Lancelot

I know, you are thinking all I do is change blogs all the time. Honestly though, this one is my old blog...I started blogging on it in 2005. Then in early 2007 I started having log-in issues and I was busy with a baby rather than homestead critters, so I started a blog elsewhere rather than wait for tech support to help me out.

Now I'd like to start using my old blog again and tech support helped me get back into my account, so I'm up and running! WOOHOO! LOL

Stop by and say hi! Be sure to add lancelotacres to your favorites if you visit me often :)

PS-thank you for being patient with me...I'm happy to finally have my old blog back. It's fun to reference my old posts and see what we were doing around the homestead a year or two ago.

Our critter count is rising...

Ok, I have a couple of interesting stories. The first one is sure to make you laugh...

We bought two hens last weekend. One red hen and one barred rock. We have gotten one egg per day since bringing them home. I figured that was pretty good since they were probably stressed out from the auction and new home, etc.

Well, everytime we feed them, the barred rock, "Stripey", does the little rooster call...if you have chickens, you know that call. I kept thinking maybe that's a roo...but he has the body style of a hen, so maybe she's just doing that chatter.

This morning Lance was working in the garage and heard a very sorry sounding rooster crow. He said he didn't know what it was at first, but then walked outside and saw it. He asks me tonight if I realize I bought a rooster. LOL. I find this comical, I can't help it. So we thought we were getting three hens, ended up bringing two home and now only have one. LOL. At least she's a good layer! :) Lilli was already asleep, I can't wait to tell her.

Lance's uncle owns a parcel of land just down the road from us. It's currently for sale and he allowed Lance to cut hay on it last year. The last cutting is still sitting in that field, covered with a tarp.

Lance decided to load up a trailer full (these are big round bales) and take it to the auction in Wayland on Tuesday evening. The bales are going for $20-$68 each at the auction, and we don't need all the hay we have in storage right now.

So...He loads up the trailer and pulls onto the road...now we are talking about very little distance from that field to our house...we can see the field from our garage, it's that close.

He decides he better check the tires on the trailer while he's on the pavement so he stops the truck on the road. There is nobody in sight and it's not a busy road. He just wants to walk around the trailer and look at tires.

He steps out of the truck and here comes a big red truck in the other lane. The truck stops, it's a neighbor who lives nearby. This neighbor has cattle. He (Tony) asks Lance where he got the hay. Then asked if Lance knew of anybody else who may have any for sale. Lance said, "I'm taking this to the auction Tuesday". Tony asked how much he wanted for it. Lance said he got right out of his truck to get his money out...blocking both lanes of the road. LOL

So Lance sold him the hay for $30 per bale. Cheap, but saves Lance driving all the way to the auction and loading/unloading, etc.

So they go up to Tony's house and unload it. Tony wants as much hay as Lance will sell him.

Then Tony asks what Lance was going to auction for. Lance said he's looking for steers. Tony said, "I'll sell you steers". He then walked Lance to his back forty acres and showed him what he had.

We now own 4 more steers. These are beef breeds but I'm not sure what they are exactly. I'll have to find out and I'll post when I know. They are good size and healthy and Lance paid $500 each for them. He has two sold already (people who have said they'd like us to raise them a beef), so hopefully we'll turn a profit on beef this next year.

The steers are very close-by, so they shouldn't be too stressed with the short move. Tony is going to deliver them on Saturday morning.

I told Lance he'd better keep the rest of our hay instead of selling it...we are going to need it to feed 8 head of cattle! The pasture is coming in green now, but I don't think our pasture is big enough to sustain 8. We'll see.

Friday I took Lauren to my parent's house during the day and came home to try and tackle my mountains of laundry. Then after school, Lilli, Lance and I headed to South Haven.

Lilli, Lance and I went bowling with my SIL Vicki and niece Alyssa, and my brother Tom, his wife Connie and my nephew Tommy. My parents watched Lauren for us. Dustin had to work late, we missed him :(

Saturday I stayed home all day! I haven't done that in quite a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed it too. :)

Sunday (today) Lilli and I went shopping while Lance and Lauren stayed home. Lilli and I had a very nice day together. We went to Target, the Old Country Buffet, and Wal-mart. We were gone almost 5 hours though! We took our time and enjoyed ourselves.

I bought a stainless steel deep fryer for the kitchen, and a new (very cheap, junky) waffle machine. Mine quit on me over a week ago and we NEED one. It was the only one Wal-mart had. Hopefully it will last until I can find a better one. I always make the waffles and freeze them and then Lilli eats them for breakfast before school.

When I got home this afternoon we played outside in the sandbox for a bit and then a little later we pulled out the play do. I'd been putting that off as I thought Lauren might try to eat it, but she did great with it and had a wonderful time.

Also when I got home this afternoon, I boiled chicken and picked it off the bone to use in chicken tacos for Lilli and maybe some BBQ chicken if there's enough left. I made a roast with potatoes and carrots for supper. I made biscuits to eat with our strawberries (strawberry shortcake). I cleaned and cut green peppers and strawberries for Lilli's lunch. Then I made cheese bread in the bread machine...also for Lilli's lunch.

For her lunch this week she is taking deli ham and turkey slices, strawberries, green peppers, cheese bread, cashews, and string cheese. She uses a Laptop Lunchbox and it's working great for us. She loves that she can just open one or two lids and see all her foods.

Lilli has acro on Monday evenings and I usually take her for that, but dad is planning to take her tomorrow night. He took her to dance a lot last year and she misses that special time with him. They are both looking forward to it :)

I have a knitting class to attend at the library tomorrow night. I'm excited about it. I want to learn how to make dishcloths. My aunt made us baby washcloths when Lilli was born (almost 7 years ago) and I have used them as dishcloths ever since we got them. They have lasted all this time and are just now showing signs of wear! I want to learn how to make them :)

Luckily I ran into an old lady at Walmart when I was trying to pick my needle size. She asked if we knit and I said I was just learning. She said she makes dishcloths. LOL. I asked what size needles she uses and she said size 8. I looked down and I had size 13 in my hand. HA! I was glad I ran into her! She also said I needed cotton yarn for them and I'm not sure I would have gotten cotton otherwise...unless by chance luck. LOL

Wednesday Lauren has her 18 month well-child appt. I hope she's well by then. She still has a cold and congestion but is obviously better than she was a week ago.

Friday is also Lilli's snack and sharing day at school. She wants to take my dad for show and tell! I think it's a great idea if they'll allow it. I can't imagine why they wouldn't allow it, but I need to ask. She can share all the fun things (troubles) they get into. :)

Friday night we hope to go bowling again, this time in Bangor. I asked Lilli if she wanted to go bowling or skating this weekend and she said bowling. It's a fun activity (poor Lauren is a bit young yet and it's not so fun for me if she's there and I'm chasing after her all the time). We'll see how the week progresses.

We'll spend most of the day on Saturday or Sunday at my parent's visiting. It will depend on the new steers if we go Sat or Sun. Just have to see.

Homesteader's questions...

Yes, our 2 new hens laid 7 eggs in 7 days, that is a grand total, between the two of them. (we just bought them last Saturday)

I don't currently have a clothesline but Lance is putting one up in the next couple weeks. I use a drying rack year-round though. I do dry my cloth diapers in the dryer as I couldn't keep up with washing them and waiting for them to air dry.

Yesterday, picking up Lilli from school and heading to a nearby town for a fun evening of bowling with my family :)

We canned just over 100 quarts of tomatoes this year. We are still using them and I currently have goulash cooking on the stove with 2 quarts of them right now. :)

Home Grown...we have pork, beef and fish caught on DH's vacation in Canada last August. We are out of home grown chicken and I am missing it. We hope to raise a year's supply to put in the freezer this fall.

Lance does a morning round checking on critters and feeding the piglet. Then he does an evening round where he feeds and waters the pig, goats, cattle, and dogs. I usually do a round in the afternoon to feed/water the chickens and cat and check on the critters.

In the summer I do a few rounds per day on the hot days to make sure the critters have fresh water and we always spray the pigs down with the hose...they love that.

We currently have our two hens locked in their covered house/pen while they adjust to their new home.

Usually we free range when we are home, and keep them in their covered house/pen when we are going to be gone most of the day or until after dark.

We have it done by an amish place in Indiana, they are very reasonably priced so it is worth the drive down there...Lance would like to try it ourselves sometime, and depending on rising gas prices it may be sooner than later.

