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After plenty of great suggestions, I've chosen "Diane, Dirt, and Dishes" as the new title for my blog (thanks Liz!!). I love that it's not a huge change from what it was, and that it sort of embodies one of the recurring themes on my blog-- that real life is messy. I share plenty of adorable "happy looking" photos, cutesy craft projects, and ambitious activities that may make it look like I "have it all together", but I also long ago made it a goal of mine not to hide or apologize for what our real life looks like. Messy living rooms, piles of dishes, and yes, yelling at my children while decorating the Christmas tree, are part of our real life. I think so many of us would benefit from knowing that life behind your closed doors and my closed door probably looks a lot more similar than we realize. Maybe I'm wrong and my real life actually makes yours look pretty good, but hey, if I can do that for you, I've been pretty successful, too. ;)

One of the reasons some of the other great suggestions didn't make the cut is that they included our last name. I decided, for privacy reasons, to try to cut the last name out of my blog. So, as part of that, I will also be changing the web address for my blog. Nothing here will change at all, just what is written in the address bar, but if you have my blog address saved anywhere you will need to update it. Starting December 21st, my blog will be found at www.Diane3D.blogspot.com.

Thank you for all the great input, and I hope you'll follow me over to the new location to keep up with our messy life!

P.S. The title bar still needs a little work, but it will do for now.

Name my blog

For some reason last night I decided to do some redecorating around here (and by "here" I mean on the blog), including redesigning my background and updating my "About Me" information. In the process I've realized that my blog title doesn't really fit anymore. James graduated out of diapers this summer (though does still wear a pull-up overnight), and though he is still working on those 2-year molars, we're more or less out of the drool phase, too. Besides that, the original blog title was kind of based on a play of words with Drew's name, so it's about time my title was a little more inclusive.

I'm having a hard time coming up with anything cute and would love to hear some suggestions from my readers! So... name my blog!

Bah humbug

Let me go ahead and start this by stating that I love Christmas. It is definitely my favorite holiday of the year. I love the lights. I love the music. I love the spirit of giving. I love being with family. And I love celebrating the amazing gift God gave us. Everything about it makes me feel warm and happy inside.

But I'm having a case of the Grinchies.

Somewhere between mismatched lights and broken ornaments my heart apparently shrunk three sizes.

We usually do our Christmas decorating on Thanksgiving, or the day after, but we were in Georgia this year so it was put off. But by the time we got back from Georgia I was tired and out of energy and just didn't feel like it. Once we finally got the gumption to dig out the decorations, I tried to put myself in the Christmas spirit by putting on Christmas music and getting the boys to help me decorate. And boy did that backfire. In under a minute we had a broken ornament and screaming over who got to put what color ornament on the tree (let it be known that there are at least two of every color). Nothing puts you in the Christmas spirit better than screaming, "THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!!" It turns out "decorating the tree as a family" means "put on The Grinch for the boys and do it by yourself".

And while I battled the tree with the boys, Jason battled the exterior lights. Last year we replaced our set of adorable snowflake lights that were in sad condition with new lights during the after-Christmas sales. Of course, at that time we didn't even have an inkling that we might be moving. Well, I bought enough lights to line our house in Georgia, but it turns out we're now one strand short. Perhaps it wouldn't be a big deal, except that apparently they do not make the same lights anymore, and I'm far too OCD to handle having different lights on the rooftop (even if the only difference is the color of the wiring). To save you from the complicated details of everything that went down, I will just say that 3 stores, multiple internet searches, and replacing individual lights on two strands and still coming up empty-handed also doesn't help put me in a festive mood.

Did I mention that James accidentally sat RIGHT on top of my Christmas-ornament wreath that I made two years ago (and remade last year)? I couldn't blame the boy because he literally just toppled over and sat on it, and I'm thankful it was in a bag so he didn't end up with shards in his rear, but sad day... I loved that wreath.

This was before it was completely finished.
And before being smashed.

