Made In America

       Lately I've been trying to buy only products that are made in America and buy local when I can.
Example, we were in the market for a new futon for my niece. After a lot of price shopping and comparing models, we found just what we were looking for and it was 5 miles from our house. Encore Furnishings is a great business. They offer new and consignment furniture, and all made in America products. I think they have more than 1 location but I've only visited the McMinnville one. The big selling point for me was that it was made is the USA, and it wasn't anymore expensive than prices we saw online.
       This got me thinking, how many people care or even notice if the product they're buying is from the USA?  Honestly, until recently it never crossed my mind.
       Made in America products do tend to cost a little more at times, but to me it's worth it. Who knows what goes on in foreign country factories. I found myself becoming more weary to this as I bought products for Mason. Where did the plastic come from that made this sippy cup that I microwave and put in the dishwasher? Are there chemicals leaking out of it every time I fill it up with organic milk? Are the growth hormones and chemicals I'm avoiding in regular milk nothing compared to the toxins in this China made cup? Maybe I'm getting a little carried away here, but I'd rather be too cautious. By the way, yes he does have "Made in China" toys etc but I'm trying to convert. It's a process, ok?
      I saw on Shark Tank a lady who designed a sippy cup and wanted it made in America. The investors thought this was insane because it would cost so much more to produce. One investor said he would invest IF she agreed to have them made in another country.
      I appreciated her concern for quality products and safety. Would you buy a $20 sippy cup if it was from a small American business? A popular NOT small business aka Walmart does have "Made in America" sippy cups called USA Kids, (usakidscups.com). They're good quality, safe and cute. I bought a 2 pack for under $7! I was disappointed to see that Gerber and Disney cups were all made in China. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though.
      I guess in the end it's all about what is best for your own family. We do not have extra money to splurge on the best of the best all the time. However, with some price shopping (and possibly some couponing) I think I can stay on budget while making more made in America purchases. And that's worth a lot.
 
                                                   

Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

The other day Mason and I visited the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville. I had been wanting to take him there for a few months and finally decided to just do it.
I had heard it was expensive to get in, so before we left I called and got some prices. $20 for adults, and kids 5 and under are free. (There are special prices for youth and seniors.) This seemed high, but since it was only us I decided to go.
Upon arrival he was already in "awe" before we ever parked the car. Airplanes and jets rested on the lawn surrounding the museums, looking like they could take off for flight at any minute.
An interesting display of the solar system in the sidewalk gave us something else to look at as we walked from the car to the main entrance.  As I pulled the big heavy door open and pushed the stroller in I heard Mason whisper, "Woooowwww" as he caught his first glimpse of all the airplanes we were about to look at and explore.
Twenty dollars and two bracelets later we were inside with our map, ready to go. Most people were headed to the left, so I decided we would go right. First stop, a bright lime green small plane perfect for a first picture.

We then took our time looking at all the different planes. Going through different eras of time, and seeing how airplanes have changed over the years. Throughout the museum there were old airline seats placed everywhere so you could sit in them if you so desired. Mason in fact, desired to sit in EVERY  SINGLE seat in the museum, even though they were all the same...

There was a lot of history and interesting facts to see and read about, however I decided this was Mason's day. I just let him look at things as long (or short) as he wanted. It did mean I didn't get to read about the different planes, or learn anything about the pieces they had from Pearl Harbor, but that can wait until next time we go. It was strangely relaxing to not be on a time schedule or worry about anyone else not getting to see what they wanted to see. It was just all about seeing and enjoying airplanes from a toddler's point of view.
My favorite part was the Spruce Goose. I had seen it from the road dozens of times, and knew it was the largest plane in the world, yet when I saw it, I literally could not believe how HUGE it was!!! Amazing to see in person! I'm not big into airplanes or cars etc, but the Spruce Goose definitely impressed me and interested me. I wish I would have had an extra $25 to take the tour inside the plane up to the cockpit. We could have also had our pictures taken up there, AND they have Howard Hughes' hat up there as well. I can not explain how enormous this plane is, you really have to see it in person to understand, but to help I took a pic with Mason standing next to the front of the plane. Apparently he also can not believe his eyes.

