5 Ingredient Sweet Potato Brownies

I saw a post for a 5 ingredient, anti-inflammatory brownie recipe and I was excited to try it. I mean, how much could I possibly mess up with such a simple recipe?

I found the MaraNatha almond butter at Walmart. They have other flavors like maple, dark chocolate, caramel, and crunchy. I think I may try these brownies with another flavor or almond butter and see how they taste. The carob chips were a bit harder to locate but I did find them at Whole Foods for about 3 dollars a bag. 

Ingredients

• 2 cup mashed sweet potato (about 2-3 sweet potatoes)
• 1 cup smooth nut butter of choice (I recommend almond or cashew butter)
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2  cup cocoa powder
• 1-2 cups carob chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a small cake/loaf pan (I used 8x8 pan)
2. On the stove, melt nut butter with maple syrup
3. In a large bowl add the mashed sweet potato, melted nut butter and maple syrup, and cocoa powder and mix well
4. Fold in carob chips, as many as you want.
5. Pour mixture into greased pan. Optional: sprinkle carob chips on top.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing and refrigerating.

These brownies are best when cooled completely otherwise they will be too mushy and will fall apart. Store in fridge or freezer and ENJOY!

The benefits of these sweet potato brownies. 

Sweet Potatoes have a natural sweetness that can help you reduce your sugar intake, supports blood sugar management, if you have a serious sweet tooth. They have a relatively high glycemic index and can be great for those dealing with type 2 diabetes.

Anthocyanin (what makes a sweet potato orange) provides excellent anti-inflammatory benefits. The benefits of this compound are felt the most in the nerve tissue and brain.

Sweet potatoes are full of vitamins A and C, making them great for your immune system. They also have vitamin B6, B1, B2, B3, manganese, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and fiber; all of which are compounds that support the work of the digestive system, keep our blood safe and support our overall health.

Maple Syrup contains up to 24 different antioxidants that are beneficial for reducing free radical damage that can cause inflammation and contribute to the formation of various chronic diseases.

Verdict

When I pulled the brownies from the oven, the boys immediately asked me for a bite. They were saddened to learn they had to wait for them to cool. I was impatient so I went ahead and cut them while they were warm and they fell apart. Despite the fact that the texture is mushier than a normal brownie, these are REALLY good. If you like super sweet desserts, this may not be the one for you. Carob chips are not super sweet but they were perfect for my sweet tooth.

If you want another sweet potato brownie recipe, try Dr. Axe's 16 ingredient recipe. As for me, I am sticking with the 5 ingredient version.

*Post contains affiliate links

Sometimes, you have to send your cape out for alterations

I'm No Superman by Lazlo Bane

I'm certainly no Superman. Sometimes I think I'm Wonder Woman but really wish I could be Zatanna, Raven and Black Canary all rolled into one. With a sprinkling of Black Widow for good measure.

The last few weeks have been stressful.
The kids were sick. Not at the same time mind you. There were 4 days where I had one or the other at my work place. The first day would be fine but the second day, the little buggers would not sit still or use their inside voice. Then I got sick.

Sinus infection, coughing, headaches. Last week was unbearable. Last Thursday (Halloween), I started my downward spiral. I was like Lindsay Lohan, popping pills for the sinus pressure and pain and the migraines. I had to take the last migraine pill in my possession that day. This was the last pill that I had nursed and coveted since September. I said to myself that if my migraine does not go away, I am screwed. Friday, I was screwed.

I made my way to the Urgent Care Clinic. They took my blood pressure and it was a whopping 170/110.
Wait. What???!
They asked if I was on BP medication.
No.
Did I normally have bp issues?
No. I am in a lot of pain so that might be the cause.
Possibly. But that is still really high. Make an appointment with your doctor.
(or you're gonna die. dun, dun, DUN!)

Well, that's what I was thinking.


I got a shot at urgent care for my migraine and nausea. I got a refill for my migraine meds. I made an appointment with my doc. Even though I went through the weekend still in a drug induced haze and feeling slightly better, I continued to feel like I would drop dead any minute. What if I had a hard attack or a stroke while I was driving the kids? What if I was home with them and all of a sudden I was gone? Just those thoughts alone, I am sure elevated my blood pressure even more.

