Double trouble for clothe

So I decided to do another blog on clothe diapering, but this time I'm coming from a perspective of having TWO in clothe at the same time!!!

Click to see my blog on cloth diapering and its benefits.

Here's my babies sporting their "green" bottoms.

But I'm gonna be real....it wasn't easy. I'm gonna be honest...clothe is not for everyone.

I decided to blog about some of the struggles I've had with clothe. I'm still advocating for clothe and I still think its the better way to go. But instead of being unrealistic about it, I also want to talk about the struggles I've had with it.

The first is the fact that I am doing laundry EVERYDAY! With two in clothe, the ammonia smell that stems from my bag is almost deathly after 24 hours. :/ So if I want to keep the house smelling pleasant, I've got to always have the laundry soap on hand.

I soon found out that you can't do clothe without a water sprayer connected to your toilet. I tried the whole "scrape the diaper" thing before the second baby arrived and it was just not cutting the poopies. So, if you're gonna do clothe, get a sprayer (and be prepared for lots of hand washing).

Another problem we ran into is rashes. Many will tell you because there is no chemicals in clothe they don't cause rashes. Not true! Urine, once oxidized, is chemical! And it hurts your babies bum just sitting in it. Unlike disposables that are designed to pull away from the butt, clothe does not. Though changing a clothe diaper doesn't take any longer than changing a disposable, you will probably be changing more often.

Would I go back if I could?

No I wouldn't. Clothe is hard work, but you work for disposables as well. I save about $2,000 for each child I use clothe on. Crazy, right?

And I feel good about not contributing to the e. coli in our water because of feces being dumped in trash cans and not our sceptic tanks.

i also feel really good about knowing my children aren't absorbing any harsh chemicals into their porous skin from bleached-out diapers.

And though I hate another load of laundry added to the pile, I know in my heart that i am having good stewardship over what God has given me the grace to do as their mother.

Plus side too is that Abigail potty trained by 23 months. I mean, full blown, no diaper even at night, by 23 months....so we starting training a couple months before. She actually refused to wear the discomforting diaper. She would hit her private parts after going to the bathroom in her diaper. So we knew she was ready.

And I am looking forward to the cute summer outfits to partner with their fun and fashionable diapers

:^D

The girls sure are cute!!!

If you're considering clothe and live in the Rochester area I know a great distributor who does a $15 trial week with all the different kinds of clothe. Great for first timers!!!

Or...you can ask me and I can help :)

CD recording...

I'm doing it because God told me to. But to be really honest it makes me a little uncomfortable.

i think because its stuff I've written....so it makes me feel, kinda, put out there. But I've had a lot of encouragement from others, and for that I thank you!

Holly has been a huge help. In fact, not only did she help with the CD (both playing and producing), but she's always there when I need her. She has been doing the Sanctity of Life worship with me since Brandon and I started in '07!

That's John over in the right. He's great! I actually met him and his wife in Washington D.C. while we were attending The Call. They lead Bound4LIFE Syracuse....so we have a lot in common! And he drove all the way to Avon to help with the CD.

Maureen is a HUGE asset to the face of worship! She is so in love with Jesus and her worship through her violin is absolutely breath-taking! She is truly one who worships in spirit and truth. She gave this recording something that I could not. So thankful for her!

And here's Matt. And Matt's been a buddy since he moved to Rochester. He's helped with SEVERAL worship opportunities and he is always so creative and gifted on the drums. Not to mention, that he seriously keeps me laughing throughout the whole day recording. And sometimes....i just just need to laugh.

Thank you friends for your help and encouragement to move forward in this. if anyone has any fund-raising ideas for finishing the CD we would love to hear...as the CD is still in process of being financed. But what's awesome is that it provides another outlet for bringing in support for Bound4LIFE and Rochester Burn. Our goal is to have it out by Christmas :-)

Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness and goodness to us.

it's official...

we're having a home birth!

And to my own surprise. In fact I was not thinking about having a home birth at all until one night I had a dream. It's one of those dreams where you wake up and you don't need convincing it's God. I was so impacted by the dream I couldn't sleep the rest of the night. And immediately when morning came I began my search for a mid-wife in the area who could possible do a home birth. I didn't even know how much it would cost, or even if I could make the switch this late in the game (23 weeks), but I couldn't let go of it. And I knew the greatest challenge would be convincing Brandon. When the hubby was game, I knew it was really God :-)

Why Homebirth?

