Winkler's head back! We are home.... The TR of a CRUNCHY MAMA! Updated with pics!

[aksunshine]

So, here we are 3 weeks out from trip # 7!! OH BOY!!! Sadly, this will be our last trip for awhile. We have too many "other" things we want to do.

See past TR 2007, 2008, and unfinished 2011 in my siggy.

Here is 2010 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2586570

Let's see if I can make this into a TR!!

 

[McDuck]

I'm here!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

I'll have to read your past TRs. We have quite the large family too and will have our first WDW trip with our 5th baby in September. Always nice to see how others do it with a lot of kids!

 

[aksunshine]

I'm here!

Hey Jennie!!!

I'll have to read your past TRs. We have quite the large family too and will have our first WDW trip with our 5th baby in September. Always nice to see how others do it with a lot of kids!

Hello! Well, we have only ever been with 2 at a time so it should be interesting with 3. I know I said 3, not 4, but once you read my past TRs it will make more sense. We lost a son right after our 07 trip. Nice to have you!!!

 

[aksunshine]

Pull up a chair and get comfy! I will try to get you updated!

We have visited Disney World every year as a family since 2006. Until last year. We took a break. So now we have this trip planned!! But it will be our last for a few years.

we started our love of WDW during a short 2 night stop in early January 2006. I was 6 months pregnant with my second child, Levi, and Isabelle was a mere 3 years old!! We were sooo young!





As many know, we lost our son, Levi, in a car accident the week following a blissful 10 days in WDW. He was only 16 mo old. He would be 7 this year. I still miss him... Daily. His first and only trip was in 2007.... Some of the most treasured moments I will ever have!










That accident took so much from us. We lost our son to a careless 19 yo who was under-insured. To remind ourselves of the moments we had we return to WDW.

Matt and I only wanted 2 children. Once upon a time, anyway. We had 2 miscarriages, one midterm, before finally having Gabriel! Of course, I discussed having a tubal, again (I almost had one right after Levi), but God had other plans! Plans that a tiny contraceptive couldn't even interfere with! And shortly after our last trip, Dec 2011, I discovered we had brought home a surprising and blessed souvenir!

Sawyer Ryan was born on Sept. 4. We named him Sawyer after Tom Sawyer Is. one of the many places we love to remember Levi playing.

 

[aksunshine]

So what have we been up to since our 2011 trip, besides having a new baby? Well..... We started homeschooling! That was a big life changer! And now it isn't just Isabelle, Gabriel is JUST starting preschool!

Also, last summer, we switched to pretty well all organic food! Our biggest reason was to avoid nasty GMOs in most food, especially processed foods. (Find out what a GMO is here, http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/ ) We also filter our water to remove as fluoride as possible. (Why?? http://www.fluoridealert.org/)

So I spend a LOT of time schooling, in the kitchen, and, of course, sewing!!! I am working on a cookbook that will focus on fresh and local! My sewing biz has mostly been for my own children, occasionally finding time to squeeze in a customer or two. Right now I am working on 50+ outfits/ shirts for our trip!

We are also growing our first organic garden!! We have decided a homestead is the ideal life for us. We are using what we can where we are now, but looking at property, too. We have recently acquired chickens and a couple of rabbits and plan to get a couple of goats, as well!

Here are some picture of what we have been up to!

Getting cool Disney knit hats!


Looking at property for our homestead




Lots of baby wearing!!



Getting Bunnies! This was taken at Easter. Meet Copper and Domino.


And chickens!


Gardening!




Schooling!



Cooking!



And Sewing!

 

[aksunshine]

Between all of that there is PLANNING!!!!! More to come soon!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I will follow. It feels like most of our crowd has disappeared and only hang out on FB nowadays. After meeting so many wonderful friends on Dis I had to come back and do some more trip reports. I'm trying to find the magic I used to have, where people would join in and post pics, etc. I loved that. It was a great way to get to know everyone too. Happy to see you back. I do have two trip reports going on right now. A cruise and a WDW. Links are in the siggy.

I think this new lifestyle is great. I wish I could grow everything we eat. Sidney and I were just talking about this a couple of days ago. We have a friend that does. He raises his own animals, grows his own grain and veggies. If I had somewhere to do it it would be a dream come true. You know I am a homeschool advocate too. It will keep us from getting gray hair so soon.

