So, I wasn't expecting that...

Today was Tristan's OT Day and I thought he had been making good progress, but today his therapist drops a bomb on me. She says that she is concerned about his safety becuase he exhibits no safe guards. In other words, he will fall straight back and not catch himself, same with forward. She also said that she is not happy with how bad his motor planning is ie. clumsiness. She thinks that there could be a cerebral compromise...lamens terms, brain damage to the back of his head. She thinks that when he had his concussion that this could have just made matters worse. I talked with her about how they performed a brain scan and it came back fine. She wants us to get an MRI with the nuerologist. SHIT. I thought we were past this. This is my fear, putting him throught this again. UG. I just don't know if I can do it, but, if I don't I will always worry you know? I just don't want him to have memories of his childhood and have them consist of being in therapy or at the doctor having them perform some test...I worry. A LOT. I hope that this all passes soon, that he can just grow out of whatever it is that is locking him away. I pray that we can find a peaceful place that he is able to just be Tristan.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Ok, so you all know that I have become somewhat passionate about our environmental toxins...that sounded weird, but, read on, you will get it. Since Tristan's Autism diagnosis in January we have all gone great lengths as a family to insure that our house is a clean and safe house (even cleaner and safer...) For those who don't know, many autistic children suffer from a hyper-sensitivity to sensory stimulus. This means lights, sounds, smells, touch, and rolled into that is CHEMICALS. Environmental pollution just adds to the overstimulation. Tristan is very sensitive to outside pollutants and because of this, we have made our house 100% chemical free and environmentally friendly. This means, NO bleach, NO phosphates, NO sulfates, NO added chemicals to foods, NO food coloring, NO aerosols, NO NO NO!!! We use Certified Organic whenever possible and avoid preservatives when able. So, these are a few of my favorite things. It can take YEARS to compile your favorite lists, so, hopefully you can take a few of these and apply them to your house, they have been tried to be true and we love them. So, without further adue, these are some of my favorite Earth Friendly / Sustainable / Organic products and valuable resources. I didn't have EVERYTHING all together, but, these are a few...enjoy.

BioKleen Products - THESE ROCK. You can purchase them at Sprouts. We LOVE the Produce Wash, it is more like a soap (but the key ingredients are Orange / Lime Peel Extract, Grapefruit seed Extract, and it really gets all the wax, pesticides and dirt off of your freshies. It is also GREAT for cleaning out your fridge, cutting boards, baby tray, etc. BAC-OUT Odor and Stain Eliminator is great for those hard to clean situations that you would normally use bleach. It works by using You can use it for pet soils on carpets, grease stains, tea stains, berry stains, chocolate, ink...poopy clothes on kiddos, as a sanitizer to your laundry, deodorizing trash cans / diaper pails, cleaning potties, it erases mildew and again, contains no bleach or harmful additives, it smells SO GOOD



LIVING WITHOUT Magazine. I love this mag. If you have food allergies, need yummy healthful recipes, most free of Gluten and Casien, then this is the magazine for you (I feel like one of those kids on Reading Rainbow suggesting my favorite book from the library)...but seriously, good read.

Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. This should be a staple in anyone's favorites file. It is a wonderful tool that arms you to be an educated and safe consumer of today's many cosmetic products. You enter the product name and you will recieve a comprehensive consumer report of sorts. You get a brand Summary with charts, ingredient breakdown and toxicity concerns. It's just lovely!!!! Check it out, educate yourself, be a safe consumer, your family and YOU deserve it!
http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/splash.php?URI=%2Fbrand.php%3Fbrand_id%3D198

Seventh Generation Automatic Diswashing Detergent I love the smell of this, and the fact that it is free of any Phosphates is wonderful. This is a green cleanser that really works. I know that many of you are fearful of using green products because you feel they lack that extra cleaning power, let me tell you...this one is tried and true. It works. What to watch out for when buying Earth Friendly or Eco products? Well, there is an order to how products are rated for toxicity and such. Most green products are not toxic and very safe for skin and such. BUT, some do contain the word CAUTION. I myself avoid these. But, if you would like to know the order of harshicity (yeah, not a word...) in all products here it is:

Caution: Slightly toxic (many green products carry this label)
Irritant: Causes soreness, redness, or inflammation of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes or breathing system
Warning: Moderately toxic
Corrosive: Can destroy material or living tissue
Danger or Poison: Highly toxic

India Tree Natural Food Coloring and Crystals Check out their website http://www.indiatree.com/ , beautiful products that really work! A lot of "natural" or plant based colorings are dull, very muddy, not these! They are vibrant. If you are looking for RED and BLUE and YELLOW in deep colors, good luck, since they are plant based, they are truly more pastel, but still so pretty, and healthy.

