Growing Too Fast

I know it's a cliche for parents to say their children grow up too fast; in the blink of an eye they aren't your baby anymore...and we can't believe how fast time passes.

But it's all true.

Kids really do grow up so fast.

Lucas is in a fun stage right now...all the learning they do at this age and exploring the world around them. At times it can also be a very trying and frustrating stage too. I realize each age/stage presents their own sets of challenges and difficulties and stubbornness to deal with.

Even though at times he makes me want to pull my hair out I know I'm going to miss the stage he's in now...it goes by too quickly.

So I had to get a little video clip to capture him in this moment. He's such a little boy now...the babyhood left behind forever.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Spread The Word To End The Word

The Special Olympics and Best Buddies International are gearing up for the annual Spread The Word To End The Word Campaign.

This 60-sec video clip shows just how prevalent the R-word is in mainstream media...take a look at this collection of TV shows and movie clips:


and then there is this clip from Rob Johnson of CBS News. I loved what he said and how he said it. My favorite quote from this clip, "You think you're being clever and hip when you use the R-word, but you're not, you're just being ignorant."



Please add your own pledge to eliminate the use of the R-word in every day speech.

OxiClean and Stains

A couple years ago I blogged about my frustration with stains on Kayla's clothing. I received a lot of great advice and have been doing better with getting hers (and now Lucas's) clothing stain-free.

However...they still have shirts that have stains that just elude me.

The main problem is when something clear, like juice, is spilled on their shirts and then it dries. Then I don't notice it (or forget about it later) so I don't get a chance to pretreat it and then I wash and dry it and the stain seems to be set in permanently.

OxiClean is coming out with 2 new products - OxiClean Max Force Power Paks and the Max Force Gel Stick Pre-Treater.

The Power Paks are put in the laundry with your clothes and give a boost to whites and colors.

The Gel Stick Pre-Treater works on those tougher stains, even set-in ones. Just rub the gel into the stain, let it sit for several minutes, and then throw in with a load of laundry. Because the gel stick has nubs on it to help get the gel into the stain, I noticed it didn't rub as smoothly on the clothing as products that have bristles.

The Gel Stick worked great on the fresh stains (that I remembered were on their shirts!) I tried the Gel Stick on a few shirts that had well set-in stains hoping it would get those completely out. A few of the stains did come out, the others faded. Next time I'll let the clothes sit for a little bit longer with the gel on it before putting it in the laundry...and hope that another round will get those stubborn stains out!

Both of the new OxiClean products are made with the "4-in-1 stain fighting power." These products will be available in stores starting in mid-February.

I think as long as I have kids in the house, fighting stains will be a never-ending battle!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of OxiClean and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

National Children's Dental Health Month

Feb kicks off National Children's Dental Health Month. To encourage parents to be actively involved in their children's dental health care the National Children's Oral Health Foundation has a month newsletter - Toothfairy News - that is filled with NCOHF news, oral health tips, and fun family events taking place across the country. (Include my blog name in the notes section of the sign up form - there is a little friendly competition among America's Toothfairy blogger team!)

One bit of current Toothfairy News is the partnership with Regal Cinemas in conjunction with the new movie Tooth Fairy. Through Feb 12 there is a Toothbrush and Toothpaste Drive at participating Regal Theaters. The drive will benefit the national NCOHF Affiliate network of nonprofit health facilities for underserved children. Affiliates strive to provide patients with a toothbrush and toothpaste to encourage continued good oral hygiene at home.

Friday Freebie

Freebies received: Gold Bond Ultimate Moisturizer and Einstein Bagel, Delallo calendar and recipes

- Request a free sample of Arm & Hammer Brilliant Sparkle toothpaste.
- Send a Yogi Well Wish to a friend and they'll receive 2 free Yogi Teas.
- Bring this flyer in to On The Border and receive a free bag of tortilla chips. (on Feb 7th only)
- Get a free KIND bar at Starbucks (Feb 5th only).