After looking at all the airplanes, we took a trip to the gift shop to get a little souvenir and a post card to send to great grandma. The gift shop was full of wonderful items! All quite over priced, as expected, but great things non the less. We chose a soft stuffed plane, like a stuffed animal but a plane instead. I thought this was perfect because he wouldn't brake it within the first few seconds of having it. Good choice, he loved it AND we still have it!
After the gift shop we traveled back over the solar system outside and into the space museum. Not quite as exciting for Mason. There was a ton of interesting exhibits and amazing photos from throughout space history. I could have looked around for quite awhile, but this was Mason's day. Toward the back of the museum there were rockets, jets and helicopters. Very interesting for Mason. Also, we ran into another set of airline chairs in front of a movie about helicopters, and there we sat for 3-5 minutes (long time for him). As we headed toward the cafe for some lunch there was a real life airline pilot flying a toy airplane around. This was maybe the best part of Mason's day because he was able to help him fly, and "clear him for take off". Basically he said, "ready, set, go go go go!!!".
Lunch was not good at all. It was really expensive and practically inedible. If I were to go again, I would just bring a lunch. There are places outside to sit and eat, and there is a wonderful playground outside for the kids to play on.
Another great thing for kids was an airplane ride. It was closed but when a guy saw us looking at it he came over and opened it just for Mase! I knew there was no way he would actually ride this thing without me and/or a total meltdown, but I thought, hey why not try? So I buckled him in, acted super excited and slowly back away. He was doing great until he realized what was really going on, and immediately wanted out! No ride for Mason.
That was ok though, we were on our way out to head home for nap time.
All in all it was a wonderful day! I highly recommend visiting if you have the chance. As a little side note, they also have a new water park called Wings and Waves which looks AMAZING! I haven't gone yet but would love to! Evergreen also has an IMAX theatre if you have the chance to catch a show I'm sure it would be worth the time....and money :)

Zumba

I started doing Zumba last year and immediately fell in love with it. My niece and I decided we would go to the local YMCA one night and give it try. We wore crazy bright 80's inspired workout attire, teased our hair into a big hot mess and headed down for the "free trial". It was awesome. I didn't know any of the dances, but just kept shaking my booty and caught on as best I could in the 1 hour class. The best part? I was soaked in sweat and tired but had a blast! 

Months later I still look forward to Zumba twice a week.  If I could go every day I would but my local gym only offers it 2-3 times a week. Now that I've been going awhile and actually know most of the dances, I have been working more on my technique. The instructors are the best dancers I've ever seen! They make it look so easy! Also, the better my technique gets the more I sweat in class! Apparently I'm burning around 600-700 calories per class. Now if that's true, I'm even more in love with Zumba! 

If you haven't tried it I highly recommend it! It always puts me in a great mood and makes me feel better about myself. There's no age discrimination either. In the class I attend, there are girls in their 20s all the way up to senior citizens, all having a great time. Just go at your own pace and enjoy, and when in doubt, shake your bon bon til you catch on. 

Birthday Party!

