Did you Know??? I am GRATEFUL that I NOW know!!

Gratitude Journal Entry #71

When Junior started out eating we found out long before he started food that he was really allergic to Wheat and Soy. I had the hardest time finding formula without Soy and he was really allergic to soy. So we put him on Goats milk at seven months and that worked so then I thought I was in the clear with the cereal because I knew he could eat oatmeal. Well, I had a "feeling" to read boxes carefully. So I did and discovered that on the Gerber cereal box of oatmeal it read "May have traces of Wheat in it." Now why would they do that to little babies.:( So they had a phone number on the back of the box for you to call so I remember calling to ask and to make sure that there wasn't any soy in it too I also said that my baby is allergic to wheat why would they do this and she said that she would take this information and take it back to the board to talk about it. So we tried it and sure enough he broke out and was miserable. So then I found Beech Nut brand and on the box said is careful with allergies and has no soy in it. So we tried it and sure enough he DIDN'T break out. So...two nights ago we went and bought a box of Gerber oatmeal cereal for our little baby Daniel and he tried it and the next day was SUPER constipated and broke out MAJOR and was super fussy all day long!! So then I had the feeling to call Sloane and have him pick me up a box of Beech Nut oatmeal cereal, and sure enough he DIDN'T brake out and he wasn't constipated!! (So yes this means he's allergic to wheat!) So I read the box of Gerber again to see if it said that and to my surprise they don't say "May contain traces of wheat!" UGHHHHHH! So when I called a year and a half ago they basically did NOTHING and just took that off the boxes! I want to write them a nasty letter, ok I will be nice! No I really want to write them a letter letting them know how serious this could be if some baby was highly allergic to wheat! Again, why would they do this???? They just don't care and they don't care about allergies in babies, so sad for them because I am getting the word out and I am Never buying Gerber again!! Ok, now that I got that out I will calm down now ;)

I am GRATEFUL for Spring Break!!

Gratitude Journal Entry #70

So here's what we are doing....

Monday- we let the kids play with friends, they have been dying to play with friends for a while now.

Tuesday- I am just letting the kids hang out and play the WII because they never ever get to do that, (we are stricked about it plus they always have just too much homework)

Wednesday-Taking the kids to Hobby Lobby! Yes, I know I am crazy:) We have asked Sister Mcurdy (the bishop's wife) to come with us since she loves this place, can't drive and my kids love her. I will encourage her to go off with maybe the older kids so she won't have to listen to my crazy kids screaming ect. Oh, and let the kids pick out a cheap craft to do.

Thursday- Going to the library, because it's FREE!

Friday-Going to the Great Harvest Bread Co. My kids have never been here, I have and I love it. We are going for the treats. I thought it would be a different but fun activity that they've never done before. (It will be torture with me being on this diet and all!)


Next weeks Activities...

Monday- Maybe take the older kids Ice skating. If you still have those passes from the library reading program from the summer, they are still good until June, buy one get one free!

Tuesday- Take the kids to Mcdonalds, it's half priced happy meals.

Wednesday-Make the craft that they got from Hobby Lobby last week.

Thursday- Go to park! Hopefully it's nice weather.

Friday-Go to the Lolli Pop Shop off Eagle Rd. Again my kids have never been to this shop and it's kinda fun going to somewhere new.

That's it for us! Hope you all have a fun Spring Break! and Happy Easter!!

I am GRATEFUL for my Four Month old Baby Boy!

Gratitude Journal Entry#69



I am grateful for my baby. He's not sleeping through the night yet, however he is a joy to have around. I enjoy his little noises that he has started to make, he was so noisy during relief society, I think that's early isn't it? He also will cry if I leave the room, that too is early? He loves to smile and cuddle with you. I love the clicking noise he makes when he's tired at least then I know! He loves his fingers and sucks on them a lot. He will also laugh a lot more too now. We love you our precious baby!

I am GRATEFUL for Perfect Strangers!!