We had about 40 tomato plants and 10 green peppers, some kohlrabi, cantaloupe, watermelon, squash, pickles and zucchini. We ate out of the garden when it started to produce, but we really let it go this year. DH was too busy working over time and doing animal chores, and I was busy with a baby. We always hope to do better the next year...maybe this is our year :)

(We bought tomatoes from a local farmer for our canning to use in addition to our own).

Yes, usually. Lauren is my early bird and we are usually up between 5 and 6AM each morning. I do lay back down on the weekends if I'm able, but it's rare.

We didn't pick any but I did buy strawberries (56 pints I think) and blueberries (10 pounds) from local farm stands, for the freezer though.

None this year, DH decided since we had 3 full freezers that we really didn't need the venison right now. We do have fish in the freezer, but I don't think that counts as wild animal...

vaccinations, disbudding, whethering, hoof trimming...and cleaning out the chicken coop...

Not too bad, a groundhog or two, and sometimes raccoons/possums. The deer don't come that close since the garden is surrounded on two sides by high tensile pasture fence and one side by our yard/house...the other side is where they come from...LOL.

Sitting on the porch swing throwing the chickens food and watching Lilli (and Lauren this year) play with the animals.

30.When was the last time you purchase any food item from outside of your homestead?

Sunday...we grocery shop each week and stock up on the sale items and other necessities.

I can just see the roof of our closest neighbor's house...they are right next to our lower pasture.

None right now since it's spring, but we hope to breed our two does in late summer/ early fall.

A lot. Lance and I don't really watch a lot, but the girls like Sprout and it's on a lot, even when we aren't necessarily watching it. Lance and I have certain shows we like and I like to catch the news in the mornings, but otherwise we don't watch much.

Sometimes, but I often have to do it anyway...scared because I'm scared of the dark, not because it's dangerous.

Someone who tries to live a simple life. One who tries to raise their own food and depend on themselves for their needs, while relying less on store-bought foods and factory farms.

A little of both I guess. I did have chickens growing up, but we weren't far out of town. We had 2 acres and dad and I always kept chickens for eggs and because we just loved to watch them...

Another Dr appt, for Lauren this time...

Yes, we were just there on Monday. She had an ear infection and something white on her tonsils. They gave her Amoxicillan. It had been almost 3 days on the med and she was getting worse, not better. I called the Dr this morning to tell them that her cough had gotten worse and she was now gagging and throwing up with it. Of course they had to see her. Sigh. So I had to drive all the way back up to Kazoo and pay another $20 copay, and ANOTHER $20 for the stronger meds they gave her.

She still has her ear infection, the first med didn't help it at all. The white on her tonsils seems to be a bit better, but they still don't know what it was. They tested for strep and thrush, but both were negative. Hopefully the Zithro they put her on will help with all of it.

Lilli is doing pretty good on her new diet. No chocolate and no fried foods. No eating 2 hours before bedtime. Her stomach hasn't been bothering her at all. She did say yesterday at lunch that it burned a bit, so we aren't sure if it was the pickle or the pretzel stick in her lunch. I'm betting the pickle but she doesn't want to admit that...she loves pickles. We are going to skip pickles for a time until we know for sure.

The weather is great and Lilli is outside with her Papa. One of our piglets is sick so they are giving him meds. I'm sure he got horribly stressed-out from the auction day runaround. I don't think we are going to buy from the auction anymore. I think there is a place about 15 miles from here that we can piglets from. We are going to look into that so we can avoid the sickness and stress from the auctions.

I took pictures of all our critters yesterday. I'll try to upload them tonight if Lauren is feeling ok. It's hard to do it with her on my lap :)

What is margarine, exactly?

Did you ever wonder how margarine is made? You know, the stuff that’s supposed to taste like butter and be healthier for you? I couldn’t help wondering because if it’s not butter, then what is it? This is what I found:

First, margarine is made from vegetable oil. Along with using high pressure and high temperature to remove the oil, hexane is used to remove the last bit. Hexane is a carcinogen (causes cancer), and is mostly removed later on, but trace amounts remain.

Second, the oils are steam cleaned. This kills any bacteria, but also destroys any vitamins and anti-oxidants that were in the oils.

Third, the oils are then mixed with finely ground nickel, which acts as a catalyst for the hydrogenation process. Nickel is also a carcinogen.

Fourth, the oils are again put under high temperature and pressure, and hydrogen gas is introduced. The hydrogen atoms are forced into the oils. This turns the oils from a liquid into a semi-solid. This semi-solid pretty much takes the form of a grey greasy substance. Emulsifiers are added to remove any lumps.

Fifth, the grey grease is steam cleaned again, and bleached to turn it white (after all, who wants to eat grey margarine?).

Because you now have a lump of stuff that has practically no nutritional value or taste, synthetic vitamins and artificial flavors are added. A natural yellow color is added to make it look like butter. Until the 1950s, margarine had to be white so people wouldn’t mix them up. Now people don’t know the difference.

So which would you choose…a bleached, colored, artificially flavored greasy lump…or….nice fresh, lightly salted butter right from the cow? I know what I’d choose, but since straight from a cow isn't an option right now, I'll take real butter from the store, organic if possible.

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ April 14th (I'm a day late)

The Simple Woman's Daybook~April 14th

FOR TODAY

Outside my Window...Sunny and bright with birds singing, dogs barking, goats bleating, chickens clucking and piglets snorting. I also hear a tractor running in the distance.

I am thinking...what a great Spring Break we had even though the girls were sick for most of it

I am thankful for...the closeness of my family and the help that is there when needed

From the kitchen...breakfast was cereal and toast made with homemade bread, lunch was a grilled cheese and tomato soup, supper will be beef tacos for Lance and I and chicken tacos for Lilli and Lauren

I am creating...an enormous to-do list for housecleaning (I'm behind)

I am going...to pick up Lilli at 3PM and then come home and enjoy a nice, relaxing evening (I ran A LOT yesterday!)

I am reading...Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kinsolver. I highly recommend it.

I am hoping...that both of my girls are on the mend and that sickness will soon be gone from our house.

I am hearing...The hum of the humidifier

Around the house...it looks like Toys-R-Us exploded in the living room

One of my favorite things...to do, is sit in the porch swing and watch the various farm animals co-mingling in the yard.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Hopefully not much. Taking Lilli to school and picking her up, and I hope to lay low for the most part. We ran a lot over Spring Break and I'm looking forward to a slow week.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...Lilli coming down the slide at the waterpark on Sunday.

Hotel stay, allergy testing and ear infections...

We spent Sunday night at a hotel with Vicki and Alyssa. We were the only ones there! We had the entire hotel and water area to ourselves. There may have been an older couple or two but they didn't swim and Vicki only seen them once near the elevators.

There were 3 lifeguards that hovered over everything we did since we were the only ones there. LOL

While we were eating the lifeguards were playing on the slides and in the pools. We felt bad going back in to swim since they had to stop playing and hover over us.

Lauren loved it, but she got chilled really fast (it was very warm and she really only had her feet in the water with a little splashing...not under water). I took her back to the room and realized she had a fever. Sigh.

She cried most of the night and I called the Dr Monday morning. She went to the Dr Monday morning and her right ear is infected. She has white stuff on her tonsils and they aren't sure why. They thought strep but the quick test came back negative (they are sending it in), the other thought is thrush, but it's strange that it's ONLY on her tonsils. She is on an antibiotic everyday for her kidney reflux, so it could be thrush, it's just strange that it isn't in her mouth or down her throat, just on her tonsils. They are checking for yeast when they check for strep.

She is on a probiotic but maybe it's stopped working? I've had it for about 8 months...it hasn't expired but maybe it's time to get a new one.

They put her on Amoxicillan for her ear infection so hopefully that will kick-in quickly. She's not feeling very well right now.

Lilli had a wonderful time at the hotel. She loves the water and wanted to spend most of her time in the big pool (3 ft deep). She had a nice time on the kiddy slides too. She's too short to ride the big slides...they have a 48 inch -minimum height restriction. They wouldn't even let the girls ride down on our laps. :(

Lilli and Alyssa had a nice time together, they play great together and always seem to have fun.

Vicki took Lilli and Alyssa to swim Monday morning from about 10-10:45AM while I left to take Lauren to the Dr. We had to be out of our room at 11AM.