And every time I do something to try to improve my mood it seems it backfires. We picked a "holiday angel" ornament off the tree at church to buy a gift for a child in need. We went to Target to pick out the gift and, even after coaching Drew about what this season is about, and that there are plenty of children who aren't as lucky as he is, etc., he still managed to whine through the entire store about wanting the Lego set for himself. Not a big deal, but it sure did make me feel grouchy.

We put up the Advent calendar. And the boys ripped one of the scripture scrolls and fought over where the pieces should go. Then I pulled out our huge box of Christmas books. And the boys fought over the "talking" book and started literally running in circles and shrieking.

Sigh...............

I began to wonder if this was all just a bad joke when, after getting the boys bathed, and dressed up in their (ironed!) Christmas outfits, we showed up at Santa's House for photos to find that I had my dates wrong and Santa wasn't there.

We did get one decent photo at home.
No, I'm not gritting my teeth and holding their hands down...

And then I was enjoying the fact that at least my Christmas shopping was mostly done, then Jason informed me that he just got an email (two weeks after ordering! Thank you for that, Lids.) that one of the gifts we carefully selected for a family member was out of stock.

I will say none of this has been alleviated by the fact that professional Mr. Scrooge (Jason) has been sort of reveling in my misery. Every time I vent about how frustrating this all is, he just sits there with his smirk saying, "come on over to the dark side."

Jason seems to have more Christmas spirit
than the rest of us...

Please know that in spite of what is written here, I do know the "reason for the season" and realize all of this is the unimportant fluff. But I felt like I needed a rant to help reset my attitude.

Today I will enjoy the fact that my Christmas shopping is 99% done. I will enjoy that I don't (and didn't) have to fight crowds at the store because internet! I will be thankful for the fact that I have the money to buy Christmas presents. I will celebrate that I have a wonderful family to share these "broken" memories with (that I'll laugh about later) and that we're able to spend this holiday together. And I will continue to remind myself that Christmas doesn't come from a store, that it, perhaps, means a little bit more.

Well hello there...

It's about time for a wordy update, especially since it's been over 2 months since I last posted, and I don't know that I've really done an update since we moved, other than highlighting some of our fun adventures and explorations.

We've unpacked the boxes (mostly... don't look in the basement or the garage... or Jason's office) and are settling in. I still have a lot of finishing touches I'd like to do in terms of decorating and making our space a little more organized and livable (curtains anyone?), but we already feel quite at home here. We are loving our house more and more each day, and we are completely falling in love with our neighborhood and town. We've made friends with several neighbors who have kids around the ages of our kids, which has been great. And there has definitely been no lack of fun and exciting things to do in the area with the kids. Jason and I have both commented on how it's almost creepy how well everything has worked out and how much we're enjoying ourselves here. Then we remember that we have yet to make it through a winter and that our tune might have changed a bit by the time we make it to spring. ;)

And lest it sounds like we've completely forgotten what we left behind, we do all have our moments of homesickness. It hit me hardest when my best friend Stacey had her newest baby boy; I hated not being there right away. I saw a picture of baby Samuel on Facebook and completely broke down in happy/sad tears. Not only was he wearing clothes that had belonged to my boys (which made me both incredibly happy and sad), but seeing his tininess and knowing I couldn't be there made me hurt so bad. Jason and I have brainstormed ways we could convince all the ones we love to move here with us, but I just don't think it's going to happen. ;P A perfect world wouldn't be so big. I've said to a few people that there is no perfect solution anymore, now that my family is spread so far (and that includes our friends since they very much became family in the absence of having our families nearby). My heart will be torn no matter where I am.

Adorable baby Samuel in one of my favorite onesies

I am adjusting to being a stay-at-home mommy (for now, at least). The August/September transition was a bit strange for me. For the first time since kindergarten the back-to-school ads and hype did NOT apply to me! And even as such I was apparently not immune to the back-to-school nightmares. For me it's always a dream in which I end up being forced to teach a high school class. If you know me well, that says enough. If you don't know me well, let's just say the one year I spent teaching high school probably scarred me for life. ;P In any case, I'm enjoying being able to spend time with the boys as well as spend some time taking care of myself. I've been doing some yoga classes, which I've really enjoyed, and my lung function has been higher than it's been in a while.

Drew has been adjusting very well. He still talks about a couple of his friends from Georgia, but he's always happy to report he now has another best friend (who happens to live right across the street- awesome!). His new friend is a few years older, but graciously plays with Drew. The two seem to have very similar thinker/reader personalities, so they get along well.

Drew's not in preschool this year even though most children start prekindergarten at age 4; because of the timing of our move (plus the loss of my income and higher prices here), we just weren't able to swing the Pre-K thing this year. I'm "homeschooling" him, and it's very much a quote/unquote kind of thing. I was really good about it for about 2 weeks, and since then... well... he spelled watermelon randomly on his own, so I'm just going to hold on to that and hope I'm not screwing him up. ;) In any case, he's been more or less teaching himself to read, sounding out short words or picking out the words he recognizes in the books we read. Our biggest concern is that he refuses to hold a pencil in anything but a death grip; by this point children ought to be getting close to the "tripod" pencil grasp. He's never been very interested in coloring or drawing, so has very little hand strength and control (I won't deny that some of that probably has to do with the use of the iPad- as much as we limit his time with it, I know it's still had an impact). I've been trying to encourage him to build with Legos or Unifix cubes and to do little activities with tweezers or tongs to help strengthen his hands in hopes that his writing skills will develop alongside his reading skills.

Otherwise Drew is just enjoying being a 4-year-old. I am still reminded daily that this child is a near duplicate of me, but I do love to watch him think, play, and grow. His favorite thing right now is superheroes even though he's never watched Batman, Superman, or any of those other comic-book character shows. His two favorite shows are Team Umizoomi and Paw Patrol, both of which involve a team of characters that help "save" people, and I think that's where his main superhero obsession comes from. He plays pretend all day long and he's quite often a superhero that has to save someone. I think those are some of my favorite moments in the day- watching Drew go off into his own world and seeing his imagination shining.

Here are some adorable pictures my neighbor took of Superhero Drew during trick-or-treating. (Another neighbor had piled their leaves for pick-up on the sidewalk instead of the road)

Even Superheroes fall

But they always get back up again.
And yes, he really was this happy. :) No posing here.

James is growing up much too fast. It's hard to believe he's two already! He loves to do anything his big brother is doing, which is cute at times (when he wants to clean up his dishes after meals) and frustrating at other times (he's ready to give up his booster seat, crib, etc. because of Drew, but we're not ready). The two of them mostly get along, though, of course, they have plenty of fights as well. I actually recently took away ALL their toys in hopes of calming the incessant fighting over stuff. Turns out it's not the stuff that's the problem as they quickly began fighting over things like hangers and car window shades. :P And for the record, before anyone thinks I'm cruel or something, I do plan to give the toys back. It was kind of an experiment/lesson (and let's just say I'm probably the one doing most of the learning).

James is talking more and more each day, and starting to string words together. He now says "truck" quite clearly (instead of with an "f" sound at the beginning) which is both fortunate, and sad. Walking down busy streets with a toddler screaming the f-word is quite embarrassing, but I will admit we all got a bit of a kick out of it, and there's the growing up part that makes me sad. I remember when Drew used to say "aw-hum" for awesome, and how sad I was when one day he suddenly said "aweSome!".



James is proving to be quite a sweetheart. A lot of people think he has a football-player build, and because of that they assume he's a tough guy. While he does play much rougher and harder than Drew did, he's still a softy. If anyone gets a bump, says "ow!", or even just coughs or sneezes, James will ask, "Mommy okay?" (or "Drew okay?" or "Daddy okay?") with a very concerned look and will not rest until you say, "yes, I'm okay" at which point he says, "okay!" and happily goes back to playing (as someone who coughs a lot, this can get old. ;P). He's also a bit of a neat freak. While Drew likes to line things up and organize them (but could care less about clutter), James is the one who can't stand a mess. If he spills a drop of milk on himself or on the table he screams until he gets a paper towel to clean it up. If a crayon (that he's not using) falls to the floor while coloring, he just can't continue until he picks it up.

