Almost Four Months

February 6, 2014 at 2:55pm

I wanted to write a quick update about how we are managing our "dye free" lives. Has it been easy? NO!

In our day to day life we (the children and I) love to walk to our bank. It shares it's space with our local post office where we get our mail. My children have grown to love the girls at the bank, and I think it is safe to say they've fallen in love with my children. The girls love giving my children suckers-as do most banks. I am so glad to say that after a little online research (what did we do before the internet?!) cream soda flavored dum-dums are dye free! The kind bank girls started saving those just for us! (Thanks girls!)

Thanksgiving dinner was as easy as pumpkin pie! I felt a little awkward and silly asking family what was in each of their dishes. I quietly reminded myself what my little guy was like before. Angry, mean, frustrated, unable to focus. Was it really worth risking him going back to that miserable state, for either of us?

Then came Christmas...you know the horrible holiday of candy canes. What is Christmas without candy canes? I came along the display at Meijer. Way up high sat a few boxes of "natural" candy canes. My heart raced. Might they just be okay for us?! $2.39 the tag jumped out at me, for about 8. Right next to the box of 100 for $0.99. I pulled them down. Looked at the label and was able to put two boxes of them in the cart! Success number one! You want to know a little secret? Those were THE best candy canes I've ever tasted.

A few little moments have stood out in our journey. Several times at the store I've had to take the boys. My three year old has asked for some dyed foods. (Did you know marshmallows have Blue 1 in them?) I've showed him the labels. He has bravely and boldly put them back on the shelf without much of a fuss. I've gently encouraged him with other ideas of "safe" foods. He has told me that dye makes him angry. I can't decide if he has just heard me tell him or if he himself has really noticed, either way I take it as a win!

Daddy is still not on board. He regularly brings home things, usually drinks that contain dye. On a few occasions my son has indeed drank something or eaten candy (gummy worms) that have dye in them. I notice a small change in him for the evening or so. I've come to the conclusion that his body was able to "detox" and can now handle small doses of food dye. Now, that is not to say I have become completely lax, but that things like Birthday cake (which is in 6 days) isn't going to send him to the ER. Maybe next year I can plan better, and get dye free.

I still cruse the blogs, fb and message boards looking for hidden food dye. (pickles for example)  Watching for other lost and confused moms. Sharing our story where I can. Wishing we as consumers could fix this problem of petroleum based food dyes, but until it is a problem shouted from the mountain tops it won't happen.

I will be making this status public, share where you can, with credit please.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/michelle-schwartz/almost-four-months/640002036047731

Petition to make M&Ms dye free:
http://www.change.org/MMsDyes

Food Dyes, our story

November 18, 2013 at 10:06am

I started dreading every morning. I dreaded every single event that included my three year old son. I am a stay at home mom, so as primary caregiver to my three children so EVERY thing I do includes him. He seemed to meltdown over everything. Even getting dressed was impossible. He would cry because he wasn't as fast as everyone else. Nothing was fun anymore. Nothing kept him occupied. He was a restless ball of destruction, angry and frustrated with everything. I was tired. Tired of just trying to survive the next tantrum. What was I doing wrong? Spanking did not work. It only made things worse, much worse. Words were just as worthless. Something HAD to give.

I went to the only place I know where to get answers. The internet.  Someone, somewhere (I wish I remember who) sent me to the blog page www.diefooddye.com. I started reading that if I would just cut out food dyes from my son's diet, his behavior would improve. I didn't believe it, but I decided to try, what did I have to loose? November 7th, 2013 was when I found this wonderful resource. Five days later, I was reaching out to the internet community again. "Is there a withdrawal period?" My son was a wreck! Almost as bad as if I had given him something with dye in it. A quick response assured me it gets easier, and yes sometimes there seems to be a withdrawal period.

Day 9. The realization that something has happened. We had gone to the store that morning. Not a single meltdown, and I had made more than one stop! Impossible. We were at Walmart and had found a "make a blanket" kit. You know the ones, where you cut the "tails" then tie them together. He insisted on helping. He focused on the task at hand for the entire 45 minutes or so, that it took to to finish the project. I wanted to cry. He was back. We were going to be okay!

