I have an announcement to make!

No silly, not that kind of announcement!


Trey slept ALL NIGHT for the first time EVER last night! From 9 pm to 7 am! He's been a pretty bad sleeper, we suspect he's got a mild form of sleep apnea. I've tried to night wean him but even if I don't let him nurse during the night, he still wakes up wanting to nurse, (anywhere from 0-5 times!) and I usually let him nurse if he wakes up after 4 am. The last 2 weeks, I've made him sleep in his room in the crib instead of in his toddler bed beside ours (or in ours sometimes), until he wakes (4-5am) to nurse and then I bring him to bed with us so I can sleep some more. I don't sleep well co-sleeping, but with Trey I haven't had a choice if I wanted any sleep at all. He hasn't been too thrilled with the crib, but it's getting better!
Maybe there IS a light at the end of this tunnel!

Thank You Pioneer Woman!

Thanks Lisa for convincing me to check out The Pioneer Woman's recipe selection... WOW!!!!
I saw the Penne a la Betsy and thought it looked good, so I decided to give it a try last night. WOW! It was SO good!!! From the mouth of Pioneer Woman,
"If you love shrimp and pasta, you’ve finally come home. If you don’t…you’ve finally come home."

How could I forget!

I forgot it on the last post so I'll just make a new one! The most common misuse of car seats is just simply It's not tight enough! If you car seat moves more than 1" at the belt path, it's too loose. Try putting weight (I put my knee into the car seat) in the car seat while you are tightening the seat belt / LATCH strap. This will compress the seat and help you get a tighter fit.
Here are some great car seat installation video's!

National Child Passenger Safety Week

I decided I'd better get a move on updating my blog, or people will be starting rumors about me!

I'm a few days behind with this but wanted to share anyway!

Last week was Child Passenger Safety Week. On Saturday, I went to Gering to help with a big Car Seat Check event. We checked over 90 Child Restraints, as far as I know, none were correct.

Motor Vehicle Injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. (CDC 2006)

"If a disease were killing our children at the rate unintentional injuries are, the public would be outraged and demand that this killer be stopped." - C. Everett Koop, M.D., Sc.D., Former US Surgeon General

Did you know 4 out of 5 kids are unsafe in the car? Is your child one of them?

Common Misuse:

Forward Facing too Soon...

1 year AND 20 lbs is the bare minimum.Both criteria must be met. Consider extended rear-facing (see the 15 minute challenge below)

Rear Facing Crash Test Video

Forward Facing Crash Test Video

Harness too loose...

Should pass the "pinch test". If you can pinch a horizontal fold in the harness just below the shoulder, it's too loose.

Chest clip too low...

Should be at armpit level.

Using an Infant insert, snuzzler, bunting or blanket that goes behind the baby...

Reduces safety and voids the car seat warranty. Use only accessories that came with the car seat. Blankets that go over the car seat are fine.

Wearing thick or puffy coats in the car seat...

Reduces safety because they compress in a crash. Use a thinner fleece jacket or blankets in the car.

Child has outgrown the car seat by height or weight or both...

Replace seat immediately.

Seat is outgrown by height Rear-Facing when there is 1" or less of shell above head. (unless user manual states otherwise) Forward-Facing when tops of ears are even with top of shell OR shoulders are above top usable harness slots. (see below.)

Using wrong harness slots for your child...

Rear-Facing should be at or below shoulders.

Forward-Facing should be at or above shoulders. If this is not possible, then the child has outgrown the seat.

LATCH used in the center seating position...

Most vehicles don't allow this. Check your car user manual. If it's not explicitly stated as a valid configuration, then it's not allowed.

Both LATCH and Seat-belt are used together...

Choose one. They should never be used together. (Glasses are good and Contacts are good but you never wear them together!)

LATCH used beyond the LATCH weight limit...

Usually 40 or 48 pounds. Check your vehicle manual and car seat manual for the limits and use the lower of the two. Install with seat-belt once limit is reached.

Buying a used car seat...

Not recommended. Check accident history, recalls and expiration date.

Using an Expired Car Seat...

Replace seat immediately. Most seats expire 6 years from manufacture date. The car seat shell usually has a sticker with either expiration date or manufacture date. Also refer to the car seat manual.

Using a car seat that was in the vehicle during a collision...

Most car seats need replaced after a crash. Call the car seat manufacture and check the car seat manual to find out if the seat needs replaced. Auto insurance usually covers the cost of a replacement seat.

Top Tether not used...

Rear-Facing: currently only a few manufactures allow top tether use.

Forward Facing: Top Tether must be used if LATCH is used. Also recommended for seat belt installation. Check both car seat and vehicle manual for appropriate use and limits.

Moving to a Booster Seat too soon...

4 years and 40 pounds is the bare minimum.There are car seats with a 5 point harness that go to 65 or more pounds.

Check out this 5pt harness vs booster seat crash test.

Moving OUT of a booster (to adult seat belt) too soon...

Most states require booster seats to be used AT LEAST until the child is 6 years old, and most states are now 8 years old. Booster seats should be used until the child passes the 5 step test.

Do you feel lost when trying to pick out the "best" or "safest" car seat for your child? You're not alone! Here's a great list of Recommended Car Seats.

Extended Rear Facing: Take the 15 Minute Challenge!

