Kate at the Dr.

In real life, though, why does it seem that it is the parents who are doing the proactive diagnosing? It is also the parent that is often looked at and treated like they are incompetent of understanding human diseases and disorders. After all, did we graduate from medical school?

I guess you need a degree to diagnose, rather than simply using common sense.

Because of Kate, we are seeing regularly:
- Pediatrician
- Gastroenterologist
- Allergist
- Nutritionalist
- Geneticist
- Endocrinologist

And all these visits later, thousands of dollars spent in tests, procedures, and visits, and do you know what we’re told? “We just have to wait.”

Yes, you got that right. We just have to wait. It was the doctors that put the pressure on us that something was wrong and subjected Kate to punctures and prodding, and for what? To wait?

Also, every time I discuss FPIES with the doctors they are very insistent that because FPIES is so “rare” that they doubt that she has FPIES. They also seem to think that they can TEST for FPIES. Any FPIES family knows that there is no test for FPIES. The diagnosis is symptom based. Doctors are so insistent on finding answers through blood work and tests, that they refuse to look outside the box and simply ask the patient questions and listen.

My daughter has FPIES. There is no “if”, “ands” or “buts”. I know this, as does my husband. FPIES is not as rare as doctors are lead to believe and they really need to step up and put more research and education into the subject, themselves, before speaking and acting like they understand FPIES. It is apparent, through multiple visits, that they all seriously lack in FPIES education and understanding.

If I hadn’t done my own knowledge and research, I would have been bullied into giving my growth-stunted daughter cow’s milk formula. Knowing that cow’s milk is on the high list for FPIES failures, I knew that was not even an option for our family. They would have given me a prescription for an expensive elemental formula that still doesn’t guarantee safety from FPIES reactions. Plus, it’s damn expensive.

I listened to myself, and my own gut. I continued to 100% breastfeed my food allergic, non-growing daughter, feeling confidant in myself, and my supply that it was best for my daughter. The doctors wanted to blame breastfeeding on her failure to thrive but I knew differently. I knew it was something else.

And, you know what? It was not my breast milk at ALL.

My gut — a mixture of FPIES, genetics (short stature) and some issue with growth hormone. I knew this from the very start. Instead of listening to me, they suck me for every penny I have in order to end up at this same very diagnosis, with the final say, “We’ll just need to wait as she is too young to do anything with her growth hormone. Plus you’re short, your older daughter is short. It is possible that its partially genetic and her growth hormone messenger will turn on, on its own.”

Are you fucking kidding me? Seriously? No wonder doctors are rich. I know there are good doctors out there, but why am I so hard pressed to find any? Why must I diagnose my child myself, and then be treated like I am an idiot? Why are we paying doctors so much to sit back and take all the credit?

RAWR!!!!!!

Officially, there is something dysfunctional currently about the wiring in Kate’s body that sends signals from the growth hormone to the rest of the body. While it can suddenly just turn on, we’re not sure when. As currently has the “body” of a 12 month old (at 1.5 years) and looks very much like a baby, rather than a toddler, she has plenty of time to catch up physically. But the endocrinologist says that we shouldn’t and/or can’t start any sort of growth hormone therapy until she is older (2 or 3).

Until then we are recommended to introduce a lot of protein rich, high calorie foods into her diet to help trick the body into working properly. Granted this is difficult because she has FPIES, which is a Food Protein Intolerance. So I can’t just give her a bunch of high calorie, high protein foods and expect it to go smoothly. They can’t understand what the problem is, in just introducing foods.

How about, “It’s fucking scary if they fail a food..” They don’t quite get it.

We’re doing the best we can, and are growing more and more confidant with introducing foods at this point in time but it is still nerve wrecking. And any FPIES parent knows, that a single food trial can take weeks, or months, depending. Although Kate has recently passed quinoa, she is not a huge fan (although she loves the La Yapa Quinoa Puffs okay) so we are looking into other foods. Coconut is on our trial list this weekend to add into her foods. Thankfully with the Baby Brezza, adding and hiding the coconut oil will be a breeze. Plus the coconut oil opens up to that high calorie, good fats, that we need to help “turn on” Kate’s wiring.

