Back Once Again...with a bang!

Ok....I admit it, I have been slackin on the blog lately.

Would you guys forgive me if I told you its really not my fault?

The hubby has needed to take the computer to work for the last couple of weeks, leaving me computer-less, so, no blog.

But enough with the excuses.

I am back to blogging, and have decided to come back with a bang.

Sort of.

Andrew and I sponsor a little girl named Meron. Her picture is on our fridge so we can talk to Coral about her, and pray for her throughout the day. Coral loves to look at her picture. She loves to hear the story about Meron, and how her daddy left her, and she has no money to buy food; so mommy and daddy send her money so she can have a better life. 

Corals still obviously to young to fully understand that story. But I still tell it to her anyway. I want her to grow up knowing the truth, nothing sugar coated. Knowing that she is blessed to be living in a family that can provide for her, that she will never have to worry about going hungry (unless she doesn't eat her dinner...) and that there are children in the world who are not as fortunate as she is. 

Everybody is well aware what is happening in Africa right now. Millions of men, women and children are starving. As a family, we are choosing not to ignore this. No child should have to live being cold, scared, and hungry every single day. 

A little while ago, we received mail from World Vision stating that right now, the Government of Canada will TRIPLE donations. Meaning a simple donation of $5 will have the impact of $15, or $30 will have the impact of $90.

We have decided to take advantage of that offer (sheesh we pay so much in taxes anyway, I would prefer my money goes to starving people) and have a little fundraiser.

Miss Coral has been busy prepping for the fundraiser.

We spent a lot of time together painting for the big event.

Coral has done six different, all unique paintings. She will be selling them by donation, and all the money will be tripled and sent in her name to starving children. 

Ready for it. Here are the paintings:

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

Number 6

Heres how it works. Its first come, first served. If you are interested in helping make a donation (remember, ANY donation helps), message me on my facebook, or comment below with the painting number (found under each painting). Put the painting up in your house, and use it as a reminder of the help you gave to people in need. Together we really can make a difference.

Ready. Set. GO!

Health Update

Thought I would give everyone an update on what's been going on with my health lately. I am so thankful for all the messages, support and prayers from everyone. Since I last wrote about my health I have been feeling a lot better. Not totally better of course, but at least for now Im not in constant pain.

I had an appointment with a general surgeon the day after I got back from BC. She checked me all out, and looked at my medical records, as well as the medical records from when this all started happening. She thinks that I do in fact have a hernia, only its a very rare type of hernia that is hard to find. She said that type of hernia is in the exact spot where I have been having my pain. Usually the only way to find it is by having a cat scan (when I was examined at the hernia hospital, no TESTS were done...just two doctors examining me with their hands to try to find a bulge). She was reluctant to do a cat scan since Im still so young, and didn't want me to be exposed to that amount of radiation already. SO, tomorrow morning we are doing an ultrasound, on the exact spot where Im having pain. We are hoping that the ultrasound will show what is going on, and that I wont need a cat scan after this. She also said that whatever it is will need to wait to be fixed until after we are finished having children. 

So thats where we are at as of right now. 

In the mean time, Im trying to take it easy and rest since that is the only thing that seems to help with the pain :)

Something to think about ya'll..

So, instead of boring ya'll with another post about what the Hodgsons have been up to, I thought today I would share a bit of information with you. This is a shout out to all the lovely ladies in my life who use things such as lotions, shampoos and conditions, and make-up everyday (or most days...lets be honest, us stay at home moms are NOT wearing make-up every day).

Most of us care about what goes in our bodies right? 

Isn't that why they are calling us a smarter generation?

Because we care about such things like eating organic foods so we don't fill our bodies with pesticides. Or using cloth diapers so we don't put chemicals on our babies bums and fill up our planet with non 

bio-degradable diapers. Or not cleaning our houses with harmful chemicals that slowly poison us, our children and our pets.

But what about the stuff we put on our skin? Being the largest organ in our body, I think this is something that needs to be explored more.

Anyone ever heard of mineral oil ya'll?

Ok, quick break. Everyone go grab your lotion, your lipsticks, your facial cleaners, and anything else you put on your body. Look at the ingredients. Is mineral oil an ingredient? If it is, you are currently being poisoned by something that is KNOWN to cause cancer.

Now that I have all your attention, allow me to explain.

Mineral oil. Sounds nice doesn't it. Sounds natural doesn't it.

