Brooklyn's 2nd "Ponytail" softball season is under way. After 5 games thus far she is loving every minute! She has a great coach and loves being on her team with cousin Isabella. **Notice all the pink...pink bat, glove, shoes, helmet... it HAD to be pink :)
Cousin Isabella was over for a sleepover so she came with us to take pictures. She has this beautiful, super shiny dark hair and china doll skin! I got some gorgeous pictures of her! The girls had so much fun together. I love these pictures of them-telling secrets! Totally girly and fun! They chose what they wanted to do. I love that they were just being thier sassy little selves!
"Mom, Mom, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS! I found a real live snake! Can I keep him? Please Mom!?Then I can have MY VERY OWN PET!"
(To Brooklyn) "Look I have pet! See, He's not so bad! HIS name is Lizzie. HE'S a GIRL! He's sort of like a snake. Maybe when he grows up he will be a snake. I LOVE him SOOOOO much! Can I keep him forever?"
This little lizard came to visit and stay for a day. He went to live in heaven the next day and Bronson was so sad, but he was a good little lizard and just let Bronson hold him and crawled on his arm.
This year it took on special meaning for me....after years of searching for a better ways for my family to be healthy & kind to our planet... I have fully committed to BEING GREEN!! I celebrated the beautiful "greens" of our Mother Earth. I want so desperately to take care of our beautiful planet to provide for our generations to come!
It's not only about recycling! There are so many great product alternatives out there!! There are many cleaning supplies that are Eco-friendly. But you don't even have to go to a health food store to find them anymore! At Target and other places-Clorox has new Green Works products that not only clean well, but smell good- it will leave you wanting a lemon-lime slush! And sorry, you might actually have to trim those nose hairs, because these products will not be burning them off! :)
There are great toiletry items too- like organic toothpastes, hair products, soaps, etc. Not only are they better for us humans, they don't have chemically engineered ingredients that are harmful to the environment! Even little things like toothbrushes & shampoo bottles- figure out how many toothbrushes and shampoo/conditioner bottles your family goes through in one month, in one year. Now think about every household in our country contributing that much non bio-degradable waste every year! You can rinse those bottles out and recycle them! That is something most of us probley don't think about! You can get these great Preserve toothbrushes, (Target, Walmart, Sunflower Mkt, Sprouts, T Joes) that are 100 % recycled plastic-partly from recycled yogurt cups. When you are done using it, you put it back in the case (also completely recyclable and made from renewable resources) and mail it back in a postage-paid mailer. They turn your used toothbrush into products such as park benches. Pretty cool!!
Recycle your junk mail- not envelopes, just all the ads, flyer's, etc!
Next time you are in the grocery store look for Organic products! Not just produce but canned goods too! Pesticides and other chemicals added to foods in the form of preservatives etc, is not only SOOOO HARMFUL to our bodies, but to our Earth. It contaminates our soil and water sources and is really bad for the environment! Have you ever read the food labels, do you know what you are putting into the mouths of your children? We get only one body -which is too precious not to take care of!! How about planting a garden! I absolutely love this! And in the beginning I was a little skeptical, because before this I had certainly NOT inherited my Dad's green thumb! But I learned...you can LEARN how!! Not only does it bring back the "old time" traditions of our ancestors and teach the importance of loving and nurturing our Earth, but it is a great family bonding activity! The kids LOVE to watch the "fruit of our labor" grow! You will have food for your family that is not "genetically modified" or full of poisonous chemicals! You will also be prepared for those "hard times ahead"- as for told for many years by our loving prophets, when you may have to rely on your own skills! Now is the time to prepare!
How about trying some natural remedies and homeopathic medications. We have used these almost exclusively for years and they do work really well! You would be amazed at what you can find! The people at Sunflower Mkt or Sprouts are really great at helping you get what you need! These products are naturally made, with ingredients that have been used for centuries. People have existed on this planet long before we had drug companies and prescriptions. The great thing about these products is that they actually get to the root of your problem, and help your body naturally correct it, rather than temporarily covering up the symptoms! No side effects, and is not harmful to your body!
Spend some time out in nature...sit by a tree. Feel of it's power and grandeur! Connect with the beautiful creation all around us. This planet has an amazing story to tell! You can find it and it's illustrations in nature!
I hope that this will spark an interest for all of you reading this! I just want to spread the word of something I feel so passionate about!!
And with love, I hope you are able to catch a little "Luck o' the Irish" this year!! IT's SO GOOD TO BE GREEN!!!
September of last year we planted a garden, more of a "trial garden" since I do not have a very green thumb. My dad is an avid gardener with a huge garden. It so so fun during the summer to go out and pick tomatoes off the vine, apples, peaches, and all the other yummy things he can grow. We decided to plant from seed carrots, lettuce, green onion, and radishes. We have carefully tended our little seedlings and excitedly watched them grow into vegetables! It is SO COOL to harvest and eat something that you have actually grown!!! I am totally hooked! The kids love to check on the garden, pick weeds, and water. I love continuing the tradition my dad has started and hopefully when our children are grown they will look back with love on these special memories. We want to teach our children to really appreciate and respect nature and all that Mother Earth can give back if we take care of her! We are thinking green!! And trying to do our part to preserve the earth and instill the value of hard work! (Yes, I would consider myself a tree-hugger, not a hippie. And a naturalist-organic and all natural in every way when possible. Yeah! for so many more options out there! And no, I don't do Tofu!) Billy and I hope to someday be almost totally self sufficient. Gardening helps us continue on the path!! Our "trial garden" has expanded! Now we have planted tomato, bell pepper, green beans, onion, squash, zucchini, cucumber, watermelon, cantaloupe & strawberries!
"Mom, this is the reason you shouldn't get a tatoo...." as i walk into what lookes like something really painful, gauging by clenched eyes and moans coming from Bronson. "It really hurts when you have to get it removed." says, "Dr. McClusky" (Brooklyn), which is the name of my OBGYN who delivered both of them. They had given each other marker "tatoos" and then were getting them removed! I swear....kids are SPONGES! They remember everything, even stuff you didn't know they knew :)!!
Bronson was so proud of the gift he "won"- the infamous cat clock that was an actual wedding gift given to Kash and Tiffany. It returns year after year, sometimes with it mysteriously appearing in different people's cars before the night is over, so the real "winner" doesn't have to look at it for a whole year! Although it may not make it back, Bronson insists he is hanging the clock in his room, it may have to "unexplainably disapear."It was such a fun ending to our Christmas celebration!