But will the tests stop? They want her to get more blood work done every few months. The pressure to stop breastfeeding my child will more than likely not diminish but continue to increase as she grows older and past the normal weaning age of American children. (I’ll breastfeed my child until she’s grown up, if I have to, and if that means she is getting nutrition!) Look at me like I am a nut, if you want — but I prefer to see myself as a parent who is doing what I can to keep my child healthy. Breastfeeding was the best decision I have made for my child, thus far, and am glad that regardless of her health issues, that she is still getting nature’s most perfect food.

If you’re a parent of a child who is sick, I can sympathize with you. I know what its like to know something is wrong and people just do not understand. People do not understand the importance (and the horror) of a little teeny tiny crumb or the miraculous thrill of passing a safe food on such a tiny menu. People don’t understand how their thoughtless comments can hurt without intent, “She is so tiny!” But I do. I know what its like to go from doctor to doctor, specialist to specialist and walk out feeling financially and emotionally taken advantage of (and with no real answers to boot.)

Although my degree is just in education, and my experience of a mother is less than 4 years — the answer is simple. When my child is sick, who can I trust? A parent’s instinct; specifically my own and my husband’s. We know our child. We know when something isn’t right and we can take common sense and research and figure it out ourselves. It’s just a shame that we need a medical degree to be taken seriously.

The health system in America truly sucks.

Coffee Tree

I have been waiting for January for a while, now. Two exciting things with Scentsy are happening this month: Bring Back My Bar promotion and the Double Hostess Rewards!

Bring Back My Bar

I just joined Scentsy, so forgive me if I am wrong when I say this — but every six months (or a year) Scentsy allows costumers to vote on their favorite past scents that have been discontinued. The top few scents are then brought back for a short period of time, aka. “Bring Back My Bar”. The top voted scents that have made it back to us this January are:

So if you had to choose just 3 bars, which one would you choose?

Double Hostess Rewards

When you host a Scentsy Party in January, you are eligible for double hostess rewards! Instead of earning just 1 half-off item, you can earn 2. Instead of 2, you’ll earn 4. Instead of 4, you’ll earn 8!

Check out [this page] for normal host rewards and just remember, the half-off items double! Hosting a party is INCREDIBLY easy, as you can host one from the comfort of your own computer chair. I am eligible to sell Scentsy to the United States customers and customers in Canada, so hosting a party is eligible to only those countries at this time.

If you are interested in hosting a Scentsy party and earning a TON of free stuff and amazing discounts, then please fill out my schedule form. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact me and we can chat about how we can throw you a virtual Scentsy party!

Happy New Years, 2012!

I am a firm believer in “The Secret”. You know, you get from the Universe what you put out into the Universe with positive thoughts. So instead of making New Years resolutions (which we all know most people don’t have much success with) I am going to make New Years predictions, and then next year I’ll see just how many I was able so successfully predict!

Ok. Here I go.

ME

1. I will lose 50 lbs (in a healthy way!)
2. I will gain more control of my OCD — do more and worry less!
3. I will learn to knit a variety of things and will be able to successfully knit a variety of baby, toddler, and kid items. (Such items include blankets, sleep sacks, cocoons, hats, socks, shorties, longies, and of course — the amazing rompers designed by my friend Beth @ Sweet Monkey Baby. [You can get her patterns here.])
4. I will set up my in-home sewing studio, so that I can start sewing again for my girls, giving them a few new outfits for the year.

My Kids

1. Kate will add at least 9 new foods to her small menu. (Currently she is only apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries, peaches, pears, breast milk, and corn.) So 9 new foods will be a wonderful addition to 2012. On our list to trial are arrowroot, beef, coconut, cinnamon, cucumber, eggplant, Millet, Neocate Nutra, Pinto Beans, quinoa, safflower oil, sesame seeds, sorghum, spinach, sunflower seeds, and white potato. We realize we will not get to every single food, but we will be very happy with our results.
2. Kate will walk on her own.
3. Carli will be potty trained and wear big girl panties 100% during the day.
4. Carli will learn how to write the entire alphabet, legibly.
5. Carli will know 100% of her pre-primer sight words.
6. Kate will begin to steadily grow, being comfortably in a 12-18 by the end of the year. (She is currently 3-6months comfortably.)
7. Kate will find her way back onto the growth chart.
8. We will take the kids to Disney & Sea World.

