Where is Home?

Where is home? What do you consider home? Is it where you currently live?  For some reason these questions keep coming up for me lately, maybe it's because I'm emotional with having two new babies, or maybe it's that my oldest "baby" is headed to kindergarten next fall. Whatever it is I have done a lot of thinking about "home" lately, and for me, it will always be a combination of places.

 

I moved from Bloomington, the town I grew up in, to Indianapolis in 2004. I needed to get out of that town and spread my wings, had to see what else might be out there.  I wanted to leave but I didn't want to go far, I mean this girl needed to be able to see her dad & sister within a short drive.  Looking back I believe part of me wanted to leave because so much of it reminded me of my mom, who I had lost a few years prior.  It was almost torture to be there and not have her with me.

 

I have been in Indianapolis going on 10 years now, Adam and I bought our home almost 8 years ago.  I can honestly say that I love our house and we have made it a home. It feels comfortable and cozy, things that I feel are a must in a home.  We have family and friends who visit and say they just want to curl up with a blanket and go to sleep, to me this means I have done my job of creating a warm, welcoming house.  A place people feel comfortable enough to kick off their shoes, grab a blanket and make them selves at home.  This is 'home"!

 

But, is your house all that matters in feeling at "home", or are there other factors?

 

On a recent trip to Bloomington Madelyn asked me "mom, why does it take so long to get to Papaw & Grandma and Aunt Saddie's house"?  I explained the obvious, that they live in a different town and that it takes 90 minutes to get there.  That wasn't good enough and here is how the conversation went:

 

Maddy: NOOOO mom, why do they live in a different town then us?

Me: Well, mommy grew up in Bloomington where they live but when I got older, MUCH older then you, I decided to move to Indianapolis.

Maddy: Why?

Me:  Because I wanted a change and your daddy and I decided to get married so we bought a house and stayed in Indianapolis.

Maddy: So it's your fault!

Me: I guess so.

 

And there you have it folks, my four year old called me out! Yes, I guess it kind of is my fault that we live in Indianapolis. As we drove on and began to enter Monroe county on Highway 37 I got my usual sense of calm.  I can't explain it but it's almost like a sigh of relief my body does, as if to say "welcome home".  This time though I noticed how Maddy began commenting on our surroundings, she was pointing out the hills, the big rocks, and pretty trees that made up the landscape.  She can feel it to, there truly is something special about this town.  This is "home"!Some of you know that my family owns a bed & breakfast in Bloomington, if you haven't stayed, you should!   I lived in the original part of the house when I was a little girl, until I was 5 years old. I then returned to the house as an 18 year old and lived in the upstairs, it was my apartment. It was my great grandmother's house, I absolutely adored her.  I spent many days there with her after my family moved into our new house next door. I would play dress up in her shoes, hats, scarves and jewelry.  She was always on board to let me do her hair and make-up.  I can specifically remember standing in the kitchen drinking our "black cows" next to the heater so we would stay warm. I also remember exactly how she and the house smelled. We still have many family gatherings in that house even though it's a B&B now, to me it just feels "right".  This is "home"!

 

I'm not sure where I am going with this other then it recently occurred to me that "home" isn't exactly one particular place for me.  Home for me is a combination of places but the one common denominator...FAMILY!   I suppose the saying "home is where your heart is" rings true for me, because my heart is where my family is.

 

 

Bottles Galore

This is my life these days...I wonder how many hours of the day I have a bottle in my hand. It would be interesting to know, right? Between preparing, feeding and washing, it probably feels like more time then it actually is.

It wouldn't matter if it was 24 hours a day, I wouldn't trade these two for anything!!!

Fall Field Trips

We are two field trips in already this year, and when I say "we" I am talking Maddy, Carter, Colten and myself. I am THAT mom, paranoid to let her 4 year old go on a field trip without her. Even if it means I have to take my 3 month old twins with me! It's okay, I warned the teacher I would be absolutely NO help to her. 

Our first trip was to Pleasant View Andersons Orchard for some apple picking, cider tasting and of course play time.  Maddy was excited about her bag of apples she got to pick. I think the girl actually went into the tree to pick apples, she had nasty, molded apple reminants in her hair when we got home.

This week we headed to the pumpkin patch at S & H Campground. It was a great place, tons of jump houses, playground, hay rides, corn maze, miniature golf and train rides. I had to skip the hay ride, not sure Carter and Colten were up for tractor rides quite yet. 

Maddy picked a cute little pumpkin all on her own! It was a bit muddy, it had rained the night before. It was impossible to keep the kids off of the slides and bounce houses, they were all a bit wet and muddy by the end of the trip.  

Maddy thoroughly enjoyed herself and was falling asleep before I got the car out of the campground. 

Two field trips down! Wonder how many more I will go on over the years with these kiddos?!?!

Boobs...overrated right?!?!

Well, I guess it's a matter of opinion, and frankly probably depends on whether you're male or female in most cases.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, many of you know that I lost my mom almost 13 years ago to the horrible disease.  I in no way intend for this to be a depressing blog post but I want to bring awareness, especially since my friends and myself included are at the age where breast cancer becomes real.  My mom was only 39 years old when she was first diagnosed, within 2 years she had undergone chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, remission, more surgery, more treatment and ultimately death, at only 41 years old. I am fast approaching these same ages, 39 is only 6 1/2 years away, 41 is only 8 1/2 years away.  Reality is settling in... I have to do something about it!! 