She Needs A Family

This precious little girl needs a family. She is 4 1/2 years old and will be sent to an institution; her time is running out.


She had a family wanting to adopt her, a family who loves her and couldn't wait to bring her home, but something fell through with the adoption and she now faces institutionalization.

From Reece's Rainbow:

Girl, Born August 7, 2005

Russia

Lera is a gorgeous little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is 4 years old. She is quite high functioning, and doing very well. She has flat feet and a systolic heart murmur, but no major heart conditions. She is able to walk and climb, she eats by herself, dances, and understands and follows directions. She has also been transferred to the regular class, so she is living and learning with her typical peers.

She has $8605 in her grant fund (and the previous family who were going to adopt her raised $2000 that they will donate to a family who commits to her.)

My heart is so heavy at the thought of this little girl going from what she knows to an institution ... and how different her life will be there. There will be no chance of adoption once she's transferred.

When I look at her face I see a spunky, full-of-life girl and can only imagine how quickly the light will go out of her eyes if she's in an institution.

Joe and I have discussed adoption in the past and this situation has made me pray about it and she has been on my heart so much since I learned she lost her adoptive family.

But Joe and I aren't in a position to commit to a child right now - we can't complete a home study in the near future since we live in 2 separate states.

So all I can do is pray, and pray, and pray for this child to be adopted and not be sent to an institution.

Maybe someone out there has been considering adoption and maybe this will be the pull they need to commit to a child...I hope a family finds her.

Isn't she just beautiful?

Special Exposure Wednesday

Reunited with their daddy - for one day anyway!

The Deployment Is Over!

After traveling for 5 days, being in 5 countries (including the ones he started and ended in), and dealing with delays, Joe is finally back in the states!

He arrived at Baltimore-Washington airport at 0430 on Sunday morning.

Welcome Home!

The darn weather and delays interfered with my plans for meeting him at the airport (not at 0430, but his original arrival time of 1045pm Fri and then 830pm Sat.) So we were not there to celebrate the big homecoming, which made me a little sad - I wanted him to have his family greet him at the airport. But I have to let go of what I can't control and just remember the fact that he's home!

He did have an overnight layover so he was here all day Sunday and we saw him after all.

When the roads were in a better condition to drive on, I went to Baltimore to pick him up and bring him back here. No one told the kids where I was going, or that Joe was coming home.

Right before we got home my mom had Kayla and Lucas hold their 'welcome home' signs... and I think Kayla was so focused on making sure she was standing still and holding her sign she didn't quite know how to act when Joe came in! She very nonchalantly said "hi daddy" but didn't move from her spot! Not the reaction I was expecting out of her at all! It was nothing like when she saw him here and here. I think she was too stunned to react!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The kids loved having Joe here...they had so much fun with him all Sunday afternoon. Sunday night I stayed in Baltimore with Joe and Monday morning he left to go back to N.M. to inprocess and all that 'fun' stuff.

He'll be back here at the end of March when he takes a few weeks leave before heading to Charleston, S.C. in April.

I'm so glad this deployment is over ... now 5 more months to go before we're all together at our new base - Charleston AFB, S.C.!

Neosporin 3-Day Challenge

Kayla gets such dry, cracked lips during the winter - and it doesn't help that she constantly licks them! She just makes it worse. I put Chapstick on her lips in the morning and just hope for the best.

So when Mom Central was looking for bloggers to participate in Neosporin's 3-Day Challenge I signed up hoping this would help repair Kayla's lips!

We tried the Daily Hydration Therapy and the Overnight Renewal Therapy. Both of these products are clinically proven to give you visibly healthy lips in just 3 days.

Here are Kayla's lips before we started using the products. She had a pretty deep split in her top lip.





After 3 days I didn't notice much of a difference in the split on her lip. But to be fair, she's had that for most of the winter so I'm sure it would take more than 3 days of using something to clear it up!

