Herb Class

Last night, my girlfriend Dani and I, went to our very first herb class.

The featured herb?

LAVENDER

 

The class took place at Prairie Meadow Greenhouse which happens to be literally 2 miles from my house. Isn't that awesome??!! I was pretty excited to find this place! This is also where I got my herbs (like the chocolate mint, lime basil, hot-n-spicy oregano -- all of which are growing and thriving wonderfully) with my mother-in-law over a month ago.

 

I have to be honest, before this class, I didn't know a thing about lavender. About the only thing I was sure of, was that I loved the smell of the fresh lavender, and I HATED the fabricated perfume type that smells like old lady! Ha!

 

The lady that taught the class was Ranae Cushing, MA who is a clinical and holistic health educator at Washburn University. I really felt like it was a real treat meeting her. She has a wealth of knowledge and everything about her oozed mother-nature. I'm really drawn to organic people like that.

 

When we got to Prairie Meadows, they had everything set up outside with all the needed supplies for the class and even yummy refreshments. What do you think the refreshments were?

 

          Lavender Cookies and Sparkling Lavender Lemonade

                    She even gave out a variety of lavender recipes which not only included the cookies and lemonade, but also lavender salmon, peach nectar & lavender iced tea and a lavender festival salad!

 

Both were AMAZINGLY good and a pampering treat!

 

For only $20 bucks ($15 if you brought a friend) we not only got an evening away, delicious treats in a relaxing environment and got to learn something new; but we actually did hands-on projects.

 

Prior to doing the hands-on stuff, Ranae talked about the different kinds of lavender, how to grow it, the best kind for this area, etc. I learned that lavender can actually increase your alpha wave patterns to help ease restlessness, nervousness, anxiety and depression. That lavender oil is great for headaches when rubbed into the temples and it can even ward off bugs. Another thing that found really interesting is the use of lavender to increase circulation and decrease hair loss.

 

We discussed that this particular herb might not be a great idea for young boys as its known to carry the hormone estrogen and might affect them negatively, and not to use lavender two weeks prior to surgery or in conjunction with other sedative meds. I had Jocelyn in mind when she spoke of this because I want to start using forms of lavender to help assist her with relaxing and hopefully sleeping better.

 

The three products we got to make were a CoolDog Lavender & Peppermint foot balm, Exfoliating Lavender shower body wash and Lavender wands.

 

There of course were lots of things you could purchase, which after tasting the treats I did, but otherwise everything was included.

 

The hardest product we made by far was the Lavender wands. Apparently I would have not been a good basket weaver because not only could I not seem to follow directions (I've become quite the bad student these days), but my fingers and such just don't do this kind of work! haha

{Ranae told us to bend the stems down & around the flowered portion of the lavender flowers and all I heard was "Bend the stems down" ... apparently it was funny??}

Here were our final products!

 

At the end of the class, we tried to take a group picture. Needless to say, we weren't a focused bunch and it came out blurry. No matter, thought I'd share anyways! :)

{Ranae, the instructor, is in the middle with the white long hair. She's really wonderful! There were also more people than this. I think there were about 10 or so. So glad we went!!!}

I haven't ever been to a herb class. It was fun, different and enlightening. I'll be definitely doing things like this again!! :)

A Fun Relaxing Fourth!

After our first family vacation {which I hope to blog about later}, we were all pretty tired from traveling, sit- seeing and simply being gone which meant a nice and easy fourth of July for us.

We lounged around the first part of the morning. Justin decided to play with Boogie's hair. He said she looked like "Rambo Boogie." I don't know why, but it still makes me laugh.

 

Once we were up and moving, we ventured out to the Spirit of Kansas Car & Craft Show at Lake Shawnee like we did Last Year.

We had the best little patriotic girl around! :)

 

We saw a bunch of different cars this year that we really liked. Of course I had to snap a few pictures of these beauties.

(I can't believe this car can pull this boat! AND they match!! haha)

{I like the history behind this car -- most of the cars have a fun story :)
As it turns out, this 1963 Thunderbird was a limited edition numbered 1 through 2,000. This particular car was #684. Princess Grace (or Grace Kelly) was the face of this car and she was presented with the very first one which now, after her death, is in the Monaco's Royal Museum.}

{This was Justin's favorite this year. Who doesn't like a Corvette?}

{My favorite! It's the same one I was drooling over last year.
I'm IN LOVE with this Bel Air!!!}

After walking around to see the crafts, sharing a cotton candy shaved ice and enjoying the weather; we headed home for lunch and naps.

 

Apparently the morning festivities wore the princess out. Its hard work being this cute!

