday post, but here it is now. I am Thankful for my husband. We have been together for almost 9 years, married for almost 2. He is my everything! He is such a hard worker, he has been working 2 jobs lately so we can afford for me to stay at home with our son. He wasn't getting home until 11 at night during the week and we didn't go to bed until after midnight. He even worked Saturday and Sunday mornings. But now he is out of work for a while (for the extra job, he still has his regular 40 hr job, praise the Lord!) so he is home in the evenings, except for when he has track practice. He coaches HS throwing. Track season is about to take off here in a couple weeks, so he won't be around much again, but that is ok. I know he enjoys it. Maybe the baby and I will even be able to go to a meet or 2 with him this year.

Anyway...back to why I am Thankful for my hubby! =) He is very caring and so sweet with our son. He is very generous when he is able to be. He is fun-loving and hilarious and can always make me smile. He is my best friend in the whole wide world! I thank God for him each and every day. I know I don't show him enough how much I appreciate him, but I really, really do! I don't know what I would do without him (cliche, but true!).

I love you sweetie, so very, very much! Its like that Bryan Adams song from Robinhood Prince of Thieves - Everything I Do, I Do It for You! Thank you for working so hard to provide for me and the baby, you truly are my prince!

Do you have something to be Thankful for? Let everyone know about it! Just enter your name or name of your blog and add the link to your specific Thankful Thursday post (not your blog's homepage please!) Also, please add the Thankful Thursday logo or link to my blog in your post. Have fun and thanks for joining me!

WFMW - No Excuses Workout

Alright ladies (and guys) =) here it is. For the last 2 months (almost) I have been doing the No Excuses Workout with Jonathan Roche. If you do are a Flybaby, no doubt you have heard about it. You can get free daily tips and workouts in your email if you join the Yahoo group. I joined the Yahoo group because I wanted to try to lose some of the weight from when I was pregnant. I have been holding on to an extra 25 lbs or so for the last YEAR+. ARGH!! Granted, I haven't exactly tried very hard to lose it, but it has been frustrating seeing others that have had babies since (SISTER) and they just seem to go right back to normal. :-P So I have only been doing these short workouts for about 7 weeks (and NOT very consistently) and I lost 5 lbs within the first 2! After that I kinda slacked a bit, so I stayed about the same, but I started back up last week and I have lost another 2 lbs! On Monday, Wednesday and Friday you do intervals and Tuesday and Thursday are the No Excuses Workout, which is 6 minutes of strength training (eventually working up to 24 mins). Free pdf instructions are on the website, just follow the Flylady link when you get there. So far, this is working for me, maybe it will work for you too!

To find other WFMW tips, head over to We Are THAT Family.

No more games!

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent (the 40 days and 6 Sundays leading up to Easter). I have been trying to think of something to give up for the 40 days and it hit me today. What is my biggest distraction during the day? The internet? No, not really....facebook? Not even that. It is the GAMES on facebook! So I will be giving up playing those games because I am quite honestly a wee bit addicted. And when I say wee bit, I mean WAY A LOT! ;-) A few years ago I gave up chocolate and that turned out to be not all that hard (if you know me, that is a big deal!) but this game thing is going to be a real challenge. I know it will be a wonderful thing though, because it will free up a TON of time for me to make a nice daily schedule of cleaning and organizing and cooking and soon, gardening! I think its really been hard because we have been stuck inside all winter so once the warm weather comes we will be able to go outside and DO stuff! I am actually pretty excited for this Lenten challenge, I also need to revamp spiritually so this is the perfect opportunity. Please pray for me to keep God as my focus and keep satan under foot because I know he will tempt me to play my dumb games!

Down to 3

As some of you may know, I have been breastfeeding my son. We did it exclusively for about the first 6 months and then added in some food here and there because he was very interested in it and so he could get used to different textures, flavors, etc. Well, now he is 13 months old and we have dwindled the nursing down to about 3 times a day - morning, noonish and before bed. It is kind of bittersweet. I wanted to follow his cues and we made it well into a year so I am happy about that, but I am going to miss the bonding time. Oh well, he is an active little guy now, soon he won't have any time for mommy at all! ;-) Breastfeeding has been such a wonderful experience and I hope to be able to do it with our future little one(s)!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did NOT make Special K bars AND chocolate chip cookies within 2 days of each other and then proceed to eat MOST of them (Jim helped at least!)