My Home

1. We will finish fencing in our backyard so Vega, and kids can run around and we won’t have to worry about getting out and into the road.
2. I will have a nice garden in the backyard, consisting of herbs, vegetables, and fruits (trees).
3. We will fix our backyard shed so that it is useable.
4. We will get a new couch and/OR a new refrigerator.

My Career

1. I will add 3 consultants to my team by sponsoring them in their Scentsy journey in 2012.
2. I will upgrade my title to Lead Consultant.
3. I will host at least 1 physical party a month, and 3-4 virtual parties.
4. I will gain 5 company clients.
5. I will do at least 1 Scentsy giveaway a month on my blog, Well-Read Reviews.
6. I will participate in at least 2 trade shows in 2012.

My Friends

1. A best friend of mine will become pregnant with their first child. There are a few possibilities.
2. Another friend will have a healthy baby.

Either way, this year will be productive and happily busy. I can’t wait.

I cannot believe that another Christmas has passed, as Christmas 2010 is still very fresh in my mind. Has it really been a year already? Last year my baby girl was just 2.5 and now she’s 3.5 (which is ALMOST 4!!) and my little fresh out of the oven sweetheart was just 5 months, and now she’s an amazing 17 month old. I blinked, and they grew a whole year older.

How did that happen?

Technically, for us, Christmas started at the beginning of the month when my mother-in-law came to visit. I know I may be a minority, but I love my mother-in-law and I am so blessed to have her in our lives. My husband is a total Mama’s boy and knowing how he talks about his Mom, I can’t help but hope that maybe someday, I can have a Mama’s boy of my own.

We have been really lucky that MIL has been able to visit a few times this year. It makes me really happy that my girls get to see their grandparents as often as they do, as I feel that is something that I lacked, myself, growing up. I wish I could have seen my grandparents multiple times a year. It would have been such a blessing. My cousins, too, for the matter. As an adult, I really don’t know my cousins and that does make me sad. But, maybe 2012 will bring me friendships with my family. I would really like that.

Beba (my MIL, as Carli calls her) spoiled the girls. She brought Kate her very first American Girl doll, an itty bitty! I couldn’t believe it and I don’t believe I have ever been as jealous of my own little girl as I was of Kate when she received her American Girl doll. I grew up in the time that American Girl came out and became popular (Molly was my favorite) and I never did get my own American Girl doll. Kate loves it, as she is very girly.

Carli picked out a vacuum, which I found so odd. Granted its kid sized and kid friendly (not real, obviously) but considering Carli has a big fear of vacuums.. she has an odd fascination with them. Almost a month later and she still plays with it every day.

For our actual Christmas, we started the morning with breakfast at my Father-in-laws, where he also spoiled the kids. (Who needs to buy kids Christmas presents when the Grandparents do all the spoiling??!) Carli got a play trunk that had a few princess costumes in them (from Costco)  and Carli LOVED it. She had to put a dress on right away and wore one the remainder of the day. I was impressed by how well made they were, for toddler costumes. The costumes that I linked to are the same company, but not the same costumes. (We’re going to have to find this one because Carli will love to add those dresses to the mix!)  The rest of the day Carli went around telling people she was a princess.

Kate got a HUGE pillow pet. Not the same brand as the official pillow pet, but HUGE.  It’s a giant mountain dog (reminds us of our Ellie Belle, who we miss more and more every day) and probably as big as the real thing.

We then proceeded to my parent’s house where my brother, Aunt, and our “adopted” sister. The girls got to open presents (they got so much that its crazy!) and I am amazed at how much I enjoyed watching the girls open presents. Carli really got it this year. She would feverishly open a present, ooh and ahh (ask us to open the package) and move on to the next one. Carli likes opening presents so much that she insisted on helping my mother open hers!

