Doctors and Mommies

Ahh. The joys of motherhood. If you are anything like me, you will do anything for your children. Today I got an opportunity to see if I really would "do anything." We have been struggling with various issues of health here. It seems like one is always sick or at least not feeling up to par. Typical sinus, ears, and tummy stuff here. But I recently noticed some odd bumps on my son's head and neck area. At first I thought that it was a bite. He swells terrible with mosquito bites and spider bites. But when they did not seem to go down, I got worried. Can you imagine? So, I had a visit to a doctors office that came highly recommended. I won't mention any names, but... they were great. She took the time to listen and check everything out. She even asked about my other children. To my utter amazement, she said that the things she found led her to ... food allergies! Great! It was also brought to my attention that the other children were showing signs of allergy as well. <sigh> So I choked down my selfish self and we did a little test. The results will be back in three weeks or so. My hunch is probably right. We will see.

A while ago, our family did gfcf. The thing was, well, I cheated for hubby and myself. Which resulted in contamination. I know better. But reality was that we had no idea if it was really the problem or if that was the only thing. And I'm guilty of being slow to change completely. But here is the kicker. I have a friend who has multiple allergies and such. If she came over I bent over backwards to make sure she was well and well fed, and we ate with her. In doing so, we all felt better. Sinus stuff cleared and tummy's quit screaming. I know the drill. I was to lazy or selfish or whatever to follow through like it needed to be done. Now, I have to. Plain and simple. Once the tests come back, I can no longer say we weren't sure.

I love my children. Why is it that it takes a doctor to tell you what you already know? I am ready. I have started digging thru my books again to find yummy recipes. I will plan neat alternatives to old standbys. And I will never again leave the house without food packed in a bag for all the children to eat. Especially if there is a chance that we might be later than planned. Most importantly, I am not going to cheat at home or anytime they are with me. ( Date night does not count.) If they cannot have it, I won't. It really will not be to much of a change because we already use a lot of natural things but, a mind alteration has occurred. I will be an example to be proud of. And if you come to my house you can have a nice cup of tea and my latest gfcf creation.

I must thank my sweet friend, (you know who you are), for helping me understand the ins and outs of this crazy diet, way before I needed it in my own home. My only hope is that I don't go crazy trying to implement it. I have a tendency to be a perfectionist... So if there are any tips and tricks to allergy free living , now would be a good time for you to tell me. :)

By the way, doctor said the bumps will go down soon...

God Always has a Lesson to Share

God spoke to me the other day. Not literally, but very real. Let me explain a little. I struggle with depression.  More often than I care to admit. Some of my close friends do not even know because I tend to hide the struggle. I always have an excuse or reason if I seem "off". So as I was stewing one night, I felt like I should read my Bible. Never mind that I had no idea what I was going to read at that time. But I stopped stewing long enough to walk over and pick up my Bible and open it. It fell open to Psalm 28. Evidently David has had his share of trouble because the words that were penned, well, they comforted me. It says...
    
     " Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. Draw me not away with the wicked...Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him..."

Even though I left out lots of the Psalm, it is those verses in particular that whapped me. I needed to hear those words so badly that I actually started to tear up. I wasn't the only one who felt like they were being pulled down against their will! That was so comforting. It changed my whole outlook. Now I can pray that Psalm and know that God will honor those words that HE inspired through David.

My life was changed in that moment and I share this personal story because I hope and pray that maybe, just maybe, someone else can benefit from this passage and be as blessed as I was. I have turned to the Word many times in my life. But somehow this time, I was shocked that it spoke so personally to what I was battling. I am forever grateful for the inspired Word.

Holiday Calamities

My number one, burning question, is why do others feel so invested in the little decisions that I make? These are not the decisions that could later turn my life on its head, nor are they the kind that impact others significantly. My hubby and I decided last year that after Christmas was over, we were going to take time and actually enjoy all of the holidays. I know, that sounds like common sense. But when you realize that we have five to six places we go each holiday, it gets a little nerve racking. Christmas is the worse but the other holidays are also in play here.

So here we are at Easter this year. The first time that someone had to hear..."we are not going to be there this year." I have never seen a bunch of adult type people try to control so much that was not their business. I actually had the age thing played twice! I love my family, but if our family is to ever enjoy a holiday celebration, we have to limit how many we do in one day. Everyone will get a chance, I promise. And yes grandpas and grandmas are getting older. Not to sound bad, but so am I, and so are my children. I want every moment to be remembered.

Lots of rant and a lot of truth, sprinkled with concern and confusion. Why is it so hard to understand that we are trying to enjoy our children and set good memories? Is it that others feel guilty that we are doing something that they never had the guts to do? Or is it that I am overly sensitive to everything that people say concerning my parenting decisions? Probably some combination of all of the above. I just want everyone to relax, sit back, and enjoy. Happy Easter. We truly enjoyed every moment.

