This week in pictures

Boo at the zoo

Can you smell the incense?

Update on Ava and her focus. I went to conferences this week and her teacher doesn't think it is an issue at all. She thinks she was having adjustment issues with the new baby and sharing the attention. She is working more so on changing her attitude about school. That doesn't mean that we haven't changed some things at home. Bed time has been moved up and I have been getting up earlier. That has helped a lot! We have also been packing different things for lunch and snack and having better breakfasts. 

So overall the special diet thing has gone slowly. The kids do fairly well during the week but are handed candy right and left or fed velveeta shells and cheese on the weekends. Based on the conferences I don't think it is a must do, but we are trying to eat for health overall.  For the kids I want them to be getting the most out of their food. I want to teach them good habits. I want them to continue to like vegetables.  For Justin and I, we want to lose weight and also get the most out of our food. We had been eating better foods a couple years ago but fell off the wagon due to costs and laziness. It really does take an effort to eat well or to at least re-learn how to eat and shop.

A friend of ours recommended the maximized living nutrition plan. I read the book and we are starting it this week. I have been trying to shop and meal plan.  I have been making and buying whatever is easy for months and I figure it is a good time to start a new plan when trying to start cooking again.  So the moral of the story: we are cutting out most processed things. Kids get grains, just whole grains. Organic when possible fruits and veggies, and grass fed animal  products. Whole fat and organic dairy products. No calorie counting. We will see what happens. I will report back. I generally make dinners without processed foods so it isn't that huge of a lifestyle change. Breakfast and snacks are the big ones.

Add all this to my cloth diapering, I am one big crunchy, granola.

I had a post

I had a post almost written and then I got distracted by puking and it got deleted. Sadness and woe.

Ava has been sick with the pukes since late last night. The carpet won't be the same, I have done an extra load of laundry and lots of surfaces have been wiped down. I have to say that her constant whimpering and keening because she wants to eat might be what does me in.  Isla has had a cold for the last week or so and the last two days have been bad with her cough. She seems to have made the turn last night and is improving. Today has been nothing but sleep though. 

Ava has tech week and the play performances next weekend. I honestly can't wait for it to be over. I like our less involved life. Hopefully she is well enough to get to rehersal tomorrow night. 

Isla is doing a lot of growing with all of her sleeping. I am starting to sell off some of her newborn cloth diapers. I have also found a favorite that will last us for a while. I generally avoided the Velcro style but it turns out Justin wanted them. We are starting quite the collection of bottom bumpers. I am also not planning on sticking with any type of microfiber as she gets older. They just stink. 

Look at those chunks in her new diaper.