I tried the whole weekend to remain calm, to mellow out and be one with nature.
I saw the GP last Monday and my BP was 178/118.  Seriously?
I might as well have tried to make the Statue of Liberty disappear. Trying not to be stressed is the impossible magic trick for me. I ask the doc what I can do to help with my BP besides the meds. Stay calm. Again, cutting a women in half would be 100 times easier.

I am now taking blood pressure medicine. I'm 40 years old and my age is catching up to my 20 year old spirit. Last Tuesday was my lowest point. Not only was my migraine back but it was worse than ever. I was nauseated, I could barely walk, talk or open my eyes. My chest was so tight, I felt like 50 sumo wrestlers were sitting on me. And not in a good way. I felt I was knocking on death's door and wished he would open it just to put me out of my misery.


I rarely ask for help and I never let on that I am NOT superhuman but I felt I needed to be lifted up. Facebook is good for rallying friends. So I broke down and asked for prayers. When I woke from my coma, I was greeted with so much caring and concern. It could have been the second pill I popped but I like to think it was all the prayers and positive vibes sent my way that alleviated my pain.

There have been lots of crying and reevaluating. Even a fight with the hubs thrown in to really test my strength. In the greater scheme of illnesses, this is so minor. Many people would love to have this as their health problem as opposed to more serious conditions or terminal illness. Even though it reads like one, this is not my pity party. But I'll still cry if I want to.

It's ok NOT to do everything.
It's ok NOT to be everything.
It's ok NOT to be ok all the time.
It's ok, to put yourself before others, even your kids.
It's ok to ask for help.
And it's certainly ok to send out your superhero cape to be altered every once in a while.
You are still enough.

Not so happy new ear

Sam had a double ear infection and Dean had it in his right ear 2 days before Christmas. They were both on Amoxicillin. I took them both to the doctor for a follow up and the antibiotic didn't kill it.

Sam still has double ear and Dean's right ear didn't clear up. Dean is extremely miserable. He is such a sensitive (cry)baby. Sam is worse but he isn't as cranky.

Now they are on cefdinir. This is gonna kick it. It better. It cost $30 per child and that is with insurance. Amoxil cost less than $1 per kid.

I sure hope this isn't a trend, not sure I want to deal with tubes.

Foam Here to Eternity

When I first learned I was pregnant with twins, I started looking into ways I could save money. I started serious couponing with the help of many review blogs and frugal blogs. I signed up for various discount programs and found freebies offered by companies. I also started looking into ways to create a healthier home for my family. That has been the hardest part to change our unhealthy habits. Buying more natural and organic items has really put a strain on the budget but that just meant I had to find other areas to cut costs.

When the boys began attending daycare, we started showing them how to wash their hands at the sink. I tried to find soaps that were not antibacterial as they contain triclosan. The natural, organic or kid friendly soaps are not cheap. I looked into ways I could stretch the soap and lo and behold, I found recipes to make foaming hand soap. I was never a fan of foaming hand soap because it didn't feel like I was getting clean with so little soap. I have since become a convert and love foaming hand soap.

Here is a video on making foaming soap.




This concept can be used to make foaming dish soap or body wash and will work with any kind of soap. I used these instructions as a guideline to making my soap.

I started with a bottle of dial foaming hand soap. Buying a pre-filled bottle can run anywhere from 1.66 (what I paid on sale) to 3.99 (fancier bottle). You can also get empty bottles at Bed, Bath and Beyond and online stores. I bought a bottle of Mrs. Meyer's clean day apple scented hand soap at Target for 2.99 (with coupon). I filled the empty bottle with about half an inch of soap, then slowly added warm water to the fill line in the back of the bottle. Put the cap back on and gently mix to distribute the soap. For your first batch, I suggest filling with water a little less then the fill line. This gives you some wiggle room to add more soap if needed. Test the soap to see if it is the consistency you like. Adjust accordingly. You want the consistency to be watery so that the pump can mix the liquid with air to create the foam.