I got a SodaStream which I LOVE (and will officially review shortly). My parents also gave me some knitting looms and my brother graciously gave me a $100 giftcard. (Best brother, ever!) Vega our doberman, even got some gifts from my parents! She got a knew leash that was a leash, flashlight, poop bag combo from the Animal Planet line, and a doggy blanket!  I only wish that I had the money to spoil everyone in return. (Maybe next year?) Money has been tight on one salary, moving, car repairs, and starting a new business. It saddens me that I wasn’t able to return the favor. I will just have to surprise my loved ones with random gifts through out the year to makeup for the thoughtful ones I received on Christmas.

Overall, we were really blessed this year — two healthy kids (for the most part) and surrounded by family! I know that I will blink again and it will be Christmas 2012 and Carli will be 4.5 and Katelyn 2.5 — so I am trying to keep my eyes open wide so that time moves just a little bit slower.

One can only hope, right?

* NOTE * I am not personally holding this sweepstakes, but instead, telling you about it. The company is holding this sweepstakes.

If you have been following my blog, you are familiar with my 17 month old (Kate) and her food issues [1, 2, 3]. Because of her food issues, it is important that I have food she can eat in its most simple and pure form with little to no additives or mixed ingredients.

Basically — zilch on most processed foods.

I have been looking for many months to find a food processor that specializes in baby food. I needed something that would steam AND puree my food for Kate. I was getting sick and tired of spending so much money on Earth’s Best and Beech Nut. There is nothing wrong with these two fabulous food companies and I am quite thankful for their natural selections — but, we just spend so much money. Plus, there never is a guarantee that there is no cross contamination. Each time I am feeding her processed baby food I run the risk of cross contamination with their oats (from their baby cereals) or the rice flours they both used to bulk up some of their stage 2 and 3 foods. In fact one of Kate’s worst reactions was from Beech Nut’s stage 2 “Mangos”. Because a majority of their single fruit purees are just the fruit, water, and absorbic acid, I stupidly didn’t realize that the Mangos did not follow the same trend. T hey also had rice flour in them; rice being a common FPIES trigger.

That mistake cost us a few hundred dollars in hospital fees and hours of watching my little girl fall hopelessly ill. It was a nightmare, none that any parent should have to deal with — ever.

Making her own food, though, I would have a better control of her food and I could come up with new recipes for my little girl that will help her thrive. So, I needed a baby food maker. Something simple, and easy, and life changing for my little girl. My little girl needs to start growing.

Then, one day, a few weeks ago, I received an email from Baby Brezza about their sweepstakes. Their email lit up as if the Heavens had sent them to me, personally. I had never heard of Baby Brezza prior to this email and it may just be the answer to my prayers!

This is the email I received.

The holidays are a time for counting your blessings and the New Year is a time for new beginnings and a fresh start. At Baby Brezza, we encourage moms everywhere to take advantage of both, which is why we’re extending our “Fresh Produce” Sweepstakes! There’s no better blessing than good nutrition for your baby (and the whole family!) so we’re keeping the Sweepstakes open throughout the holiday season- and increasing your chances to win!

When the New Year arrives, we’ll select a lucky recipient who will receive our grand prize of fruits and vegetables for your family for an entire year**, as well as a first place prize winner who will receive a Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker!

Until December 31st, you can enter theSweepstakes by completing the following simple steps:

Add the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker to your Baby Registry wherever it’s available, including retailers such as Babies R Us (retail location and BabiesRUs.com), BabyBrezza.com, Target.com and Amazon.com
If you already have the Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker on an existing registry, you’re still eligible to win! Simply follow the directions below for sending us a copy of your registry.

Send an e-mail to sweepstakes@babybrezza.com including either the direct link to your registry or attach a scanned copy. Make sure you also include your full name, address, preferred email address and phone number.

Winners will be randomly selected and announced by January 6th, 2011. For full sweepstakes rules and regulations, click here.

Don’t miss out on your chance to win this fantastic prize for your family! Add this must-have baby item to your list and enter today.

