So much to Learn........

Boys Adrift, by Leonard Sax

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I recently finished reading Boys Adrift, by Leonard Sax. I was mesmerized by it and it helped to put some more pieces into the big puzzle of life and learning.

Sax is a medical doctor and psychologist living in Maryland and over time, he came to see a pattern in males, how they were more and more disengaged from the real world, and more likely to be labeled with various negative behavioral issues. So he decided to investigate and try and understand the problem better.

This book is the collection of his research through the years. He has decided that the main reasons for male disengagement in the real world is mainly due to 5 causes:

1. Video Games

2. Teaching Methods

3. Prescription Drugs

4. Endocrin Disruptors

5. Devaluation of Masculinity

And I must say, they make sense! I've seen it in my own husband and son. We females have our own set of problems, but these particular issues relate mostly to the males.

VIDEO GAMES: I first heard of the concept of men needing a challenge from John Elderedge's book 'Wild at Heart'. And it really rings true. God made men to seek adventure. Think of Adam out there in the big world, trying to make a home for him and Eve, and eventually their children. That isn't easy and it takes a really brave, driven person to do that. Men are the ones the God has given the responsibility of family to, and he also equipped (most of) them with a drive for just that. They need adventure, it's wired into their DNA and for good purpose. But, in today's world, they get so little of that, that they go out and seek it where they can find it. Those thrills, the action. And the easiest, safest, cheapest way to do that these days is through video games. They provide all of the 'good' with none of the 'bad'. Except they create their own issues, as does any substitute for something deep inside of us. Only the real thing will do. But who can afford to explore the Amazon these days?

Sax gave some fascination details on how video games actually affect the brain and it's development. It seems that science proves that it can change the structure of the brain permanently.

TEACHING METHODS: Sax is very keen on all boys and all girls schools also. He doesn't think everyone needs them, but boys esp, often do better in boys only schools. Esp the ones who are labeled ADHD and hyper and aggressive. They need a format where they can get their aggression out in a constructive manor, while being encouraged to get done what needs to get done. He is also a strong believer in waiting to put boys into school until they are 7, as they need the extra year to mature. Agreed! I can see it in my own kids, dramatically. And trying to force your son to act in a way that he is not capable of, will simply force him into believing he is stupid and will create a negative attitude toward school and learning, that often sticks with him the rest of his life.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: He believes that the vast majority of children who are on drugs for over activity do not need it. They just need a different environment that allows them to use up their energy properly and constructively. He gives a lot of evidence that points to prescription drugs also changing the way a brain develops. And it's sad to realize that these drugs cause permanent personality and brain damage. While there may be times when that is still worth it to the child, in the majority of cases, it simply is not. Drugs are used as an easy way out for parents. Because they don't want to deal with the other causes of the behavior.

ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS: He talks about how plastics have chemicals in them that cause a boys body to produce more estrogen and less testosterone. And this causes developmental delays in the brain, bones and endocrine system, again, some permanent.

DEVALUATION of MASCULINITY: 'Forty years ago we had Father Knows Best, today we have The Simpsons.' Good point. With all the 'girl power' and feminist agendas being pushed, the male role models have changed dramatically. And that is having a huge impact in the following generations. They need mentors who can show them how to live and act, while coming along side of them and helping them through life. It's so TJE. :) With role models like EMINEM, no wonder our culture is going to hell in a handbasket. Geesh!

It was a good reminder to me to watch my little boy, to make sure he has good role models in his life, and to make sure I let him be a 'boy', while growing up. I will also be careful of his time spent playing video games. I have seen, already, that he gets easily addicted to them even this young. I also want to work harder at providing real adventure for Drew and Samuel, so they do not need to disconnect from real life to feel that their needs are being met.

Overall, it was a fantastic book and I would highly recommend it to anyone raising little boys in America today.

As for Me and My House

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I ache, with this intense desire to KNOW that my children will serve the Lord someday. I know that is not for me to know, but only God. And He does not call me to ensure that my children and their children will walk with Him someday. I can only do what He has called me to do, and leave the rest to God. But I wish I knew all the 'secrets' so I could do my best to ensure it anyway. :)

Thankfully, God has taken that weight off of my shoulders and put it on his own.

For my daily Scripture reading, I was finishing up Joshua and came to the part where Joshua is about to die. Much like Moses, I read his story and just want to cry. He gave the Israelites his all, he served the Lord by serving them his entire life. And he cared about and loved them deeply. But he also knew their faults and shortcomings.

Joshua 24:14-28

¹⁴ “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵ And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, ¹⁷ for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸ And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

¹⁹ But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” ²¹ And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” ²² Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” ²³ He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” ²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” ²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. ²⁶ And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. ²⁷ And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” ²⁸ So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

As for Joshua and his house, they were going to serve the Lord. And the people agreed. They too wanted to serve the Lord. .But.....they did not kick out ALL the people from Canaan like they were told. And they eventually reverted to serving idols. It's really ridiculous, being on this end of it all, to read about their continue failings and deliverance. I'm reading Judges now and it makes me heart sick.

I wish, wish, wish, that I could ensure that my children would not 'serve idols'. I wish I could ensure that I myself would not serve idols. At least not permanently. I am so thankful that God cares enough about us to put things into our lives to draw us away from our everyday idols and back to him. It seems mean, but I do pray that he would do that to my children throughout their lives. That he would not let them get too comfortable in this world, which is not their home.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And, with his help, wait eagerly for his return, to consummate the marriage promise he made at his first coming.

Gracious Heavenly Father, please keep our feet on the solid rock. And keep our hearts and minds grounded in you. Like Lot and the Israelites after him, we are surrounded by idols. We live in Sodom. Help us not to 'marry' them, but to live separately. Please guide and protect us until you return.

Family GAPS Update

2012-01-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

Well, we are full GAPS now. Really, we are back to where we were when we first started 2+ weeks ago, but without any non-gaps cheats so far. And I haven't added back in nuts yet. I hope to get some soaked and dehydrated and start trying them baked in things, by next week.

I must confess I am a bit ashamed that we didn't add things in slower. But for some reason, I couldn't/didn't. I think it would have been better if we had waited longer in between things, and if we had charted our elimination. So we would have a better idea of what is being digested, and what is not.

But, the foods we eat/have been eating, are so good and healing, for the most part, that it's hard to give them up if we want and crave them. My kids really didn't complain about not eating junk, or even 'healthy sweets' for the most part. They wanted raw veggies, honey, butter, fruit and fried eggs. I mean seriously, how do you not give those to your kids when they ask for them?!?

They were amazing about eating the soup for 3 meals a day. And if they were hungry in between meals, they generally asked for soup. They ate their yogurt every day without their normal fruit and honey, but with vanilla and cinnamon. And the veggies. My goodness, we eat a lot of those! My kids love them, and that is really nice. I do appreciate that part of cutting out grains. They simply get replace by veggies, which at least have something to offer and are much easier to digest! My kids LOVE steamed beets with lots of butter and salt. They love pretty much any veggie that is cooked (or raw), if it's loaded with butter and salt. Smart kids!

Going forward, I need to do some planning of actual details. But, my overall plan is to have us consume kefir, raw yolks, soup, yogurt and cod liver oil every day.

My overall meal plan will be the same as before. Breakfast for the kids and I is soup with veggies, meat, kraut and sour cream, kefir smoothie and carrot juice. For Drew, he does carrot juice mixed with kefir and egg yolk. Lunch is meat and veggies, preferably with broth in some way, be it a glass of it, or sauce or stew, along with kombucha and bitters. Supper for Drew is meat and veggies and sauce, or stew. And for the kids and I, eggs and kraut. 3:00 is our normal yogurt time. And I hope to continue Drew's soup when he gets home from work.

Another overall goal is: "About 85% of everything your patient eats on a daily basis should be savoury - made out of meats, fish, eggs, vegetables and natural fats. Sweet baking and fruit should be snacks between meals in limited amounts.

I think that is an important part of healing in general. So many people do SCD/GAPS, but find they don't heal. They only consume 'gaps friendly' foods. But, it's still mostly nuts and baked goods. And those things just don't heal as well as the high fat, high mineral animal products.

Drew definitely is not full-gaps, and he is smoking, although he has cut it way down. And I think he is starting to really acknowledge and deal with the emotional attachments to his carbs and nicotine. So that is a huge thing! I hope to revisit the diet more intensely for him, when he has dealt with some of those issues. His main complaint is digest and weight.

I am overall, happy with how far we have progressed over the last few weeks. Just subtle things, like appreciating new tastes and textures. Being more aware of our bodies at all times. Truly appreciating thick, hearty, fatty soups. And eating and appreciating tons of veggies. Holy smokes, did I mention how much my kids go for veggies? They wouldn't touch them 3 years ago! This has been a gradual progression, but it's so fun to see them learn to like new things!

Going forward, I also want to use the principles of gaps that I have learned, and implement a monthly 'mini intro' for us. Doing easy to digest soups for 2 or 3 days in a row, just to clean us up well. I also would like to start it with something like this liver flush. It's not as intense as the Liver and Gall Bladder cleanse. I really should do that again, but I found I was able to clean out stones from my liver when I did the intro with just really salty, fatty broth, without stressing my adrenals. So there is more then one way to kill that bird. Basically, I'd like to come up with some over all cleansing processes that we can smoothly implement into our lives on a regular basis. Nothing crazy or stressful, but definitely things that work.

I still don't feel we are as healed as we need to be. But, I think if we continue, we will continue to heal. And slow just seems to work better for us.

Myia is dying to try some 'junk', like wheat or sugary something. But I don't think she is ready for that. She still has bloating and seriously purple eyes and pretty intense mood swings. Although overall, she is doing SOOO much better! It's fun to see. It's been slow and gradual, but it has happened.

We are hoping to add in raw milk by this weekend. We miss it terribly. I only cultured the yogurt for 10 hours, so if we do ok with that, then we'll try milk. And then we'll also add in cultured cheeses again, like my raw cheddar from Trader Joe's. Yum!!! And next week I hope to try nuts as well. I think I am the only person to really get messed up by nuts, so I'll try and keep nuts to a special treat for us all, rather then a regular part of our planned meals. We'll still keep to mostly only full-gaps, although adding in occasional popcorn and corn tortillas might happen sooner then originally planned.

I am so thankful to the Lord for showing me the principles of food and nutrition, that I can use to heal my family! I often wish it was a faster process, but I am learning to find joy in the journey. Which is a big deal for me!

Waiting Impatiently, as the Bride of Christ

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Oh man, I am so excited to see where the Lord is going to be leading my pastor and my church. Last year, my husband and I were seriously praying about finding a different church. We were struggling with the fact that we were not growing there. Now, it's easy to jump down a pastor's throat and blame him for one's own lack of spiritual growth. And we talked often about our own lives and whether we were doing our own part to grow spiritually. But, we are heavily involved in the children's ministry at the church, so leaving is a big deal. And, we were not willing to force the issue. We just talked about it and prayed about it and watched to see if the Lord would lead us to another church.

Not only were we not growing, but the church overall was not growing. I really think that the pastor's job is to expound on the Word in such a way that he sends you home hungry, passionately, for more of the Word. Of course, it's not a pastor's fault if one is not hungry. But I believe that is the overall duty of a pastor. And we just weren't getting that. We talked to others, some agreed, some found his messages to be riveting and they actually did go home and get into the Word. So we began to think it was us, and maybe the Holy Spirit was cutting ties so he could lead us elsewhere.

I had my own personal 'conversion' to a more Lord-ship salvation/election-oriented personal system of beliefs and I wondered if that was where the Lord was going to lead us. To a pastor and a church that believes that. I'd love that!

This past spring, I called my mom and was basically complaining about it all. And I asked her to pray for us, for wisdom and guidance. And I told her about how we just want to sit under preaching that pushes us to get into the Word more. To get meat and not just milk, both on our own, and in service. We also really were struggling with the worship-it was so 'put on' we felt, and repetitious with the worship songs, but all milk and no meat. We also really were struggling with the NIV version and wanted to study the ESV more. I shared all of this with my mom, sitting on the front steps, while the kids rode their bikes out front.

De ja vue. Weird stuff. Only a few months later, sitting on the front steps, watching the kids play outside, I called my mom again. Probably no calls in between-I'm a bad daughter. And started animatedly telling her about the changes my pastor said were going to be taking place in his sermons over the next few months. The exact things I had told her about in the last conversation! He felt he was not doing his duty, but that was going to change. He wanted us to not only hear the Word on Sundays, but to go home desperately wanting to learn more on our own. He felt we needed more meat on Sundays and less milk. He wanted to change to the ESV, since the new NIV had some serious issues and the old one was no longer being printed. Even the worship songs began to be more balanced. It was soo crazy! Drew and I were pretty excited when he said that. And we hoped that this was the Lord's leading us to stick around a little longer at least.

Well, that was this summer and nearly 6 months have passed since. And I must say, we have not been disappointed. Well, we never care for the speakers in the summer, as it's 'summer conference' and we get all the Dallas Theological guys in to speak. :) But, Pastor Minema started a series on Hebrews, and it has gotten better over the last few months. More meat, which somehow still leads to more application-at a heart level I guess. My pastor's enthusiasm for the Word is contagious, just as it ought to be. See, even preaching is TJE style! Lead, not teach. :) It's the way humans are wired man, you can't argue with it!

A few weeks ago, my pastor preached a message that I have mediated on a lot. It was about how we are to be eagerly awaiting the coming of Christ-our bridegroom. In order to give it more significance, he went over, in detail, the marriage customs of Jesus' day. I've heard over and over again, that we are to be ready and waiting. But hearing the customs really helped to clarify it for me and to get me even more eager about his return!

He told how a man would go to the household of a woman (often as young as 12, and the man was considerably older-skeevy for us today, but then it was normal) whom he wanted to marry. He would bring 3 cups and some wine along, and he would make his offer to the woman/girl's father. If he was accepted, he would pour the wine into a cup for himself and the father. But, the girl also (generally) had to agree. And if she did not agree, she would take the 3rd cup and turn it upside down. But, if she agreed, then she would take some of the wine and pour it into her cup, and they would all drink together. It was called a betrothal, and it was as permanent as marriage, and if broken, it was necessary for a divorce to complete it.

Generally, at that point, the man would return to his own house and prepare for his coming bride. Usually he lived with his father and built a room onto his father's house. Again, ugh, but such was the times. He would make sure he had enough livestock to feed her and their sure-to-be-family. And do whatever else was necessary to prepare. Apparently it was not unusual for this betrothal period to last a whole year. I can't imagine! But the woman knew that at any time, her man would show up with his friends and family, and take her, in a big party, to be his forever bride. And she spent that time preparing herself for becoming a bride and mother (probably eating tons of fish and egg yolks).

When the man was ready, he would gather a procession and walk to his bride's house, with trumpets and songs, and calling 'I am coming my bride' and she was sure to hear it from a long ways off. When he came, she would be standing in the door, all dolled up and ready for her new position in life. He would carry her home and there would be a feast of I think, 7 days. Wow, he had to prepare for months just for that!

The obvious analogy here is that Christ came to us and asked us to be his bride. If we said yes, and drank of the cup (communion), then we entered into an agreement with Him, that we would keep ourselves pure, and that we would be ready at all times, for him to come and take us to be his forever bride.

He will come back someday. And all he has asked us to do in the meantime, is to prepare ourselves, so we can be the best bride ever, to him, for eternity. And we're not talking about marrying somebody who is a sinner with needs and baggage. We are talking about the Creator God, the Word, life and love itself. He wants to be with us forever! It's pretty amazing!

So... are we ready? Are we waiting, expecting him every minute? Will we be ready when the trumpet sounds? Or will he find us 'in bed with another man'? It's so easy to get caught up in the world. In some ways, it's necessary to live in it. But yet, God expects us to be ready when he comes. He expects us to be as excited as a bride, biding the time, waiting for her betrothed to come and consummate his promise to her, to take care of her until death do them part.

For some reason, the details made it more tangible for me. And i find myself thinking with almost a giddiness, about the fact that I am in this waiting period, knowing that at any moment, my beloved will return to take me home. Heaven. Glory. To sing Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord Almighty' with the angels, and the dolphins and the stars, forever....

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Dr. Jensen's Guide to Better Bowel Care, by Bernard Jensen

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've heard about Bernard Jensen for some time, and was excited to finally read one of his books. I'd love to read a few others some day, but this is the only one I could find through my library.

Dr. Jensen's Guide to Better Bowel Care is just what is says. It's a guide to taking care of your bowels.

He was a chiropractor for some time, but was frustrated that he could only provide his patients with temporary relief. They all had to come back again and again. Man, I hear that frustration! So, naturally, he started doing more research and ended up believing that the majority of modern diseases are due, in part, to a clogged, unhealthy colon. Makes sense to me!

So, as most doctors in his situation, he came up with a protocol to help heal just such problems. And eventually, he wrote a book about what he learned about it all.

As seems to nearly always be the case, he believes in a mostly vegetarian diet. Protein and fat are evil, while in the same breath he acknowledges that they are necessary for life. But, I was able to read and ignore what I thought was wrong, while enjoying the rest.

He starts out by sharing his story of learning and healing through bowel cleansing. And then he goes on to explain the biology of the colon. But in very readable terms. He has a chapter on 'The Neural-Arc Reflex' , which is something he developed on his own. It's really fascinating. He found that problems in various parts of the body were almost always associated with a problem in a certain section of the bowel. And he found they corresponded to the development in the womb. It was pretty cool actually. He had some pictures of fetal development and what parts of the body were connected to which parts of the bowel.

The scientific and clinical information was all very compatible and interesting.

He has a 7 day Cleansing Program, which he suggests you follow up with a 7 week building and replacement program. His cleanse uses a colema twice a day, with a bunch of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and herbs. His building and replacement program includes regular colemas, and some other vitamins, minerals, etc, along with a mostly vegetarian diet.

I really can't bring myself to use supplements for the most part. But it's fun to read these things and see what I have learned to include in our diets on a regular basis, that are similar in function.

He ends the book with nutritional info and some tips on fasting, etc.

I was fascinated by the colema concept. It's basically like doing color hydro therapy at home. It gets in further then the enema and you can expel at the same time as the water is coming. Allowing for more of a 'flow' then just in, and then out. Interesting.... It costs around $300, which is about the same as a few sessions. It won't happen here, but I like the concept.

Did you know that the average bowel has 10 pounds of fecal matter encrusted on the side? 10 lbs!!! That's a lot of extra weight, and causes a lot of extra toxins and damage to the entire body. He talked about how some cadavers were cut open to see their large intestines, and the hole is supposed to be 12 inches in diameter, for the food to go through, but some were only 2 inches. Yikes!

The diseases he associated with bowel disorder were numerous. Asthma, hypertension, placenta problems, arthritis, cancer, psychological disorders, neurological disorders. Everything is affected by the bowel. If food is not digested properly, then the rest of the body does not get what it needs. Plus, the bowel causes a lot of toxins to circulate through the body, rather then ushering it out as it's supposed to, which can cause problems anywhere in the body as well.

Here are some quotes I enjoyed:

'Some people will pay anything to get well after they have become sick. However, we find that no matter how much money we may have, we cannot buy health. It's not for sale by anyone at any price. The truth is that you have to earn health. You must work for it.'

'As a body becomes increasingly toxic, proper oxygenation cannot take place in the tissues. Without oxygen, the body loses energy, and the tired body continues its downward spiral. A tired body has a reduced ability to throw off toxins, which is why toxic sick people are always tired people.'

'After 23 years of observation, he concluded that toxemia of gastrointestinal-tract origin is the underlying cause of asthma. Allan Eustis, M.D., said "I believe the results of treatment justify my position."'

'Intestinal toxemia and eclampsia in pregnancy are linked'

'Minerals are the most important structural elements in the body. Although the majority of people think of vitamins and enzymes as being the most important nutrients required by humans, it is minerals that constitute the essential components of the structure of tissues. Vitamins and enzymes facilitate chemical reactions and processes in the body, but do not constitute the structure of tissues. Minerals, on the other hand, are the basic components of tissues. Although your automobile certainly needs gasoline and oil in order to function, it's composition and strength are largely due to the steel and other structural materials. When there is a structural failure, you need to replace a part, not just add fuel and oil' Hence my objection to vegetarian diets. The minerals and building elements are mostly found in animal food. Without them, you can detox til you're gone, but there is no building up of the body, which is equally important.

'Some health professionals believe that urine retention and its effects on blood chemistry may be linked to the beginning of arthritis and join troubles, esp as we grow older. Circulation toxic materials tend to settle in the areas of the body farthest from the heart because the circulation is poorest there. The toxins often affect the joins in the arms, legs, feet, and hands. Arthritics usually complain of pain and stiffness in the extremities.' His answer is to consume more good salt and less bad salt.

'Laxatives and pain relievers are the largest selling over-the-counter medications in America'.

'The colon is extremely sensitive and is influenced greatly by every emotion, both positive and negative. It has been proven that unpleasant emotions can interfere with the peristalsis of the colon, regardless of how slight the excitement, anxiety, or apprehension is. This is because the brain sends as well as receives nerve impulses.'

'Cancer and many other degenerative diseases develop more readily when the body's immune system is depressed.' If we can help strengthen our kids' immune systems, we can help bring down their chances of cancer as adults. Isn't that worth it?

'The major symptoms of ileocecal-valve dysfunction are low-back and hip problems, caused by the weakening of the muscles in the lower-right quadrant of the abdomen. Varying consistency of the stool with a tendency toward diarrhea and dark circles under the eyes are also symptoms of a dysfunctional ileocecal valve.' Hum... I wonder about this for me. I'll have to research that ileocecal-valve thingy. My chiropractor seemed to think it could be an issue with me. Where would I find information on that?!?

I wonder how many of today's symptoms could be fixed, or at least lessened, if we were to take better care of our colons. Of course, I know the answer is MANY!

I shall carry on, trying to take care of my own and my families.

The Power of A Wife

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

You know, I have been blown away by the power I have 'over' my husband. Frankly, it's starting to scare me! I finally gave up my need for power in the relationship, and decided I was willing to take my place in God's 'story' of life. Even though it isn't really 'fulfilling' in the world-way, it is what God asked of me, so how could I say no. And I sort of settled into the idea that Drew will make the decisions and wear the hat in the family.

It was relieving of sorts. I was glad to have the burden off of my shoulder.

But, after taking a deep breath and starting to relax, God started to show me that while I don't make the final decisions in this family any longer, I have a HUGE role to play in it none the less.

My role, besides the daily homemaking and training, is to make sure Drew's needs are being met, so that he is in a position to make the decisions that he needs to make. And my goodness, the things that affect his decision-making are vast! I started to realize what goes into my own ability to be wise and clear headed and disciplined. Goodness, if I eat wrong, I'm a mess for a week, or year! I get so grumpy with the kids and can barely survive, much less think ahead to problem solving to help them grow up to be who God wants them to be. And forget about having the time and energy to prepare foods for us as we heal and grow physically! If I am hungry, or tired, again, forget it. My life turns into one of survival, and little else.

If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. How VERY true that is!

We used to not be able to be in the same room together, as a family, until recently. Without fighting and bickering and just overall misery. But lately, we actually enjoy being together. We have started playing games together and reading and actually interacting and creating good memories. Not ALL the time mind you, but I see lots of good times finally.

And the difference I have seen that make in Drew is amazing!! He will be responsible to God someday for his family, but yet he couldn't even be with his family because they were such a mess!

But, if I follow through on discipline, and take care of myself so that I have energy leftover, I can take care of the kids, and train them to become the people they need to be, so we can be together and actually have fun. And then Drew is able to enjoy being with us, and get to konw the kids better and see what their needs are, and figure out how to help them. We become a team and it's amazing!

Drew needs food, protein, red meat specifically. Or his personality changes also. I have come to realize that is actually very common in people, men esp. Probably a blood sugar level thing actually. Trying to make sure he has the food he needs, in the formats that he enjoys, is challenging, but doable. He also needs to not eat things he he reacts to. That is specific to each person of course. His ability to function at work is dependent on his clear-headedness. So what I feed him can even affect his job!

Drew needs sleep. Again, he can't function properly without it. As it turns out, no human being can long-term. Scarlett Pimpernel be damned! So by protecting his sleep-time, I can help him to be the man God means for him to be.

Men have sexual needs, and in this world of constant sexual bombardment, it's important that we wives are aware of those and meet those as best we can. And that includes emotional AND physical.

He needs to be respected. It's in his dna, like it or not. And he can't be who God wants him to be without his woman's respect. Fair? Maybe not, but it is the way it is.

He needs to have fun. He needs to relax and enjoy life sometimes. So I need to make sure he has time 'built in', esp when he is having a hard time at work. That he not feel guilty for needing some 'down time' before he watches the kids or fixes the door. He needs to come home to a house that is calm and happy, not needy and psycho and moody.

He needs order and organization. I am amazed at how much more likely we are to be creative and get along when the house is clean and orderly. If it's a mess, somehow, we seem to fight more. And we are in 'survival' mode. But if things have a place, and things are mostly in their place, we just do so much better! So while cleanliness and organization isn't necessary to godliness, it certainly helps in the day-to-day life.

He needs me to study him, daily, regularly, and find what his needs are, and find ways of meeting them, so he can be the man God wants him to be.

Really, it's a full time job! So much for sitting back and relaxing. The final decisions may no longer rest on my shoulder, but I am responsible for practically every other step along the way it seems!

I sure am glad I'm not on my own here! And, it does feel good to feel that I'm not just 'susie homemaker', but that what I do on a regular basis does make a difference today and forever. Maybe only in the world of my 3 people, but if it's enough for God, it's enough for me.

Holistic Parenting, by Lynn Wiese Sneyd

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

I just 'happened' to see Holistic Parenting on the library shelf a few days ago and picked it up. I wasn't sure what to expect, but figured I would at least learn something from a few of the chapters.

I did end up reading it through and enjoying it. It's not written by a doctor, which was kind of refreshing. It was written by a wife and mother who learned the hard way, that the body is designed to heal itself. And will do so, if given the right conditions.

She gives some great info on what 'holistic' means. I think, as Christians, it's a word we are afraid of, but really should take back from mainstream. Holistic, as in 'whole', meaning, the whole body must be dealt with in any area of life. Jesus grew in 'wisdom, stature and in favor with God and men'. Our minds, bodies and emotions DO matter. God made us humans in his image. We can't concentrate on one area of our humanness, and ignore the rest. Each must be considered within it's context.

She gives a brief history of health and medicine, discusses some herbal remedies that are more general in nature and using more common herbs. And then she takes a chapter to discuss different 'branches' of holistic medicine, including: homeopathy, Ayurveda and nutrition. She has a chapter on vaccines and one on holistic dentistry as well.

It was, I thought, a rather well-rounded overview of holistic body care. She talks about the 'quack' mindset openly, which I appreciated. Homeopathy is something I have found fascinating, for whatever reason. I've read on it some and wish to read more. I have not actually used any homeopathic remedies for myself or my family, but I'm definitely not opposed. I just tend to study something until I get to a point of comfort, and then apply it, and I'm just not there yet. But then, I must confess, I may never get there with homeopathy. Because, it's not really possible to 'prove' it scientifically. And it doesn't totally make sense in a practical way. But, it does make sense in other ways.

Ayurveda and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is something I've found fascinating, but, like homeopathy, it's not really 'practical', so I've not done much with it.

But, one thing that I have come to appreciate about holistic, natural medicine is that it deals with the emotions as much as the body. I do not believe that a person can heal, while living a hectic, rushed, stressed lifestyle. It's just not possible. And that is something that modern medicine doesn't really deal with much. It's band-aid upon band-aid, without ever stopping to really get to the root of a problem. And getting to roots isn't easy or quick! And, the 'root' of all human suffering is spiritual ultimately. And while TCM/ayurveda does not point one to Christ, it at least points out that area is one that we have needs in, that must be met.

I was also reminded about how I have come to see the body differently then I had in the past. I used to believe, like most modern doctors, that symptoms are annoying and should be ignored or treated. However, I have come, through my study of homeopathy and nutrition in general, that the symptoms are the bodies way of talking to us. And if we ignore it, bad things will happen. Symptoms are a sign that there is something wrong . They are a clue, that we need to follow, to find the ultimate source of the problem. So we can fix it at the root and not just the symptom. So often, if we treat a symptom, that channel of detox and 'body language' simply moves to another symptom or part of the body. It's a lot easier to just deal with it from the beginning, then to end up with a long trail of issues that need to be traced back later in life, after some serious illness has struck and modern medicine proves useless in helping.

So, all of these things were brought to my attention by reading the book, and it was fun to see how far I've come in terms of over-all holistic care of our 'temples'. We are to take care of them, and I think it's great to see how people have done so throughout the ages, and use what makes sense to us. We are blessed to have a plethora of choices and examples and written words to choose from. Although sometimes it seems a curse with all it's choices...