 

 

While Jocelyn napped, daddy worked several hours on the garage that broke while we were gone on vacation {there's always something right? haha}, and I made yummy BBQ! Hot dogs, chicken, corn and lime basil zucchini were all on the menu to grill. SO GOOD!!

 

Towards the evening, we all loaded up and headed back out to the lake for some live blues music and to enjoy some more July 4th weather. I can't BELIEVE how nice it has been! I honestly can't remember July weather...in Kansas...EVER being so cool and wonderful.

 

Once we got back out to the lake, we set up home, chillaxed and enjoyed free music and one another.

 

There were some interesting characters out there that obviously had been drinking all day, or had been smoking the cheeba. This one lady, who I would guess was in her 50's, very active and lean, but a total flower child came and popped a squat way to close to us. She was totally in her own world, it was a happy world, but she was oblivious to everyone around her. She was smiling and grooving to the music -- so funny!! People watching can be so entertaining!

{Boogs did NOT want to be on a blanket, in the grass,
AT ALL, when we first got there.
Little drama queen! haha}

 

I'm a little late in getting this out, but seems hard to blog these days. :P

 

I sure do love my little family!!!



Trip to ICD

After Justin got off work on Wednesday, we finished loading everything in the car and took off for Salina. We arrived much later than we wanted too, but seeing how we had a 10am appointment with the ICD (Infant Child Development), arriving the night before is always better for everyone.

Justin has not stayed in a hotel with Boogie in a long while ... I warned him that we might get little sleep (something I'm beyond over but very much use too) ... and indeed, little sleep we got.

Jocie finally went to sleep at 10:30pm only to wake at 2am. Of course since we were all in the same room, once she was up, we ALL were up. I couldn't help but laugh. Justin was less enthused to say the least. All of us ended up getting about an hour nap before our appointment which was greatly appreciated.

I absolutely love getting to go back to Salina to see my ICD friends. The only thing I don't love? That the time together is far too short, and I don't get to see all my other friends while there. We have so many special people in our lives (many of which live in Salina) and it makes me sad that I don't get to see them more often. :(

When we got to the ICD Thursday morning, we had a truck load of stuff to bring inside. I was tremendously grateful that Justin was able to take leave to help me. Some of this special needs equipment is HEAVY!!

Our van totally rocks though. It was able to transport the following:

• 2 adults & a sweet kiddo (obviously!)
• 2 different walkers (one of which was huge!)
• A wheelchair along with the base
• A trike
• A jogging stroller
• A vibrating therapy plate
• Luggage
• Spare parts/tools to go along with everything
• And we even had room to spare!!

If you don't have a van, you're seriously missing out!! haha

Anyways, some of the stuff we donated and other things we had fixed/adjusted and so forth.

We spent two hours with our infamous physical therapist Joyce (who can do more in 2 hours than some can do in 2 months!!!) and got so much accomplished.

The first thing we did was check the fit of Jocie's DAFO boots (which are getting tight) and decided a plan of action. Once insurance approves everything we will make a new cast of her feet and get two different boots this time.

 

Hopefully.

One boot will be just like the one she has but bigger, and the second boot will have a hinge so we can gradually stretch her achilles and calf muscle. Even with the botox injections and all the therapy we do, Jocie's legs are getting pretty tight and we are on our way to a heel cord contracture. This is definitely not what we want. I tease and say she can put any ballerina to shame with her pointed toes.

After deciding on boots, we checked out a scooter that they made for super cheap to help kids crawl and be more mobile. It will be simple for us to make and will only cost about $30! Woohoo!!!! All we will need to do is cut/shape a piece of plywood, add foam, a non-slip covering and some casters. Easy-peasy and you got yourself a pretty good piece of equipment.

Boogs actually took to it fairly fast, but for her, we will have to make ours a little bit different shape. Easy enough fix though. :) Here is what Jocie looked like on theirs.

After playing on the scooter, we switched gears and picked out a new trike!!!!

 

Jocie's will be slightly different than this one, but not by much. We decided on a different seat (its called a snappy seat) to increase her comfort and safety. I couldn't be more thrilled to have a bigger trike coming that is more sturdy and fits her better. They are even going to attach a license plate with her name!! Isn't that the cutest??

We then moved on to show off how we use the vibrating plate while sitting, standing and on all fours to increase strength, endurance, bone density, circulation, muscle contraction that she could not otherwise do, etc. Its a wonderful piece of equipment. Joyce fell in love with it and decided the office without a doubt needed one :) Even my other friends Carrie and Allison tried it out. I think the general consensus was that being on the plate feels weird, a tad scary, jiggles undesirable body parts and all were surprised that Jocie could perform so well on the plate. Smiles all around!!

The last two things on the agenda was to make adjustments on the wheelchair (which Joyce did in a no time flat) and then we got to try out an adapted power wheel that they had.

