Something to do…

I was at the library last week browsing through shelves with my 14 yr old and I had a thought.  

Instead of randomly walking up to shelves and finding books I'm going to take a systematic approach to it!  

I went to the first row of the first shelf at our closest library and found a book I wanted to read this week. I finished it last night and I'm now going back to return it and find a book on the next shelf down.  I'll keep doing this until I hit a section that I just don't want to read cover to cover (cookbooks, textbooks…), I'll skip those shelves and go to the next.  I'm going to do this in the children's books every week as well, it will give a variety of summer reading for the boys.  

I'll TRY to remember to blog about the book I read and what I thought of it, I used to be so much better about blogging!

Here's the first book I borrowed… 

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

I will start with the positive.  You have Jane, a teen girl with a tragic childhood that left her growing up in the foster care system and a group home.  Jane is guided by an older boy to be her best, study hard and not let life take her down and she does it.  She has an incredible work ethic and is accepted into a prestigious private school on full scholarship and free room and board.  

She moves into a quaint cottage in the woods and makes friends immediately, which has never been her strong point.  She is so loved and accepted in this new environment that she begins to question everything.  

I won't go any further into the details because there are spoilers, I will be vague now.  Jane starts out as an amazing role model on how to keep yourself separate yet still be a part of something.  She made great decisions and then all of the sudden was so caught up in being loved and accepted that she forgot herself.  She went down a winding road of bad decisions that left me scratching my head and saying… What is she doing??  It was so unlike her character.  

This is a book that I will remember and am still thinking about today and going over it in my head, thinking about Jane.  In a way it is a different twist on Jane Eyre, about companionship that has a girl stuck in a tough decision between dependence financially and wanting freedom to follow her own dreams.

Overall I would give this one a 3.5 out of 5 for the fact that it's a YA supernatural book that teetered on the line of romance without being silly or inappropriate and had a new and interesting take on the supernatural.  I was captivated by the writing style and the ease of reading this story even though the second half had me wanting to grab Jane and shake her.   

Find me on Goodreads

A story I need to share...

I will preface this blog post with a statement that anything in here is my personal experience and my belief of what happened.  I am in no way giving advice on what you should do for your own children.  Please know that I firmly believe that God gave us all the free will and ability to think for ourselves and make decisions on our own behalf.  I am in NO WAY stating that Autism is caused by vaccinations.  This blog is NOT about autism and vaccines, it's about bringing light to the fact that kids are being hurt by them… my kid was hurt by them.  I have 2 children that are fully vaccinated and 2 that are not and will remain that way, here is the story of why.  

I had always felt that vaccinations were helpful but that putting them into a tiny little newborn body can't be good for their little brains.  We made the educated choice to delay vaccination until our kids' 5th birthday.  Did you know that by waiting to begin you cut the number of shots they receive in HALF!  That's right.  They get 39 shots in their childhood by following the CDC schedule from birth.  They get 19 if you start at school age.  That's quite a difference!  And that is IF you choose to get all of the shots including the controversial new HPV shot, Gardisil.  (please, this is the only one I will ask you to read heavily into before allowing)

Education on something you're allowing to be injected into your tiny little people is so very important.  You have the right to refuse them, you have the right to wait until you are ready and you think your child is ready.  You also have the right to receive them as planned and scheduled with no judgement from me and that's the beauty of free will!

Ok, enough of that and on to my personal story.  This all started in 2010 with my third child that just turned 5 and as done with his sister before him we started slowly getting his vaccinations so he would be ready for Kindergarten.  We had his 5 yr well child and talked to the Peds Dr about which would be the most beneficial to start with as we were going slow.  Of course… MMR came up along with Dtap and Varicella.  We chose to start with Dtap and Varicella.  Completely uneventful, went home with no issues and remained that way for a month.  We went back and requested only the MMR this time, only we wouldn't be so lucky after going home.  By the next morning he spiked a fever, was lethargic on the couch and was vomitting.  He didn't want to stand up or move at all.  He would have a couple of really bad days followed by a couple of tolerable ones.  He wouldn't play or run around but he would sit up and be active within the house.  Then it would return for a few days.  This lasted for a MONTH.  The doctor said he was probably already getting sick and it was a coincidence.  3 weeks into it we tried to push him to get outside and rejoin his baseball team at practice, only to have him throw up on the field due to the exertion and end up back on the couch for days.