Family GAPS Day 3

2012-01-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

Well, so far, so good. The first day was actually sort of rough for all of us, but more of that 'walking around bored, so I want to eat something' feeling then actual sacrifice and suffering. Plus, the kids and I were getting over colds, and at the end of our colds, Samuel and I get headaches and Myia gets an earache, so we were all feeling the affects of that. And Drew had fallen down the steps outside onto the cement the day before and banged up his knee really badly. So that hurt every time he moved it.

Oh, and we walked around asking 'how long before we can add ___ back in'-fill in the blank with: milk, corn tortillas, ice cream (Samuel) and Oreos (Drew). But, no real detoxing that I noticed.

I mixed coconut oil with some vanilla and almond extract and poured it onto a cookie sheet and froze it, and then chunked it up and put it into a container. Drew is going to try and take it before meals at home as a way of speeding up his metabolism. I am going to take it as often as I remember, as it's good for so many things. And the kids found it especially yummy on Monday, so they both ate quite a bit of it, more then I thought they could have stomached. Before he went to bed that night though, Samuel complained of wanting to throw up and blamed it on the coconut oil. I wonder if it caused a die-off in him that night. The next morning he woke up late and tired and pale, but not too bad altogether. Myia, on the other hand, woke up late and was pale as a ghost and went right to the bathroom and said she thought she was going to throw up. But both drank carrot juice (the first thing we added back in on Day 2), mixed with kefir cream and had some soup, so I knew they were ok. Myia would stand up and then complain of being dizzy, so she'd sit down again. I get the same way, so I knew how she was feeling, and knew it was just detox and would pass. Great spirits all around, no neauses or anything like that, so that really helps. By lunch, they were both fine.

Drew has not been missing his nicotine so far, but when he went to work yesterday, he thought all of the buses looked like loaves of bread. And he found himself desperately wanting oreos. Oreos-I guess he eats them more then I realize, from the vending machine at work. He left his debit card and money at home, so he would not be able to get anything from the machine. It's hard because we are still so limited, so it's hard to send snacks with him to work, and even the soup only stays warm for so long, so I can't send him with a lot of that. I'm praying hard for the boy, I SO want him to succeed. But, to God be the glory no matter what happens. Drew has done great so far and I see emotional battles being fought and won and I'm so proud of him! I think we are going to take pictures of him every week and measure and weigh him, see if that can be one more little stepping stone toward success. :) He also did have some IBS yesterday at work, we'll have to watch and see how he progresses, but I am going to continue adding in foods for now. It will help him stick with it if he can have variety.

I really have not had any cravings or issues so far. My belly is still bloated and I still don't eliminate properly, but I feel like those will take a long time to heal, so I just need to be patient and carry on. I'm so glad I'm well enough to contemplate the needs of my family and do my best to meet them.

The kids and I are taking one detox bath a day. We have gone through a lot of meat so far, but it's keeping us full, which really helps. The kids are doing really well with the soups. I have softened it all by allowing carrot juice throughout the day. It's not cheap and it's a lot of work for me, but it's worth it. :) Plus it's good for them also. A bonus.

So far, we have had broccoli, cauliflower soup with meatballs, pepper sage soup with roast, beet soup with sausage, brussel sprout and sausage soup, and broccoli mushroom soup with meatballs. We add kefir cream to them (except Drew, he's not a fan of the cream added). And we have yogurt with cinnamon for a snack, and carrot juice with kefir cream or kefir. Today we added egg yolks, so I added those to our soups and carrot smoothies. I found it easiest to mix up 12 egg yolks and some kefir in the blender and then leave it in the fridge and just add to things as necessary. Raw egg yolks that are not well blended have little stringy things that are yucky.

Since we all seem to be doing fine, I am going to add in avocados tomorrow. We just happen to have some ripe on the counter. :) And we LOVE avocados. We are all really wanting butter/ghee, but I am out of butter. So tomorrow or Friday I plan on picking some up at Trader Joes and making 2 cups of ghee. As best as I can...

So, if all goes well, I think we'll add in sauerkraut tomorrow-it's 2 months old, which means it's soft and easier to digest-and really yummy!. And then Friday we'll add in gently fried eggs with some gently fried onions, as she suggests for Stage 3. Saturday hopefully we'll have our ghee.

After that, we'll maybe roast a chicken and enjoy that. And then, we'll try the cooked apple. She does suggest you add in pancakes for stage 3 and bread for stage 4, but since we've been bread free for so long, we won't miss them . And I know nuts are a major problem with me, so I am going to hold on them a bit longer I think.

After the apple, I hope to add some raw veggies and then berries and honey. If all goes well, we'll be at full gaps then, and I'll start trying out 'nut goodies' and cheeses and 8 hour (versus 24 hour) fermented milk, and then non-fermented milk, and other foods that aren't on intro. And then, slowly, add 'non-gaps' things into our diet, like maple syrup and molasses and popcorn and corn tortillas. And eventually, adding in rice cooked in broth and hopefully, someday, trying our hand at sourdough again,

So, that is the current long-range goal. One new food a day, and watch for reactions, although I don't find it easy to see if we are reacting. And since the foods are all good foods, I'm not going to stress too much about them. We'll love the variety and I do believe that overall 'food heals'. If I see an obvious reaction, we'll stop. I also hope to maybe do only soups for 2 days a month, sort of a mini-intro. Also, I plan on soup being our main meal for the next 2 weeks, and after that, making sure we eat soup for one meal a day, plus a cup of broth or a sauce made from broth, with a 2nd meal every day. And ferments with each meal, etc. And kefir and egg yolk every day. Basically, what we were last week. Without the 'cheats'.

I expect the kids and I can stick with it with little sacrifice. Drew, however, will probably need to have things tweaked for him. But we can do that, no problem! I know that 2 weeks of this will go a long way toward healing Drew, and carrying on with our long-range goals will help the healing to continue.

I just may need to find a substitute for his oreo craving quickly......
I'm thinking I might try macaroons for the cookie (he prefers the uh-oh Oreos) and chocolate butter frosting for the inside. Hum......

Family GAPS Day 1

2012-01-02T10:07:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been reading and dreaming about doing gaps as a family for 3 1/2 years now. Ok, so when I posted the previous post, I hadn't heard of gaps yet, but it was my start toward learning the principles of taking care of our bodies.

And I have spent the last 3 years reading and learning, and applying it all, to our lives, as best as possible, without 'going crazy' over it all (ok, so most people in my life would disagree with the 'not going crazy' thing, but really, I have taken it slowly, all things considered). I've consciously made long-term changes in our diet, rather then sudden ones, that we couldn't maintain. I don't want to do things in fits and starts. If it's true, then I want to do it. If it's not, then why bother?

I have planned on doing gaps every 6 months or so, for the last 2 years. But I never felt, when it came time, that we were ready for it. I saw too many changes that needed to happen, for us to be able to carry it out long term. So, I made more smaller changes, taking us in the general direction, instead.

Finally, I feel/think, that we are ready for it. Well, the kids and I anyway. Drew's comment 'I like cookies, a lot'. :) He has sooo many other challenges that I have not been able to work out. Whereas, the kids and I have dealt with so many issues, physical, spiritual, emotional, etc. That we are ready, I believe.

It's never safe to have 'expectations' of something like this, but yet, it's natural. At this point, I think/hope that the kids and I are not all that toxic anymore, and I even suspect that our leaky guts have mostly healed, and that our candida is mostly under control. So I don't expect major die-offs for us. Just normal, minor die off. I suspect that our biggest issues are just needing our organs and internal everything, to be renewed with properly functioning cells. And, for our digestion to improve. Which means getting our digestive tract in order with working cells and the right flora.

Of course, I could be just really, really hoping for all of that to be true. :) I don't really know of course.

Drew, on the other hand, I can't even begin to guess. He needs to stop smoking, amongst other things. But, for him, I have been really praying that God would give me wisdom to help him along. And I feel we need to really focus on the 'adding in the good', rather then keeping out the bad. Small, baby steps in the right direction. He has so many temptations and hurdles in a day, that the kids and I just don't have to deal with. And I want this to be positive, not negative, for him. He really has come a long ways, and anything he does with us will be good.

God is such an amazing, gracious God and he gave me the greatest gift last night. I was nervous about starting (I still am, to be sure) the diet today, and just not having peace about it. But then, it's hard to know if it's the Holy Spirit leading, or just laziness, in a case like this. I had the opportunity to attend a worship night at my church last night. They don't have those often, and I was hoping to get the kids to come. But God knew I just needed that hour with Him and I, to deal with some heart issues. And He did, He really did! My heart was hard and I was worried about the diet not turning out the way I want, and others pointing fingers and saying 'see, I told you so'. And I knew it was pride. But I didn't know how to get rid of it.

So God, in his grace, reminded me over and over again, that EVERYTHING is done for his glory. And any healing that comes from my family and I doing gaps, comes ultimately, because of Him. To God be all the glory, great things he has done. It's not gaps healing us, it's not me healing us, it's not even the food healing us, but rather, it's God healing us. He can use any medium he chooses, to do his will.

I was reminded of the past year and how much we have all grown in all areas of our life. And how God has been glorified through it all. I was reminded that He is in charge of everything. And that I don't get any glory, that gaps doesn't get any glory, and, the flip side to that, is that I don't need to feel any pressure that it all turn out perfectly either.

I have a peace that God has shown me the general principles of how to care for our bodies, and that He has helped me apply those principles to my family. And that is exactly the job he has for me at the moment. It's not a science, but more of an art, and he has graciously helped me along. And will continue to do so.

So when I start to panic about the coming few months and the sacrifices we will have to make, I think back to my mantra for the year 'To God be the Glory'. And I relax and realize that all that really matters, is that we give God the glory for everything. That we seek Him in all we do. I can do that! The rest is just details.

So, the details so far are...I am picking a 'soup du jour' and cooking one big old pot the night before, with meat and veggies and herbs. And we shall consume that all day. We are starting every morning with warm water with lemon and probiotics as NCM suggestions (we do not have probiotics, but are using whey from 24 hour fermented yogurt), and then doing soups.

I am not positive about what we are adding in every day . Today it's just soup with kefir sour cream and the kids have both sipped a bit of beet kvass. I hope to continue that, and add in carrot juice tomorrow, and then yogurt and then ghee, and then egg yolk, and then kraut. I'll take it day by day, but go by the principles of gaps for adding in the easiest to digest and most healing foods first. And we will watch for reactions along the way and just take it day by day. I suspect we will miss the milk, honey, fruit and corn tortillas most. But I hope it doesn't take too long to add them back in.

I'm so thankful I did the intro in November. I feel I did a lot of healing then and got a better idea of what it looks like. I am still eliminating on my own daily, and my itching is so much better. I am sleeping great for the most part, and my moods are more stable. My bones still feel good and I don't get many aches. My main issues are that I pee at least every few hours, 24 hours a day, and that is not normal! I still have terrible acne and I need to have my elimination better still.

So, here goes. To God be the glory, great things he is doing this year. I 'hope' I know what he is doing, but even if I don't, I KNOW He will be glorified in our lives, and that is all I NEED for the year.

Our 2011/2012 School Year-Review

2012-01-02T07:00:00.002-05:00

Well, we are close to the half-way point for school. The holidays are over and it is back to a routine soon hopefully. But, I thought it would be a great time to post my schedule and thoughts on it so far. This is my 'projected' plan for the year. And while I'm not fully on target, I'm happy with where we are so far.

Our current schedule looks like this:

Mondays: Breakfast and read Manners, chores, Children Just Like Me, Egermeiers, Saxon Math, Read a book out loud to kids and do book report if appropriate. I also started with a movie on Monday nights, but our computer doesn't work well enough for them anymore, so that will have to wait until we get a new computer.

Tuesdays: Breakfast and read Manners, chores, Children Just Like Me, copy a Scripture verse of my chosing, Saxon math, Moody Science DVD (now put on hold because even Drew's dvd drive on his laptop won't work anymore-grr), read from our current book.

Wednesdays: Breakfast, read Manners, chores, Children Just Like Me, Egermeiers, drawing (we take turns choosing an origami or drawing from a children's draw book), Story of the World.

Thursdays: Breakfast, read Manners, chores, Children Just Like Me, copy Scripture verse, Saxon Math, Geography from The Core, and read a book.

Fridays: Breakfast, read Manners, chores, Children Just Like me, Egermeiers, Saxon Math and read.

I am generally able to have breakfast cleaned up, chores done and school started by 9ish, and we go until about 11. At which point I start preparing lunch. The kids help with that some. We do not read often in the afternoons, but sometimes we will. We also generally make it to the library once a week.

What I have NOT done yet is to implement the math facts or much for games in the afternoon. And we have not yet gotten the pass to Liberty Science Center. I'll probably be more motivated to do that when it gets cold and we get bored.

There is still lots I want to implement, but I love this general outline and look forward to adding things in, esp as other ends. The Manners book is about half done, and the Children Just Like Me is close to being done. So I hope to simply put in other things in their place. I would like to do more with music somehow. Also the books we read I try to really rotate. History, biographies, fun, mystery, science, etc. That is where most of our learning will come from.

We sit around the table for all of it except the reading. For that I lay on the couch or bed, while the kids either snuggle with me or sit on the floor. I am keeping a list of all the books we read this year. I have a binder for both of them, and in that I keep all of the book, video and trip reports, along with their scripture copying, some math pages and drawings, etc. I am also organized enough this year that I keep a daily calender and fill in all that we do for school and otherwise, and at the end of the month, I copy it and put one in each binder. I really feel so much more organized this year then last. So far, Myia has a binder for kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and now 3rd. Samuel has one for kindergarten and 1st. I will keep them easily available for them to look through at any time. As they get older, I will need to get bigger binders most likely.

I hope to continue as we have been, always sharpening and strengthening our schedule, but also sticking with the general outline. It's working well for us and I'm very thankful for that!

Happy New Year!!

Looking Back and Looking Forward

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Good-bye to a great year for the Innis family. And hello to, hopefully, another equally great year for us. God has worked in our hearts, minds and bodies so much this year, it's exciting to see. To Him be ALL the glory!!

I really enjoy recording our resolutions for the new year, and looking back on last year's resolutions, to see how we progressed as a family and as individuals. And posting on here is just convenient.

Our 2010 Goals

Our 2011 Goals

Looking back at 2011's goals:

Spiritually-My own prayer life hasn't improved unfortunately, but I continue to be faithful to the Word and more in love with my Savior every day. One goal I had last year was that we would understand what motivates us, so we can learn to make better choices. While I wouldn't say we are 'there', I can see definite improvement in this area.

Emotionally-All 4 of us have improved in our over-all grumpiness, thankfully! Still room to grow, but I love seeing us move forward.

Marriage-I do feel the Holy Spirit has helped me make HUGE strides in the area of true, deep respect for my husband. I'm in awe! We still don't have a devo together of any sort. Maybe this year...

Parenting-Same as the others. I see progress in this area and am happy about it, but look forward to improving more.

Education-Well, we did get through Egermeier's and loved it. I have had no luck with one-on-one time with the kids though.

Financial-our debt is going down, slowly, but surely. And we have improved in our ability to live within our means. Still not perfect, but definite improvement!

Nutrition- We are doing better with bringing good foods for social occasions, that are healthy and 'real'. We do eat fermented foods with every meal. woo hoo!! The kids and I take FCLO daily, and I did find a source of grass fed beef at amazing prices! We are doing great on grain free foods. No luck on the fish broth or salmon though. All in all, I'm so excited about where we are this year, compared to last.

Looking forward to 2012:

Spiritually-I'd like to see me continue to grow and stay in the Word daily. So just overall improvement in that area. Prayer is the area I'd really like to see improvement, or actual change, in. But I just have no idea how. So I am going to assume it's something the Holy Spirit will show me as He thinks I am ready. My SIL is graciously helping to pay for me to take a class called Perspectives, which is coming to our church in January. We have to work out child care, etc, but we are praying it will work itself out, and that I will learn a ton that I can use in my own life, and that I can pass along to Drew and the kids. I am looking forward to some heart surgery and focus-changing, as I take the class and interact with others who are on fire for the Lord. I am currently feeling a 'dry spell' in my spiritual life, but I've noticed they come and go. And staying faithful to the Word seems to keep me from making bad decisions in between. Focusing on truth and just 'surviving'. But I've also noticed that the bad times seem not so bad, and the good times seem a bit better also. So that is encouraging. I'd say I go through the spells every few months, or at least I seem to have this year. Rollercoaster is how I'd describe them, in nature. From what I've read, that seems to be natural in the life of any believer.

Emotionally-I hope to see improvement in all of our moods. Less swings and more stability. I hope we can all mature in this area, as we experience life together, with more open minds and hearts. Our brains have definitely stabilized a lot this past year, so now I feel we need to concentrate on changing our automatic habits and emotions towards circumstances and one another. And that takes practice and patience.

Marriage-Wow, I'm SO impressed with how far this area of our lives has developed and grown in 2011. Amazed and in total awe of what God has done! We still have a lot to work on, but, like the emotional goals above, it's more habits at this point then actual heart attitudes. So, once again, I hope this year brings Drew and I closer as we experience the day-to-day things in life, and chose to change our automatic habits and feelings toward them, and create new, healthier, holier habits.

Parenting- I hope to figure out how to invest in more one-on-one time with the kids. I hope to take one weekend a month and take one of the kids into the city. We can get in and out for free, so that really helps! And we can do whatever we like, while the other child is home with daddy. I hope God will really use that to help us to get to know and love the kids better. I also hope that this is the year of me being more consistent with the kids. That is our biggest road block at the moment in the area of parenting, and I am praying that the Lord will help me in this area. It's a serious problem, even though I am giving it my all. I hope to see a lot of victory in that area in 2012. I know if we do, a lot of the other issues will resolve themselves naturally. I also hope this is the year of more 'board games' with the kids, and more weekend time spent reading as a family.

Education- I am loving our current schedule, and hope to change and grow, as we change and grow. I do want to do more in the afternoons with them. And to be more emotionally involved with them when we are doing school. Some days I am, some days I'm not. :) I also want to work on our penmanship this summer with a specific program. And I want to add in Scripture memory and other memory work, esp math facts. So those will be my goals for 2012, although my education goals tend to go more with the school year then the calendar year. The board games fit into this goal as well. Basically, I hope to just hope to 'enjoy' the kids more this year. And that is more possible now that we are not all bickering and grumpy together all the time. :)

Financial- We are slowly chipping away at our debt. Two more years and we will be debt free. Woo hoo! We need our car to last that long! :) Drew has slowly taken over the money matters in the house over the last 6 months. I can see God's hand in it, thankfully. And it is a huge burden off my shoulders to not be responsible for it. We are still working on the details of our new roles in this area, and again, we need to set up new habits. But I hope this year will find us more confident overall in our new ways of handling finances. Maybe this year we'll start tithing! :)

Nutrition-Well, I am hoping, planning and praying about doing gaps fully in January. I can't get my poor hubby fully on board, so I am struggling with the idea for the rest of us, until he is on board. But I am praying that if we need to modify it for Drew, that the Holy Spirit would show us how to do it exactly. But I am definitely planning on the kids and I starting with stage one on Sunday or Monday. I hope to introduce things one at a time and see how they affect us. I also hope that we will continue our kefir, egg yolks, fclo, bitters, ferments and soups daily for the rest of our lives. I feel they have helped us so much. Myia's breathing has been great since we went stricter in March, so that has taken a big burden off my shoulders. Otherwise, I'm really happy with where we are. I feel that we can move forward with the knowledge I have, and live a happy, healthy, productive life, able to serve the Lord with our bodies and minds instead of being distracted by simply surviving. It's a great place to be! Oh, I do hope to become an even better cook this year. And I would like to start studying cultures in-depth and esp their food customs from their early days. And learn to cook foods from different cultures, using their ferments, spices, techniques, etc. But, that may not happen this year...

And, like last year and the year before, my Number One goal for 2011-and life-is to glorify God in all we do. Ultimately, that is all that matters. The rest is just extra.

Why Sugar is Bad for Your Teeth

2011-12-23T07:00:00.019-05:00

Brushing teeth does not keep them from rotting when consuming large quantities (and for some, small quantities, based on their heritage, etc.) of sugar, because sugar needs minerals to be digested, and if the minerals are not in the food itself, then it searches for it in the teeth, bones and eventually organs. And it steals it away from them. It esp likes the calcium, phosphorus and other minerals that the teeth are mainly made up of. So, while brushing your teeth after eating sugar might help an itty bit, it won't help much, since the damage is being done internally.

Which is why I use unrefined sugars such as honey, maple syrup and rapadura with their minerals in tact, the way God intended.

For that matter, any refined foods, salt, flour, etc, with the minerals stripped away, do the same thing. Not only do we need to consume these minerals for overall health, but we need to consume them for proper digestion as well.

Just saying....

Merry Christmas, and enjoy the celebration of our Savior's birth. I might even indulge in a bit of sugar, with it's minerals intact.

Boredom, a Wonderful Thing

2011-12-16T07:00:00.041-05:00

I am amazed at how my children, and myself, transform after a few days of 'boredom'. If we run around too much, if I let them be 'entertained' too much, I find they get ornery and can't get along with one another, and esp that they don't use their imagination much. .But, when we have stayed home for a few days and had no tv, computer games, etc, they amaze me at what they start to do. Esp Samuel. He lives for entertainment. I seldom hear those dreaded words from Myia 'Mommy, I'm bored'. But from Samuel it's an almost daily occurrence. As a matter of fact, after a video, I can almost be guaranteed that he'll say that immediately.

I have worked hard at surrounding my kids with good quality 'toys' and books. But, given the option, they would 9 out of 10 times, choose to be entertained in some way. So it makes me really happy to see them picking up some obscure book or imaginative toy, like legos or blocks. They seldom chose those for some reason.

Necessity is the mother of invention. I see that to be true, even in a 6 year old! His brain opens up and he starts asking the neatest questions. I love it!!

Myia thrives on distractions in her own way. I have seen, from the time she was a baby, that the best way to 'deal' with her is to keep her busy and distracted. If I do that, then I don't have to deal with anything with her. I can just sweep her issues under the rug instead of looking them square in the face and giving them to God to help us overcome. Really, distractions are so much easier!

And even in myself, I have noticed that if I'm busy for a few days, I not only get behind on house work, but I also start to despise it and feel sorry for myself. But when it's a part of my routine, I find it gives me pleasure (for the most part) and is meaningful, and I can truly do it in a spirit of praise and service to God. But, if I'm busy and running around, then I find I just hate doing it all.

Even Drew, I have noticed, if he's allowed enough time to actually relax, starts to actually get productive. *gasp* I personally derive pleasure from productivity. The same can not be said of my husband. Unless... he's bored. You know, that relaxed bored. All of a sudden, messes that have been there for months get picked up in an afternoon!

But, if I let us get too busy and distracted, all of the little issues turn into big ones. And I find myself getting irritated with the kids and housework, instead of seeing them as ways to draw the kids and myself closer to God. And the kids' issues especially just compound and get out of control, until we live from one 'distraction' to the next.

That is esp true in this busy holiday season. There is no shortage of entertainment and toys and distractions for people of all ages. Most of them very good things.

I have to remind myself often to not let myself get caught up in the busyness of life, but to chose our outside appointments carefully. They can most definitely enhance our learning and training and overall quality of life, but they can easily overshadow it as well. There is a fine line somewhere there I'm sure. I just never seem able to find those!

Revisiting Eat Fat, Lose Fat

2011-12-09T07:00:00.044-05:00

Great book! I have read it numerous times through and get something new everytime. I was surprised this time around to realize that their 'Health Recovery' diet is very similar to GAPS.

I love my coconut oil, and use it for everything under the sun. But I could not have told you where the ideas came from. After re-reading the book, I have to assume that many of them came from this book. Although I do have to hear things 10 times for it to sink in. So this was ONE of those 10 times I guess. Well, 3 of them, since I'd read it 3 times before picking it up yet again.

Coconut oil is 'anti' everything bad, and 'pro' everything good. It's great for topical application as well as internal.

It's great for speeding up your metabolism, fighting infections on the skin and internally, for moistening dry skin, for first aid purposes-esp bites and cuts. If the kids have a rash, they complain to me and I send them to the coconut oil jar. We use it for K-Y jelly, and for whole body rubs while we're at it. It's good for every part of the body, so why not?!? We put it on blisters and bruises and dry scalps and dry lips. I use it for rubbing the neck/lymph nodes to help drain ear, nose and throat infections. I use it for frying, since it's stable at high temperatures. It's great for thyroids and adrenals. I buy the 5 gallon expeller pressed coconut oil from Tropical Traditions approx every 6 months. It ends up costing approx $30 for a gallon, which is a great price for a good quality fat. And I esp love that it does not need refrigeration or any special storage. I just switch it to my gallon glass jars for storage and keep a quart of it on my stove at all times. It's great stuff and we use it for everything in this house!

But, all of that took time to figure out, and after re-reading EFLF, I realized how much that book taught me. I am so thankful for the habits set into place now, and it's fun to look back and see how far I've come in that direction. I remember reading that book for the first time and not even knowing what coconut oil looked like!

It's a great, simple, short book on how eating real food, esp good fats, is important to overall health, as well as specific health conditions. I've read tons of books on health, each one contributing to my over-all knowledge. But for someone who doesn't have a lot of time or patience for reading about health, but yet wants to learn the over-all facts, this is a great book. The first approx 100 pages is what is read, and the rest is just meal plans and amazingly delicious and simple recipes (most of them using, what else, coconut).

I am toying with the idea of figuring out a way to get Drew to consume 2 tbls of CO before every meal, to see if it can jumpstart his metabolism, esp before we start GAPS in January. So far, it's just an idea, but, we'll see....

They even talked about how losing hair can be prevented by coconut oil. Of course, I suspect that is more for women and those who do not have a genetic disposition for hair loss. My hubby would love to grow more hair back, but I'm pretty sure it won't happen. Esp considering we consume approx one cup a month each of coconut oil, and have for a year and a half now. :) But, it can't hurt to try!

My Role as a Wife-Submisison

2011-12-02T07:00:00.046-05:00

Ouch, submission. In this day and age, that is considered so degrading and unacceptable. I certainly thought that for years. And to be honest, still often do.

However, God has graciously shown me over the last few years, that when I accepted the role of 'wife' to Drew, He expected certain things of me, whether I knew it at the time or not.

God, for some reason or other, chose the family as the means of carrying on civilization. And within that family, he placed various roles to be played, to facilitate 'His story'. Because we are all sinners, we mess up lots, which gives Him more chances to show his mercy and grace and love and forgiveness. But, let's face it, life is easier if we stick to the natural laws as closely as possible.

Well, I 'knew' about submission, but really had no desire to actually do it. Nor, frankly, did I have the ability to do it. It wasn't who I was. I married as 'little miss independent' and had every intention of staying that way. My husband didn't really mind either, for the most part. But, it just doesn't jive well, long term. And when life got rough, marriage started to get really rough. And slowly, ever so slowly, I started to get the 'big picture' of why God designed marriage the way he did.

I started seeing how I messed things up, when Drew's way would have been better to begin with. That was humbling at first, but when things got really messed up, my pride was so low, it didn't really hurt it much to admit that. Not AS much anyway. And the disease became worse then the cure. That is always a good thing.

As God slowly opened my eyes to see Drew's natural abilities of leadership, as well as his God-given role of authority in the home, I started to get the vision and got quite excited about it all. Of course, things would happen to test my resolve and as often as not, I'd take the reigns of our life back again. But I almost always messed things up, and I DO learn-after awhile. About 10 times I'm finding I need, to really grasp a lesson.

Money has been one of our biggest issues. As it is in the vast majority of marriages from what I hear. And we fell deep into credit card debt. I, of course, blamed my sweet hubby and wouldn't let him anywhere near the finances. And he really didn't mind that, so it worked for 10 years. Well, sort of. $25,000 debt later, we were barely holding our noses above water. So, once again, God showed me that it was time to let the reigns go. I didn't want to, but I finally got to a point where I couldn't handle the stress of logging onto our bank account and seeing if we were overdrafted. So... I handed it over to Drew. By dribs and drabs at first, but for the most part, I've given it up and Drew has taken over. And you know something really weird? We have actually had money for the bills and groceries since he started. It makes no sense. His paycheck hasn't gone up any, and our expenses certainly have not dropped. But every month he tells me what I have to spend on groceries, and I'm amazed!

I think, somehow, this is God's way of 'blessing' us, as we seek to fulfill our roles in our marriage, and in his overall plan of redemption in general. It's small, and a bit strange. But, I'll take it!

