Happy Halloween 2013!!!

0 Audience

If you are reading this blog post then you have proven the title incorrect. Congratulations on proving me wrong. It would be ever so kind of you to leave a comment for me to know I'm not alone in my rantings.

There's a lumbering question hovering around out here (my brain). A first world problem. Not really dealing with life or death. Rather life on the web. Does one tend solely to boring their friends on facebook? Or do they attempt to do so in the blogging world as well? For the last 5 almost 6 years I've been writing on this blog. Randomly and unimportantly, but happily nonetheless. Now that its a private blog it doesn't get read much. And now that I've been neglecting to write in it, it gets read even less. Now we are down to you and me.

I've decided I'm going to keep trying to bore you in this blog. With such gripping subjects as, why I disdain musical theatre now, what it's like to be in a blended family, my favorite recipes, my artistic aspirations, more confessions of an admitted hermit etc. Bored yet?

Stick around.

Swiss Days

Swiss days is coming! Have you ever been to Swiss days? When I first moved to the area, I had no idea what all the hullabaloo was about. Until I went to it. The shopping is my favorite part. But there's food and music and art and a parade and lots of fun.

Go. Ladies, bring a little extra spending money. I DARE you not to find something fun to bring home.

2013 August 29, 30, and 31st. Midway, Utah.

Howdy

Hi there,
I haven't written since January? That's not okay. Here's what's going on. Alfonso's working. Hard. I'm staying sane as the summer break has settled in and my role as entertainer and referee have kicked into high gear. I'm really trying to let the kids work out their own arguments and come up with their own solutions, instead of butting in like I like to do. It's a work in progress. Ben's in Florida and will be there for another week. His mom moved there in March and he's been gone visiting her since early June. It's been really hard without him. I'm sure he's having a blast though. We look forward to having him back. Spencer is so tall. He's almost as tall as me. And just between you and me, his voice has changed. He's becoming a man. I love him to pieces. Will is just as smart and stubborn as ever. Always making me laugh. Mia has really jumped onto the "potty train" and is doing really well. She loves to sit on her potty and is making momma proud.

My saving grace this summer has been a cool program that our community has embraced called "Unplugged". Basically it's encouraging kids to get away from the t.v. or video games and get out and experience life. I think this program is genius and other cities/communities should start similar programs. Check out the site here: http://heberunplugged.com/ So far Spence and Will have collected about ten brag tags. Some kids have infinitely more, but it's cool. We're just going at our own pace. So far, SO fun! What are you doing this summer?

Bye.

Evidence of 13 year-old-ed-ness

Last night I recieved an anonymous note stating the following, "Hey Rochelle, guess what? . . . .
Poo Poo!!! Ha Ha."

I guess that's proof that we have a 13 year old in the house.

Free Eczema Advice from Someone Who Knows What She's Talking About

Do you or anyone you know have eczema? Otherwise known as atopic dermatitis? Well, 4 of our 5 kids currently have it or had it at one point. In a nutshell eczema is is a long-term (chronic) skin disorder that involves scaly and itchy rashes. We have spent many hours at Dr. visits both Family Dr.s and Dermatologists, many dollars on bills, we've filled plenty of perscriptions, and recieved a variety of instructions and advice mostly good, some of it wierd. The wierdest thing I've been told is to put Crisco on baby Spencer's skin. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Eczema is usually at it's peak in the winter months due to the intense dryness in the air. That being the case, I've been wanting to write this post in hopes that it may help anyone out there dealing with it. So here goes.

To keep eczema from spreading or worsening, I strongly recommend the following. 1st, preventative care. Make sure the clothes and sheets, blankets, and towels basically anything touching their skin is laundered right. Many laundry detergents and softeners reek havoc on sensitive skin. The main culprits being perfumes and dyes. The two laundry detergents that I recommend are All Free-Clear & Arm and Hammer Free. Fortunately Downy has come out with a laundry softener that is free of perfumes and dyes. It's great.

The second step is direct skin care. Anytime the person with eczema bathes or showers, make sure they use a very mild soap like Cetaphil, again, free of perfumes and dyes. Cetaphil makes liquid soap or bars. Now this part is very important: The second they step out of the shower, have them towel off quickly and then immediately apply salve. The trick is to lubricate the skin before the skin fully dries, trapping in the moisture. My product of choice is Aquaphor. We have gone through SO many tubs of Aquaphor, they should send me a thank you card for keeping them in business ;) No really. It's expensive, the generic version is fine. Vaseline works really well too and is a much more affordable option. Regardless of the brand, salve is the thing to have. Rub it in all over. Legs, arms, waist, back, underarm, the inner elbow creases, the creases behind the knee. Eczema loves to hide there. Rub it in relatively well (otherwise the leftover salve will kind of stain their clothes & sheets by making the fabric look wet).  As far as bathing frequency is concerned, I've had some Dr.s recommend bathing everyday while others would say to bathe a little less often. Either way, as long as you follow the tips above, you'll be set.

And that is my advice on eczema treatment. For free. Once again, I must emphasize that this is many Dr. bills, hours and trials and errors in the making.  Let me know if you try it and whether or not it helps. I'd seriously love to know.

p.s. Swimming pools are really tough on those with eczema. Shower a.s.a.p. after swimming to rid the skin of chlorine and remember to ALWAYS follow up with salve.

 p.s.s. If your kids have eczema, don't lose heart. 3 of my kids have pretty much grown out of it. Hallelujah.