In my experience so far, Baby Brezza is incredibly generous and giving and truly want the best for your child. After explaining to them my issues with Kate, they offered me the chance to review the product, myself.

** CUE THE ANGEL CHOIR**

So for now, make sure to add Baby Brezza to your Baby Registry so that you will be eligible for a Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker.  You can only enter by December 31st so ENTER NOW!

Make sure you also come back to Well-Read Reviews for a follow up review on the product.

Title: My Monster Burrufu
Author: Alberto Corral
Illustrator: Alessandra Sorrentino
Pages: 102
★★★

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com) Seven-year-old Olivia has just moved to a new house — the same house where a lonely monster named Burrufu lives hidden in a secret attic. One night, unable to resist the smell of delicious cookies, Burrufu sneaks out and is discovered by Olivia. The two soon learn that you can find friendship in the most unexpected places. ‘My Monster Burrufu’ is a story of overcoming fear, a curse, and a most unusual monster who learns from a little girl how to trust his heart.

Review: I found My Monster Burrufu to be a cute short story of a little girl, who in a way, reminds me a bit of my Carli. She is outgoing and friendly and has a ton of energy. But most importantly, she pays no attention to society standards of “normal” and will befriend just about anyone who needs a friend.

Burrufu is a monster that is used to being an outcast and so therefore hides in the attic, writing novels to pass the time. He hates rejection and more than that, he hates the idea that he scares people. So when Olivia finds him, he doesn’t really know how to react. Naturally, defensive. He didn’t want to be hurt!

Although the book was a bit simplistic in writing, it definitely has a great message and would make a good read aloud. The book says that it is good for ages 9 and up, but I think it is more appropriate for ages 6-9. If you’re a teacher or a parent looking for a good read aloud; a book during quiet time, or bed time, then I do recommend My Monster Burrufu. It’ll open the lines of communication and help children learn about the importance of tolerance and acceptance.

My beautiful little girl

Tuesday was Kate’s hospital procedure. I wasn’t looking forward to my tiny little girl being put under anesthesia but I was looking forward to getting some answers. Kate was scheduled for an endoscopy by her gastroenterologist and a ton of blood work ordered by both her gastroenterologist doctor and her endocrinologist doctor.

I was instructed not to let Kate have any food after midnight as her procedure would be at 8am and it was best if she had not eaten for about 8 hours prior. Kate went to bed at 8:30 and I tried as hard as I could to get her to stay up later so I could pump her full of breast milk here and t here but she had enough of awake time and her little body demanded sleep.

Smiling at herself in the camera phone.

We left for the hospital as we were to be there by 7am. We were there by about 6:40 and Kate was beyond cranky. Luckily, I thought, we would only have to deal with this for another hour and then she would be under and not feel the pain of hunger or thirst. It felt inhumane, denying my child something so basic as food & drink when they not only NEED it to survive, but Kate’s tiny and needs every calorie she can get her hands on that agrees with her system.

7 came and went as did 8. The receptionist had crossed off our names but claimed he didn’t see us. Um, what? I looked at the sign in sheet and it said I was there and it had been crossed off. What the heck? “I know there is not much you can do but it has been way too long since she has eaten and she is really hungry…” I said, frustrated to hear my 17 month old cry with frustration. Even a year and a half later, I grow incredibly agitated and frustrated when my child cries and I cannot soothe her. It’s motherly instinct, you know. You hear the cries of your child and you want to soothe them. You NEED to soothe them and anyone that stands in the way — so help them, God!

We were finally called back to registration, and then the waiting room where Kate was put into her hospital gown and overly large socks. Now, keep in mind that this was a pediatric doctor and she was at the hospital that had the Disney Pavillion! Now why on earth are they not prepared to have baby-sized hospital gear? Is this common?

Me and my Sweetie Petitie.

