Summer 2012 Updates

Hey, so I haven't been around for a long time and I'm going to just give you a quick update before I dive back into "regular" blogging (hey, I'm trying!)

Homemade Baby Formula - so I tried this for a couple-3 weeks and it was ok. K ended up getting some pretty good diarrhea and I found out from a friend that it was because I didn't water down the goats milk half and half  before mixing it up. She wasn't used to the milk, so needed to be eased into it. So I didn't end up trying it again, but I may try it again in the future (with another child seeing as K is now over a year old and on 3% milk and having a lot less colds).

Homemade Deodorant - still love it.

My Office. Ugh. Well, it's not that bad, but it doesn't look a heck of a lot better than it did. My organization in there is greatly improved and the floor is usually kept clutter free - but it's still a bit of a dumping ground and I'm still working on getting rid of as much as possible and figuring out systems that will work for me. Improvement is progress.

No Shampoo - I went "poo free" for about 3 months and enjoyed it. I liked my hair and it was pretty good. A little itchy that first week or two but then pretty good. I ended up having a dandruff problem, which I'm not sure was related, and so went back to regular shampoo and am still using it. Interesting, though, my head is quite itchy quite often. Like every 3 days or so it gets annoying, so I may try some shampoos from the Health Food store in town and let you know what I think of that.

Another Baby! So I have 5 kids now and the addition was quite unexpected and I got, well, half an hour's notice of the change! It was a whirlwind and exciting and crazy and the babies are the same size and the same weight and very near the same place developmentally which makes it "feel" like having twins (although not exactly like twins, one is 5 months and one is 13 months). I still carry, feed, rock, nurture, love, change, dress 2 babies. I have crashed a little once already and now have a cold (and so do all the children, except 1) and I suspect it's because of the new set of germs in the house. :)

The kids are all a little more irritable -

L is tired more easily and a little on edge and overwhelmed, but LOVES the babies and realizes that good stress is still stress. He helps a lot.

 J is as up and down as ever (pray for her) but I'm working super hard at building relationship with her and lavishing her with all the love I can muster. She, too, loves the new addition :)

D loves the baby the most. She ADORES her and mothers her and nurtures her. She is full swing into the "getting into EVERYTHING" stage (cutting up the playpen mesh, eating a tube of flouride free toothpaste, trying to eat deodorant, putting thick diaper rash cream all through her hair and on her hands and feet, brushing her teeth with anybody's toothbrush she can get her hands on, etc etc etc). She is a rollercoaster and a complete joy.

K hated the new baby for the first little while. Not sure why, cuz K is the sweetest baby on earth. It took her a few weeks, but she is warming up to baby P very nicely :) I wouldn't say she loves her yet, but she is definitely ok with her being around now. We love K more every day and she is finally progressing! Crawling (aka crab walk), saying a few words, signing more, responding, sitting up on her own, trying to stand.

 And little baby P is delightfully patient and calm and sweet and chubby and lovely. Her cry is horrible and odd, but it's tolerable since she's such a joy :) 

I'm doing really well, but had to make a few changes and am still making changes.

1. Packing diaper bags and visit bags the night before.
2. Making Matthew's lunch the night before.
3. Working way harder and going on the computer/watching tv way less.
4. Doing housework in the evening instead of winding down and watching tv which means I go to bed a little later and wake up a little tireder and have to nap in the afternoon a bit more often.
5. NOT FEELING THE LEAST BIT GUILTY ABOUT NAPPING. I need my rest. When I don't get it I'm grumpy or get sick.
6. Spending more one on one with the kids.
7. Make batches of bottles the night before so they're ready the next day.
8. Getting out for regular dates with Matthew and regular breaks when I'm overwhelmed. (thanks to the respite fund!)
9. Making 2-4 meals at once and cooking way less often.
10. Getting more and more organized in all areas of my life because I have to. (and I want to)
11. I finally quit teaching Sunday school and so won't be continuing in the fall (unless I change my mind)
12. Lots more paperwork and emails (foster related)
13. Dr's appointments coming out my ears lol

I'll stop there, but I could go on.

What I'm loving right now:

cuddling babies
reading stories
going for walks with my triple stroller
visiting with friends
a clean and organized home
home cooked meals
 taking naps
dates with Matthew
 teaching the kids
 prepping for the school year
 time alone with God
going to church
watching the kids dance to crazy music
 Matthew coming home at the end of the day and the children running to hug him,
encouragement and help from family and friends
 Bible study at my house on Tuesday mornings
coffee (how did that end up so far down the list??? lol)
listening to all my clocks ticking late at night when all are sleeping
watching my babies sleep
having 5 children - Love that.
Summer weather and storms and our borrowed air conditioner
food
Pinterest
helping friends/family
crafting

........I'm so grateful. <3

My Hair, My Office, My Heart.....

So by this time it has been firmly established that I am a terrible blogger......but hopefully that is because I am being a present Mother in the lives of my children. Do forgive me.

I blogged only 4 times in December and left you with questions.....

Am I still going shampoo-free? How is that going?

What about that grand office reveal???

I made it 9 weeks without shampoo, using baking soda and apple cider vinegar. I loved every minute of it and proudly told everyone I met that I didn't wash my hair anymore. But mid December I ended up with a bit of a dandruff problem (which I am not convinced was related to going poo-free, cuz I've had it on and off before).
I was super stressed in December because of everything that goes on in December combined with sickness etc, that I felt too overwhelmed to begin researching natural ways to deal with my dandruff (which shows up nicely on my black hair). So I quit. Lame. I know.

