Reston Mom

In the Colorado Rockies

Matt and I had the privilege of traveling out to Colorado for a week.  We were there for a conference, but there was plenty of play time built in.  It was wonderful to spend some time together just the two of us and take in all the splendor of God's magnificent creation.  The mountains were spectacular.  We took an afternoon and drove up to Vail to walk around the Village and have dinner.  On the way home, we drove up to the summit of Mt. Evans on the the highest paved road in North America.  Honestly, it was a little nerve wracking - driving up a road that rises to more than 14, 000 ft. with one edge of the road being shear drop off and no guard railing whatsoever.  But, it was totally worth it.  And we drove at sunset, which cast a glow across the entire breathtaking view that makes these pictures look like nothing in comparison.  It was cold at the top, snowy and invigorating.  If we hadn't been so spontaneous and had actually dressed appropriately, we would have stayed longer to hike a bit. 

         
 
 
 
 
 
 

to minivan...or not to minivan? no longer the question.

 We waited a long time to get a minivan for several reasons.  Not least of which among them was that I just didn't want to be a minivan mama.  I don't know if I felt it was just too cliche or that the rebel independent in me looked across the sea of silvery minivans glittering from one end of Northern Virginia to the other and after 5 years still refuses to believe that I'm a NOVA mom.  

Also, I loved my green Escape.  It was the first car that I owned that I can really say that about and mean it. If it had just been me, and not a family of kiddos, I would have driven that thing forever.  It was just nice enough without sacrificing a little ruggedness (after all, my very first vehicle was a little pickup).  3 carseats wedged together across the backseat was manageable, though I admit traveling with luggage and gear proved a very tight fit.  Still, I loved it. 

With a fourth kid on the way, it wasn't an option to keep it.  So, we started looking around.  My husband seemed almost as bent on not having a minivan as I was and so he perused just about every SUV type vehicle out there that would fit our family.  

I happen to have a very amazing husband.  He did the majority of researching vehicles and while we both have preferences, his main goal was to find something that would truly be a blessing to me.  He considered how I would feel traveling with 4 kids in tow, what needs would present themselves to me, and what would be most convenient and comfortable to me.

The thing is, nothing beat the minivan.  There is a reason why moms drive these things.  They are made for us.  

So, we traded in my Escape for a used Odyssey - and I will never look back.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!  It is brilliant! It makes my life a ton easier and more comfortable in about a gazillion ways.  And here is the clincher - it even gets better gas mileage than my Escape did! 

Now, I am proudly reveling in my silvery minivan - feeling totally pampered as I drive around town. I hardly care that I frequently park in a sea of vehicles that look just like mine, because it is totally worth it!  

If you have been asking yourself the question of whether to minivan or not as you tow your brood around town and you find a little rebel rising in you against the sea of minivan driving mamas out there - let me just say again, there is a reason why all those mamas are cruising like that.  Not like a herd reason, but good make-a-moms-life-easier reasons.  If I had known, I might have counted myself among them sooner.  

over at another blog

I'm over at BabyBunching.com today sharing a few basic things about homeschooling - if you want to see a sample of our daily schedule or some answers to common questions - check it out here.  BabyBunching is a great site - enjoy!

You never know what they are paying attention to

I was reminded of this when I came around the corner to see Hope very skillfully braiding some laces together.  

"Wow!" I said, " You are doing a great job and I didn't even know you knew how to braid!"

"Yeah, mom" she says to me, "you taught me a while ago, remember?"

What I remember is this: One time, really quite a long while ago, she was wanting to learn so that she could braid her dolls hair.  So, I gave her about the quickest tutorial ever.  I tied three laces around the handle of a rocker we have and showed her how to alternate placing one strand over the other.  She was completely disinterested in the lesson, very distracted I thought.  So, I gave up almost immediately figuring we'd go back to it at another time when she really was interested.  I left the strands there for a day - just in case - she wanted to practice.  She didn't.

