Heidi's comments

When Do You Decorate for the Holidays? - Blog Entry

26 Nov 2008 02:44 PM

Also, the tradition of hanging lights is a Christian tradition from the early days of the church when persecution was common. Christians would place lights in their windows as a way of signaling other believers who were traveling, that their home was a safe place to stop along their journey

Nursing Leads to Stronger Lungs - Blog Entry

21 Nov 2008 10:09 AM

I've been thinking about this since I read it last night (and am nursing my 2 month old!) and I wonder if this might be part of the reason breastfed babies have a lower incidence of SIDS.

Are You Home for Halloween? - Blog Entry

31 Oct 2008 03:02 PM

My husband is of the "Don't do anything to celebrate/recognoize Halloween because it's evil" group. I am not, but since he feels so passionately I've always deferred to him. We generally go out to dinner so we're not home to hand out candy.

We just moved this summer and I've convinced him that staying home and handing out candy will be a great opportunity to get to know neighbors we haven't met, yet, as well as showing ourselves as friendly and welcoming (as opposed to being the people hiding in the dark). We've also met a few neighbors and found out the adults basically have a "block party" and hang out in the driveway while the kids trick or treat. If our house is dark this year it's because we'll be down the street in our neighbor's driveway :)

Daylight Savings Time - Blog Entry

26 Oct 2008 12:25 PM

The heat/sun is the exact reason there is no Daylight Saving Time here in AZ. Back in the 60's they did it for one year and never did it again. With daytime heat in excess of 110 we want the sun down earlier in the summer, rather than later! Of course, we have alarm clocks that set themselves (no "Arizona" setting) so this morning we were up an hour earlier than normal!

Should You Hold Your Child Back a Year? - Blog Entry

21 Oct 2008 11:40 PM

Our son's b'day is 8/20 and the school cutoff dates here are 9/1. Eventhough he's only 2, we decided long ago (when we found out his due date!) that we were holding him back a year, primarily for maturity reasons. If he'd been born 11 days later he would be going to school that year anyway. (The school year here starts in the beginning to middle of August).

Our daughter's b'day is 9/24 and she'll be going to school in the "right" year.

What to Choose: A Cliched Wedding Song or an Offbeat One? - Blog Entry

16 Oct 2008 01:17 PM

We didn't have a DJ or band at our reception, but I walked down the aisle to the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and after the ceremony we walked UP the aisle to the Smashmouth cover of "I'm a Believer" (the one from the movie Shrek)

While "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is a traditional song, it's not a traditional wedding song (at least not that I'm aware of!), and when DH suggested "I'm a Believer" I thought it was a great idea that I wouldn't have come up with on my own :)

Marry Now, Celebrate Later, Save Money and Your Marriage? - Blog Entry

10 Oct 2008 12:13 AM

I'm a little late in reading this post, but I heard my dad's voice in your blog! For as long as I can remember my dad always said he believed the cost of the wedding was in direct proportion to the length of the marriage--the cheaper the wedding the longer the marriage; the more expensive the wedding the shorter the marriage.

When my DH and I got married 4.5 years ago we spent less than $3000 on the ceremony and reception BUT we had an amazing honeymoon in Bora Bora. It was a once in a lifetime trip and I'd do it exactly the same way again (frugal wedding, great honeymoon)

Front Loading Washing Machines Promote Mold - Blog Entry

09 Oct 2008 01:24 AM

When we moved this summer the previous owners left us their front loader. It had a horrendous mold problem. We have bleached it, scrubbed it with a sonic scrubber, run vinegar through it multiple times, used a product called "smelly washer", and FINALLY we got the smell out.

We keep the door open whenever possible (the laundry room leads to our garage so I can only do this if DH is home, otherwise he'd hit the washing machine door with the door leading in the house from the garage) and I run vinegar through it on a regular basis. We only use HE detergent and only use 1/2 to 1/3 of the recommended amount of soap. I also wipe down the inside of the machine and the front rubber area after each load---esp. if DH isn't home and I have to shut the door most of the way (I'm able to keep it cracked a little and he can still come in from the garage) It is never fully closed unless it is running.

I don't know anybody personally who hasn't had to work to keep ahead of the mold problem in their front loader. I'm not planning on replacing my front loader, but I do warn people who are looking into one that they are "higher maintenance" than a top loader.

16 Reasons Why - Blog Entry

24 Aug 2008 07:48 PM

When my husband and I were engaged, he was at church one night helping with a Jr. High event. I went over to his house while he was gone and hid about 45 index cards throughout. On the front of each one I wrote "I love you because" and on the back I wrote one of them. Some I hid in the garage, jacket pockets, etc. while others were "hidden" in plain sight. Some of them that were well hidden weren't discovered until after we were married months later!

It's been 5 years since that night and he still has all of those cards!

Show Some Respect - Blog Entry

18 Aug 2008 04:09 PM

One of the best pieces of marital advice I got when DH and I were engaged was "Never talk bad about him to your friends" She warned me that when married women get together they often start griping about their husbands and not to fall into that trap.

The more I've thought about it, the more I've realized what a vicious cycle it is--by complaining about your husband to your friends not only are you giving them a bad impression of him, you're focused on his negative traits instead of his good ones.

Ephesians 4:29 says "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen"