Everett's First Dentist Appointment

This past Monday, Everett had his first dental visit at The Kid's Dentist. It pretty much went how I expected- refusal to sit in the chair, crying, no opening of the mouth. Typical behavior for such the event for a 2 year old. There was a girl a few months younger than him that cooperatively sat in the chair and opened her mouth and allowed the doctor to look around and clean her teeth. I remember thinking to myself, "Man, that would be totally awesome if Everett did that." Ha. Not.

As I've learned, kids can sense what's going on by their environment. He took one look at the chair and the tray of floss, toothpaste, and picks and ran the other way. They had this stuffed alligator with human-like teeth and a gigantic toothbrush as a means of getting him involved and helping to brush its teeth but he wanted nothing to do with it. They even tried bribing him with a toy police car to get him to show them how he brushes his teeth. He refused as long as they were looking at him. They turned their backs and he started brushing (gnawing) on the toothbrush.

I was/am concerned for his teeth as he doesn't allow Dale or I to actually brush them. As mentioned in this blog post, Everett's version of brushing is teeth is gnawing on his toothbrush. After 2-3 days, the bristles are worn and we go through toothbrushes like crazy. We've even tried taking turns: I brush my teeth and he helps me and then he brushes his teeth and I get to help him. He doesn't let me help him. He kicks and hits and throws the toothbrushes. {sigh}

And the doctor wants me to encourage flossing? I can't even get him {or I} to actually brush his teeth, let alone flossing. We did get him floss picks though so he can begin familiarizing himself with them. Again, he just chews on them and doesn't let me help.

Thankfully, his teeth are in good shape and there are no immediate concerns. They did say several times how nice of teeth he had and I owe that to his well-rounded diet of lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

Dale and I have resorted to holding him down and getting a good brush of his teeth a few times a week. Somewhat similar to what they did...

Here are some pictures of the dental office. I was pretty impressed how kid-friendly their office was. I was also pleased that they respected the fact that we do not give fluoride drops nor want the fluoride treatments at his visits. Everett uses an organic toothpaste that has Xylitol {natural cavity preventative} in it.

We took Everett out to lunch afterwards. We felt it was well-deserved. I sure wouldn't enjoy strangers holding me down and poking different picks in my mouth and cleaning my teeth while I was screaming and choking on my own saliva. Darn right I would expect someone to treat me to a nice lunch too!

{See Food!}

Quick & Easy Homemade Spanish Rice

Here's a quick and very easy Spanish rice recipe. We don't eat a lot of Mexican food but we had my brother and his family over last week and I wanted a side dish to go along with our tacos and burritos. It was delicious and even Everett had 2 servings.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups water
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Heat oil over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and green bell pepper until rice is browned and onion is tender. Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

I wanted to make it with brown rice but with company for dinner, I decided to stick with the norm. Next time, brown rice though. You can add some green chili's to it but I left it out so that Everett could have some. Even some black beans would be delicious too. Enjoy!

Some of our Favorite Foods

I would like to share some of our favorite foods and snacks. They have been taste-approved by my picky 2 year old and Dale and I even find ourselves snagging some of Everett's kid-friendly snacks.

Gorilla Munch by EnviroKidz was one of the first cereals I bought Everett when he turned one. It's organic and gluten free. Ingredients include: organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, and sea salt. That's it. I believe the less ingredients, the better. Look at a box of Kix and you'll see about 30, including phosphates (a chemical) and tocopherols (which acts as a preservative).

In Gorilla Munch, there are no synthetic pesticides, no synthetic herbicides, no artificial preservatives or additives, and no irradiation. Not only is EnviroKidz cereal good to our body, it's also good to our environment. They donate 1% of their sales to species and habitat conservations and environmental education.

Everett eats it for both breakfast and snacks.

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Another cereal we all enjoy are Fruitful O's and Cinnamon Crunch by Cascadian Farm Organic.

I'd prefer Everett to have plain cereals but the taste buds of a 2 year old are in favor of a little bit of flavor. I compromise and give him limited amounts of the "taste good" cereals like these. Again, like most organic foods, there are no synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers or genetically engineered ingredients. Also, no artificial flavors or artificial preservatives.

Sign up for their email newsletter at Cascadian Farm to receive coupons, recipes, and healthy eating tips!

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When Everett eats well and asks for a cookie, I treat him every once in awhile with sweets. These include Country Choice Organic Vanilla Wafers and Newman-O's Chocolate Cookies by Newman's Own Organics.

The Vanilla Wafers taste just like Nilla Wafers and I even have a few every once in awhile to fulfill my sweet tooth. Again, all organic ingredients and no artificial flavors or preservatives.

His favorite are the Chocolate Cookies by Newmans Own Organics. Of course a cookie is a cookie and it's probably not the best thing for you but if you must have one, try one of these. Unlike Oreos that contain artificial vanilla flavoring and high fructose corn syrup, Newman-O's uses real vanilla and do not contain trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils.