Then she took Lilli to my mom and dad's house and mom drove Lilli to Kazoo to meet me near Lauren's doctor. We played switcheroo, Lilli came with me and Lauren went with mom back to her house.

Mom took Lauren home so I could take Lilli to her allergist for skin testing. It was her first time seeing one and it went really well.

They think her cough is from her acid reflux (GERD). They said if a test is done to detect reflux and reflux shows up on that test, then the reflux is BAD. Lilli had a test that showed reflux...that's how we knew she had it.

The pediatrician has had her on Prevacid, but she was on a dosage for a child 2 years of age and under. The allergist doesn't think her med was strong enough and that's why she's still complaining of her stomach burning and why she keeps getting this cough.

The cough could be a direct result of the reflux, or it could be secondary. The acid coming up into her throat could be making her cough, or the acid could be coming up when she lays down at night and settling into her sinuses, causing a sinus infection which is causing her cough.

The sinus infection theory makes the most sense to me because the antibiotic Zithromiacin always helps her cough...Zithro will knock out a sinus infection...so??

Anyway, they upped her Prevacid. She was on 15mg taken once per day, and now she is on 30mg TWICE per day. That's only for a week and then she'll be on 30mg taken once per day.

If this doesn't help by her 6 week check-up, then the allergist is going to send her to a pediatric allergist/asthma specialist in Grand Rapids. She wants her scanned to check her esophagus and other areas to make sure there aren't any other problems going on.

They have not completely ruled out asthma, but the allergist is pretty certain that the problem lies with the reflux. So we have to work hard in the next 6 weeks to get it under control.

Lilli has to make some diet changes that aren't so easy but I think she'll do ok. Some if it is going to be hard on her. She has to cut out chocolate, and that sucks. No fried/fatty foods. No citrus (oranges, lemons, grapefruits, tomatoes). No garlic or onions.

Nothing to eat 2 hours before bed. Not even a snack. That's a tough one for us. We did it last night though and it was fine, so we'll just have to start eating at 6PM instead of 5:30 and Lilli will need to eat more than her normal few bites before saying she's done.

We went to the grocery store and picked up things she wanted for the week. We picked up chicken and broccolli, asparagus and donuts (non-chocolate ones). Bagels and french toast. Cinnamon rolls and oatmeal cream pies.

Lilli has to take a snack to school now in case they have something chocolate for snack at school...she'll have to eat her own.

Lilli was very tired last night. She went to bed at a little after 8PM and went right to sleep after saying she wasn't tired. LOL It was very light outside and that makes it hard to go to bed.

She woke up this morning on her own but didn't want to go to school. It's always hard to go back after a few days off, and in this case it was over a week that she had off. She was fine when she got there and saw her friends.

Lauren and I are home today. Hopefully she'll start feeling better and I'll work on housecleaning. I have laundry to do and I need to boil chicken for Lilli. I'll make some of her favorite tacos (chicken-cheese-olives) and keep the rest of the chicken to use for her suppers.

She really doesn't like any other meats. She will eat some things, but chicken and fish are her favorites. Maybe she'll start eating more if we can get her reflux under control.

Our animal auction adventure...

We love adventure. It seems we are always finding ourselves in one, so I guess it's good we like it.

Saturday we attended an animal auction. I've been wanting a few laying hens so we drove 2 hours (one way) for the sole purpose of buying 3-4 laying hens. It's a nice drive and all 4 of us went along for the trip.

Lauren is getting better in the car and only fussed a little on the way home before falling asleep for the duration of the trip. She didn't fuss at all on the way there.

So we planned on leaving around 7AM in the morning. It's a 2 hour drive and we planned on eating breakfast along the way. The chicken auction starts at 10AM.

We left at 7:50AM and ate McDonald's in the car hoping we'd make it in time to get our chickens. LOL

We drove our Mercury Tracer wagon. Lance had put a pet taxi (carrier) and a wire cage in the back of the wagon to hold the chickens. Gas is just too high to take the truck for a few hens.

So we got there at 10:10AM. Lance headed straight for the office to get our bidding number. I put the girls in their warm clothes and headed for the chicken barn to write down which ones I liked. There are cages lined up and some have 1 chicken, some have 6 chickens. When you bid, you are bidding on every bird in the cage, and the high bid is per bird, not per cage.

I walked through and chose 4 different cages that I liked. Then narrowed it down to two because Lilli wanted a barred rock and only two of them had a barred rock. One cage had 6 hens (a variety of hens) and one cage had 3 hens (1 barred rock and 2 red hens). We only wanted one of the cages, but I wrote down two in case Lance didn't get one on the first try.

After I wrote down the ones I liked, Lilli and I walked through the main barn to see what critters were in there. There were some very cute kids and several calves and lambs. Then we went back to the chicken barn and got Lauren and headed for the car, leaving Lance to do his bidding without us.

It was chilly, so the girls and I played in the car while waiting for him. We had brought things from home as we knew we were going to be doing this. Lilli colored and we read stories. It really didn't take long though, and it's really fun to people-watch. LOL

Lance came walking up before too long and I asked which ones he bought. He had bought the 3 hens (1 barred rock, 2 red hens). He had to pay $10.50 each for them, which is high, but he said he wasn't going to leave without hens when that was the reason we drove there to begin with. LOL.

Then he said, "I also bought two little pigs for $27 each". Pigs? We had talked about that a little on the way down there, but our cages were awful small. He said he bought the smallest ones there and he was sure they'd fit in the pet taxi.

He left again to get the paperwork so he could take the animals. 5 minutes later we hear this awful screeching, screaming, oinking, LOUD yelling going on. I told Lilli I thought Papa was coming. She said there was no way that two little pigs would make that much noise.

Lance was carrying one and his friend Darren (who was there with his family) was carrying the other. I wish I'd have had my camera. It was such a funny sight.

So then they get to the car. I got out and opened the back of the car. I eyed the cages doubtfully wondering which cage he was going to put which pig in, and where the chickens would go.

Lance said to open the pet taxi so I did...he promptly tried to wrestle the little squirming and very strong piglet into the carrier. It was still screaming. Lilli and Lauren were watching over the back of the seat with much delight. LOL

So he gets the pig into the taxi and that pig went crazy. The taxi was bouncing up and down and the door came off! Lance grabbed the pig and I grabbed the door, but I couldn't get it back on very quick. Lance was quite patient with telling me that I had to do it and do it quickly. LOL The cage was jumping the whole time.

Now his friend Darren was holding the other piglet the whole time and it was still squirming and screaming too. We finally get the door back on and get the pig settled and I asked where he planned to put the other one???

Darren says if Lance holds that pig to one side he's sure can slide the other one right in beside it. So that's what he did.

Now you would think that with such close quarters...they had room to lay side by side, but no room to spare... that they would have just layed there and tried not to move. Nope. They had to wrestle each other. The cage was thumping and rocking and had the whole car shaking. LOL.

Right after we get our pigs in their cage, we look over a few cars down and there is a piglet running around loose in the parking lot. The guy chasing it didn't look very happy about it. Lance and Darren walked over and tried to help him round it up, but that little piggy had other ideas. Lance and Darren headed up for our chickens while the guy chased his pig. Others came to help and I swear I'm not sure I've laughed so hard in a long time. Lauren and I were sitting in the front seat of the car, and that little pig would go running across in front of the car and Lauren would just squeal with laughter. Then about 12 guys would come along behind it...how could you not laugh? LOL

The funny thing is that this happened about 12 times. The pig would run one way, followed by the crowd, then the pig would run the other way followed by the crowd. It was hilarious.

Then we finally heard squealing and I knew they caught the poor thing. I'm glad they did, he would have gotten hit by a car otherwise, but you can't help but cheer for the underdog (pig in this case).

So the guy comes walking across in front of the car carrying the piglet by his leg. Lilli didn't like that at all. I have to say I wasn't very impressed either.

Ok, so about that time Lance comes back with the cage of chickens. Two chickens. I asked where the other one was. He said somebody stole it while he was getting his paperwork. They said there was nothing we could do about it as we are supposed to watch the cage after we win the bid, it's our responsibility. I find this a crock, as if you are there by yourself, you HAVE to get your paperwork from the office before you can take the animals...how can you be in two places at once?