So, apparently, she was paying attention.  Apparently that seemingly unimportant, failed, and fleeting lesson produced some pretty great results when she decided to give it a whirl today.  I never would have guessed.  Kind of makes me wonder what else she is paying attention to that I'm not giving her credit for - good or bad...

Sponges.  That's what kids brains are.  Sponges.

new thoughts on food allergies

 I am uber grateful that no one in my family has asthma or food allergies.  As we have never had any history of such, I never delayed introducing food to my children (even at the recommendation of my pediatricians, which I'm not saying is a good thing).  Peanut butter, eggs, and strawberries, etc... have been part of our kids' diets since about the time they started eating solid foods.  Notwithstanding that some children really do have extremely serious food allergies or may be prone to them due to a family history - I was curious about some of the latest information that has popped up regarding this topic.  Here are two recent ones:

Here is an article from The New York Times entitled "Doubt is Cast on Many Reports of Food Allergies". 

 the article states : 

    "A new report, commissioned by the federal government, finds the field is rife with poorly done studies, misdiagnoses and tests that can give misleading results."

    " the true incidence of food allergies is only about 8 percent for children and less than 5 percent for adults, said Dr. Marc Riedl, an author of the new paper and an allergist and immunologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Yet about 30 percent of the population believe they have food allergies. And, Dr. Riedl said, about half the patients coming to his clinic because they had been told they had a  food allergy did not really have one."

Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends waiting to introduce foods believed to be highly allergenic.  

A recent Finnish study found that withholding eggs, oats, and wheat in particular might actually increase a child's risk of food allergies, while withholding potatoes, rye, meat, and fish may actually increase a child's risk of sensitivity to inhalant allergies (ie: seasonal pollen).  

Hope's grand obsession

 For unknown reason, my 6 yr. old daughter is totally obsessed with China.  

This has been going on since she was maybe 3.  The intensity comes and goes in waves - right now it is like a Tsunami.

She has always been strangely interested in things regarding China.  If we go into an antique shop, she starts asking if there is anything from China.  The bitty baby (American Girl dolls) that she chose is the asian one with dark hair and almond shaped eyes.  She tells everyone that her bitty baby is adopted from China.  She loves chinese food, she's interested in ancient Chinese history.  She pays special attention to anyone passing by who happens to have the characteristic features. And she talks about China a lot.

Recently she's been brainstorming every possible job she might have as an adult that could land her in China.

And begging, begging, to go to China for her birthday. (sorry to disappoint her but it isn't happening)

I hope she does get to go someday.  I have no idea why she has been particularly drawn to that land since she was just a tot - but I'm sure God does.  

mama exposed - veins

I suppose we all know our own flaws, have our own insecurities.  

I've never had long, lovely legs.  That's not really so bad.  My legs are strong and I've always been thankful for them - even though they are short and "sturdy."  

Nevertheless, over time - and specifically over the course of 4 pregnancies, I've developed what is not an uncommon - but still unsightly - occurrence, which makes me that much more self-conscious.   Spider veins. They are scattered here and there and actually if I had a tan and wasn't so blindingly white at the moment, then they wouldn't be too bothersome.  However, I can't say the same for the bulging vericose veins.  It started with Hope and has gotten progressively worse with each pregnancy.  

I just bought some shorts I really like and that are comfortable and were a great maternity find. They should keep me through the summer and on vacation - but I almost hate to bare my legs.  

I realize that that is silly and a bit self preoccupied.  And yet, the stretch marks I gained from 3 pregnancies don't bother me nearly as much.  I also realize that it is pretty common and there are surgical treatments, but it's doubtful that I'm going to spend money on that.  I'm also not going to wear support hose in the summer to try to help it either.  

So what's a girl to do?  I guess just confess to myself and the rest of the world that neither physically or in any other way am I perfect and then get on with life.

mommy/daughter date to Williamsburg

Last Sunday I took Hope on a special overnight trip - just me and her and my mom - to visit colonial Williamsburg.  It was Hope's first stay in a hotel (the pool was a hit) and a great chance for us to get some one on one time together.  