We've done a bit of traveling in the last couple of months. I've made two trips to Georgia (solo!), one to sell our house, and one to visit Stacey's new baby boy. We also made a trip up to Canada for my cousin's wedding and had a great time visiting family. I'll hopefully do a post soon with some travel pictures. I have some beautiful ones from Canada that I know my grandma would like to see (though I've already shared quite a few here).

We're buckling in for the coming winter. I keep hearing it's going to be a harsh one. Either way, we've already been shocked by the cold weather that's already come (snow on Halloween!?). Neither of us are completely foreign to it, Jason having lived in Wisconsin until he was 12 and me having lived in Canada until I was 10, but approaching it as adults who will have to shovel driveways, clear cars, and bundle children will definitely be an experience. I am definitely looking forward to doing things with the kids like sledding, building snowmen, and skating, though... all the things I missed when we moved to Georgia. Let's just hope it's not the bitterly cold winter they predict that will make all of that rather difficult...

Because Science

As a mother of a child with allergies, I doubt it would be a shock that an article titled "Scientists May Have Discovered How to Stop Your Peanut Allergies for Good" caught my eye. You can read the article here.

For some reason I believed the article had been shared by the "I F***ing Love Science" Facebook page, a source that I deem fairly reputable and reliable (though I don't always share the same opinion as the author on every topic). So when I began reading that a study proved that use of antibiotics early in life leads to food allergies, I immediately knew that was the answer I'd been looking for. After all, it sounded logical-- antibiotics kill a naturally-occurring batcteria in our gut that helps prevent food allergies-- and it made sense with my experience. Though I did use antibiotics both while pregnant with Drew and while nursing him, I didn't use nearly as many as I did with James. I had a different doctor when I had James and since I was struggling with keeping up my lung function, he had reassured me that the antibiotics I was already taking (many of which I stopped when pregnant with and nursing Drew) were actually safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I also went through three bouts of mastitis that required antibiotics with James, and did IV antibiotics while nursing him (that I was assured were safe) to treat a CF exacerbation. It seemed to make sense and answered that always-lurking question of, "what did I do wrong?"

:(

The article also dangled a gleaming carrot in front of me- a special (not on the market yet) probiotic that would CURE James' allergies!

Wait... sounds too good to be true usually means too good to be true, right? I looked back to find the source that had shared this article and found that it wasn't the Facebook science page, it was a "crunchy mom blog". I have nothing against crunchy mom blogs (especially seeing as my own blog leans in that direction), but it definitely wasn't the source I had thought it was. Thankfully I have a sister that not only does medical research, but happens to work in the field of immunology, which deals with allergies and asthma, who I could turn to to ask questions about the validity of the information presented in the article.

I've been seeing this article floating around a lot since I read it (who wouldn't be excited if they or their kids have allergies!?), so I asked Laura if she'd mind if I shared her email response to me about its validity and claims. Her response has a lot of helpful information in it, not only in relation to this specific article, but also in terms of how we interpret "medical research data" that is presented to us. I have shared publicly before that I am easily swayed by "data" when it comes to anything "natural"; I have a somewhat subconscious bias against doctors, medicine, and "unnatural chemicals" (which is kind of ironic given that I literally survive off doctors, medicine, and their "unnatural chemicals"), so it helps to be reminded that science has a method and a purpose.

This was Laura's response to the article:

Hi Diane, 

I'm really glad you emailed me about this, as this is my particular field of expertise. This is a legitimate science paper in a mostly reputable journal, but both the article and the blog are grossly overstating what the data shows. The data supports the idea that antibiotics change the microbiome present in the gut, and that changes in the microbiome correlate with changes in allergen sensitivities. This is very different from saying "scientists may have discovered how to stop your peanut allergies for good." They did not develop a cure for allergies, and they did not discover the cause of allergies. 

Keep in mind that allergies and asthma have a very strong genetic component, so the fact that both you and Jason have allergies, even if they're not food allergies, mean that both Drew and James were at high risk for developing allergies anyways. It sucks that James developed food allergies, but based on just this paper I don't think you should assume that James' food allergies developed as a result of antibiotics. 

