We got back from our vacation in El Salvador a few weeks back and I did not get the chance to post about it until now. All-in-all it was a really nice place to visit. Elsy’s family is very nice and it’s really a beautiful place. I took a lot of pictures and posted some of them below. I took some of them with the intent to create black and white photos but have not had the chance to convert them yet. I will post them when I get the chance.

Before traveling to El Salvador I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was kind of expecting it to be like Mexico which in a way it was but at the same time it was quite different . The biggest difference was it is a whole lot cleaner then the place I had been in Mexico (TJ, Ensenada, San Felipe). The people are also very nice and make you feel welcome. It ended up being nice then I expected.

The city that we stayed in was Zacatecoluca which according to Wikipedia is the manufacturing center of El Salvador. Wikipedia also mentions that it has a population of around 62,000 people which is a little surprising to me since Round Rock is about the same size. While there we traveled to a beach area near San Luis La Herradura and also went to the large cite of San Salvador.

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The friends that we have made are great. The Sorenson’s are wonderful. The husband and wife are close to our age and their kids are our kids age. They have two and Dan and I have 3 and that is the only difference. We can sit and talk just about anything with them and I feel we have known them for ever.

Our kids are best friends and I can see the boys hanging out in high school and the girls be best friends and talk about boys they like and do everything together like sisters.

They are truly friends that we always wanted to have in California but never had the time to do meet.

This is another thing that we could not have if we did not live here in Texas, not to say that we could not find and make friends in a different place but this is where we belong. This is where we were meant to be.

Life in Texas 2 years and 8 months later is great. We love our house, our life here, the neighborhood, the friends we’ve made, the things we’ve done and experienced.

My 3rd child was born here. My kids have made friends here as well as my parents, my husband and I. We are plugged in a church and we feel like family. The city of Round Rock Texas is a city made just for us. When we first came here things were a little hard but we found the church, made friends and started growing here after being planted.

I still drive thru county roads just to see the cows and the open fields and that same feeling I had when I did that the first time is still there. I love it here.

Life in Texas 2 years and 8 month later is truly great!

All of my three little ones are in preschool.  My kids love to go to school and I love all that going to school does for them. Sometimes we as parents tend to over protect our kids and not expose them to a healthy and needed social environment. School does that for them. My 2 year old was not liking to be in crowed places and of course I did not want to make him uncomfortable so I kept him from crowed places. Since he started school he is more flexible and willing to take chances.

He tries to engage children his own age and older with play and is not afraid of strangers as much.  He does not like me to leave him at school but once he is there he enjoys himself. School teaches them to share and work with peers as group. It teaches them to resolve conflict and deal with situations that are not comfortable or even a little scary. It builds there self esteem and problem solving skills.

My 2 year old learned something about himself. He learned that he enjoys playing with dirt. He has lots and lots of fun doing that. I would have never let him do that but seeing at school and how much he enjoys himself I am ok with that. I don’t care if there clothes gets dirty with dirt or paint or food from cooking as long as they are discovering, having fun, and learning as they go.

For me it is a financial stretch for them to be in Preschool but it is worth it. There will be better of when they go to school and when things get difficult as adults. They will have learned valuable lessons very young.

I am working at the Church. My kids go to the Mother’s Day Out there and I assist one of the  teachers twice a week for 4 hours. I am learning a lot and I enjoy being close to the kids.

My 2 year old gets really exited about going to school. I think he misses going on the other days that we are at home. He does not say much but I can tell he just wants to go when he sees everyone getting ready in the morning.

My 4 year old always asks to stay with me in the class I assist instead of going to his classroom. I tell my husband jokingly that he has Mammasitis. But once he is in his classroom with his friends and forgets all about me until he sees me at the playground.

I really do like working at the church. It gives me a little adult interaction that I need even if it is 4 hours twice a week in the center of a class full of 3 year olds.

I It is now October and Halloween is just around the corner. I have three little ones that will be dressing up. My two year old is all set. He will be spider man, that was easy. He does not ask for anything or has a preference for any particular character. My 3 year old is a cute little girls but acts a lot like a boy and she is always more difficult then my 2 year old. But I think a fairy costume will do for her this year.

Her costume is very colorful unlike the pastel colors that most fairy costumes come in, this one I believe goes better with her personality.

Now my 4 year old is very out spoken about his likes and dislikes. The problem with that is that one week he wants to be a knight, another week he wants to be a clone from star wars, he sees the spider man costume his brother has and thinks he would like to be spider man instead.

He was very strong on the knight costume and I thought for sure it was a done deal. I bought the material for his outfit, bought a swore, a shield and needed only the helmet and now he is saying he wants something else. I think that I will make his costume and hope that ones he puts it on he will be happy.