Wrong.

Mineral oil is clear, liquid oil with no scent and will not spoil. It is produced as a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. Mineral oil is leftover liquid, and because it is abundant, it is very inexpensive. In fact, it is more expensive to dispose of mineral oil, than to purchase it.

Yes, thats right. Mineral oil, something that is used in most of the things we put on our skin, is made from gasoline. You know when you leave a glass of milk sitting out for a long time, and the milk separates, leaving a fatty layer on top, and a liquid layer on the bottom? That is what happens when they make gasoline. So instead of paying to get rid of it, they actually MAKE money by selling it to cosmetic companies. Now why would cosmetic companies want to use mineral oil? Like I said, it does not spoil. Legally the cosmetic companies need to make their products have a seven year SHELF life. Their products cannot expire for seven years once it hits the shelves (thats not even including the time it takes to ship to the store, sit in the back of the store, then sit in your home once you buy it). Pretty gross right. 

Mineral oil acts as a thin layer on the skin. It is difficult to absorb and clogs the pores, which slows the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins. Remember, the skin is the body’s largest organ and plays an important role in maintaining overall health! Once the oil is absorbed, it is broken down by the liver and passes through the intestinal tract, it will absorb all of the fat-soluble vitamins found there. It is essentially stealing important vitamins from the body, which the body will not be able to replace. This can eventually lead to nutritional deficiencies. Studies have also shown forms of pneumonia caused by mineral oil decreasing lung function, known as lipoid pneumonia.

So how did I stumble upon this knowledge?

While out in BC, Christy had an Arbonne party. I didn't go to the party by choice, I just happened to be staying at her house, so I had to go to the party. I sat down, more excited to socialize with my friends then learn about the products. But when she started talking about the poison that I was putting on my body, I got interested. So, you know me, I did some research.  I couldn't believe that while I thought I was taking care of my body by using the products I was using, I was actually harming my body. On a side note, mineral oil isn't the only harmful thing in cosmetics. Most products contain some sort of alcohol in it, which is meant to dry out your skin, so you have to keep using the product.

After finding out how bad mineral oil is for you, imagine how upset I was when I checked out what I was putting on my baby. In the Johnsons baby lotion that I had been putting on Coral since the day she was born, the second ingredient is mineral oil, the first being water. Yes I am telling you that a company that is suppose to be baby friendly, is letting you rub gasoline all over your baby. It gets worse. Another name for mineral oil, is petroleum jelly, also known as Vaseline. The nurse in the hospital gave me petroleum jelly to rub on Corals bum right after she was born. Mineral oil is also in baby oil, and baby body wash.

Of course when I found this out, I instantly threw out Corals baby lotion, all vaseline that we had in the house, and the current lotions and cosmetics of mine that have mineral oil in it. The good news is, there are products out there that are safe for us to use. Aveeno  (both baby and adult products) have no mineral oil in it. Also, Burts Bees is another excellent brand that makes safe products to use (Coral now uses Burts Bees baby lotion..yes they make a whole baby line). 

The point of this post isn't to scare you. Its to inform you of what you are putting on your body. The skin must have proper nutrition to carry out its many important functions. We should be just as concerned about what goes on our skin as what we eat and drink. One thing is certain, it's never too late to make a change and there is definitely something you can do about it.

BC Part Two

We are home!

Ah, its good to be back.

The rest of our trip was great. We did a lot of visiting with friends, play dates, thrift store hunting, and eating out. Malachi and Coral had fun playing together...for the most part. They loved having each other around, but at a distance. We found that when you put two toddlers together for 13 days, there is bound to be a lot of fighting. Toddlers are silly, and only want what the other one is playing with. Both Malachi and Coral spent a lot of time in the corner during our visit, but they always came out of the corner ready to give hugs and kisses. Christy and I would laugh because it usually took so long for us to finish our conversation because we were always stopping to deal with the toddlers. Ah, the joys of being a mommy.

As the trip was winding down, and Matty had returned home (Mr. Malachi was thrilled beyond belief to see his daddy) I got sad to be leaving BC. Well not the provence I guess (although BC really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen..especially where Matty and Christy live, right on top of a mountain. The view is amazing), but the people. We are so blessed to have such amazing friends there, and so many of them too. I was glad to be coming home to my own house, my hubby who I hadn't seen in 17 days, my friends, and my family, but I couldn't help but think that I was saying good bye to some really good friends, and for a really long time this time. Especially now that Coral is getting closer to the age where we would have to pay for her to fly. So saying good bye was really hard this time around (although some of you have made promises to fly out and see us this time, and Im holding you to that). 

