February- it is so quiet in the house!

Rayna is back to school and Alizah can finally visit friends after a long week of illness. We have had a full month of illness due to change in daycare and new environment settings. Pink eye, stomach flu, common cold and then we introduced them to chicken pox. (Isn't parenting fun some times!)

Chicken pox was not as contagious or as scary as all the literature warns of, but maybe its just that I have lots of books to give good suggestions. I would highly recommend every parent have at least "Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child" on their bookshelf. Of course I got through it with a little help from my friends- Holistic Moms Network support, online or within a local chapter, is a gift again and again. And a TCM herbalist as part of your health care team is a bonus.

First Rayna had some sort of tight chest cough. Thankfully we have a friend who is a respiratory therapist who helped us out with this. Seems like Bronchiolitis was going around the school. Pretty scary going into Chicken pox because pneumonia is one of the potential complications. Figs, pears, mint tea with honey(had to be in a medicine dropper) and Boiron Chestal honey cough syrup helped tremendously.

About 3 days after the cough she slowly started to sprout a few spots. We have been working with an Acupuncturist/TCM Herbalist and he had given us some herbs for chicken pox. Well, every night or when itch or pain was happening with the spots (really only 1 time a day), Rayna dutifully took her bitter herbs mixed with pear juice followed by a yogurt chaser. She slept through the nights. We had no issues with scratching. She was out of school Mon-Tues because of cough, then Friday-Tues for rash. Alizah never developed a traditional rash because early on she was restless and had a low fever, she hadn't slept well the night before and was really clingy, so our acupuncturist said to give her a little of the chicken pox herb. I gave her 2 small doses 11 hours apart and the next day she had a minor splattering of rash across her chest after a hot sweaty nap and within 2 days it went away and she has been getting more energy ever since. Who knows if a reexposure will make her have the distinct rash in the future but I am grateful for healthy household and quiet sunshine through my window!

Rayna is really happy to be back at school since some new baby birds hatched in her class! I was surprised to learn they are pink- she said they don't have feathers. We asked what color she thought the feathers would be- they are parakeets and the parents are yellow (Ming Ming) and blue (Booksen). Green perhaps?

Alizah is having a playdate with her neighbor friend. Next Saturday she will be turning 3!

I am enjoying an hour of creative kitchen time. Because of shared lab testing for Anatomy and Physiology, I have no class this morning (but I did have to take my test earlier in the week). Actually it was a full week of exams, culminating with a potluck style TCM food therapy discussion. And even though my cultured vegetables did not get voted one of the best foods, they helped stave off any abdominal pain from all the eating!

If you are curious, here's what's happening in the kitchen:
http://christensenka.squarespace.com/imported-20100106014405/2010/1/26/turnip-and-kale-soup-gluten-free-vegan-acd.html

http://www.thedailyspud.com/2009/03/04/posh-spicy-beans/

Christmas Eve Singing

Rayna has found her voice! and it's big (we knew that). She is really loving the music director Ms Jo and is not scared of the congregation anymore. Some day she says she's going to sing in the big choir in the balcony.

Alizah was so cute. She really is doing amazing up there, following her big sister and the neighbor girl, Reagan, who is between them.

After the song, the sermon was about a Christmas program where the kids spelled out Christmas Love. 1 young boy accidentally turned the letter upside down and changed the message. Try as she might, Alizah could not change the message by turning the S. CHRIST WAS LOVE.

Winter Playground

These pics are sort of in reverse order. Levi spent some quality staycation time up on the roof today, getting prepared for the next snowstorm (which is maybe coming on Friday). We then added to the sculpture playground in the yard. Levi was getting creative with his shoveling and built a wall between the driveways. I dug out the snow house in the back. And we added a couple more feet to the top of the sledding hill in our front yard. What a weird and wonderful winter.

 

 

 

 

Roadtrip to SC, April 2010

Here's the mini-movie. It definitely needs some music. Saw that button but I didn't have John Lithgow's Singing in the Bathtub on my computer. If I did, the "Triplets" would be playing over and over as you watched. Or maybe "I had a Rooster" which gives me very fond memories of singing in the van with grandma and grandpa and the girls. We had a wonderful time visiting Pam, Terry and Noelle, Conall and Pancakes.

Como Carousel

 

 

This summer the girls and I went on a few trips to my school for adjustments and then to Como Zoo to see the animals. My dad came with once and Levi came with on the day we rode the carousel.

Birthday Girls

 
Rayna turned 4 in January.
 
Alizah turned 2 at the beginning of the month.
 
Picture 3: nursing their babies in the morning
 
Picture 4: silly princesses

Just wanted to add a few current photos. Life seems busy busy these days keeping up with school and work and the girls. The days have been beautiful, so we have been enjoying playing outside and taking walks and getting to know our garden again. Levi planted peas last weekend. And we have a few kale and collard greens that made it through the winter. Levi is off in CA at a work conference and I will be at the Great River Symposium this weekend.

Our family with chin puffs

 

 

 

Levi decided to research beards before our holiday photo. He settled on a chin puff and I was not very impressed. The beard was shaved before the photo, but it left a good impression with the girls. Here's Alizah talking up the chin puff.