 June 2nd Mason turned 2! The weeks leading up to his birthday I couldn't decide what to do. Should I take him to my small home town for the annual parade and festival? Should we rent a bouncy house and have a bbq party at home? Should we just go to the zoo and do things that Mason likes to do since it's his birthday?
  About 3 or 4 days before his birthday we finally decided to have to small party at our house. No bouncy house (the cheapest I found was $250!) and no BBQ because there was a good chance of rain. Planning for rain but hoping it wouldn't since our house isn't very big, we decided to get pizza from Figaro's. I could order gluten free for Mason and his aunt, and regular for everyone else. I also went to Ruby Cakes and ordered Mason a gluten free birthday cake, along with a few gluten free cupcakes for anyone else. When asked what I wanted on the cake, I decided to just have the cake frosted to look like grass because my plan was to have a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party. I would have to buy some Mickey figurines to put on the cake because of licensing rules the bakery couldn't decorate it Mickey style for me. That's ok, in the end he would have a little Mickey memento from it.
 And so started my quest for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party decorations. A trip to Walmart, Target and Fred Meyer all left me with nothing but a little discouragement. No Mickey. I then visited Michael's craft store where I found Mickey crayons (nontoxic), markers (also nontoxic) and color sheets all for only $1 each. I stocked up and was super proud of my amazing find! Next stop, Party Mart. This place had so much great stuff! It gave me a ton of ideas for future parties and had a great selection! The only problem, no Mickey! They had other Disney themes and a lot to choose from for children's parties. I couldn't believe they didn't have Mickey though! I knew there were 2 other party stores around town so I was about to leave and search those when I over heard some employees talking. Apparently they all worked at all 3 stores because they are somehow connected. I asked the employees if all the stores had the same selection, and told them I was looking for a Mickey theme party supplies. They informed me that non of the stores had Mickey and it was probably because of how expensive the licensing is. Here we go again with licensing. Seriously Mickey licensing?! As if whoever owns the rights to Mickey Mouse doesn't make enough money off Disneyland and World alone to be a little cheaper with the dang party supplies. Not to mention the cartoons, movies, clothing, accessories, and toys!
   O yes, the toys! I still needed to get some Mickey figurines for the cake. But now what am I going to do without party decorations? I decided I would go to the Dollar Tree and take a look around. I found bright blue plastic table covers, a couple cute decorations for the table that looked like it would belong in the clubhouse, and a big glittery green and gold 2012 sign in the graduation section. Since Mason was turning 2 I could take it apart and just hang up the 2s from it. Before heading to the checkout I thought I would check out the balloons and come back on Saturday to buy them, that was until I was informed there was some helium shortage and no one in my town had helium! WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!
   By now my little toddler was tired of shopping and we were dangerously close to nap time. I had just enough time to run back to Walmart and buy some Mickey figurines for the cake, as long as some crazy licensing law didn't get in my way. I finally found the Mickey section, very small, but they had some little boxed figurines that came in sets of 2. For example, Mickey and Donald, or Minnie and Daisy. That will work great, they were only about 4 inches tall and would be perfect for the small cake. Perfect until I saw that they were over $8 for one set! Really?! Maybe I'm totally cheap but I wasn't going to pay that. So I left, with nothing but a very crabby toddler who couldn't understand why we were in the toy section not buying toys!
   The next day I had to be at my brother's house by 1:00 to babysit their little boy. (I'm currently they're child care provider until they find a new one). I got Mason up early so we could go back to the party store and decide what we wanted to do. At this point I had my Dollar Tree purchases, and a cake with grass frosting to work with. Going down the aisles Mason kept getting excited about Thomas the Train. Now I know Thomas is a nice cartoon blah blah blah but I just can't stand him! However, the way Mason says "Thomas" and how excited he got made my heart melt and I decided to can the Mickey party and go with Thomas.
   We stocked up on over priced thin junky paper plates (with Thomas on them), napkins, noise makers, decorations, hats and tattoos. All this stuff matched my blue table covers from Dollar Tree perfect, which was good because just one table cover with Thomas on it was over $7. I also found 3 "Punching Balloons" with Thomas on them and a Thomas piñata. These would be a lot of fun inside or out. Happy with my cart full I headed to check out.
   Next stop before babysitting was back to Walmart. This time I was in search of something Thomas like I could put on his cake. It didn't take long to find a cute Thomas train with a cart pulling a cake. I decided to put that on the cake and use the train track that was in the box as decoration to put on the grass cake as well. We also bought a couple boxes of confetti cake mix and the squirt can frosting for easy and quick decorating, and of course blue and green sprinkles.
   After Mason was in bed Friday I started baking cupcakes and decorating the house. By 11:00 I was exhausted. I decided to frost the cupcakes Saturday and head to bed.
   The next morning Mason, his dad and I all walked down stairs together. As Mason came around the corner at the end of the stairs and looked into the living room and saw all the decorations he stopped and said, "wwooooowww!!!!" It was the cutest thing ever, and I wish we would've had the video camera on! The rest of the day was a blur. We went for a run, picked up the cake, cleaned, cleaned cleaned and got Mason back in bed for a nap by noon. Then I started getting ready for the party while Corey shopped and did yard work. By 3:30 we were exhausted but the house looked amazing and guests were arriving.
  The party turned out wonderful, the kids covered themselves in train tattoos and played all afternoon. We had no rain and everyone seemed to have a really nice time together.

