hike

jarad and i hiked poo poo point today!  we did it back in fall but didn't complete it.  nothing like a good hike together to reflect, problem solve, plan and connect!

multi-tasking

exercising outdoors with friends while catching up = time well spent!!!

new glasses

obsessed with my new frames!

well child check ups 2024

back to school check ups for the kiddos.  they are strong and healthy and the doctor told me, "keep doing what you are doing, they look great!"

ryder (6 years 2 months old): weight 69 lb 11.2 oz (99%)  height 4' 2.75 in (99%) **needs to get eyes checked at ophthalmologist**

bowie (8 years 5 months old): weight 80 lb 6.4 oz (93%)  height 4' 6.5 in (92%) **able to move out of booster seat**

well child check ups

wrapping up summer with kids check ups this morning.  both are on track growing big, strong and healthy!

ryder approx. 5 years 2 months:

height 4' 0.25in (>99th %) weight 61 lb. 4.8 oz (>99th %)

bowie approx. 7 years 5 months:

height 4' 4.5 in (94th %) weight 71 lb. 11.2 oz (94th %)

on the road to recovery

i've spent the last week in CA with my parents while my dad recovers from open heart surgery.  i'm at a loss of words to describe the emotions of the last three weeks, but i feel confident we are in a good place.  

day 2 bruising

last night bowie had a good night of sleep and her pain is tolerable, so she will go to school.  we talked about making safe choices at school while her nose heals and she will have to skip out on anything physical and PE.  here is her nose and bruising on day 2, not as bad as i thought it would be, kids are so resilient.  

monkey bar accident

getting a phone call from school in the middle of the day is never a good thing.  i was in the middle of getting my hair done and i knew something wasn't right.  the nurse called to tell me that bowie had an accident at recess on the monkey bars and got a very bad bloody nose, but now she is concerned with the swelling and i need to get her ASAP.  i rushed to school to see my baby with a bruised and swollen nose.  luckily she didn't hit her head or bang her teeth, but i got her home and we continued to ice her nose until she got into urgent care.  they took xrays and found she had fractured the left side of her nose, but luckily no displacement.  she was so brave and afterwards we had got some frozen yogurt together.  now we wait to get her into an ENT to make sure everything looks okay.

fire cider

i've been making elderberry syrup for a few years now, but when i heard about this new trend of fire cider i was intrigued.  it seems to be gaining popularity and it very easy to make.  my girlfriend just recently made a batch and i got to try it and thought it was really good, so i was inspired to make my own this cold and wet weekend.  

i like it because it requires no cooking and all the ingredients are easy and inexpensive to source.  however, you do have to plan accordingly because it takes 4 weeks to ferment and fully infuse.  here is the recipe i used, but i quadrupled it so i can give some as holiday gifts.  

ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh horseradish root (grated or diced)

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 cup fresh ginger root grated

1/4 cup fresh garlic smashed

2 jalapeno peppers sliced

1 lemon (zest and juice)

2 T dried or fresh rosemary

you place all of your ingredients in a large glass container and cover completely with raw apple cider vinegar.  shake daily for 4 weeks and then strain and pour into bottles. 

jarad had a friend who recently gave him a bunch of fresh peppers and garlic, so i used those and rosemary from my garden.  

a couple of tips:

**if your glass container has a metal top, make sure to put parchment paper underneath the lid

**i bought my ACV in individual bottles, this way when i go to bottle my finished product, i can reuse the bottles.  just soak the bottles in warm soapy water and the labels will come right off.

here is the start of my project and i can't wait to see how it turns out at the beginning of december.  this can be taken daily for immune support or the onset of a cold or flu.  some people will take it plain or add to warm water.  you can also use it on salads with oil or add to veggies, stir fry or fried rice.  from my reading it sounds like it does not need to be refrigerated and can last up to a year.  

smokey

the air quality is SOOO bad and smokey.  bowie is inside her classroom ALL day for the 2nd day in a row.  we are starting to fee the effects of it with coughs, scratchy throat and headaches.  i normally do not look forward to the rain, but it can't come soon enough.  starting tomorrow we have rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future.  hopefully it will give us a break with all the halloween festivities going on.

4 year & 6 year old well child visits

back to school well child check ups today.  the kids did a great job and ryder had to get two shots.  he took it like a pro.  good thing we had a low key day at home cause he was not feeling 100% after his vaccines.  doctor says these kids are strong, healthy and right on track!

bowie - 6 years 5 months old: 63 pounds 11.2 oz (95th %) 4 feet 2 inches tall (96th %)

ryder - 4 years 2 months old: 50 pounds 9.6 oz (99th %) 3 feet 9 inches tall (99th%)

home gym

jarad has created a home gym in our garage and we are loving it!  i'm enjoying my workouts again and feeling sore in the best kind of way.  

big smiles

it's been exactly 2 years (give or take a few days) since the pandemic hit.  for bowie, this is the 3rd school year to be affected by covid.  this kid is resilient, flexible and thriving in school this year. the district has done a great job of keeping students, teachers, staff and families safe and healthy during this first year back of in person learning.  today, seems like a huge day, that masks are optional and we get to see these big bright smiles.  i know she was excited for this day, and while i have mixed emotions about it all, it sure was nice to see a full face smile from kids and staff alike today!

face mask

a little self care with my best girl.

blonde

i have struggled to find a hair dresser up here, but i think i may have found a good fit!  mama is blonde again and it feels so good!

negative

i still can't taste my coffee, but i am negative after 17 days!

15 days

 feeling better and better every day! still can't taste my coffee and have been having vivid dreams, but am happy to be on the other side of this covid crap.

day 8-11

not much new to report here.  jarad and i are feeling better.  he retook his PCR test on tuesday and it did come back positive.  his most annoying symptom is a post nasal drip.  

i retested myself at 10 days and i am still positive.  i am still trying to find my energy.  some days i feel good and try to get all the things done and then pay for it the next day.  i am finding that when it comes to my taste, it is overall lessened.  but the things i notice the most are anything bitter.  especially coffee, chocolate and onions.  i was excited that crumbl cookie had my favorite flavor this week (banana cream pie) but it tasted very bland to me.  

in the meantime, i have washed EVERYTHING we have touched over the last couple of weeks, including wilfred.  

erin 10 days rapid test

day seven

erin - first day i didn't take a nap!  still tired and can't taste certain foods/drinks.  i started cleaning/disinfecting/washing EVERYTHING that we have touched over the last week.

jarad - took another PCR test this morning since we can't believe the last one was negative.  cold like symptoms. it's sad when the testing site recognizes us and says "good morning, you guys are back, that can't be good."

bowie - back at school and is making paper roller coasters.

ryder - first day back at school and learned about community helpers.

day six

 covid diaries day six:

bowie - returned to school!  yay!!!

ryder - asymptomatic and cleared to return to school tomorrow.

jarad - cold like symptoms. (day 1)

erin - no longer feeling sickly, but lethargic and brain fog.  losing my taste.  i noticed this a few days ago, where i couldn't taste my coffee (and wasn't sure if jarad made it strong enough), but my taste is lessened and some things i can not taste at all.  vivid dreams every night since i got covid.