Quote for the day

"Your body is not yours alone.  It also belongs to your ancestors, your parents, future generations, and all other living beings.  Everything, even the trees and the clouds, has come together to bring about the presence of your body.  Keeping your body healthy is the best way to express your gratitude to the whole cosmos, to all ancestors, and also not to betray future generations.  You practice this precept for everyone.  If you are healthy, everyone can benefit from it.  When you are able to get out of the shell of your small self, you will see that you are interrelated to everyone and everything, that your every act is linked with the whole of humankind and the whole cosmos.  To keep yourself healthy in body and mind is to be kind to all beings....Wholesome, spiritual nourishment can be found by looking at the blue sky, the spring blossoms, or the eyes of a child.  The most basic meditation practice of becoming aware of our bodies, our minds, and our world can lead us into a far more rich and fulfilling state than drugs ever could.  We can celebrate the joys that are available in these simple pleasures...To take good care of yourself and to take good care of living beings and of the environment is the best way to love God.  This love is possible when there is the understanding that you are not separate from other beings or the environment.  This understanding cannot be merely intellectual.  It must be experiential, the insight gained by deep touching and deep looking in a daily life of prayer, contemplation, and meditation."  -Thich Nhat Hahn

Group therapy this morning

Seth did fairly well at group this morning.  He was having a reallllly hard time sharing a toy car.  It was hard to hear him screaming from the waiting room.  On a good note, he said "banana" while he was there!

Also, there was a pedophile in the therapy building today.  Yikes.  Someone found him laying on the floor spying on people.  The cops were called, and we all had to be locked in the waiting room.  Sick.  

Seth's day

New words:

zipper

park

Seth got a owie today and actually put his head down on my shoulder for a few seconds for comfort.  I soaked it up.  

He also interacted with Ella more today than he ever has.  They would make eye contact, laugh, and then turn their heads away.  Did that a few times.  Made me tear up, it was so sweet.  

*Update*  Seth actually got in the tub while Ella was in there.  Ella was splashing like a mad woman and Seth was cracking up at her.  It's so cute to see him make eye contact with her and laugh.  Yay!

Nourishing Our Children

Love love loving this post over at Nourished Mother....

Why I Drastically Changed What I Eat After Becoming A Mother

This is why I bought a clear shower curtain...

I was in the shower this morning and decided to peek out and check on the circus that joined me in the bathroom.  Much to my surprise, I found Seth swishing my toothbrush around in the toilet water.  Yep, he climbed upon the counter, got my toothbrush, opened the toilet lid and decided to get the toothbrush nice and wet before he started brushing his own teeth.  I told him to stop brushing but he didn't understand that he was doing anything wrong.  Oye.  Needless to say, that toothbrush is in the trash.  

Meal Plan Monday

What we're eating this week:

Grilled teriyaki salmon w/veggies - salmon marinated in teriyaki sauce and fresh veggies from the farmers market drizzled with butter and all thrown on the grill

Honey roasted chicken w/veggies - 1 free range pastured organic chicken covered in raw honey, leftover veggies from salmon night  (make stock with leftover chicken bones)

Taco salad - organic grass-fed ground beef and soaked pinto beans w/taco seasonings, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, tortilla chips and french dressing

White corn tortilla soup - From A World of Wisdom by Amy Cox Jones.  This is so yummy!

3  tbsp olive oil

tortilla chips

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp onion

1 lb white corn kernels

1 1/2 lbs chipped red tomatoes

3/4 cup tomato paste

2 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

Around 8 cups fresh homemade chicken broth

(I also add some leftover chicken)

Heat olive oil over med-high heat.  Add garlic and onion and cook 1-2 minutes, until onion becomes translucent.  Add half the corn and all other ingredients (except for chicken, if you use it).  Bring the soup to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Process into a puree.  Add reserved corn and chicken to the puree.  Serve with garnishes (tortilla chips, cilantro, cheese, etc).  So dang good!

Chipotle on Thursday....Seth has an appointment with his DAN! doctor in the afternoon and I'm going to my mom's bridal shower that night.  No time for cooking.  =)

Peach Crisp - This is our dessert for the week.  I picked up a bunch of beautiful local peaches at the farmers market this week.  The thought of it makes me go weak in the knees.  It's just that good.

They are still cute

Sunday's Words

spaghetti

boat

Rhett and Seth took a walk down on the Potomac today and Seth kept saying and signing boat.  That is great recognition for him!

New words for Thursday

bike

wet

He also brought me one of Ella's diapers when asked.  

Seth's words

Seth's vocabulary has exploded.  Overnight something just clicked.  He went from only saying "mama" and "shoes" to saying....

pool

swim

outside

milk

sun

moon

apple

bowl

plate

spoon

want

bag

out

cho-choo

snack

church

swing

spin

cereal

red

dinner

He's adding new words everyday.  He's also started pointing at pictures in books.  It's a miracle.  Honestly.

Weston A. Price

The FDA lies.  Their idea of a "healthy" diet is killing us.  As a family, we are slowly switching over to a traditional diet.  "Traditional" meaning just the way our ancestors ate.  Long before cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.  No boxes, no cans, nothing artificial, just real pure food.  Local pasture eggs, butter, homemade bone broth, organic fruits and vegetables, organic grass-fed meat, properly soaked grains, and raw milk.  Here are 3 great links with easy to follow guidelines.

Characteristics of Traditional Diets

Dietary Guidelines

Dietary Dangers

Obama

Why Mormons should consider backing Barack Obama

Why republicans should vote for Obama

If Ron Paul was still running, I would vote for him.  He wants to legalize raw milk and outlaw forced vaccines.  My kinda guy.  But, he's not.  So, Obama it is.  (I know, gasp!)

2 movies

Rhett and I really need a date night.  There are two movies that I'm just dying to see.

Food Matters

Finding the Words

Speaking of movies....if you are of a woman of childbearing age or if you know a woman of childbearing age PLEASE see this movie.

The Business of Being Born

Hope after diagnosis

Go on, grab a tissue and a snack.  14 minutes well spent...

Hope after diagnosis

Green our Vaccines

We were able to attend and march at the Green our Vaccines rally in DC a while back.  It was so empowering.  It was amazing to be surrounded by so many other families who are dealing with vaccine induced autism.  Here is a clip from Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy's speeches at the rally.  

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/showbiz/2008/06/04/bts.carrey.mccarthy.vaccines.cnn

I don't know what else to say other than the Government is hurting an entire generation of children.  For what?  Money?  The evidence is there, and the CDC knows it.  The information is out there - parents just have to find it on their own.  Your pediatrician certainly isn't going to tell you, because he's waiting for that bonus check for every vaccine he administers.  

I've been wanting to do this for a while...

I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now.  We have so much to share with family and friends, and I figure this would be an easy way to keep everybody updated.  One more thing on the list of things to do, I guess.  =)