So I'm glad that they took one of the red hens and not the barred rock that Lilli wanted. So we have one barred rock and one red hen that cost us $15.75 each. LOL. Yes $31.50 for two chickens.

$85.50 for our adventures at the auctions (not counting the gas $$). We have two hens and two piglets to show for it. LOL

Have you ever ridden in the car with two piglets? Yes, it's an experience. The first 45 minutes they couldn't get settled. The cage was hopping up and down and they were snorting and squealing. Lauren thought this was great and kept saying, "dog" and laughing out loud. LOL. I wasn't so excited about it and kept giving Lance 'the look'. You know the look...the one that says, 'it probably wasn't such a great idea to buy pigs to carry home in the car with us'. LOL.

We stopped at McDonald's on the way home (twice in one day...LOL) and the pigs had the cage hopping and car shaking while we were waiting in line at the drive-through. It was so funny.

Ok...so the pigs settled down after about 45 minutes and must have fallen asleep, as did the girls. It was very quiet in that car. LOL.

Lance and I discussed what to do with the piglets when we got home. Would we put them in the stall in the wood shed, or put them in the pig pen down in the field. They probably weren't trained to electric fence, but pigs are pretty smart and usually catch on pretty quickly.

I thought the stall was a better idea, but Lance said he's put other piglets down in the pen before and they did fine. He just puts them in the hut and then when they come out and start wandering around they touch the wire and figure it out easily enough.

So he put them in the pen while I was inside getting the girls ready for their bath.

He finally comes in and says the pigs are gone. He put them in the hut and they ran for the fence and went right through it to our cow field. Now that field is fenced too, so they were still fenced in. Except the cows thought it would be fun to chase them, so the cows chased the pigs right into, and out of the second fence.

Lance didn't feel all that great, so he gave up when they went into the brambles and came inside for a nap.

He lays down and just gets settled and hears a pig squeal. LOL. Up he goes and gets his boots and coat and runs outside. The piglets were in the fence with our dogs. The dogs weren't trying to hurt or kill them, but they did think it was a great idea to chase and play. The pigs weren't so thrilled with the idea. By the time Lance got out there, the pigs weren't running very fast anymore. So he somehow got them and put them in our horse trailer for the night.

I cannot believe they came back into the fence, and especially with the dogs. I never would have thought that.

So we still have the two pigs (currently living in the horse trailer while Lance sets up the stall in the woodshed today) and two hens that are settling into our old coop very well (not near as much excitement where they are concerned, they are nice and calm...LOL). I'm going to check for eggs soon. Woohoo!

Today we are heading to a hotel with a pool. My SIL and niece are going with us. We are looking forward to it. Lilli just asked how many hours until we can leave. LOL

Lilli was supposed to go back to school tomorrow, but she has an appt with an allergy Dr for skin testing, so she's just going to take the day off. I had to wait to do a hotel with a pool because she's had her cough most of the week. It's almost completely gone now, yay! :)

We are all looking forward to the hotel. We'll miss Lance though. He's going to help his brother with some plumbing and then he'll be home. I think he's looking forward to the peace and quiet after yesterday. LOL

NAIS legislation

I should say that I agree there should be some sort of trace on animals entering the main food supply and being fed to the public.

NAIS takes up to 48 hours to catch a discrepancy (sp) in a tagged animal, and by then, the meat could already be on it's way, or actually in the main food supply.

I also don't think NAIS would have caught the 'downer cows' that were recently in the news. The sellers weren't breaking any rules (animals were tagged and heading to slaughter as planned).

What I don't agree with, is having to tag my own animals, that will never enter a public food supply. They are solely for our family and rarely, if ever, leave our yard. I just don't think homesteaders and small farmers should have to tag their animals. I think it should be for the larger factory farms and they are the ones getting the break...using one registration number for many animals.

I hope that article helps give a non-biased explanation. When I googled 'NAIS legislation', most of the hits were for 'anti-NAIS' and 'stop NAIS'.

I'm not trying to push it on anybody, I just think people should be aware of what it is.

How will NAIS affect you?

That picture to the right of my blog, the 'no nais' circle...this is what that's all about:

NAIS is so scary to me. It's going to put small farmers and homesteaders out of business and make it such a hassle to just raise your own chickens or any type of livestock.

Bounceland and lingering colds...

Yesterday went really good. We had planned to go to Bounceland, an indoor inflatable playplace. I was worried about Lilli's cough, as it gets worse with any exercise or exertion. We went anyway and she did great. We stayed about 2 hours. She was just starting to cough when we left. I'm not sure we would have stayed a lot longer anyway though, even if we were all feeling good. There's only so long you can go down and through the same inflatable things. LOL. It was very busy since it's Spring Break and some kids are just plain rude.

They had an inflatable area for Lauren called Candyland and she had a ball playing in there. It had a little slide and a tunnel and several things she could climb on. She had a nice time, even if I was hovering trying to keep the bigger kids from running her over.

We met 2 girls from Lilli's acro class there, but Lilli really didn't play with them at all. They all just went their own ways.

We impulsively decided that Lilli should probably spend that night with my parents, since we have plans everyday until school starts. So we drove to their house from Bounceland and had a little visit and Lilli spent the night.

We watched Survivor and CSI last night. I haven't watched CSI in over a year or so. It used to be my favorite show, but I guess I got over it. LOL. It was ok, but definitely not a favorite anymore. I did enjoy Survivor though. I wish Amazing Race was still on, I like that even better. Those are about the only things I watch on TV regularly.

So today we plan to go roller skating with SIL and cousin. We are looking forward to it. It's not until 3PM, so I have most of the day to straighten the house...of course, here I am, sitting on the computer. LOL. Ah well, I have to go start diapers in the wash, so I'll be up soon.

Tomorrow we are planning to attend an animal auction. I think we only plan on getting a couple laying hens, but it's so fun to see everything that comes through there.

Chickens, guineas, geese, ducks, peacocks, turkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, and horses occasionally. There are also misc vendors, like a flea market. Several amish stands with various baked goods and canned items. It's fun to just go and look around.

Sunday we have reservations at a hotel with water slides. The problem is that Lilli isn't tall enough to ride them. They have a 48 inch minimum. What a crock. She is tall enough to ride all the slides at Great Wolf Lodge and I can't imagine that these are much different. We weren't going to stay, but even if she can't ride the slides, there is a nice kiddy area with slides for her and Lauren, and there is a pool to play in as well. If we go to a different hotel with just a pool, then there really isn't anything for Lauren to do or play with. We decided to go ahead and try this place. We'll see how it goes.

Lilli was supposed to return to school on Monday, but she has an appt with an allergist so she'd have to miss half the day anyway. We decided to just give her the whole day off and let her play before her appt.

Lance's dad went home yesterday. He goes back today to have a 'pic' surgically inserted. That's how they give his chemo. I'm not sure of what happens other than that.

A tornado, bowling and shopping

We had a tornado come through our town Tuesday night. I don't think it did a lot of damage here, but it peaked in Plainwell...a town about 40 miles from here, and they had quite a lot of trees uprooted, barns blown down, etc. I find it scary when tornadoes hit in the middle of the night. We had no idea there was a tornado until it said so on the news the next morning. If you are sleeping, you don't know to take cover. This wasn't a 'bad' torndao as tornadoes go, it was an 'EF1', but it's still scary to know that it hit while we were in bed (not sleeping, as we were listening to the rain and hail hit the windows).

Lance's dad is still in the hospital. They say maybe Friday he'll get to go home. They are watching his white blood count and it's low right now. It's normal for it to be low with the chemo, but they want him there for observation until it improves.

Lance isn't feeling very well either. I think he's getting what we've all had. He's rundown and feeling lousy. Hopefully he'll kick it quicker than we did.

We got up yesterday and weren't real sure what we were going to do all day. Lauren still has a runny nose and Lilli has her cough, but it's getting better. My friend Jeni called and asked if we wanted to do something. I mentioned bowling and she agreed. We met about an hour later at the bowling alley about 12 miles away. My mom met me and picked Lauren up so that Lilli and I could go bowling and shopping together. It's hard to watch a toddler at a bowling alley, and almost impossible to help one daughter with trying on clothes while the other is trying to crawl out the bottom of the dressing room door or pulling clothes off the racks, etc.

So Lilli and I went bowling and had a very nice time with our friends. Then we went to the mall and ate and did some shopping with those same friends. We had a very nice day.