  It's now Monday and the house is still decorated with Thomas the Train, but it will have wait another day because today Mason and I area babysitting again, and after that we're headed to Michael's to return all the Mickey party favors I bought. Guess it wasn't the "amazing find" I originally thought it was...
 

A Special Day

   It's been a busy spring so far. Mason's dad, Corey, and I are planning to get married this August! I'm so excited! We're planning an outdoor country wedding at my grandma's place. It's my favorite place to be, 20 acres of trees, fields and hidden little springs surround her beautiful big yard and perfect little barn that my grandpa built when they first moved to the property 50+ years ago. All in all, to me, it's the perfect place to get married.
   With that comes a lot of work.
   The barn needs painted, an old shed needs cleaned out, taken apart and everything hauled to the dump. The yard needs some serious TLC, along with planting flowers and an endless list of other things to be done. There's so much to do that I decided to make a "task list" and each week assign myself a task to get done.
   This week, paint the barn. Sunday my mom and grandma picked out the paint and got all the supplies together at her house. Then I decided that I would paint on Monday because it was going to be really warm and one of the only days without rain this week. While planning this paint day I was somewhat ignoring the fact I would have to get the barn painted with my little 2 year old helper Mason.
   Monday morning as Mason slept in, I packed the truck full of extra clothes, toys, gluten free food, blankets, a pack n play, sunblock, the dog, and plenty of other things to make this day as easy as possible. Then I got a phone call from my dad. He didn't have to work that day and was headed up to Grandma's to help me paint! Thankful for that, I got Mason out of bed and we headed up the canyon.
   When we got there Mason was really excited to see Great Grandma and my dad, "Papa". He was most excited to see the cows he had been talking about the entire drive there. After I slathered a thick layer of sunblock on Mason we headed out to the garden where I dumped all his toys out to play. This way I could lock him in the garden area with me while I painted the barn. Then I wouldn't have to worry about him getting into something dangerous or wondering off. I thought he would love this, he was outside, he could run, get dirty and basically do whatever he wanted. Turns out, this was the one day he didn't want to play outside. Less than an hour of being there he was totally done and ready to go into the house.
   My grandma didn't mind being inside with him, so off they went. Now my grandma is wonderful but she is 89, and Mason is almost 2 and full of trouble. I was very worried about what he would do. Would he throw a car at her head? Or hit her, or something new that I'm not even thinking about. After about 30 minutes of pondering this while I painted, I told my dad I had to go check on them. He agreed it was a good idea, and with that I headed up to the house. As I opened the side door and snuck in I was shocked to see Mason playing nicely and quietly with blocks. Confused, I headed back outside before I was seen and the good behavior ruined. My grandma followed me out and said he was being really good and was just playing with the blocks. I informed her to come get me if things changed, and then headed back down to the barn for more painting.
   Over the next couple of hours I would sneak into the house to see how he was doing. Each time I was pleasantly surprised to find him playing nicely. After lunch I tried to lay Mason down for a nap but he wash't going to sleep today. We still had a couple hours of work left and I was worried the good behavior was over now that he was tired. My grandma told me he would be fine, so my dad and I headed back out to finish up.
   As we were painting, my dad and I had a lot of time to just talk to each other. He told me about his new job that he loved and how nice the guys all were. He told me about my late grandpa, (who is my mom's dad, but MY dad really looked up to him). He told me about all the things my grandpa could fix and make and do. As my brush painted over the same wood my grandpa had driven nails into so many years ago I couldn't help but feel grateful for this day. My dad and I rarely get to spend the day together talking, and Mason never spends time with just him and his great grandma.
   With that, I decided I better go check on him again. This time as I walked quietly through the kitchen I didn't hear him talking or playing. I peeked around the corner into the living room to find him sitting with my grandma in her chair. She had him cradled like a baby and was rocking him. I couldn't believe it! Ever since he was a newborn he has hated to be cradled and rocked! He never lets me rock him and here he is being as sweet as can be while she rocks away with him!
   I almost got a little mad for a minute, until I realized how dumb I was being. I headed back out without being seen by Mason and told my dad what I had witnessed. He was surprised too, and we were both grateful he was being so good and that we were almost done.
It was late afternoon by this point and we were both tired, hot and sweaty. As we cleaned up I stepped back to look at the freshly painted barn. It turned out perfect. What a wonderful day. So rarely do I slow down and take a look around at the things that matter. A day spent with my dad, working on grandma's place while Mason had the opportunity to just be with his great grandma. A day spent strengthening family relationships and creating memories. How silly was I to think I'd just be painting a barn...