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I bought Van's Natural Foods Wheat/Gluten Free Waffles for Everett but I have found myself eating them more for breakfast than him. He went through a waffle phase but I think he's out of it now. Regardless, I eat them with a bit of peanut butter and I must say that they are more delicious than any Eggo waffle. They have an organic version of these waffles but I chose to go wheat/gluten free. For many people, wheat and gluten are difficult for the body to digest. Your body works a little bit harder to process these through your body. Through research and through my own experiment in cutting out wheat and gluten from my diet for a period of time, I found myself with more energy and my skin was more clear. My local grocery store has a section of gluten free foods that I love.

My only concern at first with Van's food products was the calcium phosphate in their list of ingredients. Phosphates in general are chemicals but calcium phosphate is a mineral and is commonly used as a rising agent in baked goods, i.e., baking soda. So, it's not harmful. In looking up ingredients, I've learned a lot of what I am consuming. I admit I was a bit naive and disappointed that a natural/organic food company would put a chemical ingredient in their products. I was aware of what phosphates were but little did I know what calcium phosphate was. It's pretty much baking soda. Ha!

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These are just a few of our favorite foods that we enjoy and wanted to share with you; especially you moms with 2 year olds who are looking for some alternatives to the conventional, kid-minded foods. If you try any of them, let me know how your toddler (or you!) like them.

Happy, healthy eating!

Yoga

My friend Brynn and I started our 7 week yoga session last night at Shanti Yoga Center. We are participating in the Unwind class.

"These gently powerful yin-based classes help you let go with simple postures and mindful movement, basic breath practices, and the deep release received through the therapeutic use of foam rollers and other tools to encourage physical and mental relaxation."

I chose this class in hopes that it would help me in handling my panic attacks. Last night's session didn't include much guided breathing techniques as I had anticipated so I'm hoping future classes will provide some teaching on that. Nonetheless, it was so relaxing and I learned many different ways to stretch my body. These included:

The infamous "Downward Dog."

There were a few that my body wouldn't allow though. I wake up with a very stiff back every morning and this morning, I had no stiffness or pain whatsoever. That's what an hour and a half of body stretches does. I've also been having a difficult time falling asleep the past handful of nights, getting only about 5 hours of sleep but last night, I fell asleep right away and slept like a baby.

I'm really looking forward to next week's class!

Diaper Change

We've made a permanent switch in diapers. Everett has been wearing Huggies Pure and Natural.

These diapers use organic cotton and are hypoallergenic. Those two things are what interested me in them in the first place. I've now learned that the organic cotton is only used on the outer part of the diaper, not on what actually touches the baby. And the cotton isn't even certified. The lining also contains wood fibers. Ew.

We've made a very welcomed change to Comforts Touch of Nature. There's nothing "greener" than cloth diapering (which I'm not sure I could do since I'm a huge germaphobe but I'm open to the idea with the next baby) but in my opinion, these may be the next best thing. Other diapers along this line include the ones by Earth's Best, Tushies, 7th Generation, and the ones produced by Whole Foods. I went with Comforts Touch of Nature because they are available at my local grocery store (Fred Meyer, but they're sold at any Kroger store as well) and they're the cheapest. These diapers are chlorine free and have more biodegradable material to them opposed to the popular Huggies and Pampers brands. Instead of wood fibers, they use natural plant-based resources for the diaper's inner and outer linings. Also, they are manufactured with renewable materials, therefore, less energy used and friendlier to the environment.

Each time I go to change Everett's diaper now, I will have peace of mind that I've taken yet another step in "greener" living. {Now I've just got to take the next step in this aspect and consider cloth diapering!}

Bathtime Fun

Everett's really been enjoying his baths lately. He's always enjoyed them but lately, he's discovered that toots in the tub create bubbles and funny noises and that he can makes waves when he moves his arms and legs really fast. I hear a lot of giggles during bathtime these days. I love it. He's had a few squirt animals but didn't know how to use them until recently. He thinks it's hilarious to squirt the water out, especially when it hits Mama and Dada.

Happy boy in the tub!

{We've since gotten rid of the gigantic bottle of Johnson's Shampoo!}

New Favorite Products and "Greener" Living

I'm currently in the process of replacing things such as household cleaners, hair/body/hand products, bakeware, cookware, storage containers, Everett's cups and dishes...just to name a few.

I've realized in being more active about reading labels that many cleaners and body products are alcohol based. Not only can excess be toxic to your body but it can leave your skin dry and irritable. Since changing Everett's body/hair wash and lotions from Aveeno/Johnsons products to California Baby, his eczema and dry skin has improved. I recently purchased these for him:


They're offered in scents including calendula and lavender but his skin seems to be on the sensitive side so I stuck with the fragrance free products. California Baby products are natural and organic.

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I purchased Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Lavender Dish Soap. It's 98% plant derived (as are all her products) and includes Soap Bark Extract, which is nature's best degreaser; not to mention it smells calming too. Who doesn't need a little calm when you're doing a big pile of dishes, eh.