And, to test my resolve, Drew bought something that in the past has driven me bonkers to find out about. My first thought was that I must take over the finances again. Obviously HE wasn't capable of doing them if he spends money on THAT! But, the Holy Spirit gently reminded me that Drew had just paid all the bills AND told me how much money I had for groceries for the month. Obviously he was capable of spending our money well. And, even if I don't think that was a good purchase, it was obvious that God is blessing us as we make the 'hard' choices to live life the way He has asked us to. I processed the purchase, and the blessings and was able to give thanks to God for taking care of us and let it go. First time EVER!!!! Woo hoo!!!

Another blessing that we are still reaping, when I submitted to Drew, happened 2 years ago. I had been asking (read: nagging) him to cancel the credit card ever since we got married. And he came close, but never could actually say yes. I came close, numerous times, to just doing it without his permission, but thankfully never actually did it. Well, he was vacillating for over a year, and it was killing me! Just.say.yes!!! But, finally, he decided he was ready. I hadn't even been nagging him about it for some time! We talked about the possibilities, whats, whys and hows, and he told me to cancel it. Quickly before he changed his mind. I waited a few days, and verified again before calling them. When I told them what I was doing, they switched me over to some other part of their vast infrastructure. The person actually spoke English, and while I was waiting to find out what interest rate they would offer me, the woman came on the line and said she had set us up for a zero percent interest loan! I had to have her repeat it a few times, I couldn't believe it. Zero percent, nothing, nada. We wouldn't have to pay a single penny of interest on it again! After recovering from my shock and hanging up, I did a happy dance, thanked the Lord, and promptly called my mother, who did a happy dance and prayer in Iowa for us. :) We still talk about it. But that was a huge confirmation to me, that handing over the reigns to Drew, even though I seemed more competent in the money area on the outside, was what was honoring to God.

And that is, after all, what Christians should strive for in their daily life. Honoring God is ALL we do. And sometimes that means letting go of 'reality' and doing things God's way.

GAPS Update

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Well, Thanksgiving was a real smack in the head as far as my diet goes. I can't even say I was 'full gaps'. Although mostly so. And I am pretty much full -gaps now. But, with the holidays here, I'm definitely going to be 'cheating' even on that.

I still have no desire to eat 'junk' of any sort. But, the things I will be enjoying over the next month that are non-gaps are the occasional corn tortilla or chip, popcorn and rapadura sweets. That is pretty much it though.

I am still consuming carrot juice with kefir and yolks first thing, along with 1 tbls of fermented cod liver oil. And soup with 2 egg yolks, kraut and kefir cream. I'm quite full, and sometimes wait for the soup until we are half way through school. For lunch it's meat and veggies, bitters, kombucha and kraut. My snack is yogurt, 2 egg yolks, a bit of honey and cinnamon. For supper it's eggs and kraut. Thankfully we all LOVE the sauerkraut now, so that really helps! I want/need to try harder to have broth with every meal. And just keep filling up on the good stuff every day. I have been having small amounts of honey in my yogurt and eating fruit when it's available-dried, frozen or fresh.

I am also trying to take at least once detox bath every day. It works so well to start my day with that and my Bible reading, so that really helps on both ends.

I am still eliminating on my own. Woo hoo! If not, I'm pretty sure I'd go back to specific gaps intro. I am bloated. Goodness, my belly was flat last Sunday, and now today, 8 days later, it's literally sticking out 2 or 3 inches. Craziness! I don't feel terribly uncomfortable, although a bit bloated in feeling. I suspect I should go back to just soups and actually SLOWLY introduce the fruits and raw veggies, etc. But, again, with the holidays, and since I'm still eliminating, I'm going to keep it as is for now.

In January, we are all going to start intro and work our way through the stages as a family. I feel I have healed SO much in the last month that it will make it easier for me to keep up with everyone else in the addition of new foods. Plus I really do believe that I am continuing to heal, as I am still good about including the really healing foods every day.

All in all, I'm so thankful for this experience, and excited to continue to heal. And, to enjoy my caramel popcorn over the holidays. :)

Oiy with the Common Sense

2011-11-28T07:00:00.019-05:00

Wikipedia says 'Common sense is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts."

Ok, so that sounds really simple. I think I have mostly prudent judgement. But... I seem to lack in the 'simple perception of the situation or facts'. Why? Why for pete sake!?! Is it something I can correct over time, or will it be a stumbling block for me for the rest of my life? We're talking 'COMMON' sense here!! It's COMMON!!!

It's a serious cause of frustration for me. Grrr! I miss the obvious so stinkin' many times, it's not even funny!

My poor husband feels really bad pointing out the obvious to me, but he is finally coming to realize that although he graciously considers me to be one of the wisest people he knows, I have no common sense. Figure that one out!

I just had to complain. I feel a bit better now.

Moses and I-A Lesson Learned

2011-11-25T07:00:00.019-05:00

This is our 2nd year reading through the Bible story book Egermeier's. I LOVE this book and am so thankful to have found it. My husband's parents read it to him and his sisters when they were growing up. And I managed to find a copy of it for really cheap on half.com.

Anyhoo, we are reading about the Israelites as they wander in the wilderness. And make all kinds of idiotic choices. And through it all, in my opinion, Moses is a saint. Because of this opinion that I have of him, I really, really struggle with the fact that God did not allow him to go to the promised land because of one mistake. And literally, every time I read the story, in my own personal reading (which I did last week during one of my detox baths) or with the kids, I cry. So, I saw it coming and warned the kids. And sure enough, I cried. Oiy!

The story is found in Numbers 20:1-13. The Israelites, wandering in the desert, once again found themselves without water to drink, and started yelling at Moses for dragging them away from their heavenly Egypt into this dry and dusty wilderness. This lead the kids and I into a great discussion about how we often complain about things when we really have no right to, and how our view of life is often skewed.

Moses and Aaron, once again, consulted the Lord in the tabernacle, and He gave the order for Moses to speak to a certain rock, and water would come out of it. But Moses, being really annoyed this time, yelled at the people and hit the rock with his stick. A stream of water came gushing out and the people were thrilled.

But God was not so thrilled. He informed Moses and Aaron that they would no be allowed into the promised land, because of their sin. God was not glorified, as he should have been, by the water coming out. Instead, it looked more like Moses managed the miracle with his anger and irritation.

Now, mind you, I have no sympathy for Aaron. I never thought too highly of him to begin with. But Moses, poor Moses! He worked so hard for these people, and this is what he gets!?!

I was reading it to the kids, after having a REALLY grumpy week with them the week before, and in the middle of a sorta grumpy week that week. It dawned on me that I treat my kids exactly as Moses treated the Israelites. God asks me to train and teach them with love and gentleness and tenderness, and definitely firmness and consistency, but also grace and forgiveness. And to train them, daily, in the little and big things of life. And so often, rather then use the tools he has given me, I yell at them, and roll my eyes at them and get irritated at them. God is not glorified when I do that. IF they obey, it's for the wrong reasons and ultimately trains them improperly, and to do things for the glory of men, not of God.

I wonder what 'promised lands' I am missing out on by not being faithful in my mission of raising my children to God's glory. Worse yet, I wonder what 'promised lands' my kids are currently, and in the future, missing out on. I hate to have that be to my credit at the judgment seat of Christ! Maybe that's why Aaron's two sons were such a mess.

Hum......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Four Times!

2011-11-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I evacuated (pooped) 4 times today!! Woo hoo, I'm so excited!!! It's working, it's really working. They are getting less dry, which means that the time it takes to move through the digestive system is getting back to normal.

Yeah!

If you don't appreciate the little things....

GAPS Day 24-Intro

2011-11-23T07:00:00.022-05:00

Woo hoo! I am going, regularly, and not quite as dry-ish. Yeah!!!! It's not perfect yet, but it's so nice to be going in the right direction. It's been over a year since I stopped eliminating on my own. And I'm finally going! I hope it's to stay.

And that is in spite of the fact that I have 'cheated' way more then I intended. I have had 'licks' of honey and berries that I put in the kids yogurt. I've been deathly afraid of sweet anything, as I have candida issues, and I know they tend to feed any parasites/worms also. But, I have not gone into 'crave' mode, and no unusual itching. I'm still not going to indulge in the stuff for my own sake, but it's nice not to be scared of bits and pieces. And, with thanksgiving tomorrow, there is no way I'll be able to resist it all entirely. I could totally resist things that are non-gaps, but otherwise, not so much. So, again, I'm not going to go crazy over it all, but I shall enjoy licks and tastes and maybe even a piece of my raspberry pie.

I've had some raw veggies, and it seems ok. And I've had some raw cheese. Both are fine on full gaps, but both can be a bit difficult to digest, and until I'm going regularly, I want to eat as simple as possible.

I am still having lots of soup, although it seems less the last few days. I've had it for 2 of 3 meals the last 2 days. I also had scrambled eggs yesterday and they seemed fine. Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!! It's nice to progress. I do still get this big belly now and then, but it does not come with any discomfort, so I am not going to stress over it too much.

My feet hurt just a bit last night in bed and it reminded me of last year when I was in so much pain, I could barely stand. Boy am I glad that is over! I also realized that last year my feet burned when I took a bath. Esp if I had just come from a walk and they were cold. Yesterday I went for a walk, and got into the tub for my morning detox bath and scripture reading, and I realized that I had an expectation of them burning and having to keep them out of the water. And they didn't. I had forgotten all about that until yesterday though. I also always have cold feet when it's even remotely cold in the house. I wear my trusty wool socks and I'm fine. I wonder if I now have better circulation in my feet and won't need the socks as much. Hum....

Last year I also remember feeling like my bones were so fragile and would break at the drop of a hat, almost literally. It was such an awful feeling. I definitely do not feel that way anymore. And I'm so thankful!! It's horrible to be 32 and feel 80. I really think I would have broken a bone ridiculously easy, but I'll never know for sure. I think, assume and hope that my bone density has increased greatly. Woo hoo!!

My back still does not hold an adjustment as long as I like, but it's better overall. It seems worse after laying down, like there was pressure being put on it while in that position. So many clues, but I don't know what they're telling me!?!

My mood is still off, but it seems to be getting better in dribs and drabs, so that is ok. The kids are off, fighting over everything under the sun. Myia is angry again and Samuel is poking and annoying (horrible combination!). And I am convinced that it's my parenting, but I'm not sure exactly what to do about it. So I'm praying on that front at the moment . I want to get back to where we can all be together and enjoy ourselves. Not every second is that bad, like it used to be. But it's still more selfishness then is necessary and I want to get it back under control. Geesh, so much depends on a mother, it's too much pressure! 'If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy' is such a true statement!

But, all in all, I see growth in myself, in all areas of my life. Not just from GAPS, but it is certainly helping!

I have so much to be thankful for this thanksgiving. Of course, not technically more then any other year, as God says to give thanks in EVERYTHING. But I 'feel' more thankful this year. :)

GAPS Day 20-Intro

2011-11-19T07:00:00.044-05:00

Well, I think I've given up hope of ever properly digesting anything besides soup, ever again. *sighs* It's not really that bad. And I'm so thankful to have something that tastes good and is not expensive, that I CAN digest. It's better then having nothing at all!

Thursday I bought the kids each an apple, and they didn't finish them. I HATE throwing food away, but I knew I had to do it. Yet I waited, and looked at them, and drooled and whined and eventually talked myself into eating just a few bites. Yikes! Within 20 minutes I was so bloated I looked like I was pregnant (without that cute pregnant glow). I had a few other minor 'cheats' that day, but I'm fairly certain it was the apple. I have never in my memory, been able to eat apples (raw), carrots (also raw), starburst or skittles without having this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Isn't that an odd combination? What can those things possibly have in common to cause the same weird feeling in my stomach? I've never figured it out, still clueless. But I do know from experience, that my body does not digest apples well. I am hoping that I will in time, heal enough to eat apples without any bloating or weird feelings. Obviously I'm not there yet.

Other then some residual bloating and what seems to be some minor detoxing last night, I am feeling pretty good.

I still start most mornings with a walk and a detox bath where I do my daily Scripture reading.

I am still eating the same diet as earlier in the week. I did add warm water with lemon squeezed into it. I really dislike lemon water, but it's supposed to be great for constipation, so I finally sucked it up and added that to my morning routine. So I start my day with that and try to wait 20 minutes. And then I drink approx 1 cup of carrot juice, mixed with 1/2 cup of kefir and one raw egg yolk. I take my cod liver oil with that, as it washes it down quite nicely. I am taking approx 1 tbls of the FCLO at the moment. That is a bit high, but I'm only taking that much for now. You can't OD on the fermented stuff, so I'm not worried about that. I try to wait another 20 minutes or so before eating my soup with veggies of any sort, some garlic powder and meat. I let it cool a bit and add 2 egg yolks and some kefir cream and sauerkraut. The kids have the same thing basically as myself for breakfast.

Phew, it's a cleanup job after all of that! But we have managed to do school every morning, and start by 9. So that makes me happy. It's a lot of food and I'm quite stuffed for some time. I should wait on the soup probably, but it makes it complicated with school and all.

For lunch I try and eat what I am feeding the family if possible, and eat a bowl of soup with kefir and egg yolk added.

Snack is 2 yolks and approx 1/2 cup of yogurt and some cinnamon. I like to freeze it for a bit so it's almost like ice cream. I miss the honey, but it's still tasty enough for now. The kids get yogurt with honey and berries.

Supper for the kids is eggs, and I still haven't added in scrambled eggs for me yet. I just do my soup routine with the yolk and kraut and kefir cream.

Oh, and I have beet kvass as often as I can. Generally just before a meal, I'll drink 1 cup.

I have been quite faithful to eliminate every morning. Still a 2 on the charts, so the transit time is too long. But it's better then a kick in the head with a wet sneaker as they like to say (who says that, I really don't know). No enemas yet, although I'm not convinced I'm doing the right thing there.

And I do my best to end the night with an epsom salt bath.

I'm learning more about how the body works, and I like that. I am also privileged to have 2 very close people doing the gaps diet right now with themselves and their families, so that has been helpful and encouraging to me. And I am always learning something new from them.

I will continue status quo for the time being.

I am so thankful that I am friends with the Creator of this universe. I do wish he would share the secrets of the human body with me more freely, but I am encouraged that he does know, and he does care, and he will lead me, as long as I am willing, to allow my body to heal.

I am praying that as I unravel my own issues, that it will help me in dealing with my family's health issues. I feel like a detective, trying to gather all the clues and use them to my advantage.

Cheerio!

Money Attitude

2011-11-18T07:00:00.014-05:00

I prefer major changes in general. But God seems to think that those are not generally in my best interest (I'm guessing it's pride-related, but who knows). One change I've seen in myself recently, is in my over-all attitude toward money. It's small and a bit subtitle, but I'm still rejoicing nonetheless.

I have come to appreciate that Drew and I have 'chosen', not 'been forced' to live on less, while having me stay home with the kids. We also have 'chosen' to spend extra money on food for healing, rather then insurance, doctors, co-pays, etc. We have 'chosen' to train our children at home instead of sending them to an institution. They are our choices, and how blessed we are to live in America where we have the freedom, resources and encouragement to do those things.

So rather then moping about because we drive an old car, or live in a rather crummy neighborhood (it's not really that bad, but I am a bit embarrassed to have friends over-see pride again) and can't go on vacation, etc, like others around us, I am starting to truly appreciate that it's our choice. And that is really freeing for some reason.

Instead of telling the kids 'we can't afford that', I am learning to think and say 'we don't choose to spend our money (and hence, our time and energy) on that'. Isn't that great?

There is nothing wrong with being able to afford other things. But there is also nothing wrong with not being able to afford them. Because, let's be honest, if I REALLY want something, I figure out how to get it. :)

We could change our priorities around if we chose. But our priorities are what we chose.

Granted, there is still some residual 'suffering consequences for past actions' as we pay off our rather large credit card debt. But, they ARE getting paid off, and we are still eating and living well.

It's freeing to see my attitude toward money slowly change from one of bondage to one of freedom. God is good!

GAPS Day 16, Intro

2011-11-15T08:16:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm still about the same place as I was the last time I posted. Which is ok. I didn't 'go' yesterday or Sunday hardly at all. And I was starting to panic and had decided to do a small enema tonight to clear out the rectum. But, thankfully, I went this morning. Yeah! And while it couldn't possibly be enough for 3 days, it was a decent amount and I felt good afterwards. So hallelujah to that!

I am consuming soups with well cooked veggies, meats and egg yolks. I am doing carrot juice with egg yolk and kefir cream and cod liver oil first thing in the morning (although this morning I started with warm water with lemon in it, as it's supposed to be a 'laxative' on an empty stomach-who knows, since I went before i had the water), followed by soup with 2 egg yolks. For lunch I have the same thing, along with kombucha (2 weeks fermented and no juice added) with my bitters in it, and some cultured carrots or sauerkraut or pickle. For my snack I have some yogurt mixed with an egg yolk and cinnamon. And supper is the same meal as the rest.

So, like I said, I'm at about the same place. I didn't want to add scrambled egg or ghee until I wasn't constipated, so I might try making the ghee today. It would be nice to add the scrambled eggs in.

I am doing ok. I feel good, although a bit grumpy with the kids still (I am turning that into a spiritual battle at the moment and hoping to find victory over it), esp in the evenings. I am doing my 2 baths most days. I am reading in Leviticus for my OT reading and I Thessalonians for my monthly NT reading. School is going well. I am looking really good as far as weight. I do not want that to be my reason for continuing, but it's a nice 'nudge' when I'm wanting some food I'm not ready for!

I really do think I'm digesting my food for the most part. Yeah!! I just need to get my elimination better. I might have seen some worms/parasites again today, which is a bit discouraging. I also suspect I saw candida in my saliva today. Again, discouraging, but, not really. More just a reminder that I need to keep off the sweet things a bit longer to get my gut balanced with those critters. And it's good to know my body is doing what it's supposed to do.

For the moment, other then maybe trying the ghee and gently scrambled eggs, I'm going to keep on what I'm doing. My goal is to consume 6 raw egg yolks a day, broth with every meal, veggies and a limited amount of protein (enough to make me feel full, but not enough to constipate me more), my fclo, bitters, carrot juice and lots of cultured foods every day. I feel those are the most healing foods and long-term, will really heal me up.

I'll 'cheat' as little as I can, and when I feel I am ready, I shall add in something else from the next 'stage' of gaps. I am hoping to add in avocado and spices before too long as well. My food is easy, tasty and filling for the most part.

I am also thinking through the possibility of doing one day a week of just broth. Humm... No reason if I don't think it will facilitate healing. But, if it will, then it's something I'd like to consider.

My goal is proper, real digestion of all foods I eat. Is it possible? We'll see.

GAPS Day 12, Intro

2011-11-12T07:44:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited to report that I had BM twice yesterday and for the first time in a year, I felt good afterwards instead of like there was more there. Woo hoo!!!!

I shall continue as I am now. Morning and evening baths when possible, soups for meals, with cream and egg yolk. Lots of probiotic foods and drinks throughout the day. I am going to hold off on the fruit, nuts and honey as long as I can.

I will revisit intro when I do it with my family in January and maybe, when I reintroduce fruit and honey with them, I'll do the same with myself. But I an convinced they are a major problem with me, so I want to give my body a chance to really heal before trying them.

I am going to stop the daily updates for now. I don't have that much to say. :) But I am very happy with where I am at week 2 and look forward to continued healing and adding in additional foods as my body seems to be able to handle them.

To God be the glory, great things he is doing.

GAPS Day 11, Intro

2011-11-11T08:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a good day. I don't seem to be detoxing much, and I find my soups very filling and tasty.

I have been able to get a detox bath almost every morning since starting, and every evening.

I seem to have settled into a sort of schedule at the moment that is working for me. I wake up, walk if I'm up early enough and it's nice outside. And then I take a baking soda bath while I read the Bible. And then I get to breakfast. The kids drink a glass of carrot juice, and I add an egg yolk and kefir cream to mine. And then I drink a cup of beet kvass, followed by my soup (I add an egg yolk and kefir cream to that as well, although I ran out this morning and won't get more until tomorrow night when I go to the farms), which I generally eat with the kids. They drink a kefir smoothie, which has kefir, egg yolk, honey and some fruit or vanilla or cocoa powder, and they have a bowl of their own soup (with spices I am not eating yet) with cream in it also.

And then we do chores and school. Drew has taken to eating breakfast when he wakes up. I save some kefir back for him, add an egg yolk and juice some carrots to add to it. He likes it. And I also give him some berry yogurt. I love that he is eating breakfast finally!! (I do a LOT of dishes, but it's worth it)

After school, I prepare lunch. We eat lunch together, but I eat my soup/yolk/cream/kvass. I make Drew supper and send him off to work. The kids get their afternoon berry yogurt snack. I take some yogurt, mix it with an egg yolk and a pinch of cinnamon and eat that as my snack. It's pretty tasty!

For supper, the kids generally have eggs and kraut and milk, and I have more kvass and soup. After I put them to bed, I generally take an epsom salt bath and then I'm off to bed .

It's a good schedule for the time.

I have had a BM every morning for a week now. Yeah! Not a lot, but some. Today was the best so far. The easiest and most. Yeah for progress!!! No headache, so I shall continue to go without my enema. I can feel it on my spine, but not terribly yet, so I shall carry on status quo. I have 'cheated' and had some sauerkraut the last few days, and man is it yummy! I shall add that in daily, along with scrambled eggs and raw veggies next week. And watch for reactions. Woo hoo!!!

Oh, and I have decided to start drinking kefir throughout the day, even though it's not the cream. I won't do a lot of it since I am still constipated technically. But I figure a glass consumed throughout the day will be best for repopulating my gut with all of those good bacteria.

Your Money or Your Life, by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez

2011-11-11T07:00:00.073-05:00

Hah, today is 11-11-11. Kind of cool.

So, I have been praying for years that God would control mine/our money. I feel like he has taken control of so many areas of our lives-food, relationships, education, entertainment. I really think that God is 'in the driver's seat' in those areas, for the most part. And I'm so thankful for that. But... when it comes to money, I feel like I'm totally in control-and that is BAD. Because I can't control it, because I don't know enough, don't have enough self control and don't know the future well enough to be truly 'in control' of money. And it's definitely NOT a strong point in Drew's life. :)

So, I've been praying for some time that God would take control over it. I've read and heard lots about tithing and giving to others. We don't do either. I feel we can barely keep our head above water, much less do more. So is it a lack of trust? I don't think it's that, or not just that anyway.

For some odd, frustrating reason, the only way I can change something is really to study it and understand it, and then somehow, it just assimilates without me trying real hard. It's weird, and nice in some ways, but frustrating that I can't just 'do' something that someone suggests. But, I know it will get done once I'm ready, so that is nice.

So, on that note, I've been waiting for a few years for God to step in and start the process on the money. I've tried to force it now and then, but it's never been successful.

But, lately, I've had an inkling of an idea, that the money thing is about to start. Granted, it often takes a few years to see any fruit. But I'm happy to see the rumbles of change anyway.

I have read Larry Burkett, Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey and recently Radical Homemakers. Each one has given me a little more of the big picture. While reading Radical Homemakers, I read about a book called 'Your Money or Your Life' by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin.

I really enjoyed it and found one more 'piece' to put into my money puzzle. Like many of the other books, they have a '9 step program' to follow. But yet, it's the overall relation to money that I took from it.

The 9 steps are:

1. Making peace with the past.

2. Being in the Present-Tracking your Life Energy

3. Monthly tabulation

4. Three Questions that will transform your life:

-Did I receive fulfillment, satisfaction and value in proportion to life energy spent?

-Is this expenditure of life energy in alignment with my values and life purpose?

-How might this expenditure change if I didn't have to work for a living?

5. Making life energy visible

6. Valuing your life energy-minimizing spending

7. Valuing your life energy-maximizing income

8. Capital and the Crossover Point

9. Managing your finances

What I really liked was the overall idea of tabulating how much you make-after subtracting taxes, clothing, services, travel, housing/taxes in more expensive areas and any 'spoiling' we do to make up for our lack of fulfillment from our job. So often, if you account for everything, truly and honestly, you could live on so much less and still live just as comfortably.

Also, I loved the idea of, once you have figured out how much you make 'per hour' at your job, after all expensive taken out as mentioned above, then, every time you are about to purchase something, consider how many 'life hours' it would take to make that purchase. It's black and white and honest. It just puts things into perspective. Sometimes it's definitely worth the life hours. And sometimes it's not.

I don't make any money outside the house presently. My husband is the sole breadwinner in the house. My 'job' is to save as much as I can, to make his go further. But, we still have a lot of 'extras' that we could live without, if it wasn't for his job. Especially because we live in basically a 'suburb' of NYC. Cost of living is very high here, as a general rule.

Now, I know that because of sin, we all need to work. Life is hard. Even for the few who are 'financially secure', life is hard. If it's not one struggle, it's another. So for us, it's not a matter of trying to get Drew to sit home all day and do nothing. But rather, how best he can use his time and energy. We are to use every minute of our life to God's glory, and if we are wasting all our time and energy on things that bring him no glory, and are too exhausted after it is all done, to reach outside ourselves. Then I think it wise to reconsider. And give it all to God to help you put into proper perspective.

What that means for us exactly, I have no idea. But I am praying that God would guide and direct us over time, so we can use our time, energy and money to his glory.

We realized Drew spends approx 750 hours a year commuting! That's a lot of 'wasted time'. He handles it well mostly, but he definitely does not like his commute. Some people love that time, to read, rest, meditate, etc. But for others, it's a 'waste of time'. Esp as our priorities change, it seems more frustrating. Not only are we wasting our money, but we're wasting our precious time as well!!

Baby steps. Opening eyes to see life differently. Seeing outside the box. All of that.

I so look forward to the sanctification God is/will do in my life in this area. Bring it on, I'm ready to be RADICAL about it!!!

GAPS Day 10, Intro

2011-11-10T08:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was fine. Nothing unusual in the form of detox or exhaustion or cravings. Although I do sooo want some raisins right now. :)

I had a nice walk yesterday morning, followed by a detox both of baking soda, when I read I Thessalonians and a few chapters of Egypt. It's amazing how stubborn those people are! The parallels to my own life are sadly obvious. BUT, God did not give up on them, and I know he will not give up on me either.

Yesterday I started the day with my usual carrot juice mixed with an egg yolk and kefir cream. I consumed 6 bowls of soup containing roast, chicken, carrots, peppers, onions, peas and the spice from a bay leaf. That was a nice addition.

I also consumed probably 2 cups of beet kvass throughout the day, my usual bitters and cod liver oil and some yogurt mixed with egg yolk and cinnamon. I was mostly satisfied throughout the day.

Oh, I also tried my fermented mackerel and fermented sardines. I was scared to try them, but they tasted a lot like canned salmon. The texture was a bit more slimy, but not too bad. I can snack on them throughout the day, but it will take some creativity to get my family to eat it. I'll figure that out eventually though. :)

My bloating has not returned. I did have one relatively small #2 bowel movement yesterday morning and this morning. I have done so for the last 5 mornings. I like the regularity. My back hurts because of the need for more evacuation, but otherwise, I'm doing ok, so I am going to hold off on the enemas still.

I also have not seen what I am quite sure are worms/parasites in my stools lately, so I hope and pray I have gotten the better of those. And I have not been itchy like I always am, nor have I craved sweet things intensely like I usually do (other then raisins, but even that has not been intense), so I also hope and pray that my candida is finally getting under control. Woo hoo!!!!

I stayed up late reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I'm still not done, but had to finally put it down around 11 when I couldn't stay awake any longer. Which means that I slept in this morning and that has thrown all of the morning off. But with the time change last weekend, we're still doing ok.

Kids have finished their chores, so it's time to start school.

GAPS Day 9, Intro

2011-11-09T06:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a good day again. I did have one decent BM in the morning, a 2 on the charts. And I can feel there is more that wants to come out, which for me is pretty good.

I had 6 bowls of soup yesterday. I had 8 raw egg yolks, carrots, onions, peas, chicken and beef. And for lunch we had liver as a family. I boiled mine i broth and added it to my soup. It was yummy and fun to eat. I'm glad I only had to give it up for one week. I made steamed beets for the family, and had some. I just added coconut oil, as I have not introduced ghee or butter yet. I also had sour cream, beet kvass, cod liver oil, carrot juice and bitters. I did have 1/4 cup of yogurt, 1/4 cup of kefir, egg yolk and cinnamon mixed, as a treat. I am trying to stay away from dairy other then fats, as they are known to aggravate constipation. But I did enjoy the 'treat'.

I wasn't hungry yesterday and really didn't have any cravings. My mood was mostly stable, although I wish I did better with the kids overall. It's coming.

We enjoyed a trip to the park for an hour. It was beautiful weather.

Today I am going to still eat my soups, and probably steam up some more beets. I love steamed beets! Oh, and add green pepper to my soup. I just keep one pot going and keep adding things to it. My favorite meat is the grass fed roast. Yum!!!! I poured a bowl for me last night and next thing I know, it's almost gone, my son ate it. Goober! But I really wasn't going to complain. :)

I went for a walk this morning again.

