Twist and Shout

and we are still on THE COMPACT. I haven’t been to Target in over a month and the last time I went it literally made me feel sick, all that stuff, it was just too overwhelming. We have made some amazing purchases at Lots for Tots PLUS The Clothing Closet, here in Eureka. Cool thing is you take clothing and toys and stuff there, they go through it, tell you what they want or don’t want, then you get credit to their store, wooohooo! Also, for Dillon’s Birthday, he got a $20 Gift Certificate to Lots For Tots, thank you friends who are support out Compacting.

We are what 13 ish weeks in (out of 52) and already our mindset is changing. Something so cool happened just the other day; Aidan and I were having a conversation about him not wearing diapers to bed anymore (yes, he is 5 1/2, we have wetting the bed issues in this family, I was a bedwetter, Nick was a bedwetter, our children are DOOMED!), I asked him what he thought he would deserve if he didn’t pee in his bed one night, two nights, forever, he replied “how about a toy at the $ store (for one night), no wait I want a toy from that place I found the Knight toy.” That place he found the Knight toy is the St. Vincents Thrift Store. So with two nights of not wetting the bed we are off to St. Vinny’s today for Aidan to rummage through the 25cent donated toys, YES! The things that make a Compacting mom’s heart melt.

I am so darn excited (an nervous, yes definitely nervous), the MOPS group of Eureka, has asked me to speak about The Compact, about my journey and about how others can benefit and join in.  So I have been researching how The Compact has affected others that have participated and I found an awesome article by Environment Reporter, Catherine Porter, about compacting and consumption, a great read, Catherine also has a blog, The Green Life.  She writes about a one week Compacting Challenge in this blog, check it out.

Welcome to Twist and Shout! Come join in all the fun! Head over to 5 Minutes for Mom and find out all of the great prizes you can win over the next week!

I am Stephanie, mom of Aidan (5 1/2), Coda (almost 4), Téadora (2) and Dillon (1), wife of Nick and child of God. I am SAHM who loves to be crafty in my free time (what’s that?)! I love tie dyeing, hair bow making and digital scrapbooking. I spend my days cloth diapering, making homemade laundry soap, babywearing, sneaking healthy foods into my children, blogging and reading pretty much anything pertaining to babies, birth, breastfeeding, homeschooling and parenting. We are a family that loves to recycle, spend time out doors and eat green smoothies. In January we embarked on a year long journey of COMPACTING!

I am giving away a Custom Tie Dyed Layette Set, here is an example. It is #27 on The Ultimate Blog Party 2008 Prize Page.

If you want to see more of my Twist and Shout Tie Dyed Creations, check this out, to see what I currently have available for purchase look here and to see what I have available to custom tie dye look here.

Thanks for stopping by!

There are so many amazing prizes being given away, I would love any of them.  But I have a few favorites.

1. Noah’s ABC Stacking Blocks (#85)

2. A Blog Makeover (#67)

3. 3 Tier DiaperCake (not for me, for my BF Kristy) (#6)

Really, though, I just like winning, so any prize will do, hehe!

A little while back I wrote this post about having three children in one bedroom. Well after thinking about it quite a bit, I decided to move #4 in there also. He doesn’t sleep in his crib all the time, mostly naps and for the first few hours at night. But his crib was taking up precious space in our bedroom, so I moved it. So now we have bunk beds and two cribs in one bedroom. So far, so good. And yes, they all fall asleep in there just fine.

Some are skeptical of my constant use of homeopathic or herbal or homemade remedies. I have a few friends and relatives that I have brought into the world of little to no antibiotics, no Nyquil or Sudafed or Tylenol Cold or whatever they call it these days. Don’t get me wrong we use these things sometimes, we use Tylenol and Advil, and cough syrup and antibiotics (always used with probiotics!) occasionally. It is just we don’t run to the “medicine cabinet” the second we feel a little sick and cover up the symptoms. We drink a lot of Emergen-C and Airborne, we quickly run to the cabinet for UMCKA when we feel a cold coming on or have a cold. I have other remedies for sleepless nights, and upset tummy, stress and anxiety. Feel free to ask me about any of the remedies we us.

