Blog: An Early End to Japan’s Whaling Season, and What It Means for Dolphins | SaveJapanDolphins.org

Blog: An Early End to Japan’s Whaling Season, and What It Means for Dolphins | SaveJapanDolphins.org

One More Step to a Greener Lifestyle and Saving That Money!

We have had many changes in our life since 2008 and I hold true to my beliefs.  I didn't understand the importance of organics until I was pregnant and decided it was all I wanted for my baby.  I then became very involved with the idea of going green and trying to turn a new leaf so to speak.



This year we are trying to find new ways to go green in our household!  It is something that has to happen over time because we sure don't have the money to switch everything over all at once!  The past month or so we have started to unplug everything in our house and use power strips that we can turn off easily for the TV and other devices.  We even unplug our washer and dryer!  Not only is this GREAT for the environment, but it is also great for SAVING MONEY on our electricity bill!  We noticed that our porch light comes on every time the wind blows; so now it stays off unless we need it!

I also wash all of our laundry on COLD!

Another thing we have done is switch over our light bulbs to energy saving ones.  This was nice because we also got to choose what type of lighting we wanted for each room.  The range from white to yellow is quite large when it comes to eyesight and comfortability.

We also open our curtains and blinds throughout the day to receive more natural light in our home.  This allows us to keep our lights off during the day and only use them at night.

Lastly, we have adjusted our thermostat!  Keeping the temperature lower in the winter and using blankets or sweaters and keeping it higher in the spring and summer while opening windows for a breeze.  During the night turn it down and use another blanket!  Turn it down when you aren't home, but not off!  If you turn it off then it makes it have to work a lot harder when you turn it back on; whereas if you leave it on a lower temp it can manage that temp while being on and barely working.  This creates less work on your unit, thus less on the electricity, thus better for the environment AND your utility bill!


Maybe these are some things you should try in your household!  It is a little different to get used to, but it is really a good thing.  It makes you more aware of what exactly goes on in your household.

My Masterpieces

 I probably should have done something in the line of cake-making because I am somewhat good at it...considering I taught myself :)  I really enjoy doing it and like to attempt new ones when I can!  This is what I have created so far!!

My first time making a cake like this!  It was for Noah's 1st Birthday

This was also for Noah's first birthday party so he had a cake to smash in!  

This was for my brother's 18th birthday!  He loves sea-turtles!  No special pan, ALL my design!

                                      

                                                   Did the same cake for his 2nd Birthday, just switched it up a little!

My latest one for Kim's Birthday!  Her favorite animal is a penguin and I did this all from scratch, no special pan or design!

My Rant on Television for Children

Many disbelieve in television time, but modern times have hit and it becomes a great distraction for a child.  I didn't even know the plot-line of one show growing up because I didn't watch television often enough to follow them.  I did however love it when I did get to watch and I still love to sit and watch television.  I often find myself doing chores around the house while listening to a show I am familiar with.

Well, now that I have a child I have been spending my days watching cartoons since I was pregnant.  You may ask, "why since you were pregnant and not since my son was born?"  The reason is because I was screening which shows I thought were suitable for a child and which channels were going to be acceptable in my household.  Unfortunately, there aren't many channels that are suitable...at least according to my standards!  My little one is only allowed to watch 4 channels and 2 of them are only on from early morning until early mid-afternoon.  I agree with WVPT (PBS Kids), Disney Junior, Sprout, and Nick Jr.

PBS Kids is a great educational channel.  They have many reading shows that Noah loves and I enjoy them as well.  Unfortunately, this is one channel that ends mid-afternoon.  Sometimes we are lucky and he can watch after a nap, but often times we aren't.

Disney Junior is great, but also not on the entire day which limits his opportunities to watch to the morning.  I still haven't gotten a chance to watch all of the new shows on Disney Junior...so there may be one that needs to be turned off, but as of yet I believe all the shows to be appropriate for Noah to watch.

Sprout is also a good channel, but not quite as educational as the two above.  This and Nick Jr. are the two channels that run 24/7 so if we encounter an endless night of illness we may find something to calm him down on television.  Some of the shows on Sprout and Nick Jr. are inappropriate to me and get changed, but the majority are alright.

I like that these four channels have short shows and the breaks are educational as well; whereas other channels show commercials for toys and such.

Now, as for the rest of those cartoon channels....they are an absolute NO NO!  If Noah watches a channel other than the approved 4 he tends to copy whatever bad influence it is and it is extremely hard to curtail those new habits!  An example of a horrible show is Sponge Bob!  So many parents allow their little ones to watch this show, but when I examined it it was awful!  They show bad examples, non-educational, and beating on each other is surely NOT something I want my child learning!  There are plenty more examples out there, but that is one I hear of the most that other children Noah's age are watching and I think the values and morals must be all sorts of mixed up there!

I would love to let Noah watch those old time cartoons that I loved such as Tom & Jerry...but when I went into thoughts on what I wanted my own child to watch my opinion changed.  I think I am proud of my picky television decisions for Noah.  Of course he spent the majority of his first year watching Baby Einstein videos and he to this day LOVES those movies!  I love them and am so proud of Noah for learning a little bit of sign language through the Baby Einstein!

