Peek at our Week {August 10, 2013, A Make-over, my birthday, and laundry soap}

I can’t think of any better way to start off my week than with a makeover.


This girl loves her make-up!






Getting to try out all that new stuff was so fun!  I ended up buying some pretty new blue/azure shadows and a cream to powder foundation.  If my wallet could have handled it I would have bought a lot more…





Both of the girls watch me put on my makeup everyday, and practically beg me to use “just a little blush…a tiny bit of gloss…and some sparkly eyes too.”

Every once in a while, I let them.  And then watch them parade around the house, modeling their new look.









My parents came to stay for the week.  It was nice to have them here, but  I’m sure they were ready for some peace and quiet by the weeks end. 



Tuesday I had a doctor appointment.  It is so good to finally have health insurance again!  My check-up went ok, but I need to start on a new medication and a heart-healthy diet.











Thursday was my Birthday.  I had a perfect, relaxing day doing nothing but reading, relaxing, and eating the best cake ev-ah!







Isaac has been Angry Bird crazy.  He spent a couple of hours doodling the characters and coloring them in.

(If you have a doodler, I highly recommend getting them a sketch pad.  It really keeps all the lose papers at bay and is so much easier to store as a keepsake item.)




He’s been in a very talkative stage lately.  He’s also growing like a weed!  I should have guessed he was gearing up for a growth spurt, because he’s been hungry all the time!









Nate has been learning his multiplication facts.  It’s pretty nice that Isaac can help “quiz” him!

He’s been reading a ton too, like always.  This summer he’s read some especially large books and series.  That has definitely expanded his vocabulary!








Elaina has been diligently working through her math book, and reading nearly every day.  She still prefers the BOB books over any others.



This is Elaina’s “slug house”.  She didn’t want to touch the slug, but after her brothers put it down, she happily made it a habitat. 







Olivia has been going on walks with me.  She stays pretty quiet in that stroller.  I wonder if she is enjoying the peace and quiet as much as I am…..







This week I got her this really fancy new “toy”. She was so excited and asked to play with it every day.

I just cut up a few sponges and gave her some soapy water.  Voila!  Fancy, huh?

I know.  I’m practically a genius.






Have you tried these fancy little Laundry packs yet?

I’ve been making our own laundry soap for over a year now, but on a whim I bought a pack of these Tide pods at SAMS club.  After the first week of using them, I was sorry I did.  Our clothes were not as clean, and did not smell very good either.  I even used two pods, hoping that would help.  Nope.






So for now I’m back to shredding and mixing our own brew.  Plus it’s tons cheaper!  I paid around $20 for the Tide, and for the same amount of loads, our homemade soap is only $7.





Since my doctor suggested a heart healthy diet (like this one), we are all going to have to adjust a bit to new foods, or at least the old foods prepared differently.  I tried making my cream pasta with half and half, and although it turned out pretty tasty, it was different than we are used to.





One change I’m not sure I can embrace is eating fish.

We are not fish eaters around here.

I bought some fresh Salmon to give it a whirl.  After drenching it in lemon juice I was able to eat most of it.  But overall, not a fan.








We are eating lots of veggies, berries, and lean meats.  And no more butter.  Well, at lot less butter anyway. 



The cooler weather allowed me to roast a chicken for dinner one night.  (Yes, it’s upside down.  That’s my mom’s trick to making the white meat juicier.)



In my opinion, every diet needs a little bit of ice cream.

Every once in a while.