I replaced my kitchen hand soap with the Honeysuckle soap and can I say how delicious the smell is?! The smell remains on my hands for awhile and leaves the sink smelling just as good. All of Mrs. Meyer's products include essential oils. Best of all, my hands aren't dry from washing them so much. Before, my knuckles were so dry they were beginning to crack and bleed.

Her products are actually very affordable too! A set of 3 decent-sized products are only $9.99. {I want to get this Honeysuckle set!}



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I didn't realize how harmful BPA (Bisphenol A) is until most recently either. I did a little research and in short, it can affect the body's hormones and can lead to developmental disorders, cancerous tumors, and birth defects. While there's still a lot of research going on, past research and their findings was enough for me to convict myself to throw away all of Everett's dishes. Toys R Us has a BPA free version of his favorite Munchkin straw sippy cups that I just ordered online. Until I can find BPA free bowls and plates, he's been {carefully with a lot of adult supervision} using our small glass plates. My next step is to replace all of our tupperware with either stainless steel, Pyrex, or Corningware.

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Everett has always had about a 95% organic diet but within the past handful of months, I've converted Dale and I to the same. I've always thought that organic was extremely expensive but when it comes to produce, much of it is about the same, if not $0.50-$1.00 more. Other things are not as expensive either but things like peanut/almond butter, dairy products, and condiments can be. The other day at the store, I saw a jar of peanut butter for $9.99. Holy Moley. I stuck with the $5.00 organic jar. Ultimately, for me, it's peace of mind and taking action on things I can control, like reducing/eliminating the amount of toxins/pesticides my family consumes. It's worth all the extra money to me. I grew up on a farm where we raised goats, chickens, sheep and had about 1/2 acre for a garden so I somewhat grew up with the knowledge and background but even so, I tended to buy whatever was cheapest, which isn't necessarily always the best. You get what you pay for.

Dale used to give me a hard time and call me an "Asian Granola Girl" and didn't quite understand why I read labels and researched so much but once realizing such overlooked things like hotdogs having nitrate in them for example, he realized the amount of toxins we were putting into our bodies. Not only is it a health issue but it's saving and supporting local farmers and our environment. I would encourage you to take some time to read some labels and look up some of the hard-to-define ingredients. You'll be surprised at what the stuff exactly is. I feel like we owe it to ourselves and to the body that the Lord gave us.

Christmas Recap

Well, Christmas 2011 came and went, didn't it?! Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were both tornado of days. We were going here and there and every direction. It was so wonderful seeing all my relatives that I see only on holidays and other specials occasions. We fellowshipped and praised God and celebrated the birth of our Jesus Christ. We sat in a circle and sang Christmas songs and had a dysfunctional but yet memorial time trying to take a family photo with 25 people by a small Christmas Tree. There were more takes than I can remember and everyone was getting impatient, sweaty, and complainy. The memory puts a big smile on my face.

Christmas morning, we surprised Everett with a train table. {Thanks Anika for the information on the table!} I was mostly excited to see the look on his face when he first saw it.

He absolutely loved it!

Everett got to meet his cousin, Toni for the first time. They seemed to really enjoy their time together and Everett was a bit fascinated with him. It was adorable. Toni wanted him to play but Everett was mostly interested in just watching him.

I enjoyed doing some holiday baking as well. I made some Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls and Breakfast Cupcakes. {I received the Breakfast Cupcake recipe from Emily's Blog.}

While Everett is usually a very cuddly boy, I wasn't allowed many hugs and kisses during Christmas time, as he was so consumed with everything going on around him. I did manage to hold him so I could get a quick photo though.

It was all so much fun but left us a bit tired.



Luke 2:1-20.

Lining Things Up

I've been meaning to blog about this for awhile now and finally getting to it.

I don't know if it's the age but a fellow mom blogger, Rene, posted photos of her son doing the same thing: lining toys up. Everett loves to meticulously line anything up. Toys, book, shoes, pretty much anything.

He started lining his cars up on the window sill when we lived in Oregon City this past Summer. It was the very first thing he did after breakfast.

He lined his monster trucks up in wheelies.

I came into my bedroom this evening and saw that he had removed by books off my night stand and lined them up.

I think it's awfully cute how they can have such organized, meticulous behavior at this young age!

Christmas Tree

We finally put up the tree yesterday. Yes, we were a little late this year. I typically like putting it up the day after Thanksgiving but we've been trying to take things slowly and calmly around here with my recent health issues. {I'll post an update to that here soon.}

These photos are from my not-so-great camera phone...




We had the tree set up and decided to move it. Talk about difficulty moving a fully decorated tree! I don't think we could've done it without Everett's help though. He was so helpful holding that branch.

{The tree skirt was given to us by Dale's mom 2 years ago. It's almost 30 years old! The same one that was under each of Dale's Christmas trees growing up.}