I am going to hold off on the enemas still longer. I can feel the pressure on my spine, but no headache. I am trying to see if I can 'force' my body into going. I don't want to cause more damage then good, so I'm going to watch myself and pray and just decide day by day.

I think my intestinal bloating is still better, but it's hard to tell since I haven't pooped much. I can generally feel if it's gas, or other, based on how my stomach feels to the touch, and it still feels 'soft' when I lay down. If I'm gassy, when I lay down, it's hard to the touch. Weird, I know. You learn a lot when you can't go on your own for a whole year! You start becoming a detective and really paying attention to the 'little things'.

Looking forward to doing school with the kiddos today. It's movie day, so after school, one of them gets to pick out a movie on netflix while I go take a nap with daddy. Yeah for all of us!

GAPS Day 8, Intro

2011-11-08T07:49:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday was great, until about 6, and then I hit a wall. An intense wall.

But it started out great. I felt the best I'd felt in a long time. Lots of energy, no bloating. I did have one decent sized bowel movement, a 2 on the chart, around 10 am. I definitely need to get more out, but I don't have that headache yet, so I'm going to hold off still.

I went for a walk in the morning. It felt great. I love morning walks! Made breakfast for myself and the kids and we did school.

I had carrot, chicken, onion soup with egg yolk and kefir cream for breakfast. After a cup of carrot juice with yolk and cream and cod liver oil. I had the same soup for lunch, along with 4 boiled shrimp, which the family was eating.

I had soup for supper, but added some roast. Yum!!!!

I think I had approx 1 quart of broth, cooked carrots and onion, 8 raw egg yolks, chicken, shrimp and roast. Bitters, cod liver oil and freshly pressed carrot juice and 1 cup of beet kvass. Oh, and a few tbls of cream from the top of the yogurt container, mixed with egg yolk and cinnamon.

The kids and I walked to the library. I seemed to lose energy along the way. By the time we got back, I was pretty tired. I had my supper (soup and carrot juice) and then my body seemed to shut down. It was more like the flu bug hitting me. I'm assuming it was some major detoxing. I suddenly got bloated, got a sore throat and headache and stomach ache and nauseous and exhausted. I took a super hot epsom salt bath, which helped a little. The kids were great. I put them down a bit early and was asleep by 8:30. Other then one trip to the bathroom (which is great for me), I slept great until 6 in the morning. I woke up feeling fine, other then that slight 'hit by a mac truck' feeling when I first woke up. And I'm still a bit tired.

Now I'm off to do school. I didn't get my bath/devos in this morning. But I did have a nice walk.

GAPS Day 7, Intro

2011-11-07T06:52:00.002-05:00

Well, yesterday was the best day so far. I felt so good. My hormones mostly straightened out. I finally was able to see my precious 1st graders at church after a whole month. I had energy all day and felt great. Even my skin feels softer then usual.

I started the morning with my bible reading in a bath of baking soda. I'm starting to really like that in my bath!

For breakfast, I first juiced carrots and added an egg yolk and kefir cream, and I take a tbls of cod liver oil with it. And then I made a soup of broth, salt, carrots and chicken, added 2 egg yolks and sour cream, and ate some of that before heading out to church. I also made my mineral water and brought that along to church.

Drew was exhausted and sick, so he stayed home.

It was great to be back to church again. And I felt so great, so that was a bonus. I'm used to being hungry on diets, so this feeling of being satisfied is odd for me.

For lunch I just heated up my soup again. And added one yolk and kefir cream. Oh, I've been trying to drink diluted beet kvass 3 or 4 times throughout the day. It's not great tasting, but it's not terrible either.

I did have a small bowel movement on my own, a 2 on the charts. Still no headache, so I am forgoing the enemas yet another day.

I was surprised how much less broth I consumed yesterday. I'm guessing it was around 2 cups! Yikes, that is a lot less then 1/2 gallon or 16 cups! I did still eat about 10 egg yolks, 1 cup of beet kvass, 1/4 cup of kefir cream, 2 cups of carrot juice, 2 tbls of cod liver oil and some chicken and carrots.

I dialogued with someone else starting gaps intro this weekend. It's so fun to hear people's stories of how such simple, traditional, old-fashioned, REAL foods affect people.

Myia, poor dear, was a mess. Her breathing was a mess, she had an eczema rash thing on her neck and side (which she has seldom has in her 8 years and many health issues), and her stomach was terribly bloated. The 2 things she consumes that are non-full gaps are raw milk and lime-soaked corn tortillas. All traditional, good foods, but hard to digest. Her milk intake has been really low lately and she had 2 corn tortillas last night, but other then that, nothing since last Sunday night. I suspect that it might have been a stress reaction to my grumpiness this past week. I don't know for sure, and may never know. But I know that girl's digestion is extremely sensitive, and I was extremely grumpy and stressing her out. So it's possible. I'll watch her, and if it doesn't get better in the next few days, we'll have just soups for a few days. It always seem to help whatever is wrong.

I also fear that with her breathing issues, she has developed bad breathing habits. Both Saturday night and Sunday night, she was really physically active, and I wonder how much that messes her up. And how in the world to correct it.

Plus Drew thinks her breathing issues could be ticks, which would make sense with my grumpiness. But her bloating is definitely not a tick. Her elimination is fine, although a bit light, meaning she is not digesting her fats real well at the moment. But that comes and goes. It could also be cyclical. I watch her pretty closely and it's possible that her body is just going through a cleansing cycle.

Who knows, who knows. Her diet is very clean for the most part, so I really do believe that we are moving forward, not backward. I'm so thankful I found gaps and the principles in it, to guide me in feeding and healing my family!

Anyway, last night I had an epsom salt bath (while reading Wilkie Collin's Woman in White) and then had another bowl of soup, but this time I had added some chopped onions which had cooked for a few hours. Yum!!!!! I also added the yolk and sour cream and had a glass of beet kvass. I slept great and woke up rested this morning.

I even woke up early enough to go for a walk. I don't think I ever adjusted to the day light savings time and now my body is back in rhythm. Weird. But I do love my morning walks!! The earlier the better.

Man, it feels good to feel good!!!!

GAPS Day 6, Intro

2011-11-06T07:20:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday was the best day yet. My energy was higher and my mood, finally, was much more stabilized. Yeah! I also did have one bowel movement, type 2, and kind of small. But, it was there none the less. :) I have not done an enema since day 3. But I've not had that 'headache' that means I really need one, so I've let it go.

I did feel like a lot of pressure in my stomach was released yesterday, and my overall bloating was also taken down a few notices. I got my period this morning, so that explains a lot of that.

I consumed the same as usual, approx 1/2 gallon of broth, 10 egg yolks, 1/4 kefir cream, 2 cups of carrot juice, and 1 tbls cod liver oil. I also added in bitters yesterday with some lemon juice. I wonder if that was a bit part of my mood stabilizing. It seemed to get better around that time. Who knows.

Drew was under the weather, plus he had a flea market, plus he had a father/daughter dance, but he managed it. Now I expect him to sleep until it's time to go to work on Monday. Poor guy!

I took 2 detox baths, one baking soda and one epsom salt. I am beginning to really like the baking soda ones. I feel like they make my skin softer and less itchy all over.

I could not drink my last cup of broth last night. I shredded some carrots into it and cooked it for an hour, and had a few bites of that. Today I'll eat more well cooked carrots and for supper I will probably add chicken. Yeah!!! I'll probably add some dried herbs tomorrow, along with onion. So, I'm basically onto the 'real' intro gaps diet.

Yeah for 'real food' that I can consume with a spoon. I've been very happy with how it has gone down, but man, it's hard to only drink broth for days! I'm thankful for some real food. Now I'll go through the diet, still adding one food back in at a time. I started the fish fermented yesterday, so I look forward to trying that in a few days. And I'll add back in beef and beets, and then hopefully ghee. And then scrambled eggs. *droolling*

Off to enjoy my 'real' carrots! :)

GAPS Day 5, Intro

2011-11-05T07:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday wasn't too bad. I was hungry more, but I suspect it's because my broth wasn't as fatty and gelatinous. It wasn't so much hunger as it was a lack of fullness. I added my fermented cod liver oil. I had a spoonful twice yesterday, washed down with carrot juice. Yeah!!! Trying to heal without cod liver oil just seems silly. :)

Yesterday I consumed about the same as the day before. Approx 1/2 gallon of broth, 10 egg yolks, 1/4 of kefir cream, 1 cup of beet kvass and 2 cups of carrot juice. Nothing measured, all approximates.

I am so emotional and messed up, it's driving me crazy! But I'm fairly certain it's pms, so I'm trying to wait it out before I try to start solving any 'problems'.

Drew is sick, and the kids are off. Although I'm fairly certain their 'offness' is because of my emotional instability. Man, a mom's job is really important in a family! And emotional stability is extremely helpful and hard to live without. No wonder we were such a mess for so long. It's hard not to look back and be discouraged. But I'm so glad my God is bigger then my mistakes. And I'm so thankful he has allowed me to see it before my kids were too old. I am truly blessed!

Today I add in my swedish bitters. Woot woot! Again, healing without them seems counter-intuitive.

I had less bloating yesterday, which feels good. I looked pretty darned good. But I have to remember that that is NOT why I'm doing this. :)

I had 2 baths last night. My first one in the morning, while doing my bible reading, and the 2nd one at night with my last cup of broth.

I also had a much needed adjustment. I so hope someday to NOT need those! At least not as often.

I pray I do better with the kids today. I hate not meeting their needs. They have so many right now, and I am the only one that can meet them. I still find it hard to believe it used to be this bad all the time!

Oh, I am reading I Thessalonians for my monthly NT reading. I want to make this my theme for my healing. '²³Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.'

That is my goal. To have my whole self sanctified and kept blameless until He returns. I'm so thankful that HE will do it, and not me! To God be the glory.

GAPS Day 4, Intro

2011-11-04T07:00:00.011-04:00

Well, I finally woke up not feeling nauseous yesterday morning. Yeah! I have been very surprised at my lack of hunger the last few days. Everyone who starts on the intro is ravenous for days. And they are eating meats and veggies with their stock. Am I missing something?

I wonder if it's because my body has already figured out how to get energy from animal products rather then grains, so it wasn't a big problem for me. And I've managed to have a decent amount of fat from the broth and sour cream, in each glass. So technically, it was very filling.

Mind you I didn't say I haven't craved foods. Pretty much only what I've seen and prepared have I craved. But man have I wanted those!

My 'cheats' yesterday were a pinch of cinnamon on the egg yolk/yogurt sour cream custard I thoroughly enjoyed. And a few small pieces of chicken and crispy chicken skin. I figure they would fall within the actually gaps intro at least.

Yesterday I also added in carrot juice. Man, that stuff is tasty on it's own, but after 3 days of only eating broth, it's downright heavenly! I wonder if I can overdo the stuff. I did add an egg yolk and kefir sour cream to the 3 cups that I had (one at 11 am, one at 3 and one at 8pm-and that was containing myself).

Today I add in cod liver oil and I'm ridiculously excited about it. The kids think I'm nuts. Ok, maybe I am.

Yesterday my spirits were considerably higher, although still bummed about not pooping on my own. I chose not to do an enema last night, but I was considerably less bloated then up til now. I did take 2 long detox baths. I find in the AM, before the kids are awake is a great time for me. I do my Bible reading in it. Getting both done at once is nice, plus I love starting my day spiritually fortified.

But, I was an absolute bear with the poor kids. They were a mess yesterday and around lunch I started realizing it was a definite possibility that it was me bringing out the worst in them. We did school, which was good, but bad. And by the evening, it was painfully obvious that it was me that was the problem. I apologized to them and told them I needed to be as left along as much as possible until I was able to behave myself more appropriately. They were great about it. I am praying today I can run on God's grace and not mine. Since mine is clearly insufficient!

Yesterday I consumed approximately a 1/2 gallon of broth, 1/2 cup of kefir sour cream, 1/2 cup of fermented veggie juice, 10 egg yolks and 1 1/2 cups of freshly pressed carrot juice.

I was feeling discouraged over my lack of quick healing and realized how absurd that was. So I read up on the Q&A on GAPS and got all excited again. I KNOW it takes time for the body to heal. It does, no doubt. But I want it to heal now. So I can pout and stamp my foot all I want. But the reality is that it takes time. So I was encouraged to read over and over again that the body 'does' heal itself, it just takes time and the proper nutrients. And from my own experience, I know that is true.

So I am going to try and turn the whole diet thing back over to God and let him guide me as I move along, and trust that I am doing the right thing and just need to be patient. Grrr, patience is NOT my strong suit!

Tomorrow I'm planning on adding my bitters back in. I'm absurdly excited about that also.

Christmas Trip Menu

2011-11-04T07:00:00.010-04:00

My MIL has paid for the whole family to stay 2 nights in a hotel for Christmas, the last 2 years. And we love it! The kids esp love swimming with the cousins and eating together and watching movies together.

The first year I brought most of our food. Then last year I brought our food, plus extra for the rest of the family. It was a hit. Now, this year, I'm a far better cook, and far more confident and healthy. And I have an idea of what the family likes and how to pack for a hotel.

And, since we are snowed in from church, I'm feeling Christmas-y and plan-y. So I have the menu planned out. We will probably eat one meal out (Myia and I will have to eat what I brought, but the boys can eat out), and the rest of the family will eat out more. But, I'll put the spread before them, let them know what is available and that we will be eating in our 'restaurant/hotel room' and they can join us whenever they like. Whatever does not get eaten will be leftovers for us. :) I'm really excited about it.

Here it is:

BREAKFAST:
-banana bean cake/muffins
-strawberry yogurt (1/2 gallon)
-mango smoothie (1/2 gallon)
-granola/raisins/milk
-clafoutis

LUNCH:
-bread
-condiments
-cheese
-onion slices
-ham sliced
-roast sliced
-Sauerkraut carrot salad
-egg salad with ham
-pickles

SOUPS/SUPPER:

-Corn Chowder
-Taco Soup
-Chili

SNACKS:
-apples, bananas, tangerines, grapes
-corn chips, fermented salsa, fermented guacamole
-caramel corn
-candied nuts

DRINKS:
-raw milk
-kombucha
-oj
-grape and apple juice (with whey for enzymes)
-iced tea

EXTRAS:
-grated cheese
-sour cream

I plan on freezing the soups and heating them up in the crock pot. It worked great last year. All disposable utensils and plates/bowls.

It's so fun to be organized! Now let's see if I can pull it off......

GAPS Day 3, Intro

2011-11-03T07:07:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday was pretty rough. I still wasn't hungry, but I did eat more chicken, maybe a few tbls total. I gave in when I was getting it ready for the kids. :) It's allowed on intro, I just thought I'd try to hold off on solids until I was eliminating on my own regularly. Not sure I'm going to be able to stay without solids for too long. So right now my goal is to stay with them for one week. And then add back in meat and veggies, so I'll be on the 'real' intro.

Yesterday I was really nauseous until around noon. I couldn't stand up. Which meant I could barely get breakfast for the kids and myself. And we didn't do school at all, except read from our book. Drew gave me a coconut oil back rub and that seemed to really help. But I'm always amazed at how mental my sickness gets. I was so overwhelmed and discouraged. I finally realized I was being irrational, but didn't know what rational was, so I asked Drew to be my rational. It's nice knowing I can lean on someone else when my brain is malfunctioning. I wonder if everyone gets utterly depressed when sick. I've noticed that about myself for some time now. Depression has been something I've battled off and on for most of my life. I wish I knew the cause-spiritual, chemical, emotional. all of the above?

Finally around noon I felt almost 100% better. I had more broth with egg yolk, kefir sour cream and fermented carrot juice. I also took the cream off the top of the yogurt and mixed in egg yolk. It needed honey,but was still a nice change in texture. And I can't do honey yet, since I know candid is a major issue with me.

I managed to get lunch for everyone,and supper for Drew to take to work. And then the kids and I went out to see their cousins, who we hadn't seen since we got back from Iowa. Those darned kids grow too fast! I love my niece and nephew and was excited to see them again. But,of course, it was all about the cousins. So I shall have to have them over here sometime for longer so I can interact with them again. We stopped at whole foods on the way home, since I had 2 more cups of broth left in the house. We bought a roast chicken for supper, which I promptly put on the stove for broth (and ate some) and started cooking another chicken so I'd get extra broth. today if I am up for it, I think I'll google butcher in the area and see if I can find some free or cheap beef bones instead of always chicken. Plus it gets expensive. Oh, I really should get some fish heads for fish stock, but that stuff is nasty.

I did an enema, mostly nothing except more bile. I'm quite discouraged over the fact that I'm still bloated. I couldn't possibly be getting bloated from what I am eating. It has to digest properly. So is it from food before Monday or something else? I went to be quite discouraged over it. But prayed and gave it to God. And will probably have to do that 10 times more today. It's his body, and I'm doing what I believe he has lead me to do. So I have to trust in the results and not let it consume me. Much easier said then done for me.

I slept great. I finally did not wake up nauseous and so far, so good this morning. I already had my first cup of broth with egg yolk, fermented veggie juice and kefir sour cream. And had no problem with it. Kids are not awake, so I haven't really tested myself yet.

Today I am going to add in freshly juiced carrots, mixed with my sour cream and egg yolk. Drew has asked for that as well. I hope he likes it. I might add in my fermented cod liver oil today also. I should only do one at a time, so we'll see.

GAPS Day 2, Intro

2011-11-02T08:31:00.000-04:00

Well, day 2 was not too bad. I was not hungry. I did wake up nauseous, but was over it by noon. It may have been low blood sugar, or, it may have been my liver cleaning out.

I consumed approx 1/2 gallon of broth again, with fermented veggie juice and sour cream. That sour cream was so yummy added in!

I did not eliminate on my own and am trying not to be too disappointed about that.

Around 3 I had some minor diarrhea and a lot of bile came out. Bright yellow, and one little gallstone. Last fall around this time I did a number of liver and gall bladder cleanses. I got a lot of stones and bile out, which was a good thing. But I felt like it was stressing my adrenals and I wasn't ok with that. So I was happy to see myself cleaning out again without the fasting and cleanse. I like my broth salty, so it was probably similar to the epsom salt (only way tastier) and my broth has had a lot of fat, so that was like the olive oil. I'm guessing.

At night, I did an enema again and got out tons of bile. I hope and pray that my liver getting cleaned out will help me to digest my food better and help me to start eliminating on my own. Ohhh, I hope so!!!

I followed up my enema with a hydrogen peroxide bath and bed by 10. I had a decent night's sleep, but I did wake up at 4 nauseous. I peed and went back to bed and was fine.

I woke up tired, but not nauseous this time. Both of the kids are under the weather, so I could be fighting something as well.

I've already consumed 2 cups of broth, with fermented veggie juice, sour cream and...yeah.... raw egg yolks. Each bowl had 3 egg yolks, so I've had 6 all told,and it's only 8:30. Oh, and while making the kids their soup,I did have a few small pieces of chicken. oops.

I'll post again tomorrow morning.

GAPS Day I, Intro

2011-11-01T08:38:00.000-04:00

Well, day one wasn't too bad all things considered. I wasn't really hungry all day, but I wanted the foods I fed to the kids. But I managed to have self control.

I believe I drank approx half a gallon of broth. Chicken and beef mixed. I added a few cloves of garlic and some ginger and lots and lots of celtic sea salt. I need that for some reason, to be able to drink it. I added the juice from some fermented carrots every time. And I also made up ginger tea, strong, and squeezed some lemon into each cup. I tried not to drink much plain,cold water, but I wasn't entirely successful there.

I didn't have any major cravings. But I did have a hard time not eating the foods I made for the rest of the family.

I wasn't hungry for the most part. I went to bed feeling mostly full.

I had a 'real' bowel movement in the morning, before even drinking broth. But that was the last one of the day. I was bloated so I did an enema before bed, followed by a detox bath. Yikes, my digestions is soo messed up!!

Oh, I also started with a detox bath, and then had another on in the afternoon.

Ideally, I'd like to do 3 detox baths a day, one epsom salt, one hydrogen peroxide and one baking soda. I'd like to occasionally do raw apple cider vinegar, and some ginger now and then also.

I am keeping a daily diary to see what I eat, how I feel, bowel movements, etc.

I went to bed feeling fine, but woke up tired and nauseous. I did sleep well though.

To God be the glory.

Starting GAPS Intro Today

2011-10-31T07:00:00.039-04:00

Well, I've been 'planning toward this' for 3 1/2 years now. I am finally going to do the intro of GAPS myself. I am hoping/planning on my family joining me in January. But I decided I have the most serious digestive issues and will take the longest to get through the stages, so I hope to start it today, and work my way slowly through them until I am able to properly digest and eliminate my food.

I realize it is going to be super hard to eat only soups when I am preparing regular, yummy, nourishing food for my family. I think that will be the hardest part for me. I expect to stay on the early stages for a bit longer then most. I really expect (but then, who knows) to be onto intro with the family within a few weeks. But I know I'll take longer to heal.

One thing that I love, is that last year at this time, I was so much less healthy. My bones were so weak, I had chronic fatigue still. Was detoxing all the time. I had leg cramps and headaches often. I was really irritable-all the time. Now, a year later, I am doing so much better in all of those areas. I can see how much I have healed in the last year. But.... I have not pooped regular, on my own, since this time last year. I've had to use enemas regularly. Sometimes I'll go some, but never all.

And it was a problem I had had all my life. But last summer I started going regular and it felt so good! And then I stopped. I spent a weekend eating processed foods and came back 'stuck'.

So I find it ironic that I have obviously NOT digested my food properly for a year, but yet have still healed. And I have no doubt that it is because of my daily consumption of bone broth, good saturated fats, raw egg yolks, kefir, yogurt, vast quantities of celtic sea salt, swedish bitters and fermented cod liver oil.

Good foods can't heal you if you can't digest them. But all of the above foods need little or no digestion to be assimilated. I am so thankful I pushed those foods this past year, in spite of my chronic constipation!

But... now I'm ready to 'go on my own'. And I really think the GAPS is the way to do that. I am going to start with garlicky broth and kraut juice for a day, and then add in kefir sour cream the next day, and raw egg yolks the next. And I hope to stay there until I am going on my own regularly and easily. I am going to use this chart as a way to see how well I am digesting my food. And as I add foods back in, I will watch my elimination closely to see if I am digesting it.

I hope to add in my swedish bitters and fermented cod liver oil after the yolks. And then after that, add a meat or veggies, well cooked, each day, and see what it does to me.

I'll post on here as I see changes. Hopefully good, and hopefully quickly. ;)

We're Back

2011-10-28T07:00:00.026-04:00

The kids and I just got back from spending 3 weeks with my family in Iowa. It was amazing weather and relaxing and fun times.

While we did miss daddy like crazy, we all found it really hard to leave family and friends. Esp knowing it could be a couple of years before we see them again. The last time we were there was 2 1/2 years ago. So one never knows.

While NJ certainly has it's good points, I prefer Iowa for this present stage of life. I believe kids need dirt and nature and free spaces and time to become who they need to be. It's the foundation for their health, academic understanding (esp science) and theology. It's easier to see God's amazingness in his creation then in his human creatures sometimes. :)

But... there is no doubt in my mind that God has us here for the moment, and therefore, it's where I want to be.

It took me a day to acclimate to being back, but that is better then last time. I think it took me a good month. So a day is making serious progress. I really was very refreshed while there. I just found it hard to leave such comfort, knowing my life here in NJ isn't as 'comfortable' in many areas.

We also did great on our semi-GAPS diet. I was worried that being away from my kitchen would wreak havoc on our food. But it didn't. I had 1 1/2 suitcases full of food stuffs, no joke. So that helped. Plus my sister had a bunch of things for us, like coconut oil and Dr. Bronner's and nice knives (my parents have horrible knives! And when you use a lot of fresh veggies, that is not acceptable). So that really helped. I made kombucha while I was there, and we had kefir with raw egg yolks every day. We had soup for breakfast every day like we do here. Our meats were not grass fed, but we had great eggs and organic, raw milk. My cousin and I kicked the trip off with a sauerkraut making session, which lasted the whole trip. So we really didn't lack in too much.

Oh, I even brought our fermented cod liver oil and bitters! The kids were a bit bummed. :) Hee hee.

I desperately missed my Vita-Mix while there, and was so happy to come back to it's loud motor. It's good to know when you spend so much on a piece of equipment that it wasn't a waste.

So, it's back to reality. I'm looking forward to starting up school on Monday. And I'm also hoping/planning on starting GAPS for myself. I'll try and update on here how that goes. I hope to start the whole family in January, but I've realized that I have the most messed up digestion, so I hope to get a head start so we can all stay together in January.

God is good. Always.

Coconut Oil as KY

2011-10-24T07:00:00.005-04:00

I listed a bunch of reasons why I like coconut oil here. One I forgot to mention is to replace KY Jelly. We keep a small container of it in my nightstand. Enough said.

The Dumbest Generation, by Mark Bauerlein

2011-10-21T07:00:00.069-04:00

I heard about The Dumbest Generation, by Mark Bauerlein, from Thomas Jefferson Education. It was highly recommended and I was excited to read it. After I had finished, I felt a bit battered. Not the reaction I was expecting. I guess I tend towards book that make me 'feel' good about myself. This one, not so much. Geesh!

Well, it made me feel good about the path I am on in regards to educating myself and my children. But it also made me feel REALLY stupid. Which, to be fair, I am on the ignorant side. His subtitle is: 'How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future-Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30'. Well, I'm 33, but I definitely should not be trusted! Although I did not grow up in a techy world like he discusses. The end results are the same. *sighs*

His overall point is that technology is not all it's cracked up to be. And that we need to rethink some of our techie-ed. The computer CAN be a great tool for learning, but few students actually use it as such. Instead, it's caused them to be 'wired' and need to have constant change and stimulation. And also, to consider their peers preferences over and above that of tradional thinkers and history in general. In a word, or 2, they are the 'Dumbest Generation' and that needs to change.

He starts out by explaining how people under the age of 30 have a serious knowledge deficit. I'm not under 30, but I definitely could not answer many of the questions he considered common knowledge. And I fully agree. We have come to think that we are a 'people unto ourselves' and that 'history won't repeat itself', which is absurd and pompous of us of course. Thomas Jefferson Education talks about that very thing. And it gives a great way to fill in that deficit in ourselves and our children. As does classical education. Any education based on reading classic works and studying history and THINKING, are great ways of filling in that serious deficit in people. And that is important if America is to remain free and great.

He spends 3 chapters on explaining who these 'techies' are and why they became this way. How our turning from education based on classics, to education based on cultural relevancy and ease and technology, has turned out a number of generations that are seriously lacking in common sense, and are tuned, instead, to pressure from their own peers. He even spends a chapter talking about how the leaders gave up their authority in the kids' lives instead of insisting on them growing up and getting a real education. This started happening in the 1960s, along with flower power and 'freedom'.

The final chapter is a somewhat depressing polemic about how this deficit has and will affect America. Depressing. I've known this for awhile now, so I shouldn't have found it depressing. I truly do believe I am helping to educate my children in just the way that America needs, to remain strong and free. And to glorify God, and understand history so it doesn't have to repeat itself.

He ends with this: 'Adults everywhere need to align against youth ignorance and apathy, and not fear the 'old fogy' tag and recoil from the smirks of the young. The moral poles need to reverse, with the young no longer setting the pace for right conduct and cool thinking. Let's tell the truth. the Dumbest Generation will cease being dumb only when it regards adolescence as an inferior realm of petty striving and adulthood as a realm of civic, historical, and cultural awareness that puts them in touch with the perennial ideas and struggles. The youth of America occupy a point in history like every other generation did and will, and their time will end. But the effects of their habits will outlast them, and if things do not change they will be remembered as the fortunate ones who were unworthy of the privileges they inherited. They may even be recalled as the generation that lost that great American heritage, forever.'

Deal with the Little Things-Marriage

2011-10-17T07:00:00.010-04:00

Drew was speaking with a man from church. He had just performed the marragie for his son's 2nd wife. His words of wisdom:

"If I could give young married couples one piece of advice it would be: Deal with the little stuff. Because they eventually become big stuff, and are so much more difficult to deal with."

I thought that was excellent advice! Molehills become mountains, and often without us even realizing it.

Drew and I, after 10 years of marriage, are finally starting to realize the truth of that, and learning to deal with our 'little things' before they get out of hand.

How Much Money is a Mom Worth?

2011-10-10T07:00:00.082-04:00

I've seen these lists floating around the internet for years. It's fun to read them.

The MOM Song, by Go Fish is a great song about just that. How much work a mom does, but yet never gets 'paid' for it.

