My sister has been geocaching for quite some time now, but I never really got into it as I didn’t have a GPS.  Well, for Christmas my parents got us a “talking lady” (GPS)  for when we go on our vacations.  The great thing is I can now do a little geocaching as well.  I don’t think I will be going all out like my sister does, but I can see the kids & I doing it this year as it’s a great way to get out of the house and enjoy nature! 

In case you have no clue what I am talking about, here is the definition of it from the Geocaching website….

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. Search for a geocache below or learn more about getting started.

Since it was such a beautiful day Wednesday we decided to try finding our first geocache as a family and am happy to say we succeeded and wanted to share some pictures of our day!  (As you can see… it was a little muddy.  Paul ended up having to carry Katie)

Paul showing the kids how to make a whistle out of an acorn top..

After we found the cache!  Kevin got a whistle and Katie got the hair band.  We put in a fake snake and a little stuffed frog.

Taking the long way back to the car… at least this part wasn’t muddy, but once we got down in the valley it sure was!

Katie’s pants and Paul carried her through the bad part!

Kevin when were were getting back to the paved path!!  We made it!
 

In case you Geocache… these are pictures from Born 2 Cache.

I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I’m starting to know more people who have cancer, but lately I really have been trying to watch what kind of medication I put in or on my body or in/on my kids bodies as well. 

For example Kevin ended up coming down with a sore throat & ear ache last night.  He was just whimpering, but crying hard where those big alligator tears were pouring down.  Since we don’t have anything in the house medicine wise for that I did some looking online and found out that drinking hot/warm water with honey & lemon can help a sore throat.    I know gargling with salt water helps too, but I didn’t know as if Kevin would be able to do that as he was just out of control.  We thankfully got him to take a few sips of the water, but then he started crying about how his ear hurt.

I ended up looking in his ear (we have one of those things like the doctor has so you can tell if they have an ear infection) and even though I don’t know quite how to use it, I did notice that the inside was quite red so he wasn’t lying. 

At that point he was crying so out of control Paul ended up calling the after hours number for Kevin’s pediatrician and spoke to a nurse in hopes she would know what to do to at least calm him down enough where he could sleep.  She recommended warming up some olive oil (not hot.. just warm it up a little) and putting 3 drops into his ear.   So while I held Kevin, Paul ended up getting the dropper and put some in Kevin’s ear.   Kevin kept crying for a little while, but before long he had calmed down and was able to rest on me again and ended up sleeping the rest of the night.

I ended up keeping him home from school again today, but unfortunately around supper time the hard crying came back as his ear was hurting again.  This time the Olive Oil didn’t help, this time the garlic (juice or oil.. the one in the jar of garlic) ended up doing the trick.  After putting it in his ear he calmed right now and became my happy go lucky Kevin. 

All I know is I like knowing that I can give my children home remedies like this and see it work.   I just hope I can continue to find things like this.  For example is there anything that I can find that will help them when they become teenagers and the acne begins.  If not, then I will be looking for the natural stuff like acnezine. Of course by the time they are teenagers I’m sure there will be something even more natural and better. 

So do you have any home remedies that you use when your kids are sick?  If so, what are they?

This was taken this past January when I was visiting Vegas with a few friends.

It’s funny how before I went I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy it so much, but now I kinda wish I could go back and take Paul with me even though I don’t think he would care for it.  I just loved walking around there at night looking at all the lights.  Watching the fountain go off at The Bellagio and going up in the Eiffel tower to see all the lights from up there.

I guess you could say I’m behind on the times, not just for kids toys but for health related stuff too!  (Maybe that’s why I’m still overweight LOL)   I overheard some people talking the other day while at the playground and I just heard tids & bits and had had been talking about working out and such and one person said they were thinking of trying super pump 250.   That’s when the Katie wanted me to push her on the swing so I didn’t get to hear the rest, but I thought I would check online about it. 