Gratitude Journal Entry # 68

All my life I have had Perfect Strangers come into my life at the Perfect time! It's like Heavenly Father, since he couldn't be there he sends them. This week I was at Wallgreens stocking up on some more diapers and I just needed a few more before the sale went off, so I decided to take the boys with me just real quick (I don't know why I fool myself, it's never EVER just real quick) Anyhow, as I am standing in line I kept the two older boys happy by bribing them with M & M's :) and then I was holding the bottle for the baby realizing that I forgot the blanket in the car to prop the bottle up so I can go pay. While I was thus contemplating on this, a woman, sweet and gentle and very kind came up to me and asked if she could hold his bottle for me so that I could check out. I was surprised by this but felt her sweet spirit and was quickly glad for her offer because I was now next in line. Well, needless to say she held that bottle for atleast ten to fifteen min. and was very happy to do it. The other checkers kept offering her to check her out at their register but she refused by telling them that she has five children of her own and she really wants to help this lady. I am greatful to her for her help, for I really needed it, but I am not very good at excepting help, I will get better at that.
My memory of another Perfect Stranger was when we got into our really bad car accident in December of 1998, we were on our way to our ward Christmas party. It almost took the life of Sloane's half sister. She was twelve and was living with us at the time. An older couple came up and held Dash for me, he was only two months old while I was being checked out by the ambulance guys, because I hit my head on my window and cut my ear, we were hit from the side. Then a women who was a nurse came up and was taking Leandra's (that's Sloane's half sisters name) pulse, she was to play the angel that night in the play. It was amazing how all those people were there. And one last memory....When I found out that I was pregnant with my seventh, I was feeling emotional one day about it and I decided to go to the shoe store to get some comfortable sandals since now I was going to be pregnant through the summer. I was looking through the shoes when a worker lady came up to me and asked if she could help me find anything. I told her I needed something comfy because I am pregnant, and then she stopped me with the question "How many is this for you?" I sheepishly told her "Seven." Her next question kind of shocked me, she asked "Are you happy about this?" and I told her "Yes, yes I am." She then got so excited and then got serious real quick and told me that she was so happy to meet people like me that has children and are happy about it and not the opposite because she was never able to have children of her own and wanted them so badly. I was humbled at that very moment by this Perfect Stranger that shared that most sacred thing about herself and by the fact that at one point I wasn't sure if I was happy about it. But thanks to that Perfect Stranger I realized that I am very Blessed!!

I am GRATEFUL for my Kids' dreams.....I Think?

Gratitude Journal Entry #67

So lately my eleven year old has been acting like a true eleven year old. I have been hoping and praying that somehow he will be jared out of what ever he's going through. So this morning he comes down stairs and right away tells me that he had a dream about me last night. He said it started out great, we were at Bear Lake at our Family Reunion (which we are going to this year) and he said it was a lot of fun. He was wake boarding ect. he said then you (mom) started not feeling very good and we all thought it was your gallbladder acting up again. We went home early and took you to the doctors and found out that you had cancer, he said "It was the fast pace dying kind," I said, "Well did I die?" and he said, "I woke up before you did." Well all morning he was being responsible, doing things that I normally have to remind him TWELVE times or more to do, and I think he said "I love you," five or more times this morning before he left for school. I remember as a kid or teenager having dreams about my parents dying and thinking that I needed to appreciate them more. So if that's what it takes to get him to appreciate me and his dad more, I will Take It!! ( I just hope it doesn't really come true, Yicks!;)

I am GRATEFUL that JR Qualifies!!

Gratitude Journal Entry # 66

The ladies from the infant/Toddler program from the state came today to do an evaluation. They both said that they are required to go back and add up their numbers to see if he qualifies but they both said that they know right now for sure that he qualifies in both areas, cognitive and speech. Which is good! I honestly thought that he would just qualify for just speech. He's about six months or more behind in both and that's how he qualifies. The best part is they come to your house! I felt really strongly that when I was carrying him that he was struggling with the idea of wanting to come and that he was going to have a hard life somehow. When he was born I thought that his life would be hard because of all of his Allergies. When he started eating he could only eat three things, he was allergic to everything else, that's how bad his allergies was. But now I know it won't just be his allergies, but I am glad that he will have the help along the way. He has always been blessed with help along the way. Whenever there was a time that I needed to do something for him, I would receive the inspiration on how to help him. For instance, with his allergies, I had the impression at seven months to stop nursing and take him off all the things that he was allergic to and then when he was about fourteen months I started introducing some of those things back in and then he was fine. When he was a baby he was HARD, this song came to my mind (sung to the tune of Rubber Ducky) "Junior baby, your the one, you make life lots of fun, Junior baby I'm awefully fond of you- to- boo- boo- bee- doo-whee! He loved it and would calm right down and fall asleep or not be so fussy, the kids memorized it too so when he was being fussy they would sing this to him and he would calm right down. I know I was inspired to come up with that song to sing to him, it made life more positive and helped him get through a lot. I still sing that too him and he loves it! And many more things that I was inspired to do to help him along the way. My testimony has grown through this with the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows who we are, he knows what we need and that he will help us if we have the faith in him.

I am GRATEFUL I figured out how to make my very own Mini Greenhouse!!

Gratitude Journal Entry #65


I am so excited, I figured out and made this myself!! I had wire from Home Depot, left over from a project a LONG time ago and almost threw it away but figured I might use it someday. I had left over clear table cloth cover from my table when I lived in Washington. I had the trays from when I was on my wheat grass growing kick! So I decided I wanted to make my own starts this year but didn't want to spend money on anything fancy to put my growing plants in and so I came up with this!