I thought it would be fun to list the jobs I do myself, and how much I would have to pay (annually) if I were to pay for each one 'full-time'. I may 'overshoot' a bit..... But I'm allowed, I'm the mom. ;)

1. Teacher-$40,000
2. Doctor-$100,000 (we could include the price of medicine and healthcare in that one, it's a bit high)
3. Nanny/babysitter $30,000
4. Chauffeur-$20,000
5. Cook $30,000 (it does, after all, include finding food sources, preparing and cleaning up afterwards)
6. Shopper $1000 (I have no idea what this would include, but it implies my thrift store shopping is not for naught)
7. Entertainer $5,000 (activities, movies, etc.)
8. Maid (cleaning the house, although my kids are starting to really help out with that, maybe I should pay them...)
9. Launderer $1000

That is as far as my creativity carried me.

But here are some ways that we I do save money. A penny saved is a penny earned.

1. $40 a month saved by hanging my clothes to dry rather than using a dryer
2. $20,000 annually by using food as our healer rather then modern medicine (including health insurance, deducatables for visits and medicine, surgery, time lost to healing, etc.).
3. Unspecified for chiropractic care. I clean on weekends and get free adjustments for myself and my family. Best use of time ever!!!!!!
4. $400 a month by using our old, beat up car rather then buying a new one.
5. $500 for 'curriculum'. Instead, we mostly use books I find at the thrift store for super cheap. Granted, I won't 'skimp' on this. I prefer what we find as opposed to some thought out curriculum. But if I find something I feel the kids will benefit greatly by, I'll pay as much as necessary for it. Thankfully, it's seldom necessary.
6. $1000 annual for clothes. We get mostly hand-me-downs, and thrift store finds. But I think we dress quite cutely and comfortably.
7. $2000 This is a random guesstimate, for making almost everything from scratch. But, truthfully, I do not skimp on food quality (other then non-organic produce). I just prefer to make it all myself. We eat mostly GAPS foods. Lots of good meats, fats and broth, and we fill in with veggies and we dessert on fruits. We hardly ever eat out, which gets really expensive over time also.
8. $1000 annually on gas and wear and tear on car. By not going all over tarnation and planning trips wisely, and by driving a small car that is insanely good on gas.
9. $2000 annually by sending food to work with Drew rather then him buying it in the city.

I think that is enough to be considered a part-time job. :)

The Language of God, by Francis S. Collins

2011-10-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

I'd been meaning to read this book since last summer when I was on a Creation kick. But the kick ended before I got to the book. A friend recently asked me to read it and give my opinion (what was he thinking?!?), as we had another scientist from Creation Research Institute at our church who he disagreed with.

Francis Collins is obviously a genius. He became the head of the Human Genome Project and carried it through amazingly well.

He was raised very similar to how I want to raise my own children, which gives me great hope. :) ''like my older brothers, I was home-schooled by my mother, a remarkably talented teacher. Those early years conferred on me the priceless gift of the joy of learning. While my mother had no organized class schedule or lesson plans, she was incredibly perceptive in identifying topics that would intrigue a young mind, pursuing them with great intensity to a natural stopping point, and then switching to something new and equally exciting. Learning was never something you did because you had to, it was something you did because you loved it.'

He is a Christian, and the point of his book was to convince people that you can be a Bible-believing Christian, and still believe in evolution/big bang theory. Which he obviously does.

It was good to see his point of view and I'm glad I read it. But, I do ultimately disagree with him. But I also have to believe that he is a Christian who God is using in the scientific world. So more power to him!

One thing that bothered me was that he repeated, throughout the book, that 'science proves evolution', but I disagree. The evidence CAN be used to prove the hypothesis of evolution, or it can prove, intelligently, creation as well. But he does not acknowledge that at all. And his entire thesis is based on that fact-that science ONLY proves evolution/big bang/BioEthics. Here are some quotes from the book:

P. 45-'Science reveals evolution'

p. 105 'Evolution, as a mechanism, can be and must be true.'

p.127 'similar DNA sequence in various organisms provide powerful support Darwin's theory of evolution'

p. 133 'truly it can be said that not only biology but medicine would be impossible to understand w/out the theory of evolution.... The study of genomes leads inexorably to the conclusion that we humans share a common ancestor with other living things. '

p. 136 'Unless one is willing to take the position that God has place these decapitates AREs in these precise positions to confuse and mislead us, the conclusion of a common ancestor for humans and mice is virtually inescapable. This kind of recent genome data thus presents an overwhelming challenge to those who hold to the idea that all species were created ex nihilo'. But it doesn't. There are theories about those very things that fit right into creation also.

p. 173 'In general, those who hold these views are sincere, well-meaning, God-fearing people, driven by deep concerns that naturalism is threatening to drive God out of human experience . But the claims of YEC simply cannot be accommodated by tinkering around the edges of scientific knowledge' The YEC scientists are every bit as scientific as himself. It's conjecture and opinion on his part.

p. 177 'YEC (young earth creationists) has reached a point of intellectual bankruptcy, both in its science and in its theology'.

p. 178 'To adhere to the faith of their childhood, they are required to reject a broad and rigorous body of scientific data, effectively committing intellectual suicide. Presented with no other alternative than Creationism, is it any wonder that many of these young people turn away from faith, concluding that they simply cannot believe in a God who would ask them to reject what science has so compellingly taught us about the natural world?'

In my opinion, he is making wide claims that simply aren't true. You don't have to reject what science says to still believe in the Bible/creation.

p. 183 He talked about the Intelligent design movement. I LOVED Philip Johnsons books and Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box. AWESOME books!

p. 190 'Admittedly, we cannot precisely outline the order of the steps that ultimately led to the human clotting cascade . We may never be able to do so, because the host organisms of many predecessor cascades are lost to history. Yes Darwinism predicts that plausible intermediate steps must have existed, and some have indeed already been found.' But ID/Creation addresses those issues just as well, if not better, then evolution.

p. 198 'Truth is truth. Truth cannot disprove truth.' Agreed!

p. 206 'Very well, so the 6 days of creation can be harmonized with what science tells us about the natural world...' Huh?

p. 207 'as noted previously, studies of human variation, together with the fossil record, all point to an origin of modern humans approximately a hundred thousand years ago, most likely in East Africa'.

p. 209 He doesn't believe the stories of Job and Jonah are literal stories. Jesus refers to creation/noah and I believe Job and Jonah as well, although I'm not positive about that.

p. 210 'Will we turn our backs on science because it is perceived as a threat to God, abandoning all of the promise of advancing our understanding of nature and applying that to the alleviation of suffering and the betterment of humankind? Alternatively, will we turn our backs on faith, concluding that science has rendered the spiritual life no longer necessary, and that traditional religious symbols can now be replaced by engravings of the double helix on our altars?'

p. 230 'Science can be a form of worship. Indeed, believers should seek to be in the forefront among those chasing after new knowledge. Believers have led science at many times in the past.' Creationist definitely agree with this. Their studies are a form of worship of their amazing God.

p. 238 The universal presence of mutations in DNA, the price we pay for evolution, means that no one can claim bodily perfection any more than spiritual perfection.' Creation's explanation of entropy/sin and adaption explain this far better in my opinion.
-----
He also makes it sound as though no professional scientist in any branch actually believes creation. Which isn't true.

p.65-'Physicists are in agreement that the universe began as...'
p. 68- 'Scientists believe our own sun did not form in the early days of the universe'
p. 99- 'No serious biologists today doubt the theory of evolution to explain the marvelous complexity and diversity of life'
p. 141 'The examples reported here from the study of genomes, plus others that could fill hundreds of books of this length, provide the kind of molecular support for the theory of evolution that has convinced virtually all working biologists that Darwin's framework of variation and natural selection is unquestionably correct.'
p. 146 'From a biologist perspective, the evidence in favor of evolution is utterly compelling'

But there are physicists, scientists and biologist that do not believe in evolution, and intelligent ones who have combed through all the facts and come to a different conclusion. It's ok to believe it, but don't make it sound that all intelligent, thinking professional people in the field of science believe what you believe. They don't, and some of them have written intelligent books to refute evolution. Although to be fair, creationist approach the subject with just as much assurance and enthusiasm

But, my biggest argument with the book is that the Bible is the FINAL authority on life. And rather then trying to fit the Bible into science, we need to fit science into the Bible. If we try and keep the Bible 'relevant' to science today, we are on shaky ground. Science is constantly changing, and a religion based on it is very shaky indeed.

Science really is fascinating! I look forward to delving more deeply into it and learning more of God's amazing world!

Creativity in Homemaking

2011-10-03T07:00:00.108-04:00

I've given a lot of thought lately, to why I have suddenly taken to 'homemaking'. I literally find myself worshiping while cooking and doing the dishes. And even vacuuming on my hands and knees with our mini shop vac (only way to go by the way).

I've spoken to so many women who find it drudgery. I was reading this blog post by a woman who loves the Lord with all her heart and believes her job is to be a wife and mom, but she admits, she doesn't like it. That seems to be the norm in the church today. I used to seethe when doing the dishes. I used to feel so sorry for myself when cooking the 6th meal that week for the family. I used to get so mad at Drew for sitting around while I worked like a slave. I used to think my life was so boring and inane. I wasn't doing anything interesting or fulfilling. And it was miserable.

Now granted, there are many situations in life that make it all harder. I spoke with one mom whose youngest is allergic to everything and even touching the wrong thing can make the child anaphylactic. So spending hours in the kitchen, on things that may or not kill your child doesn't make for conducive worshiping times. And working full time and 'fitting in' time in the kitchen also saps the 'fun' out of it. As does having too little money to even be able to afford the cheapest 'healing' foods out there. Unfortunately, junk food is often cheaper. And there are many other situations which make this harder.

Thankfully, those are not the situation for me. Every morsel of food I bring into and prepare in my house, I know will glorify God by helping myself, my husband and children to heal and be healthy. Time to prepare food is scheduled comfortably into my day. It's downright fun to cook that way! My kids seldom complain anymore. Most of my food actually, finally, tastes good nowadays. I know we will sit down as a family for lunch and have uplifting conversations with the whole family.

Radical Homemakers pointed out an obvious, but often missed, point. God intended the role of a wife and mom (Proverbs 31 Woman) to use one's creativity and skills (Ok, she didn't mention God or Proverbs). It used to be that the mom was the family doctor, the nutritionist, the teacher, saver of resources, scheduler, trainer, producer of most things used by the family. It was a lot of work and stress, but it was also very fulfilling. No one else could do her job. She was needed! But over time, esp after WW II, that changed. Doctors came onto the scene. And the role of doctor was relegated to the professionals. The public schools, meant for the poor, became the norm and moms lost the role of teacher and trainer. In both cases, she became the 'scheduler' to get them to the doctor and schools on-time. Not a lot of pride or creativity in that! Enriched factory foods were advertised by the tv and the doctor, as being the best way to care for your family. So rather then coming up with beautiful, nutrient-dense, healing, whole foods for meals, the mom went to the grocery store, picked out the 'best' of the processed foods, and came home and heated them up and served them. No real thought, no need for thinking or creativity. Clothes were bought instead of made in the home. Creativity and thinking and knowledge have become less a necessity for the modern mom. And I think, in the process, the joy of the job has been stripped away. It has become menial and slave-like. Just doing what the latest fad says to do. Buy the most enriched bread for the lunches. Play the right music, enroll the kids in the best combination of extra-curricular activities. But none of them need her, other then money and chauffeuring. And who wants to be provide money and car service? How demeaning!

It's no wonder intelligent, educated women don't want to take on the roll of homemaker! What a waste of perfectly good resources. One is better off teaching large groups of people, or in an orphanage in Africa, or even in corporate America, where you can be a witness to others who don't know Christ.

But.... God, no doubt, created the role of wife and mother, and expects wives and mothers to fulfill them. And, to do them with an attitude that is pleasing to Him. So the problem can't be in the role. And with so many people struggling with their attitude, there must be something deeper that is wrong.

This, in no way, is meant as a denouncement on those who don't enjoy the task. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I could not have gotten to the point I am, without the Holy Spirit's directing. I did not do it on my own, but rather it was done for me. Frankly, it was forced on me and I fought it for awhile. But now, of course, I'm so thankful! It gives me a whole new outlook on life, and it's so much more fun to find joy in the house work I need to do anyway.

Imagine if YOU, as wife and mom, were solely responsible for your husband and children's well-being. Imagine if they would only learn if YOU taught them. Imagine if there were no doctors and you had to keep them healthy yourself. Imagine if who they became as adults, was fully dependent on you. That is a LOT of responsibility. That is scary. And, I believe it is the truth. God holds the parents responsible for their children. And wives for their role as helpmeet to their husbands. They must be intentional in who they delegate the role of teacher and nutritionist for their children and husband. Because when you stand before God, 'but....' won't cut it.

Maybe if we were able to figure out how to use our God-given talents, skills, passions and creativity to INTENTIONALLY care for our family, we'll find joy again, in our God-given responsibilities.

Last night at church, God ever so graciously reminded me, yet again, of how important my role is to his plan for this world. We had this amazing former terrorist speaker at church last night. And he gave some pretty depressing statistics about how in 50 years, the world will be predominantly muslim-controlled. But his answer was to not feel fear, but to KNOW that our God is in control. And he stressed multiple times that we esp need to get our children prepared for this. To train them to know and love God with all of their heart, so they can 'love their muslim neighbors' to Christ. Wow!

Maybe not also. Life is never easy. Simple, yes, easy, no.

The Core, by Leigh Bortins

2011-09-30T07:00:00.090-04:00

I had read The Well Trained Mind a few years ago and really enjoyed it. But also knew there were a number of things that didn't sit well with me. It wasn't too long after that, that I found TJE and knew it was more what I was looking for in overall educational goals.

But, after implementing a lot of the classics/mentor approach, I guess I was ready for more. I read about The Core, Teaching your Child the Foundations of Classical Education by Leigh A. Bortins. She is also the founder of Classical Conversations, which has a newsletter I've been receiving for a few years.

And it got me really excited about implementing some of the classical/grammer stage tools to our learning tool belt.

I read The Core and was a bit confused as to whether TJE and classical education were compatable or not. I wanted to be sure I wasn't being lazy or stubborn. So as soon as I finished The Core, I picked up TJE, for the 4th time. Great book! :)

And after reading both, I do think that they are mostly compatible, although some of the details are different. Both aim to teach the student through classics in all subjects, and both aim to help the student use their natural curiosity to learn, while also encouraging a true joy and independence in education. So, I look forward to re-reading Well-Trained Mind and other classical education books, to learn more tools to educate myself and my children.

Bortins broke the book down into two parts. The first is 'The Classical Model' and is the why behind the concept. The second is 'The Core of a Classical Education' and is the how of classical education. In it, she breaks down the various subjects into more details. She had a separate chapter for: reading, writing, math, geography, history, science and fine arts. Each chapter gives personal stories from her life and other classically trained people (past and present), appropriate books and resources, as well as ideas for implementing them. The last chapter and epilogue give more tools and ideas as well.

It's not a long or complicated read. It is definitely encouraging and exciting and very informative. She stresses the need for more information to be gained at each point, and gives ideas as to where to look. She is a Christian and writes from that perspective, but tries to show the bigger picture, so a person from any 'religion' would enjoy it if they are interested in the classical model of education.

A few of the tools that I am especially excited to use from The Core this year are:

1. Geography/map drawing. I am super excited about this. They have it broken down into weekly lessons of sorts. I love how it's broken down and am excited to be learning/teaching geography. She says, if you do it regularly until they are out of the house (and review it regularly the rest of your life), that they can/will have the entire world map memorized. Depending on the person, they may have a lot of details memorized, or just general outlines. While this may change over time, my plan for this school year is to take one day a week, probably Thursday, during our table time in the morning, and do our geography lesson. It will only take about 10 minutes and will be mostly repetition. Starting with the great circles (continents), learning how to label them. And adding details slowly after that. Starting with continental blobs, and then oceans and then working on the details of the 'blobs'. I'm so excited! My plan, until now, has been to just have a map on the wall and refer back to it whenever we read about a place. We'll still do that of course, but I think we'll really enjoy drawing the map also. I don't think it's 'necessary' for learning and proper education, but I do think it can strengthen skills and be fun and useful. Plus the kids love to draw, so it will utilize their natural curiosity. The other day I came into the living room and Samuel had the globe and was drawing his own map from it. I was shocked as we hadn't really discussed the geography much. He was making a treasure map and he naturally used what he had at hand to draw it. Sweet!!!

2. Math Facts. I confess, I've never seen much of a need for memorizing them. But after reading her book, and seeing how it works in day to day life, I came to appreciate how much of a boost that would give the kids (and myself) in learning and implementing math in the future. So this year, I am looking forward to learning our math facts. Mostly multiplication and division tables, as we learn them, in Myia's 3rd grade Saxon math book. I hope to make it fun for us. My plan is to use visuals to learn it, and to do things like throwing balls to one another and saying them out loud together. I figure Samuel can learn them with us, even though he won't have a clue what they mean yet. I'm a little concerned about teaching Samuel 'facts' before he understands the need for it. But, I think I am going to try it this year and see how it goes. And pray it doesn't mess him up for life. :)

3. Reading. I am reading 'The Writing Road to Reading' by Romalda Bishop Spalding.
And hope to find a few other books she mentions on english grammar. Once again, my inclinations leaned more towards just learning english grammar by reading. Which I still think is an acceptable way to learn. But, one thing she mentioned that caught my attention, is that if you really learn your own language well, it will make learning other languages considerably easier. Enough said! I was talking to my FIL and he said that he learned a lot more about his own language while learning Spanish. If I can give my kids this tool to make learning foreign languages easier, I'm on it! As usual, it's a lot more work for me, but I'm willing and ready. I too want to learn other languages, and currently feel like it's an impossibility for me. I am planning on learning the rules for English language really well, and teaching them to my children as we read and write together. I do not currently intend to use the Spalding Method for teaching reading. But that could change, esp with Samuel. She bases her method on phonograms, instead of letter sounds. It's interesting and I'll hopefully think through it all and post on here soon. I really did enjoy the book and actually bought my own, updated copy. And even found out they teach it in some of the NYC schools and offer training classes to parents on how to use it properly. I'm on the mailing list!

4. Writing. I am taking Tuesdays and Thursdays to copy a verse from the ESV Bible of my choosing. We discuss what it means, the context if relevant, and then the kids copy it. So rather then doing Eggermiers (have I mentioned how much I like Eggermiers? I LOVE that book!) those days, we copy the text. I look forward to learning more from the Spalding reading book I mentioned above, so I can use that time to teach the kids proper grammer, hand/paper position and letter formation. I figure, we can learn it together, since I don't know much of it either.

5. History, science and arts I feel I need to wait on until I get the others figured out. We'll continue to learn about them through books, videos and daily life. But she had some good ideas that I'll look over again and consider.

If you are looking into the possibility of using the classical method of education for yourself and/or your kids, I would highly recommend you start here. Well-Trained Mind is more thorough, but much more overwhelming also.

I look forward to seeing how God will use it to change the outlook of our education.

Minding your Own Business, by Raymond and Dorothy Moore

2011-09-23T07:00:00.002-04:00

I had heard of Minding Your Own Business, by Raymond and Dorothy Moore for a few years, but had not actually ordered it through my library. I finally got around to it, and I'm glad I did, esp after reading Radical Homemakers. It was a natural book to follow up with.

I was actually surprised with the content. I had in my head, that it was simply a list of ideas for 'cottage industries' or home businesses. That is a natural way of teaching skills and character to your children, while also providing income. But it actually had a lot more then that.

And it makes sense really, after reading and thinking about it. We can't start with some random money-making schemes. We need to have our priorities set first. We need to be sure our homes, relationships and finances are in order first. So the first part of the books talks about that aspect of home management. He quotes Larry Burkett extensively. I need to read more of his stuff. Our finances are definitely NOT in good order. And he seems to be a wise, godly mentor in that area.

The Moores discuss their own stories growing up, and how they learned to save rather then spend everything. To sacrifice for the future, as hard as that can be. They talk about recycling and not spending more then you have, about cleaning and organizing your home and time. And they end that section with some ideas for serving others. Once your own life is in order of course.

After that, they devote the rest of the book to Home Industries. They discuss why it's important to have children work with their hands and minds in tandem. Which is a truth I am starting to see.

They give ideas for businesses from home, some ideas of the legalities involved and suggestions for learning more . They talk about how to find capital for starting bigger businesses (although they generally encourage small enterprises that don't need any start-up funds like bread baking, car washing, babysitting, etc.). And they give a number of stories of families who have started their own businesses. Some families have started numerous ones, spawned from only one.

I am not currently ready to start down that road with the kids. But I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for such ideas over the next few years, and praying that God will open our eyes to any possibilities.

My dreams are kind of big at the moment. :) I want a farm where we have a few milk cows and make all nutrient dense food stuffs, esp broths and ferments, which we can sell as a family. We'll see if God allows that, or if he steers us elsewhere. No matter what we do, I pray we glorify him through it all.

Another Quote-Soups of the World

2011-09-19T07:00:00.030-04:00

I have another funny quote I don't want to forget.

We have a book called 'Children Just Like Me'. We have had it for a few years and have only read about a few of the children. Each page or 2 features a child from a different part of the world. It gives a lot of great 'kid-friendly' information. It tells what they wear, where they go to school, what they study, who their siblings are, what they do for fun, where they live. It is filled with pictures. It's 15 years old, but still relevant enough to be interesting and fun.

We added it to our pile of school books for the year and have been reading it during breakfast most mornings. The kids take turns picking out who they want to read about.

One day Myia was reading through the book on her own and she says 'Mommy, almost all of them eat soup every day'. She was shocked. She thought only WE ate soup every day. It led to a great conversation about why so many people all over the world eat soup. Because it's cheap, easy and soo good for you. It is a staple, passed down from generation to generation, in most, if not all, people groups in the world.

See here for a great article on broth from the Weston A. Price Foundation.

What is 'Balance'-Then and Now

2011-09-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

I typed up the following in February of this year but never posted. It was fun to read it 6 months later and see that I have grown immensely. God is giving me grace and helping me to see both sides of an issue more clearly. And he has also helped to free me from my intense fear of consequences. He truly is sovereign and in control. And he will use everything in my life to bring glory to him, and he will help me, in the meantime, to deal with the consequences, no matter how hard they may be. To God be the glory, great things he has done!!!!

--------------------------------------------

My life of learning seems to resemble the pendulum of a grandfather clock. I learn something and it's all I can think about until I have exhausted the topic and feel confident on it. And then I learn something else and do the same. I seem to do this in pretty much every area of my life. For better or worse, I have decided that it's just the way I learn and it can't be helped. What can be helped, hopefully, is my know-it-all attitude and pride. I see it so clearly after awhile, I just want to help people. But it always backfires. I so hope God will teach me grace, and humble me to realize that I never see the full picture at any point in time. I see through a magnifying glass, but only one little part of it. I hope over time to get more of the big picture, but I also know that I will never know everything.

What has been humbling is to be constantly learning the 'sides' of any issue. I read about and believe one side, and then I realize the other side has some points also. It's humbling and eye opening.

I love learning and I love that when I really learn something, it becomes a part of me. I think that is a wonderful personality trait. But it has it's negative sides and I look forward to being more aware of those in the future. While still learning the way I best learn. Can it be done? I hope so!

One thing that I think God is going to teach me in 2011 is balance. I still struggle with consequences. But as I come to believe that God really is sovereign, I come to realize that He has chosen to allow consequences as a way to draw us closer to him. We simply can't control everything and avoid consequences of sin, in our lives or anyone else's. But he has promised us grace to get through those consequences.

Funny Kid Quotes

2011-09-12T07:00:00.007-04:00

I love that I can 'indoctrinate' my children. Esp when I'm convinced it's true. :)

Today, Samuel and some boy were 'wrestling'. I don't generally encourage my kids to wrestle with strangers, but, it was kind of cute how it came about. The kids was 3 years older then Samuel. He stops and says 'Oh man, what do you eat?'. I told him 'Cod Liver Oil and chicken broth'. He thinks a bit and says 'Oh wow, you're lucky'. My kids were not sure how how to take that.

As we were out walking a bit later, Samuel watched a teenaged boy climbing up a pole. It was very impressive, and Samuel was duly impressed by his strength and prowess. He remarks 'Wow, he's really strong, he must eat raw fish or something'. I tried real hard not to laugh out loud.

I talk to my kids ALL the time about, well, everything. We discuss anything and everything and it's amazing how much we all learn through it. It's so much fun!

It's really fun to see how their minds work, and to realize that the things we talk about really do sink in!

It's so cute and fun to see where conversations lead to in any given hour of any given day.

10 Year Anniversary of 9/11

2011-09-11T07:00:00.025-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been 10 years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon.

It seems like it happened in a different life, in a different world. In a lot of ways, that is true. I am a completely different person then I was then. And the world has definitely changed since then as well.

I typed out 'my story' of that day in 2008. I'm really glad I did, as some of the memories get fuzzy over time. But yet, surprisingly, certain pictures and smells can still produce an instant and agonizing feeling in the pit of my stomach. It brings me back to that day, that month, instantly.

It's a story I have told, without some of the graphic details, to my now 6 and 8 year old. The day they killed Bin Laden was the first time I told them about it. It's hard to know how much to tell children. They seem able to compartmentalize things in such a way that they are able to handle it all. For which I'm grateful. But I also didn't want to burden them with too much information.

As with everything else so far, I figure that over time, more details will come out, and we'll discuss it more. Now and then they will refer back to it when something reminds them of the story. But to them, it's just a story. Just like all the other stories they hear. See, compartmentalizing is a great thing!

I would like to have gone into the city today, to be at the memorial and be a part of it. I wonder if it would not bring about more closure. But, I can't bear the crowds and I have a feeling it would just cause more irritation. So, I'll go in one of these fall weekends by myself and just walk around and remember and pray.

Lord, thank you for showing me your hand throughout all of life's tragedies. I pray you would keep me strong and truthful. Hold me to you when life is hard, and when life is good. Help me to always remember that you are in control, even when it doesn't seem like it. Help us to remember the lessons learned from this tragedy, to never forget them, and to pass them on to our children. You are good-always.

Our 2011/2012 School Year

2011-09-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

I'm excited about the upcoming school year. We officially started on Tuesday. I posted here about our schedule for last year. It didn't work out perfectly, but we definitely had an over-all good year. Lots of learning and trying and discarding as necessary. I'm learning that I don't have to have it all figured out at first, but can, and should, change as we go.

I was hoping to do more reading over the summer, but it never happened. I hope to do better next summer with that.

I still want to keep the general format from last year. Wake up, eat breakfast, clean up, do chores, read something Scripture-oriented, do math and reading and any table work, followed by reading a book. We still use our book reports and like them as a way to think, see how far the kids have come, and have a record of what we have studied.

I am not planning on doing 'half hours' even though I probably should. I just don't have enough time to do that and get our family lunch ready.

I also hope to do more reading in the afternoon then we did last year. Or, planned activities of some sort. I hope to play more board and card games with the kids. And we are planning on getting a family pass to the Liberty Science Center, which is only half an hour from here. So I plan to go there every 2 to 3 weeks. I also want to have a movie night, where we watch good movies, that help us to think and see the world around us. We currently have Netflix and have found some good ones, surprisingly. I tend to shun movies, but have felt like that was throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We will do a movie report on them, same as we do for books and activities.

We are also going to Iowa for 3 weeks in October, and we will probably not do any school then, other then some reading in the morning. I don't see me bringing the big saxon math books along, and I hope they spend the vast majority of their time outside.

I think the biggest changes I plan to make this year are changing some of our table time. Not a lot really. But some. I hope to do Eggermier's Mon, Wed, Fri and Tues/Wed I hope to find something more 'Precepts' to do with the kids, where we interact with an actual text more. Also, I plan to start going over math facts together, and adding geography one morning, based on what I learned in 'The Core'. I'm super excited about both, but esp the geography.

I also hope and pray that one big change from last year is I will be more organized with my cleaning and cooking so I won't be 'stressed' the whole time I'm doing school. I have to have lunch ready by 1ish, and have Drew's supper ready by 2, when he leaves for work. So I often found myself checking my 'to do' life for lunch while doing school, and it distracted me and made me more irritable with the kids. I need to be more prepared for lunch/supper, so I can be confident and focused on the kids while doing school. For cleaning, I have found that I can not concentrate if my house is a mess. I don't know if I need to work on that, or just work on keeping my house cleaner. I'll try for both.

I also am looking forward to reading more difficult books with the kids this year. We'll still do some 'easy ones', but I'm amazed at their ability to listen to, and comprehend, harder texts. It's so fun to see them grow!

Oh, I also hope to find or start a book club for Myia to join this year. That one is still far from happening.

Lord, I give this school year to you. Thank you for the growth in myself and the kids over the last year. I pray for the same in the upcoming year. I thank you for the ability to learn about your amazing creation, and to learn from history and other's mistakes. Make us more like you this year.