Gluten Free, Organic and Grandma...

  I'm slowly getting the hang of a gluten free menu. The taste not so much, but we're working on that. I can see that if this is going to be his diet I will be doing more cooking than normal. Gone are the rushed morning where he would eat a bagel or dry cereal in the car. This is probably all for the best because I should always make time to sit down and eat a real breakfast with Mason. The frustrating part is that he usually doesn't even want whatever I've taken the time to make him. (Gluten free or not)
  Along this journey I've taken the time to read the ingredients in almost every food I currently have or have picked out in the grocery store. This has been a real eye opener! It has made me realize something I knew but ignored for convince and taste sake. Let's be real, 90% of food in the aisles of grocery stores are so packed with chemicals/acids and other unnatural ingredients it's no wonder so many people are unhealthy. By sticking to the the outsides of the store while shopping you're basically shopping in the produce, meat, dairy and bread sections. I've also been so disgusted with my findings in all this food research that I have been making the change to more organic choices. Especially milk! If you're a milk drinker or your child is I can not stress enough to buy organic! I feel like I've been serving Mason a little bit of poison with each glass before switching to organic. (Ok I may be exaggerating a tad, but not much).  Produce and meat are the next big chemical/steriod holders. It does take more time and it does cost a little more, but in the end you can't put a cost of your family's health.
   I often think of my grandma. She will soon be 89 and is in basically perfect health. Yeah she's a little slow and a little forgetful but she's almost 89! She's never had cancer, allergies etc (knock on wood, i feel like I'm possibly jinxing her).
  Now a days not too many people make it through their life with this good of health. So, what has made her so fortunate? I believe our family can thank genetics for some, but I also think it's something else in particular with her. For most of her life she's had a garden and canned a lot of food. They also use to raise their own beef. She's always been active and a hard worker. Another thing I take into consideration is that there wasn't a McDonalds and Starbucks at every corner offering to serve her a helping of processed foods and chemicals since she was a child. I think she has basically ate natural organic foods without really thinking about it for the majority of her life because that's all there was.
  Yes, you may think I've gone to the extreme on this subject so let me clarify a little. I drink Starbucks more than I should. I still eat things that I know are not the best choice and I used to take Mason to fast food chains. My grandma shops at regular grocery stores and eats things that are not organic or all natural. I just think in comparison we have a lot more unhealthy choices than she did. I also think if everyone could eat homegrown natural food like when Gram's was growing up more people might be as fortunate to have better health like her.
   I can only pray that when I'm 89 I'm doing as well as she is....
   Until then, Mason will continue Gluten Free because his rash has gone away everywhere except one spot on his leg. I will continue to make the transition to organic a little at a time, but I know for now Starbucks will continue to be my guilty pleasure...

Day 3: Gluten Free

    Well day 3 into our gluten free trial seems to be showing some progress. Maybe I'm just hopeful but the rash seems a little less red today. In some spots it looks as though its almost completely faded.

     I'm hoping this trial works, but a little part of me (the selfish part) doesn't want to have to deal with food allergies. He's difficult enough with everyday life, I don't need more added to it. I'm sure once I figure it out it won't seem that hard, my biggest challenge is finding a variety of foods that he will actually eat. Thank goodness he can still eat yogurt and cheese. 

    The hardest part for Mason so far is that he can't have goldfish crackers or "cupcakes". He calls cake pops, cookies, etc "cupcakes". I just try to keep them out of sight, but he's a little smarty. Good thing here in Mac there is a cupcake shop that is all gluten free/nut free and vegan. They also have a great play area for kids and mini cupcakes which are perfect for a busy guy like Mase who although loves them, doesn't have time to sit and eat. They're good for moms too who are trying to watch how many calories we cram in our mouths each day. 

    So gluten free will continue on. Tomorrow is Easter and I got him a little candy for his basket. That wasn't too hard to find gluten/wheat free. He doesn't get a lot of candy anyway. Probably he'll be most excited to be outside and to have plastic eggs and a basket to play with.