I barely put a dent in the bottle of Mrs. Meyer's. If I use 1 fluid ounce with each batch, this one bottle will make 12 batches of foaming soap. This comes to $.25 per batch, not counting the initial cost of the dial bottle.

You can add food coloring to soaps too. There are all kinds of soaps out there. Some good, some bad and some very bad. If you want to check on the toxicity of the soaps or want to find a non-toxic soap to make your own foaming hand soap, check out the Cosmetic database. That is how I found Mrs. Meyer's to be not so good.

If you are interested in getting handmade soaps with natural and organic ingredients, my friend Sarah makes wonderful soaps. Her web site is Sarah's Soap. She sent me a yummy package containing soap and lip balm for my baby shower and I passed it around for all to smell.

If you find a bar soap that you like and want to make foaming hand soap, you can grate bar soaps. Here is Sarah's recipe for making liquid soap from bar soap.

5 ounces grated soap
30 oz water
½ teaspoon powdered pectin (same pectin used for canning)

Grate soap into small slivers. Combine the grated soap with the water and pectin in a stainless steel pan. Eliminating the pectin will cause it to separate. Heat until the soap slivers have completely melted. Remove from heat and add a few drops of an essential oil. When cool, pour into a dispensing bottle. You may have to play around a bit with the amount of soap vs. water depending on how thick you want it.

48 hours

That is how long the boys have been gone. Rod whisked them away Saturday to spend the day with their grandmother. Partly to let me have some time to myself to get stuff done but mostly to regain my sanity.

I won't lie. I am stressed. Between the demands of work and home, it has gotten pretty hairy trying to find that elusive work/life balance I keep hearing about. I am so thankful that Rod finally found a job. After having been unemployed for over a year, his unemployment benefits were coming to an end. During that time, it was a constant struggle with bills. Unfortunately, a dwindling savings account is the byproduct of that. We finished with another sale to get rid of some kids stuff but we still have a lot left over. We need to do another garage sale but it is exhausting getting crap ready, trying to get people to buy the crap and then packing the crap away to do all over again at a later date. Crap has to be more valuable and more desirable after sitting in the garage and attic collecting dust, right? RIGHT?

I am also stressed about Dean and Sam's health. The boys have been sick with one thing after another. The ear infections, upper respiratory infections, hand, foot, mouth virus, pink eye, croup and allergies have kept all of us up too many nights to count. It seems my weak immune system can no longer handle allergies and sinus drainage. What once was an ailment I quickly recovered from after taking Benadryl and vitamins, is now a a serious nuisance. Every time my allergies flare up, I get such a bad sore throat that I lose my voice or become hoarse for weeks. I am still suffering from the most recent flare up. I am coughing so hard, I feel like my lungs are going to shoot right through my ribs. When I breathe, I wheeze and my chest rattles. I really need to see a doctor to make sure there is no serious infection in my lungs. Am I supposed to fall apart this early?

Work has been so busy for me. I am attending more meetings which takes me away from the office so I can't get anything done when I am out. I don't mind meetings but I hate going to them when I am feeling under the weather. Then I have to explain my hoarseness and my coughing so that people don't think I am infectious. When I get back to the office, I am always rushing around to get things done before I have to leave to get the kids.

That is my day, wake up, get them dressed and out the door, get them into the daycare, fight traffic for an hour to get to, work, work, work, fight traffic to get to the daycare, get them into the car (with a little bribery from sugary fruit snacks that will rot their teeth), start dinner, distract them with TV that will rot their brain so I can finish dinner, feed them while simultaneously shoving food in my mouth while standing at the kitchen counter, clear dishes, play with them, read to them, get them into the bathtub, speed clean them, get them out of the tub, fight with them to get lotion on every inch of their body, fight with them to brush their teeth so that they won't rot and fall out, get them into bed, get them to stay in bed, wake up after having fallen asleep trying to keep them in bed, sneak out of the bedroom to get ready for bed and lastly, falling face first into bed.

So other than all the above, I have it pretty easy, no?

Immaculate Infection

On Tuesday, I noticed Dean had all these red bumps and blisters on his legs, feet and in the diaper area. I thought maybe they were bug bites but Dean didn't exhibit signs of itchiness. The ones on the leg didn't bother me but the ones around his bottom and genitals really freaked me out. I asked the day care teacher if she noticed them and if she could watch to see how he acted that day. She said she would ask someone about them.