What IS Important?

2011-09-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

I used to think that I could answer that question for everyone. I am realizing, finally, that I can not. It must be answered by each person, each family, and it changes in different circumstances.

But Drew and I do agree on an overall consensus of what is important for our family.

1. Spiritual health

2. Physical health

3. Mental health

If we give our kids nothing but a deep, abiding awe, fear and love for God, e will consider ourselves successful parents. After all, this life is short, but eternity lasts forever.

God first did a huge work in my life regarding my spiritual deprivation. And was gracious to get me into the Word daily. And then he set me on my long journey of learning how to care for our bodies. They are, after all, the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are commanded to take care of them. After getting all of that somewhat under control (ok, not even, but we had started on the right path anyway), God started really opening my eyes to the need to educate my children's minds and hearts.

He has been so gracious to slowly unfold these all in my life. If I had seen the serious deficits all at once, I'd have thrown in the towel and given up. But thankfully, he did it slowly and surely.

And I hope, and pray, that He will keep me accountable to those priorities, in that order, the rest of my life. Education is extremely important. Taking care of the body is important. Both are mandated in Scripture. However, our spiritual health must take priority at all times. The others will come naturally if our spiritual lives are in order.

As for the little, day-to-day priorities, family time is high on the list, as is reading good books, honesty, character development and truth and hopefully soon, we'll add service to those less fortunate.

I am so thankful to look back and see all that the Lord has taught me. I am prideful and stubborn and dense, but I CAN and DO learn-eventually. Hallelujah!!

Radical Homemakers, Shannon Hayes

2011-08-28T10:48:00.001-04:00

I read and really enjoyed Radical Homemaking by Shannon Hayes. She is the author of 'The Grassfed Cookbook', which is supposed to be really good.

It always amazes me that I can read something by somebody with completely opposite views on religion and politics then myself and yet totally agree with their conclusion. We came at the idea from completely opposite poles, and yet came to the same conclusion. Go figure!

Hayes lives with her husband and 2 daughters, along with her extended family, in upstate New York. They are 'Radical Homemakers' and do their best to live sustainably and on a small income. Choosing, rather, to make home and family a priority over 'things'.

She had found, over time, that they were not the only family to choose to live such a 'radical' lifestyle. And she decided to write a book highlighting the lifestyle and various other 'radical homemakers' like herself.

She divided her book into 2 sections. The first section answers the question 'WHY' people chose the radical homemakers lifestyle, and why it's considered 'radical' today. She goes into a lot of history (albeit very subjective in my opinion) of the home and lifestyle in general. And esp the role of women in the home and how it has changed so drastically since the Industrial Revolution. She talked esp about how homemakers in the mid 1900s were stripped of their meaningful, creative soul-enriching jobs, and simply became chauffeurs and maids. No longer expected to come up with tasty, nourishing meals, or make the home a place of true comfort. They became prone to depression, which led to numerous books about finding meaning outside the home. And this led to a mass-exodus of women out of the home and into the workplace.

This, in turn, led the home to become one of consumers instead of producers, adding to the burden on the environment and family that is so evident today. Children suffer the greatest, as their needs become 2nd tier in importance. And they suffer in mind, spirit and body.

It was really fun to read (and wade through a LOT of feminism and new-age type stuff) and get a clearer overall picture of why we live in such a 'fast-paced, consumer-oriented, 2-wage earning family' world. It connected a lot of dots for me. And helped me to appreciate where I want us as a family to be.

It's always nice to know we're not alone in our radicalness. :)

I thought this quote summed it up quite nicely: 'When Americans worry about impoverishment, we tend to focus on whether we have enough money rather than on whether we will be warm, dry, well-fed, healthy, loved and happy. That is because we are accustomed to functioning within the extractive economy, whereby all the basic necessities of life are presumed to be exchanged for money. The problem with this system, of course, is that only those people with money are able to have their fundamental needs met. In a life-serving economy, poverty and wealth are not merely defined by cash assets, but rather by ensuring its members equal ability to acquire basic needs and attain a level of comfort and satisfaction that is not strictly reliant on financial income. Inescapably, money still plays a role, but because...you can't eat it, it takes a secondary position. In the extractive economy, money has become more than a mere token of exchange and simple commerce; somehow it has become a yardstick by which we measure each person's personal value and, hence, our own self-worth. In a life-serving economy, money is simply a tool to draw upon when another direct exchange for something of actual value cannot be worked out.'

I would love to live in a world where most of what we need, we get locally and through barter, and simply use money when necessary. I really liked that all of the people she interviewed seemed to walk that line between old and new quite nicely. They knew money had a place, but it didn't run their lives either.

She also insisted that it followed four 'tenets': ecological sustainability, social justice, family and community. It must allow for proper care of the earth, helping others outside of ourselves, putting our families needs first and reaching out to our community, and even being inter-dependent on them.

Another quotable quote: 'Understanding that true wealth is not measured in dollars but in time and self-direction, there is a financial advantage to allowing the time to rest and replenish our souls. ...This wealth includes friends, skills, libraries and, most especially, afternoon naps. The more of this true wealth we have, the fewer dollars we require in order to make us happy. The minute we start to fall short of these assets, however, we start requiring money to buy help, buy relief, and buy entertainment.' Wow, LOVE that quote! It's so true.

We have lost sight of what is truly important in America today. We have so much 'stuff', that we are blinded by it. And the more we fall apart, the more help we need in trying to put ourselves together. And the vicious cycle continues. It's the 'rat race', and I'm tired of it and slowly weaning the Innis family from it all.

It reminds me of that story of a person taking a jar and filling it with sand, and then trying to put in some big rocks. The rocks don't fit. But, they pour out the sand, put the rocks in first and then put the sand in after, and it fits. It's so important to decide what the 'rocks' in our lives are, to put them into our lives first, and then slowly, add back the non-necessities of life.

The second section of the book is devoted to answering the question 'HOW'. Trying to explain what it looks like to live in a 'radical homemakers' world. And how to go about making the transition if you are interested. This part is mostly interviews from other radical homemakers as they make this lifestyle work for them. It was so great to see so many different types of families and situations make this work. Each one was different and added to the overall picture.

After talking to the various radical homemakers, she came to the conclusion that they all went through a 3 stage process.
1. Renouncing-their current path of consumerism and business
2. Reclaiming-they 'entered a period where they worked to recover many of the lost domestic skills that would enable their family to live without outside income'. She said it could take years or a lifetime for some. And it's 'an exciting and deeply fulfilling period'.
3. Rebuilding-after renouncing and rebuilding their lives and skills, they entered this period, in which they 'worked to expand their creative energies outward. Their homes had become more sustainable and meaningful places, and now they were applying their talents and skills to bring their communities and society along with them.'

I had goosebumps-it's so TJE! And I believe scriptural. God expects us first to meet our own needs, to grow and learn. And then, after taking care of ourselves and our families, he expects us to reach out to the community around us. They both happen throughout our whole lives of course, but I think we tend to stress the 'starving world' over our own family, and I really don't think that glorified God.

I feel I am slowly coming into the rebuilding phase. Finally! I am still reclaiming and still teaching my own kids, and that will continue forever. But I am starting to 'surface' and be able to think about things other then sheer survival. It feels good!

I feel blessed that the Lord brought this book into my life. I would struggle with suggesting it to people because of it's intense liberalism and anti-God content. But yet, even with all of that, we end up at the same place.

Life is too short to waste on spinning wheels that go nowhere fast. I want the Holy Spirit to guide and direct me to be sure I keep the truly important things before us at all times, and use the rest of the world to further those aims.

The Vitamin D Solution, by Michael Holick

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

I recently saw this review of The Vitamin D Solution, at Michael Eades blog. Our library had it, so I checked it out.

It was a pretty quick read, esp since I disagreed with so much of it and just glossed over those parts.

I won't say it was a waste of my time, since it didn't take much time. But it was a frustrating book to read. The man is undoubtedly a scientist, and quite proud of that fact.

He relies way too heavily on studies and percentages, that in the long run, prove nothing.

And his ideas on food and nutrition are dismal at best.

But, on a positive note, I am amazed at the importance of sun to a person's over-all well being. I had already decided that this current sun-phobia was absurd and needed some reigning in, and he did that. Sort of.

He starts out by telling about 2 hypothetical 10 year old girls. One lives near the equator and without the luxuries most of us enjoy daily. She plays outside and helps her parents farm. She will endure periods of poverty and 'poor' nutrition, she will never learn to read or write and will never wear sunblock. The other girl, form the US or Europe, will be tech savvy, stay inside most of her life, have the 'best' nutrition and education money can buy, will graduate from high school and college and will be well versed in what SPF means. However, the first girl will have a 50% less likely chance of getting cancer, and an 80% reduced rick of diabetes. In fact, barring any freak accidents, she will live longer then the one from the US/Europe. The northern girl will be likely to suffer from all kinds of cancer, depression, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cavities, flu, gum disease, asthma, allergies, etc. She is likely to lose in a jumping contest with the 1st girl, she will be terrified of falling and fracturing a bone when she is older. Her fertility and ability to deliver naturally will be considerably less then the first also.

Holick described a lot of the bio-chemical processes that happen when a body is short on vitamin-D. He also described in great detail how a body processed vitamin D from sunshine that shines directly on the skin.

He also described what can and does happen when a body is deficient. How it can affect everything from cell growth (cancer) to bone formation to asthma to obesity. He gave a dizzying amount of scientific experiments and case studies.

His plan is for a person to spend 5-30 minutes in the sun with arms and legs exposed, at least 3 times a week. And that is supposed to be enough for the body to make the vitamin D that it needs to remain healthy. He dismisses cod liver oil, as it has a lot of vitamin A and one can overdose on vitamin A. He considers food of little value as well, when it comes to vitamin D. He is BIG on supplements, of course.

My opinion, after reading the book, is that vitamin D is important to one's health. And there is nothing like prime-time sun to be sure of adequate amounts of it. But I also believe that diet greatly affects overall vitamin D levels and that CLO is an important and good source of it also.

So, although there was a lot of info that I found useless or frustrating, I'm glad I read the book to help me be aware of the necessity of adequate amounts of sun in our lives.

My Journey of Heart Change IV

2011-06-11T07:00:00.047-04:00

So finally, I get to the mommy heart-change thingy.

God knows his daughter well, of course. He worked on me from the big picture down to the details. First he worked on my own sinful heart and attitude toward him. He IS wisdom after all. He showed me who he was and what my place in this world actually is. And then he applied that to the details of my life. First to Him, and the position of authority he has in my life, and then to my husband, and the authority he has in my life. And next, and finally, he was able to work in my attitude towards my children.

What he gave me was far better then that 'feeling of love' for my children. He showed me his will for them, in a large sense, and my place in that. Of course, I still don't know what my kids will grow up to be. I don't know how God will use them. But I do know that he will use them, and it is my job to train them up to know, love and obey him, so they will be open and ready for whatever he has planned for them.

That's it. That's my job. And it's the most important thing I can do with my life right now.

I used to wish to be a missionary in some foreign country because that was, of course, the best way to do 'ministry' and to serve the Lord. I think in America, the task of child rearing has been handed over to others for so long, and been done so shodily, that we don't see how important it really is. We don't realize that that is exactly how God changes the world. One person at a time, who then affects another person, etc. I also think that parents have lost their authority over their kids, and along with the authority, they lose their ability to affect, shape and mold them.

When God opened my eyes to the incredible importance of my influence in my child's life, and the importance of 'real individuals' in history (His story), I started realizing how important my job of training truly is to God's plan. Even if we never do 'big work' for him, we are still doing what he has called us to do. He does know the future, and only he can plan all the details perfectly, to bring glory to himself.

My job, and the job of my children, and all Christians to walk this earth, simply is to stay connected to the Lord through repentance, prayer and the Word, and he will guide us. The details are in his hands.

So what does that look like for me as a parent? Well, it looks like me opening the Bible daily, studying it and aligning my life under it. And then, teaching all of that to my kids. Here are some verses that I have applied to parenting in a different post, and in my own parenting.

Psalm 127:3-5 Behold children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

 
Ezekiel 16:20-21-Moreover, you took your  sons and daughters whom you had born to Me.  And sacrificed them to  idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter?  You  slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols causing them to  pass through fire. 

Ephesians 6:4-Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord

Deuteronomy 6:6-9  These commandments  that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your  children. Talk about them when you sit at home and  when you walk along  the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on  your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes  of your houses and on your gates

Psalm 78:5-7  He decreed  statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded  our forefathers to teach their children,so the next generation would  know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell  their children.  Then they would put their trust in God and would not  forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Jeremiah 10:2  Learn not the way of the heathen.  

Psalm 1:2-  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

II Corinthians 10:5  We demolish  arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against  the  knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it  obedient  to Christ.

Colossians 3:2  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

Proverbs 13:20  He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

II Timothy 3:16-17  All  Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,  correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be  thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 2:6  For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Psalm 119:97-101  Oh, how I love  your law!  I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser  than my enemies,  for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.  I have more understanding than the elders,  for I obey your precepts.  I have kept my feet from every evil path  so that I might obey your word.

What does that look like on a day-to-day basis?  Well, that is different for each family, and even different for each family, depending on the changing circumstances of life.  I think what God expects from every parent though, is that they intentionally draw closer to the Lord every day, and that they teach their children to do the same.  Satan will do his best to make sure that doesn't happen naturally.  So we have to consider life, and esp parenting, to be a battlefield.  And we have to approach it as warfare, active and on the offensive.

My Journey of Heart Change III

2011-06-04T07:00:00.052-04:00

Like I mentioned in Part II, God was only laying the foundation for some major heart change in my life, when he made himself the central figure of my life. Of course, my strength had to come from him in order to withstand such change, and for it to be real.

After realizing that nothing, absolutely nothing, could come in the way of my relationship with God, he started to show me sin my life that would hinder that all-important relationship if it was not taken care of. I think if a human did that, it would be considered manipulation. But, thankfully, the perfect, all-knowing God only has our best interests at heart, so we can trust him entirely, in process and product.

The first area he showed me was my lack of respect for my husband. Now Scripture is very clear that a wife is to respect her husband. VERY clear. And I knew that. But, I'm lousy at pretending, and I did not 'respect' him in an emotional way. So what was a girl to do? Well, just what I did of course-nothing. It worked for years, until I realized that it was going to get in the way of my relationship with God. You see, before this, I didn't really care. I guess I just didn't have that real relationship with the Lord, so giving it up really didn't mean much. But once you've tasted it, oh man, it's addictive. And I wasn't willing to give it up, even if it meant lowering my pride and figuring out how to respect my husband.

So, I did what I do whenever I'm faced with an obstacle-I read. And read and read and read. And talked, and talked and talked (thanks Carrie and Robin). Two things I'm very good at. :) But I was taken aback by the results-nothing. Absolutely nothing. No respect came. I tried. I pretended. I said the right words. I acted the right way. And I realized, at some point, that it wasn't working. Usually all my reading helped me to figure things out. But not this time.

Finally, I threw my hands up in defeat and told my husband the truth. 'I'm sorry I don't respect you. I know I'm supposed to. I know it's a sin not to, but I've tried and tried, and I just can't.'. Lucky for me he took it really well. Obviously it was just me stating the truth, not telling him something he didn't already know.

For two years I prayed, asked questions, looked for answers and cried. It was the first time that I felt truly helpless. I was used to being superwoman. Finding a problem, and then finding a solution. But this time, it just wasn't working.

And God finally got through to me, that I could not change myself. That there is no good thing in me, and all good comes from him, and through him. I now realize that the reason for that is so he gets all the glory. But that lesson came later.

So I submitted to him. I said 'God, you told me to respect my husband, and I can't do it. I need your help to obey you.' Weird. I always thought God expected me to obey him. Period. But I was starting to realize that great lesson of the saints. That we are nothing apart from him. And all things, ALL things come from him. Even the ability to love and obey him.

Talk about mind boggling! And humbling, and maddening.

But, it came. At some point, after a few years of letting go, I looked back and realized that 'Hey, I respect my husband, I really do!'. And it wasn't from my own doing. I couldn't. I wasn't capable. It was only Christ in me, that was able to do so.

But it was subtle, oh so subtle. All of my reading and thinking and studying came into play. I did what I was supposed to, simply because I was supposed to, and eventually, my heart followed.

I was scared to death of consequences, but the Lord showed me that the thing he expected of me was to obey him, by obeying and respecting my husband. Any consequences that came from that, he would help me deal with. But he did expect me to play my part. And the heart truly did follow.

Now, I can't decide if my husband has changed and I just naturally respect him. Or if I have changed and can naturally respect him. Or, if we have both changed. I have a sneaking suspicion though, that God used my willingness to obey, and that all-important respect, to help my husband to grew in the Lord. So, we met somewhere in the middle. Now THAT is being a true helpmeet! And he, for the record, agrees.

But remember, all of this started with my daily communing with God and being willing to do anything necessary to keep those communication lines open.

And that, my friends, was the beginning of the end. Or the end of the beginning. Or the middle of the road. Or heck, maybe even a mid-life crisis. I am 33 after all.

Finally, next time, I should get to the whole parenting thing, and how God changed my heart there. But he had to start with my relationship with my husband before he could work on anything else. As that is so foundational to parenting.

Funny Conversations

2011-06-02T07:00:00.002-04:00

I was having a conversation in my head. I'm sure I'm not the only one who does that. :)

I was telling someone about Myia's issues with her anger/behavior, breathing issues, food sensitivities, environmental and food allergies, etc.

And they asked 'Is she on medicine?'.

My answer: 'No, she's on food'.

I was amused by that for some reason. You can either be on 'medicine' or on 'food'. And since you have to eat food anyway, you might as well go that route!

I love that food can and does heal the body. It's restricting in some sense, but also very freeing in others.

We were eating soup and the kids didn't want to drink their broth. So I gave them an object lesson. I showed them the rest of the broth in my bowl, mixed in with some homemade sour cream from grass fed cows. It was yummy, but, there was more to it then that.

So I showed them the broth and said 'You see this?' mysteriously. And they both looked and were all excited to hear what I was going to say. 'Some people spends hundreds of dollars every month on 'supplements', like vitamins and minerals and probiotics, and all that. And I believe that most of it can't be used by the body properly anyway, and it ends up causing more harm them good (expensive pee). But God graciously showed me how I could use real food, which we have to eat anyway, to provide the body with those same nutrients, in the most ideal way for the body. And that 1/4 cup of broth/sour cream in my bowl was worth as much as bottles and bottles of nutrients, and more. But most people pay a ton of money for the pills'. And then Myia pipes up 'Yeah, and they still have to buy food for themselves on top of that!' It was cute, they were quite impressed and happily finished their broth.

I love cooking with real food, while healing the body. God is so good!

Ahh, if only healing the soul was that easy. Wait, it is.....

My Journey of Heart Change II

2011-05-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

In Part I of my 'Journey of Heart Change', I talked about how I had finally came to realize that God's will for my life right now, was to be a wife and mother, and to do those duties to the best of my ability.

Well, he did take approximately 8 years to show me that. Or, rather, it took me 8 years to realize what he was teaching me.

You see, I had swallowed the American thought-process that being a wife and mom was not really a 'worthy' calling. That I had to make more of myself, prove myself. And staying home and wiping noses and training hearts was just something I had to do 'on the side'.

Now, being a wife and mother is NOT the only way to obey and glorify God for a woman. The first lesson the Holy Spirit taught me was that obedience to Him was the most important thing in this life to strive for. Anything else is just extra (even being a wife and mother or missionary for that matter). That was the toughest lesson to learn for me. I especially started realizing that when I started doing some Precepts Ministries Inductive Bible Studies at my church. Myia was 6 months old and my life was not going how I expected it to go, and I was pretty depressed about it all. God used some tough stuff in my life, over the next few years, to take me out of my comfort zone and to start prying my fingers off of the control panel of my life, one finger at a time. But, eventually, when I was at my wit's end, I came to realize that God really is the most important person in my life, and that this life is not all there is to be had.

And, slowly, through daily Scripture readings, prayer, talking with good friends and lots of tears and thoughts, I came to realize that even if I was stripped of everything in life, I would still have to remain obedient to the Lord. My relationship with him became the most important thing in my life. I began to realize that under no circumstances could I give up that relationship. It was all I had that was 'safe' in life.

It was so amazing to see that transformation take place in my life. When I found that 'connection' with the Lord, it was so amazing! It took me away from this hard, toilsome life, and helped me to see how reality really is-a short skip until we spend eternity with or without our Maker. This life is a 'blip' on the screen in comparison.

This was done through reading a lot of godly authors (and some not so godly, you have to stay challenged) and esp by being faithful in my daily reading of Scriptures. I came to see who God really is. Not the comfortable 'safe' santa-type God that most Americans think he is, but the true, real, holy, pure, jealous, righteous God of the Bible.

I had NO idea how much that was going to shape the rest of my life. I had, after all, been reading the Bible, and Bible studies, for most of my life.

But that will have to be shared in Part III, as this is already quite long.

My Journey of Heart Change I

2011-05-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

I talked here about how I realized God had done a work in my heart, in regards to my role as a wife and mother, and I was/am so excited that I can boast in His work in my life. It truly was not me doing it, but God himself.

Really, if you think about that-God, Creator, Sustainer, I AM, Holy, Perfect, Yahwah-He chose to look down on little old me, and offer up His healing hand, his Scalpel, and draw me to Him. Goodness, that is pretty impressive! I am nothing, and yet Royalty came down and met me where I was, to bring me closer to him. Wow!

One thing that I am in awe of still, is how he went about changing me. Looking back, it's so much fun to see the things he used. I don't see the picture fully of course, but I can see certain 'highlights' and even the general outline of how he got me to where I am.

I must first confess that I never really cared if I became a wife and mom. I would really have preferred a more dramatic role in life, and touched many, many lives, rather then just a few. It's more my style. That whole 'orphanage in Africa' thing appealed to me far more then changing the diapers of my own flesh and blood. Weird, I know. But really, it just shows you how much work God really did in my heart.

I did end up getting married, obviously. I did end up having kids, obviously. Two of them to be exact. And both are very cute and sweet and a joy.

But, ever since seeing that 'double line' on the pregnancy test, I've found myself waiting to get that 'maternal feeling' toward my kiddos. I waited and waited and waited, until, oh, about this week. Geesh, 8 years, that's a long wait!

I read about people going through infertility treatments, and I confess, I've just never understood. Of course, I just thought about getting pregnant and did, so who knows, maybe if we had tried and not been able to have kids, I would have been devastated. Only God knows, and it doesn't really matter anymore.

But, I remember rocking my babies to sleep, wondering if I'd ever feel that 'connection' to my own children. I read about, I wanted it. It sure would have made the parenting thing a lot easier! My mom had it. She was amazing with her little kids. Why didn't I have it? I assumed it came along with the umbilical cord.

Parenting wasn't all awful. There have certainly been some great moments, and God has given me grace and strength along the way. My life is so much deeper because of it. My husband and I agree that we never would have matured and lost our intense selfishness (notice, we are still selfish, but it's not as intense), without having parenthood forced upon us.

But, still, there was something missing. And I knew it. I had come to realize that many, many moms don't have that 'connection' with their children, at birth, and sometimes never. And I knew that God still had determined that marriage and parenting was the way he wanted the world to continue on. Parenting is certainly a blessing if you read the Bible!

So, I finally confessed that my heart wasn't in my parenting, and just decided to plug on, doing the right thing, drawing closer to the Lord, and leave the rest to God. He would certainly bless my desire, even if my heart wasn't in it.

Well, it's funny. Being where I am now, where I've wanted to be for 8 years, is so different then I expected. I don't have a 'lovey dovey' emotional feeling about parenting still. But, what I do have is far greater. It's a blessing from the Lord of Hosts. It's a peace that passes all understanding. It's a guarantee, for the first time in my 33 years, that I AM in the will of God. I am exactly where he wants me. I am doing the job he has chosen for me to do. And, as long as I can have that kind of peace, what more do I need?

I was reading my diary from when I was in high school. I was about to graduate and wanted so desperately to 'do God's will', but after studying the Scriptures and praying and asking and pleading, I just couldn't figure out what his will was. WHAT COLLEGE WAS I SUPPOSED TO ATTEND? That was my burning question. I was SURE the rest of my spiritual growth depend on me making the right decision in that area of my life. I remember feeling so discouraged that I ended up at a local community college. I was sure God wasn't in it. It wasn't a Christian college, so naturally he wasn't in it.

And you know, I realized, while reading that diary, that I was still grappling with that question 15 years later. I still didn't know what 'God's will for my life' was, and I was just sort of hanging around, waiting to hear it. How sad!

Well, God has spent the last 7 years or so, showing me what 'his will' is for my life, and I just didn't realize it. Really, he has spent my whole life doing that, but he has esp concentrated on showing me how his will for my life right now, is to be a helpmeet to my husband, and a nurturer, training and discipliner of my children. That's it. That is his will for my life right now. And he hammered that in during all of my studies of education, nutrition, marriage and the Bible. I just didn't realize it at the time.

The 'Original' Protein Drink

2011-05-18T10:20:00.002-04:00

Everywhere I look, I see protein powders advertised. Even Dr. Mercola has a 'whey protein powder' derived from all natural products. But, from what I understand, dairy products do not dehydrate very well, and must be done at low temperatures, which is expensive for the manufacturer. And since dairy is 'the source' of most protein powders, I am uneasy about their use, esp in large quantities.

But, the convenience can certainly not be underrated. Easy to make, portable, easy to flavor complete meals. All in a mug. It combines the McDonald's McMuffin and the Starbucks coffee mug, all in one. And for most Americans, who are on the go, all the time, it's a great convenience.

Luckily, there is an alternative to the dehydrated protein powders on the market, that is simple, tasty and super nourishing. We call them 'smoothies'. And they are easy to assemble and great for on-the-go meals.

The general Recipe is:

Liquid
Sweetener
Flavor
Egg Yolk

That's the framework, and you can change it up within that framework.

Some ideas for LIQUID: water, milk, kefir, yogurt, coconut milk, coconut kefir, rice milk, almond milk, fruit juice, etc.

Sweetener: Honey, maple syrup, stevia, rapadura, molasses, dates, raisins

Flavor: Fruit, fresh, frozen or dehydrated. Cocoa powder/carob powder. Veggies. Vanilla extract. Any extracts out there. You can also add any nuts or seeds you like, as well as herbs and spices, such as cinnamon and ginger. A lot of people throw in some green leaves for extra nutrients, but without tasting them. Some people also add in coconut chips or coconut oil.

Egg Yolk: This makes it a powerhouse of nutrition, as the vitamins and minerals are ingested immediately in the gut and available for use right away. Just be sure they are from healthy, roaming chickens, not the ones from the grocery store.

Put them all in your blender, pour into your mug, and take with you on the bus or train to work. Or to drop the kids off at school, or on the way to church on Sunday morning... Or, as we like to do, put them in a container and throw it in a cooler along with some cups. It's a great, simple meal for the zoo or the beach, or the local playground.

Boasting in my Weakness

2011-05-14T07:26:00.000-04:00

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

I haven't written on my blog in so long. But God has really been working on my heart during the last few months. And since pride was something he has had to work esp hard on in me, I figured blogging wasn't exactly helping to humble me. :)

I have realized, in the last few weeks, that God has been working mightily in my heart and changing it in so many ways. It's been a slow, long journey. And I tended to get in the way more then be of service. But He was faithful to not give up, and seeing the fruit is just so exciting! I have a lot more growing up to do of course. That process will not end until I am in Heaven sans my not-so-lovely-sin-nature. But I am slowly coming to appreciate spiritual growth here on earth, sanctification it's called in 'doctrinal-speak'.

I am a do-er. I do what needs to be done. I love it. I love figuring out what the right actions/reactions are, and then doing it. It's worked wonders with our physical lives in the way we nourish ourselves, and in the kids' academic lives, as I have learned to work 'with' them, rather then against how God made them to grow. Although, even in those, God does still get the glory for guiding me. Who knows where I would have ended up otherwise. Probably on a raw diet and doing 'unschooling'. *shivers* Ok, so it could be worse. I have certainly implemented some of the 'raw way of life' and appreciate that aspect of food. And I believe that formal education should be held off for some time with children, in order to work on their character development when they are most mold-able in that area, and to preserve the joy of learning in them. So once again, I have taken a lot from the 'unschooling' way of thinking and greatly appreciate it.

But, one area that I knew I was seriously lacking in, but could not change, no matter what I read, was in my overall attitude toward my husband and kids. I walked around sulking because my husband was a difficult man (or so I thought), and my kids were esp hard to raise. 'Oh, woe is me'. The pity parties I had for myself, it's embarrassing to think about. But when I was corresponding with a friend, I realized that I was miserable long before I had kids, and definitely before I was married as well.