But then there is the doozy. The doozy of a cold that has since turned into an ear infection or sinus infection or bronchitis. You just aren’t getting better and you want to try something else before you resort to antibiotics. I got a call yesterday from my friend Eric, remember the one in the band. He left a message saying he had a ‘mom’ question, he was sick, had a sinus infection and need a remedy, did I have one? Yes I do. But just as your cold is a doozy, so is this remedy, it is not for the weak.

Mix in a blender or food processor until the consistincy of salsa, then eat with chips or just drink it, whichever you feel is less evil

-Garlic

-Horseradish

-Habanero Pepper

-White Onion

-Ginger

-Apple Cider Vinegar

You will be on fire, but so will any infection in you. You might spike a fever and then it will break, making you sweat more than ever before. You might cry or scream. The pain will be over soon and you will feel much better, much much better.

So Eric used this remedy last night and he called. I missed the call, I was putting kids to bed. But I wish oh so bad you all could hear the message he left. His last words were ‘call me, I might be dead.’ Funny, but not funny. I am happy to report that when I called him back about 20 minutes later he was not dead and he felt much better.

It sounds bad I know, but 15 or 20 minutes of pain is much better than the toll that antibiotics take on our body. Plus, this is completely natural, finding everything (minus the Vinegar) in the produce department at the grocery store. Next time you are in need, give it a try.

The past few days have been made up of lots of smoothies or “SUPER FOOD” as my boys like to call them. Any of you who have thought that maybe I am lying and these smoothies really taste like dirt, I have major proof that they really do taste good.

Day 3, 4 and 5 was Orange, Banana, Spinach Smoothie. And today was a Orange, Banana, Raspberry, Spinach Smoothie. Both are yummy!

Oh and I have a new trick. If there is left over smoothie, I pour it into an ice cube tray, freeze it and add it to the next days smoothie.

So this mornings smoothie was not as good as I would have liked it to be. But I am feeling a little under the weather, so that probably attributed to it. It is not that I disliked it, but ummm it was interesting. I have never had a smoothie with kale in it, this morning was the first time. I think next time I will puree the kale first. My blender is pretty junky and it sort of felt like I was drinking thick lettuce. YUCK! So I blended it for about 4 more minutes and it was much better.

However, even though I am on the brink of sickness, I feel pretty good.  Starting the day off with a ‘green’ smoothie was a great feeling.  I am a diet pepsi addict (an addiction I am trying to kick) and yesterday I drank very little diet pepsi (for me)…My goal is at the end of the 30 days of smoothies, I am completely diet pepsi free.

Here is todays recipe:

2 handfuls Strawberries, 3/4 banana, two handfuls romaine, 1 stalk kale, 1/4 lime and water.

Tomorrow I am going for something more tropical, definitely adding in some wonderful Minneola Tangerines we got yesterday.

*We have been out of town and I have lots to blog about, but can’t seem to find enough time to do it, so I am jumping in here and will talk about our trip and what we have been up to the past 10 days later

As of today I am on the Green Smoothie Challenge. Thanks to Sara of Happy Foody, Walk Slowly, Live Wildly and The Live Lightly Tour for challenging us (as in the whole world, hehe) to drink a 16oz Green Smoothie each day for the next thirty days.

This morning I awoke and made a banana, mango, strawberry, romaine and spinach smoothie. It didn’t *look* green, but it tasted a little green. It was oh so yummy.

I am so excited to be teaming up with my mom and best friend for this challenge. I am excited to see how we all change over the next 30 days!

It’s not to late to join, come on you know you want to!

The title of the this blog would be what I would name the article for the Eureka Reporter, had they called me up and asked to do a follow-up article to the one from last year. But they didn’t call me up, ah well.