Childish Dreams

What does a Dexter cow, a Tamworth pig (sow to be accurate,) and a pair of Jacob ewes, have in common?  The answer is something akin to they are all wanted as pets and/or food by my children.  Add to that wish list Guinea hens, chickens of various shapes and sizes, rabbits, and a couple barn cats and you have a small farm.  The children are convinced that they NEED these animals and a farm to go with it.  All of this started as an innocent conversation between my hubby and I.  We were trying to discuss a future home purchase.  Somehow they caught on enough to think that they get a say in this. Not that I don't want them happy in their new home, but if you know me very well, you have probably heard me refer to myself as a hillbilly city slicker. I love the city and all that happens around me.  I also love fresh diapers on the cloths line, fresh veggies out of my garden, and canning my own food.  So the idea of a full blown farm horrifies me.  Who would babysit all those animals while I went on vacation?  Who wants to get up that early?  Farmers do not get to sleep my accustomed hours.  So now I have no idea how to break it gently that while some is possible, all of their wish list is really unreasonable. 

I guess my biggest question is why they think that I have it in me. ( I am laughing.) They see me on a daily basis.  They know I love my ways and I love to always have something to go do if I want. The city affords me that. I do not know of many city councils that would welcome a cow, no matter how small.  Then the other issue...if I get land my eldest will beg for a horse.  I do not want a horse. It does nothing for family economy.  I cannot eat it, milk it, or use it in any way for wool or other textiles.  Thus a horse is impractical to me.  I am just confused as to why they think I would make a good farmer. :)  

Cherish

One of the most awesome things is to watch your child learn to read. Tonight I got the pleasure of listening to my five year old read his first real story to me. He wanted to look at the pictures instead of the words but he was able to focus long enough to tell me the story of a little boy who pretended he was a lot of big trucks. I was thoroughly amazed that he did so well. Would I have gotten this chance if he was in school all day? Would he want to snuggle with mom and read to her? Only God knows these answers but I will cherish these moments.

Exciting Websites...(for me anyway.)

I am a nerd. It isn't meant to be a mean statement, it is just a fact. I love numbers, order, and all things scholarly. Reading is a fun and relaxing thing for me to do. The things I read are usually informational and not novel type books too. I say this to lead into why I am so excited about some new things that I have found.

In our new place, we have a hall that has the laundry machines and a tall cabinet and a very short counter. I think that the counter was there to fold laundry on but I am way too tall for the height of it. So I decided that with a chair and my netbook, I could make an "office" out of that area. My own corner if you will. And since it is a new job, new house, and new year, I have been looking for new things to help me get my finances and other household things in order. I have found a set of organizers by mead products called organizhers. Funny name for some neat planners. They sell all different types but what I found is that if you want, the website has all of the sheets that you can print. All you need is a binder and hole punch. Yeah! I have found sheets to help with menu planning and shopping lists and all kinds of planning things. My other favorite sites of right now are Crown Financial and Dave Ramsey. Both have worksheets to plan a budget and allocate money to all the things that come up in life. Crown has a wonderful percentage sheet that even tells if your budget is realistic or overblown in a category. I know that all of this sounds so boring but these are the things that amuse me.

I have big plans for this year and they run from typical to absurd. Some doable and some wishful. But it never hurts to try them. So for my last favorite new website. Loseit.com. They have a free website dedicated to helping you lose weight or maintain it. The site has recommended calorie budgets and places to input your meals, snacks, and drinks. You can have friends on there and earn badges for sticking with goals, logging exercise, and losing. All these are great for a nerd like me. This is where my absurd change is because, for me, weight loss is not an easy thing. I love to eat, cook, and share my creations with everyone who will have them. But one has to try.

I guess that is my theme this year. I must try. Not that I am going to start chanting it or anything but....... I MUST TRY!!!!!

Is It Over Yet?

It is nice to be able to blog again. Sorry that I have been absent. In the time that I was away, we have moved twice, started a new job (hubby), unpacked a Pod (three days before Christmas), attended a lot of family functions, and settled into life as we know it. It all started with the job offer for hubby and it all snowballed from there. He accepted the position knowing that we did not have a place to live but God provided us the opportunity to stay at his mothers while they were away. Not perfect but doable. The only hitch was that it meant a 1.5 hour commute each way. The commute and crazy gasoline output made us double our efforts to find a place of our own. Again God provided. Not perfect or exactly what I had in mind, but doable. See a pattern developing? We were able to get the keys and start cleaning and we picked a date to move in. We got help. We called Pods to deliver our things. Here the problem developed. Our date was not available. The quickest they could deliver was the Tuesday before Christmas. Sometime before 7pm. Oh, and by the way, they would be picking it up that Friday, early. No pressure. But now I do not have help lined up. Again God provided. Not my prefered method... Okay so I have established a pattern of how my life has unfolded over the past several weeks. Omiting the mundane and crazy. God has been teaching me a lesson. I have a plan but it might not be HIS plan and thus I need to step back and relax. Right. Easier said than done. So I have to ask... did I learn or is this going to haunt me for a while? All joking aside, I really would like some planned order and serenity. God is in control. Always. I have my plans and desires. Always. It is where these two meet that is the quandry. I hope I learn whatever lessons God has for me quickly... I keep asking, is it over yet???