In high school I was known as the 'glass is always half full' girl. Seriously, my outlook on life was always positive. Maybe fakey, I honestly don't remember. But somewhere in between high school and marriage, that changed. It was probably a slow change, but I truly don't know. I just remember being so utterly miserable. But have no idea why.

Well, we had Myia 'accidentally' and were not even nearly ready for being parents, emotionally, mentally, spiritually or financially (and esp not physically I have learned since reading up on nutrition). And let me tell you, I let that be fodder for years of pity parties! She was one tough baby, and Drew struggled so much with her. Now I think he was struggling more with my reaction then anything else.

I remember looking around at the moms who seemed to really love parenting. I always thought that would be me. I love kids, always have. But having my own, I found to be incredibly more difficult then taking care of someone else's! You couldn't blame all of their short-comings on someone else. It was entirely your own fault. I was a terrible mom, with a terrible attitude.

Now mind you, not for lack of effort. I read ALL the parenting books I could get my hands on. I talked to everyone, I prayed and cried. I wanted to love my kids. I didn't want to look at my kids and think they were a nuisance. But alas, I did. I knew it was wrong, and I hoped that if I pretended, that it would eventually come.

At some point, maybe last year, or the year before, I gave up on pretending. I started to get an inkling of the fact that what I really needed was a serious heart change. And the only heart surgeon that is skilled enough for that is the Holy Spirit, through the scalpel of the Holy Scriptures. And I realized that lying to others and myself wasn't really protecting my children from the painful truth that their mother didn't love them. It was protecting my pride, and keeping my heart from being properly prepped for surgery.

So, I started talking about it with people, even my kids some. Thankfully, they were young and didn't really have a clue. :)

And you know, that was about the last I remember consciously thinking about it. Specific issues have arisen in the meantime, and Drew and I have dealt with them as they come. But I hadn't given much thought to my overall mommy attitude. Until this last week. Being sick gives you lots of time to think! :)

I realized, joy of joys, that not only has the Lord given me a true respect for my husband (poor man, that was far too long in coming!), but he has given me a mommy's heart as well. Oh, it's so wonderful, I wanted to shout for joy (except I couldn't because my throat was killing me and I could do little more then croak). And I realized that it was something I COULD boast in. Because the Lord is glorified when we boast in him. When it was me doing all the necessary changes in my life, not only was I really miserable inside, but I was also prideful. 'Oh, look at all I've done, look at all the books I've read. Pat me on the back, I'm just such a good person'. Yuck, wreaks like a skunk. And, to boot, I was miserable. Now there is something to attain for! *rolls eyes* Good thing I stopped sharing my faith for a time, I would have only pushed people away.

Finally, something I am allowed to, no, I am called to, boast in. The Holy Spirit did a work in me, that I see so many other moms also longing for, just like I was myself. But I didn't do it. Heck, I had given up altogether on it and figured I'd just better live with the truth then a lie. And then, low and behold, I turn around in my journey of life and realize that the Lord did an amazing work in my life. And to Him be ALL the glory. All of it.

Now, just to be clear, life is still hard at times. And, my kids are now 6 and almost 8, truly fun ages, as opposed to the younger, harder years. And, our diet has truly changed our personalities and attitudes and we are much easier people to be with. But even all of those were coordinated by the Lord, to bring him glory. He orchestrated every detail of our life to this point, to help us get where we are.

What I am talking about here, is a deep, rooted JOY that passes all human understanding. Not a 'happy go lucky' perfect world. We still have our problems, but I truly do take joy in my job as a mom.

Praise be to God!!!!!!!!

Three Year NT Anniversary

2011-02-22T07:00:00.073-05:00

Wow, I've been on this 'food journey' for three years now. We've come so far in that time. We have a long ways to go, but that will probably always be the case. I posted here right after I had found the Weston Price Foundation through 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' and I couldn't believe it, it was just what I was looking for. And boy, I had NO idea what I was getting into at the time! But God was so gracious to lead me to find other people's research about how traditional cultures ate in ways that allowed them to carry on free of modern medicine and free of modern disease (isn't that, after all, what brought on the modern medicine?).

It was nice because January (2008) of that year, my pastor had an alter call and I was addicted, at that time, to sugar. In a huge way. I was eating a bag of candy or chips or a container of ice cream every couple of days. I would go out before anyone was awake and buy whatever I could find at the CVS a block away. And I would hide it in the laundry basket, which happens to be in my kitchen. I was the only one to do laundry, so I wasn't worried about being 'found out'. But oh, it was so awful. I was truly in bondage and it was a horrible feeling! But yet, after it was gone, I would start to panic and go out and buy more. Literally, I had to scrape for coins sometimes as we didn't have any money or I didn't want to use the debit card in case Drew checked. It was such an awful feeling. I was gaining weight and feeling awful. I needed that 'boost' first thing in the morning. I even woke up in the middle of the night sometimes to have some. And I lived in a state of panic that the kids or Drew would find the food or smell it on my breathe. And I found I needed more and more just to survive the day. I would be 'elated' and in a great mood when I first bought something, and then when it was almost gone, I'd start to panic. I truly came to realize the awful bondage of drugs and alcohol. Ugh!

Anyway, when my pastor showed the video of 'that closet' in our lives that the Holy Spirit wanted in, but we wouldn't let him in, I knew my closet was my food addiction (no it wasn't food I was addicted to, it was the chemicals). He had all the congregation take the 'key' to that closet in their life and put it up front and lay it in a pile on the alter. Everyone around me went. My husband went. But I couldn't. It was really neat to see everyone go and pray that God would give them the courage to stick it out. But I knew I couldn't. I told Drew what it was and why I couldn't give it up. I wanted to, oh I wanted to do it so bad. But I knew simply saying no wasn't the answer. I had done that almost every time my 'stash' ran out, but failed miserably every time. I was discouraged and wasn't ready to give my key, only to take it back again. But I did pray in my heart and beg God to show me what was wrong. I knew my cravings meant I was missing something. I knew there was a lot more to this 'food' thing then I was currently getting. But I had no idea what it was. I was tired of science contradicting itself. I couldn't pretend to give up, only to take it back. I promised God I would do whatever he told me I needed to do. But it took more then will power. I was going to need the Creator's advice on how to meet the needs of my body.

And shortly thereafter, I found Weston Price Foundation. And I knew I had to get a copy of Nourishing Traditions. Lucky for me, a local library had a copy and I went out and borrowed it as soon as I could. I was amazed and in awe as I read it. I knew it was the answer. I knew it was what God was telling me I needed to do to get over my addiction. Oh, it was overwhelming and I knew it was going to consume me for some time. But I also knew that I had promised God I would do whatever I needed to get over my addiction, and I knew this was what he was telling me to do. It was nice to have answers, but man was it going to be work!

Sure enough, I spent the next 2 years reading, reading, reading. My poor family lost me. I was so consumed by learning and understanding and implementing. I wish it hadn't had to be that way, but I believe it's the only way I am able to learn and implement things in my life. I upset and irritated and hurt a lot of people along the way. But God slowly grew me in confidence and then his grace.

And oh the lessons I've learned along the way. We had other major problems besides my addiction, although that was the main impetus at that time to get me started good and solid. And I knew it was all related, but I didn't know how exactly. I read and read and read. I wish I had blogged more along the journey, but I was so overwhelmed, I couldn't do any more then read and process and implement during the beginning stages.

We were not, at that time, eating meals as a family. Ugh, I wasn't cooking at all. I realized the other day that I used to get so mad at my husband for eating out in the city at work. But yet, I never cooked at home for him. What in the world was I expecting him to do? Go hungry. He did and he was a mes. Ugh! Hind-sight is 20/20, and now I realize how utterly unreasonable I was, but at the time, it seemed perfectly justifiable. Ugh!

I knew I needed to cook and we should eat as a family, but I was so utterly clueless as what to cook. With Myia's issues, I was afraid she could be allergic to just about everything under the sun. We eliminated things now and then, but never saw any change. So I was so overwhelmed.

I realized what I really needed to know was what the body needed. And boy did I find the answers to that question. Well, mostly. :)

So, 3 years ago today, I started on my journey to traditional eating. And I thank God often, for setting me on that journey.

And, last month, my pastor showed the closet video and had the congregation bring up their 'keys' to allow the Holy Spirit to clean it out. This time I was able to bring it up and I was so thankful! He has worked on many other areas of my life in those 3 years, and I have many, many things that need work. And, as I have learned, I take a long time to learn a lesson well. This year I believe he is going to teach me balance and grace. And I'm so excited to learn those things! But I was grateful to tears to realize the work that God had done in my life since the last time I heard that 'call'.

But they are another post, or 2.

Drew Quotes

2011-02-11T07:00:00.003-05:00

You know when the wife really gets into something, but the husband doesn't. Well, we did that for a few years. Thankfully, I finally started to realize that nagging and obnoxious behavior was not helpful. Too bad it took me so long!

But, I did realize that I had my work cut out for me, to help him to see what I saw. That food really does affect a person in all capacities. I knew I was on to something, but to get him to see it was going to take some work. And respect. And a lot less nagging and attitude.

A few weeks ago, he was out running some errands and ended up at a big warehouse-type store. I had been meaning to stop in to see what they sold for years and just never did. So I asked him what they sold there. His response 'Shelves and shelves of high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals. It was ridiculous'. I couldn't help but laugh. It's true and so sad to realize that is what feeds the majority of Americans now-a-days. It fed us for years.

A few days ago he was with his family and they were talking nutrition and he sounded like a downright pro (I got his side of the story). It was cute to hear him talking about things I've been saying for so long.

He is definitely not as 'crazy' as myself about it. And that is probably best. We need the balance. But he definitely sees how food affects a body now.

And, another quote, that had me laughing out loud was 'Yeah, the cat is a much nicer thing to be around, you have him on the cat's version of GAPS'. Oh, I died!

My cousin recently bought Nourishing Traditions and has been reading and implementing a lot of the food preperations and recipes in the book. She and her husband were watching a segment on nutritious foods on tv the other day and they were talking about oatmeal. He says 'Wouldn't it be healthier if they soaked it first?'. She was pretty excited. :)

And she hasn't even nagged him! God's way is always best....

The Science of Homeopathy, by George Vithoulkas

2011-01-14T07:00:00.071-05:00

I very much enjoyed reading 'The Science of Homeopathy' by George Vithoulkas. I have been reading and learning more about natural healing and kept coming across 'like heals like/homeopathy', but I could not figure out what the difference was between herbal remedies and homeopathy. Slowly I began to understand it more, and then found this book at the library. It's a textbook written in 1980 by a well-known homeopathic doctor.

After reading the book, I find there is a LOT to learn about homeopathy, and it's mostly out of my reach. But I am glad to know more about the science of homeopathy and plan on looking up more books on the subject, just for my own curiosity. I think, in order for a person to be able to use homeopathic remedies properly (the way they were intended to be used), you have to have a HUGE knowledge of the remedies as well as experience under a homeopathic mentor.

Homeopathy was started in the 1800s by a German doctor named Samuel Hahnemann. He realized that most doctors of his day looked at symptoms and tried to cure them, rather then trying to understand why the patient was manifesting the symptoms. He came up with the concept that 'like cures like'. Essentially, the body 'detoxes' (although that word was never used), by manifesting symptoms on a certain level, in order to provide homeostasis. The symptoms show where the body naturally releases it's disease symptoms and should be encouraged to do so as much as possible. So by giving the patient a substance that creates the same symptom in a healthy person, it encourages the body to come into balance.

So Hahnemann, and many other homeopaths since his time, have taken substances (herbs, minerals, poisons and disease organisms) and 'proved' them on healthy human beings to see what symptoms they bring about, and after years of proving on hundreds of people, healthy and sick, it is considered a 'proved remedy' and put into a book of remedies, along with all of the major and minor symptoms it caused/cured.

There are strict rules that they use for proving, as well as for preparing the actual remedy that is used. The original substance is 'potentized' by adding a medium to it, shaking it for a certain amount of times and then diluted again. This is done into the thousands. And rather then making it weaker, as one would assume, it supposedly makes it a stronger potency.

Homeopathy is considered a science and an art. Coming up with the right remedies for a person is considered an art, but the actual healing process is considered a science. My husband calls it 'quack'. :)

I love reading different 'disease theories' and considering their implications on my own health, along with my families. I do find, the more I study, that God has made us extremely diverse people. Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. And all aspects must be considered when dealing with someone's overall health. They are all connected and effect each other. Modern, allopathic doctors consider only the physical level, as that is easiest to see and affect.

What I found most fascinating about homeopathy is that they consider the most important level to be the mental level. The second 'layer' is emotions and the last physical. Physical issues are considered secondary to mental and even emotional. Well, geesh, is that is true, then we are really sick! Our mains symptoms are moods, anger, etc.

I am looking forward to finding more books on the subject, esp with updated information and 'case studies'. I don't see us ever searching out a truly experienced homeopathic doctor, as they are very expensive, but it's good to know they are out there if we decide we want to go that route.

The Untold Story of Milk, by Ron Schmid

2011-01-07T07:00:00.061-05:00

I've heard of The Untold Story of Milk, by Ron Schmid, since my first foray into the world of 'Life's Perfect Food'-raw milk. But I only finally recently got around to ordering it from the library and reading it. It was a fascinating story tracing the history of milk from Bible times to present. Of course, I didn't need to read it to be convinced of the health benefits of consuming raw milk, but it was fun to read it and get a better grasp of it's history. Here is a review of the book on the Weston Price Foundation website.

Ron Schmid has been practicing naturopathic medicine in Connecticut for over 30 years. And he is on the board at the Weston Price Foundation (honorary, whatever that means).

The book is, as the title suggests, the history of milk from ancient times to present. He gave a lot of quotes from the Bible and other 'ancient manuscripts' to show that milk has been consumed for thousands of years-all from grass fed cows and unpasteurized. Yum! Of course, he believes in evolution and that man is millions of years old. So, as usual, I glanced over the 'assumed history' until he got to the ancient Egyptians. :)

I found his ideas on the importance of the cow in America's early history to be new and interesting. Cows were shipped from England to the new world and really helped the settlers to 'settle'. People consumed buffalo, but they were mostly wild at the time.

He mentioned Drs, Price and Pottenger and their work quite a bit. They made a big difference in his idea of overall health and holistic body care.

He traced the history of milk over the last 200 years in America and Europe, and esp since World War II, when pasteurization became mandatory. It was sad to be reminded of the corruption and lies that were perpetrated in order to make pasteurization mandatory.

He devoted a lot of time to the benefits of unpasteurized dairy products to the human body, both scientific and anecdotal. He explained how the various components are changed when they are heat-treated and homogenized. And how all of this has lead to many of the diseases and allergies of today.

After proving how important consumption of raw dairy products is to good health, he gave a warning. Raw milk is alive and CAN be contaminated. He made a good point that the milk that came from the distillery dairies needed to be pasteurized. But mandatory pasteurization is not the answer. Carefully milked cows, from clean, grass-fed dairies have a very small chance of contamination. And he was very keen on government certification for such milk.

It works for us! We have been getting our amazing raw milk from Freedom Hill Farms, an upstate NY certified raw dairy. And while I realize there is some amount of risk, I feel confident that they work hard to keep up the clean standards that are expected of them.

It is a rather long book, almost 400 pages. But it was easy to read and enlightening. I can't say there was a lot of new information in it, but it's a great 'compendium' of information regarding raw dairy products for anyone interested in consuming it, but still has some apprehension.

I am reminded yet again of why we do not consume the majority of milk available in stores today. And I'm so grateful for my source of good, clean, raw milk for an amazing price. Local, sustainable, nutritious and affordable. The PERFECT combination!

Looking Back and Looking forward

2010-12-31T12:51:00.000-05:00

It's fun to look back and see where we were last year and how far we have come. I was pleasantly pleased to read last year's post on 'resolutions'. Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees.   So looking at such lists is helpful for seeing the big picture.

Looking back at 2010's goals:

Spiritually-I was staying in the Word and growing closer to the Lord until mid November. Since then I've been stagnant, but look forward to getting back into a routine. My goals for my prayer life did not happen, maybe this year will be the year of implementing prayer regularly. One thing that I finally came to terms with is the concept of the 'elect'. It's something I've struggled with so long and this year I can finally say I have come to appreciate why God worked that way.

Emotionally- My main issues were nutritional/biochemical, and I can see major improvement in those areas. And we have been working on better habits now that our brains are more clear.

Marriage-Drew and I are doing so much better then 2 years ago. It's very exciting! This year we have been able to work on our own issues more since being more clear-headed and healthy. God esp has been using the last few months to work on my respecting of my husband. It has slowly evolved over our 9 years of marraige, each time going a little deeper. It's hard to let go of things, but God is showing me that life is so much better if I do.

Parenting-Broken record... Well, I did not make a lot of the actual changes that I hoped to from last year. so they will be this year's goals. But overall, the kids are doing much better and Drew and I are able to train them more then in the past.

Education-Same as the others. Definitely happy with the changes and the things I've learned and I want to continue to learn and implement more.

Financial, same as last year. We have our credit card debt down quite a bit and we'll keep chipping away at it. We have mostly managed to live within our means. Not perfectly, but definite progress.

Nutrition-same as last year. I'm soo happy with where we are, but there is always room for improvement.
Some highlights from last year's nutrition goals: We like liver!!! that is great. But, we still can't handle canned salmon without major groans. GAPS is more doable, as we are eating more traditional and liking it more. We consume a lot of bone broth, but still not great on the fish broth. I cook with coconut oil and make cookies with them, so we consume a lot of that. We don't do CLO like I'd like, just because of the money. And cheese making hasn't happened either. Still working on the fermented foods also.

And my number one goal of bringing God glory in all we do, well, I'm actually very happy with that one. There will always be room for improvement, but I can see how it has become more a part of our very fibers, to want to bring glory to God in all we do. Which is very exciting!

Looking forward to 2011:

Spiritually-To just keep growing closer to the Lord. To be in the Word regular and let it saturate my very being. I'd like my prayer life to improve, but I have wanted that for so long I hardly think it's possible. I think as I draw closer to the Lord, my prayer life will improve. A lot of my issues with prayer are a lack of understanding it's power and place in the Christian's life. Also, I hope to grow more in grace this year. Not sure where this goal belongs, but a desire I have for 2011 is to better understand what motivates the 4 of us, and to use that information to help us to make good choices in every area of our lives.

Emotionally-To continue to keep our physical brains clear so we can work on our sin issues of the heart. I hope to see improvement in all of our moods, but esp mine at night with the kids. I tend to get grumpy and I want to stop.

Marriage-To continue to give ourselves to God and see his plan for marriage, and to make that our own plan as well. Which includes me learning to truly respect and honor my husband. Not just act respectful, but to truly, deeply respect him. I feel I made such huge strides last year, I hope to see just as many this year. I also will hope again this year, that we will find a way to be in the Word and in prayer regularly together.

Parenting-To continue to train and teach. Esp to concentrate on character development and skill learning.

Education-To get through Egermeier's. We still have not done that. And to read lots and lots of books. To concentrate on spending more one on one time with them (half hours we call them), and really getting to know who they are and how God made them, so we can mold them properly.

Financial-same as last year. To learn to live within our means and continue to pay down our debt.

Nutrition-I hope to see us continue to eat traditionally and enjoy it. To continue to heal our bodies and to give them what they need, while detoxing what they don't need. Specific goals for 2011:

1. To find ways of eating well when we're with others. For myself esp, to find foods that we can have when others are eating with us, that are truly nourishing, but enjoyed by all. As well as more 'picnic/to go' foods.

2. To eat fermented foods with every meal. I've had that goal for some time, and for some reason, I find it difficult.

3. To afford and take fermented cod liver oil daily.

4. To find a source of grass fed meats/fats/organs that we can afford.

5. Continue to find natural cures and remedies.

6. Find more 'grain free' foods to enjoy.

7. Work more towards finding ways of enjoying canned salmon

8. Possibly do the GAPS diet this summer.

9. To find ways to consume homemade fish broth regularly.

And, like last year, my Number One goal for 2011-and life-is to glorify God in all we do. Ultimately, that is all that matters.

Dear Lord, I pray for the coming year. I thank you that your grace is sufficient and your mercies are new every morning. I pray for my myself, my husband and my children. I pray that you would be glorified in our lives, in every little thing, as well as every big thing. I praise you that not only can I wish for that, but I can truly 'hope' for that. Knowing that you will complete the good work that you began in all of us. Thank you that you have called us to you. I pray for your peace and power and wisdom for 2011. I pray that we would draw closer to you, that we would come to know you better every day through your Word. I pray for wisdom in all of the decisions we will have to make in the coming year. I rest in the truth that you will work ALL things out for our ultimate good. AMEN

The Global Achievement Gap, by Tony Wagner

2010-12-17T07:00:00.086-05:00

Oh, what a fantastic read this was! I identified with it so much, it was downright amusing! And it's so exciting to see the classics/mentor type approach to learning in the bigger context, and applied to today's global economy.

The Global Achievement Gap, Why Even our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Sills our Children Need-and What we Can do About It, by Tony Wagner brought together the TJE of homeschooling that I have come to love, as well as the needs of the general public. Mostly. :)

And even so, he wanted to hone his skills and ask questions and come to see the big picture. Which he assumed he could be able to do 'on the job'. However, he found the other teachers completely unilling to discuss what works and what doesn't. He wanted to 'shadow' some teachers, but they looked askance at him. He asked his boss to come in and watch his class and give him tips, etc. But he wouldn't do it. Wagner also was a principal for a short period of time. After some frustrations and disappointments, he went back for his masters and I think his doctorate. He ended up working on the research end of education and was appalled that his experience was the general rule instead of the exception.

His main complaint of the current education system is that it is incapable of raising up a generation of citizens and workers who will be able to compete in today's global economy. The vast majority of public (and many private) schools teach 'to the test'. They don't teach general thinking skills, but rather the facts that are on the tests. If their schools don't pass the test, they are not given the money and get a bad rap. And this really is dumbing down our next generation of leaders. He actually quoted from 'A Whole New Mind', and cited a number of the sources Pink quoted. It was fun to read them back-to-back to get the big picture better.

In order to be able to compete in the new global economy, it is going to be of utmost importance for people to think for themselves and be able to get along with others. As a matter of fact, after research and reading and asking questions, he came up with 'Seven Survival Skills for Teens Today' that schools should be teaching instead of the current 'teach to the test'.

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
2. Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence
3. Agility and Adaptability
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
5. Effective Oral and Written Communication
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information
7. Curiosity and Imagination

He agrees that there ought to be a 'core' of knowledge taught, although what that core ought to included in all education, although deciding what that core ought to include is almost impossible (and a bit socialistic in my opinion). But, other then that core information, what really needs to be stressed is the overall story of life and how it all fits together and how it can be used and manipulated for today's needs. People today have a glut of information available to them. They need to be able to find information (google, books) and then sort through to find the pertinant info, and then place that info into the bigger picture. Simply sorting through a google search can be overwhelming. But things like dates and names, etc, are easy to come by these days, and in the blink of an eye. It's the skill of being able to sort through it that will make a person useful on the job.
For example, if you can't remember the dates of World War II, you can easily find that information on the computer. But trying to understand how WW II affected the world today is something that takes thinking and deductive skills.

Of course, using all of the usual information that is taught is the best way to teach the 7 Survival Skills.
But if the actual details are not remembered (and they must be in order to take most state tests today), then it's not a big loss.

He spends the last part of the book doing 'walk throughs' of school that are implementing principles similar to his 7 Survival Skills'. I'd love to visit them! Here are a few of them:

High Tech High
Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School
the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center

What fun to read about the teachers and students of these schools and to realize they really are living out the TJE model of learning and development. And it works, even in big schools!

I still believe that all of the issues he addressed are most easily addressed at home. But, I was excited to see that it could be done in a larger setting also.

A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink

2010-12-10T07:00:00.061-05:00

I saw here on the TJE website, a list of books that talk about the classics approach to education, but are main-stream today. I was excited to see the list and ordered a number of them from the library right away. Go figure!

A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink was the first one I read. And I really enjoyed the 'right-brained' view of things. I am definitely a left-brained person. I have a hard time with imagination and definitely prefer liniar thinking and rules and definite results. That is something I've been trying to challenge lately, but it does not come naturally. And this book helped me to see that the creative/right brain side is just as useful as the more practical side. We all, of course, work with both sides of our brain. But I think most people tend to have one side more dominant then the other-which translates to what we call personality.

Pink's thesis is that in order to survive in the up and coming job market in America and most of the Western world (and the rest of the world eventually), a person must use both sides of their brain in order to offer a goods or service that will allow him or her to have a job that pays more then minimum wage.

He gives 3 questions that need to be answered in order to determine if you will be viable in the workforce in America in the near future.

1. Can someone overseas do it cheaper?

2. Can a computer do it faster?

3. Am I offering something that satisfies the nonmaterial, transcendent desires of an abundant age?

He gives plenty of reason why those 3 questions need to be asked. He gave all kinds of stats that show how most jobs in America have transferred to the eastern world where people graduate with MBA and have a much lower cost of living. So the same job could be done in America for $70,000 or Asia for $15,000, allowing the same quality of living for the worker. Hence companies like GE, Dell and HP have hired people over-sees instead of America. My husband works in investment banking and he has told me many stories of jobs being sent overseas because of cost. I had no idea until a few years ago, but apparently it's a very common thing. No one in America can pay bills on $15,000 a year, it's just not possible (at least not in the NY metro area). So how do you make yourself worth the extra $55,000 to a company? By using your right brain says Pink.

He also gave a lot of examples of how computers are being used to do more and more things that used to be done by the human brain and hands. Even writing computer programs is being done by computers now! Go figure.

His last question addresses how you can distinguish yourself from those in Asia and from computers. People now have the opportunity to have so many things inexpensively, that the only way to get them to choose your product, is to make it beautiful and artistic and to give it some sense of inner meaning. The guy is definitely right-brained! :) Computers can't offer that dimension, and even people in another country can't offer the creation of such things, as they do not know what appeals to different cultures and people.

Make it personal. Offer something that people can't get anywhere else. My mother-in-law's consignment boutique is a perfect example of this. It's funny how many times I thought about her and her store while reading the book. I'll have to ask her if she read it. Her clothes are not cheap. People could go to TJMaxx or Marshalls and get things for the same price, or even cheaper. But she offers things those places can't. No malls or traffic. She and her associates are amazing at outfitting people with wardrobes that they look and feel good in. She knows her customers names and life stories. Those are things no computer, or Asian graduate or even a discount store, could offer. And people love her for it.

"For business it's no longer enough to create a product that's reasonably priced and adequately functional. It must also be beautiful, unique, and meaningful. In an age of abundance, appealing only to rational, logical, and functional needs is woefully insufficient. Engineers must figure out how to get things to work. But if those things are not also pleasing to the eye or compelling to the soul, few will buy them. There are too many other options."

The last 6 chapters are devoted to teaching 6 'senses' or skills' that Pink thinks a person will need to succeed in the days ahead. They are all right-brained of course, and some are a little off the wall. But it was a very fascinating book to read for a left-brainer like me.

The 6 senses are:

1. Design
2. Story
3. Symphony
4. Empathy
5. Play
6. Meaning

He talks about each one in detail. He gives examples of how they are used in big-business today and then he gives a 'portfolio' after each one of books and other resources for developing these senses or skills.

While I have no desire to go into business at the moment, it's still some good skills to learn and sharpen. And to keep in mind for helping my kids to get an over-all, truly 'liberal-arts' education.

The Fourfold Path to Healing, by Thomas Cowan

2010-12-03T07:00:00.003-05:00

Ok, first, let me say that today is a special day. My sister turns 40 today. I so wish I could be in Iowa to celebrate with her! Happy Birthday Angie!!!!!

Ok, now on to the book.

I have been wanting to read The Fourfold Path to Healing, working with the laws of nutrition, therapeutics, movement and meditation in the art of medicine, by Thomas Cowan, pretty much since I first found Nourishing Traditions. I'm glad I finally read it, but I also think it was best that I waited until now to read it. :)

It was a fascinating book. His theories of 'dis-ease' are very interesting and different from mainstream, and even different from a lot of 'holistic' books that I've read. But so utterly fascinating! It was good to get a more 'rounded' view of the human body and disease. It definitely ventured into the 'etheral', but I have really come to appreciate that the body is a 'whole' and needs to be addressed as such. The emotions are not separate from the body, they all work together in a synergistic fashion. I think if you lean too much on one or the other, it's not good. But I think it's good to have both sides brought to the table for consideration.

Cowan discusses the 'Four-Fold Path to Healing' and how all 4 points are important to understand and consider for 'wholeness' and 'wellness' in the body. The 4 points are: Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation. He gives an overview of all 4 at the beginning, and then he deals with specific illnesses in the rest of the book.

