Life at the Mango's

I have been feeling terribly uninspired when it comes to writing. I feel like I have been in survival mode and my creativity has fled. I am trying to be a bit more disciplined and will do better in the future. Stay tuned, things may start happening fast.

The children find joy wherever they see it. They get lots of giggles, even if it is from a funny shaped potato. They thought this one looked like Mr. Magoo or Ziggy.

Elizabeth likes to help Michelle with her babysitting jobs. She thinks she is one of the big kids now. She will have her sixth birthday this month. She is learning to play chess. She has done pretty well with checkers for awhile. She likes Skyping her cousins in the Philippines and then playing games with them. The children have a good time together even if they are located on the opposite sides of the world. The clocks are opposite too. Our children are going to bed as they are getting up. It makes for some interesting conversations... "What are you going to do today?" "Go to bed." "Oh yeah... what did you do today then?" Then the conversation takes off.

Michelle is investigating starting a business making cake pops. They taste incredible and are incredibly bad for you. That girl just can't seem to get away from the desserts, even though she never eats them. These were chocolate dipped in chocolate tinted orange. They were supposed to be pumpkins, but they didn't quite turn out to look that way. They tasted great and they disappeared at AWANA.

I love autumn and Dallas loves leaves. He really wishes that we wouldn't gather them up and get rid of them. I am a football fan and really like OSU. I was sad when they lost. I could go on and on, but I will spare you all my rantings and ravings.

I have been amazed at some of God's answers to prayer. It never turns out how we expect, but it is always right and good. He has so much creativity and He uses it abundantly. There is never the same sunset twice.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Mom

Red Hot CHili Peppers

We had red hot chili peppers in our garden this year. We tried serving them to a good friend who is of Mexican descent and he pronounced them too hot to eat. He would only touch his fork to them and then put it in the food to eat it. He was impressed and warned us that they were dangerous to have around.

The other day T-Bob came SCREAMING in the house. Apparently, he had been messing with the peppers and got some on his sleeve. He then had proceeded to wipe the sleeve across his face and get the oils on his eyelids and lip. He made quite the noise. JoAn immediately put his face under the faucet and had cold water run over it. This gave very little relief.

Then Michelle came in and announced that milk was the proper antidote. We started dabbing the milk on and in just a few seconds, he felt much better. It took about 10 minutes before it felt OK without the milk on it.

SOOOO the next time you run into the oils from very hot peppers, flush the area with milk for the quickest relief.

~Mom

How To Get a Great Deal on Legos

I've found that Legos are quite a hot item among homeschooling families, but where do they get them? Sure, they get a few for birthday presents, but if you're a big Lego fan, you'll notice that some people have many high dollar sets. Where do they get all those bricks? Well, speaking from experience, Probably the biggest sources are GARAGE SALES, Craigslist, and various deals at the local retail shops.

Now the next big question. How do I get a good deal on legos?

Craigslist-If you go to your local Craigslist website, and type in the key word Lego, you will come up with quite a few results Which, at least in my area are mostly video games. However a few of those leads will bring forth the results you want and lead to Lego bargains. If you think that the Legos in the ad are overpriced respond anyway. A lot of the time they are willing to haggle or barter.

Garage Sales- Recently garage sales have had more overpriced Legos. Most of the time, if they want to actually get rid of the stuff, they will come down in price.We have a few "professional" garage sales in our area. 90% of the time these people will not haggle, so if you're on a tight schedule, don't waste your time. If you're having trouble finding any garage sales try the classifieds in your local newspaper or craigslist.

Store Deals- How do you find deals in your local store? ONLINE. There are so many websites out there telling about good deals on Lego. As with all websites many of them are junk, so be careful and get a good content filter. The one I use is Toys N Bricks. I have found its information to be reliable and even though you have to become a member to view parts of it and participate in contests. I have gotten no spam in my 9 months of membership(Though it might just be because I use Gmail) If you get advertisements from local retail shops such as ToysRU and Walmart you might find some good deals there too. If you are a Borders rewards member (It is free to join), that is another good way as they send out many 33 and 40%of coupons that you can use on Legos.

I hope this information was helpful,

-Thomas.

What Should I be Eating?

I am in the process of putting together a brief Nutrition course for a girl's camp in a couple weeks. I am trying to organize and put together the different sessions. I thought I would do a couple posts on what I am going to be teaching.



Many people come to me with questions re what they should be eating. It is so confusing. This person says eat this while somebody else says that it is a big mistake to eat that. Who does one believe? Good question. I used to struggle with that question too. I have had to come up with an answer, and simple works for me.



Here are my basic principles:

1. If humans have ALWAYS eaten something, at least for the last 150 years, then it is OK to eat. If we have only started eating it more recently, then it is probably NOT good for you.
2. No sugar or white trash (white rice, pasta, white flour, white bread, etc.)
3. No Corn syrup or corn sugar (they are changing the name)
4. Nothing hydrogenated. If it says hydrogenated on the label, then DON'T eat it!
5. No Soy - Oil or flour.

That's it. Any diet works that eliminates processed foods and simple carbohydrates. You can put anybody's name on it and people will lose weight and get healthier if they eat it.

The other thing that is important is to eat enough healthy fats, minerals and protein.

Bon Appetite!
~Mom