Okay, back to reorganizing this entire house of mine. I can't wait for it to be done.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Forgot to sub....ugh.

 

[aksunshine]

Something else I did last year was have my gallbladder removed. I wish I never had!!! I exclusively breastfeed Sawyer. The very next day he started wailing, and he continued to cry and be in pain for 3 weeks (at 2 mo old). He wound up loosing 3#. We were sent to Riley's, no one could figure out what was wrong. Finally I started an elimination diet. Dairy. I was so sad. We had just switched to local raw milk and cheese. This has opposed many a problem and I know it will make a lot hard in WDW. It effects a lot of my plans.

We started our official countdown at 25 days this past week! We are doing movie theme dinner nights!
We started with The Grand Adventure of Winnie the Pooh. We had Rabbits Garden Salad, Honey Glazed Rutabagas, Grilled Chicken, and PB and Honey sandwiches with homemade bread (I make my own now!).


Next was PotC. Isabelle chose At World's End. We had Mexican Bean Soup with local salt pork in it!


Then Cars. Food was tricky... We had Philly Cheese-steak style sloppy joes with Apple and Grape Race cars.

PS- I want to apologize that most of my pictures are with my phone. I had to send my camera in to Nikon. Praying I get it back before our trip!!

Last night we went to see the new Oz movie. It was so fun! All 5 of us went, luckily we were the only ones there!! We went out to eat. We NEVER eat out anymore. Between my dietary restrictions and trying to keep what goes into our bodies clean has kept us at home. It's wonderful knowing how our food was made!! Anyway, I hope to make an Oz themed breakfast tomorrow, we shall see if I have time, of Rainbow fruit salad and poppy seed muffins.

Tonight we watched Mulan!! I put together a super yummy Veggie Lo Mein!

 

[aksunshine]

Hi Tammy!

 

[aksunshine]

I will follow. It feels like most of our crowd has disappeared and only hang out on FB nowadays. After meeting so many wonderful friends on Dis I had to come back and do some more trip reports. I'm trying to find the magic I used to have, where people would join in and post pics, etc. I loved that. It was a great way to get to know everyone too. Happy to see you back. I do have two trip reports going on right now. A cruise and a WDW. Links are in the siggy.

I think this new lifestyle is great. I wish I could grow everything we eat. Sidney and I were just talking about this a couple of days ago. We have a friend that does. He raises his own animals, grows his own grain and veggies. If I had somewhere to do it it would be a dream come true. You know I am a homeschool advocate too. It will keep us from getting gray hair so soon.

Okay, back to reorganizing this entire house of mine. I can't wait for it to be done.

I know... But I have a few friends who don't FB and might see it here.

We would love to raise everything we eat!! We may get a young pig to butcher late Fall after our trip, too. It will be nice knowing our meats aren't coated in preservatives!

Hope you got your house done! Wanna do mine???

 

[scrdofbugs]

Hey! I am here. I can't wait to hear all about it. I need to finish my October trip report on my blog and start my pre-trip for Christmas. I am loving seeing your meals.

BTW, this is Reena. I didn't know if you knew my DIS name or not.

 

[petals]

Joining in.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Awwww. I've never read a trip report that made me cry before. So sorry for the loss of your beautiful son. Then I cried at what a blessing Sawyer is...and what a wonderful name!

Okay even though we haul a couple more kids around than you do, we still have a lot in common. We homeschool, eat organic, drink local raw milk, and avoid GMOs and flouride amongst other neurotoxins. Two years ago we started grinding organic grain (various kinds of wheat, rye, millet, corn, and Ezekial mix) into flour to make our own baked goods (bread, muffins, pancakes, tortillas, etc.) and soon I will try grinding wheat to make pasta. We started juicing organic veggies and fruit too.
But the one thing I WISH I could do is sew and knit! I love the outfits you've made for your kids! I do personalized iron-on tshirts for our trips but that's it.

I look forward to reading more about your travels!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I know... But I have a few friends who don't FB and might see it here.