Some notes about the paper, that might help you determine your position on it: 

1) The journal that this article is in, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is a decent journal, but has a particularly weird form of publishing. If the author is in the National Academy of Sciences, or if they know someone who is in it, they can do a "direct submission" and choose one "reviewer" for their paper. That is exactly what happened with this paper. They did a direct submission and chose their reviewer, who is in the National Academy of Sciences, and happens to be at the same institution. This doesn't mean the paper is wrong, or that it doesn't have merits, but it does mean that fewer people were able to check the author's claims on what the data says before it was published. Time will tell if this paper stands up against critics. 

2) Mice are not people. The systems we use to give mice "allergies" are very contrived. While they are a good place to start, and can help us figure out some mechanisms of development of allergies, they definitely have their faults. The microbes that colonize the mouse gut are completely different from people. Also, the dose of antibiotics they give to mice is far higher than people would generally receive. All of these things mean that, although the paper might have accurate data in their mouse models, the hypotheses have to be tested in people before conclusions can be drawn. 

3) The authors claim a "conflict of interest", because they put in a patent, probably for the particular combination of microbes to put in probiotics. This probably led to their exaggerated claims on the importance of their findings. 

All that being said, I don't think that trying probiotics is a bad idea. There haven't been any negative effects shown yet, and it has become very obvious that altering the gut microbiota can lead to changes in the immune system, which is what is responsible for allergies. However, I don't think you should spend a ton of money or time on it when there hasn't yet been a clinical trial testing the effects of probiotics on the development or treatment of allergies or asthma.  

Most importantly, please don't second guess giving the kids antibiotics when they're needed [emphasis mine]. You should make sure you have a pediatrician that doesn't just prescribe antibiotics for any little ailment, but they are incredibly important tools for treating infectious diseases.  Also, your use of antibiotics was necessary for your health, and still is, so take them when you need to. 

Basically, what you should take away from the above article is this:
1) Yes, the study is somewhat valid, but it does not meet the claims of discovering the cause of allergies or presenting a cure for them.
2) Probiotics may help, but it's not worth an extreme monetary or time investment at this point.
3) DO NOT FEAR antibiotics. They should be used judiciously, but they are important for treating and preventing spread of some diseases.

And the overall takeaway from Laura's message, for me anyway, is this:
Ask questions. Who said it, what did they say, why did they say it, how did they come to that conclusion, where did they publish it...? As a non-scientist, it is easy to believe information that is presented in what seems to be a logical, data-supported manner, especially if it fits with my preconceived notions. But it is important to question the validity of the information before making large (and especially possibly harmful) changes to your behaviors, diet, or routine. Yes, I'm about to make my own deodorant because I've read claims that antiperspirants cause cancer (or Alzheimer's?) and that preventing the body from sweating isn't "natural", but in my opinion homemade deodorant isn't going to harm me (it's made of foods we eat) or anyone else (except maybe their noses if it doesn't work as well as it's supposed to). Choosing not to use antibiotics (or vaccines or sunscreen...) could harm me or my children. I'm not trying to start a debate with or criticize anyone who has a strong opinion on one of these topics; I simply would like to share that it is important to make sure you trust your information. Thankfully I have a sister I can rely on for that. ;)

EDIT: I found this information fairly easily when I clicked the link in the article to the study. Even without having to read the stuff that doesn't make sense to me, simply scrolling to the footnotes showed:

• Conflict of interest statement: A provisional US patent application (61/937952) was filed on February 10, 2014.
• *This Direct Submission article had a prearranged editor.

Home Sweet Home

I posted a rather long and rambling Facebook status a few days ago as I mourned the sale of our first home. Today I share a bit of history of our new house.

I have a lot of plans for this house, especially for the outside- it is in desperate need of some landscaping, and possibly better exterior paint colors (...eventually...). And at some point I'll post some pictures of the inside, once we get a few more projects done (and boxes unpacked). But, for now, this is what we call home.

And this home of ours has an interesting history. Its former (and only) owner was previously the mayor of Naperville. When I first learned that, I thought, "well, that's neat". But I know there have been many mayors, so I didn't think it was that notable. Little did I know...