When I picked up the boys, she said that she did not know what the red bumps were. As I inspected Dean, I noticed more bumps coming up around his hands and and arms. I also checked Sam and saw that he was getting red bumps too. I took them to the pediatrician Thursday to get them checked out. The doctor said it was hand, foot, mouth virus. G-R-E-A-T!

It is very contagious and they more than likely got it from day care. We don't go anywhere else or come in contact with other people because I generally don't take them out on weekends. I called the day care and let them know that it is hand, foot, mouth and that they should clean their toys and check other kids. The thing that gets me is they act like this is the first they have heard of it. I know my boys did not just get this out of the blue. They had to have gotten it from coming into contact with another child's snot or spit or whatever bodily fluid came flying at my children. I wish other parents would pay more attention to their kids and what they bring home. It is not always easy for me to take time off work and take them to the pediatrician but my children's health is priority for me so I do it.

The symptoms will usually clear up within 5-7 days and already the red bumps are going away. I asked if adults get it and he said yes but not as bad as kids. I am hoping my immune system can take it because I don't want those bumps in my diaper area. The doc said the boys are clear to go back to day care on Tuesday. One silver lining is once they have been in contact with this strain of the virus, they have built up an immunity.

I kept them home Friday and I am not looking forward to being cooped up in the house this weekend. Oh, did I mention both boys have ear infections too. Joy.

Scheduling appointments at Southern Dental

I had a bad experience with Southern dental a few months ago. I had a cleaning appointment at 8:30 am. They even called be the day before to confirm. I got to my appointment and it was almost 9 am when they called me back to get x-rays taken. I waited another 15 minutes before they placed me in a chair to wait. And I wait. And I wait. At 9:40, a person came to review my x-ray and told me I had a cavity and needed to get it taken care of before it became a root canal. I told her I had not even had my cleaning. She said, "You haven't had your cleaning?" I said no, I have been here over an hour and no one has come to clean my teeth.

She left and came back to tell me that my hygiene appointment was at 10:30. I gave her an incredulous look and said my appointment was for 8:30. She said yes but my hygiene appointment was at 10:30. I was livid at this point and lit into her. No one told me I had two separate appointments. Who the hell schedules a cleaning visit with a 2 hour difference between x-ray and cleaning. I told her it is ridiculous to expect any patient to wait over 2 hours for a dental cleaning. All this time, she was hemming and hawing and could not give me an answer. I told her I did not mean to raise my voice at her but someone should have told me the situation so that I would not have wasted my morning waiting around. I expected maybe an hour for the whole thing and already it was coming up on two hours and I still had dirty teeth.

I did not even know if the person I spoke to was the dentist but she finally took me to speak with the office manager. I wait again because she is on the phone. When she finally comes out, she has my file and tells me my balance is zero and that the appointment is paid for. I give her a crazy look and asked her what that had to do with my appointment. She looked at me crazy and I explained the situation. She took me back to the hygiene room and told George to take me next. He was still cleaning his equipment but I waited on him. It ended up being almost 10:30 before he started cleaning. George was a nice kid, looked like William Hung. I wasn't mad at him. I was pissed at the idiot who scheduled a two hour appointment for a cleaning.

The bad part was I had a cavity that I needed to get filled and I debated going back. I was told that if it was too deep, I would need a root canal. I really debated changing dental providers but went ahead and scheduled my filling. I went back a week later and wouldn't you know, the person who I lit into was the person doing my cavity. Would she take revenge on me? She looked at my cavity and thank goodness a root canal was not needed. She was good too. No pain and she said she got all of the cavity. After she finished I thanked her and apologized for yelling at her the week before. She gave me a confused look and said she didn't remember that.

So what did I learn?
*Always check the appointment times and make sure everything is back to back.
*Southern dental is not bad when it comes to dental practitioners. Their admin people need more training.
*Not to yell at the person who will have you pinned to a reclining chair with your mouth wide open while sticking sharp objects and drilling devices in your mouth.

