7 Quick Takes (vol.???)

1. I have officially used up ALL my sick days at work within a month. Not that I had a ton, but I didn't expect this to happen in APRIL. So, I've spent the last two days holding my dear daughter who had a high fever. Oh, warm weather, please be here to stay!

2. My ADM partner-in-crime, Heidi, and I are taking part in a small craft fair/moms' night nearby on May 3rd at 7:30 pm. Please come by if you are local! I'm hoping to paint up (and ask Mr. ADM to help with the details) some superheroes and we'll have some adorable little girls' aprons, swaddling receiving blankets, backpacks and maybe some owls too! I'm excited and now feel like I need to get a movin' on craftin'!

3. In the meantime, I've had a small amount of time to make Miriam a couple of cute things to wear this summer. First, a dress I've been working on since LAST summer and the other one is a cute, 15-minute skirt. I have fabric ready to make a few more of these and they look adorable on her! (Excuse the bad-quality photos...these were taken with my cheap-o phone :).)

4. This is what happens when your oldest asks you if they can take a couple pictures on your phone...

(Getting ready for Facebook early, perhaps?)

5. For the first time in...well, pretty much ever, our laundry baskets have not been overflowing with ridiculous amounts of dirty clothing, thanks to Mr. ADM!

6. My great uncle passed away recently and while it was sad to say goodbye, he had been a good man and lived a full life. And my children got to see their great-grandma who they hadn't seen in 4 years (so Miriam had never met her!) as well as meet my aunt and two uncles. It was a very nice visit, despite the circumstances. Here's one fuzzy photo (my mom has the good ones on her camera) of the boys with my grandma.

7. I'm seriously considering doing the No Poo for my hair. It's cheaper and bad-chemical-free and well, cheaper. Anyone tried this method? Thoughts? 

Stop over and visit Jen @ Conversion Diary for more great Quick Takes!

Five Favorites (vol. 1)

I'm hoping to get this blog up and running again and what better way to start then a little Five Favorites with Moxie Wife? So, here it goes...

1. Glass Water Bottle

Lifefactory makes a wonderful glass water bottle with a silicone covering. After I threw out my plastic one that probably had BPA and other toxins in it, I tried out a couple stainless steel ones. My kids love theirs, but the water tasted metal-ly to me and I was not so much a fan. I had been eyeing these for MONTHS at Whole Foods and when I went back to work full-time, I splurged as a "congrats on getting a job" present to myself. Worth every penny. I take it with me everywhere and no metal-tasting water! Plus, they come in all sorts of cute colors! And yes, it's been dropped without breaking so far :).

2. Maxi Skirts

My grand plan is to make my own. No, I'm not pregnant (right now), but I figure I might as well make a couple that I *can* wear while pregnant too! They just look so comfortable and feminine and fairly simple to make. 

3. Getting Blog Posts via Email

Since I deactivated my Facebook account, I found all this free time and realized that I had some catching up to do with my favorite blogs that got neglected along the way. Since my time is spent between 3 different computers and a smartphone when I have some downtime (ie. lunch, after the kids go to bed, naptimes on the weekends, etc.), I can't just add them to my favorites, so I signed up for posts to appear in my inbox. Now, I receive way too much junk mail as it is, but I've found that I can just stick them in a folder and then when I have some free time, I go to my folder and catch up! I'm loving this new part of my virtual life!

4. My Juicer

Being in a GAPS dieting home, juicing has become part of our daily life. We spent part of our tax return money to buy one and I have been very happy overall with the juicer. The kids LOVE juicing and beg for it most days. I've been enjoying the benefits as well. The only downside? Cleaning up. I bought one that said cleaning up was not too bad since some juicers apparently are a pain. If this one is the "easy" version, I don't want to know what harder clean-up involves. 

5. GAPS diet

With our juicer, I have to add that while this hasn't been an easy road for our family, I love being on the GAPS diet right now. It's a difficult regimen to follow and we aren't following it as strictly as we should, but we started this journey attempting to solve the problem behind my oldest son's eczema. His eczema hasn't cleared up or even started looking better yet, after 3 months of being on this diet, but we're working on that more intensely now. And I've finally begun losing weight and feel better! My kids have become less picky in their eating habits and we aren't eating junk now at home. To learn more about GAPS, you can go to this website.

To read more Five Favorites, hop on over to Moxie Wife.