Hope had been wanting to see colonial Williamsburg anyway as she had done some learning about it in school this year and particularly because her American Girl Doll, Felicity, hails from that time and place.  

It was a really fun time, I think we all enjoyed ourselves and the weather was perfect!  Now, I am loving Hope's excitement as she continues to read Felicity's stories and recognizes things like "Duke of Gloucester Street" and the "shell paths" and the "Magazine."  It has been fun to see history come alive for her.

Plus, it was fun to just let her be herself without being pulled in different directions by the needs of siblings.  I allowed her to choose where she wanted to eat for dinner and breakfast and to choose her meal from the adult rather than the kid's menu (which is par for the course with a child who would rather have steak or soup or salad than mac' n cheese or chicken nuggets).  She was queen for a short while, staying up past bedtime to swim in the pool, choosing treats, and directing the flow of our visit. 

I gave her the camera and let her take whatever pictures she wanted - but strangely, we came home with few pictures of our trip.  We were all just too wrapped up in the moment to stop for many photo ops.  

On our way there:

Photos from our walk down Duke of Gloucester street:

    
  

 
  

stroller search

 You'd think by now I'd have this stroller thing covered.  The thing is, needs change.  We've had a gazillion different strollers at various times from the snap n' go to the single Graco, to the in-line double, to the double jogger to the umbrella stroller.  

Well, as we look forward to #4 we've found we need something new.  We need a double that will work for a newbie and a 20 month-old.  The in-line double was ditched as soon as we got the jogger and good riddance!, they have come a long way since my bulky, heavy, hard-to-turn monstrosity.  Even so, I'm just going to go ahead and admit it - we'd really like a Phil and Ted's.  Ooooooohhhhhhhh - the price just kills me!  The thought of paying that much for a stroller makes me want to gag - and it costs extra for the doubles kit! Ack!

There are a few things I really don't like about the Phil and Ted's strollers - mainly the completely inadequate shade for either child.  But we've really looked around over the past couple years, test-driven, and overall it seems to be coming in at the top of the list.  

So here's the deal - we're looking to buy a used one, which I think we'll probably be able to do, I've seen a couple on *Craig's list recently.  But - before we invest our saved $$$ into a stroller which still isn't cheap even used, I'm looking for some last minute input.  

If you have a double stroller you love, would you please tell me about it? 

And if you know of a good way to get hold of a used Phil and Ted's or a new one for cheap, I'd love to be pointed in that direction too.  

*As a little side note here - I cringe a bit at using Craig's list because after all the good things about it, human trafficking is rampant on Craig's list.  Yes, that's correct, you read that right. 

ton of Children's cold/allergy medicine recalled

The recall is only precautionary and not related to any adverse affects, but just so you have the info:  

"(CNN) -- A voluntary recall has been issued for more than 40 over-the-counter drugs for children, including Tylenol and Motrin, because they don't meet quality standards." continue reading here.

Ask Restonmom - 6/31/10

 Dear Restonmom,

    I am a Mom to two kids under 2.5 and was interested in locating Moms who were interested in exercising?  Do you know of any groups?  I know there is a Stroller Fit but I already belong to Reston Sport & Health and don't want to pay two fitness fees.

 Any suggestions?

 Thanks! -Ann

Dear Ann,

   This is a great question as I know that there are a lot of moms around here who are definitely interested in exercising.  I think most are probably in the same boat.  I'm not currently aware of any clubs or groups and am disappointed that I can't help more.  I am so sure however, that if you continue to ask around, something will come up that works for you.  I'd also love to know what is out there.  I'm hoping that some of my readers will chime in with some comments.  If all else fails - you can try starting a group yourself,  I'd be happy to get the word out for you here just let me know.  Best wishes to you!