Now as for time spent watching television...LIMITATIONS ARE A MUST!!!  Reading, craft time, coloring time, free play, outdoor time...all important things too!

Open Gym Time

Sir Licks a Lot

Watching Daddy Juggle

A Visit with my Brother, Gregory

Today my brother came for a visit and Noah was so excited to see him!  When it was time for Uncle Gregory to go...Noah cried on the floor reaching for the door for about 5 minutes after he left!  It was precious!  Here are a few snippets from the day :)

Noah got a lot of laughing in and had a great time!

 Oh, and just so you know when you are watching the video.  You will hear Gregory saying "Isuzu" a lot like he is sneezing.  This is because it is an inside joke about Steven's car :)  Because it sounds like a cold..."excuse you"  "Isuzu"

Transition to a Talking Toddler

I know many toddlers out there that began speaking earlier on, but Noah wasn't one of them.  He has taken everything at his own pace and now those words are just starting to come daily!  Yesterday I went in Noah's room when he woke up and the first thing he did was pick up a dirty paper towel that was on the floor!  What made it funny was that he looked up at me and said "ew" and then handed it to me!  Then he consistently used the word throughout the day whenever he felt that someone was gross.

Today's new word is:  foot.  Noah and I were playing in the living room playing with Scout!  I included a picture below of the toy Scout so you could know what I was talking about.  Well, Noah was pushing his paw to hear the music and then he said, "foot."  I asked him what he said and he pointed specifically as Scout's paw and said, "foot."  I am so proud of him!


Lastly, I thought it was adorable this morning when I told Noah to say "Da-da."  (Daddy was still in bed at this point)  Noah then said "Da-da" in a whisper.  I told him, "No, say it really loud."  He then said it a little louder :)  Then I said, "Say it louder Noah."  He said, "DA-DA!!!"  I thought this was hilarious because I never made my voice louder to have him copy me, but he still understood :)  YAY!

Kinetic Discovery Class Update

Now that Noah has switched to the Friday class I have been unable to attend with him, but Steven is seeing some improvements!  He took Noah last week to his first Friday class and Noah refused to sit down when the bell rang.  We figured that would be the way it would go considering it was only his second time as a registered student.  Steven said Noah wound up doing to obstacle course one time and once all the other children were away from the bars he hung on them as well.  They were learning about monkeys that week so they would hang from the bars like a monkey!  The class was almost over and Noah started to make a bell sound, sat down and said "shh" to Steven!  Of course Steven thought it was adorable and said, "why couldn't you do that when the bell was actually ringing!?"

This week when Steven took him Noah was awful once again!  BUT...the improvement was...the last time the bell rang Noah went and sat with the group!  He did the hand motions to the bumble bee song too!  Then he got up and said "bye" and walked away.  Steven said, "wait, don't you want your sticker?"  Noah then ran back to the mat got his sticker and gave the woman teaching the class a hug!!!!

So, needless to say these are small improvements, but it has proven to have a small change each week!  Maybe next week Noah will sit down two times!  Other than the direct improvements with class time, Noah has been improving socially overall.  We have had friends over to our house and he didn't scream!  He actually hugged and played with them!  We are so very proud of our little monkey!

New Toys

This is Noah's new water table!  I knew that it would be a great buy and it sure was!  He LOVED it!  

This is Noah's new bike!!!  It is ideal for any parent with a toddler!  It allows you to steer in the back or push down on the handle to lift them up if they refuse to go where you want them to!  It also has a strap to hold him in and two baskets!  Noah stuffed his blanket in the rear basket and Curious George (his best friend) in the front!  Today we spent quite a bit of time outside in this beautiful weather!  I put Landon on my back and had Noah in the bike!  We walked throughout the neighborhood and played in the church parking lot!  After a while Steven was headed home from work and stopped by us as he was passing to play for a few minutes as well!  It was so nice to be able to get some fresh air!

  

A Little Time Outside on this BEAUTIFUL Day

Silly Us

My "ME" Time

 I joined Harrisonburg & Bridgewater Fitness gym a couple of weeks ago with a girlfriend of mine and it has probably been the most I have ever used a gym on my own.  I used to be a physically fit athlete and enjoyed my sport, lacrosse for many years.  Along with lacrosse was cheer-leading, karate, baton twirling, a more.  I twirled for 15 years, got my black-belt first degree in Tae-Kwon-Doe, and cheered throughout high school.  Lacrosse was a sport I started in middle school as a camp and decided it would be "my" sport.  I played in high school and the two years of college that I was without a child.  I was actually pregnant while playing lacrosse for about a month my sophomore year of college and didn't realize it.