We would love to raise everything we eat!! We may get a young pig to butcher late Fall after our trip, too. It will be nice knowing our meats aren't coated in preservatives!

Hope you got your house done! Wanna do mine???

It's far from done, and if we were closer so I'd totally help. We used to raise pigs when I was growing up, not here, but on friends farms. I feel like everything we buy at the grocery store anymore is contaminated with something.

I have met a few very nice people since I've come back. We met up with one family at WDW in November. I hope to meet some others this year. Susan and Janet are in our private group. You've probably seen them post.

I love the theme nights. We are 45 days out as of today so I need to get some plans in order. This house has to be right first. Nikki's rooms was soooooooooooo bad. I don't understand why kids want to do that to their rooms.

 

[DMGeurts]

Hi Alicia!! Glad to see you back on The Dis!!! Sorry I didn't see your report until now. Totally subbing! Looks like you've been super busy. I can't believe how much your kids are growing! I bet they are excited for the trip.

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans and seeing more of you on The Dis. (((Hugs)))

D~

 

[aksunshine]

Hey! I am here. I can't wait to hear all about it. I need to finish my October trip report on my blog and start my pre-trip for Christmas. I am loving seeing your meals.

BTW, this is Reena. I didn't know if you knew my DIS name or not.

Hi Reena!!! I never did finish my last TR.

Joining in.

Hey girlie!!!

Awwww. I've never read a trip report that made me cry before. So sorry for the loss of your beautiful son. Then I cried at what a blessing Sawyer is...and what a wonderful name!

Okay even though we haul a couple more kids around than you do, we still have a lot in common. We homeschool, eat organic, drink local raw milk, and avoid GMOs and flouride amongst other neurotoxins. Two years ago we started grinding organic grain (various kinds of wheat, rye, millet, corn, and Ezekial mix) into flour to make our own baked goods (bread, muffins, pancakes, tortillas, etc.) and soon I will try grinding wheat to make pasta. We started juicing organic veggies and fruit too.
But the one thing I WISH I could do is sew and knit! I love the outfits you've made for your kids! I do personalized iron-on tshirts for our trips but that's it.

I look forward to reading more about your travels!

Another "crunchy" mama!! Thank you. We miss Levi, but are greatful of the blessings we have, as well.

We are trying to decide on a grain mill now. I don't juice...or knit!! lol!! But I taught myself to sew. I will write a lil about it.

It's far from done, and if we were closer so I'd totally help. We used to raise pigs when I was growing up, not here, but on friends farms. I feel like everything we buy at the grocery store anymore is contaminated with something.

I have met a few very nice people since I've come back. We met up with one family at WDW in November. I hope to meet some others this year. Susan and Janet are in our private group. You've probably seen them post.

I love the theme nights. We are 45 days out as of today so I need to get some plans in order. This house has to be right first. Nikki's rooms was soooooooooooo bad. I don't understand why kids want to do that to their rooms.

Awesome!!! Your countdown meals are always so fun!!

Hi Alicia!! Glad to see you back on The Dis!!! Sorry I didn't see your report until now. Totally subbing! Looks like you've been super busy. I can't believe how much your kids are growing! I bet they are excited for the trip.

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans and seeing more of you on The Dis. (((Hugs)))

D~

Hey Dorine!! They grow too fast. Isabelle will be 11 next week!

 

[aksunshine]

Tonight's Theme!

Toystory! What is better for a child playing with their toys than chicken nuggets and fries? And see I snuck in that rainbow fruit salad (for Oz)! Lol! The Nuggests are whole meat, dipped and baked, fries also baked! It was yummy! Picture is TERRIBLE though! Gosh I hope my camera gets back soon.

 

[aksunshine]

So a bit about my sewing....

I started sewing in 2007. I wanted Isabelle and Levi to have coordinating sets. I couldn't find much at stores, so I decided to make a few simple things. I didn't own a machine, so I hand sewed them.

Months after our accident I finally got a simple machine and began teaching myself to use it. It has been a long road! I have owned 5 sewing machines, one also did embroidery, it's they only one I do not still own. I also own a rather large 6 needle embroidery machine and a serger.

I am a fabric hoarder! I have totes upon totes of fabric!