Great Wolf Good times

Yes, this will be my 3rd post about our Great Wolf adventures.

I can't help it....it's always a great time and we LOVE making Trinity happy.

Going up to Wisconsin Dells was a surprise to Trinity, and her reaction once we told her was worth the torture we endured by keeping it a secret!

After a couple hours of waterpark fun, we got dressed up and headed to downtown Dells to go to the Moosejaw restaurant. They accomodated my food allergies beautifully. I was assured that the baked potato, steamed broccoli, and in-house freshly made salsa would not touch another piece of food in the kitchen and would be allergen-free.

The waitress was very patient as I explained exactly what I needed and checked up on me regularly to make sure it was up to my standards. God Bless her!

Bed jumping? Us?! Of COURSE!
Gramma Donna joined in, too :)
She mastered this thing so well, eventually she didn't need to hang on, and could cross in about 5 seconds!
In the wave pool with Gramma Donna and Papa Bob. We even convinced them to ride the howlin' TORNADO, which is a toilet bowl shaped ride that is 4 stories high and will take your breath away both climbing the stairs and being "flushed" down! (click the orange tornado link. You'll see why the whole time on the ride, my mom was screaming "WHAT!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT?!")
The first day of the visit from our Colorado family. They came to Trinity's soccer game all geared up! Do they look related or what?
I love how statuesque I feel standing next to my sub-5 foot tall mom. She's convinced I'm taller than 5'3". I'm not. She's just not convinced she's only 4'10"!!

I admit, I have a bit of a waterpark hangover. It really takes a lot out of you dodging waves in the wave pool, hauling your tubes up 4 stories of stairs to ride the tornado which is over in about 12 seconds, and playing air hockey in the arcade ;)

We LOVE the Great Wolf and I'm sure will be back very soon.

Happy Friday

It's Friday already-again!

Now that I'm back to work, the weeks seem to fly by.

Trinity has another soccer game tomorrow! My MOM and stepdad are driving in from Colorado and should be at the game! She is gonna LOVE that. :)

Today I took a trip back to the Willy St. Co-op to get some hard to find (around here) goodies.

Generally I stick to fresh unprocessed stuff--about 80 % of the time, but I do make exceptions. As long as the processing is minimal and not drowning in sugar and preservatives, I'm not gonna deny myself :)

Today I got some more Larabars, a Cliff Z kid granola bar for Trinity, kale, an avocado, some protein powder (to add to my morning hot rice cereal), gluten free noodles, and tempeh.

Also, as soon as I get a decent food processor, I'm going to start making my own Lara-type bars.

I mean, why not, it's just nuts, fruit, and spices! No cooking, dehydrating, chilling, or freezing involved.

I had never had tempeh (fermented soybeans) before and actually really enjoyed it.

Thankfully I'm not allergic to or intolerant of soy-I love edamame, homemade soy yogurt, and now tempeh :)

My gratefulness is heightened by the fact that I've concluded, based on trial and error, that I'm also intolerant of corn. *sigh*

OOOOH-I almost forgot. I stopped at the hyuge St. Vinnies store next to the Willy St. Coop and got some super cute Wisconsin sweatpants. Go Badgers!

I'll feature those in another post along with all the other really great thrift store finds I've purchased in the past month.

Are you ready for some Futbol?!!

Yes, I spelled "Futbol" correctly....that's the spanish word for soccer :)

Today was Trinity's first soccer game ever and it went much better than we expected!

We were fully anticipating her to be the "meltdown" kid. You know, the one who runs off the field mid-play in frustration and/or embarrassment.

We were pleasantly surprised that she was NOT the meltdown kid (yes, there was one), but instead had a fabulous time playing!

Coaches are giving a pep talk after the "gear check." shinguards? check. cleats? check.
GO Trinity!!

Waiting mid-field to have it passed to her

She and Elijah were always rotated in at the same time and play really well off each other.

She's getting ready to steal it.

Getting ready to make the pass after it went out of bounds.

WHOA! brakes!

She is hysterical. Every time she'd kick the ball she would say "Hi-Yah!" as if she were karate chopping the ball. She's loud, too!

Again, she and Elijah working together. They're also in the same kindergarten class.

So, all in all, it was a great game and she had lots of fun. Which, of course is the most imortant part of playing :)

Justifying the Junk

Some people have asked why I've taken such a "sudden" interest in health,nutrition, a chemical-free, and frugal lifestyle.
It's not sudden really, it has been evolving gradually over the past 10 years or so to where I am now, and has COMPLETELY been a result of "following my gut." Total double entendre, considering all my (former) digestive problems, as well as questioning all the commercialized cleaning and beauty products we use day to day.
And....I've always been kinda frugal. It's my nature.