But, anyway– Kate started perking up when she was being given a lot of attention. The anesthesiologist, Dr. London, was incredibly gentle and kind with Kate. Now, if you know Kate, you know how completely opposite in personality she is from her very outgoing and friendly big sister, Carli. Kate will sit back, observe and you can’t always tell what she’s thinking. She is, though, very animated with her eyes. She gives death stares like no other. Even so, the doctors and nurses found her endearing and adorable and she really liked that. She would shoot a few smiles here and there. It was also nice and reassuring to hear (as a parent) that they were behaving so well. Either they were lying to me (because I could have sworn she was being one nasty toddler) or I expect to much from my children. Either way, I appreciated that they made me feel like no matter how she was behaving, they truly liked her.

Forrest really wanted to go back with Kate. When it comes to our girls and their illnesses, he really steps up as Papa Bear. In fact, he tends to be way more motherly during their illnesses than I am. When he knew Kate was to be put under, he really wanted to be with her. I could sense the tension and the anxiety he had, and she wouldn’t let anyone but me hold her — so we agreed that I would go back with her. We didn’t want any more anxiety than there was.

So, I went back with Kate and held her the entire time. I sat on her bed, cuddled her, and they applied the gas mask. I felt her body grow heavy and she began to relax. Within a minute, she was sleeping heavily. They picked her up and laid her on the bed. It was surreal. I have never seen her sleep so heavily. (She’s not a good sleeper). I left the room and went to join my husband in the waiting room.

The wait was quick. Maybe 20 minutes? It felt like no time at all and they were calling us back to go be with Kate in recovery.

We had to get a picture, first.

It took her a few minutes to wake up. She would wake up enough to want me to hold her but she would fall back asleep. It was like that for maybe 20 minutes. The nurses and doctors said that she was waking up “really good!” though, so I wasn’t worried.

The doctor came in and told us that he was sorry but they couldn’t do the bloodwork. The lab had sent adult-sized blood viles and equipment, rather than the pediatric, child-sized and they were unable to get the blood work while she was under. I was visibly upset but kept my cool. The bloodwork I wanted even more than the endoscopy. The bloodwork included metabolic conditions, thyroid, growth hormone levels, etc. My gut has always told me that the bloodwork would have the answers so when he said they couldn’t do it, my heart sank.

Supposedly it was the most mad he has ever been and really took it out on the lab employees. I would never have known as the doctor was soft spoken to us. But, anyway — he told us that there is a sphincter from her esophagus to her stomach that closes after eating and it helps keep the food down. I guess supposedly its not closed as a newborn (hence spit up) but it matures as they get older (around 6 months of age). But hers was completely open. It is like a cup without a lid. When it becomes overly full or agitated, the contents will spill out and that explains her random vomiting episodes after eating. He seems to think that it “explains” her FPIES and “this is it” but I know better.

FPIES doesn’t happen 10-15 minutes after eating. Not usually, anyhow. Kate’s FPIES episodes happen anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours after ingestion. That is well beyond the normal digestion period. He said this should explain her not wanting to eat and I had to remind him multiple times that her appetite is NOT an issue. She would eat all day if you let her.

By now it was around 10:30 and Kate still had not eaten anything. When I expressed this, he THEN told us that she could have eaten 4 hours prior to her procedure and not 8 — I was mad. As her procedure didn’t happen until about 9:30am, I could have fed her at 5:30 that morning! We would have had a MUCH happier baby, then. It just added to the frustration I was feeling.

Afterwards, we went to the lab to get some bloodwork done. They had a hard time, for some reason, because they were getting it out of an IV rather than the way they normally take blood. But Kate was good the entire time and never showed any discomfort in what they were doing. It didn’t seem that was over, though. They could only get 10mL of blood from her, because she was only 16lbs. (Yes, she actually weighed at 16lbs that morning!!)

But, anyhow — she recovered nicely. She was herself a few hours later and we doted on her and held her and thanked her for being in our life and being such a good sport, regardless of not understanding what was going on.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I have any more answers. I had figured as much that she couldn’t hold her stomach contents in as well as others, but her body is just not as advanced as others her age. I did, however, lose confidence in my doctor a bit. He said he wanted to possibly start her on antacids since it was a little red from stomach acid and somehow that will close the hole? I kept asking but he just kept repeating a bunch of nothing. How is antacids going to magically close the stomach?