On my sick bed

You know how some people are fun drunks? Well if I was a drinker, I would like to be a fun drunk. I know miserable, hateful, mean, nasty, cursing not so fun drunk who called family meetings at 2 in the morning. I would not want to be that type of drunk.

Just like I don't want to be a negative sickly person, dwelling on death and despair. Or rather despair and death. Once you kicked the bucket there really isn't much time for despair is there? That is where I find myself at 2 in the morning. My chest hurts. I still have a cough that sneaks up on me and I can't get comfortable because of the pain. I have no idea what is wrong with my chest. Well, other than the fact that almost 14 months of breastfeeding and pumping has left my boobs looking like floppy ears on a rabbit. I could go on American Idol and sing "Boobs on the ground" and I am sure I would be a YouTube sensation overnight.

But other than that fact, I have no idea why I have been having pains on the the left side of my chest. It hurts to breath, it really hurts to cough and when I sneeze, I think I am going to die. I have no idea how I got here. No injury I can think of, no exercising to strain that muscle. I have been dealing with a bad respiratory infection, sore throat and laryngitis but I took my antibiotics as instructed and regained my voice and (I thought) on the road to recovery. It has been a week and on Tuesday, the pain was getting so bad, I had to see the doctor. I went Thursday morning and said she thought it was the lining in my chest wall rubbing every time I breathe. They did an EKG and the doc did not think it was cardiac related. She ordered me a chest x-ray.

It is a matter of waiting for the results now. I hope it is nothing serious. But then I become negative sickly person and think about my bucket list.

create will - not checked
document all log ins and passwords for spouse to access - not checked
make a video for Dean and Sam to remember their mama - not checked
shave my legs and armpits - really not checked

See what I mean? What would Rod do? He wouldn't know how to go on Facebook and notify people that I croaked. I won't have anyone at my cremation party. And all the bills that I am responsible for, he would not know how to access the accounts online. And since I have not shaved, would Rod even know NOT to put me in a short skirt and sleeveless shirt? There's one more thing on my list now: tell Rod to check the blog for my funeral wishes.

I wish I was a fun drunk.

Smell my Yeti Smell

Stomach viruses are no fun. You know pink eye and upper respiratory infections are no fun but stomach viruses? They are no fun and not so pretty to be around. Dean started throwing up last Thursday. He was fine afterwards so he went to school. Friday morning he threw up. Rod took him to school. He threw up in the car. Dean wanted to stay and have donuts. He threw up again. I went to get him out of school. I got him in the car seat and turned to get in the driver's seat and that's when I heard the awful sound of spewing milk. I looked at Dean and could not believe the amount of projectile vomit coming from him. All that was missing was the spinning head. Of course he started wailing and I debated having him sit in the puke and make it home but decided to take him back inside to get him cleaned off. In doing this, I ended up with a shirt full of puke. He had no more changes of clothes so I took off his shirt and cleaned us both off as best I could and put him in Sam's car seat. Called the pediatrician, got an appointment, got home, got cleaned up and made it to the appointment in time to wait an hour to see the doctor.

The doctor said it was a stomach bug and gave me a prescription for when Dean throws up. I asked about Sam and he sad Sam probably already has the bug too. Got Dean home and gave him pedialyte. The doc said no solids for 24 hours but keeping food away from him was tough business. This boy was hungry and fruit flavored pedialyte was not cutting it. So I gave him some puffs and hoped I didn't end up wearing it. He seemed fine the rest of the day and he got some chicken soup and apple sauce for dinner.

Saturday night, I was putting Sam to sleep. He just finished his nighttime bottle and was laying on my chest. I shifted to put him down, Sam stirred, coughed and threw up all over me. I managed to get us out of bed and into the bathroom to get cleaned up with only some droplets of puke on the pillow. I am stealthy like that.

Handed Sam off to Sean so that I could get showered. I went into the bedroom where Dean and Rod were and since Dean was not yet asleep, he got upset when he saw me. Rod picked him up and Dean puked all over Rod.

I took Dean, stripped us both down, got in the shower and rinsed him off while Rod got out of his pukey clothes. Handed Dean off to Rod, I finished washing all the puke out of my hair, got out, took Dean from Rod so that he could take a shower. Finished dressing Dean, got him and Sam pedialyte and went back to put Sam to sleep. It was all quite comical.