Here I was thinking it would be this awesome squirt gun where I could see you lose weight as you are busy chasing the kids around.  Chasing kids around the yard = running which = exercise!   Made sense to me.  Like I said.. shows you what I know.  LOL

I guess that’s not what it is at all.  Instead it’s a pre-workout bodybuilding supplement.  Yeah.. I don’t think I need that quite yet.  Maybe in like.. 10 years!  ~wink~

I still think a cool water gun would be fun though.  I think I’ll have to be on the hunt for one.   I’ve always tried going the cheap way out with the water guns and it shows as with in a couple weeks they are already broken.  I’m thinking this year… we might go all out a little more.  (all out = spending over $1)     Do you have a water gun that works great?  If so, what kind do you have and where did you get it?

Myspace Graphics, St. Patrick’s Day Graphics at WishAFriend.com

This is another recipe out of the cookbook my sister made me (all her tried & true recipes) when I got married!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 pg yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbs oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs margarine
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Mix the water, yeast and sugar.  Dissolve the yeast & let it rest for 5 minutes.  Add the flour, oil, and salt.  Knead the dough until it’s not sticky, adding more flour as necessary.
2. Place in a greased bowl, spray with cooking spray and cover.  Let rise for 5 minutes to 2 hours.
3. Punch down.  Roll out on a large cookie sheet & using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into “sticks”
4. Bake at 450 until they begin to turn golden brown.
5. Melt 2 Tbs margarine and add 1 tsp garlic salt.  Stir
6. Brush margarine over each piece and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Call me weird, but I actually enjoy finding remedies for things with out having to spend a fortune.  For example, if you have a cough instead of going to the store and buying expensive cough syrup all you need to do is chop up an onion, put it in a Tupperware type container and pour some sugar over it and then cover it.  Let it sit for a few hours and you will see a syrup starting to form.  Take a spoonful of syrup and then later on in the day when you start coughing again take another spoonful.   By the following day your coughing will of decreased a lot, if not left all together.   I swear by this as we have used this 3 times on Kevin and it has worked every time!!   Needless to say we won’t be having to stock up on cough syrup anymore… onion syrup is the way to go for us!  Plus it’s a lot cheaper!

I just found out another cool thing, just haven’t used it yet so I can’t vouch 100% for it.   Let me just say are you a woman (I guess I could say man too) that has bags under their eyes, wrinkles or even cellulite?  If so this is going to sound crazy, but I read today a cheaper product that will help either get your eyes less puffy, wrinkles to disappear and cellulite not look as bad.  (I did read it could also help cold sores too)   So do you know what the cure could be?!?  You will never guess…. it’s hemorrhoid cream!   

I never would of thought about putting hemorrhoid cream on my face, but if you think about it what does hemorrhoid cream do?  It tightens and shrinks tissue there for making the skin not as puffy and smoother.   I did read to be very careful when putting it around your eyes or on your lips (for a cold sore).   You are suppose to wash & dry your face and make sure all your make up is removed.  For the bags under the eyes apply a small amount under the eye area and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.  Wash off gently & pat dry.   For a cold sore, just dab a little on the spot and whatever you do.. DON’T LICK IT!   Let it sit for a few minutes and if you think you might end up licking it on accident, wipe it off and make sure there is no residue left.

Do you have something around the house that you use that’s not what it’s suppose to be meant for?  If so, please do share!

I chose this song today because everytime Katie hears it she says it’s my song and start trying to sing it.     The reason she think’s it’s her song is because I had told her before that it was her song because I could see boys thinking of her more as a friend than a girl friend.  Of course I’m 100% ok with that! 

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You sure can tell spring is about here because every time I tend to drive anywhere I see people out either walking, jogging or riding their bikes!  

Every time I see someone running I can’t help but wonder if they are getting ready for the Grand Rapids River Bank Run?  I really wish I could of went to watch it last year as my friend ended up doing it for the first time, but unfortunately they always have it on Mother’s Day weekend and that’s the weekend we head north to Mesick for the Mushroom Festival.   What’s great is my friend ended up running with her other friends in memory of a friend who had passed away.   I haven’t asked her if they were going to do it again this year, but I have a feeling they will be and will making it a tradition now.  Last year they all wore the same shirts that said something like In Memory of Kyle.  I was thinking if it would be fun this year if they made up some custom hats and wore them?  I don’t believe any of them are running it to actually win it, so why not have fun with it then?  

Are you a runner/jogger or walker?  Have you ever participated in a race or walk before?  Did you enjoy it?  After being in your first one, did you end up getting the bug to do it more and more?