Foto Friday

our 1st baby

Day Dreams

It has always been my dream to push my baby through town in a little black pram...

Then suddenly reality sets in...

One can dream!

Green Diapers

I feel like everything I read lately is all about going green. So I decided to try these trendy little g diapers. I love that I can flush them and I don't have a smelly diaper pail in the nursery. Not to mention that they are great for Janie because they don't have any of those horrible chemicals like chlorine. They are so soft and easy to use. Sarah Jane seems to like them.

As for Carter... he is loving his underpants. I put underpants on him this past Monday. Thinking that I just wanted him to start to be more aware of his bodily functions. Well much to my surprise he was ready to go. About 5 minutes after putting on the Mater underpants Carter walked over and very assertively said, "Momma pa, Momma pa". I thought he was just wanting to be cool and sit on the potty, but as soon as I sat him down on the throne he started to pee. WAY TO GO Carter! Now he wants to go every 5 minutes so we can do the potty dance together. I am not getting my hopes up, but it is nice to save on diapers for a few days.

take the plastic out of your diet

Foogo cup, SIGG cup, Adiri Bottle

I remember the horror I felt when I learned that people were actually poisoning themselves with there lead drinking cups. Today we are aware of the dangers of lead poisoning and take measures to insure good health. However today there is a similar danger. Have you heard of BPA? The past few weeks I've grown a bit alarmed about Bisphenol-A or BPA and I want you to be aware of the dangers too.

BPA is a chemical compound. It's most often found in Polycarbonate Plastics. Polycarbonate Plastics are those cool clear plastics you see everywhere. The item I found most concerning was the baby bottle, over 90% of baby bottles are made from Polycarbonates.

So who cares, lots of things are made of plastic. Well, there is a fairly heated debate right now that BPAs can leach from plastic when heated, and that BPAs can cause all sorts of health problems like cancer, early puberty, obesity and even attention-deficit disorder. Moreover, I don't consider myself an environmentalist, and I certainly realize that in the modern industrial world we live in we are constantly exposed to things that are bad for us. Although this subject has raised concern in our home.

Before I go on I should explain that not all plastics contain BPA, and that you should mainly be concerned with plastics that come in contact with food as the heat is what can accelerate BPA leaching. There are a few kinds of plastics and they can be identified by those little triangle number symbols.

Below is a link I found very helpful:
Smart Plastics Guide

So the past few days Brian and I decided to get rid of plastic bottles, plastic coffee mugs, sippy cups or any other form of plastic that we might heat up. This includes all our Tupperware. We replaced all our water bottles with the excellent swiss SIGG bottles. We replaced the kid’s sippy cups for Foogo and SIGG cups. Sarah Jane now uses the Adiri Bottles, which she actually likes more then any other bottle I have used.

If you are uncertain of the types of plastic in your children's cups/bottles, check the bottom of the cup, which may classify the plastic according to a recycling code. 1, 2, 4, and 5 are OK, but 3 and 6 are not, and 7 usually is not, either. If the number is not specified, you can call the company to learn the type of plastic used or simply replace unaccounted-for plastics with known safe alternatives.

If you do and must use plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7, know that the following habits increase the likelihood of toxins migrating to the surface of your plastic and posing a risk to your child:

• Using scratched or worn plastic containers
• Heating food in plastic containers
• Placing hot food in plastic containers to cool
• Heating foods covered in plastic wrap
• Washing plastic containers in the dishwasher

So it's really very simple. You can do nothing and that's your prerogative. But I think people should at least know that this debate is looming, and that you can avoid a potentially harmful chemical if you so chose. Why take the risk if you can find a suitable alternative for you and your family?

In conclusion, I hope I have provided you with some useful information.

Foto Fort Friday

Today we built a fort and it was a blast. The kids took the toys inside and even made a bed in case anyone wanted to take a nap. Yeah Right! Of course I had to pretend I couldn't find them anywhere.

Playing inside

The Door

Easter in March?

Turk Family
I just want to note that Brian and I didn't realize it was Easter until it was here. Actually we knew about a week ago. I just don't understand? We were actually married Easter Weekend and our anniversary is a few weeks away. I heard on the radio this only happens once every 230 years.

This morning the kiddos came running down to find their Easter baskets. They were so excited about the new bunny & duck towels it wasn't a problem to get them in the shower before church. While getting ready Hannah told us all about today and why it is so special. I love that she is learning so much.
We went to church this morning to enjoy a great sermon on Courage. I over heard Brian talking to a friend and he said, "I knew the message today was on courage, that is why I wore these pants." So what does everyone think about these pants? I will share the story later.

Side note: I went into Sarah Jane's room the other morning and Hannah was in there getting dressed while Sarah Jane was babbling away. Hannah looks up and says, "Good Morning Momma. Sarah Jane is awake."
I respond, "Good morning, yes she is awake. I hear her talking."
In her sweet innocent voice Hannah says, "Yeah Momma she is talking to Jesus, because she needs to get Jesus in her heart."

Isn't this just how it goes when the kids look super cute and you want to take a photo of them? Little Stinker.

After church the Coleman family joined us for an Easter brunch. The food was great and the company was even better.

Of course we all had to get that Easter afternoon nap.

TMNT

Friday we watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The kids loved to get some cuddle time with Dad. He has been working hard and not feeling well. So we were happy to hang out and relax.