I did NOT forget that I ran out of baking powder and start making homemade waffles. And I did NOT freak out when I realized I didn't have any baking powder. I did NOT then search the internet for a homemade baking powder recipe and find one! I am NOT so excited that I was able to save the waffles!

I did NOT forget to mail my friend's birthday card until today...and her birthday is tomorrow!

I am NOT letting my son have naked time and run around and possibly use the floor as a potty, not ME!

I am NOT wearing the same shirt I slept in last night...I just took a shower and everything, its just so comfy! =)

Mmmm!

Jimmy loves to eat! In fact, he lets us know just how much EVERY time he eats something. Here is a video of him eating. Enjoy!

Cool T-Shirt Designs

Go vote 5 for my friend's t-shirt design! He has tons of other designs too, check them out! =)

Thankful Thursday - Flylady

I am Thankful for Flylady! I know I have been talking about her a lot lately, but it is for good reason!! =) I have really buckled down this week, since my Flylady post last week on Works for Me Wednesday (and the one for this week, I shined my sink!), and I feel so much better! I had been doing pretty well with it for a while, but then I got lazy and unmotivated. I just didn't want to do anything! But thanks to my fellow Flybabies and the daily emails, I made myself DO it! I have kept up with the dishes, laundry and daily missions and am now starting to declutter again. I actually LIKE doing the dishes a couple at a time, as they get dirty instead of after there is a huge mountain of nasty, greasy plates and bowls in the sink.

Thanks Flylady, you are just what the doctor ordered! Before you, when I had a brand new baby, I had no clue how to manage my household AND take care of a baby. But over the last (almost) year you have taught me that babysteps count and if I can just do something a little at a time, I can accomplish huge tasks.

Do you have something to be Thankful for? Let everyone know about it! Just enter your name or name of your blog and add the link to your specific Thankful Thursday post (not your blog's homepage please!) Also, please add the Thankful Thursday logo or link to my blog in your post. Have fun and thanks for joining me!

Cardboard Testimonies

Check this out, it was sent to me in an email. I thought I would share it with everyone. Get your tissues! =)

Cardboard Testimonies

WFMW - BKF for Rust Removal

Welcome to Works for Me Wednesday!

This week I want to share my experiences with a product called Bar Keeper's Friend (or BKF as I call it). I LOVE this product. We have very "irony" well water, even with a water softener. Our kitchen faucet leaks (we could fix it, but I just want a new one and am waiting for one to go one sale =) ) so I have to clean the rust out of the basin all the time. Bar Keeper's Friend is the best thing I have found to get rid of the rust quickly, safely (no harmful fumes, its all natural) and inexpensively. I get it at Target for about $1.67 for a 21 oz. can. Here are before and after pics (I LOVE now-you-see-it, now-you-don't!) of my kitchen sink and our bathtub. I let them get all rusty just for you all, although its not nearly as rusty as before I found BKF!

It took me less than 15 minutes (love my Flylady timer!) to scrub and rinse each one.

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more great Works for Me Wednesday tips!

Go Vote!

This is a poll on msnbc.com. I am just posting it for those interested.
Please, no debating on the 'ole blog! I have disabled comments for this post.

Live Vote: Should ‘In God We Trust’ be yanked? - Faith- msnbc.com
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com
Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency?

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Let me start by saying the I did NOT let Jimmy cry in his crib for longer than 10 minutes the other morning while I covered my head up with the covers wishing he would just let me sleep a LITTLE longer!! I would never do that, not me!!

I did NOT make heart shaped stamps for him to make daddy a Valentine's card and let him play in the red and pink paint.....

I have NOT been letting Jimmy run around (in the house!) in nothing but a diaper on and off for the last few days when it is only like 30 degrees outside!

I am absolutely NOT a wee bit sad that Jimmy is finally walking pretty well, and I do NOT miss him being a little baby totally dependent on me =(

I certainly did NOT allow Jimmy to eat sugary, refined, processed junk food at my friend's daughter's 2nd birthday party on Valentine's Day - No Way! Not THIS health conscious momma! (ha, thanks for reminding me Katie! lol)

I do NOT sometimes wish I had a laptop so I could sit in the living room and watch Jimmy play or watch certain tv shows while blogging or playing games on facebook or researching baby and horse stuff....not ME! That would be completely and utterly LAZY!