Blink Tidy Totes ($3 at Walmart) - These things are WORKHORSES for clutter! Each kit comes with 4 totes, and they are big. The mesh is not the strongest in the world, but, if you have toys, sippy cups, random things rolling around in your backseat, rather than stuffing them in a plastic bag, throwing them in your garage, you can clean your car up in a snap and they are easier to look at. Here is a stock pic, then my pic of the actual bag.

Glass Containers. I love storing my odds and ends in glass containers. We scored these from IKEA, they were relatively inexpensive, and they have an inner seal to lock out air and unwanted dust / bugs. I store trail mix, crakers, nuts, dried fruit, pastas etc. They are MUCH better than their plastic counterparts and really, last so much longer.

Unbleached Cloth Diapers Whenever possible, choose cloth. I am not going to preach the cloth diapering gospel on you guys, again, BUT, I will say, try it, you will see why so many people are choosing cloth to the poison filled alternatives. Aside from saving thousands of trees, sparing your child from the toxicity of bleach and petroleums, you are eliminating thousands of unbiodegradeble diapers from filling up the landfills. Ok, I have said my piece, I will step of the virtual cloth diapering soapbox now.

Seventh Generation Organic Diapers When CDing is NOT possible, I recomend these sposies. They are made from organic / sustainable recycled pulp, contain no bleach or chemicals and are biodegradable. So, give it a try, switch to something that is healthier for your baby and the Earth!

Aromababy Natural Baby Lotion (with Avocado) this product is ALL natural and certified organic. I love the natural smell, not overwhelmingly perfumey, your baby still smells like your baby, but just a bit sweeter. These are NOT cheap, but, I will add that a little goes a long way. Check out all their products here. http://www.aromababy.com/

Toms Natural Toothpastes - for kids or for us...they are good!

SOME of My Gluten Free / Wheat Free Staples. These are some of Tristans FAVORITE GF products that they have on the market. If anyone has tried Rice Bread, you know that there are good ones, and there are BAD ones. GF foods are the same. Sometimes you strike gold and find some really good tasting, awesome textured GF foods, and these are ones that my almost 2 year old swears by *I like them too!*

Perky O's - Just like Cherrios, but they are wheat and nut free! They taste like sunflower seeds to me, but I like them!

Enjoy Life GF Cereal Bars - This brand makes AMAZING desserts, cookies, brownies, cereal bars etc. They are moist and dense and taste like the real deal.

Kinnikinnick Products - ROCK! That is all I have to say! We really love the Chicken Coating mix, I cook up chicken breast and make our own nuggets...so yummy.

Happy Bellies Rice Cereal with Probiotics - Probiotics are SO vital to a healthy intestine. This cereal contains all the right "belly bugs" that you need to keep things moving healthily along!

Don Pancho Gluten Free Wraps - GF's idea of a tortilla, it is yummy...also, Corn Tortillas are awesome, so, we do a TON of that here too!

Sooo, thanks for reading this REALLY long post! I will be adding more sequals as I find more of my favorite things!

The Kids Rooms...for you Katie!

A friend of mine wanted some pics of the house, specifically the kiddies rooms and such, so, here you go Katie! I hope this gets your creative juices a flowing. We are working on new pictures for Trinity's room, adding new bedding to both rooms, and constantly moving things around. The organizational chaos in the playroom works great, although, we desperately need to scale down the amount of toys (though, it looks like a LOT more than there really are, we spread them out about the cubes so the kids can see everything.) We rotate the upper toys with the lower so they get play. We have a play table in the loft sitting area and have different themes each week (ie. puzzles, blocks, trains, little people, books etc.) this way the kids don't get bored with their old toys...I will tell you, I have not bought new toys in AGES. Most of what we have was given by means of gifts, birthdays, Christmas etc. Enjoy the rooms, we love playing in them!

