Step Out for Diabetes

This was our family's third year walking in the Step Out for Diabetes walk in Baton Rouge. We have so many friends and family affected by diabetes we like to show our support by walking for the cure. This year's walk unfortunately coincided with some important football game so the turnout was low but we still had a good time.

 After the Step Out walk, we scooted on over to Perkins Rowe for the arts festival. They had a lot for the kids to do. They were mesmerized by the living statues. The kids bounced the bounce house, got balloon animals, face paint, watched guys on stilts juggling, and decorated more pumpkins with paint pens. It was a beautiful day and a relaxing way to inspire creativity in the children.

Pumpkin Birthday Party

I can hardly believe our baby big boy is five years old! He wanted a pumpkin party for his birthday so we combined his birthday with his friend turning 4 and had a big ol' hay ride pumpkin party. We invited their Sunday school classes and we had a good turn out of friends and family. We decorated pumpkins, roasted marshmallows over charcoal in flower pots (thanks Pinterest), bobbed for apples, played pin the nose on the pumpkin, went on a real hayride, ate hot dogs, and of course cake, ice cream and presents! I think we all had a real good time.

We picked out pumpkins for our guests to decorate from Blackwater Church pumpkin patch.

We ate out on his actual birthday. Brother made this picture at Canes.

So happy Mamaw and Papaw could come from Georgia for our party!

We love you so much birthday boy!

Soap Solution

Now that it's back to flu school season I am constantly reminding my family to wash hands. In fact, washing your hands is the easiest and most effective way to prevent infectious disease. The Centers for Disease Control says, "Hand hygiene is the first line of defense against a pandemic, the common cold, the flu, SARS, foodborne illnesses, and other infectious diseases. Adherence to proper hand hygiene is proven to prevent outbreaks in healthcare facilities, reduce transmission of antimicrobial resistant organisms, and reduce overall infection rates."

I noticed the regular soap pump was hard for younger kids to mash down with wet hands, not to mention the top of the pump was covered in dirt and germs and who knows what else (eww, gross!). I didn't want to pay the $30-$50 for a refillable automatic soap dispenser from stores. I purchased the Lysol automatic soap dispenser (around $8) and love it. The kids get just the right amount of soap and they like washing their hands because it comes out by itself "like magic". The only problem is that the small refill cartridges only last 2-3 weeks around here and they are not cheap (around $4 each). My solution...have my husband drill about a half inch hole in the top of the soap refill cartridge so I can refill it myself with regular antibacterial dish soap! You can get a bottle of dish soap for about $1 and it should refill the little soap dispenser at least twice. That's saving us about $72 a year! I'll stop there at risk of sounding like a presidential candidate (at least mine is a real savings plan).