Ants in the grass

Last night Wes found this pile of ants when he was mowing the lawn. Yuk! There were so many of them that it was hard to tell that pile was actually ants. Wes sprayed and they are no more. Sorry ant lovers.

Wes got Braces

Wes got braces on Monday. His teeth were really sore the first day, but they are getting better each day. He got the clear kind on top and then he will get his bottom ones on in about 5 months, supposedly. He is self conscious of them, but you can't even tell he is wearing them unless you get close up. I think he looks cute!
I had braces for 3 and a half years. So, I know what he is going through. It would have been a lot easier if I had gotten the clear kind. :( I guess tough times make you stronger.

Love the Present

I'm reading this book called, "A Joyful Mother of Children" by Linda J. Eyre. I got it at a garage sale, but it is so inspiring to me. The top of it was soaked by some type of liquid. This book has been so valuable to me. It helps me realize that even though times are really hard with young kids, and kids in general, that it is well worth it. The last chapter I read was called, "Love the Present". I just wanted to share a few quotes from the book.

"Little things--kindness, sharing, obedience--frequently slip passed without being mentioned. When we let this happen, we lose a golden opportunity to let our children know that we think they are terrific, in spite of any minor flaws they may posses".

"We mothers do have fun watching these little ones learn and grow. Sometimes we're so close that we can't see it, so we have to step back a little and focus--and remind ourselves about how much fun we're having".

Dinner on the floor

The other night I thought it would be fun to move our dining room table over, put a blanket down and eat dinner on the floor. The kids helped set the blanket. We all made our own individual pizzas. It was a blast changing dinner plans up a bit. Sometimes life can get so routine and when we do spontaneous things like this, it makes life so much more enjoyable.

Healthy Inspiration

I just bought a wheat grinder from Honeyville Grain. We have used it everyday since. It inspires me to eat healthier. We just keep it on our counter and when we go to make bread, waffles, brownies, etc. we just add some healthy ground grains (we like to grind the 4 grain cereal blend from Honeyville Grain). We add about half white flour as well. It makes such a difference in the nutritional value of our meals. I can also tell a difference in my system (if you know what I'm saying). So, I guess the point of grinding your own wheat & whole grains is....it is a lot healthier, cheaper, and if you store wheat in the Kernels they last a lot longer than storing flour. Plus, it is so fun for the kids to help grind and participate in the cooking process.