Day 11. Daddy isn't quite on board, he brought home some orange drink. Usually my son's favorite. We gently told him, "We're sorry that has Red40 in it, you can't drink that. Can we make orange juice instead?" He smiled, and said "Yes." I was amazed.

I'm not going to pretend that I may not slip up; food companies are sneaky, their bottom line is more important than our health and safety. I do know I am going to make every effort to keep him away from food dyes.  I don't want to "lose" my son to wherever he was; stuck behind this haze of petroleum based food dyes. I challenge each of you parents; if you have a "defiant", "strong willed", or "naughty" child. Take 10 days to remove all food dyes from your diets. You may find you really do have a sweet, calm, and curious typical child.

Crafts crafts galore!

My children love homemade craft projects, well the ones that work. In an attempt to engage my three year old in constructive projects, rather than destructive; I started looking for some preschool projects. Here are a few we did this week. When picking up supplies, consider a cheap plastic mixing bowl, spatula, measuring cups. I love my dollar store bowl that is slippery inside~especially for the glue projects, then I don't have to "contaminate" my cooking bowls.

1. Homemade bouncy balls. Epic fail, big disappointment. I won't even post recipe because it was not only a waste of time, but waste of "products".

2. Colored noodles: 1TBs rubbing alcohol, food coloring

Directions:
Drop about a cup of noodles into plastic bag, a few drops of food coloring and rubbing alcohol. Shake-good job for kids. Lay out onto paper towel to dry. Enjoy stringing or other crafting!

3. Paper mache bowls:  1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup flour is the glue.

Directions:
Coat your bowl in cooking spray. Cover in plastic wrap. Start "gluing" you tissue paper. Shoot for about 5 layers for a more sturdy bowl. Let sit over night. Peel the plastic wrap back. Trim edges if desired/needed.

4. Bubble paint: 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, food coloring.

Directions:
Mix well, place into a plastic bag, snip the corner as small as possible (otherwise it goes to quickly). Squeeze over paper. Let dry.

5. Goop/gak: 3/4 cup cold water, 1 4oz bottle glue, liquid food coloring, 1/2 cup hot water,
1 teaspoon borax (you can find this in a box in the laundry aisle)

Directions:
step 1: in bowl 1 – mix together the cold water, glue, and food coloring. set aside.
step 2: in bowl 2 – mix together the hot water and borax, until the borax is completely dissolved.
step 3: slowly add glue mixture to borax mixture. mix well. pour off excess water.

6. Playdough:1 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt, 2 TBsp cream of tartar, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp oil
gel food coloring (makes for a more vibrant color, but you can use liquid if necessary)

Directions:
Place ingredients in pan. Mix your food color with the water if you are using the gel. Cook on med heat on stove. Mix well. DO NOT walk away. When a ball starts to form take off heat. Place on floured table and kneed with hands~adults only product will be hot!


Numbers 2 thru 4 were found on this website http://spoonful.com/crafts. I can't remember where I found 1, 5, and 6. And because I am IN the moment with my children, I don't have any pictures of the processes (Hey I never said I was perfect, plus I can't stand to show how dirty my kitchen usually is~sorry FlyLady!)

Menards Rebate Money!

When the super Menards recently came to Three Rivers I was thrilled. I really like some of the deals from that store, but could never justify going to Kalamazoo for just a few things. I have started raking in the money, well, not exactly I am still patiently very impatiently waiting for those rebate checks to hit my mailbox. I wanted to show every one how to do a Menards rebate form.

First always watch at the bottom of your receipt for the part you need to tear off. Recently I was there and they were having an 11% off everything! Nice surprise.

The next thing you need to do is find the Rebate Counter. So you can find the corresponding ticket like below. You only need one for each type of item, even if you bought several.

Then either fill out the back or grab those address labels (no bad handwriting!) and affix one onto the back. Then one on the envelope. Add your stamp. The address that is found on the front of your rebate ticket. You can place multiple rebates in one envelope (just watch the address at the top of the rebate forms). Place the receipt end and your rebate ticket in the envelope WITHOUT staples or tape.