Plus we really don’t want to pump her body full of medications without fixing the issue. He also said that he would probably not scope her again unless the medication didn’t help. Okay, well the medication would just mask the symptoms of reflux, reflux that doesn’t really happen much anymore. But it’s not going to prevent random vomiting episodes and how is it REALLY going to close the hole. Unless he did scope her again, how would he even know if it closed or not? He wouldn’t.

So that just frustrated us even more.

The only thing I have to look forward to, right now, is the results from part 1 of her blood tests. I hope to God there is TRUE answer in there that we can, without a doubt, believe in.

A few weeks ago I posted about my experience with a FABULOUS product called KidFresh. This particular pre-packaged food line (that you can find in your local frozen food aisle) is a HEALTHY quick option for quick meals. Even better, they hide vegetables in their food. (But don’t tell the kids. They will never know.)

I was recently contacted by an employee and told of this amazing thing they are doing for the hungry this holiday season. I just had to share!

Like Kidfresh on Facebook to donate 30 meals now: http://www.facebook.com/Kidfreshfoods (until December,15th)

With your help, this Kidfresh donation could help feed thousands of hungry children in the city. “There are 1.4 million New York City residents, including over 400,000 children, living in households facing food insecurity today (1). We cannot sit and do nothing when 1 in 5 children don’t know where their next meal will come from, right here in our community. At Kidfresh, we are committed to help children in need as much as we possibly can.” said Matt Cohen, CEO and Founder of Kidfresh.

Yummy Yummy!!

The company will donate all six nutritious meals for kids: Totally Twisted Pasta & Meatballs, a pasta dish complete with meatballs and tomato sauce hiding a half cup of vegetables, Wagon Wheels Mac + Cheese, an all-time kids favorite enriched with hidden carrots in a creamy cheese sauce as well as Spaghetti Loops Bolognese, Muy Cheesy Quesadillas, Rainbow Rice & Chicken and Easy Cheesy Ravioli.

About City Harvest
Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest is the world’s first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city’s hungry men, women, and children. This year, City Harvest will collect 28 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms. This food is then delivered free of charge to nearly 600 community food programs using a fleet of trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 300,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal. To learn more, visit http://www.www.CityHarvest.org.

About Kidfresh
Created by parents for parents, with the help of top pediatric nutritionists and NYC-based chefs, Kidfresh has grown from its initial concept store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in the mid 2000’s to become a pioneer in all-natural, wholesome, yummy kids meals, available in the freezer sections of leading grocery stores and supermarkets in the United States. Kidfresh offers time-tested kid favorite entrees with 100% natural ingredients, blended vegetables and key nutrients for growing children – ready in 3 minutes. Kidfresh meals are a welcome solution to today’s busy parents and the company’s founder Matt Cohen created the line of frozen meals with his family in mind and makes sure that his company also helps children in need; Kidfresh is a proud sponsor of Save the Children and has donated meals to City Harvest, a New York-based non-profit which helps to feed families in need. To learn more, visit http://www.Kidfresh.com.

(1) Source: http://www.nyccah.org/learn-about-hunger/hunger-in-nyc

It’s not to late to ‘Like’ KidFresh on Facebook, now. Because of your support, a simple click of a button at NO COST TO YOU, will help children everywhere be fed this season. It’s simple.

Thank you to KidFresh for doing this amazing thing! The food is amazing and I am happy to see that there is a heart in the company that backs up this amazing product!

The biggest insult in our times.

I am just joking about it being the biggest insult, but I do find it rather high on the insult list. Especially if it is someone you’ve known for a while and did absolutely nothing to deserve the slap on the face. The slap that says, “I don’t give a flying fuck about you so be gone.”

I’ve known this other mother for about 4 years. We were introduced via a mutual friend. She actually lives a few hours south of me. But, anyhow. At the end of October she messaged me on Facebook inquiring about selling Scentsy. Because I am an Independent Consultant for Scentsy, I was more than happy to discuss business opportunities with this wonderful company. Many friends ask me about the products and becoming a consultant and I realize first and foremost that inquiry does not mean a definite interest or continued follow through. I know that and don’t expect it. If anything, I am just extremely ecstatic to be talking about such an amazing product!