A Valentine for Daddy

Jimmy making his first Valentine (mommy helped) =) Mommy made him a couple of potato stamps, we had fun!

Jimmy Growling

I finally got a video of my sweet little baby boy growling. It's a little more "high pitched" than normal, but the other video I have is a little long, didn't want to bore anyone =)
Check it out -


Please note that he has a sock in each hand, he almost always HAS to have something in each hand, whether it is a sock, a little toy, or a wipe (we use cloth wipes). He is so funny!

Mr. Linky is up

Ok everyone, I think I figured out Mr. Linky, so if anyone wants to join in on Thankful Thursday, please stop on by! I would love to have you =)

Thankful Thursday - Kathy

This is kind of like a Part 2 to last week =)

I am Thankful for my step-mom Kathy. She is such a great woman, friend and "mom." She has 4 children of her own (all of whom are "adults," well, except David, but he is almost there) but she works so hard to make me and my siblings feel like part of the family too. Whether it is having family picnics, canoe outings or just hanging out and eating dinner, she always makes sure we feel loved and accepted. I am so very blessed to have her in my life! She really helps fill the void left from losing my mom. She is always there if I need someone to talk to and is always ready to give motherly advice. Thanks for everything Kathy! Love you!


This week I am adding Mr. Linky to Thankful Thursday so please join in! Just enter your name and add the link to your specific Thankful Thursday post (not your blog's homepage please!) Also, please add the Thankful Thursday logo or link to my blog in your post. Have fun and thanks for joining me!

WFMW - Flylady

I am sure a lot of you already know about Flylady and perhaps you are a Flybaby yourself. Have you fallen off the bandwagon? Well, its time to jump back on! Do you need a home cleaning routine that works, but don't know where to start? Well look no further!

I have been doing Flylady for almost a year now and it is AWESOME! It gives me a great daily cleaning routine that is easy and not very time consuming - which is quite important with a 1 year old! If you join (its FREE) you will receive emails with great cleaning tips, inspiration and sometimes recipes, exercise tips and more. There is a weekly zone cleaning with daily missions that will help you get your house clean in no time. The Flylady says, "You can do anything for 15 minutes!" And it is true! Babysteps is all it takes to get your life and home in better working order.

I have always had a problem with clutter and with Flylady, I am learning to let go and "bless others" with my "stuff." I hope you will join in the fun, and once you do, you will be so glad you did. And don't be surprised if you discover friends and family that are already Flybabies. I have recently discovered many of the women I have known for a long time are Flybabies. It has been so neat to learn that I have a support group and didn't even know it!

I will tell you one little secret to getting a clean house: You actually have to DO something about it. It isn't going to clean itself! Flylady gives you great tips and routines, but you have to DO them! Flylady Works for Me, hopefully it will work for you, click here to get started!

Head on over to Rocks in My Dryer to see more Works for Me Wednesday tips!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

So I am jumping in and taking part in telling the world what I DIDN'T do recently =)

I am NOT sitting here at the computer typing this while I should be out in the barn doing horsie chores so my hubby doesn't have too when he gets home from his 2nd job at 11pm tonight...

I did NOT drive my car with expired tags last week and then freak out about it while at the mall and get all flustered and want to go straight home on the backroads....

I did NOT let Jimmy watch a video (Kinda like MckMama with her boys!) while eating his organic toasted oats cereal...so I could play a game online

I do NOT still have candy left from Christmas sitting on the dining room table...and am still nibbling on it!

I did NOT let Jimmy have a bite of a sugary, processed, full of yucky stuff doughnut yesterday

I did NOT just mail out some Christmas thank-yous today...and I do NOT still have a bunch left to write

On that note, I did NOT put the list of baby shower gifts somewhere and never got around to writing the thank-you's for most of them...from a year ago!

Yikes! Join me next week for more things that I DIDN'T do!

Baked Pita Chips

I had 3 pita pocket halves left over in the freezer, so I decided to make Pita Chips.