She also has a habit of licking her lips throughout the day so I know the product didn't stay on all day and I couldn't reapply it.

She also licks her bottom lip as well as bringing her bottom lip inside her mouth - and you can see the dry patch right under her bottom lip.

Her lips weren't as scaly and dry after using the products, I could see and feel that they were smoother.

After using the products for about 2 weeks there is finally some improvement on the split; it is filling in and doesn't look so deep and painful anymore.


I think it would have a better chance of working if she would leave her lips alone!

I didn't take any pictures of my lips, but I tried the product too and my lips did feel more hydrated and moisturized, definitely not dry like they usually do during these winter months!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Neosporin and received a sample of the Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy and the Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate."

The Reunion That Wasn't

I should be welcoming Joe back "home" right about now. And by "home" I just mean to the states; because although he's coming back, he's not coming back here. He needs to report back to Holloman, and has to go directly there.

He was supposed to be landing at an airport that just so happens to be near us; (we got lucky about his arrival location) just about this time. It worked out that he was scheduled for an overnight layover and leaving for NM tomorrow in the late morning. Since I'm blogging now that obviously didn't happen.

Traveling to and from any deployed location doesn't usually go smoothly. The only constant is that things are unpredictable.

You learn not to expect their arrival until 10 minutes before the flight lands; or at the very least until you confirm their plane has left the very last location before heading stateside.

You know not to get your hopes up that they'll arrive when their original flight itinerary indicates they will.

You hope for the best and expect the worst...but even so, if the worst happens you can't help but be disappointed. The constant changes and uncertainty of when they will actually, finally, arrive is frustrating.

Joe left Afghanistan on Tuesday and I thought I'd be welcoming him "home" tonight, but that's been delayed. What's a few more days when it's already been a year, right?

Then he was supposed to get in at 0400 Sat morning, what a nice time for an airport reunion.

That was again pushed back to 830 Sat night; which wasn't too bad because it would mean he would have that overnight layover.

What's that? Oh, he still hasn't even left his 2nd location (with 2 more stops to go)? Forget about that 830 showtime now.

New estimated arrival is another oh-dark-thirty time.

The 830pm time was much more preferable.

Now if he arrives in the early morning hours it'll give him enough time to catch that next day's flight he was scheduled for - meaning we would have a few hours at the airport, at best.

It's better than nothing, and I'm hoping we'll get at least that.

If not, I'll just have to be content knowing he's safely back in the states.

In the meantime I'll continue to pray for safe travels.

Friday Freebie

Freebie received: Hellmann's Mayonnaise

- Get a free sample of Kerasal Exfoliating Foot Cream.
- Request a free sample of Cream of Wheat.
- Choose from 1 of 3 free samples from Kashi.
- Get a free sample of Avery Label Pads.

"Be Victorious" Giveaway

Winners are Monica and Heather!

At the beginning of the year Special K unveiled their new national campaign - Be Victorious! This campaign features 6 'real' women (i.e. not actresses or celebrities) who are declaring victory with Special K and sharing their stories on what makes them feel victorious.

I was sent the 2 new products Special K introduced with this new campaign - Special K Fruit Crisps in strawberry and blueberry, and Special K Low Fat Granola Cereal.

My mom and I have been enjoying the Low Fat Granola Cereal and we really like the 'touch of honey' - it's just enough to give it a slightly sweet taste. It has a nice crunchy texture and with 5 grams of fiber it helps keep you feeling full throughout the morning.

The Fruit Crisps contain 2 crisps in each 100-calorie packet. I really like the taste and texture of these...much better than other type of bars. These were light and didn't have an overwhelmingly sweet taste to them. Loved that each packet is only 100 calories. Also liked the slight crisp texture.

I have 2 boxes of the Low Fat Granola Cereal to give away to 2 readers. Just leave a comment and make sure I have a way to contact you. Winners will be drawn next week.