Now, lets talk about the flight home.

Oh West Jet, I have grown to hate you over the last few weeks.

Remember my flight there? No tv, no snacks, screaming baby.

Christy and I had gone out to Walmart the day before I left, to get some new delicious snacks for Coral, and a toy incase the plane didn't have television. I ended up getting her a leap frog laptop (in pink of course) that teaches you animals, songs and letters. I saved it and didn't let her play with it until we got on the plane. She also got special treats, like dunk-a-roos for the plane (Coral is a dipper, so I knew dipping cookies in chocolate would be like a dream to her).

The flight from Abbotsford to Calgary went great. Coral had a snack on the way up, and down, and then played quietly during the rest of the hour and fifteen minute flight. WHEW, I thought, this is going great. Now I just have to get through the long 3 hour flight and were home. 

I checked my flight and gate number when we arrived in Calgary as we didn't have a long layover  (just long enough for me to change Corals bum, go pee, then change her bum again...why do babies always like to poop in a clean diaper?). I found my gate, but the screen said we were landing in Winnipeg. Hmm thats odd, so I asked the lady who was calling for pre-boarding. I was informed that I was in the right place, and that my plane would be stopping first in Winnipeg, then in Thunder Bay, then finally in Toronto. 

WHAT!!!!!

Que Laura Hodgson tears.

I started crying, right then and there.

I was told that because it was the same plane that I would be on from Calgary to Toronto, and even though we would be landing in two other places, and I technically didn't need to get off the plane at those places, they don't put those two stops on the flight information while your booking it. Great. Thats awesome. So, I had already been on a plane with Coral for 1.5 hours. Now the next plane, that was already boarding, I was going to be on.....wait for it....a grand total of SIX hours straight. My three hour plane ride had suddenly turned into six hours. SIX hours! All I thought about was how awful Coral had been on the flight there, and I had no clue how I was going to contain her on my lap for six hours.

I sent some text messages asking for prayer, prayed a little myself, and off we went.

The hardest part was the take off and landing. But by the third time around, we had a system going. Coral would get a special snack on the way up, and a special snack on the way down as well. Coral knew the routine on the plane so well that when the flight attendants stopped at our row she would ask for her "bits, apple juice" and they already knew to give her a red straw and two packages of bits and bites. Thankfully, Coral did great on the plane. She was a typical toddler and was climbing all over the seats (using the arm rest for a horsey ride), but she wasn't crying. She played games, did crafts and made a heck of a mess. I got off the plane with her in both Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, and let her run up and down the terminal. She knew exactly what was happening as we boarded the plane again and again (each time we said good bye to the place where we stopped and to all the workers, then we shouted "alllll right" as we took off). By the end of our 10 hour day, she was pooped, and when our plane landed in Toronto she said "all done"....my thoughts exactly Coral. 

I didn't have the best welcome home either. After an exhausting day of flying, I came home to a very dirty house. Not messy, Hodg tidied up before I got home, but dirty. Ya see, I have a problem with dog hair. A HUGE problem. Especially on my bed, and on the carpet. Hodg, its not so much of a problem with him. In fact I don't even think he notices the dog hair. So, I had a lot of cleaning to do when I got home, and while I was cleaning, I noticed our house had become infested with maggots. Yah...gross. I spent the whole next day bleaching our entire house. Normally when I clean, I never use cleaning products or chemicals. This time, chemicals were used, and a lot of em. Our house smelt like a swimming pool.

Just wait folks, my story doesn't end there.

So the maggots are now gone. My house is looking and feeling spotless.

Then a new bug decides to show up in the middle of the night.

The flu.

Only I caught it, thankfully. It only lasted through the night, and by yesterday afternoon I was starting to feel like my usual self, only a bit exhausted.

And now ya'll are up to date. 

Given the intensity of the last couple of days, we have decided to take it easy this weekend, and not travel to the farm or Port Rowan for Thanksgiving. We plan on having a nice relaxing weekend at home. Coral is so excited to be spending three whole days with her wonderful daddy. Don't worry Nana, you will still get a Thanksgiving craft from Coral (which we have been working on today)....stay tuned tomorrow to see what it is....