Changing the menu...

When you already live with a major food allergy like we do (nearly 6 years ago we found out our family is all Celiac), one might think that adding another would be "no big deal". Lately we have had many in our family with regular, non-viral, gastric distress. It is painful, and in the case of the toddler, messy.

So, we are trying to figure out if this is a lactose (milk sugar) problem or a casein (milk protein) problem. Either one seems mentally overwhelming and emotionally draining. The thought of having to go back through all the different products that we had accumulated that were safe for a GF diet and determine whether or not they will be safe for this new adventure is exhausting. I think I can get rid of cheese, it is an add-on in most cases, but no more nachoes (my quick "emergency" meal)... it will be the milk for baking and the butter, and the cream for coffee and scones that will be the most difficult to say good bye to...

I am thankful that I have friends who are already pioneering this area so I won't be back to square one like I was when we lost gluten... I really find that to be a generous gift from the Lord. As I planned my menu this week, I considered the fact that we would need to try to pull these foods from our diet... I am wishing that we had made that decision before I stocked up on cheese at Costco this past week...

When I remember that God is working all things together for my good, that I might be more conformed to His image, I can see the good in this trial. It will be the motivation I have been lacking to take the next step in eating healthier. Being on the diet alone will eliminate some of the foods that tempt me most into eating too many indulgent treats. And it will also draw me closer to Him as I know my tendency to be emotionally driven to food. This will be a good reminder that my Strong Tower is the Lord, not heavy whipping cream in my french press coffee, or ice cream with chocolate chips.

So, around here we will be changing the menu... slowly but surely...

Cultivating thankfulness...

Recently I have been bogged down by my life. Schooling four children and chasing two others (even with help a few days a week) has found me struggling lately. I can't see the floor through the piles of laundry, nor the counter beneath the dishes, and let us not talk about the spots on the hallway tile...

Then, as I was looking at a blog a friend shared with me (about a Lego lapbook), I came across an unrelated post (unrelated to the Lego thing, that is) which was very convicting. The author had effectively taken every one of my struggles from the past couple of weeks, said them and then remembered something to be thankful for about that. Ouch. I had been forgetting the second part.

So, here is my attempt at remembering to cultivate thankfulness...

When I look at the counter and see the precariously stacked piles of dirty dishes,
     I am thankful that we have an abundance to eat.
As I gaze upon the mounds of freshly washed shirts and pants we affectionately call Mount Laundry,
     I remember to be grateful for warm clothes as the days grow colder.
When I look at muddy tracks down the hall, trip over toys or step on a Lego,
     I am thankful for healthy children who are happily playing together.
As my heart sinks to think about the dust bunnies hiding behind the couch or under beds,
     I remember how blessed I am to have a well appointed and comfortable home.

This week I am making it my goal to remember the second part. I am reminded now of the children's song, "Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done..." Why had I stopped doing that? I am looking forward to the things I will find to be thankful for.

A little hike...

Our family spent Wednesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving week camping at Garner State Park in our travel trailer. Friday after Thanksgiving some friends joined us to tent camp for the weekend. The weather was beautiful, mostly in the 60's during the day, cooler at night. The kids rode bikes until they popped the tires, we drew and painted, photographed birds, hiked, played football, sat by the fire, roasted marshmallows, made s'mores, and watched movies outdoor. It was lovely.

Saturday morning was slow going, a big storm had blown through on Friday night and everyone seemed to be taking a while to get things together. We had decided we all wanted to go hike to see a little cave they have called "The Crystal Cave". By the time we were on our way, Elliott ended up staying behind with Caleb and Micah.

So, with Elliott staying back in the RV with Micah and Caleb and Curious George on DVD, the rest of us set off. In total there were 5 adults, 11 children (one being a baby strapped to a momma's back), and 2 dogs. We started on the Crystal Cave hike and very quickly found we were going up a pretty steep cliff. Comments were occasionally heard like, "is that a baby on the hike?"... that probably should have been our first clue to turn back.

Alas, we carried on, the kids were all very excited to see this cave filled with crystals! We had to take a few breaks to catch our breath, but all in all, it was a nice and challenging hike. We made it to the cave, right after about fifty other people, so we waited our turn and then went in to explore. It was funny to watch the kids be so excited about a little caving expedition. We took a snack break and then plotted our return hike.

Since the hike we came up was pretty steep, and the map of trails had shown a less challenging hike that looped into the one we were on, we decided to take that loop back instead of hike down such a steep path. We started hiking, everyone refreshed from the snack and break. We soon got to the sign for the other trail, but there was some confusion. The sign had no arrow showing which direction you should take and we met a couple who said they had circled the same spot multiple times trying to get back down. We decided to take the route that looks like it was a nice, gentle descent.

So we hiked. And hiked. The hike was moving much faster without the steep inclines of the first half of the hike. There were little painted yellow footprints to let you know you were on an official path. This was encouraging. We were sure we would be back to the main road soon. So we kept hiking.
Then we came to a cross road that was not labeled. After some investigating we decided on a route as we spotted some more yellow feet. We got to a spot where the trees opened up and you could see "Old Baldy" very clearly and we paused to take some family photos. The views were breathtaking. But everyone was getting a little tired and looking forward to the hike ending... maybe around that next bend...
We kept hiking. We were not running into any one on the trails. We kept seeing yellow painted footprints... white dots... red dots... We started coming to areas with steep drop offs, the dogs were needing to be carried, the kids helped down. Then we ran into a couple coming towards us on the hike, so we asked if they knew were we were. They said we were a third of a mile from the end of the trail. What rejoicing there was!