I have been struggling with my weight my entire life, but not until now was it actually something that another person would notice.  I always "thought" I was overweight, but now when I look back at pictures...I wonder, 'what was I thinking?'  Now I am 45 pounds above my weight in March 2008 when I was beginning my pregnancy.  I did lose about 15 pounds when Noah was born and I was breastfeeding for 8 months.  Once the breastfeeding stopped my body seemed to put those pounds back and I have a huge "tire" around my midsection.  So...even though Noah is now reaching the age of two, I am finally taking some action to try and live a healthier lifestyle.  At Noah's second birthday party I asked one of my girlfriends if she had a gym membership and since she didn't I asked if she would join one with me.  She is my only girlfriend from college that stuck in the area and I am so happy that we took the initiative!

Since I began my membership at Harrisonburg & Bridgewater Fitness I have been attending the classes that are included.  I am thoroughly enjoying my step class and have become one of the regulars.  I did attend the Abs class one evening, but I could barely do any of it and I was in pain for two weeks after the fact.  So, I have yet to go again, but I have been working on my abs in my own time.  I am hoping to take my very first Zumba class this coming Friday as last Friday I watched and felt I would enjoy it.  

I started out losing 4 pounds and now I have gained that back.  I notice I am much more flexible and the movement of my body is easier.  My personal belief is that the 4 pounds I lost are now back in muscle and it is going to take time to see serious weight-loss as muscle builds throughout the process.  Hopefully by the time Noah is three years old we will be seeing a larger difference.  

So, for now I look at the gym as my "ME" time.  I enjoy attending the classes and it gets me out and meeting new people.  

Now...

Before pregnancy

Super Bowl Surprise - Pictures and Video

Super Bowl Surprise

Hey there readers,

I know it has been a while since I have posted, so we have to go back in a time a little to get you all caught up!  As you know, I am a nanny...well, the couple I work for have become friends of ours.  It is fantastic having another couple with a child as friends, it is quite different!  They invited us over for their super bowl party and we had a blast!  We got to meet new people who also have children!  It was wonderful!

We were worried about how Noah was going to behave while we were there since we have been having so many issues with his shy personality.  Noah knew exactly where we were when we pulled .up giggling with excitement!  He practically ran to their porch and was very happy to ring the doorbell.  Once the door was opened by Kim (my employer) Noah saw all of the people and immediately crouched down and wouldn't move inside.  So, I picked him up, as every mother would do!  We got inside and he went over to all of his toys and Landon's toys and started to play quietly by himself.  After a while he warmed up to playing with other children and even sitting with one of the other parents to read a book!

Steven and I jokingly asked each other if we brought the wrong child!  Kim even said something about how well Noah was interacting and behaving with all of the new people around him.  We were so proud!

Noah even made a new friend, Shelby!  She just turned 3 years of age and was such a sweetheart!  They had one kiss on the lips, and she really enjoyed tickling him!  I am so glad that we are finally finding some friends for Noah to play with!  I do have some pictures and videos of the two of them playing, but I am working on figuring out a way to post them!  Their file type isn't correct for some reason!  I will be working on that!!  :)

My Son, The Model

I strongly believe that each parent believes that their child is the most adorable and precious one in the world. So, with that said...I do happen to believe that Noah is just the cutest kid ever!  He was watching one last show before bed and he posed like this for me to take a picture!  Modeling already!  My oh my!

Noah's First Gym Class as a Registered Student

Noah was very excited when he saw his uniform T-shirt to go to the gym today and gave it a BIG hug before he put it on!

We just got home from Kinetic Kids Gym and Noah is wiped out of his mind.  He is currently eating lunch and soon to take his nap.  I am squeezing in an entry before I am off to the gym for my Step Class!

An update on Noah's progress at the gym:

Now that we have signed Noah up we decided that Saturday classes suited us best so that both Steven and I were available to go.  Well, today's class had a TON of children in it!  I believe it was double the class size than last Saturday class.  Of course there were people there just trying the class as we did last week, but it was quite overwhelming for Noah.  He had woken up with a small cough this morning so I had given him a little medicine before we headed out.  Noah wasn't excited for the gym as he normally is and he didn't want to take his shoes off at first to go to class.  Eventually we got him in there and he was excited to start playing...and then a million kids showed up and he became very shy and scared.

He did have a major improvement this week on actually sitting on the mat when the bell rang for instructional time.  He actually watched and participated a little bit, but he was still very withdrawn from the other children. He wanted to do everything in the class, but he didn't want the other kids to be there.  So we will keep on trucking through and I think we will see a little bit of progression each week.  It is quite an adjustment going from never being in daycare or around other children to attending a class every week with multiple kids.

At the end of his class they announced that they just created a new session time for Friday mornings and we decided to switch Noah to a less crowded class.  So far he is the third student in that class, so it should be a little less overwhelming for him!

My Silly Son

 Noah came back home today from his trip with Nanna B and I am so glad to have him back!  I severely missed him!  I am very happy to say he returned a happy child :)  As I would always expect :)  Ha-ha.  Anyway...more towards the point of this post.  My son is so super silly!  One minute he was playing...and the next....this is what I see:

Noah stole Mommy's reading glasses!

So, I think the picture says it all.  I let him have fun for a minute or so with them on so I could get some pictures and then it was time to take them off because his eyes will be bad if they stay on.  Here are a couple more photos :)  Enjoy!