We are wanting to get a power wheel (a jeep type preferably because they are bigger) and adapt it so Jocie can activate it with a switch or a joy-stick. This would be a wonderful precursor to learning how to use a powered wheelchair. And besides, its just plain fun right? We already have a seat that we can use to keep her secure and we even have a switch we can use. The important piece, to us anyways, is that we want a remote to go with the power wheel so we can override it when/if needed, and to steer it for her until she learns how to use a joy-stick.

I snapped some pics.

{This is Joyce! She's so pretty, energetic and fun!}

I actually wanted to keep this blog short (I kind of failed haha) but here's a quick video of Jocie's first try in a power wheel!!

Splish Splash

Summer is officially here!!

The pool is up and we are already having a blast!

 

Enjoy the pics :)

 

 

I sure do love our fun, completely adorable babygirl! I'm one lucky mama to get so much time with her!

Busy But Good! :)

Things have been busy around here lately it seems, and if we aren't busy "doing" we are simply busy "being."

The last two weeks really have seemed a blur ever since Justin's come back home. No matter how long he's gone, there is always an adjustment period.

I haven't really been on the Internet much lately, that goes for blogging or Facebook, and I don't mind it really. I do miss chatting with my friends, seeing what they are up too, being apart of their lives {even if it is through the cyber-world} and staying in touch; but I also know we've needed some time to reconnect and be together as a family.

Life's been filled with ...

Summer School.
Riding Horses.
Swimming at Cappers & the YWCA.
Putting up our pool.
Going out to eat.
     {I've definitely missed having a meal out}
Long family walks in the evenings.
Grandma & Grandpa Garlow came to visit. :)
Yard work & organizing.
Re-doing our garden.
     {Since I seemed to have killed it the FIRST time & the weather was still nice enough}
Cuddling all together.
Watching movies.
Planning/Prepping for our first family vacation.
Dress shopping for our Army Company Ball
     {The last ball was NINE years ago!! We even used that picture for our wedding invites. Crazy!}
          {Oh, and this will be our first DATE since Jocie was born -- a WHOLE night out!!!}
A few appointments at Children's Mercy.
Looking into further business investments.
Fixing special needs equipment & things around the house.
Spring Cleaning {This will probably be ongoing all summer. Ha!}
Started doing the Insanity workouts.
     {Verdicts still out on my thoughts, but last night I felt like a beast afterwards!} :)

I look at all these things and NO WONDER the days and weeks seem to fly by!!

Justin and I have had to do a lot of discussing lately about Jocelyn, her future regarding being in the school district, our severe disappointment in everything regarding that entire situation, and what our game plan is going to be. I'm confident in our skills as parents and every single aspect that this position we've been given entails.

No longer will we wavier, be redirected, "encouraged" to do something different, made to feel like we aren't doing what "is best" for Jocelyn, that she will not "get what she needs" or that she will be "lacking" or "missing out" on an opportunity. I personally, will no longer police the school and therapists, try to encourage them, light a fire under them to do what truly is best, what is right, what they SHOULD be doing in the first place. Those things are NOT my job, and my energy is better used elsewhere ... specifically, they are better used for Jocelyn and our family as a whole.

I've never felt more like I know what we are doing is right than in this moment. Feeling at peace with a decision, with a situation, truly is priceless.

We definitely welcome any prayers anyone wants to send our way because I know we will need them as we grow, learn, adjust, etc along the way.

I'm excited for the adventure that's for sure!! :)

Hot Mess?

Even though Justin is finally home, he had to work this weekend. Since Jocelyn and I were on our own today, we decided we would go swimming.

We did our normal thing.
Packed the wheelchair & swim stuff.
Unloaded everything in the parking lot (exhausting).
Changed and headed to the pool.
Parked the wheelchair near the door.
Time to jump in!

Low and behold, the pool was packed. No matter. We still were going to swim.

As we walked to get into the pool, I heard this hateful woman say the following to her husband:

"Now here is a hot mess duo coming our way."

It echoes in there people ... don't be a tool and talk loudly if you don't want to be heard!
Are you freaking kidding me?

I'm sorry, are you, your husband and your two kids "perfect?" Does seeing a mother with her daughter bother you? Or is it the wheelchair? Or is it my daughter smiling and laughing because she's excited?

Are you jealous of our relationship? Of me? Of our happiness?
Are you jealous that I don't care if my hair gets wet or that people can hear us singing in the water? That I squeal with delight just as much as my daughter? That we are able to have fun no matter what?

No?

Well you SHOULD BE! You dear lady will NEVER know love like I know. You will NEVER know sacrifice like I know. You will NEVER know the strength I know. You will NEVER be the mother than I am.