Lilli found a pair of tennis shoes that she liked and a pair of boots. These were both at Payless and they were having a 'buy 1 get one 1/2 off' sale, so it was a great deal.

We had to go to 4 different stores to finally find a pair of pants that fit her though. All the stores have their summer clothes (capris and shorts) out already, so it was hard to find many pairs of jeans to try on.

At JCPenney we tried on 6Xs, but they were way too long. She already has 6s from there and they are too tight now. We were hoping the 6X would work, but I didn't realize they were so long.

At Children's Place they mostly just had summer things. I did find some summer-y pants but all were too long for her.

Jeni suggested Burlington Coat Factory so we headed there. I didn't realize there was one in the mall. We headed there and finally found one pair of jeans that fit. They are a size 6 and very cute on her. We also bought a pair of brown dressy culots (sp) and two matching shirts that are very cute.

After that I headed to Victoria Secret to buy myself a bra (TMI I know). I swear if I buy bras at Walmart or other store they don't last through 3 washings before falling apart. It's better to just pay the money and get one from Victoria Secret. I swear they last for years! LOL

After that we really had to go and pick Lauren up from mom and dad's house as it was getting late. We picked her up and headed home. We didn't get home until almost 9PM! We made a complete day of it! I was tired! LOL

We had a good night, both girls slept well, so I'm sure they are both on the mend, even if Lilli's cough and Lauren's runny nose still hang on. A good night's sleep is important for both of them.

Today we have plans to go to Bounceland. It's an indoor play land with inflatable toys. We planned it two weeks ago with the girls from Lilli's gymnastics class. I asked Lilli if she thought she'd be ok with her cough and she said she would. She's just going to take it easy and not run and jump as much as she normally would. If she starts to cough we'll cut our visit short and head out.

I need to go grocery shopping today too, but I'm not sure if I'll get to it or not with both girls. We'll have to see how they are doing when we leave Bounceland. I can go a different day if I need to. I just really want to hit Meijer this week for some of their sales.

The rest of the week is up in the air. Lilli plans to spend one more night with Grandma and Grandpa, so it will be either tonight or tomorrow night. I'm waiting to see if Lance and I are going to the animal auction on Saturday or not. If we go to the auction, Lilli will stay Friday night because she doesn't like the drive to the auction, it takes 2 hours to get there. I'm not sure if we are going or not though, and I'd like to take Lilli roller skating if we don't go to the auction. Otherwise we'll go skating on Sunday instead.

I'm really just watching her cough, as we might go to a hotel with water slides on Sunday night. Monday is her first day back to school after Spring Break, but she has an allergist appt so she'll have to miss half the day anyway. I was thinking about just giving her the whole day off and staying at the hotel that night. We really have to see how her cough is though. We went to Great Wolf Lodge when she was 3 years old and had this cough, and she went into coughing fits from the humidity in the water park and the cold halls. We don't want to do that again. If we don't get to go this weekend, we'll go in a week or two when she's feeling better.

So...Bounceland today, and roller skating this weekend. Then hopefully the hotel if Lilli's cough is better.

What's in your water bottle? Sippy cup? Safe plastics list

I've been hearing a lot on the news lately about BPA and how unsafe it is in plastics. Water bottles are particularly alarming. There are safe and unsafe plastics, but even the 'safe' ones aren't safe if heated or reused (if they are one-time use plastics).

I thought I'd post a few articles I've found containing information about plastics. I do want to say that it is extremely hard to go 'plastic-free', but a water bottle that you use continuously through the day, EVERYDAY might be a good place to start.

Bottles of water that you purchase at the store are single-use and shouldn't be reused. They are porous and hard to clean, so bacteria clings and then transfers to your water. If you notice a water bottle that has been cleaned and/or reused, it often turns cloudy. That isn't good. I often wonder if the water bottles were heated to an unsafe level in the backroom of the store (stored next to a furnace), or during the delivery (heated by the sun while waiting to load, etc).

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Nalgene was recently recalled as it has a chemical that alters hormones. Here is a bit of information on that:

The highly-respected MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) store, a bastion of earth-conscious products for sport and outdoor enthusiasts across the country for years, is pulling those beloved water bottles from its shelves, along with other food and beverage containers made of polycarbonate plastic. There's no recall on these products, so MEC has decided to take measures into its own hands.

"The bottles won't be back at least until May when the federal government has tested them," said Jorge Nanez, an employee at the Toronto MEC. He confirmed the GSI H2O! Lexan bottles have also been pulled from store shelves. "It's just a precaution situation. We decided just to go that way, but it's not like it's confirmed to be dangerous." Nanez said the store is accepting returns on the bottles in question.

The possible health risks, from the plastic's chemical compound "bisphenol A" leaching bad stuff into the liquid or food we consume in these containers, includes cancer and low sperm counts.

Health Canada is reviewing data from independent studies, and plans to release preliminary findings next spring.

"The writing is on the wall for bisphenol A. When a product loses consumer confidence to this extent, it's obviously time to move to the safter, comparably priced alternatives."

As part of its national Toxic Nation campaign, Environment Defence tested a sample of Canadians for toxic chemicals in their bodies. Everyone tested for bisphenol A had measurable levels in their blood. Click here for test results.

Environment Defence references two recent panels in the U.S. who've noted potential health effects of exposure to bisphenol A. The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences panel of 38 scientists found that most people are exposed to level of the chemical at levels higher than those that cause health effects in animal studies. A U.S. National Toxicology Program panel concluded recently that bisphenol A exposure to fetuses and to children could have behavioural and nervous system impacts.

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Here are two articles on safe/unsafe plastics. The two articles are a little different, but similar...

Adapted from Green Remodeling, by David Johnston and Kim Master (New Society Publishers, 2004).

The news about plastics has been pretty alarming lately, causing some of us to go dashing for the water bottles to see what kind of plastic they are—and find out if we've been unwittingly poisoning our children and ourselves with chemicals leaching into the water from them.

SIMPLE SOLUTION: If you've been concerned, here is a handy chart that identifies the good, bad, and OK plastics and where they are found. Find out here:

1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
Used to make soft drink, water, sports drink, ketchup, and salad dressing bottles, and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars.
GOOD:FOR ONE USE ONLY!!

2 High density polyethylene (HDPE)
Milk, water, and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail bags.
GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

3 Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC)
Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC.
BAD: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add "plasticizers" during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen.

4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles.
OK: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.

5 Polypropylene (PP)
Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.
OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

6 Polystyrene (PS)
Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, some toys)
BAD: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling.

7 Other (usually polycarbonate)
Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans
BAD: Made with biphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.

Safer Plastics
#2HDPE, #4LDPE and #5PP
These three types of plastic are the healthiest. They transmit no known chemicals into your food and they're generally recyclable; #2 is very commonly accepted by municipal recycling programs, but you may have a more difficult time finding someone to recycle your #4 and #5 containers.

#1 PET
#1 bottles and containers are fine for single use and are widely accepted by municipal recyclers. You won't find many reusable containers made from #1, but they do exist. It's also best to avoid reusing #1 plastic bottles; water and soda bottles in particular are hard to clean, and because plastic is porous, these bottles absorb flavors and bacteria that you can't get rid of.

PLA
PLA (polylactide) plastics are made from renewable resources such as corn, potatoes and sugar cane and anything else with a high starch content. The starch is converted into polylactide acid (PLA). Although you can't recycle these plant-based plastics, you can compost them in a municipal composter or in your backyard compost heap. Most decompose in about twelve days unlike conventional plastic, which can take up to 100 years.

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Researching water bottles led me to research some of my plastic storage containers and I was surprised that many of Tupperware's products are not BPA-free. I would have thought that they would be leading the way in the 'green' movement. They actually released a statement that said their toys and a few other things are BPA-free, that list did NOT include children's tableware, cups/sippy lids, or snack cups, etc. I was very disappointed, as Tupperware was a brand I really trusted.

More research on the water bottles led me to check baby bottles and sippy cups. I found this great article on sippies. I will give my opinions on a few of these products at the bottom:

http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/05/sippy-cup-showdown-safer-bpa-free-sippy.html

Sippy Cup Showdown: Safer, BPA-Free Drinkware For Toddlers

Please note: We have just released a second edition of our Z Report on BPA, and have incorporated detailed lists of BPA-free and non-BPA-free sippy cups into the report. The directory includes profiles of more than 25 companies, identification of BPA content in both bottles and sippy cups, and a continuously updated log of additional feeding products produced by these companies. The reviews here can still help you make an informed decision regarding product design, durability, and appeal, but for a more complete reference guide to non-BPA sippy cups, we encourage you to access the updated information here.