I have been using shampoo again since mid-December and the first time I used it my hair felt so soft and......flat and dry. My head got kinda itchy from being so dry since I wasn't used to drying out my head with shampoo anymore. I have noticed that although I am shampooing again, my hair does not get very greasy anymore. I used to HAVE to wash my hair every other or third day and now I am only needing to wash it about once a week - SCORE! That makes me happy cuz I'm kinda busy.

I will probably quit the shampoo thing again, but being on the verge of possibly more kids makes me a little hesitant to begin the experiment just yet. I don't want to take on too much at once.

The office. Oh my. Ok it is definitely much better than it was but it's still a bit of a gong show. It looked GREAT for like 3 days after I organized it and then got pretty bad again. I think I have organized it two more times since the supposed "great reveal" and it's less chaotic now, but still needs work. I think the real problem is that it is a dumping ground and I don't really use it much. Maybe if I actually used that room more, it would be more organized and functional. I need to develop better habits when it comes to that room and I think it needs one or maybe 2 purposes at the most - currently it probably has about 7 uses...I AM making tons of progress over here with the rest of the house and it looks better more often and I am feeling less and less stressed about it.

My heart is next on the list for this blog post and by far the most exciting for me. For the last month or so I have been feeling God tugging at my heart concerning orphans and adoption and fostering. Obviously this has been a passion in my life for awhile, but this is a new and strong desire to really make a difference in this world.

• John 14:18  

  “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

• James 1:27  

  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

  

These and other verses like them have greatly impacted me. I have been content to be a foster to adopt mom and to love and raise my kids. I have always loved kids and thought that I'd have a big family. I always felt that I'd have a bunch of kids (maybe 10ish) and that'd be it. (LOL) Then they'd grow up, leave home, get married, have their own kids, and I'd get to be Grandma. I don't feel that way anymore. I want to adopt. I don't see an end in sight. When these kids are grown, I don't want to stop adopting, I want to take more difficult or special needs kids and love them (since I'll be able to focus on them without babies underfoot). I want to adopt the whole world. I want everyone to know what a blessing it is to love with all your being for the glory of God. I want to share my love of adoption and influence others to do the same. I want to save all those kids out there that need a mom and a dad to love them. I can't do it alone, but I can do my part. I am so excited! (I know some of you are probably rolling your eyes and saying, "oh Rachel" but I'm serious!) 

I could go on and on, but my kids need me, so that's it for today :)

No Shampoo - 8 weeks & 3 days

I have not used shampoo for 8 weeks and 3 days. So far I like it! I've had a few bad hair days, but nothing crazy and nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little dry shampoo or a hat :) I have ended up having a small amount of buildup - almost like dandruff or something - so I am working that out and going to try a few things. But my hair is fine. Totally fine. It's weird.

I don't like that shampoo is full of chemicals. I don't like that it dries out your hair and kicks your scalp into overdrive, producing too much oil. I don't like HAVING to wash my hair every 3 days. I like the freedom of once a week hair. It makes me happy.

I am trying the hemp oil today for the first time and I will let you know what I think. Yeah, yeah, I know. You want pics. Proof. Evidence. Fine then. Just a sec, I will make my son take some right now.......brb......

Not too shabby :) I tried the hemp oil and it's great :) I had wet hair and then rubbed a little on my hands and then put my hands through my ends and it made my hair quite smooth and soft. I think I will be using it more often, just on my ends. 

No shampoo & decluttering pics

So I promised you guys some pics of my hair since I have stopped using shampoo and I've been soooooo busy that I haven't had time to blog much. I've been decluttering my house like CRAZY and I have those pics here for you today, too! (Not pics of the house yet, but of what's come out of it)

I haven't washed my hair with shampoo for 3 weeks and 6 days now! (I'm using water and sometimes baking soda and apple cider vinegar) So far so good. I've had some questions, so I'll try to answer those and if you have any more questions, please feel free to comment below and I'll get back to you!

Q: Why not use shampoo?
A: Because shampoo dries out your scalp and hair, stripping it of it's natural oils. Your scalp then goes into overdrive to produce MORE oil and you end up going back and forth between oily and dry. Not healthy.

Q: Why use baking soda and how much?
A: Baking soda removes the buildup from your hair. I use about 2-3 tsp mixed into a cup of warm water.   Pour it on my wet hair and massage my scalp, then rinse.

Q: Vinegar? Can I use regular vinegar or does it have to be apple cider vinegar? Will I smell like vinegar when I get out of the shower?
A: Vinegar acts as kind of a freshener/conditioner for your hair. You don't have to use apple cider vinegar, but it doesn't smell quite as strong as regular vinegar. You will not smell the vinegar when you get out of the shower. I use about 2 tsp mixed with 1 cup of warm water and pour it over my wet hair and then rinse. I use it after the baking soda treatment.

I also use a dry shampoo that I bought in the states called "batiste dry shampoo". It's like a talcum powder aerosol can and you just shake, spray it on your roots, work it in, and that's it. I use it maybe once a week.

Q: Was there a hat only stage?
A: I think there would have been if I didn't curl my hair or use dry shampoo. Both of those things really helped. You can make your own dry shampoo by grinding oats into a powder (add cocoa powder to it if you have dark hair) and then work it into your roots and shake out/brush out vigorously over the tub. Sounds weird, but works. It took about 2 and a half - 3 weeks for my hair to feel great.

Q: Is your head itchy?
A: The first week it was, but not at all since then.

Ok, so here's all the pics I promised! First hair pics and then all the junk I've gotten rid of this week! (except for the 6 garbage bags of stuff I got rid of at the beginning of the week)

I took these pics 10 minutes ago, so they are RECENT lol 3 weeks + 6 days with no shampoo!

 the back of my suburban loaded (there's a dresser under there!)

 midsection of my vehicle :)

 There's the dresser and some chairs

front seat, too :)

I can't wait to take the next load away! It really feels great!