I made eye contact with her. Didn't say a word to her, but looked at Jocelyn and said "Some people are simply sad and have no class." I'm not going to let Jocelyn see me be THAT person.

What I really wanted to do was snatch her by her nasty colored hair {which I'm sure she thought she was rockin' so wonderfully} and hold her head under the water so she got a good cleansing ... baptize her properly so she would no longer think and say such filth to or about another person.

Yep, a good drowning baptism would've done her good.

And you know what is the ironic part? I was generous, honest and helpful before she even knew me.

How?

In the family/handicap dressing room that we used before swimming, I found two really nice phones, a wallet and car keys sitting on the chair. After we were dressed, I took everything to the front desk for the unknown person to claim.

Who did it belong too?
You guessed it -- that couple.

I knew right away with looking around the pool {because I didn't even look in the wallet}, who those items belonged too. I knew it was them. They were the only couple there and well, I just knew. I had to laugh at myself for being so nice to such an undeserving couple.

But I suppose in reality, we are ALL pretty undeserving.

Just to complete the story, the husband accidentally threw a ball in our direction and when he came to get it, I asked him if they owned a white and black phone, and if they used the family dressing room earlier. He looked at me like "why are you even talking to me," but then said "yes." At that point I told him where he could find it.

They were there the entire hour we swam but as Jocelyn and I started swimming, playing and getting a good workout in ... they suddenly didn't even exist. Truly, I was surprised that I simply did not notice them after a bit.

Big growth moment for me.

I was pretty taken back but such a nasty, derogatory remark about us today, but you know what? Jocie and I ARE hot messes!!

We are beautiful, bold, brave hot messes! I wouldn't want us any other way!!!

70 Minutes

This morning, I met another one of my challenges that I set for myself to accomplish before Justin came home.

My Challenge:
          Run the distance around Lake Shawnee while pushing Jocelyn!

For the record, I'm am absolutely POSITIVE I ran in the WRONG direction. If I would've ran in the other direction, I would've avoided several insanely steep hills. I'm not even joking. One of the hills that lies directly next to 45th street has got to be like a 75 degree incline ... 60 degrees at the very least ... definitely more than a 45 degree. Ok, ok haha math isn't a strong point, but this one dang hill in particular about produced some vomit!

It was BRUTAL but guess what?

     I DID IT!!!

I had no intentions of running completely around the lake today. None whatsoever. But before I knew it, I was at 3.5 miles. Even if I were to turn around right then and there, I knew that would total 7 miles and so I just kept on going. This was my chance to run completely around. Either way, I still had about 3.5 miles to go -- So I just kept going.

Now I sound like Forrest Gump.
Whatevs.

As a person goes around the lake, they can count how far they've went by these little quarter mile markers. After I got to 14, I knew I was at 3.5 miles {and I usually don't run more than this because why? haha}. But as I continued running, panting, sweating {nearly crying} ... I realized that I totally lost count of my mile markers.

When I came home, I looked up the distance around the lake and couldn't find anything to give me a definite answer. Either way, I ran somewhere between 6.5-7.5 miles with pushing a combined weight of 65 pounds {which is not bad as I could have a heavier stroller to push :P} and I did it in 70 minutes.

Almost 7 miles up & down hills WITH pushing Jocelyn? Whew! I simply wasn't sure if I could do it!

That's not super fast, but I am super excited with my distance, my time and the fact that I accomplished my goal!

It was windy and humid this morning which was no fun on my sore throat and congested nose & lungs, but I was still victorious!

There weren't too many people out early {although I did see 2 people twice because they too were taking on the lake today} but those that were in ear shot, I'm sure thought I was delirious.

 

Maybe I was.

As I was running, I found myself doing a little "self-talk" to keep me going.
Often times out loud.
Sometimes you have to HEAR the positive words come from your own mouth.
THAT can be powerful!

My choice phrases today {and don't laugh ... corny as they may be ... it worked!}:
"You are capable"
"This hill is almost over"
"Don't give up"
"You've got this"
"This is your day"
"This is for you"
"You're a machine"
"Your body can take this"
"You were made to move"
"You are healthy"
"You run because you can"
"You run because Boogie can't"
"You run because MANY can't"
"You are strong"
"You are strong because your God is strong"

My cute little side kick fell asleep the minute I took off for the run. I'm sure it had noooooothing to do with the fact that she was up since the butt-crack of dawn. Her sleeping was the very reason that I decided to keep going today though. :)

No matter the exhaustion, I had to snap a picture of success!

Honestly, I feel more beautiful, more alive and have more confidence when I'm sweaty, red-faced and frizzy-haired; than when I'm clean, dolled-up and in a fancy outfit.

Set some goals -- then achieve them!
Makes you feel amazing!!!