Is the Red 40 Food Dye Additive Having a Negative Impact on Your Child?
Red 40 is a commonly used food coloring dye added to a variety of products. While it may make food esthetically pleasing in appearance, it can cause a negative reaction in those who consume it.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/131963/is_the_red_40_food_dye_additive_having.html

Not now. Mommy's on Facebook

Hillybilly Hell-en.  I'm an addict.  Is there a 12 step program for this?  I'm playing the game Farm Town on Facebook.  I created a farm which I can plow, plant and harvest crops on.  I hire others to harvest my fields and I look for work harvesting others. Okay, reality sets in.  I have been actively looking for work. I hope to get called for an interview for an Accounts Payable position at Children's Hospital or a Main Office Secretary and Cimarron Elementary School.  The benefits would be ideal for our family.  The pay - not so much but I'm thankful to have Lance working at home to help out with the kids when needed.

Madison is going through a phase and I desperately pray for peace & patience.  We are taking the summer off from Taekwondo and will return in August.  We did find out she's allergic to Spring.  We have her on Zyrtec which seems to help. Ethan had his first baseball game last night.  He was the first up to bat and he hit the first pitch.  Out to the grass it went and whew! mom was relieved but ready for summer baseball.

Lance is doing well.  He has been super busy with Fitness Together - no sales but supporting his franchisees in every way possible.  He coaches Ethan's baseball team too; games are on Monday nights and two practices a week.  Go Sharks!

School ends June 19th.  I can't believe Madison will be a 3rd grader and looking forward to the Science Club and Ethan will move into the "big" school as a 1st grader on the day he turns 6. Happy Birthday - You're a First Grader!

I Need to Sit Down

This is crazy!  I haven't sat down since we've returned from Minnesota.  What would I do if I worked full-time?  Doctor appointments for Madison's allergic reactions and my case of strep, chiropractor 2x a week, taekwondo 4x a week, t-ball, homework, errands, household chores, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and now I tacked on volunteering at the school 2x a week.  I'm exhausted and frazzled.  My workouts have been few and far between and my feet swell every evening.  I need a plan.

Madison broke out in a rash last Friday night with tiny, itchy, red bumps all over arms and legs.  We have an appointment with an allergist next Thursday in hopes that they can tell us what to avoid.

Spring t-ball has not been fun for the parents but the kids seem to enjoy themselves.  Note to self:  Do not sign Ethan up next Spring.  Reschedules due to snow and rain has thrown the game and practice schedules out of whack.  Ethan is movin' on up to Coach Pitch baseball for Summer.  We'll see if he can handle playing with the big boys.

Spring is in the Air

The trees are budding.  Note to self: plant tulip bulbs.  My peonies are popping out of the ground.  Oh good, they survived.  Oh, what a track off we had; a visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Planetarium, Taekwondo testing & tournament, t-ball, a road trip to Minnesota, an Emergency Room visit and a few Spring snow storms to mix things up.  Madison received her Camo belt so now she's ready to spar.  The trip to Minnesota was uneventful until we headed home.  It was great to see my friends and family don'tcha know and have tator tot hot dish.   I love going back home but I really put on the pounds. The dinner tables are full and the homes are always welcoming.  I scored a Kuchen recipe so I can't wait to make my favorite; apricot & prune. Lance would rather go during harvest time so he can be of some help to John.  They weren't set to plant for another week or two.  Heading home was an adventure. Not even 3 hours out of town, in Sioux City, IA, we had stopped for lunch at Red Robin. Within 30 minutes Madison broke out in hives and had trouble breathing.  After giving her a shot of Benadryl and observed for 4 hours in the E.R. we were back on the road heading to our hotel in Kearney, NE. We're not sure what caused her reaction and she had another episode at school this week but without the hives. We are on a waiting list to see an Allergist at Children's Hospital and we gave the school nurse an Epi-Pen just in case.  A snow storm was slotted to hit Colorado during our drive but we pushed forward hoping we would miss it.  We drove through rain most of the way and hit blizzard conditions 2 exits from home. Lance and Ethan had Mammoth tickets for that night so off they went.  No thank you; after 6 hours on the road I was staying home.  The next morning we had to get up early and take Madison to her Taekwondo tournament across town.  The snow hadn't stopped but we prayed and arrived safely. Madison won 3rd place in her 1-Steps and met Grand Master Lee; the big kuhana of the American Taekwondo Association.  It was an exhausting but rewarding day.

Lance was recognized for his volunteer work at Dakota Valley Elementary.  He spends an hour every Tuesday & Wednesday working with the 2nd Grade reading groups. The kids just love him and he is definiately making a difference.  He was given the Wendy DeBell Exceptional Volunteer award along with volunteers from each school in the Cherry Creek School District.  They threw a fancy schmancy banquet at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.  It was truly an honor.  He was humbled because some of those volunteers do so much more than him.

It's a Musical!

The 2nd & 3rd graders put on a musical last week for all of us to enjoy and if you weren't able to attend I thought I would show you a 4 minute snip-it of what you missed. They practiced every day.  It was actually pretty cute.  I wasn't informed by her teacher about anything so Madison told us she had to wear white or black.  As we arrived it was clearly a white shirt and black pants were the uniform of choice. Well, at least we can pick her out of the crowd.

The kids are off-track and they made their lists of what they want to do.  It looks like we're going to be pretty busy.

I have been hookin' up with friends on Facebook; high school, even elementary school, cousins, old friends I haven't talk to in years, and current friends who I talk to daily.  Lance is on it but mostly for playing Mafia Wars.  I'm not much for computer games.  Facebook is addicting so I'm trying to limit my time on it.  So far that idea hasn't worked but I'll keep trying. 

Please mute the playlist below before viewing this video:

Changes

I've been busy getting nothing done. Madison is doing good. It was simple diet changes that we made and now there is no more every day tantrums (just the 8-year old girl stuff) and no more responding in anger when I simple ask her to brush her teeth. She's developing a sense of humor and talking to other adults more often using some eye contact. Her nightmares are back though. I don't know why she seems to have them so often. She's always being chased by something. Last night it was dogs. Her oral excessiveness has increased. She's constantly biting or sucking on her fingers & hands. Poor thing...her hands are raw. I bought her a chew toy to help her at school and when she's at home. As soon as she's idle her hands go in the mouth. All-in-all we are very happy with her progress.

Odd-n-Ends

Okay, Facebook is addicting and I don't even have that many friends.  I had to dig out my yearbook just to remind myself what we all used to look like.

Madison is really doing great.  After coming off a 4-day cupcake sugar high a few weeks ago we finally got her back on track.  She knows that Dr. Tim has really helped her.  The other day she told me that if she knows anyone that has nightmares that Dr. Tim can help them.  She's sleeping through the night, no more nightmares, limited arguments; she's just doing really great.  The kids give their stuffed animals "adjustments".  It's so funny to watch.  On one adjustment she said, "Now for the butt squeeze".  I told her that Dr. Tim doesn't do butt squeezes.  She said, "Yes, he does." so today she had to show him which one it was.  Well, she's got such a tiny butt that when he does this one adjustment on her low low back that his hands cover her butt - hence, the butt squeeze.  She was pretty funny.

Ethan starts t-ball in a few weeks.  Lance is coaching again and we have 2 kids coming back from the team last summer.  Go Sharks!