GOOD GRIEF

Organic Shopping List

2009-03-18T08:10:00.003-04:00

I came across this list again today. Thought it might be helpful to share. Always try to buy organic off the dirty dozen list if you can, because these fruits and veggies either have thin skins or the farmers use the highest amounts of pesticides for these crops. If you're not able to buy organic for whatever reason you can buy off the "clean 15" list because they have the lowest amount of pesticides.

DIRTY DOZEN (buy these organic if you can)
Peach
Apple
Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Carrot
Pear

CLEAN 15 (lowest in pesticides)
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato

Click here for further reading.

Practice What I Preach

2009-03-17T10:46:00.003-04:00

I am having a very emotional, stressful week so I haven't been able to blog recently and I'm not going to be able to blog much this week. I will say, however, that I haven't been practicing what I preach this week at all. I have fallen off the wagon and turned to my comfort food, or in my case drinks...coke and coffee. Probably two of the worst things, especially in times of stress. AND I feel it in my body. I've been having more frequent headaches, less energy, etc. This is a slippery slope I'm on and I'm going to have to stop it before I get too far gone. I'll report back in a couple days or so what my game plan is for getting back on track and for undoing the damage I've caused.

At a Loss for Words

2009-03-11T22:25:00.006-04:00

I've tried several times to post a lengthy discussion on healing but either keep getting disrupted or finding the right words to say. Soooo, I'll just say this for now...

Everyone has different starting points for healing. For some of us, cutting out processed foods may be all that it takes to heal and eliminate symptoms. For all of us, that is the least we we need to maintain our health and prevent future disease. However, others may need deeper healing and may require a more aggressive approach toward their nutrition. Eating whole foods may not be enough and it may be necessary to cut out other foods...good, real foods but foods that are hard to digest and hinder healing. It may also be necessary to add in healing, "probiotic" foods that are full of friendly bacteria that encourage deep healing.

My husband has had multiple sclerosis for over 10 years and obviously needs deeper healing than I needed when I was sick. We are about to embark on a new diet which we're very excited about. I'm eager to write all about it but finding it all a bit overwhelming right now so I'll post more tomorrow.

2009-03-08T22:22:00.007-04:00

Bethany writes:

"What about babies who are nursing? Does their immunity in their gut come from what the mother's eating? And do you think it's more about immunity or being allergic to something that causes eczema?"

Good question Bethany. First of all, having allergies and issues with your immune system are one in the same. If you have an allergic reaction then it's your immune system that's reacting.

I remember when I was seriously ill several years ago and my immune system was a mess! Lo and behold I started having allergic reactions right and left. Drugs that I had been taking for years started giving me hives or breathing problems which sent me to the ER several times. I was even having reactions to the laundry detergent they used in the hospital or a great lotion someone gave me. Crazy! Once I started building my immune system back up I was able to tolerate certain things again. But it goes to show that the more unbalanced our immune system is, the more reactions you're going to have.

And, as a matter of fact, I was just reading about the subject of allergies and breastfeeding this week in Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell McBride...

"As far as the science knows an unborn baby is sterile. Its body has no bacteria, viruses or fungi living in it. When the time of birth comes, as the baby goes through the birth canal, it gets its first dose of microbes. Its skin, eyes, mucous membranes in the mouth and nose acquire their first microflora. Through swallowing liquids in the mother's vagina the baby's digestive system gets its first population of bacteria, viruses and fungi. So, whatever lives in the vagina of the mother is what the baby would get."

It goes on to say...

"So what happens after the baby is born? The most important thing that should happen is breastfeeding. Breast milk, particularly colostrum in the first days after birth, is vital for appropriate population of the baby's digestive system with healthy microbial flora. It is known that bottle-fed babies develop completely different gut flora to the breast-fed babies. That flora later on predisposes bottle-fed babies to asthma, eczema, different other allergies and other health problems. We all know that breast is the best! However, most things that are floating in a mother's blood will be in her breast milk. A mother with abnormal gut flora would have a whole host of toxic substances, which are produced by pathogenic microbes in her gut and maldigested foods absorbed into her bloodstream. These toxins will be excreted in her breast milk and fed to her baby. In particularly severe cases mothers of [autistic] children could not breast feed their babies because the baby would refuse the breast or just fall asleep after the first few mouthfuls of the breast milk. We know that some of the toxins, which are produced by abnormal gut flora, have the chemical structure of opiates, like morphine and heroine. If the baby gets these opiates in the breast milk then it is quite understandable why the baby falls asleep after the first few mouthfuls. Another reason for the baby to refuse breast milk is milk allergy. In a woman with gut dysbiosis the gut lining is damaged and leaky. It allows through partially digested proteins and antigens. Milk antigens have been detected in breast milk. I have seen a few cases when the baby took to the breast after the mother removed dairy foods from her diet. A lot of cases of severe eczema in babies can also be relieved by this measure."

It all stems from the immune system. And our immune system lies within our gut. Our gut contains an ecosystem that must be kept in balance. And your gut affects your baby's gut. I don't say that to make you feel guilty but rather to empower you. You have power over your baby's gut which can affect his future health!

