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Saturday is the last day of National Police Week 2011. Most likely, you were unaware of it at all, but as a police family, it was on our minds. In Washington, D.C., 316 names were added to the Memorial Wall. Thursday night, my husband had the honor of singing at our local Police Officer Memorial hosted by our church. Law enforcement officers from surrounding areas showed up to represent their departments. 

Flashing red and blue lights filled the parking lot for the length of the ceremony, to shine as a beacon, while the color guard stood watch. The atmosphere inside was solemn as we listened to the melancholy sound of the bagpipes and songs of  "A Few Good Men" sung by humble heroes. All was quiet as we lit candles to remember the fallen officers and honor the families they left behind. Then we moved outside to still flashing lights and silent men standing guard. The night air was pierced and the silence broken by the ritual blast of rifles, then a lone man called out in the dark "Officers 10-7."

Natural Candy Store

It's everywhere! It's everywhere!

As a mom who tries to feed my boys healthy, natural foods, it can be very difficult to handle the candy situation. In the past, I've tried to eliminate it, control it, demonize it, confiscate it, but candy is a HUGE part of our culture. You cannot go anywhere without finding it. Mints with your dinner bill. Candy displays at every check-out. Gumball machines near the door of every restaurant and store in town. Suckers at the doctor's office and the bank. Handfuls of candy thrown at you during parades. Kids bringing it home from school and parties. Commercialized holidays that seem to center on it. Well-meaning, but uninformed grandparents...Ahem.

So, I have taken turns being lenient about candy and all-together throwing my hands up in the air. One of my favorite things to keep around (when we can afford them) are YummyEarth organic lollipops. We all love them, every flavor, but the ones that usually go first are the blueberry and the pomegranate. Until now, other than the occasional organic chocolate or xylitol gum from the health food store, that was the only natural candy I had to offer my kids. Today, I was lucky enough to stumble upon NaturalCandyStore.com. I was so excited to find a one-stop shop that offers candy with no high-fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or dyes, no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, and no preservatives. And the selection is NOT limited to a few varieties or brands. There are chocolates, candy bars, hard candies, gummies, candy sprinkles for baking, marshmallow creme, fudge...you get the idea. 

So you can see why I was excited! Yes, it's a bit more expensive. Yes, it's still sugar. But if you have a choice, why not choose the better option? Think of how much less guilt you will have, especially during the holidays. Of course, if your child is allergic to corn or is sensitive to artificial colors, then you'll have a way to still indulge them with a sweet treat from time to time. With every order, you can choose a free sample (or four!). And when you sign up for their newsletter, you will be entered into a monthly drawing for a $50 gift certificate.

Now, I know you are just itching to click the link to see if they have your sweet tooth's your kids' favorite treat. 

Disclaimer: This post was prompted by my own excitement and I will earn a $5 gift certificate for any new order placed through the NaturalCandyStore.com links.

Lego Creation Thursday 5/19/11

IB is seven and that is in the peak age range for building with Legos. It usually starts at around five years old and slows down around twelve or so, in my experience. When I saw this link-up, I knew that I would have to participate because IB has been insisting on taking pictures of his Lego creations lately. He just didn't know what to do with them afterwards. Now we have a way to share them with the world! When I showed him the blog link-up and explained what I was going to do, he ran off to his room to make another creation. 

Here is the creator with his two-story police station that he built last week.

Wordless Wednesday #12 - Can I See Your License, Please?

Linked to Mama to 4 Blessings and Shibley Smiles.

Good Morning Girls & The Ministry of Motherhood Book Club

I may not be posting regularly due to all of my busy-ness right now, but I am participating in the Good Morning Girls' Bible reading accountability and summer book club. It has officially started but we won't start reading the book until next Monday, May 23. There is still time to join an existing group or start your own. We formed a group with a trio of moms here in western Kentucky and have a Facebook page for checking in and communicating. We are all excited about it. Especially me, because my mommy tank is in desperate need of refueling. 

Are you doing it too? If not, go check it out!

Happy Mother's Day & Blogging Break

Happy Mother's Day!

My posting has dropped considerably in the past month or so because I'm just not able to focus on writing anything right now. Papa Bear is in the process of buying and taking over a business with his brother and I've also been planning my own business venture. Add that to our curriculum change, my renewed motivation to do better with planning our homeschool and organizing my days and it doesn't leave much time for blogging. I've been feeling guilty about it so I decided that declaring an official break would give me a break. There is no such thing as "Super Mom"...in order to focus on some things, other things have to be laid aside for a time.

Stay tuned...I'll let you know what I'm up to soon. I may pop in occasionally with a small post here and there until then.