The overall of nutrition is founded on traditional diets as studied by people such as Weston Price, Pottenger, Lee Royal Rudolph Steiner, and others. He feels this is the foundation for the rest of the 'paths' and must not be ignored. He talks about nutrient dense foods and eating a high-fat diet. He recommends fermented cod liver oil along with high vitamin butter oil for healing as well as daily health. He even suggests insects for those who dare eat them. :) He refers to Nourishing Traditions throughout the book.

Therapeutics is based on homeopathy, herbs and an overall 'balance' that he learned from Rudolph Steiner, Edward Cayce and Samuel Hahnemann. All people whose works I'd like to read. His definition of disease is good: 'the body's attempt at self-correction, or self-healing.' So rather then work against, it, his goal is to work with it, to heal itself. Makes sense to me! So his therapeutics are used after nutrition is firmly in place. He goes into details about how to use balance and herbs and homeopathy, etc. to heal specific ailments. I loved this section of the book. So much to learn about the natural means God gave us to heal and be healthy!

His section on movement is actually written by someone else: Jaimen McMillan. He gives a lot of specific movements and exercises for dealing with different emotions, body parts and diseases. I must confess, I did not read much of them. I'm still trying with the body mechanics and barefoot movements. :)

Meditation was, well, about the mind and meditating, etc. Again, I confess, I did not read nearly enough of this section to give any account here. It's not that I think the mind is not important. I truly do believe it's essential to have healthy emotions and thoughts in order to heal. But my meditation and prayer life are based on Scripture as opposed to more new-agey type things. But, for what it's worth. For a non-religious person who is trying to heal themselves naturally, I do think that meditation would probably be helpful, and his suggestions were in line with the rest of the book.

The chapters on specific illnesses are: infectious disease, cancer, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, diseases of adrenal insufficiency, digestive disorders, chronic fatigue, women's diseases, men's diseases, weight loss, depression, back pain, arthritis and neurological diseases.

He gave far too much information for me to go into in regards to the various diseases. But it was so interesting to read his ideas on the 'whys' behind them. Most of it was not new to me, but one that was new and interesting was his explanation of the heart. But, alas, my brain couldn't wrap itself around it enough to be able to explain it 'in my own words', so I shall have to reread the book again later and hopefully it will sink in then. But it was a fascinating concept and one I mean to look more into, esp if we find we are ever struggling with heart disease. His overall answer to heart problems and cold extremities was to eat more good fats and to not drink too much water. As a matter of fact, he was pretty against drinking water in general, as he believes it messes with the natural balance of minerals in the body. That seems to come up a lot in the books I read. Good well water with the minerals is fine, or even water with some celtic salt.

Some specific things he mentioned at the end of the book that I found interesting were:

Bee venom as a way of helping with osteoarthritis. I'd never heard of it before! They take real bees and have them sting you as a way of helping the inflammation to go down.

Blessed Herb Internal Cleanse. I would love to do this, but it's expensive. But I hope to find some herbs that do similar things and incorporate them into our lives as necessary.

Castor Oil packs are something he highly recommends throughout the book. They apparently have been used for thousands of years in the medical world. They apparently create warmth in whatever organ they are placed over, almost immediately. And they also help the body to increase the flow of bile in the liver, which helps it to detoxify the toxins that are often stored there. I would like to get some good castor oil and some flannel patches of cloth and use them as a part of our healing protocol, along with enemas and liver cleanses, etc.

Bowel cleansing using milk of magnesia. I've been doing enemas, but I might try this sometime also. I just need to do more research. Gunky colons are definitely a problem in America today! Of course, this is just helping a symptom, not addressing the actual cause, which is of utmost importance.

Epsom Salt Baths, which we do often. He has you drinking tea with it as well, which I don't.

Hydrotherapy, which stimulates a fever. He has you take a warm bath for 10-15 minutes, and then stand under a cold shower for one minute. Then wrap up in a warm blanket and get into a warm bed and drink warm tea (elder flower, linden flower or peppermint to induce sweating).

I really enjoyed reading the book and would love to find it super cheap to add to my collection for reference when dealing with a specific disease or ailment. His use of therapeutics is esp useful, because he has such extensive use of herbs and homeopathy, etc. His combinations are tried and true and good to know!

Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her People

2010-11-26T07:00:00.020-05:00

My cousin and I and a few others have started an 'email book club' of sorts. We have been reading books together and writing our thoughts out afterwards. It's been fun and eye opening. Good for learning to 'think' about things rather then just read and move on.

One of the books that read recently was 'Harriet Tubman, The Moses of her People'. It was written in the 1800s, while Harriet was still alive. And it has been reissued a number of times since. It is a small book, but powerful as a motivator and reminder of what life as a slave in early America used to be like.

Having grown up in a society that says that education is important, I realized I have come to believe the lie that the more you know, the smarter you are, and the better person you are. But Harriet blows that stereotype out of the water. She was so in tuned to the Lord, she could 'hear' him speak. I don't know anyone like that today. I wonder if our 'education and knowledge' get in the way of the still small voice?

Harriet was born a slave and ran away when she was a teenager. She was used of the Lord to bring thousands of other slaves along the 'underground railroad' to safety in Canada. Her family as well as many others. The Lord seemed to speak to her almost audibly. The stories she told of close encounters and last minute changes of plan were amazing.

I have a hard time hearing stories of slaves and the treatment they endured. I am too empathetic and can't handle seeing people suffer. But I need to be reminded of the history of America and God's grace even in the midst of such atrocities. We are surrounded by horrible acts of sin today, they are just different and to us, not so obvious.

I was also really encouraged to pray for 'faith like a child', which is exactly the kind of faith Harriet Tubman exhibited. It could be nothing but that, as she couldn't even read the Scriptures herself.

She willingly and humbly excepted any gifts the Lord provided. She begged for mercy and help when the situation merited it. And she was so thankful to God for every little blessing she encountered. She had no thought for herself or her safety. She fully believed that when the Lord wanted her home, he would take her home.

Oh, to have such faith!

Darwin's Black Box, by Michael Behe

2010-11-19T07:00:00.079-05:00

I read and was fascinated by Darwin's Black Box, by biochemist Michael Behe.

It was very intense and technical at times, but very readable throughout also. He put the really technical stuff in squares so you could easily skip through that part until it ended if you felt the need. I felt the need a number of times, but got the point of how complex the cell is nonetheless.

He talked about how Darwin explained his ideas of evolution based on a 'black box'.
''Black Box' is a whimsical term for a device that does something, but whose innter workings are mysterious-sometimes because the workings can't be seen, and sometimes because they just aren't comprehensible.' But since Darwin's time, many technological advances have been made and have 'opened' the black box that Darwin spoke of. We now understand life down to the cellular level and realize that much of what Darwin thought can not be true.

Having grown up in a 'fundamental' Christian home, I never doubted creation and always thought that evolutions was 'crazy'. :) Ok, a bit simplistic, but the general gist is true. I did hear some Answers in Genesis speakers on occasion and realized there was a lot more going on that I was not aware of, but I did not do much studying until this summer. I really started just to get going on my science reading just as a way to start on my 'scholar phase' education. But it really is a fascinating subject. Now, I have not gotten nearly technical, but instead have read a bunch of books on science versus evolution. Long-age versus short-age, etc. So I have not delved much into the hands-on science. But I am enjoying this study very much.

I was a bit worried, that after doing some serious reading, I would come to the conclusion that science really is true and the Bible is not. I knew better, but yet there was that little 'thing' in the back of my mind. 'What if?' You hear all the time from intelligent people that creation is simply not possible and that Evolution is obvious and self-supporting. But, after reading and seeing real, hard facts and numbers, it was a relief to come to the realization that it takes just as much imagination and faith to believe evolution as it does to believe Creation.

Behe is a Roman Catholic biochemist (genius) who believes that evolution of some sort happened. However he also does not believe that it could have just 'happened'. He does not share as much what he believes as he does what he does not believe. After research and thinking things through, he came to the conclusion that there was no way for the cell, in all it's intricacy to have evolved without a designer of some sort. He talked about a concept called 'irreducible complexity'.

And he went into great detail to explain how 5 facets of human biology were irreducible complex. There was not one extra part that could be removed and still have it function properly. Which makes evolution almost impossible. He started with a mousetrap and used that example throughout the book. He also explained the cilium and how they 'swim' around to help the cells work properly. The second example was the coagulation of blood. The third example is the complexity of the transport system for a piece of DNA to copy into an RNA. The fourth is the way our immune system works to fight off invaders of all shapes and sizes. The fifth and final example of irreducible complexity is how the cell builds itself from the various protein components.

That was a pathetic version of the 5 examples he gave of irreducible complexity. I confess much of it was above my head. But I was able to grasp how it was impossible for any of those processes to work without all the components in place. And without those processes, there is no way we humans could live.

And because of that and many other examples, Behe, and many others, came to the conclusion that there MUST be a designer out there. It is impossible to think otherwise.

He did not seem to think it was a Creator God. He definitely did not think it was the God of the Bible. But I found it refreshing and reassuring that intelligent people could believe that someone or something did design the earth.

I also really appreciate that Behe did not try to answer all the questions. He acknowledged that there is just no way to know all the answers. It's too complex.

Cancer Salves, by Ingrid Naiman

2010-11-12T07:00:00.085-05:00

Cancer Salves, by Ingrid Naiman was a fascinating read.

It has a lot of 'new agey' ideas and some eastern/Ayurvedic healing type methods. But, all in all, it was a fascinating read of one woman's journey to learn more about healing and cancer slaves in general.

She has a website that she maintains with more up-to-date information on resources, etc. It also is an interesting read.

Of course, it opened up a pandora's box yet again. I want to do more research on cancer specifically and on the healing powers of herbs, etc, and esp their history throughout time. I love that God knew at Creation that we would be suffering the effects of sin, so he provided us with natural means of healing right from the start.

I loved the history the woman gave about the cures for cancer, going back as far as the 12th Century. It was very eye opening to me to realize that the body has been breaking down for a long time. And the crazy thing is, thousands of years ago, people seemed to generally agree that the health starts in the gut. And that health is the balance of meeting the bodies organic needs (minerals, vitamins, energy) and helping to rid it of toxins. There truly is nothing new under the sun.

This book dealt specifically with the history of using 'escharotics' to heal cancerous masses on the human body. The definition of 'escharotic' is: 'a caustic substance that causes a chemical reaction with tissue. The reaction is usually attended by heat, itching, and burning and results in the destruction of the reactive tissue.' She was esp interested in using escharotics versus surgery for removal of cancerous 'lumps'. She gave a short biography on the various people she had found throughout time, that used esocharotics for healing cancer.

She mentioned the treatment of cancer by Hildegard of Bingen, 12th Century; the American Indians' Richard Guy, 1759 from London; Constantine Rafinesque and Samuel Thomson of America, early 1800s' Weldon Fell, 1858, America; John Pattison, 1866, NY; Eli Jones, 1911 of Pennsylvania; Henry Hoxsey, 1900s; John Christopher, 1900s; Frederic Mohs, late 1900s.

The people mentioned above all used escharotics to remove cancerous lumps, but all agreed, later in their career at least, that using internal cleansers and detoxers, and nutrition were the most important part of dealing with the disease. Escharotics were used in place of surgery, as they had a much higher success rate and caused less trauma in the long-run.

There was a lot of 'little nuggets' of info that I learned by reading the book. And I'm excited to read more on the subject by those who have used natural means to heal cancer and other immune-related diseases.

I enjoyed this quote:

"We live in a time of unparalleled pollution and adulteration of our food and water supply. Survival of the fittest and good health may depend on periodic detoxification as well as adequate efforts to regenerate damaged tissues.
Detoxification is a technical term referring to measures that relieve the body of chemical toxicity as well as surfeit, metabolic residuals that are deposited in various parts of the body where they congest those areas. There are many ways to purify the body, ranging from fasting to specific dietary regimes and herbal remedies to medical protocols. The simplest involve modest improvements in the diet and supplements that cleanse the blood and liver, improve elimination, and relieve lymphatic stagnation. The most complex entail the removal of parasites and serious contaminants such as mercury and lead. While it may be possible to overcome cancer without addressing digestion and elimination as well as the functioning of the liver and blood stream, kidneys, and bowels, it hardly seems realistic to expect health without attention to the overall condition of the body. Tonification is another technical term. In essence, it refers to those strategies that correct deficiency conditions. Detoxification and tonification employ different diets and herbs because detoxification removes unwanted substances from the body whereas tonification rebuilds depleted systems of the body. Since every cell has a different normal life before it is replaced, each system of the body is rebuilt at its own pace.'

I thought that was a great 'overall' view of what a body needs to heal and be healthy. It needs to get the junk out and get the good stuff to where it needs to go. Isn't God so good to design such a simple, yet incredibly complex system?

The book also described in detail, some anti-cancer herbs. Namely violets, yarrow, bloodroot, galangal (similar to ginger), goldenseal, red clover, marigold, poke root, chaparral, burdock and turmeric. I am esp interested in trying to find a source of yarrow, goldenseal, burdock and turmeric and incorporate them into our regular diets. Maybe through teas or tonics. I need to do more research into the Swedish Bitters that we take daily. I may find that they have herbs that do the same things as the ones mentioned above. That would be nice!

I was fascinated by the book and I'm excited to learn more about the 'natural pharmacy' that God gave us, to heal our diseases and 'dis-eases'. We definitely have some!

Our Current Homeschool Schedule

2010-11-08T07:00:00.057-05:00

I posted here what I would like my 'Eureka' to look like.

Now that it is party way through November, I can say that, while it's not perfect, I am very happy with where we are in our daily routine of life and learning. I see major progress from last year. I see us loving the learning process together. We get into good books and learn so much from them. It's very exciting for me. :)

I feel the area that needs the most work at the moment is the chores. For some reason I'm having a hard time with figuring out what they should look like. But we are getting there, definitely progressing. Attitude is so important, I have to make sure I'm going about it the right way. I want to see joy in learning, and character building and skill learning in the chores.

This is what our general routine is at the moment.

8:00 Eat breakfast (we eat anywhere between 7:30 and 9, depending on when the kids wake up and how long it takes to make breakfast, I just picked 8:00 as a starting point)

8:30 I read 2 or 3 stories from Egermeirs while the kids finish breakfast.

9:00 I do dishes and clean up while the kids do their chores. Right now one washes the toilet/sink/floor while the other changes the cat litter and sweeps the kitchen. Needs work, eh? :)

9:20 We sit down at the kitchen table and I look over their Saxon math books to see what concepts they need to know. If they know them, I don't usually do too much, if they don't know it, then we'll work on it, using manipulates from the kit mostly. I also go over the Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. Myia knows most of it, so I go over a few lessons so she understands the rules she already seems to be able to follow. Samuel can't get past the sounds of letters, so we just sound out a few words together and I ask him what sounds a few letters make. The whole thing takes from 10-30 minutes. We esp love making things with the manipulatives and counting the bears while learning math.

9:40 We lay down and read a few chapters from a book. When we're done, we write about it in our Book Reports. We have read a few American Girl books, a few Littles books, some history books (chapter type books mostly) and some other cute books I have collected along the way.

10:00 This is the kids favorite time. We call it 'half hours' and basically, I set the timer and each child gets half an hour (or less depending what time it actually is, what the plans are for the morning, etc.) with me to do whatever they want. Or, I reserve the right to choose if I think they should be doing something specific. Samuel pretty much always chooses to lay on his floor and play with his Hot Wheel cars. It's not my favorite, but he loves it and talks about it all the time. It really seems to be filling a need. Myia and I tend to do things like crafts, puzzles, games, etc. It's fun and special for all of us.

11-1 Kids play while I prepare lunch.

1:00 We eat lunch as a family. Sometimes we read parts of a proverbs and talk about a verse or two.

1:30-2:30 They each play their computer games for half an hour.

2:30-3:00 We don't always do this, but I try to read some more of the book we are reading.

And that pretty much is our schedule. Drew is gone for the afternoon, so we run errands if necessary. I try to get to the library once a week with the kids. And we read 20 minutes or so before they go to bed. Myia also is allowed to read in her bed until 9:15 and she reads a lot then. It's fun to listen when she doesn't know I'm there. She is getting to be an amazing reader. And her sudoku skills are downright embarrassing! She won't let me write in her book because her handwriting is neater then mine (no joke) and she allows me to help, but doesn't nearly need it. Crazy!

All in all, Drew and I are pleased with how we are progressing as a family. I spend a few hours reading most days. Maybe not as varied as would be wise, but I am advancing my own 'Scholar Phase' and even Drew is starting to read more 'useful' books and enjoy them.

I still have a lot of things I want to do, but I have learned that slow change is better then fast, as it's more long-lasting.

Progress is good.....

Found-Goals for 2009

2010-11-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

I found my goals for 2009, I just didn't publish them on my blog. :) So here are my goals from last year.

1. Food:
-3 meals a day-real meals, breakfast, lunch and leftover supper
-mostly only soaked grains
-little/no sugar (honey and maple syrup are fine)
-little/no processed food
-fermented veggie, dairy and/or drink w/every meal
-take daily as supplements: apple cider vinegar, whey, coconut oil, cod liver oil, salt water

2. Children:
-homeschool daily-get into a better pattern and more creative
-daily bible study with them
-Stop yelling at them (this has gotten bad lately, and I know it needs to stop)
-attitudes I want to purposely cultivate-gratitude, respect, selflessness, honesty, obedience, intelligence, courage, joy, eat and like nourishing food, curiosity, love for life and learning, kindness, wisdom, self control,
-be active together at least twice a week-soccer/team sport, park, walk
-set a limit, either 1 or 2 times a week with an actual movie time, or 1/2 hour/one show a day-not sure yet.

3. Me:
-Less grouchy/moody
-In bed by 9:30
-Read scripture daily
-Less internet-set a limit
-Cut the junk out, as it's totally in control of me right now

4. Money:
-Cancel both CCs
-only spend money after talking it over
-set up and stick with a budget, food budget
-use any extra for paying off credit card instead of spending on other things

Winter Meal Plan Template

2010-11-05T07:00:00.016-04:00

Well, it's a change of season, a change of foods and also time for a change of menu planning techniques. Summer went well. I hope to do better next summer, but I enjoyed preparing one meat a week and seeing how far I could make it stretch, and what I could come up with for picnic friendly foods.

I am really trying to get back to cutting our budget so we can pay off some debt. The only thing we can really cut is the grocery budget, and that is hard to cut without losing ground on our health and healing. I really am not willing to do that. But, with winter here, I realized it's a perfect excuse to do more soups/stews, which tend to make the meat go further. I am also trying my hand at adding beans and lentils to our meals. Not as a substitute for the meat, but as a way to make that same meat stretch just a little further. I am using only navy beans, as they are GAPS friendly and supposedly ok to consume with a messed up gut. They also allow lima beans, but, in the words of the great Alexander 'Yuck, I hate lima beans!', so I'm not ready to add those yet. :)

I decided to go back to my original 4-week menu planning. I am much better at it now and found it quite a simple process to 'fill in the blanks'. I like 4 weeks, because we get 2 paychecks in that period and only one is available for food. So I have to get it all with that first paycheck or it's gone. Which means that I need to know what I am planning to make for the next 4 weeks, or I can't make sure I have it on hand.

I also want to get better about what the kids and I eat for supper. We have been doing a LOT of peanut butter on leftover pancakes/waffles and granola. The granola is still fabulous, but nuts shouldn't be a regular meal, so I would like to add more variety to our suppers, without adding much expense or cooking. Plus with Myia's possible wheat-induced asthma, I can't justify pancakes or waffles (even if they are sourdough and soaked for 24 hours) on a regular basis. That is my one meal that I don't have to spend an hour + on, and I'd like to keep it that way. So that means more advanced planning and preparing of course.

Breakfast stays the same-any variations on eggs and bacon I can come up with, or a kefir smoothie.

I also decided to try and make meals for Drew for the entire month and freeze them individually. It is so nice to just grab one out of the freezer when I'm making lunch and heat it up in the cast iron skillet with some broth while we're sitting down to our family meal.

So if I'm cooking and freezing a bunch of meals for him, why not make extra of the same foods for the kids and I?

Which lead me to create the following meal plan for the 4 week period of November 14th to December 11th. And I plan on following the same general outline for the rest of the winter if it goes well. With necessary tweaking of course. The actual days we eat them may vary, depending on our schedule, etc.

I have my grocery list all worked out and it should come to just over $400. I hope it does!

It's similar to summer, in that we have the same foods every week-white fish (cod usually as it's the cheapest)/canned salmon, liver and I'm also adding a chicken soup every week and a fish chowder every week. I can make them at once and freeze them for easy meals throughout the month. Two chickens should be enough for a soup a week as a family meal and a meal for the kids and I for supper every week (luckily, the kids and I love chicken soup and Drew will tolerate it). And fish chowders need a lot of various cans of seafood at once, so making them up at once is more economical and easier. The other 3 family meals will be one meat like this summer also.

For Drew for work, I will pick 4 different meals and make them all at once, and make enough for the kids and I to have as leftovers for a set amount of meals also.

I hope to do a lot of cooking at the beginning, which means less later on. I have the freezer space, so that really helps. And cold weather cooking lends it self to that type of meal nicely.

Also, I'm working on getting probiotics with every meal. Breakfast we do kefir. Lunch is kombucha, fermented veggies and bitters. And for supper I'm hoping to serve 1/2 cup of yogurt, sweetened or not.

You know You're a homeschooler When...

2010-11-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

An email from Sonlight curriculum came a few weeks ago with a list of 'You know you're a homeschooler when...' and I loved them and had to post them here. Some I wish were true, and others are true for us. It's a great read!

You know you're a homeschooler when . . .

. . . your kids are in the kiddie pool playing Lewis and Clark, paddling down the river with lacrosse sticks. --Jen

. . . you find yourself and your guests at your birthday party, at 10pm, embroiled in a lively discussion/explanation of the heart's size and function...with your five year old, who just had to get out of bed and ask because she couldn't sleep until she knew! --Eddie

. . . people ask to borrow books from you because it's closer than the library with almost as varied a collection. --Christine

. . . your son asks to listen to the Geography Songs CD every day at lunch. --Sherri

. . . you can SING the countries of Africa! "Algeria, Ethiopia, Liberia . . ." --Cindy

. . . you stop in the church parking lot to pick up a big Rhinoceros beetle. It is dead and actually smells a bit bad, but you lay it carefully in the back seat, because your kids have never seen one before, except for the one in "Bug's Life." --Anna

. . . you go to the greenhouse in the summer to buy herbs and start talking to the kids about the different kinds of plants . . . and then one of the workers asks if you work there!!!! --Donna

. . . you're out with non-homeschooling friends and they expect you to know the answers to everything--like the difference between a vegetable and a fruit and whether certain things like cucumbers are veggies. --Melissa

. . . your daughter's dance bag has more books than dance shoes in it. --Carla

. . . you find yourself saying, "We were studying last week, about . . ." and people look at you funny, and you don't know why. --Melinda

. . . you don't think about, but your friends are all talking about, school registration next year . . . or how many days until you go back to school. --Carrie

. . . the doctor's/dentist's/hairdresser's office is happy to schedule your child's appointment because you don't want one after 3pm or during a school holiday . . . or you can take advantage of off season rates because you make your own school holidays. --Carla

Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. at www.sonlight.com.

Yeah for Progress!!

2010-11-01T07:00:00.065-04:00

Like my friend and I say 'Progress is good'. And it truly is. I find myself wishing for more progress, more quickly. But God has been showing me that slow is better, it makes for more long-term, REAL changes in one's life.

The kids and I walked to the park last week. It was so beautiful out and we were enjoying the fallen leaves, nice breeze and sunshine on our faces.

Our park has a big army tank that was used in one of the World Wars (I'm assuming). It's big and fun for the kids to climb on. Thankfully they have never fallen and hurt themselves. Now, they have been climbing it for 4 1/2 years and I have never joined them. I couldn't. I didn't have the physical ability.

But, after watching many children trying to climb up and around the tank, I came to appreciate how much my kids had grown and developed because of their hours climbing the tank. Now I know other things aided in their development and growth of course. But climbing the tank is a lot like climbing a tree or rocks (which are 2 things they don't have much access to). The bodies is forced to move in various ways and a whole lot of muscles are used in the balancing and climbing of the various pieces. It's pretty cool actually.

After watching this video, I came to really understand how important overall movement is to one's body. And esp to appreciate how much their tank climbing fun aided in my children's over-all development.

I would love to come up with a workout with similar varying moves as the MovNat video. I love the concept of using all the muscles and changing the stresses on the body, instead of the same stress over and over again. It seems more natural really. Of course, it would look nothing like his, being here in Clifton, NJ. But, the concept can still be followed I think, to an extent.

Now, granted, you can't do that kind of movement if you're bones are weak and brittle, or even if you're body is filled with toxins and unable to get the blood and oxygen to where they need to be quickly and efficiently. Or, for that matter, if you're physical structure is all messed up and even walking is painful. All of which describe me quite well. I have felt, for some years, that I have the bones and body of an 80 year old. It's depressing to have that old of a body when you're in your 30s!

But the last few weeks I have found myself feeling so much better. I still have a long way to go (slow is better, remember), but I really don't feel like I'm 80! Like if I take one wrong step, that I'll start the domino effect of bone breakage. It's so wonderful!

So, when the kids were climbing and playing on the tank last week, I decided to try and join them. I have NO upper body strength and was a bit sheepish to try, in case I couldn't and looked silly, but it would just be another lesson for my kids to make good food and lifestyle choices so they don't end up like their 'dear old mom'.

Low and behold, I was actually able to pull myself up onto the tank without too much grunting and butt-sticking-out. It was fabulous. And I was able to even slide down without hurting my back on impact, and I did it over and over again. The kids were amazed. The nice thing about homeschooling is that you can go to the park before it fills with school kids. So after awhile, I stopped because it was kind of embarrassing. :) But it was so freeing to see that I was making real progress. That my body is healing and my foundations are being reset properly. Yeah for progress!!

I was able even to run around with the kids some. We were soldiers hiding from the enemy by running from tree to tree. Some of the adults in the park found it amusing. But I was just having so much fun, actually being able to run without fear of major repercussions-like a 32 year old ought to be able to do!

We even enjoyed a barefoot walk home together. :)

Whenever I get discouraged by things I can't do, God graciously reminds me of how far I have come, and encourages me by reminding me that I'm going in the right direction.

Progressing forward.....

7 INCHES!!!!!

2010-10-29T07:00:00.028-04:00

So, truthfully, I had many reasons to embark on a lifestyle that was more conducive to health and more in-line with how God made a body to be treated. But, early on, I realized that I needed to make sure that my focus was not on outward appearance, but rather on in-ward healing. Pride is such a huge struggle with me, there was no reason to add to that. But I was really, really hoping I'd lose some weight along the way.

So, 2 1/2 years after realizing we needed a major overhaul in our day-to-day life, I am excited (but hopefully not proud) to say that I have lose SEVEN INCHES off my gut! Yeah, yippee, hooray! Actually, probably more. I only measured myself for the first time in January and I have lost 7 inches since then.

It's quite amusing really. This year has been the first year that I started actually feeling better (oh so slowly) and looking better. I was confused with the whole weight loss thing. I felt and looked better then I had in 5 years, but my clothes size was not (and still has not) gone down. I did lose about 15 pounds over the summer. But, it was confusing as to why I wasn't going down any sizes in clothes. Now, my size 12s are definitely getting big on me, but I would not fit into a size 10. I was hoping it wasn't muscle and bone loss!

But, I realized I had measured myself in January. I had taken measurements in my stomach (above the waist), my gut (below the waist) and my actually waist. Ok, so I don't really have one of those. There is a slight indentation, but ever so slight. Oh, and my thighs. My upper legs are HUGE. And they rub together something fierce. Seriously restricting my wardrobe (no shorts or skirt or dresses without something tight to keep my legs from rubbing together and causing intense pain), and making summers in a bathing horribly uncomfortable. That, is still a problem unfortunately . I do hope over time maybe it will go away. But I'm also thinking it's probably a structural thing and may never go away. *sighs* But I will keep hoping!

Anyway, so I took my measurements again to see if they had changed. And they did. Well, the gut did. The rest are the same. But I was 42' in January and down to 35' in October. Yeah!! I realized that explained why the clothes size isn't changing. My waist is still the same, but I find the pants hang down lower in the crotch (funny word, isn't it?), because they are not supported by my larger gut. Funny how these things work.

I know I have a lot of detoxing and healing left to do. But I am definitely on the right track. And I hope, maybe, I'll lose a few more pounds and clothes sizes. My husband wants me a size 6 (it's a joke between us-I told him if I get to be a size 6, I'll wear a bikini), but I'd be happy with an 8 or 10. :) Ok, I'll choose to be happy with a 12, if I'm healthy and energetic. I know the typical American ideal is not healthy and bigger tends to be better, to a point of course.