Toddler Mutant Ninja Daughter

We are in a serious Ninja Turtle phase here. Although I do aspire to attain high parental ideals like home-schooling, nighttime prayers and organic eating... some things are just too cute not to allow.
<--- "Leonardo" asked for cereal pizza for breakfast yesterday, what was I to do?

Cleaning Bathrooms

There are certain chores that one cannot help but dread. Although we do it all "as unto the Lord", it is totally human to not want to clean the family bathrooms. I had been postponing it for weeks - I figured I needed to do it when both kiddos were simultaneously napping, but who was I kidding, this is valuable Mommy time!! So in the end, Viv had the best 90 minutes of her life helping me scrub both bathrooms (even if I am still trying to get the suds off of our guest bathroom floor from her, over-exuberant, mopping.) Three is a great age, please remind me that I said that in a darker hour in the future, thank you.

Blogette Sister

I am very proud of my younger sister, Quinn. She has taken some time off from college in order to spend two months living in Lima, Peru. She plans to hone her Spanish-speaking skills and do some meaningful volunteer work to boot. As a super-duper bonus she gets to live with the some of the most amazing people I have ever known. Enjoy her blog here and please keep her and the lives she touches over the next weeks in your prayers.

Thank the Lord for Good Strollers

Grandma and Grandpa blessed us with a wonderful New Zealand-manufactured double stroller. In these lovely spring days I find that I have no excuse for feeling cooped up- my kiddos love riding around in this puppy. It even has a full on darkening screen contraption that makes Seth cozy as a pea and Vivian even more talkative than usual. Today there were such questions as "will you sing me "God Bless America?" when we saw an American flag." and "why do people litter?" Thank you, Mom. This thing will remain a family staple in the Loeffert family.

The nightmare that is thrush

How I found myself in a small Alabama town with a newborn son and no healthcare for either of us is a story for another time, however, I write this post to share my , hard-won, knowledge of the condition that is thrush. We noticed the white gunk inside Seth's mouth a week after his birth, but weren't too bothered by it because he wasn't. Then I started getting excruciating pain every time he would latch on to nurse. Something had to be done! We read every online doctor and holistic medicine site out there and learned of the Gentian Violet cure. This is an alcohol suspension (low percentage) of a powerfully colored antifungal (thrush is a yeast infection that can get passed back and forth from baby to mother for ages) that you are supposed to paint on the baby's thrush and the mother's nipples. We did it, it worked, I just wanted to share this unforgettable picture from my poor second-borne's childhood. I will spare you the pictures of my purple parts.

1st Blog attempt

In our college days, I looked to most of the women on this blogfor inspiration and support in my growth as a Catholic young woman. Nonetheless, I always felt like I was the one running into Bible Study late, or falling short in my lifestyle choices. Now, here I am, five years later, and I again find inspiration and support from all of you across the distance. I truly believe that God has guided my life into the position it is now, so that I find myself out of the Army and at home with two children and a husband who need me to be their rock. The military will continue to guide our lives for the next many years, but with me at home as a mommy it will no longer have the power to reek havoc on our lives as it did with two Army officer parents. I am ready to focus all my efforts on building beautiful cathedrals in the eyes of my children and husband. I love you ladies, for finding the time to create such an inspiring blog. Cheers!