Sir Poop Alot

Its been an interesting Memorial Day Weekend here at Casa Walker-Godfrey.
Noah has been feeling a little less than stellar. After 3 days of constant pooping I contacted his doctor. I was figuring she would say he probably had a stomach bug or maybe he ate one of the foods he is allergic to (milk, soy, or apples) and was reaping the unfortunate side effects. I was quite shocked when she told me she was ordering a stat X-ray of his cute little belly because she feared what he was really suffering from was a bowel obstruction. Seriously?!
I called in the troops (my BFF Becky) and she escorted Sir Poop Alot and I to American Radiology where she helped me hold him down while the techs took an X-ray and then tried to soothe him with an extra special Dora sticker afterwards.
An hour later we were safely back home and the doctor called me to confirm the diagnosis of a bowel obstruction. She told me that they grade a bowel obstruction on a scale of 1 to 4 and Noah was a solid 3...I wondered if that was a pun but decided not to ask (even though I was cracking up on the inside!). The treatment plan was to give Noah triple the adult's dose of a wonderful drug called Miralax. Thankfully I already had this product in my home since I have had to give it to Sam for years to keep him from getting constipated. So, yesterday afternoon I gave him his first capful in a sippy cup of juice and all I can say is the floodgates were opened, at least partially. His doc said it would take a good 2 to 3 days for everything to work its way through (she means OUT, and not gently either!) and then after that we will have to figure out what amount of Miralax on a daily basis will keep this from happening again. And again. And again.
So, it should prove to be an interesting week. If you think of it, please take a moment to say a little prayer for Noah and for his recovery.

Pass It On Baby!

I am an avid reader of MckMama at My Charming Kids and so when she put a new buttons on her blog for Pass It On Baby I knew it was something I had to check out. At first I thought it was going to be an advertisement for a new line of children's clothing that was totally adorable and equally totally unaffordable. Imagine my surprise and elation when I realized it was actually a ministry wanting to help families locate clothing they need or get rid of clothing they no longer use. Yet I I kept looking for a catch (oh me of little questioning faith!)....surely they will want you to pay the shipping or pay a yearly fee for the list of people who have clothing you need...but no, this is a true ministry of kindness and encouragement in a time when the world is short on anything associated with those 2 words.

The premise is so simple. How many of us have bags and boxes at home full of clothing we don't need? The fact is someone out there DOES need them....badly! Pass It On Baby is currently focusing on children's clothing and women's clothing, especially maternity clothing. If you have a need to unload your bounty of clothing or your current need is to bring in a bounty all you have to do is email either Elizabeth at grzelaks@columbus.rr.com or Heather at norton913@mac.com and let them know. They take is from there and put the word out on their blog. They act as a third party ambassador of hope for families in need. Especially families like mine.

I contacted Pass It On Baby requesting their help in locating shirts for Sam. Those of you who know Sam know that he chews constantly on his shirts. It doesn't matter what kind of shirt it is he is drawn to the neckline like a moth to a flame. Currently Sam has approximately 18-20 shirts. 90% of which look like this
and this...Not so pretty huh? Typically I pack Sam 5 extra shirts each day of school so as he soaks one they can put another on him. When he arrives home I find the shirts in a plastic grocery sack where they are promptly added to the laundry pile. At home Sam typically goes shirt-free or as one of my good friends said 'clothing is optional' which is very true, but only in Sam's case and only for shirts. I typically do laundry 2 to 3 times a week at the laundry room adjacent to my apartment building. This is both time consuming and expensive. The only perk is that I can do 3 loads of laundry at one time. Buying new shirts is equally expensive. Even when I can find them on sale at Target for $4.00 each that adds up really fast given how fast he chews the front off of them. Most shirts can last anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months depending on the type of material they are made of.

Sam's love of shirt chewing also effects Noah in that none of Sam's shirts can become hand-me-downs for him to wear in the future given their disrepair. For this frugal mom that is not a good thing.

So, I wrote to Pass It On Baby telling them of my need for more shirts for Sam in a boys size 5-7 which is anywhere from a XS to a S. I also included in my email that I have a bag of women's size L and XL clothing I would be more than happy to donate as needed and Noah's clothing is also up for grabs as he outgrows his current 4T size. I am praying that I will receive so many shirts that I will have to stockpile them in bins in his closet, my closet, and Noah's closet. That is approximately how many I would need at the rate my little piranha is chewing.

If you have a surplus of clothing you would like to donate to a needy family or if you or someone you know has a need please be sure to check out Pass It On Baby and send an email to Elizabeth or Heather.

Noah's New Friend

Meet Noah's new best friend. He is a Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears' or for those of us not familiar with Latin.... Lamb's Ear. He is a perennial and is currently living in a large pot on our patio. However, the day I brought him home and replanted him Noah was immediately drawn to him. You may remember Noah's fascination and love of the Poinsettia tree I rescued at Christmastime. Well, this is another case of love at first site. I am speculating the real allure for Noah are the velvety soft furry leaves. He immediately began talking to the plant. He kept calling him a 'tree' but I don't think his new friend minded in the least. Every night we take a glass of water out to 'Lucky' as he was named by my friend Tara's son. I rather think it is a fitting name. He is a lucky plant who was chosen for a very special little boy.
Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Noah and Lucky.

Martha Stewart eat your heart out!

Want to try a really cool science experiment that is economical, fast, and totally cool to boot?

Here is what you will need:
1 aluminum pan or aluminum foil lining the bottom of any pan you have (I like to use the disposable aluminum pans you buy at the grocery store)
1 cup of baking soda
1 kettle of boiling hot water (not merely warm, but super duper monster hot!)
Every piece of sterling silver you own that is in need of a good cleaning. (On top of your list should be every piece of tarnished sterling silver jewelry you own, as well as any sterling silverware, tea sets, etc.)

Here we go:
Place your sterling silver items in the pan and sprinkle well with the baking soda. Bring the water in your kettle to a good rolling boil and then pour it into the aluminum pan. ALAKAZAM! Right before your eyes the sterling silver items will instantly turn to their original shiny sterling color. The first time I did this I made a mad dash through my jewelry box looking for every spare piece of sterling jewelry I could find. It was like magic, I would drop them in the water and within a second they would be totally untarnished.
The last step is to rinse each piece under water and then dry very well with a soft cloth.

I don't understand the science behind the chemical reaction that takes place between the aluminum and the baking soda but I found a great site that explains all that right here.... Frankly, I don't care how it works I just love that it does work and I cleaned all my jewelry in under 10 seconds! That is too cool....Martha would be proud!