Miss Trinity's Room

Her favorite color used to be pink, it has since changed to red...I am NOT painting her room red LOL..she wanted it pink and still loves it, thank GOODNESS! Shannon spent about 2 days perfecting the trim and beadboard, it looks so pretty, I love it. We painted the pictures for her behind her bed. We are working on a new one, it is large and will take the place of the 4 old ones. She spends HOURS in this room. I made her the small quilt that is on the edge of her bed, she loves it and we will be making much more to go with it.

Lil' Tristan's Room

Vintage Aviation / Vehicles Theme. He has Airplanes hanging from the ceiling, Hot Air Balloons on the walls, pictures that sport Vintage Racing and Aviation.

Their Loft

This room started with the 2 Bookcases that are holding all the toys. It just grew from there. The loft space is relatively big, so, we can accomodate a play area and a sitting area which makes it nice when we have a lot of people over. The sofa is red courdoroy and the slipcover washes in the wash!!! They have a bookcase behind the couch that stores all of their beloved books. When we are not in Trin's room playing with the bunny or kitty, or in Tristan's room jumping from the bunks...we are here, pretending, playing school or just watching a movie.

Introducing Lylah Ruby Hydeman

We added a new addition to our family recently. I think with the death of my Grandmother, I felt this strong void, and, well, having a baby takes 10 months, so, we got a new Weimeraner puppy! I am a sucker for a cute face. She is a "Blue" which is just another term for the darker shade of grey. She is lovely. She was sent to me through an email from the Weimeraner Rescue Club that we are a part of. Her situation was that she was a gift for a man from his girlfriend. Sweet? Yes, but he worked long hours and was often away during the weekend, which would not have been bad because the girlfriend was there to watch puppy...well, girlfriend left, so, puppy was left alone...in jumps me! She came to us with the name "Eva", but, Lylah is what we changed it to. Trinity, Shannon and I just started coming up with names that sounded like Eva...and this one stuck. Lilacs are my mother's favorite flower, they bloom on the bushes in front of my Grandmother's house, and Ruby is my late Grandmother's name. SO, heres to you Grandma..your newest Granddaughter, you would be proud to have her carry your name!

How do you say goodbye?

My grandmother passed away on Friday...how do I say goodbye? I just keep turning to our memories together, trying to relive each moment in my mind. I miss her. I try not to think about the WHY's...why didn't I go down and see her yet? Why didn't I call her to say hello?

A good friend of mine from high school emailed me and suggested something wonderful...plant a tree in her memory. What an amazing gesture. Life. Plant a tree and give life to a moment of death, give a constant reminder of the positive and loving memories of the person that has passed to you and your family. I can't wait to plant a tree for my Grandma. My mother is hit really hard by this whole thing, they were very close. It makes me think more and more about how much I love my mom. How I won't take her for granted. Life is a very fragile thing. Thank you to everyone that has emailed, we appreciate all your thoughts. Shannon took time off so I could fly to South Dakota, unfortunately, all the flights were booked...we have been keeping up to date through my mother and Grandfather, so, it is like we are there with them.

I miss you Grandma, I really hope that you have found peace, and that you are so happy and pain free. I know that you are near me though. We went to get doughnuts and I started thinking of you, then all of a sudden...there you were, I smelled your perfume. It was so strong, Shannon couldn't smell it...I did though, very clearly. You will be missed. Please know that I think of you everyday, and that I have already started teaching Trinity the songs you sang to me...she loves the stories that I tell her about you. You will live on through my children, forever in thought and in spirit. I love you Grandma, goodbye for now.

Anyone need and Nused Car?

This is my car from College...Shannon bought it for me when I turned 21. I loved it, but, we have outgrown it. I bought Shannon a Magnum for our 7th Wedding Anniversary (that blog will follow soon...), and this little guy is feeling lonely. So, make my car happy, buy him! If you need more information, email me!