Either way I know he will be happy with whatever is given to him the day off Halloween. He just gets so exited and for him this is a hard decision to make. He is a very grateful and happy child and I do want him to be happy.  But with that, if I find something that is just a “got to have” I may buy something different for him.

For them three Halloween is not even about the candy, well maybe it is for my little girl, but it is mostly about dressing up and the experience of walking down the street and seeing all the parents with their children out on the street that night.

Dump the Drugs

Do you pop over-the-counter painkillers on a regular basis to alleviate afternoon tension headaches?  Do you run to the medicine cabinet after working out in search of relief from muscle soreness? Does your morning routine include guzzling several cups of coffee?

Symptoms such as headaches, back pain, muscle soreness, fatigue and restlessness are messages from your body screaming that something is amiss.  If you’re relying on drugs to cover up symptoms, you’re ignoring your own inner wisdom, disrespecting your body and sabotaging your health goals.

Never discontinue the use of prescription medication without consulting the doctor who prescribed it.  However, you may choose to clean your cabinets of over-the-counter painkillers and commit to addressing the cause of your health ailments- rather than merely masking symptoms.  You may also want to consider all-natural alternatives, such as nutritional supplements.  Ask your chiropractor to assist you in this endeavor.

In addition to taking a hard look at your use of medication, consider any reliance on nicotine, caffeine, alcohol or "recreational" drugs.

If you need help breaking a substance addiction, ask your chiropractor for a referral to treatment program in the community.  For information on the misuse of antibiotic drugs, check out Beyond Antibiotics by Michael A. Schmidt (North Atlantic Books)

Challenge for this week- reconsider you use of unnecessary medication and reliance on drugs

Genesis is doing very well in school.  I am very happy.  She is talking, saying more and more words every day.  I think that having her around other kids makes her be at the level they are.

For Easter, she had a really good time.  The kids partied all day long.  Doing different activities and I know she enjoyed that.  She loves to color and to paint and any type of craft that you have her do.  She always tries her best.  She is starting to cut with scissors and that makes her very happy.

I am so proud of her.

Week 2- Stamp Out Stress

Emotional Stress- the hallmark of today’s society- is linked with a myriad of ailments, including vertebral subluxation, heart disease, stroke, cancer, infertility, headaches, depression and insomnia.

This week, start stamping out stress by re-evaluating your daily schedule.  Get creative.  Free up some time by organizing a school carpool with similarly harried parents.  Consider swapping babysitting time with a neighbor or hiring a local teenager to take over some household chores.

Next, make a list of three obligations you can cancel or delegate to others this week.  For many, learning to turn down requests is difficult.  Here are a few tips to help you say "NO".

-Wait 24 hours before responding to a substantial request for your time

-Repeat to yourself over and over again, "It’s ok to say ‘no’ to stress-inducing commitments that will interfere with my well-being".

-Refuse to give in when pushy persuaders become crusaders for your time

-Create a "saying no script" you are comfortable with.  Explain that you are focusing on boosting your level of health, and that means carving out additional time for yourself to prevent stress.

-Use the "broken record" technique with those who pester you repeatedly.  This means responding to each attempt to change your mind with an identical script.

After you’ve carved out more time in your routine, investigate stress-reduction techniques, and choose one to practice for at least 15 minutes, three time per week.  Techniques to consider include yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, t’ai chi, biofeedback, writing in a journal/blog or engaging in a hobby or craft you enjoy.

If you need help choosing a stress-reduction technique, ask your chiropractor for advice.  Doctors of chiropractic can help you choose the right technique for your lifestyle and provide referrals for related courses in the community.  The Moms Network (www.momsnetwork.com) and the At Home Dad Network (www.athomedad.com) provide winning time-management suggestions for stay-at-home parents.  For more information on the saying "no" effectively, check out Conversationally Speaking by Alan Garner (Lowell House) or How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty by Patti Breitman (Doubleday).

Challenge for this week- reconsider your schedule and adopt a stress-reduction regime.

Good Luck!

Week 1-  Start With The Spine

Doctors of chiropractic believe that the spine is the foundation of health.  Unfortunately, even many so-called "holistic" health strategists often overlook this vital key to wellness.  That is why it is so important to start with a chiropractic checkup.

Chiropractic care focuses on detecting and correcting dysfunctional regions in the spine called vertebral subluxations- a condition that occurs when motion is restricted or spinal bones (vertebrae) are out of alignment.  Vertebral subluxations are associated with a myriad of health issues, such as headaches, back pain, neck pain, ear infections, and carpal tunnel syndrome among other things.  Chiropractors eliminate vertebral subluxations with adjustments (gentle maneuvers to the spine).  Scientific studies show that chiropractic adjustments effectively correct and prevent vertebral subluxations and the conditions associated with them.