Not wanting to assume that it was the shot, at the time, we listened to the doctor and 4 months later went back for another one.  Not an MMR this time, just the next Dtap… but guess what, the damage was already done and he ended up just as sick that same evening and was sick for over 2 weeks this time.  Now I am convinced.  It's not my child, it's the shots.  I filed a report with the vaccine injury program so it would be reported, I think far too many go unreported so their statistics are horribly flawed.  His Peds Dr listened this time.  After months of swollen nodes, unexplained symptoms and positive tests for both mono and strep (simultaneously, which is dangerous), she decided to do a complete workup.  He was tested for everything including auto-immune disorders.  The only thing that has not been done is a full allergy panel but we moved to a new base before she could order that.  Everything came back normal.  There was nothing "wrong" with my child.  Not a single thing to explain what happened except that his body did not accept the vaccinations.

After the immunizations my extremely healthy 5 year old was now sick all the time.  Strep throat twice, Mono, allergies that never existed before.  I talked to a great friend of mine that helped heal all 3 of her children from toxicity issues and she told me about Juice Plus, a product that is fruits and vegetables made into capsules or chews.  They have 19 fruits and veggies that deliver nutrition with a hard punch and allow our bodies to do what they are meant to do, heal themselves.  Real health care!  I immediately got him on these chews (and they taste pretty darn fantastic!!) as well as making slow and steady alterations to his diet.  Removing things like HFCS and heavily processed foods.  Reducing his sugar intake and slowly changing his palate.

After 1 year of daily Juice plus and diet change the allergies were gone again.  No more thick snot running down his face and stuffy head/ears.  After 2 years he was finally going back to his normal healthy self with an immune system that could defend itself.  He's now almost 9 years old and is just like my other kids as far as health goes.  He gets sick just like them, rarely, but also gets over it in the normal course just like them.  I'm very thankful for friends that share their information and want to help and I'm very thankful that she was slightly forceful in her earlier messages to me, imploring that these steps would help him and I could make my child well again.  I'm writing this now so others know that there really are options.

I now have a 4th child that just turned 5 and, as with the others, my husband and I sat down and discussed the pros and cons of doing the shots as always.  In our minds it is now a gamble.  Will our youngest be like his sisters and have an immune system that can withstand and still thrive the impact of the vaccinations, or will he be like his brother and take us down another road of regret?  The questions and worry are there once again, especially with Kindergarten hanging over our heads.  I'm leaning towards skipping them all but we may opt to do a few.  Dtap is one that has been on my mind as a dear friend has been struggling for months with whooping cough in her youngest.  But do I want to make a decision out of fear knowing that vaccinated children still get whooping cough, too?  Much prayer and thought will go into our decision but the wonderful thing is… it's our decision.  I'm thankful that I still have the right (at this point) to decline these shots until I feel comfortable with it.

If you want more information on Juice Plus I can put you in contact with someone that will help you.  If you want information on Essential oils and natural ways to heal and help your family you can ask me.  I am now a firm believer in the human body's ability to take care of itself in most cases (I still go to doctors for check ups and serious issues).  I will be writing a blog in the next week about oils and how they have helped us with so many things from anxiety/depression to ADHD to ear infections.  They do it all!

If you want information on recovering your children from toxicity (not just talking about shots here) please leave a message below!  There are people that can help you and there are ways to help your child.  It takes time and, yes, it takes money but it could change a life.

Thanks for reading my blog post, please don't leave any hateful messages as the meaning of my writing is not out of hate or judgement, we all can have our own opinions and I respect yours, please respect mine.

EDIT:
I will just share links here since I have had people wanting to know…

Here is a link to check out and order Juice Plus for your family.  It comes in a 4 month supply but is divided up into monthly payments… only about $25/mo for a child's dose and $45 for an adult's so very not bad!!
http://www.wyndie.juiceplus.com

Here is a link to check out essential oils.  One is to see which oil you would use for different conditions and the other is my doTerra page.
Essentials
dōTERRA store

Let's give this another try...

WHOA!!