Although the reasons for deciding to give birth at home vary, most families in this country who choose home birth share a belief that birth is a natural physiological process, not a medical condition which routinely needs intervention, and therefore can safely take place outside the hospital. Also common is the feeling that labor, birth, and early newborn / parent interaction are events which are facilitated and enhanced by the continuity, security, and familiarity of the home environment. In addition, for some families, the decision to birth at home may be driven by a desire to take greater personal responsibility for the entire birth experience. A wish for more decision-making authority is often a motivating factor when families have had a disappointing previous hospital experience and wish to have a more enjoyable subsequent birth. Whatever your reasons for considering home birth, you can rest assured that for healthy, low-risk women experiencing normal pregnancies, studies indicate that home birth with a trained attendant can be a safe option.

So I share this to say we are embarking on something very exciting for our family. It's something that may have terrified me in the past, but now has brought so much peace that it terrifies me to do the former. I had one friend tell me the other day "you're brave", but I tend to think women with low risk pregnancies are brave to have their children in hospitals. I only know what I've experienced. And it's exciting to see God make this birth all the more intimate for our family and our precious daughter in waiting <3

abstinence or sex education?

What do you really think?

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What is appropiate to teach our children?

I found in many cases that a lot of families don't know what the sex education provided in our health classes includes. And though most parents would like a segment on abstinence, the two are usually taught separately. In fact, in many states, they are seen as two seperate curriculums.

For example, the Center for AIDS Prevention says, "the content of sexuality education curricula in America varies widely by region, by school district, and, sometimes, by classroom. The highly charged political debate concerning sex education could lead most people to believe there are hard and fast divisions between educational approaches. In fact, there are multiple program designs, many of which resist clear classification, or share components of seemingly opposing approaches. For this monograph, we use the definitions commonly found in the sex education debate: curricula are grouped into the two broad categories of comprehensive sex education (also often called “abstinence-plus”) and abstinence-only until- marriage (or “abstinence-only”) education. The former generally emphasizes the benefits of abstinence while also teaching about contraception and disease-prevention methods, including condom and contraceptive use. By contrast, abstinence-only programs generally teach abstinence from all sexual activity as the only appropriate option for unmarried people. Absitinence programs usually do not include detailed (or any) information on contraception for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies."

Here's the issue at hand. Comprehensive sex education (abstinence-plus) sounds great, but indeed, in most cases, there are few educators pushing abstinence. We are actually having this issue right now in the schools of Rochester, NY because educators are wanting to provide condoms to every teenager between the ages of 12 and 18. And most Abstinence-only programs say the kids already have condoms and don't use them. This won't solve the issue of "safe" sex, it only promotes it more.

What do you think?

Side note: If you would like to get involved in the sex issue in Rochester. There is a meeting tonight. Meeting: Forum on Teen Health 6-8:30pm March 16th (Wed.)131 W. Broad Street -3rd floor conference room Central office

stove top quiche

My husband and the girls absolutely LOVE the way this comes out far more than any other way I cook eggs. And I'm not big on quiche crust, so I like it all the more. Hope you enjoy as well!

All you need:

6 organic eggs

c. of organic whole milk
(I sometimes add more by eye to a consistency i like)

You can add anything you want:

This morning we did:

organic fresh spinach

cheddar cheese shredded

chopped sausage (we use the fake sausage by Morning Star)

garlic powder

salt and pepper

toss it all up with a fork till smooth.

Oil stove top skillet and pour in eggs.

Let cook covered on low-medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. Letting it cook slow keeps it from burning and not having to stir. very important that you have it covered.

Did you know

I am actually a pretty bad speller.

Thank goodness for spell check!

My brain usually is very disorganized.

Thankful for my planner!

My life is very unscheduled and I'm usually pushing my children to join me in the sorts.

But they are so gracious in flying with their mommy!

I'm not great at communicating my feelings,

but my husband doesn't ever complain that he's my guinea pig for practicing:-)

My car looks like a tornado hit it and it smells like one of the stray cats around the neighborhood might have died in the back.