I cut each half into 4 triangles, then I ripped them apart to make 8, so 24 triangles altogether.
Then I brushed both sides of each one with this mixture:

4 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Arrange on a cookie sheet, then, bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until golden.

I dipped mine in hummus that I got at Kroger on Manager Special. Delicious! Let me know what you think!

Random pics

Some photos I took yesterday, it was so nice outside for a change!

Cody our Border Collie - he got to go "runnin" with the 4-wheeler

Gunner and Pegasus

Gunner's eye
The moon at dusk
Our creek

Baked Chicken Tenders & Honey Mustard

Here is the recipe for what we had for dinner tonight.

Baked Chicken Tenders

1 - 1 & 1/2 lb chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional, don't use for toddlers)
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Melt the butter in a separate bowl in the microwave. Dip the tenderloins into the butter, then the breadcrumb mixture and arrange in a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Sprinkle some or all of the remaining breadcrumb mixture over the tenders. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until juices run clear. Serve with chicken wing sauce, honey mustard or good old ketchup and side salad. Yummy!

Honey Mustard Recipe (do not give honey to babies under 1):

1 & 1/2 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
(or mix the three to your desired taste)
Store in tightly sealed container in refrigerator

Wooden Signs

Here are some wooden signs I painted by hand (well, I traced the text from a print out - with a sharpie because I didn't have any carbon paper - and painted over it by hand). =)

Oops I Crapped My Pants...for babies

I got a new nighttime diaper for Jimmy. We were starting to have some oversaturating problems with his regular bumGenius 3.0's (even with extra inserts) so I decided to get some hemp inserts and a Drybee's fleece diaper. We used it for the first time last night with 1 microfleece insert and 1 Happy Heiny hemp insert. Annnnd....It didn't leak! Yay! Jimmy usually goes to bed around 7:30 pm and wakes up once or twice to nurse and then wakes up around 9 in the morning. We didn't have any problems with leaking for a long time, but he has been having more liquids during the day and holding it in more, and with the nursing at night (he went a long time without nursing at night, from about 3 months to 9 or 10!) he has become a heavy wetter. The only thing about the Drybee's fleece is that it is so bulky once you get the inserts in. It gave Jimmy quite a bubble butt! I just couldn't stop laughing. If you have ever seen the SNL skit for Oops I Crapped My Pants, you will understand! Oh what the heck, here is the video!





(Sorry if the video offends anyone, not meant to do that! Anyone that knows me personally will know that I have personal experience with a family member needing to use this type of product and would never laugh about it to hurt someone's feelings!)

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

Here is what was for dinner tonight (Little Jimmy didn't get any, he was in bed - Big Jim had to work late tonight)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root
  
• 2 cloves garlic minced/chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb boneless round steak cut into slices/bite sized pieces
• 3-4 cups chopped broccoli

Put all the liquid ingredients into your slow cooker. Then mix in the flour, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Next add the steak and make sure to coat it with the sauce mixture. Cook on low for 6-8 hours depending on meat thickness and how hot your slow cooker gets. Add the chopped broccoli about an hour before serving, stir to coat with sauce and cook on high for an hour (or until desired "doneness" of broccoli is reached). Serve over cooked brown rice (I was a bad girl and used white this time =P). Also, I way overcooked my broccoli, Jim was a little later than I thought and I forgot to turn the slow cooker off, oops! It was still really good though, I will definitely be making this again! Well, at least whenever we find cheap steaks, these were in our freezer for who knows how long! ;-)

Thankful Thursday - Joy Marie

I am thankful for my wonderful friend Joy Marie. She is such an awesome, loving woman who loves the Lord with all of her heart. She has been like a mother to me, especially since my own mom passed away. She is always there when I need someone to talk to and she has really taken me under her wing and just treats me like a daughter. I am so blessed to have her in my life. She is such a wonderful example of the Godly wife and mother I strive to be, and I appreciate her influence in my life so very much. Thank you Lord for putting her in my life those 10+ years ago, knowing that she would be just the right person I would need later on. If you read this my dear friend, I love you so very much! Thanks for everything, I don't think I could ever say it enough! =)

I am feeling the call....