It has clearly been a long time since I blogged on my personal blogsite.   Just a couple weeks shy of 2 years to be exact.  Well… 2014 is a new year and a great time to jump back into something I love to do, write and share our experiences.  I'm shifting gears in my photography business this year and going from shooting for clients to shooting for myself.  I have some personal projects in my head that I want to see come to fruition and I also have 4 children that have been greatly neglected these past 2 years, well, neglected by my camera anyway!  I always forget to take pictures of them just doing everyday things… which leads me into my next venture for this year...

**I will be teaching Mom-tographer classes!!**

Moms that bought or were gifted nice new DSLR cameras that don't have the slightest clue of what to do with them besides keeping it on auto and pushing the button.  I hope to hold the first class in April with details coming out very soon.

I'm really looking forward to sharing my passion for photography, food and books as well as sharing parts of our life with all of you.  Sit back, relax and let's take on 2014 together!

To start things off, I've taken up juicing.  I don't juice every meal, but I try to drink one per day and love the way it makes me feel… more energy and I also don't crave junk nearly as much.  A basic juice for me would include a large cucumber, 3-4 large handfuls of spinach, an apple, a handful of whatever berries I have in the fridge or an orange and a couple of carrots.  For added zip I may add a small chunk of ginger or add a few drops of an essential oil to my mug.

Thanks for checking out my blog and I look forward to sharing more.  Feel free to leave me a message, share your juice ingredients or ask a question!

It's been SOOOO long....

I have seriously neglected my blog.  I haven't been on here in.... I don't even know how long!  I've read books that haven't been shared.  I've tried recipes that haven't been posted.  My children have done strange and outrageous things that I have neglected to bless the rest of this world with reading!!  Oh the horrors!!!  NO MORE!  The procrastination and avoidance will end now... well, at least for a few days.

I'm going to do a photo a day challenge for February, please join in and share your photos on a blog, website or fb page.  Post a link below if you want to share it with everyone.

Day one.... (actually it's 2 but I just found out about it today and yesterday was kind of a sucky day anyway)
Here is the list of things to do each day

Now for my entries...

Here is a late one for yesterday but it pretty much shows my view for the day...

Here is one for today...  Words

 ... because I REALLY REALLY want a Chocolate covered strawberry cupcake from there but they won't have more until Saturday!!!  WHAT'S UP WITH THAT??


Ok, moving on.  Share your pictures and post a link, I'd love to see what you have!!



www.inspiredimagesbytammy.com
www.facebook.com/inspiredimagesbytammy

Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Freezer directions!

These are the yummiest chocolate chip pancakes ever!  No syrup needed for these delicious treats unless you like a little strawberry sauce on top of your chocolatey goodness.  First I'll give you the recipe then I'll post pictures of how I freeze them after making a double batch, then my kids can have a warm breakfast and I don't have to dirty pans and bowls so often!  Forget about buying Eggo or Aunt Jemima frozen foods with all those preservatives and who knows what else.  Spend 1 morning a week making pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos or whatever else you love and freeze it.  Just pick one thing each week and make it and before you know it you will have a freezer full of wonderful breakfast items to warm in the microwave and enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes  (double batch)

4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp baking powder
4 eggs
3 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Put dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Whip eggs first then add all wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until it's all moist.  There will still be lumps in the batter.  Do not over mix pancake batter or it doesn't stay fluffy and light.  Pour about 1/4 cup for each pancake.  When the top is bubbly flip it.

There you have it, they should look something like this....

Now you lay them on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer and place the whole pan in the freezer. 

Once they are frozen you will stack them in freezer bags or into freezer safe containers then return it to the freezer where you and your kids can grab as many or as few as you would like and enjoy!! 

Drought by Pam Bachorz

I don't know if you have read Candor, by Pam Bachorz, but I have.  I read it in a single day and spent about 2 days constantly thinking about whether I loved it or hated it, in the end I decided that any book that made me dwell for that long must be a book that I love.  Well, Bachorz has done it yet again!  Where does she come up with these ideas?  I don't know, but they are new and fresh and thought provoking! 

I read drought in 2 days (only because my husband is gone and I couldn't sit and read the entire thing in one day).  I simply could not put it down!  I was thinking about Ruby and Ford and wanted to know what they were doing and how it would work out. 