Bisphenol-A, a substance used in the production of polycarbonate plastics that has estrogenic properties and has been shown in animal tests to cause a host of health problems, has brought the issue of potentially toxic plastics into the news over the last few years, and both parents and manufacturers are starting to catch onto the idea (plastics industry efforts notwithstanding) that safer plastics and even non-plastic materials can be used to make durable and attractive baby bottles and toddler cups. (Update: You can delve into the research we've discovered by checking out our del.icio.us list here - just be aware that some of the links are astroturf or industry organizations.)

We field-tested seven toddler cups made of either metal (aluminum or stainless steel) or non-polycarbonate plastic, all known to be free of bisphenol-A or other potentially toxic monomers or plasticizers. We used and abused the cups for a period of about two weeks. We got to know their strengths and weaknesses, watched our 2.5-year-old daughter Z use each of them repeatedly, and put each one through a series of leak and drop tests to assess their durability and reliability. In the end, we decided to assign them ratings in ease of use (Z) and care (us), durability, and eye appeal, with each category having a maximum award of ten points, for a total of 30 points. The final scores don't quite reflect our personal preferences, so we made sure to throw in a word about each of our favorites we reviewed.

First up, metal alternatives to plastic sippy cups.

Metal Cups for Toddlers

Thermos Foogo Leak-Proof Sippy Cup

Materials: Stainless steel, polypropylene, and thermoplastic elastomer
Design: This 7 oz. sippy cup has a soft plastic spout and is sold with or without non-removable handles attached to the screw lid. Sold in pink/purple and blue/yellow color combinations.
Price: $15
Dishwasher safe? Top rack only, and not recommended.
Observations: This sippy is a great size for little hands, and the vacuum-insulated design makes it comfortable to hold with cold liquids. But the plastic screw lid is difficult to open and close tightly without considerable effort. The Foogo sippy performed well in our drop tests, receiving only minor scuffs due to its tough plastic base (we dropped each cup from 45- and 90-degree angles from a height of about three feet onto a brick patio). But the "Leak Proof" cup performed poorly in our leak tests, leaking water when shaken upside down and also slowly leaking drops of water from its spout when left on its side for a few minutes. Spout components are moderately easy to take apart and clean.
Z's Take: Z latched onto this sippy quickly, probably because it was very much like sippy cups she already has.
Ratings: Ease of Use and Care: 7. Durability: 9. Eye Appeal: 5. Total points: 21/30.

Thermos Foogo Leak-Proof Bottle With Straw

Materials: Stainless steel, polypropylene, and thermoplastic elastomer
Design: The 12-oz. Foogo straw cup has a Thermos-like cylindrical look and features a smoothly-operating flip-top lid and innovative straw construction. Vacuum double-walled, with a thin plastic housing on the bottom edge. Sold in pink/purple and blue/yellow color combinations. Thermos also makes a Foogo Food Jar in the same style and colors.
Price: $15
Dishwasher safe? Top rack only, and not recommended.
Z's Take: Z quickly mastered the lid's release button and enjoys using the cup.
Observations: Larger than the Foogo sippy, Thermos' Foogo straw cup is ideal for older toddlers due to its size and flip-top lid. The straw and lid components are a far superior design to other straw cups we've had (we learned to curse a Munchkin model) and the parts come apart easily for cleaning. (Baby Toolkit has a great post examining the lid design, in both words and pictures, and comparing it with Thermos' last generation of toddler straw cups, the Funtainer.) We believe this cup will transition fairly well as our daughter grows out of the "sippy" stage. The cup lived up to its "Leak Proof" title with its lid closed but fared poorly in our drop test; dropped from both 45- and a 90-degree angles, it suffered dents in its bottom edge through the weak plastic frame and showed discolored denting in the plastic as well, making us wonder whether a bit more abuse would break off the bottom shell completely. Recommended for older toddlers. Jeremiah's runner-up favorite.
Ratings: Ease of Use and Care: 8. Durability: 6. Eye Appeal: 8. Total points: 22/30.

SIGG Kids' Cup

Materials: Extruded aluminum with baked enamel interior (a water-based resin which does not contain BPA - read about it on Eco Child's Play) and powder paint exterior, polypropylene cap.
Design: The SIGG is a stylish standout in this bunch, with 0.3 liter and 0.6 liter bottles recommended for toddler use, and 1-liter models available for adults. All SIGG bottles can share interchangeable lids - screw-top, "active" (flip-top) and "bottle top" (a twist-style sports bottle lid), plus additional accessories which further expand on the lid varieties. Toddler SIGGs are sold with the bottle-top lid and a "mud cap," a hemispheric snap-locking cap held onto the neck via a plastic ring slipped on between the lid and the bottle body.
Price: $15-22
Dishwasher safe? Not recommended
Z's Take: Z immediately loved her SIGG sippy for its colorful, playful graphics. She has had some difficulty mastering the twist-to-open sports cap, but she loves the round cap that snaps on top of it.
Observations: The SIGG's single-walled design means the cup gets very cold with cold liquids. The bottles also dent and scratch easily if (when) dropped. And while minor dents and scratches may just make a bottle look well-loved, larger ones could cause paint to chip off. SIGG does sell some models with a more durable exterior coating but somewhat less vibrant designs. The SIGG leaked a slight amount of water into its cap when left on its side for an hour, but the water did not escape. Based on Z's current difficulty in twisting the lid, we'd recommend the larger 0.6 liter bottle for older toddlers, for whom manual dexterity, a decreased inclination to drop things at random, and increased water needs should dovetail nicely. Interchangeable caps mean that Z may be able to use her SIGG for a while as she grows - if she doesn't outgrow the design. Jeremiah's hands-down favorite, and Jenni's runner-up; the variety of bright and clever graphics must be seen to be believed.
Ratings: Ease of Use and Care: 9. Durability: 7. Eye Appeal: 10. Total points: 26/30.

Klean Kanteen

Materials: Stainless steel, polypropylene
Design: The extruded stainless steel Klean Kanteen's design, shape, and industrial sensibilities inspired love and scorn, depending on where you looked in our family. The toddler size is 12 oz. (sizes go up from there for adults) and lids come in three parts, which are too difficult to describe late in the evening but fit together solidly, if somewhat squeakily. Klean Kanteens outfitted for sippin' use Avent sippy inserts, and a sippy cup purchase includes two of them.
Price: $18
Dishwasher safe? Shell, but not lids
Z's Take: Z seems comfortable with the sippy lid, and the bottle's neck makes for a comfortable grip with no need for handles.
Observations: As with the aluminum SIGG, the Klean Kanteen's single-walled construction means the bottle can get quite chilly if you put cold water in it. The bottle also dents very easily, leaving pea-sized dents in the bottom edge when dropped at both 45- and 90-degree angles. The bottle's logo also faded significantly from gentle hand-washing alone, but then again, the logo is also ugly. The bottle leaked a bit when shaken upside down, but passed our side-rest leak test with no problems. Also like the SIGG, the Klean Kanteen can accept a variety of caps, and the shell's mouth is large enough to make drinking with no lid comfortable. Lids sometimes squeak when they're being screwed on, and the non-toddler sports lid we were sent squeaked a bit when we used it. Jenni's favorite. For more Klean Kanteen reviews, check out Thingamababy and Eco Child's Play.
Ratings: Ease of Use and Care: 10. Durability: 7. Eye Appeal: 7. (Note: This is an average of Jenni's 9 and Jeremiah's 5. Different strokes.) Total points: 24/30.

BPA-Free Plastic Cups

After we started doing research on the hazards of plastics, we learned that not all plastic sippy cups contain harmful plasticizers like BPA; while plastics numbered 3 (PVC), 6 (polystyrene) and 7 (often polycarbonate) should usually be avoided, others, like polypropylene and polyethylene (numbered 1, 2, 4 and 5 based on type and density) contain no known harmful chemicals in them. One company, Born Free, has even branched out into an uncommon new form of plastic, polyamide, which also has no known harmful components, and has made major waves in the baby bottle industry by offering a rare alternative to BPA-laced polycarbonate.