Forward Facing is not a milestone - It's a step down in safety. Challenge yourself to take 15 minuets to do an internet search on "Extended Rear-Facing".

See why they AAP and Child Passenger Safety Organizations recommend rear-facing for as long as possible - beyond the minimum of 1 year and 20 pounds.

Current research shows that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing. In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

Life Saving Stats and Interesting Facts:

*Motor Vehicle Crashes are the # 1 killer of Children age 14 and younger in the US.

*The impact created from a head-on collision at 20mph is equal to jumping head-first off a four story building.

*During the month of March 2008, 19 persons were killed in traffic crashes on Nebraska roadways.

*These 19 fatalities occurred in 18 crashes.

*Fourteen of the 18 vehicle occupants killed were not using safety restraints.

*Three fatalities occurred on the Interstate, eleven happened on non-Interstate highways, and five took place on local roads.

*Seventeen of the fatalities occurred in rural locations.

*Nine of the fatalities occurred in rollover crashes.

*Three of the fatalities occurred during inclement weather.

*One of the fatalities was a motorcyclist.

Every Crash consist of 3 Collisions.

1. Vehicle Collision. (vehicle into object)

2. Human Collision. (occupant into restraint, or unrestrained occupant into window or other object in the path of motion.)

3. Internal Collision. (internal organs move toward the point of impact and hit either organs, bones and the skull. Even though the body may appear uninjured, the liver, spleen, heart or other organs may be torn, bruised and/or caused to bleed.)

Weight X Speed = Restraining Force!

Consider this: A car going 30 mph would hit a tree with the same force as hitting the ground after falling off a 40 foot cliff.

10lb infant x30mph = 300 lbs of force! (sorry, you're NOT going to be able to keep a hold on to that baby!)

Happy birthday Shay!

Happy 14th Birthday today to my little sister Meshayla!

12 Weeks to Better Photography!

I will be hosting a "12 weeks to better photos" course (written by Mark & Joanna Bolick) on our scrapbook blog! Anyone is welcome to join me! If you want to follow along with this course, email the admin on the scrapbook blog and she'll get you access!

We will never forget

I still remember sitting at work that morning and hearing on the radio that a plane had hit one of the twin towers. At that time they were assuming it was a small commuter plane and it had nothing to do with a terrorist attack. We sat there, ears glued to the radio for more news, and wishing we weren't being interrupted by costumers! (I was working at a bank drive up at the time) It was a very strange feeling as the details came out, realizing our country was not as safe as we had though, and seeing just how vulnerable we were!
Today, it's good to remember that even if we don't understand it, God is in control. May we never forget that!

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I’m proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

600 miles and 4 tires later

So after all the stress and business of wedding planning all summer long, I decided it would be nice to wind down my summer with a convention! The kids and I took off Wednesday morning, an hour later than I had hoped, but still in good time. I needed to stop in Kearney and decided I might as well just travel the last 80 or so miles with Mom & Dad and the kids.

Since we are just going to make it in time for the evening meeting, we stop at the Wendy's drive thru and head down the road with our jr. bacon cheeseburgers.
I suppose we got about 25 miles down the road when I called Mom to see how fast they were driving, so I wouldn't "fall behind". Since 2 cars had just passed me going at least 85, I decided I would speed up a bit to make up a little time. (I rarely speed - just ask my family!) So here I was, speeding AND talking on my cell. (hands free - in my defense!) Then the front drivers tire blew. It was loud enough that even mom (on the other end of the cell)
heard it! I've never had a tire blow while I was driving, so I always wondered (and worried) what it would be like. You hear horror stories about people loosing control because of a tire blowing and that was one of my fears. Thankfully, it was nothing of the sort! I got pulled over pretty quick and Dad turned around (yes, illegally) to come back and help me. It's not much fun to have to unload the trunk of your car that you (ok, your husband) so carefully loaded, on the side of the interstate! I also learned there's not much to entertain a restless 18 month old boy on the side of the interstate either!
I called Ryan (my brother) and asked him to switch me cars so he could take mine to have new front tires put on it, and then bring it to convention on Friday.

So that all worked out great. Really hadn't planned on getting new tires of the car this soon, but oh well.
Now here I am today. (Monday) I stayed in Kearney Sunday night because I wasn't up to driving 300 miles home at 5 in the evening with 2 convention weary children. I slept in this morning and took my time, had lunch with Mom & Dad and then headed home.
Imagine my irritation when just a smidgen past the Ogallala exit, I realize I blew ANOTHER tire! Now really, in the average life span, how many tires does the average person loose?! I think I've exceeded my average.
After determining that there was no one at home who could come to my rescue, and deciding the prospect of ME changing the tire on the side of the interstate in a knee length denim skirt, with a car full of luggage and 2 children in tow wasn't a pretty picture, I drove in reverse (also illegal) back to the exit ramp and headed to the nearest gas station. 2 grubby guys in an old pick up truck came to my rescue and changed the tire for me. I was very thankful, and gave them the rest of my gas money. (sorry hon, you'll have to fill the car tomorrow!)
Off I drove, on the donut, and found a tire store on the way out of town. 2 more tires coming right up! Thankfully, I made it the last 70 miles home incident free!
It was a wonderful convention, by the way!

Congratulations to the happy couple!

I just wanted to say Congratulations to Jeanne & Floyd!
It was a beautiful wedding/day. So glad you found eachother!