Military Life and Retirement

Last month was Joe's anniversary of his enlistment in the Air Force...his 17 year anniversary. He's now been in the Air Force for 17 years; and that means he can retire in just three years. Three!

He can retire in 3 years, but it doesn't mean he necessarily has to. I think he can stay in for 26 yrs.

To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for a military retirement in 3 years.

I was born into this military life. I was born at Wichita Falls, TX when my dad was stationed at Sheppard AFB.

I graduated from Northern Burlington H.S. in Columbus, NJ when my dad was stationed at McGuire AFB. He retired 6 months after I graduated.

So all of my 'growing up' years were spent in the military. I've always lived on base and everything seemed to revolve around the 'military way of life.'

If Joe retires in 3 yrs Kayla will be 9 and Lucas only 5. They won't even have received their first active duty dependent I.D. cards (of course they can still get I.D. cards when they are 10, but the 'retired' cards just aren't the same!)

The thought of retiring when they are that young makes me a little sad - that they won't 'grow up' knowing this way of life. They won't get to experience and remember different bases they've lived on.

With the way the economy is going right now it might be a good idea for Joe to stay in a few more years anyway; at least we would have the safety and security of a job, housing, and insurance the military provides for us.

The other issues is we don't even know where we want to retire at. Neither of us have a 'home town' that we can say 'oh we're going back to so-and-so to retire.' We've discussed this several times over the past few years knowing that retirement is looming and we still haven't settled on any location!

Who knows, maybe we'll like it so much in Charleston, SC that we'll end up retiring there - our last duty station.

But for some reason that just doesn't seem like it should be our 'last' duty station.

I'm just not ready for that chapter of our lives to be over.

ShopRite Gift Card Giveaway

Winner is Sharon!

Last summer I blogged about ShopRite's Partners in Caring program.

A box of cereal was donated to a local food bank for the first 30 comments on that post. This was done for all the bloggers who were participating in the Bloggers In Caring: Blog It Forward To Fight Hunger.

From the combined comments left on those blogs 3000 boxes of cereal will be donated to food banks in ShopRite's area! How wonderful is that!

This special-edition Honey Nut Cheerios box is on sale exclusively in ShopRite stores this week.




ShopRite Partners In Caring and General Mills have just announced another way to raise awareness of the issue of hunger...The Expressions of Hunger video contest. Anyone can submit videos using song, poetry, dance, or dramatic reading that creatively express the plight of the hungry or offer solutions to the issue of hunger. Up to 6 grand-prize winners will have their stories and pictures featured on special-edition Cheerios boxes available in ShopRite stores.

For participating in the Bloggers In Caring awareness campaign I received a special-edition Honey Nut Cheerios box and a $20 gift card to ShopRite. There aren't any ShopRite stores in my local area so I'd like to offer the gift card to one of my readers. Check the store locator to find a store in your area.

Just leave a comment on this post making sure I can contact you if you're a winner. Winner will be chosen this weekend.

America's Toothfairy

Even though I know how important it is to get regular cleanings (I go 2x a year) I was a little late getting Kayla started at the dentist ... I knew how much of a fight that was going to be! I think she was 3 when I took her the first time and not much was accomplished!

She's been 3x since we moved here (having an experienced pediatric dentist really helps!) and even though she's yet to get her teeth x-rayed she's at least letting them brush, floss, and fluoridate her teeth. She has no problems brushing her teeth at home (and I follow up by brushing after her) but the whole 'medical type environment' still unnerves her.

Did you know:

- the #1 chronic childhood illness in our country is pediatric dental disease?

- Dental disease is directly correlated with heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, and pre-term, low birth-weight babies; it also seriously impacts self-esteem, job prospects and other important aspects of a person’s life.

- Untreated dental disease often results in the need for expensive emergency medical care with the burden of payment passed on to the American public through increased insurance premiums and healthcare costs.

- In 2000, the Surgeon General called pediatric dental disease a “silent epidemic” and in 2003 issued a national call to action to promote oral health.