We began examining the many plastic bottles we already had, discarding those made of dangerous or unknown plastics and giving a fresh look to those we suddenly had a new way of looking at. Based on our experience and that information, and on a sample Born Free toddler cup which arrived in the mail yesterday, we feel confident recommending any of the following for parents looking for a cheap, durable alternative to polycarbonate drinkware.

BornFree Toddler Cups

Materials: Polyamide (PA) or polypropylene and thermoplastic elastomer or silicone (depending on model)
Design: Simple plastic sippy with soft, nipple-like sippy spout or hard plastic spout and removable handle ring.
Price: $10-$11
Dishwasher safe? Yes, top rack
Observations: We aren't sure what it is, but BornFree's sippy cup just looks nicer than other non-polycarbonate plastic sippy cups. Perhaps it's the unusual polyamide plastic, which is translucent rather than foggy, its soft but pleasant colors, or its ergonomic design. The cup leaked very slightly and the leak was contained in its removable cap, and it didn't dent or scratch noticeably when dropped. The spout is very soft and the vacuum design makes liquids come out slowly, which is ideal for toddlers just starting to use sippy cups. Born Free's other model has a hard spout. Our favorite plastic sippy cup.
Z's Take: Z handles the cup well but finds the flow to be a bit slow. She enjoys chewing on the nipple, which would soon destroy it; for older toddlers, make sure to get the "Drinking Cup" model.
Ratings: Ease of Use and Care: 10. Durability: 10. Eye Appeal: 7. Total points: 27/30.

Munchkin Cupsicle

Materials: Polypropylene, polyethylene, and silicone
Design: This 10 oz. insulated cup keeps liquids cold after it has been chilled in the freezer. Loud colors and patterns, bordering on neon.
Price: $8 for two
Dishwasher safe? Yes, top rack
Z's Take: This cup is from our private collection, and has served its owner well, but the flow rate is too slow at this point to satisfy her thirst.
Observations: On the large side of the sippy spectrum, this cup is basically indestructible, not only failing to dent or scratch when dropped, but actually bouncing about 50% of the distance back up off the ground. It does not leak when left on its side, but does when shaken upside down. Spout components come apart easily for cleaning.
Ratings: Ease of Use and Care: 10. Durability: 10. Eye Appeal: 2. Total points: 22/30.

Avent Magic Cup

Materials: Polypropylene, thermoplastic elastomer, silicone
Design: A no-frills plastic sippy cup with a removable handle ring.
Price: $9 for two
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Observations: What can we say? It's ugly, it's cheap, and it gets the job done. The Magic Cup first failed our side-rest leak test with flying colors, but then we realized we had screwed on the lid incorrectly and managed to seal it tight but off its threading. It passed a retest but we are newly aware of its persnickitiness.
Z's Take: Old faithful.
Ratings: Ease of Use and Care: 7. Durability: 9. Eye Appeal: 2. Total points: 18/30.

What to do?

Update: Since this post was written, Z Recommends has published a report on BPA in bottles made by all major U.S. brands. If you are looking for additional information about safe baby bottles, read our research, and recommendations, here.

If you are uncertain of the types of plastic in your toddler's drinkware, check the bottom of the cup, which may classify the plastic according to a recycling code. 1, 2, 4, and 5 are OK, but 3 and 6 are not, and 7 usually is not, either. If the number is not specified, you can call the company to learn the type of plastic used or simply replace unaccounted-for plastics with known safe alternatives.

If you do and must use plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7, know that the following habits increase the likelihood of toxins migrating to the surface of your plastic and posing a risk to your child:

Using scratched or worn plastic containers
Heating food in plastic containers
Placing hot food in plastic containers to cool
Heating foods covered in plastic wrap
Washing plastic containers in the dishwasher

Thanks to Born Free, Klean Kanteen, SIGG, and Thermos for sending us product samples to review!

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We have several of these products and I thought I'd give my own review on each.

Our favorite for us (adults): The Klean Kanteen. We love the KK . You can get a flat cap and just drink out of the steel container, and that's what Lance and I both prefer over a water bottle spout. With the KK, you can get a sippy top, water bottle top, or flat top. Very versatile in fitting any age group.

It's been a year since my Malarki died...

We received him as a gag gift for our (fake) 'shotgun' wedding in 1999. He lived 8 years and I swear I still miss him.

He would meet me at my car when I got home and Lilli would always save something to feed him...part of her snack or a french fry. He wouldn't eat it though, he'd call his hens over so they could eat. He might be starving, but he would never eat before he fed his hens.

He had 3-inch spurs but he was the sweetest little guy. Oh, he did spur our Jack Russell Terrier once, but the dog was trying to eat with the hens (we'd thrown out bread scraps). Malarki didn't really appreciate the dog eating food that was for his hens. LOL.

All of our talk about getting chickens has me missing him. Lilli and I are going to make a sign for our chicken coop that says, "Malarki's Legacy".

We were just talking about that the other day. She wants to draw a picture of Malarki on it for me. She's so sweet. :)

I think we are on the mend...

Lilli is still coughing, but she is sleeping all night with very little coughing at all during that time. She is coughing a bit through the day, but no more coughing fits. Her fever broke so she's feeling pretty good, overall.

She did complain of her stomach burning a bit this evening, but was fine when she went to bed, so hopefully that's ok now too.

Lauren still has a cold and her teeth are still bothering her. Her fingers are in her mouth all the time. She slept good last night, so that was nice. She had a good nap today, but she sure was cranky when she woke from it. She fussed almost all evening.

I had ordered several things for Lilli (summer clothes) and a few came in. They are very cute.

I LOVE it! I'll post a picture in the next day or so. Even Lilli said how much she likes it! :) I now have a chicken apron and two matching pot holders :) Thank you Brenda :)

I was expecting a few books to come in the mail, but they weren't here yet. I'm really looking forward to reading a couple of them. I'm also waiting on another shipment of summer clothes for Lilli. Maybe tomorrow.

At the library...Lauren is really not at a very good age for the library. LOL. She wanted to pull all the books from the shelves, then she wanted to run through the aisles screaming and laughing, and then she cried when I picked her up. Ah well, it was fun anyway.

Lilli loves the library. She chose 3 books and a movie. She has always loved this one movie they have there, it's called "Horton Hears A Who". Now I know that is the movie that is playing at the theatre right now, but this is the old one. Lilli LOVES it. From the time she was about 3 years old, she would borrow it from the library and when we would return it, she would ask the lady if she could rent it again, and again, and again. I swear we had it for a year or more. LOL. It is very cute.

Lilli says she doesn't want to see the one at the movies, that she likes this one better. I offered to take her this week while she's on Spring Break, but she said she'd rather wait and get it through the mail (netflix). She said movies are too loud at the theatre and she didn't want to go.

She chose two 'Little House on the Prairie' books that are very cute. They aren't the long chapter books (we have that collection here at home), they are shorter chapter books with a different story for each chapter. We read 3 chapters before bed tonight and they were very cute stories. The library had several more there so we'll have to get more when we go back since we both enjoyed them so much. She also found a book called, 'The Fly Guy' and it was cute too.

Lance came home after work and left right away to have his dad's taxes done. Then he went to the hospital to visit with his dad. He didn't get home until after 9PM this evening. He looks pretty tired. He thinks he may be getting our cold...I'm not sure if it's that, or if he's just run-down...maybe both.

His dad is doing ok, but very tired. The Dr did an MRI of his brain area and they did find a spot but they said the chemo should take care of it. He might be able to go home tomorrow. They did chemo Fri, Sat, and Sun nights, and they said it will start really hitting him 6-9 days after that.

My dad had a spot removed from his face/neck today. He went last week to the dermatologist and they had to do a biopsy on one of his spots. It needed to be removed so they froze it off today. We pray that it stays gone this time.

A little excitement for the girls tonight...well, not really. Lauren pooped in the bathtub again. This is the second time in about 2 weeks. I honestly think she's becoming more aware of how things work 'down there' now.

She peed on the potty twice the other day. She pointed to it and wanted to get on it and peed! TWICE! I couldn't believe it. I have sat her on it before, just playing with her while waiting for bath or whatever, and she has peed and I made a big deal of it, but honestly, I didn't expect anything of it. I think she peed on it at mom's too.