As far as food and beauty products, I used to be one of those "normal" people that didn't really give a second thought to the chemicals in the food I was consuming or in the products I was using on my body. It's how I grew up, what I was used to, and it was the "norm." I didn't really know any other way, and all those people that only ate organic food and used organic/natural products, I considered extremist weirdos. For shame, Heather, for shame! I know!!
For as long as I can remember, I was able to justify all the genetically engineered, pesticide laced, hormonally modified food I ate. I was also able to justify all the chemical infused toiletries and cleaning products I used to make myself and my surroundings "clean" and pretty.
How?
I thought, "Our bodies are able to handle all these chemicals, additives, preservatives, and pesticides....it's how they were made....sturdy enough with our superior immune systems to withstand all the onslaughts of the post Industrial Revolution era food and product industry." SERIOUSLY?
Where did I come up with such assinine, insane, RIDICULOUS justifications?! Of course we are NOT able to handle all that junk! Why do you think so many people suffer from various cancers and other ailments and diseases!?
The cells in our bodies are constantly regenerating, and with what are we fueling that regeneration? You are what you eat. Really, you are.
Because of all the research I did on nutrition and food allergies, I gained new insight into the food industry and how it affects our health and vitality. Scary stuff. Remember that movie with Lilly Tomlin, "The Incredible Shrinking Woman."? I haven't seen it since I was little, but what I do remember was that the doctors told her that because of all the modified food and chemically drenched products she had been using throughout her life, her cellular structure had changed, causing her to shrink.
All this research and revelation has led me to adopt a lifestyle of eating vegan, eating as little processed food as possible, eating organic as much as possible, and using as few chemicals in my toiletries and cleaning products.
I also think that having Trinity nearly 6 years ago has completely changed my outlook on health, longevity, and thriving in the world today. I want the best for her and the best starts with having a healthy body, mind, and relationship with God. I want her to serve God in every area of her life and do it with as much vigor and health as possible.
Being healthy and PREVENTING health issues in the first place, is a good place to start.We can focus more on spiritual things and serving God when we're not tending to sicknesses and ailments that drain our energy and vitality.
I'm a firm believer that what we eat affects EVERY aspect of our lives, incuding mental, emotional, and physical health. It affects not only the quality of our lives, but the quantity. I don't think everyone is destined to live to 100, and I know our bodies are finite and will eventually "wear out." But if you could thrive in your old age without fragility and senility starting at 75, wouldn't you want to?
An awesome article that summarizes the link between cancers and diet is HERE. It's an easy read and is very clear and concise.

Labor Day Fun-El Finale

The last stop on our Labor Day excursion was to the Willy St. Co-Op for some "Heather" food, as Bruce likes to call it.

Trinity had to tell Ellen that she liked her outfit. But was too shy to tell her by herself.
This crazy metal sculpture was actually on the way to the Co-op.
I was so hungry after shopping and had to try this chocolate coffee Larabar.
Oh my goodness. When they say chocolate coffee they mean COFFEE!! This thing had me wired for hours. Do NOT eat one of these late in the day if you want to sleep well!

This is my "booty" for the day. Not much, but it was fun getting it!
The big bag on the left is the egyptian red henna to dye my hair. It's a pound and should last me a very long time. Thanks Dad (he bought it for me).

I wanted to try some hemp milk since I've heard about all its wonderful health benefits.

And mmmmm...almond butter!

I got 3 more kinds of Lara bars-peanut butter cookie, pecan pie, and Cocoa Mole.

These bars rock since they are gluten/dairy/casein/egg free. They basically consist of nuts, dates, and spices. That's it!

Oh yeah, those little colored rectangles are soap samples. Patchouli,Chocolate mousse, and Primal Defense.

Thanks for coming on the labor day fun tour!

Labor Day Fun-Part Dos

After our adventures on State Street, we headed to the State Capitol. Who knew the Capitol building could be so fun?!

When you have a 5 year old who thinks the world is her playground, and a dad who is like-minded, everything becomes um..interesting!

To get a really good shot of the domed ceiling of the capitol, you need to get low-really low!

It's beautiful in person.
Me, taking a photo of Dad taking a photo

Me, copying Trinity's pose :)

Capitol Craziness!!

Labor Day Excursion-Part Uno

This is gonna be a 2 (maybe 3)part post, since there were nearly 200 pics to choose from as my dad, Trinity, and I headed to Madison to do a little bit o' shoppin'! Bruce was sleeping, due to the whole night shift thing now :)

I needed to go to my favorite State Street store, the Soap Opera, to get a henna to dye my hair. I realized that I've been using henna on and off for about 17 years now. Dang. That makes me feel old.

I don't know what I was photographing....but my dad was photographing me.

I'm spying on Trinity
Many of the shops were closed for the holiday. This one sure had some cute socks and purses though!

Yay! The Soap Opera! This place smells divine.

Headin' in.

These are all the buttons at the checkout counter next to the little drams of oil. They are to the right and of course I had to put on some vanilla.

Of course they had soap.

And more soap! My dad actually bought the blue bar with the skull and cross bones.

Trinity decided to join me in spying

Beet Hummus

I got the idea to make beet hummus after seeing it on a few different websites. It's so purty, isn't it?! It's quite tasty, too!