This “friend” had no experience with Scentsy products, but have just heard about them via my page and other people, I assume . We discussed possibly hosting a party so she could earn free rewards. So essentially, she could try out Scentsy for free, get a taste of selling, and see if this was something that she really wanted to do. I would not have felt right encouraging her to become a consultant without knowing the product, first. I want my teammates to LOVE Scentsy as much as I do! I thought that hosting a party, first, would be an easy way to test the consultant waters without having to invest in anything.

So we move forth with a party and everything is hunky dory.

But this is where it gets good — or shall I say bad?

On the 20th she messages me on Facebook expressing how excited she is and that she would be signing up under me that evening or in the morning at the latest. I took her word for it, but when the morning came around and her name didn’t show up, I thought maybe perhaps something was off on the system. I messaged her to keep her updated and let her know that I was trying to figure out why she wasn’t showing up and I was super excited to be her sponsor. I was very happy to welcome her to my wonderful team! (Seriously. My team is AH-MAAAAZING!)

“When my consultant number comes, you’d tell me, right?” she said. So I had no reason to think otherwise. Thanksgiving weekend hit, but the number/name did not register in my system. After the weekend I followed up with her to verify that her order processed. I inquired about an order number so I could contact costumer service about this issue and get it fixed so she could get to work. I was trying my best to be supportive and helpful.

She didn’t respond.

A few days later I was just checking my messages and realized that next to her message, it said “So and so friends with so and so and 8 other people.” You know what only shows up if you’re not friends with someone on Facebook. Did she defriend me??! Sure enough, I was no longer her friend on Facebook. But on her profile it said she was an Independent Consultant for Scentsy. WHAT THE?? Seriously?

So yeah, not only did she keep me going for an entire month — but she lied to me about signing up under me, and lead me to believe that something was wrong with the system. But she also actually signed up under someone else and defriended me and ceased communication. I am at complete loss for words. She was just telling her sister in law how I was a good friend and this is how she treats me?!

What really bothers me is not that she may have changed her mind or even that she decided to go with someone else. But it is how she went about it. LYING to me and then defriending me without so much as an apology or explanation. I am sorry but that is just flat out HORRIBLE and says a lot about one’s true character. If she had just been honest with me and said that she’s really sorry for changing her mind but wanted to go with someone else — that is one thing. But this? This is just really horrible to start a new business venture. (Note to all: Please don’t do this to others. It’s not very nice.)

So for the holidays, and as a thanks for my help and information (and friendship) she gave me a nice big metaphorical slap in the face. Happy Holidays, St.Amour! I hope the new year brings you a renewed sense of honesty, and idea of the true meaning of friendship,  and what it means to show respect for others.

I think my gift is nicer.

Earn $$ for watching videos!

Normally, I am a little skeptical of earning money online. But this one, after careful consideration, proved to be just like they say. Basically, you use your Facebook account to connect to Jingit. There is no need to sign up. You don’t get SPAM mail. It’s pretty simple.

There are videos that pop up and you need to watch them. I have seen Dairy Queen, Quiznos, Gator-aid, to name a few. You are paid immediately for watching the video. Sometimes you simply have to watch it, and other times you are requested to give your feedback and opinions. Still, though, it’s simple.

In order to use your Jingit cash (which is real money), you need to sign up for your own Jingit debit card. If you are over the age of 12 (in the US) then you can get your own Jingit card.

Now, I will be honest. The terms for the Jingit Card (done through USBank) pretty much suck. There is a fee for almost everything, but luckily they are all avoidable if you use it like a normal debit card, don’t get cash advance, and don’t abandon it. For the most part, though, you shouldn’t have any sort of issue.

So far in the past two weeks I have earned over $20 for an hour or two of watching videos and I have spent a few bucks on breakfast for my daughter when we were out for the day. While there is a cap on how much you can make, it’s still great pocket change for a rainy day.

If you would like to join me on JINGIT, please my referral by clicking [here].

So, if you are worried about whether or not Jingit is legit or not. Yes. Yes, it is.