Erin Goes Green

Alright- New obsession.

And if it's my new obsession, it's about to get real for the Hammer Mayer clan.  Zero Waste Home is where this all began, and I'll keep you updated on our progress!

 THIS. This is going to be in our house soon. I've been given the ok to order it (after much discussion, several promises, and a tad bit of begging I'm not even remotely embarrassed about) from my partner.  Here's the deal, folks. I have always, and I mean always wanted to compost. I have no idea why- but I'm so stinkin' excited about trying it.
(please don't be like the juicer, please don't be like the juicer...)

These awesome jars came in the mail yesterday. Huge box and lots of packaging, but I have plans for that- Lily and I are going to build something with the box and use it for art projects.

I went shopping today with one jar and took a look around the store from a different perspective. I was checking out the bulk foods section, the bulk seasonings section, the produce, organic, olive bar and salad bar primarily.  I wanted to get a feel for the types of foods available so I can plan some meals.
I also wanted to gauge how many jars and bags I'll need to bring home different items.

Since I'm also on a mission to rid our house of BPA plastics and chemicals, I have been paying much more attention to packaging, as well.

I'm at the very beginning of this journey- but have made one switch in Lily's breakfasts I'm pretty proud of; She loves pre-packaged oatmeal- and I haven't minded giving it to her much because I think it helps keep her regular and because we've had some issues with number 2's over the past year.

Instead of her pre-packaged sweetness, I've been making her:

• Raw Oats
• Sugar in the Raw
• Cinnamon
• Hemp Seed
• A few chocolate chips (to keep her interested)
• Almond Milk

She's happy and I'm happy. I'm sure I'll find ways to make these little recipes even healthier, but for a beginner, I'm  not disappointed.

Ok- that's it for now.
Tonight I'm going to make some whipped body lotion.
Pretty excited.

Zero.

Pretty sure I bought this ebook: 

 

And now I want this: 

Composter from Envirogadget.com

Things are changing in the Mayer Hammer household... Resistance is futile!

(update)

I just ordered these:

 

 and got some mustard seeds- I don't even like mustard, but Steve does. I'm going to make him a delicious gourmet blend.

VNS and Rainy Days

I took Rowan to the Gillette Children's hospital last week so he could have his Vagal Nerve Stimulator implanted.
I was super hesitant about it- and honestly still am. I don't believe he needed it this soon, but it's done now. The whole thing just reminds me that I'm his advocate, and that I need to make sure I'm 100% comfortable with his care and the decisions that go along with it.
Everything has gone really well so far, though, and he is healing well and chattering all day and night.

Rowan and I drove up last Tuesday afternoon and stayed with Aunties Tessa and Ashleigh. That was fun for both of us. We got to hang out and eat tacos and have some ice cream

Tessa and I left early the next morning for the hospital. I got to go in with Rowan while they were prepping him for surgery and got to be with him when they put him under.

Here he is just out of surgery and in post-op.


And here's Row on some morphine:

While at the hospital, I got to meet with their Keto team. I'm so so excited to get back on track with his diet and the monitoring of that aspect of his care. It hasn't been well managed and I plan to make sure we don't slip through the cracks again.
I think some changes are in order regarding his care- but I'll need to be a tad patient and pragmatic. The right answers will come.


Rowan didn't like all of the wires and monitors and the laying around, but he did like his new weapon:)






Now for Lily:
We've spent some great days together lately. Girls' days!
Girls rule and boys drool; that's our motto...

We love to bake, we build habitats, she does science experiments, and she wrote a book at school.


On Saturday we had a special girls' day together. We decided to go outside in the morning to splash in puddles since it was raining.

 

Turns out it was freezing cold- so we went inside and had some cocoa:)