Happy First Birthday, Dillon!

Your smile lights up my heart. Each day I thank the Lord for you. Our family is blessed to have you. Just so you know, I consider you timing nothing short of impeccable and ordained by God.

If you didn’t know us a year ago, why don’t you venture back in time with me, to that night that will never be forgotten…

It was about 9pm on Tuesday and I felt a contraction. I thought “whatever, here we go again”. I had been having contractions for a few hours each evening for the past 10 days at least, so contractions weren’t getting me too excited anymore. The contractions continued, and at about 10pm they got a little uncomfortable, so I told Nick this *might* be it (I am sure he was like, uuhhhuhh sure). We decided he should go to sleep, just in case. I folded some laundry, did the dishes, picked up the house. Coda was having a hard night, so I laid with him for awhile, he needed to poop, but wouldn’t so his tummy was not feeling the greatest. It was getting too uncomfortable to lay with him, the contractions were getting stronger, so I told him he needed to poop. He pooped, I changed him and got him back into bed. By this time it was a little after midnight, I needed to wake Nick up, this had to be it, right?! I could still walk around during the contractions, but I could barely talk, so we decided we needed to go. I called my midwife and told her and then she reassured me that I would be leaving the hospital with a baby if I made the trip down this time. Thank God, I couldn’t imagine being in labor again and then the labor stopping and having to go home without a baby again. We called my mom, my sister and Nick’s parents…we would be there in about two hours and then head to the hospital.

At 12:55am we pulled out of our driveway, over the next 20 minutes the contractions got increasingly closer together and stronger. The contractions were about 2 and ½ minutes apart and about 1 and ½ minutes long…that didn’t leave much time in between! Twenty miles after leaving I knew we were not going to make it to Fortuna, but I was praying we would make it to at least Arcata or Eureka (both towns have hospitals). We stopped quick for gas and I stuck my hand down my pants, pulled it out and BLOOD, lots of BLOOD. Crap, I thought, I am heading towards 7cm…

With each contraction I rubbed the tops of my thighs, breathed in through my nose, out through my mouth, and prayed for it to be over. Nick had strict instructions to keep both hands on the wheel, look only at the road and drive as fast as he could without even slightly endangering us. Enya was playing, I was contracting, the kids were all wide-eyed…and we were driving.

I tried to change positions, but I didn’t have time in between contractions to figure anything out…I mean I was sitting in the front seat of a van for goodness sake, how many positions could I really get into?!

I had been praying and I asked Nick to be praying, but I needed something more. I asked Nick to pray aloud, he did. We prayed for safety, for a break in the contractions and to make it to the hospital. We were now about 55 miles from home. As the contractions came I knew the birth was imminent. I kept this information to myself; truthfully I didn’t know how to tell Nick, I think we are going to have this baby in the car. A few more contractions came, I was still keeping pretty calm during them, I tried to picture his face, holding him in my arms. Then a change happened, I felt emotional, overwhelmed, I felt like I just couldn’t take another contraction. I said out loud, “I can’t do this anymore.” CRAP, I knew once I said that that the baby was going to arrive within minutes, it was a comment I had made moments before the birth of Coda and Téadora.