Mayor Chester Rybicki, the previous owner of our home, stands on the right in this statue in downtown Naperville. 

In my last post I mentioned the beautiful Riverwalk that runs through the downtown area of our city. Mayor Rybicki is considered to be one of the the men that helped make it happen. Before the Riverwalk, the banks of the river running through Naperville were apparently an unsightly mess- oil tanks, salt piles, trash. But Mayor Rybicki envisioned cleaning up the banks of the river and turning them into a beautiful walking path, and he helped see that vision into fruition. Many today consider the Riverwalk to be one of the town's main attractions.

Enjoying the view on the Riverwalk

He was known for being very active in the community; even after his time as mayor, he continued to serve and participate in discussions and planning. And our neighbors have shared that "Chet" was a very kind and friendly man. You can read a bit more about him (and see video) here.

As I've read and learned about Mayor Rybicki, I can't help but feel a little more attached to our house and the history that it has. It is a modest house (I believe you've seen the pictures of the former kitchen), but that's what I love- I always imagine people in positions of power living in grand, over-the-top homes. Ours is certainly more than sufficient, but it is also simple and homey. The kitchen and some of the upstairs bath are now updated, but aside from a cozy family room addition the mayor added in (approximately) the 1980s, the house is mostly original from when it was built in 1960; no fancy remodels or renovations. 

The former kitchen
You have to admit it looked pretty great for being 50

Mr. Rybicki was mayor during Naperville's largest period of growth, and he was an important part of making this a bright, lively town. I hope we bring life and joy to this house that would have made him proud.

Around town

Since visiting my parents that very first summer (and every subsequent visit since) I've said to Jason how amazing it would be to live in Naperville. Truly the sole reason that actually brought us was to be closer to family, but I can't say that the area itself didn't have a certain lure. There is a beautiful downtown shopping area with unique restaurants and shops, a scenic Riverwalk along the West Branch of the DuPage river, one of the best library systems in the country offering plenty of children's activities, an in-demand public school system, plus the pool, Arboretum, Children's Museum, plenty of playgrounds within walking distance... all making this a very family-friendly area.

Though we haven't been out to explore these offerings as much as I would like, in between unpacking we've definitely been out and about having fun. I already shared pictures from our day at the Arboretum, but check out some of our other Naperville adventures:

The DuPage Children's Museum is about 5-10 minutes from our house. Its goal is to develop creativity, curiosity, thinking, and problem-solving in young children. Drew got a year-long membership from Grandma and Grandpa for his birthday, so we will definitely be spending plenty of time here.

Mirror maze

He spent at least an hour here watching the "contraption"

This past week the DuPage County Fair was in town. They had a little area called "Ag-venture Land" where children could learn all about different aspects of farming. We saw chicks hatching, a sheep being sheared, and yarn being spun. We used old machines to de-kernel cobs of corn and then to grind it into corn meal. We rode tractors, saw all sorts of different farm animals on display, and we even watched a pig race. Of course we rode some rides and enjoyed some oh-so-bad-for-you-but-oh-so-delicious fair food, but it was fun to explore the other side of the fair that I've always tended to ignore.

Watching chicks hatch

Petting zoo

My mom with a red-tailed hawk

Merry-go-round

On the Ferris wheel

Drew's first roller coaster. He was only slightly terrified. :P

Centennial Pool and beach, also about 5 minutes from our house, is an old rock quarry that was turned into a pool in 1932. It is a huge pool with a large deep end with diving boards, slides, and little islands you can swim to, but the part we enjoy is the sand sloping down to the zero-entry area of the pool. Though the weather has been beautifully cooler than home, we've still had some warm days, and this particular Sunday was one of them so we figured a dip in the pool would be perfect. Both Jason and I forgot our phones at home that day, so no pictures until we got home, but I had to snag one of my boys in their adorable poncho towels.

I am sure there will be plenty more adventures to come, but I do have a specific one in mind for this week that I hope to post about soon. It includes some history about our town AND our house!