And though I am terribbly frightened on what I could find, I'm thankful today is beautiful so I can finally throw a disinfectant bomb in it.

I have a bad short term memory,

which usually means if you make plans with me they're loose plans (even though I write it down),

but thankful for gracious and understanding friends.

I forgot about my midwife appt yesterday.

But the lady still treated me like I was literate on the phone, so for that I'm thankful.

I'm on NY state medicaid, even though I don't believe in taking from the state.

But it always makes me careful on who I call a hypocrite.

I believe in simple living,

even though I think I have too much.

And lastly, did you know I have 5 years of college and still no degree!

That just makes me think God is hilarious!

Philippians 3:12-15

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you."

Here's my thought. Maybe being perfect is not about what we do or how many mistakes we make. I don't even think its a person without sin. Because then how is perfection obtained? Maybe being perfect is devotion to God, freedom to obey, and the humility to live like we need Him more than anything else.

the fight for education

So i have to thank the so many people that posted on my last blog. It's because of you that I am even writing this.

I had two different people recommend me to watch the documentary that recently came out Waiting for Superman. Usually if one person says it, I consider it. If more than one says i find it worth checking out. After watching its trailer - I knew I wanted to get a hold of it:

So I did...watched the whole thing and took notes, a part from the parts where I was actually crying and couldn't. This I can tell you, after watching it, my heart broke and my blood was boiling hot. I was more than upset. I was undone.

Here's the most impressive thing that came to my attention. Essentially, even if I decide to homeschool, the effects of the public school system still directly affect me - EVEN IF MY CHILDREN DO NOT GO. I was appalled to find out that because there is so much illiteracy in our American children that if we continue the way we are that we will actually have less people to fill bigger jobs to run our country.

Wowzers. oops America. oops Crystal.

here are just a few of the statistics the movie gave:

1. the annual cost of prison for an inmate is more than double what is spent on an individual public school student. Eight years after Congress passed the No Child Left Behind act, with the goal of 100% proficiency in math and reading, most states hovered between 20 and 30% proficiency, and 70% of eighth graders could not read at grade level. By 2020, only an estimated 50 million Americans will be qualified to fill 123 million highly skilled, highly paid jobs. (There it is!) Among 30 developed countries, the United States ranks 25th in math and 21st in science.
2. In America right now, a kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds.
3. 68% of 4th grade public school students scored below a proficient reading level in 2009.
4. 89% of Latino and 86% of African American middle and high school students read BELOW grade level.
5. 80% of pre-school and after-school programs serving low-income communities have no-age appropriate books for their children.
6. In the U.S. there are 32 million adults with low literacy skills.
7. Nearly 1 in 7 American adults have trouble reading well enough to understand the side effects listed on a medication bottle.
8. Having a QUALITY TEACHER through-out elementary school can wipe out the academic disadvantage of a low socioeconomic background!

And a lot of people think it's a money issue, but as David Guggenheim said it in his film, "we've doubled what we spend on each child. But double the money is worth it if we're producing better results. Unfortunately, we're not." And though many people will say the type of neighborhood you live in dictates the type of schooling your child will receive, researchers are now starting to believe the schools and education quality dictate our neighborhoods.

And because of tenure and the teacher's union, it's nearly impossible to fire a teacher on the bases of ineffectiveness. For example, 1 in 57 doctors in the U.S. lose their medical license, 1 in 97 lawyers lose their law license while 1 in 2,500 teachers lose their credentials. We fire doctors when their practice is ineffective, but not our teachers. It sounds hard, but if the union didn't exist we may just have more teachers wanting to do their jobs.

I realized that the issue of education is much larger than the question public school or home school? And because of the failing education system, more and more families are choosing the latter. But I had a revelation....this still doesn't solve any of our system's crisis. And if I don't become an advocate for quality education than I am not doing my part as an American citizen. Our country needs to raise up men and women who can intelligently lead this country.....and there are a whole lot of jobs to fill! If you would like to get involved as well check it out on how. And also, if you are choosing public schooling for your children, learn about the resources and schools that are local.

And if you're torn on homeschooling or public schooling I encourage you to check out some statistics and comparisons on the two.

Lastly I would like to conclude that this movie also made me more than aware that many parents do not have the privilege or choice to home-school. In fact, a majority of families cannot, whether its because they are a single parent, both parents working, the parent themselves is unable to read and write, or just lack of resources in their community....there are well-meaning parents who have no choice other than to put their child into the system. For those parents, I honor you by standing by quality education. i believe our children deserve it. Every child matters when we are measuring success!

And I am so thankful I have a choice - that I have the opportunity to choose what I think is best for my children. I think, ultimately, if parents are committing themselves to their child's education (in whatever way they can), they are doing a good thing:-)

public school or home school?

What do you really think?

i decided to start doing one blog a week directed more as a discussion forum for information. There are a lot of people out there that know a lot more than me. I love blogging, but sometimes you never really get to hear what the reader really thinks, only what the blogger thinks. And usually if your reader disagrees, they simply are not always going to write it. Well from hot topics, to things i'm just curious about, to random thoughts or questions I have through out my day....i want to know.....what do you think? And I want to know without giving any of my own thoughts first.

So this week's first What do you really think? Public Schools, private/charter schools or home schooling?

incredibly blessed

So not long after I wrote my last blog, did I come into a very difficult week. It was like the Word was given so that it could be tested and approved in my own life.

But you know what I found out this week? I am incredibly blessed! And I had no idea! Really. I knew I was blessed, but I did not know I was incredibly blessed, supernaturally blessed, divinely blessed. Meaning, God had so wanted to bless my socks off that He sovereignly orchestrated this week so that i would know without a doubt that I am highly favored!

So here's a brief synopsis of what my week entailed. I recently came home from celebrating our anniversary from Colorado at about 2 am on Friday morning. i came home to a very messy house...and with the amount of luggage we had, I didn't even know where to begin. And because I have two children who are 2 and under, the early birds were up around 6:30 am. Later that evening Brandon and I were facilitating 24 Hour prayer and Worship, which means I usually pull an all-nighter with the children sleeping in the prayer room with us. Though Brandon and I were able to arrange split night shifts, I still was a little overwhelmed with the fact I didn't know how I was going to contend with the rest of my week on that amount of sleep (especially since I've been extra tired with the pregnancy). Sunday we had small group out in Lima, while Monday I host and lead a small women's group at our place. Wednesday was going to be a long day at the salon and I would have to arrange to leave early because we are having our first core-team meeting with the leadership of Rochester Burn. And Friday Bound4LIFE has a dinner banquet to attend that Rescue Rochester puts on every year, in which we had already covered the expense for our whole team to go. Not to mention I had no one yet to watch the girls. I was burnt and I didn't know what to do about it. So I did something I NEVER do.

I asked for help.

It was quite humbling to say the least. That super woman needed help. I mean I have a reputation to uphold. I can do it all. Just God and me, right?

Nope. It wasn't God and me this time. God was saying its time you learn to ask for help and see people want to give to you if you let them. (It tears me up just writing it.)

So I sent out an email to the group of girls I meet with on Monday nights. All of them are wives, mothers and are very busy. Even as I was sending out the email my thoughts were, "well I'll be obedient and ask, but I doubt anyone will have the time." I left it very open ended for any of them to help in anyway. You know what happened after that? I got help alright. I got WAY more than that.

Two women came over my home while I was at 24 hour and cleaned and organized the downstairs of my home. I came home to a beautiful spotless house! Another women took charge and said not to worry about Monday and they would facilitate it. Another woman offered to care for the children while we go to the Friday dinner. It was quite shocking how much everyone was willing to do. And to even a greater surprise I receive this amazing gift on Monday night - a huge wicker basket full of all my favorite teas, two enormous chocolate bars, a jumbo pack of hot chocolate and a whopping $75 gift certificate to Wegmans! i seriously had a melt down by how incredibly blessed I was.

And I just want to say THANK YOU! Thank you girls for taking time out of your busy lives and showing me how much I am loved. Grace came in my week through your act of kindness. It was truly a benchmark for me to see how much God loves me.....and for this, I am eternally grateful.

Post dedicated to: Amanda R., Angelica A., Cassie C., Erin B., Kathy B. & Lara C.