Seal envelope and act like this....

One last reminder. As with any rebates watch your dates! Don't wait to send these off, or to spend the money when you do get it!

The 5 Rule regarding Christmas Presents

When Olivia was little she was spoiled. Then along cam Dylan, and like all second children, he is deprived. And horror of horrors, Elliott is bound to end up on some talk show ruined for life because of all the hand me downs.  Okay, so I am being over dramatic here, but you are hearing my mommy guilt showing! I am the oldest of three and the only girl. So I always got new and never had to share, well, for the most part.

After spending the last year, asking, then yelling and finally resorting to sorting the toys myself, I have decided to follow the 5 rule of Christmas gifts.  1. Share 2. Need 3. Want 4. Wear 5. Read
And I have added one more, 6. Stockings

This is the list my children are recieving this year

1.  A new blue ray/dvd combo player for their television.

2.  A glow in the dark moon for our bedroom, to go with our glow in the dark stars!

3. Olivia is getting baby doll furniture for her stuffed animals!
     Dylan will be getting a Vehicle hauling semi truck with additional stunt car.

4. A pair of pajamas to open Christmas Eve along with the books to read before bed.

5. A pair of books ordered from Olivia's school that helped earn books for her class as well!

6. Stockings full of dollar store specials. My kids really enjoy the grow in the water toys.

This will be the first year for the pajamas and the books. I want to begin this as a tradition for our family, eventually with our children reading to us. What memories we are sure to make!

Flylady

Do you suffer from CHAOS? Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome? I use to suffer constantly from this. Now, only sometimes. With three little ones under foot it becomes difficult to keep up with everyone and everything, and I am a stay at home mom, so don't ask me how the career women do it.

First, you are never behind, just jump in where you are. One of the main reasons I never wanted to clean was because the ENTIRE house was ALWAYS in need of a good clean. Now I just focus on one task for 15 minutes at a time and quit. Sometimes I might jump back in and do another 15, but with nursing a little one and keeping the two year old occupied, 15 minutes might be all I get. IT IS OKAY!

One of the worst chores I have always hated most was cleaning the kitchen. I hate doing dishes and I even have a dishwasher. My goal every evening~or at least before O gets off the bus at 3:15~ is to get my kitchen sink empty. Who wants to cook supper in a filthy kitchen? I find when my kitchen is clean, it really isn't that hard to cook a healthy meal for my family.

Flylady.net has so many wonderful, helpful advice and tips that I can't list all of it here. She has a step by step plan that many can follow to the letter. Since having children I have noticed that I no longer have a very good attention span. Probably because I am constantly being interrupted and while I enjoy every minute of being mom I have had to custom Flylady to fit my life, and that is okay too.


“My prayer for all my fellow SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executive) is that each finds happiness and pride in ourselves and our accomplishments. That we raise our children to be good, productive, and happy people. And that we light up a room with our smile.” – FlyLady

The Art of Saying Please and Thank you

When leaving the store recently, with my armfuls of grocery bag, I was pleasantly surprised by a gentleman opening the door from the other direction. Many of us are too busy to notice acts of kindness, let alone respond to it. When your days are spent teaching, training and guiding little ones in the ways of life, these important life lessons are more visible.

One day at the store I held the door for someone and to my disdain, the person walked passed and didn't even acknowledge my kindness. My little girl looked at me and said, "That man didn't say Thank you!" "I know." I said, jumping on an impromptu teaching moment. "They forgot to use their nice manners, didn't they?" Without missing a beat she said, "Well, we should go in there and tell that person they should have said thank you!" And I was speechless. So she does get it, I thought to myself.

I laugh at all the looks of surprise I get when my little ones use their kind manners. My favorite way to help other parents is by taking a moment to acknowledge their {the children's'} kindness with a simple comment such as, "I like that you used your nice manners. The older generation, especially seems to notice, and their kind words of encouragement to me, warms my heart and soul. I can only hope they will continue to practice the the art of saying please and thank you.