Something people may not know about me is my love of drawing. Ever since I was a little girl, I have drawn everything. Growing up, my favorite thing to draw was horses (big surprise!). I drew and painted in high school. But then I went to college for graphic design and things went from charcoal, colored pencils and paint and brushes to computer layouts and fonts and keyboards and photoshop. All of which I really enjoy, but I have not actually sat down and drawn anything for I don't even know HOW long. Enter little Jimmy last year, and you can imagine how my life changed even more, leaving me with not much time for anything extra besides diapers, feedings and laundry. Well, lately I have stumbled upon a couple of websites/blogs where I have found some beautiful pencil drawings of horses and other animals. It seems like I just keep "finding" them. So here I sit thinking, hey, maybe it is time for me to try to draw again. So tonight, after the baby goes to bed, I am going to sit down and try to draw either one of our horses or my dog, Duke. It all depends on how I "feel" because I have to have the inspiration or it won't come out well at all!! =) Wish me luck! I am so excited to find who I used to be and bring her out of hiding.

The Frugal Country Mom

Hey everyone, I finally posted on my other blog, The Frugal Country Mom. I will post all of my money saving tips, tricks, recipes, etc. there. I will also be posting about my journey with a vegetable garden this year (so I actually MAKE myself plant one!!) I just put up the directions for homemade laundry detergent, so head on over and check it out!

WFMW - Babesafe Mattress Cover

This week I want to share a product called the Babesafe Mattress Cover. It is a polythene cover made to slip over a crib mattress (comes in different sizes) to block harmful gases that can release out of the mattress from getting to your child, possibly causing crib death, or SIDs. Please read more about the toxic gas theory in my previous posts here and here. A great blog is Prevent SIDs. Evie says it much better than I do! And she has put together some info concerning misconceptions about the theory.

I have been using the cover for almost a year now, and it has been wonderful for my nerves! I have been a very worried new mommy and before I learned about the whole toxic gas theory, I worried even more because there were no real reasons for SIDs. Finding the Babesafe Mattress Cover Worked For Me to give me the peace of mind I needed.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these covers after you do your own research and decide it might also Work For You, please consider Eve's Best as your online source. I have purchased 4 or 5 covers (a couple for myself and my sister and sister-in-law) through Evie and she has been wonderful.

PS - Along with wrapping the mattress, you should also use 100% cotton bedding and no waterproof, padded anything. I use a flannel blanket I made or 100% cotton bath towels to go under the 100% cotton sheet. We also only use 100% cotton pj's, to avoid overheating and really, who wants their baby sleeping in flameretardant, chemical laden pajamas? Changing over to all cotton is really very easy to get used to! We do however use cloth diapers made out of polyester, but with the cover blocking the mattress gases, it should be fine. No flame retardants in the diapers!

Thanks to Rocks In My Dryer for hosting Works-For-Me Wednesday!

New Research Relating to Toxic Gas Theory

Check it out! New Research in the US shows that having a fan going in the baby's room reduced the rate of SIDs 72% in a study of 500 infants. This could be in line with the toxic gas theory. We have been using a fan every night along with having the mattress wrapped. This is very exciting news!

Here is a release from Dr.Sprott:

7 October 2008

MEDIA RELEASE FOR PUBLICATION

NEW RESEARCH CONFIRMS TOXIC GAS THEORY FOR COT DEATH (SIDS)

New US research confirms the toxic gas theory for the cause of cot death, stated New Zealand cot death prevention expert Dr Jim Sprott OBE today.

Research published in the October 2008 issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine (1) found that having a fan on during sleep was associated with a 72% decreased risk of cot death among babies, as compared with sleeping without a fan in operation. The reduction in risk was greatest for babies sleeping in warm rooms (temperature above 21 degrees Celsius); and fan use also decreased cot death risk among babies who slept on their stomachs or sides.

"These findings are very strong confirmation of the toxic gas theory for cot death", stated Dr Sprott. "An operating fan dissipates gases generated in the baby's sleeping environment. In particular, the highly toxic gas phosphine (generated from phosphorus, which is very common in bedding) is likely to remain around a baby in the cot owing to the density of this gas, so it is no surprise that research has found that fan use greatly reduces cot death risk.