Random Favorite Things

Warning: These are random, but I just felt like sharing.

Favorite Store Bought Ice Cream: Turkey Hill - Dutch Chocolate sold @ Smiths Grocery Store
Favorite Ice Cream Store: Fill-er-up in Midway
Favorite most authentic Gelato not in Italy: Spin Cafe
Favorite Movie: It's A Wonderful Life
Favorite Brand of Colored Pencils: PrismaColor
A Few Of My Favorite T.V. Shows: The Vicar of Dibley, Northern Exposure, Good Times
Favorite Pastime: Sleep
Least Favorite Pastime: Having nightmares
Favorite Store Bought Mexican Tacos: Betos Carnitas Tacos
Favorite Homemade Mexican Dishes: Posole and Mole
Favorite Moments with Mia: Cuddling and Laughing
Favorite Moments with Will: Laughing at His Jokes
Favorite Moments with Spencer: Snuggling
Favorite Moments with Ben: Playing Games and Laughing
Favorite Moments with Alfonso: All of them, including the ones that cannot be written about.

Tell me some of your favorite things! Please?

What a new year means to me.

2 things: I'm going to stop drinking soda. I'm looking forward to this. I think it's something I can actually do & it'll be good for me. Second thing starts with a tangent. . . Santa brought me a super uber cool phone. Quite an upgrade from the dinky slidephone i had before (and was extremely happy with). When I opened the box on Christmas morning, I have to admit I was terrified. A droid Razor. Could I handle the responsibility? Now I'd have internet Access virtually all the time. Now I'd have to be even more picky about how I spend my time & what I allow to distract me. Don't get me wrong. I adore technology, but I think we are facing a social dilema, a phone etiquette problem that would make miss Manners weep. (calmly stepping down from soapbox. ) So my second goal is to keep my hands free for my family. I want to be sure to make face to face time counts.

Speaking of faces, I deactivated my facebook account. I'm taking a break, just to prove I can. May be back in February, we'll see. In the meantime I plan to update this blog more. Speaking of this blog. I don't think anyone is reading it. Oh well. Happy 2013!

p.s. What's YOUR New Year's resolution?

Too Late For Halloween Pictures?

Pictures from the Halloween Carnival,

Grandma Jo's Costume and Pumpkin Carving Party,

and Halloween.

 

We had so much fun!

Music for Halloween

I put this playlist together several Halloweens ago and have it playing constantly around the house. Please comment and add any songs that you think it should include!
Halloween Playlist
Enjoy :)

Here's a list of the songs:

     Edward Scissorhands: Main Title/Ice Dance by Danny Elfman

Thriller by Michael Jackson

The Addams Family by The TV Theme Players

Monster Mash by Sha-Na-Na

Witchy Woman by Eagles

Theme From Bewitched by Soundtrack & Theme Orchestra

Witches' Brew by Hap Palmer and Martha Cheney

Love Potion Number 9 by The Coasters

Casper, The Friendly Ghost by Casper The Friendly Ghost

Zombie Jamboree by Rockapella

Purple People Eater by Ray Stevens

The Munsters by Theme

Buckbeak's Flight by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

double trouble by harry potter

Sally's Song by Fiona Apple

Sally's Song by The Nightmare Before Christmas

This Is Halloween by The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack

This Is Halloween by Panic! At The Disco

What's This? by The Nightmare Before Christmas

What's This? by Fall Out Boy

Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper

Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.

Puttin' on the Ritz by Gene Wilder & Peter Boyle

Puttin On The Ritz by Tako

Bach's Tocatta by classic scary Halloween music

Halloween Theme Remix by Ronald Jenkees

Halloween Girl by Ghosts On The Radio

Treehouse Of Horror V (Medley)The SimpsonsHalloween... - Bart/Homer/Danny Elfman

HalloweenCP1 by Club Penguin

Beetlejuice - Main Titles / End Titles by Danny Elfman

The Batman Theme by Danny Elfman

Spooky by Classics IV

Karaoke: Time Warp by Original Rocky Horror Picture Show Version

Ghost Town (12-inch Version) by The Specials

Hell by Squirrel Nut Zippers

Beware of the Blob by The Five Blobs

Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band

alfred hitchcock presents by theme song

Black Magic Woman by Santana

Bad To The Bone by George Thorogood & The Destroyers

The Twilight Zone by TVTheme

The Cat Came Back by Fred Penner

Devil Inside by INXS

Dry Bones by The Delta Rhythm Boys

I Put A Spell On You by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow

tv themes - scooby doo theme by Theme Song

Karaoke: They're Coming To Take Me Away by Napoleon XIV

Werewolves Of London by Warren Zevon

Teen Wolf by Theme Songs

Come little children by Hocus Pocus OST

Superstition by Stevie Wonder

Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo

Somebody's Watching Me by Unknown

Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered by Ella Fitzgerald

Disturbia by Rhianna

theme from jaws by horror movie theme songs

Halloween Theme by John Carpenter

Somebody's Watching Me by Mysto & Pizzi

The X-Files by TVTheme

Some of them don't always play. It's a glitch that I keep running into. Eventually I want to buy all of these on iTunes and have them on my iPod, but that's not going to happen soon.