Carter is so funny... when they play the "scary" music he always covers his eyes. I am not sure where he learned this but it is so cute.

Foto Friday

Bankrupt

My Menu for Easter Brunch:
Spinach and Gruyere Quiches
Ham w/ Parsley-Mustard Sauce
Spring Salad w/ Tangy Vinaigrette
Lemon-Ginger Bunt Cake

So on my HOT date tonight Brian took me over to Wegman's because I needed a few unusual items for the above menu. The one that gave me the most trouble was the Crystallized Ginger. I don't know maybe it isn't that unusual, but I sure haven't heard of it. However, I am also the girl that a few years ago when making cookies called my dear Mother-In-Law to ask if I could use coke, because it was the only soda I had. She quickly responded, "NO! You need baking soda. I will be right over." So anyway when I finally found the crystallized ginger it was $11 for this little spice bottle. This better be the best Bunt Cake ever! Although I did have a blast just wondering the aisles for an hour or so. Thanks for a great date Honey!!

Big Day

This morning I went to school with Hannah Grace to help out with the Easter Party. I had a wonderful time and Hannah Grace was so excited to have me all to herself. I am so proud of her. I wished I had taken the camera to the party they did a race with the egg on the spoon, had and egg hunt, crafts and lots of songs and games. I am so grateful that I am able to be a part of Hannah's world. Thanks to Brian for watching Carter, Allison and Sarah Jane.

Another FIRST! Sarah Jane is eating cereal. I don't think she really likes it. When I went in for her 4 month check up the doctor told me that I should start feeding her cereal. Well truth is that it is so much easier just to give her milk. So with her 6 month appointment around the corner I decided I should at least try to feed her some cereal. For now SJ just laughs and laughs and lets the cereal drip all over the front of her. Sweet baby.

Tonight I had a HOT date with my Husband. Yippee!

Table Talk

I am so excited about my new side table. It is an antique oak wine barrel that was crafted into a table. I just love the marking on the table.

Brian and I went in search of bedroom furniture the other day and on our way out of the store I found this table. I wasn't sure, but once we got it home I just loved it. I plan to decorate the table with some vineyard books and a pewter dish full of corks.

The Grill

Tonight we hosted dinner for the Hostetter Family. Brian really wanted to try out the new grill. So we had some NY Strip steaks on the grill and German Potato Salad with Bacon. I also made a Tomato, Chickpea, Walnut and Arugula Salad that was lite and fresh.

All of the dishes were new things we wanted to try, but everything was great. I just love Ryan's face in the above photo. Did you notice the shirt?

Had to put up some photos of us.

Turk Family

The final course of the evening was a Chocolate-Truffle Torte. I just want to say that this was more difficult than ANY cake.

Foto Friday

Movie Night

Brian was traveling yesterday, which made for a really long day for me. At about 6:00p it was time for a movie. We close the big drapes which make it really dark. Then we turn off all the light and pretend we are in the movie theater. We just bought 101 Dalmatians and the kiddos loved ever minute. Although I think the only reason Carter was into it was the popcorn. We love you little buddy.

chocolate covered fun

While Hannah was at preschool today I went to Chocolate World with the 3 little ones.

Allison really wanted to eat the giant candy, but Carter kept telling her "no.no.no."

Wow look Cows! It was so cute to hear Carter and Allison say Moo and pointing the entire ride.

"Oh! Carter this is so exciting!" Allison exclaims.

Oh Yeah. Sarah Jane and I were there too.
We even got to hang out the Rebecca and Anna for a short while before picking up Hannah.

"No, I don't want to go. I want to nap here," Allison wishes as she points to where she wants to go.

Dress Up Fun

Hannah Grace had a blast dressing Allison up as a princess.

Nothing like some good two hand touch in a gown. Her Dad will be so proud!

The girls are running from the scary lion.

ROAR!

We are having so much fun with Allison coming over. My kids are really going to miss her when she isn't coming over everyday.

The Turks

We had a wonderful visit with David and Autumn. They arrived on Friday night and the kids were so excited to see them. Hannah wanted to show them their bed because they were having a sleepover at our house.
Saturday morning Brian and I made our traditional Saturday morning waffles. Then left to go to the Lancaster Market. We bought some fresh cheese, fresh bread, cookies, and pussy willows. Brian is still trying to understand why I would want to put these sticks in our house with no flowers. I love them! Saturday night we went out for a date.
Our date night started at McCleary's Public House. The architecture was amazing and the counters were all copper. Great find Honey!

Our next stop was at Bebu's Brewery.

They took us on a tour on our way to the table. The photo above is the hole where the skinny workers would crawl in the barrels to wash them. Although they did not have light and could not light a candle with all the fumes. After cleaning for about 4 hours the workers were intoxicated and sent home with a full day of pay. Maybe this is one of the jobs that you would see on the show 'dirty jobs'.

Here we go 43 feet under Mount Joy into the Catacombs. I don't know how to explain it... the atmosphere was great but I did feel like a teenage mutant ninja turtle might be lurking around the corner.

Thanks for a great visit David and Autumn. We miss you guys and wish you lived a little closer.

Warm Weather

It has been so warm here that you can wear short sleeves. Last night we slept with the window open and just listened to the thunder storm. I love listening to the rain and the rumbling thunder. Although my favorite thing about rain is kissing in the rain. I don't know why but I just think it is so romantic to just lock lips in the pouring rain.