"The finding that fan use reduces the risk even more in warmer rooms is also consistent with the toxic gas theory for cot death", stated Dr Sprott. "If a baby's bedding is capable of toxic gas generation, overheating in the cot greatly increases the likelihood of fungal generation of the gases in question."

"Crucially, the fact that fan use greatly reduces cot death risk among babies sleeping face-down or on their sides demonstrates that the partial protective effect of face-up sleeping against cot death is not related to any medical condition or physical defect in the baby. So once again we have further demonstration that cot death does not have a medical or physiological cause.

"Face-up sleeping reduces cot death risk because the toxic gases which cause cot death are all more dense than air. They diffuse away from a baby's face, and therefore a baby sleeping face-up is less likely to ingest them."

The researchers' suggestion that fan use may reduce cot death risk by preventing a baby from re-breathing exhaled carbon dioxide is already disproved, stated Dr Sprott. "Longstanding epidemiology demonstrates that cot death is not caused by babies re-breathing exhaled air in the cot."

Dr Sprott called on the New Zealand Ministry of Health to immediately endorse mattress-wrapping for cot death prevention.

Since 1995 a mattress-wrapping protocol for cot death prevention has been publicised nationwide in New Zealand. On the basis of three studies into the incidence of mattress-wrapping (2), it is calculated that at least 170,000 New Zealand babies have slept on "wrapped mattresses". There has been no reported cot death among those babies.

Since the commencement of mattress-wrapping the New Zealand cot death rate has fallen by 68%; and the cot death rate of the population group most likely to wrap babies' mattresses (European/Paheka) has fallen by around 85%. (3)

Notes:
1. Coleman-Phox, K, et al, "Use of a fan during sleep and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome", Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008; 162: 963-968.
2. NZ Med J 2000; 113: 8-10; NZ Med J 2000; 113: 326-327; Eur J Pediatrics 2008; 167(2): 251-252 (Short Report).
3. Source of statistics: New Zealand Ministry of Health.

Media release issued by:
T J Sprott OBE MSc PhD FNZIC
Consulting chemist & forensic scientist
10 Combes Road
Remuera
Auckland 1050
NEW ZEALAND
Phone/fax: +64-9-5231150
e-mail: sprott@iconz.co.nz

A Cause of SIDs

Here are my thoughts and findings on SIDS (previously posted on my Myspace blog).

It all started last year when Jimmy was around 2 months old. I was worrying about him getting a flat spot on his head from sleeping on his back all the time. I started letting him nap on his tummy while on a blanket on the floor (with my watching VERY closely). Thoughts crossed my mind - is SIDs preventable? The things they recommend doing aren’t for sure going to prevent it. Why do some babies just "forget" to breathe? Can you revive them if you catch it right away? No? Why not? What is it that triggers in their brain?

So I looked and looked and I found a website with answers. It provided REASONS why the babies couldn’t be revived. It presents a study that involves wrapping mattresses because of the toxic gas theory - deadly gases are released when heat and household fungus combine with compounds of phosphorus, arsenic and/or antimony present in many baby mattresses and other items of baby bedding. If you wrap the mattress with a pure polythene wrap, it prevents the gases from escaping and getting to your baby lying on top of the mattress. The gases are vented from the bottom so they are able to dissipate.

Did you know that SIDS gets more likely with each each child you have? And it is more common with young single mothers? Why? Because they are most likely using used mattresses which can contain fungus from being spit up on, etc. by previous babies.

Why do more deaths occur in the winter/cold months? One reason is less air movement. Windows are closed and fans are off so the air in cribs can just sit and the gases aren’t dissipated.

Crib bumper pads are dangerous because they help contain the gases!

Putting a baby to sleep on its back puts its nose and mouth more out of the reach of the gases that hover right on top of the mattress! But that still isn't 100% safe.

The toxic gas theory for crib death explains every risk factor which medical researchers associate with crib death. I am not the best person to explain things so read about it for yourself if I have spiked your interest.
Go to www.thecauseofsids.com
This is not the only website, there is also www.cotlife2000.com (related) and a few others. A lot of people know about this, it kinda surprised me.

Do your own research. I have always been taught not to believe everything I hear! I am not saying that this is the absolute #1 reason for SIDS but I am not willing to take a chance. It makes sense to me so I am going take precautions.