The next day, I went back into the bedroom and was greeted by the foul stench of old milk and bile. And there were chunks of chicken in the tub where Rod threw all the clothes in. That part was not so comical.

I haven't even gotten into the aspect of diarrhea associated with stomach bugs.

On a more positive note, I have discovered the pure genius that is Backyardigans. How they get those animals to ballroom dance is amazing. And the lyrics are almost as funny as Veggie Tales.
I mean really? Smell my Yeti smell. Classic.

Family full of sickos

Has it been 2 weeks since I posted? Well it has been the longest and most miserable two weeks of my life. (Other than the time Dean and Sam were in NICU, which were the longest and most miserable 3 weeks of my life)

For the past 3 weeks, I have been sick, the kids have been sick and starting this week, Rod has been sick. Since they started day care, it has been nothing but germs. Both Dean and Sam had been snotty and sniffling and coughing and all around congested. I took Sam to the pedi last month and he said it was upper respiratory and viral and he couldn't give them anything. Every few days, one or both of them would have a fever, over 100 degrees. We would give them infant pain reliever and after a couple of days, be ok. There was a day or two when the day care called and said that one of them had a high fever so Rod would take them out of school. There were days they would cough so bad, it made them throw up. Last Wednesday, Dean went to the pedi and he had an ear infection. His first. He was given antibiotics for 10 days. Two days later, Sam went and because he had been dealing with congestion for so long, he was give antibiotics for 14 days.

During all of this, I got sick. I thought it was just allergies but when the sinus drainage kept irritating my throat, my voice got hoarse. My throat was so raw, coughing, eating and drinking were terribly painful. I couldn't sleep for all the coughing. I would go to sleep with a cough drop and then I couldn't sleep for worrying I would choke to death on the cough drop. After 3 weeks of this and no sign of getting better, I went to the doctor and got antibiotics for 10 days. That was last Thursday. Wednesday was the first day my voice started getting back to normal. I am still coughing up junk but I can at least eat foods and not cry after every bite.

It is not a pretty sight having the entire family sick but with all of us on some form of antibiotic, I think we are on the road to recovery.

My 444th month well visit

I had my annual well woman visit this week. I normally have a list of topics prepared before I make it to the appointment but for some reason, I was ill-prepared. But I did discuss some things with the Gyn, such as bone density, birth control and baseline mammogram. I am realizing as I get older, my list of issues will only get longer.

Being Asian, I worry about bone loss and osteoporosis. Your bone density peaks at age 25 and then it goes down from there. It really goes down after menopause. I take 1200 mg of calcium daily along with Vitamin D. I still have leftover prenatals that I am taking but once those run out, I am back to Multivitamin. She said I was on the right track with that regimen and to wait on a bone density scan until age 40. Which isn't that far away.

I asked about birth control options because I did not want to deal with pills or patches. Since we are not planning on any more children, she suggested an IUD. It would be non-hormonal since I don't need cycle regulation. The Gyn would insert it while on my cycle and it is good for 1o years. I was researching it and it seems the best option for me but in looking at the actual device and how it is placed in the cervix, I am a little apprehensive about it.

Baseline mammograms are not usually recommended until 40+ but she gave me a written order for it. If insurance will pay for it, I think it will not hurt to get one. Figuratively. I mean it will hurt. Your breasts will be flattened like pancakes. How does that NOT hurt? So I will be scheduling that sometime this month.

The last thing I asked was about general health. I am not able to bounce back as quickly and easily as I once did. I get sick more often and stay sick longer. It certainly has not helped since the boys started daycare and have brought home all kinds of germs. She said the best thing to do is get more sleep. Yep. Easier said than done.

Croup is crappy

Sam and Dean both have been sick for a few days. The usual runny nose and congestion but last night, Sam had this deep, barking cough. At first, I thought it was the drainage that was making him cough like that and then I thought of whooping cough.

I took Sam to the doc and he has an upper respiratory infection and croup. The doc prescribed 3 days of steroids and lots of saline for the nose. He also suggested children's Zyrtec for the sinus symptoms.