My mom was a dental hygienist and oral health care is important to me ... which is why I decided to joined up with a team of bloggers to help spread awareness about the National Children's Oral Health Foundation's America's Toothfairy initiative.

Their mission is to eliminate pediatric oral disease and promote overall health and well being for millions of children from vulnerable populations.

If you want some ideas to encourage good oral health care in your child visit the Parent's Corner to get some ideas on fun activities for children and parents.

More information, programs, and contests from America's Toothfairy coming soon!

...Essentially Not Visible...

As I mentioned earlier this week ... my dad had an MRI on Mon. The MRI was to look at the pancreas and see if the tumor had shrunk any.

On Wed I found out my dad had been hospitalized due to what was a potentially life-threatening infection. The infection was caused by a blockage in the stent that was placed in his bile duct about 5 months ago. He had been running a fever and it's good he went in when he finally did...his body was on it's way to being sepsis.

Yesterday they went in and flushed the stent so hopefully all his blood work will start looking more normal with the infection clearing. His liver enzymes were extremely high - hoping for lower numbers today.

He also received the report of his MRI yesterday.

These are the words he read to me, "The pancreatic head mass is essentially not visible."

I had to let that sink in.

The mass on his pancreas that was visible several months ago is "essentially not visible." Wow. How is that even possible? Ok, yes I know, God...prayers...miracles. But it's hard for me to wrap my head around that phrase...not visible. It's hard for me to make sense of it not being visible.

I guess that means the tumor is either completely gone, or shrunk so much that it can't be seen on the MRI. Either way this is definitely great news!

I'm amazed that several months ago it was 'a mass on the pancreas' 'biopsy confirms cancer' 'hasn't spread to blood vessels or organs' 'possible stage 2' and then about a week after that 'confirmed tumors on the liver ... stage 4 pancreatic cancer' to this 'pancreatic head mass is essentially not visible." I just can't get that phrase out of my head.

The report also read, "no adenopathy present" - of course I took to the internet to find out what that meant. Adenopathy is "enlarged lymph nodes caused by local or generalized infection, inflammatory conditions, malignancy..."

There are still questions about the tumors that were on his liver (and why they didn't do an MRI of his liver to check that at the same time is beyond me.) I would think he would get another MRI or Pet scan to check his liver since there were tumors there as well.

He's still hospitalized; hopefully he'll be going home tomorrow. He still needs to talk to his oncologist...I'm sure there are a lot of questions about what comes next.

He's still having a problem with his foot falling flat when he walks instead of heel-to-toe. He needs an MRI to see if they can find out what is causing that.

But for now we are rejoicing and praising God for the phrase "the pancreatic head mass is essentially not visible."

Thank you for your continued prayers.

And thank You, God, for answered prayers...this was the news we wanted to receive from this MRI. Amen.

Speech Breakthrough

Kayla has trouble enunciating the letter "L" ... she doesn't put her tongue up behind her top teeth, instead it stays down on the bottom of her mouth.

So "like" comes out as 'yike.'

Which also means she can't pronounce "Lucas" correctly either. It usually sounds like "Gucas." I try to reminder her (most of the time) to say "Lucas" and when she stops and concentrates she'll put her tongue up and she'll say "Lucas." However, 9 times out 10 "Gucas" most easily flows out of her mouth.

I noticed over the past week or so she's been self-correcting on her own, without anyone else saying anything to her. I hear her in the other room saying "Gucas" ... "Lucas" and now maybe 5 out 5 times she'll actually say "Lucas" correctly the first time. I'm sure it won't be too long before "Lucas" flows out of her mouth naturally 100% of the time.

I can't tell you how exciting it is to hear her doing this on her own...how hard she's working at enunciating that L sound. I keep telling her how proud I am of her saying "Lucas."

Now if she could just enunciate the "L" in her own name! People think her name is "Kay-ah" when they ask her what her name is.