JACS nickname by Trinity, Vroom Vroom...it says a lot

BORN: 1997

BODY: HX

COLOR : Honda Red with 2 coats of Violet Pearl and an off center racing stripe..yummy!

Miles: 120,800K

STATS:

Upgraded Exhaust

Upgraded 17" Dark Slate Powder Coated Rims and Nitto Tires

Short Shifter

New Windshield

New Tires with transferrable Warranty

CD

Power Window/Locks

Tint

New Clutch with Warranty

New Drive Shafts

New Brakes

Sway Bar

Cold Air Intake w/ K&N Filter

Upgraded Crystal Rear Lights

VERY CLEAN

BAGGAGE:

-2nd Gear slips, we took him in to get a physical and the doc said that he doesn't think it is his tranny, but the gear box needs replaced. This is about $400 if you have a good Gear Head friend that doesn't mind getting his hands dirty in the transmission.

-There is a small tear on the seam of the drivers seat...SUPER easy to fix, not sure why I haven't done that already...

-The tint is purpleing...is that a word?? Well, at either rate, we have a warrant on the tint and are in the works of getting it replaced.

-The cars paint has clear coat chips and occasional scratches...hey, hes 11 years old, give a guy a break!

COST: $4500 OBO

If you would like to "date" my car, please call me and we can arrange a "test drive". Love ya, MUAH!

Kindergarten....here we come!

Trinity has always been a quick learner....as you guys all know, or most of you anyway, she has been homeschooling since she was born lol....but really, she has this capacity to want to learn SO much. Everyday we have schooltime, and every subsequent day she has retained all the information from the previous days teachings. Children's minds really do amaze me. Anyway, back on track. I learned of Festival Foothills, a school about 15 miles North of us that was opening last year. We toured the facility and decided that whenever the time came, when Trinity no longer wished to be homeschooled, we would enroll her. This year, around Feb., Trinity asked me when she would be going to "real school".

I contacted the Principal at Foothills and asked if she would meet with us to discuss the possibility of early enrollment (she won't be 5 until October). We were invited to the "Kindergarten Roundup" on the 14th of May. I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive, since really, the kids have never been apart from us. She went in the room, picked out her name tag from a stack of others children's names, picked a red colored square on the floor, looked at me and said "Bye mama!" Well, bye bye apprehension. She stayed in the library with the teacher and children for about 3 hours...she had a BLAST. They tested her on numbers, letter recognition, gross motor abilities, eye / hearing exam, etc., etc. They gave us a list of things that they would like all the kids to know by the beginning of the schoolyear, or at least somewhat familiar with...she knows all but one thing, how to tie her shoes.

The Principal sat down with me and said that based on her tests, her emotional stability/maturity, and her open desire to learn, she would be able to enroll for this school year! Can you believe that? Trinity is going to be a Kindergartener this year. It is still kinda surreal to me...she is growing up so fast. We want to engage her, to keep her stimulated, happy, thriving and well...ALIVE inside. I feel like this step is going to help with that.

The school is really amazing. They have done great on testing, they are slated to house between 800-1200 students in 2 seperate buildings, but as of now, they only have K - 5, Trinity's class with have 10 students. 10 students to one teacher!!! That is a great ratio. There is a little private bathroom in the classroom, the children are busy all day with projects. They have a writing hour, reading, computer, Arts, Music, Playtime, Library....so much to do. There is an outdoor Ampitheater, which is sooo cool. I am really excited for her, I think she will have so much fun.

Fun with Nana....

They LOVE going to Nana and Papa's. I don't know if it's the wide open spaces, the grass, the dirt, the goats, the chickens all the fun things planned, the good food, the hugs, the swing....they love it all. This last trip we took to Nana and Papa's found us in the water well that the animals usually drink from. My dad had just scoured it, so, Trinity and Tristan decided it was time to jump in! I wish I had a pic of her in it, it was so cute...but this is what I captured. Good clean fun at Nana and Papa's house.

A new habit he "picked up" during vacation....

I will let the pictures do the talking!

We're BAAAACK!

Wow, that was fun. I will blog more about the trip later...but for now, enjoy some pics!