Side note. In the BB show Anne of Green Gables (Avonlea), Minnie May (Diana's baby sister) had croup. Anne gave her an entire bottle of ipecac to induce vomiting and expel all the phlegm. I mentioned this to the doc and he said it used to be prescribed to treat poisoning but no longer. This goes to show that you should never administer treatment for ailments based on movies or tv shows. Sometimes the info is good but others, not so much.

Old Yeller

Yelling can help your health

Something tells me hubs won't go for more yelling from me. Even if it is for my health. What about griping, nagging and complaining? Will that give me younger looking skin, better hair and stronger nails?

Dean must be in really good health because that boy is a screamer. On top of that he shrieks like a girl. Tang was holding Sam and I had Dean and we were trying to get Oscar the cat to come over so the boys could pet him. Sam loves watching the cats and gets so excited when they come close to him. Dean on the other hand, is usually oblivious.

I finally got Oscar to come by and all of a sudden, Dean lets out the loudest, high pitched scream. He startled Tang. He startled me. And he scared both cats so badly they bolted up the stairs. Yep, he gets that from me.

Snot Funny

The boys and I were sick recently and we are finally getting better. This was the first time they were sick since they were a month old. I think that is fantastic considering their immune system is still maturing. I felt so bad as I am sure I gave it to them. I came home one day and Tang said that Dean's nose was dripping. For the next week and a half, they both ended up with some sort of cold and they were congested with tons of drainage.

Seriously, the amount of snot that both of them produced could have filled an 8 ounce Dr. Brown bottle. We used bottles of saline, the nose bulb and the nasal aspirator to clean them out. It just kept coming. Dean was the worst hit and his stuffy nose would wake him several times a night, poor thing could not breathe.







Dean rubbed his face until he was covered in snot. Good thing I was camera ready. He will hate me when he starts dating.

Aspirations of a Nasal Aspirator

D has the worst sinus problems. He is always so stuffy and he wakes up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying because he cannot breathe. The crying makes it worse and he gets even more stopped up. Then we try to clean out his nose with saline and the nose bulb and that becomes another crying meltdown. It is a vicious cycle.

The hospital bulb proved ineffective in getting into their tiny nostrils so we bought the Little Noses brand bulb. It worked some of the time but it took forever to get their noses clean. We would have to immobilize their head and hands and they would scream bloody murder until it was done.

I was tired of the battle and went in search of a better way to clean out their noses. I found battery powered aspirators, more bulbs and even one where you suck the snot out. I read review after review and was finally suckered (pun intended) into buying the Japanese model. When I first got it, I didn't like it. The tube is too short and I didn't feel it cleaned out enough snot. No one else wanted to use it so I became the designated snot sucker.

After several more times, it became easier to maneuver and it did clean out quite a bit of the sticky stuff in D's nose. He still cries because it's something going in his nose rather than his mouth. I like the the tip does not go far into the nostril. I would like for entire unit to be clear so I could see what was coming out. The tube could be longer but then it would just be more tempting for them to grab it and yank on it. All in all, it was a very good investment.

So if a nasal aspirator were to dream, it would want to be the best at sucking.



And this comes pretty close to the best. Do you see the sticky snot? Better in the jar than in your mouth. Cause that's snot a pretty sight.

Through their eyes

We took the boys to have their eyes examined today. Sam had his checked when he was a month old. The concern for him was due to his low birth weight, he may have retinopathy of prematurity. His exam at that time was very good and there were no signs of ROP. The doctor wanted another exam at 9 months. Our pediatrician said it was a good idea to have Dean examined too.

The waiting room was full. There were children with different abilities and special needs. I spoke to a woman who has a daughter with a neurological condition. Megan is confined to a chair. When her mom spoke to her about going to Starbucks way too much, she responded with smiles and laughs. It was so sweet. I was saddened for this mom and all parents who much adjust their way of thinking and way of living in order to give their children the best possible life. Then it occurred to me that children in general have that affect on people. A parent has to adjust their life and way of thinking to give their children the best life so they can thrive and be happy. We are just given hardships in different forms.