                Me with my mom 1999

 

I find the numbers to be startling when you look at how many people will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer this year in the US alone. The estimate is 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 64,640 new cases of situ breast cancer. Unfortunately it also shows an estimate of 39,620 breast cancer deaths. We absolutely have to be proactive and do our self checks as well as get mammograms.  Since 2005, the incidence of breast cancer has remained stable. While this is good news I would really love to see the word decline instead of stable.

 

So what am I going to do about it?  Well, my sister and I have had this conversation numerous times. I have decided to meet with a Genetics Counselor and get tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. I have delayed doing so because I didn't want the results to impact my decision to have kids. Selfish, maybe? And FEAR!!!  I won't lie, I am terrified.  I guess the unknown has been kind of comforting in a way. I am going to conquer this fear, because every time I feel a twinge or pain I can't let my mind take over. What if it's BREAST CANCER?   It's the first step, once I have the results then I can make a more educated decision on what step 2 is. One thing I do know for sure,  I'm not ready to leave my babies and husband any time soon.  I will do what makes the most sense for our family.

 

What would you do if you tested positive for the BRCA gene? I want to share one story with you.  I grew up with Lindsey and her sisters in Bloomington, we went to the same church and attended youth group together.  I find her story to be so inspiring and in part more reason I have decided to meet with a Genetics Counselor. Lindsey did the genetics testing along with her sisters and after testing positive with the BRCA2 gene decided to have a prophylactic double mastectomy.  Lindsey is strong, courageous and brave!!!   Please go read her story and keep her in your prayers as she is in her recovery stage now. Lindsey, thank you for giving me the extra push I needed. Reading your story helped me realize I need to stop avoiding it and make the decision to get tested, we cannot let fear win!

Click here to read Lindsey's Story

 

 

I urge all the women in my life to do your self examinations and get mammograms regularly, I don't want to lose any one else in my life to this disease. My mom was enough!!!

 

 

Source: Susan G Komen

My New Aldi Obsession

When Adam and I decided I wouldn't be returning to work full time I new I needed to find a few ways to cut down on some of our costs.  I began reading a book called "Miserly Moms, Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy" by Jonni McCoy.  She had some great tips, one of which I knew would be huge for our family and that was cutting down on our food cost.

I started clipping coupons but I quickly realized I was horrible at actually remembering to use them and often times the store brand was still cheaper even after you use a coupon on a name brand.  I reduced our cost a little but still felt like I could do better.  During a specific week I had the store Aldi come up in two different conversations, I had never shopped there and honestly thought it was probably low quality food.  I am not willing to compromise taste for my family.  After a little research online I decided to give Aldi a try and...I'm hooked!!

First let me tell you a little about Aldi and what makes it different from other grocery stores. It's small and compact, this I like because I don't have to walk 2 miles from one side of the store to the other. Not that I don't need the exercise but it's more of a time thing.  Aldi originated in Germany and the founder also started the Trader Joe's grocery chain.  They offer a Double Guarantee on their products, this means they will not only replace something they also refund your money.  Aldi is able to keep costs low a few ways but here are a few you will notice while shopping.  You need a quarter to get your shopping cart, this cuts down on staff costs because they don't have to worry about collecting carts throughout the day. Every one takes their cart back to get your quarter back!  They don't have shelves, the products are stacked on pallets. You bag your own groceries, they have bags but you have to buy them.  I love this because I use my own reusable bags and feel like it's another way my family can help the environment and lessen our footprint.  The store hours are fewer then most premium grocery stores, they only stay open during the "busy" shopping hours.  The staff that check you out are also the staff stocking your shelves.  I noticed after a few trips that Aldi cashiers are way faster then cashiers in other stores, I found out that they place bar codes in numerous spots on their products, this makes for a faster check out process.

Once I decided to give Aldi a try I was a bit hesitant, I only bought a few things.  I did notice that their produce was so much cheaper, and it looked good too.  I bought some avocados and pineapple, both of which I returned a few days later and bought more of.  They were great!!  I have been shopping at Aldi for a few months now and I am totally hooked, I am actually mad at myself for not shopping here earlier.  I have bought everything from chips to goat cheese to pumpkin spice creamer. Some items have been even better then the premium, name brand product.  The only item we have purchased and not cared for thus far has been their shells and cheese, and honestly, I don't need to be buying that any way.  I haven't bought much meat, not because it doesn't look good but because I don't find the prices to be cheaper.  We tend to buy our meat more in bulk and freeze it.

So here are a few of our favorites to buy at Aldi:
Ritz Crackers
Shredded Cheese
Coffee Creamers
Spices and all baking products
Hummus
Tortillas
Produce, Produce, Produce (it's always limited to what's in season)
Bacon
String Cheese
Mini Muffins
Eggs
Sangria
Tortilla Chips
Yogurt tubes
Toilet Paper (it's seriously good)
Crescent Rolls
Goat Cheese
Rice
Pasta
Pastries/ Bagels



They have great seasonal products like Sangria, Pumpkin Cream Cheese (it's to die for good), these awesome Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels you bake yourself and much more.

So far I am impressed and continue to be amazed at how much I get for what I spend.  So I urge you to give Aldi a try.  If you need a shopping buddy for your first trip email me, I am always looking for a reason to go!!!