I told Nick we were not making it to Fortuna and to call his parents and have them meet us in Arcata at the hospital. I asked him how long until we would be there…he said 10 minutes. I told him I wasn’t sure we were going to make it. He sped up! A contraction came and I told him again we were not going to make it. The contraction ended and I thought, OK we can make it. The next contraction came and I felt “pushy”, I said “the baby is coming”. Nick said give me 5 minutes, he sped up even more. He told me to check and see if I felt the baby’s head, I felt down there and about 1 inch inside me I felt the intact bag of waters. “He’s right there”, I said. The contraction ended and I felt relief, we can make it, we can make it, we can make it….NOOOOOOOOO we can’t. A contraction began, my last actually, I realized I still had my pants on; I ripped them off and yelled “PULL OVER”. Nick went from 85mph to stopped on the side of the road in seconds. I was pushing, my body was pushing, I was holding onto the handle above the door, I looked down and saw the bag of waters outside of my body, but still intact. WOOOSH, the water exploded, exploded. Nick jumped out of his side, slammed his door, and opened mine. HIS HEAD, was there, I was grunting or was I screaming, I was pushing, his head was crowning, I felt his head, and Nick guided him out and onto my chest. I looked at my baby boy, he was breathing, he was pink, and he was beautiful. Nick began to dial his parents on the cell phone, “we had him, on the side of the road, and we will be to Mad River (the hospital) in 5 minutes”. At the same time, I said, “he’s fine; we’re fine, get in, turn on the heater.” I wrapped Dillon in a blanket that I had on my lap. I starred at him; Nick got in the car, turned the heater on full blast and sped off.

All was right in the world, I turned and looked at the three, “we are ok, mommy is ok, and baby Dillon is ok”. Coda who had started to cry when I was pushing Dillon out, was now smiling. We were all ok. The next 5 or so minutes to the hospital are a blur, did I really just have a baby on the side of the road, in the front seat of my car, and was it really that fast?! We were pulled over less than 4 minutes. We arrived to the hospital, pulled up near the ER, a man yelled to us, go further, turn left, they are waiting for you. We pulled up to the birth center, Nick’s parents were right behind us. There was a wheel chair waiting with a nurse. All I could think was, “I am going to get out of my car with nothing but a shirt on.” I did. My father in law wheeled me in, I got up onto the bed, it was bright. I could see Dillon, he was perfect, Nick leaned over and kissed me. And I answered the nurse, “yes, my name is Stephanie Lende, he was born at 2:18, well right there at the North Central Exit, his name is Dillon.”

We proceeded to cut the cord and deliver the placenta a little while later. After that my other three joined us. Everything with Dillon and me was great, I had no tearing, and he received a perfect bill of health. He was 7lbs, 8oz and 20inches, born at 2:18am on Valentines Day!

My sister (aka ‘E’) has told me a few times recently, ‘you’ve come across something good’ and I would agree.  When we downsized homes from 3 bedrooms to 2, 2 bathrooms to 1 and 1400 sq feet to 1000 (or so I am told), we had to make a few changes.  The bathroom thing wasn’t a big deal, we really only used one anyway, but the bedroom thing was something to figure out, for sure.  We have four children; 5 1/2, almost 4, 2 and 1.  The eldest are in bunk beds, the 2 year old is in a crib and the 1 year old has a crib, but co-sleeps a lot and mainly uses his crib for naps.  So 3 1/2 months ago, when we moved, we put the three oldest in the 2nd bedroom (which is attached to the 1st bedroom) and then put #4’s crib in our room (which is attached to the living room and thereby the rest of the house).

*Ok I think I need to upload my sketch of our house plan (that I concocted) so this might be a little easier to understand.*

This situation has proven to work.  In the ‘kids bedroom’ there are NO toys, only beds and clothing.  We keep all toys in the covered/enclosed front porch and the kitchen.  There have been no problems with them keeping eachother away at night, waking the others up in the morning.  The three old have seemed to enjoy that they all share a room and I like that it is ‘everyones’ room and nobody can be shut out, yet if someone needs some alone time the room is there for just that.

So this something good I’ve come across is just this: a room for sleeping/quiet time and a room for playing.  Now it wouldn’t take a genius to see the benefits of this, but it takes some faith to act on it.  In our situation we really had no choice.  But we knew God was leading us back to Eureka and to this house and into this rooming situation, so there we went.  And honestly I wouldn’t change my current situation for each of them having their own rooms, I think individual rooms for little kids are over-rated.

Make sure you watch the ENTIRE video, it is worth the wait!