I never thought of myself as a loving individual or particularly fond of children. But I looked at these kids and felt such a surge in my heart. These parents are doing the best they can.

As I spoke to Megan's mom, I asked about where they came from. She spoke of the difficult time she was having with the school district. School systems do not look at case by case, they apply rules across the board. And when a parent has to pull a child out of school for treatment, how can that be unexcused? If a child needs physical therapy, why would that count against them in their school records?

I spoke about the difficulties we were having with sleeping through the night. I complained that Sam was such a mama's boy and that he had severe separation anxiety. I realized after the boy's exams were done that I had nothing to complain about. How can I compare sleepless nights with a lifelong condition? My kids will grow out of it but special needs kids don't grow of it.

I am so blessed to have our boys. They are healthy, they are happy and they are thriving. Would I have been strong enough to deal with a child with special needs? I don't know. But I look at special needs parents and am full of respect for their ability to make it work. I will think twice before I talk about hardships with my twins with other parents.

I like this site. It is so inspirational and has a wealth of information.

H1N1 not for every one

H1N1 mist vaccine is out

We are all vaccinated in this household. The twins get their second shot next week so I will ask about the H1N1 vaccine for them. I really don't want to get it. It is so new and I am leery about getting it so soon out of the gate if you know what I mean. I especially don't want it for the boys but I will see what the pediatrician says.

A coworker's daughter tested positive for H1N1 so it is hitting pretty close. I just need everyone sick to stay away from me. I don't want to shake anyone's hands, hug anyone, nothing. So for all you sniffling, touchy feely people at work, don't get offended if I tell you in the nicest way possible. Back. Off.

Cutting a tooth

Sam has been so fussy lately. Tang said he did not want to sleep yesterday and just kept whining. He has not been drooling like his brother so I thought he was just cranky. I felt around in his mouth and sure enough, a tooth is trying to break through on the bottom.



I tried natural remedies to help him with the discomfort. I tied a knot in a burp rag for him to chew on. He got crankier. I tried to give him ice in the mesh bag. He just got wet and crankier. When I dug around some more in his mouth, he seemed to be content chewing on my gloved fingers. I started losing feeling in my hand so I decided it was time to give him teething tablets.

My attempt to place those two little tablets under his tongue proved to be a difficult task. He ended up getting it down. Thank goodness it is quick dissolve because I was afraid he would choke on it. He seemed to settle down a bit an hour after I gave it to him

I have read that teeth can move around for quite some time but I am wondering how long before it really starts growing in. It is surprising to me that Sam got a tooth first. Dean being bigger and much droolier, I was certain he would cut first. You just never know with kids.

Pretty soon Sam won't look like a toothless old man.

From 2009_September

Swine Flu vaccine

The boys got their first flu vaccine last week. We go back for another shot later in October. Looks like they may also get the swine vaccine since it has been FDA approved. I am already hearing of confirmed cases of swine flu around Houston. It will be a bad season and I am not wanting to risk having the boys get sick so I am insisting that Rod and Tang get a flu shot.

I had sent our au pair coordinator and email asking about their policy on this and I was told that they do not require their au pairs to get shots. This surprised me because au pairs are around children. Caring for kids is what they do. How can an agency not take precautions and require them to get shots or at least provide means for au pairs to get them at discounted rates? That is a failure on their part.

Two of Tang's au pair friends were sick last week, not from swine, thankfully. But in a house full of kids, sickness spreads like wildfire. There are places like CVS and Walgreens that are providing shots for around $25 so we will take her to one of those locations. Luckily, my company provides vouchers for their employees and family to get shots. Rod will get his first flu shot ever. I say you just need to do it. Suck it up.

Not wanting to be around lots of people has put a damper on some of our plans this season. There was a rice festival and some play dates that I want to take the kids to but I am concerned about their exposure. I know I am being overly protective and probably not helping their immune system to develop but that's the way it's gonna be this year. I can let them play in dirty sandboxes, eat dirt and roll around in used Kleenex to toughen them up when they are older.

Go with the Flo

Guess who has returned after being on vacation for the last 14 months? I could have gone the rest of my life without this visitor. Curse my femininity.