I can't imagine this being 'potty training' this early. She is 17 months old. Lilli started peeing on the potty at 2 years old (right at her birthday), and didn't poop on the potty until after her 3rd birthday! Yes, a whole year. She wanted nothing to do with pooping on the potty...but she peed on it consistently in that time.

We may go to the animal auction on Saturday this week. I hope so. I want 3 or 4 laying hens in the worst way. I'd like to get guinea keets too. If I order from the hatchery where I get our chickens from, I have to order a minimum of 30 guinea keets! I don't want that many! I could sell them at auction, but that's a lot of money just ordering them outright like that. We'll have to see what we can find at the auction. Maybe I'll check with the local feed store too, he may have keets coming in soon with the arrival of his chicks.

I'm not sure what our plans are for tomorrow. We'll see how everybody is feeling. I'd like to do some grocery shopping and Lilli needs some new pants. She outgrew all of her pants overnight it seems. I bought some size 7s a few months ago, but they are way too long for her. We'll have to take her to try them on...maybe 6Xs, I'm not sure. She needs new tennis shoes too, so we'll make it a nice shopping trip for her when we do go.

Homemade cleaning recipes

She had posted several recipes for making your own cleaners and I thought they were fantastic. I asked her if I could repost them here. I really like the pre-treat and the Febreeze ones.

½ cup lemon juice Mix together in a clean new spray bottle. To use, remember to shake before each application. Apply a small portion to your cleaning cloth. Spread the polish over the furniture, trying to polish evenly. Use another clean cloth to polish the surface dry.

Home made pre treat spray
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbs liquid soap
2 qts water Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle very well before each use! Spray the liquid onto the stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Launder as usual.

Home made Febreeze I take one cup of fabric softener, one cup of vinegar and 2 cups of water. Put it all in a spray bottle, shake it up a bit to mix it.
Spray just like you would with real febreeze.

A Homemade Scouring Powder
(to replace Comet, Ajax, BonAmi and Soft Scrub)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Borax
1 cup salt
Use as you would a commercial scouring powder.

Beeswax Furniture Polish
4 oz. beeswax
2 T. carnauba wax
2 1/2 C. odorless turpentine or mineral spirits
Melt the waxes on HIGH in a microwave or in a double boiler. Remove the waxes from the heat and stir in the turpentine or mineral spirits. When cool, store in a tightly capped container.
Apply the polish with a clean cloth and rub in small circles. Turn the cloth as it becomes dirty. Allow the polish to dry, then buff with a clean cloth. If more than one coat is desired, wait two days between applications.

Home from the Dr...

The Dr says we need to get to the bottom of this cough (DUH). She did give us the Zithro per my request. She says that's a short-term solution (DUH) and that the allergist is a good 'next step' in finding the problem.

If the allergy testing comes back negative, they may take X-rays of her sinuses to see if the cough is from chronic sinusitis. She had X-rays of her sinuses in 2006 and they came back clear, but I guess they plan to do them again.

There is also another test they can do to see if the Prevacid is helping her reflux. If the reflux is causing the cough and the Prevacid isn't helping the reflux...that could be the problem. We'll just have to see what the allergist says.

They also want us to continue the Pulmicort twice a day to try and keep her bronchial tubes open and prevent the cough from coming back again once it's gone.

I am never glad that she's sick, but I was glad that the Dr was able to see her with a fever (it was 101 when they took it at the office), and they were able to hear her cough. I swear we usually go in and she doesn't have a fever and doesn't cough the whole time we are there. I do think the Dr believes me, but sometimes I feel like they think I'm exagerrating (sp) the truth.

Lilli is feeling pretty good now. She took some Ibuprofen when we returned home from the Dr and just now took her Zithro. I'll give her Dimetapp soon to help the cough. I'm not sure that's what helped her last night, but I don't want to take the chance and not give it to her. She really slept well last night once she got settled. Usually cough meds don't help her much, but hopefully this is helping and we'll have another good night.

Lance's dad is doing ok, but is tired from the Chemo treatments. He said he thinks feels better, but is very tired. He is still in the hospital and I'm not sure when he may go home. I haven't talked to Lance much yet as he just came in and went back out to do chores.

Lauren has a runny nose and her teeth are bothering her. Fussy and clingy explains it pretty good.

We didn't have pasties for supper:( Nope, we had McDonald's. Yes, health food, I know.

We were just tired and hungry after leaving the Dr and then both girls fell asleep on the way home so I drove around 20 minutes longer than I needed to. I know gas prices are outrageous, but it was worth it to let them both get a little nap. Neither of them felt well, and I was glad to see them sleeping so peacefully. I drove the backroads and enjoyed the scenery.

It was about 6:30 by the time we got home, and after baths and rocking it was too late to start supper.

If Lilli is feeling better, we may go to the library tomorrow. Nothing strenuous or exciting. A nice relaxing day with a little outing if we are all up to it.

Off to the Dr we go....again. Sigh.

Lilli had a fever over the weekend and last night, and her cough is pretty bad. Her coughs don't just go away, they have to be treated. She is currently on Pulmicort breathing treatments but they aren't helping her cough any at all. I'm going to ask the Dr for Zithromax as that always knocks her cough really fast. They don't like giving it to us for just a cough, but we need something that works and works fast. She gets into coughing fits at night and they get pretty bad.

I'm hoping the allergist (next Monday) will shed some light on these coughs. It's very frustrating to not know what's causing them and not know what to do to help her, other than the meds.

Lauren has a cold and her teeth are really bothering her. She walks around with her fingers in her mouth all day and that isn't normal for her at all. She is very fussy and clingy as well. She did sleep better last night, so that was nice.

I was up with Lilli until about midnight or so. I gave her some Ibuprofen about 9PM (for her fever), and then gave her Dimetapp around 11. It didn't seem to be helping her at all, but then around 11:45 the coughing slowed a bit. She layed down and didn't cough much at all until she woke this morning. Her cough seems worse when is trying to go to sleep, or just waking up. Once she's in a deep sleep, she doesn't seem to cough much, if at all. But the other times are pretty bad.

Lilli is my rocker. She likes to rock when she's sick. I like to rock her so we both enjoy it. We rock even when she isn't sick. :)

Lauren isn't so excited about it. She wants to nurse or get down. LOL. Ah well. Maybe when we wean...

I hope everybody is having a nice Monday so far. I'll post again later with the results from the Dr appt and an update on FIL.

Our Weekly Supper Menu

These are subject to change as Lance will be spending a lot of time with his folks and he may eat there occasionally. If he is eating away from home, I'll just eat leftovers or soup and sandwich.

I often switch the days around too, if something sounds good, or is easier to make that day.

Breakfasts will include waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and cold cereal w/ toast

Waffles for breakfast and for freezer (they are so easy to pull from the freezer and pop in the toaster for fast breakfast)

Chicken tacos (these include a tortilla shell, shredded chicken, shredded cheese and green olives. These are Lilli's favorites and I make them and freeze them for her to eat when she gets hungry. She rarely eats what we eat due to her acid reflux, so we keep these on hand for her.)

A change of plans...Lilli is sick now too...

Well, Lilli has had a cough for about a week now, not a bad one, but definitely there. Well she was all set up to spend two nights with my parents and she came down with a fever yesterday during the day. It passed quickly and she was fine after that, other than her very persistent cough.

Lauren woke at 1AM this morning and was all stuffy and upset so I got up with her and went into the living room to nurse and my phone rang. It was my mom calling to say that Lilli's fever came back up and she wanted to come home. So I settled Lauren down and put her back to sleep, then had Lance lay down with her in case she woke while I was gone. Then I headed out at about 2AM this morning to pick Lilli up.

Her fever was gone by the time I got there and I don't think she really wanted to come home anymore. LOL. I had her come home anyway just in case it came back up again. She is doing good though, and hasn't had a fever since we got home.

Her cough is bad though, and we started her back on her breathing treatments today to see if that helps (per the Dr's orders on Friday). She sees an allergist next Monday to try and solve her cough issue. This is about the 6th time she's had this bad cough since September. It will not go away on it's own and the Dr doesn't like giving her antibiotics for it (Zithromiacyn DOES make it go away, it somehow relaxes her bronchial tubes). Anyway, they want us to do the breathing treatment twice a day this week and see what the allergist says next Monday.

So instead of going to a jewelry/bag party today, we are going to have a nice relaxing 'stay-home and play' day. Hopefully her fever won't return and her cough will improve.