Renewed with the fresh hope of finding our way safely out everyone picked up the pace a little. In a few moments we would get to the spot where we could see the end of the trail. There was only one problem. The end of the trail was at the bottom of a cliff. We looked around for the painted foot prints and dots... they went straight down. We had been hiking for over 2 hours. The dogs were tired, the kids were tired, the parents were all quietly wondering if one of the group was going to slip off the cliff.

Once we all realized we were indeed going to have to make this descent, we laughed. At some of the more treacherous parts of the climb where we were having to help guide each other over sharp drops, we took the opportunity to take photos of the drama. At the bottom of the slope, once we were finally at the bottom, there was a sign - DANGER: Very Steep, Falling Rocks. Yep, and we hiked it.

When we figured it out, looking at the trail map and trying to decipher where we went wrong, we calculated that we likely hiked 3.5-4 miles... with 11 children, 5 parents and 2 dogs. We all slept really well that night. It was awesome, at least, it was awesome once we all survived and got back to camp. Just a little hike...

Making room...

I cleaned out the garage last week. It took 9 1/2 hours and the full effect cannot be seen just yet, not until the trash gets picked up tomorrow. I am enjoying seeing that everything has a place and is in its place. It makes me smile to look upon order.

Elliott recently said he no longer needed the downstairs office since he can not telecommute with his new job. I waited for a few weeks to see if he was serious. I have been playing with ideas in my mind as to what I will do with it. I am moving the majority of my office stuff down... but I have to get his stuff sorted through and organized and out first. This is a big project. Elliott is like his mom. They keep everything! I made some serious progress today... more to come.

Because I will be "moving out" of my upstairs office for the most part... I am moving all my "desk" stuff down, as well as crafts that require a table/desk (stamping, embossing, scrapbooking, etc) but I am going to leave all of my casual crafts upstairs, as well as relocated my crafting library upstairs. We are going to be looking for a nice sleeper sofa for that room, and I am looking forward to having some relaxing knitting, crocheting and hand sewing time in there. As well, it will allow us to have a nice space for guests to spend the night, or a week!

Many of my friends, who know my propensity to move things around, shuffling this to here, and that there, are probably chuckling or sharing with my husband in saying, "There she goes again..." And it is true. I love changing things up, but usually after much study and consideration. My desire is for my home to be easy to manage and keep up with. After living with things a certain way for a while I will notice areas that are struggling to be easy to maintain... and that is when they get changed.

Purging helps too... here is the effects of this past week's efforts at making room around here... can't wait to see how much goes next week!

Silence...

My blog has been quiet...
I have a myriad of posts saved in drafts...
All missing a conclusion...

... learning to be honest without complaining...
... striving to discern between my feelings and what is true...
... realizing I wait too long to seek God, stubbornly pressing forward in my own strength...
... working to find the balance between enough and too much...
... discovering how to live with chronic pain and bouts of insomnia... 
... trying wake early, seeking first after God and His Word...
... being a wife, mommy, homeschooler, friend...

All these things have been the cause for my silence. I am thankful that God is faithful, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Remembering Romans 8:28-29 and James 1:2-4. 

A little snuggle time...

In the rosy beginning of the morning, my two littlest boys trickled into the living room as I finished up my morning quiet time. They were not rambunctious or jumpy. They just wanted a little snuggle time. The house is still and all the other kids are sleeping. I needed snuggles today. :)

Just keep swimming...

Many days I feel like my life could be summed up by lines from the movie Nemo. Profound, I know. But it is true. When I think of my favorite quotes from the movie, it is like they were writing a story about a mom's day with toddlers and young children abounding.

"Look, you're really cute kid, but I don't know what you're saying! Say the first thing again." 

These moments even occur with older children who have chosen to speak at speeds with which their lips can not keep up. Feel free to ask my children to speak more slowly. They are used to it.

"It's like he's trying to speak to me, I know it!" 

Ah, toddlers. The most fun is when they are super intent and excited about something and I can't figure it out the first three times, and they fall apart to tears. Sigh. Around here, the toddler is Micah and the something is usually food. 

"Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills." 

Can anyone say naptime?

"Just keep swimming . Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim."

I sing this to myself so often it probably deserves its own post. I should likely have some way more mature mantra when I need to keep myself motivated, but this one works so well...

"Hey, look. "Es-CA-pay". I wonder what it means? That's funny, it is spelled just like the word "escape"." 

The joys of teaching your children to read. Then listening to them as the butcher a relatively simple word. Then asking them to read it again. Ah-ha! 

"Wow, I wish I could speak whale." 

Or in Noah's case, Lion. We are going to the Zoo tomorrow and he will likely try out his lion-speaking skills. Crazy thing about it, 2 out of 3 times he gets them to talk back.

"Saw the whole thing, dude. First you were all like "whoa", and we were like "whoa", and you were like "whoa...""

This is a very similar answer to what I hear often times after asking the question, "What just happened here?"

 

"Whoa! That was so cool! Hey, Dad! Did you see that? Did you see me? Did you see what I did?"

All. Day. Long. Followed quickly by, "Are you watching, Mom. Are you really watching. Hey, you looked away. Are you watching, Momma?"

 

"... and the sea cucumber turns to the mollusk and says, "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?""

 If you don't understand this one, wait until your child turns about seven. Then you will. Oh, the knock-knock jokes...

"Okay, he either said, "move to the back of the throat," or he "wants a root beer float"."

And this is how rumors get started about what mom potentially told a child who wasn't really listening as closely as they should have been who goes and tells all the other children what they sort of half remembered mom saying, and what they don't remember, they fill in with what they wished mom had said.

"Okay, now everybody grab an exit buddy. Do you have your exit buddy?"

Parking lots. Walking at the zoo. Going through the grocery store.

Yep. That about does it. :)