My brief summary is... Ruby and her mother, Sula, are members of the "congregation".  They worship and follow the teachings of Otto, the person that is god for them, but he is a person and left them 200 years ago.  Yes, 200 years ago.  Otto (and his daughter Ruby) have special healing power in their blood that sustains the congregation and keeps them alive forever.  Without the blood they would whither away quickly.  Ruby must add drops of her blood to their water to keep the congregation strong and healthy because they live under the reign  and torture of Darwin.  He keeps them working night and day collecting water in a peculiar way that he believes gives the water its power.  The Elders of the congregation has protected Ruby her entire life and protected her but they can't protect her from love and from Ford, the kind new overseer that has come to work for the summer.  Even Ruby's mother can do nothing to keep them from falling in love and the decisions that must be made will affect everyone on the mountain.

I enjoyed the book a lot, and really liked how she handled Ruby's cult-like world view and showed shadows of doubt the crept in over time showing that Ruby was thinking for herself and not just following what everyone else told her.  She made Ruby a strong and likable protagonist, not whiny and not shallow.  The whole premise of the book was hard to wrap my mind around and figure out, people living for 200 years and more and how did overseers never catch on and how did Ruby grow up over 200 years and still look only about 17 with her mother still treating her like a child when she was really 200 yrs old.  I didn't understand that at all.  There were weird things about it but overall I would say I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

My thought is that as strange and different as the story was, any book that keeps my attention that closely and makes me continue thinking about the characters for days after deserves at least the 4 stars. 

Spiritual Content....
It does deal A LOT with worshiping and thanking Otto.  Ford tries to tell her about Jesus and tells her she is sinning by thinking her blood can save anyone because Jesus is the only one that can save by his blood.  She argues with him about whether he has seen this Jesus person heal and he says no at which point he can't argue anymore.  So there are a lot of spiritual implications in the story since they whole thing is based around the fact that she is the daughter of their god and her blood does save people on a daily basis.

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity is a debut novel by Kim Harrington.  It is set in a coastal tourist town around the character Clarity Fern and her family.  The Ferns aren't your typical family, they are all a little unique.  Her mother is a telepath, her brother, Periwinkle, is a Medium and Clare is psychic.  Her abilities are very specific though, she can only see events that have already occured and only when she touches an object associated with the event.  They have a family business that is pretty successful with the tourists although the local towns people don't really approve of their line of work believing they are fakes. 

Suddenly this normally peaceful, happy town gets turned upside down by the investigation of a teenage tourist found murdered in her hotel room.  A new detective is brought in to help solve the case and he brings along his teenage son, Gabriel.  You get where this is going, right?  Of course, he's good looking and of couse, he and Clare have an immediate connection... but, Clare is just coming out of a relationship with a long time boyfriend that has left her feeling burned and left the guy still in love with her and wanting her back.  Your classic YA love triangle! But before you get me wrong in thinking this is just like every other YA out there of "girl torn between 2 gorgeous guys both pining after her" let me tell you there is more to the story that makes it well worth reading! 

Clare is asked to assist in the murder investigation in hopes that leads can be found.  Her special gift of getting images of the past from objects could prove helpful in a case that has no leads, the problem is everything she finds is pointing in one direction... Her brother.  She is torn between family loyalty and love and the thought that her brother is somehow involved in the only murder to happen in decades.  As the investigation proceeds, the danger to Clare increases and she must untangle the mess of evidence she is "seeing" that no one else can see and somehow convince them that she knows what she's talking about.

This book was a very easy read for two reasons... first, it's short and secondly it was well written and flowed nicely.  The story was different from anything I've read but still had the classic bits that we all know we love (ie. love triangles, murder mystery, sassy teenage girl nonconformist).  I loved the relationship between Clare and Perry (Periwinkle, her brother).  They were connected and protective but not over the top.  Perry is a bit of a womanizer, he is older than Clare, and she makes it well known to him that she doesn't approve of the way he treats girls.  The mother was caring and authoritative yet a little vulnerable as a single mother of 2 teenagers and doing the best she could.  I have had issues in the past with other books portraying parents in a stand-off role but their mom is very much aware and in their lives.

I think Kim Harrington did a wonderful job in this first YA novel.  I would definitely read more from her and look forward to seeing what she comes out with. 

*I received an ARC (advanced reader's copy) of this book through the Amazon Vine Program and receive no reimbursement for this review, it is an honest review and my opinion of this novel.