I got a mattress wrap for the crib and one for the pack ’n play. I am so much more at ease now, it is great! I let Jimmy sleep on his tummy on a firm flat surface (a blanket on the floor) for naps while I am watching him closely, just in case. I DO NOT let him sleep on his tummy at night (at least not until he can choose for himself), but according to the study it is ok with the mattress wrap and proper 100% cotton bedding.
Edit: Jimmy has been sleeping on his wrapped mattress for almost a year now, and I am so glad I did it. I still worried about him and checked on him A LOT when he was sleeping, but I have had a peace of mind that would not have existed without the knowledge of the toxic gas theory and the Babesafe mattress cover. I highly recommend getting one, even if only for added peace of mind!

Oh and by the way, the study was done in New Zealand and out of the 100,000+ babies that slept on a Babesafe wrapped mattress with proper bedding, NOT ONE died!

Thanks for reading!

Bills, Bills, Bills

Alright, that does it! Our electric bill for this month was $220!!!! And for the barn, billed separately, it was $89! What?? It used to be like $16, what the heck happened? As for the house, we don't have electric heat, we have propane, so that is a separate bill (yippee, bleh) but I have no clue how the electric is THAT high! I guess the furnace has been running more (still uses electric for that, not the heat part) because it was so cold the last month but SERIOUSLY?? Its never that high in the summer when we run the air and ceiling fans. And we keep the thermostat at 67 or 68 ALL THE TIME (in winter, summer in the high 70s).

So that brings me to my point. This month I am going to do all I can to not spend any extra money. NONE. No new nothing. Not even food, except for perishibles like milk. I guess this came at a great time. Its the beginning of the month, we just went grocery shopping and our freezer, fridge and pantry cabinet are FULL. So we are going to live off of the food we have. We use cloth diapers and wipes, so no cost there. We have a well so we don't pay for water, just the electric for the pump (and no, I didn't do any more laundry than normal last month!).

So here is what I will do to reduce the electric bill:

• Air dry the diaper inserts (I already air dry the covers)
• Make sure I take the clothes out of the dryer when they are done and PUT THEM AWAY so they don't wrinkle and I throw them in the dryer to de-wrinkle (too lazy to iron o_O)
  
• Make sure the lights are off if not in use
  
• Turn off the computer (that will help me get my chores done too! lol)
  
• Turn off the outdoor barn light that stays on during the day because the sensor is broken
• Keep the porch light off
  
• Do the dishes right away so I don't forget and have to fill the sink up again, causing the well pump to run
• Turn the thermostat down to 65 (eeesh)
  

If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know!

As for other money saving ideas, I make my own laundry detergent (except for what I use for the diapers), I shop at thrift stores, Once Upon a Child and garage sales and hardly ever buy any NEW clothes unless on VERY good sale or clearance. I try to make most meals from scratch or mostly scratch. I have made my own taco seasoning, bisquik, etc. I can't wait for warmer weather, because I am really going to focus on a garden and growing our own veggies and some fruit this year. I have enough space, better utilize it! But that is for a later post =). I really enjoy finding cheap ways to do things, and it makes me feel like I have accomplished something. Please feel free to share your favorite hints and tips for saving money and being frugal in the comments. I will keep you all updated on the spending for this month. Y'all can be my accountability partners =) Goodnight!

The first step is the hardest one...

Jimmy took his first steps yesterday! I was sitting in a chair in our living room and had him on my lap when his daddy came in and Jimmy wanted to go see him. So he slides down and then to our amazement he starts Penguin Walking (not bending his knees)! It was the cutest thing he has done so far! And the whole time he just had the cutest grin on his face and he was making he little "growling" noise (I will have to post a video of that, its hilarious!) I didn't get a pic or video, but thats ok. Here is a pic of him just standing there later on in the day. Ahh...now he will be getting into everything he wasn't getting into before. We are entering the next phase of parenthood =).

New Background

Check out the new background for my blog! I made it, yay! I kept seeing all the cute backgrounds out there and decided I would try it myself. I used The Cutest Blog on the Block and DigiScrapDepot for ideas and to learn some tricks. My barbed wire came from DMK Designs. Thanks for your help guys! I am off and running now, I can't wait to make some more!