Whole Foods Defined

2009-03-07T09:11:00.011-05:00

Before I get any further into healing our guts, allow me to define a few terms...

First of all, I use the terms "real food" and "whole foods" interchangeably. Whole foods basically refer to those foods that have been minimally processed, containing no artificial additives or preservatives. Whole foods are less refined. I prefer to think of whole foods as foods that are as close to the way God created them as possible.

Highly refined foods like white flour, white sugar and white rice have been stripped of their nutrition while whole foods like seeds, whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables tend to have more fiber and provide vitamins, minerals, protein and high-quality fats which are necessary for optimizing overall health.

So let's take oats for example. The quick-cooking oats most people buy their children which are found in little envelopes and boast all kinds of fun maple sugar flavors, etc...are not only far from the way they grew in the field but they have all sorts of added sugars, and flavors. These kinds of products have been refined and are not as nutritious as their commercials claim. Oats that are closest to the way they grew and therefore "whole" are oats groats. Steel cut oats and rolled oats (old fashioned oats) are slightly more processed but but pack a lot more nutritious punch.

Another perfect example are protein bars that are so popular in our country now. They claim to be highly nutritious and yes, they are full of protein which is important but we have to start thinking "quality" of food, not quantity of fat grams, protein or calories. Protein bars are not real food. It's a conglomeration of powders and preservatives...far, far, far from the way those ingredients grew in the field.

The bottom line is that we have to choose wisely, read labels and think about what we're putting into our bodies. The further foods gets from it's original state, the less nutritious it is. But more importantly, the more damage it causes the lining of our gut therefore leaving us susceptible to sickness, weight gain, disease, depression, you name it.

In future posts I'm also going to be discussing other terms like "traditional" foods and "probiotic" foods. These are whole foods that have been fermented or cultured. In a nutshell, they are foods full of friendly bacteria that feed our gut and keep them happy. More discussion later.

It All Starts in the Gut

2009-03-05T15:17:00.011-05:00

I have come to firmly (and I mean firmly!) believe that most all of human diseases and conditions come from an unhealthy gut. Our immune system lies within our gut. And our gut doesn't just affect our digestive system, it affects our whole body; our central nervous system, our neurological system, our emotions...you name it. Think about it...not too long ago it was very rare to be diagnosed with autism, alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, cancer, even diabetes or heart disease. I believe the Western diet has wreaked havoc on our entire bodies and our society. We must restore the health of our guts by returning to whole, natural foods full of healthy bacteria.

Here is an excerpt from a great article I found by Dr. Cowan that illustrates this point beautifully...

"We have millions of intestinal villi, which are tiny finger-like hairs projecting into the intestine. These villi increase dramatically the surface area of the intestinal lining, making it a more effective semi-permeable barrier, which means it keeps unwanted things out of our bloodstream while absorbing the nutrients. These villi are covered with a layer of healthy intestinal flora, in some estimates about five to seven pounds of millions of varied bacteria, viruses, yeast and other microbes.

These healthy bacteria are vital for healthy life. They make vitamins, they digest food, they make antibiotic substances to keep down pathogens and they function as our immune system. I tell my patients that this system is analogous to a lush meadow with a thick layer of soil (the villi) covered by a lush layer of grass (the healthy bacteria). When both are intact, the meadow is healthy, but if you went to the meadow and stripped off the grass (this would be the equivalent of using an antibiotic in a person, or even not eating probiotic food), a whole cascade of catastrophic events will follow. First, you will get erosion of the soil, then the soil that’s left will be weak and unsupportive of healthy grasses. Weaker varieties of grass will grow or even no grass at all. Next, as the soil develops erosion cracks, poisons, runoff, etc., will start to seep into the ground water. At this point the land is dying.

This is exactly what happens inside us. First we strip our grass, then the soil erodes - the villi get weak and blunted, and then can’t support healthy micro-orgnisms. The cracks develop, and finally poisons seep into our groundwater, the blood. We now have foreign proteins in our blood, which either directly poison our nervous system (i.e. autism) or create antibody formation in reaction to these abnormal proteins, which is the whole process of auto-immune illness. Diseases which are the direct result of this process include not only intestinal diseases such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, but all the auto- immune problems such as eczema, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and on and on. It is not a stretch to confirm what natural medicine has claimed for literally thousands of years: The majority of human illness starts in the gut and must be healed by treating the gut."

More about this tomorrow...

Pure Bliss

2009-03-04T09:44:00.009-05:00

I was going to blog about avocados or herbal teas or something of the like today. But then I came across this video and felt like I HAD to share it. This is my child who has been hospitalized several times for "failure to thrive". He had seizures, was blind and generally grumpy all the time. He has a feeding tube and the docs were prescribing him commercialized formula out of a can. Since switching him to "real food" he hasn't had a single seizure, he's flourishing and happy and joyful all the time. He's even gaining some eyesight! If that isn't a testimony to real food I don't know what is.

It's a shame that too many kids these days are being prescribed pills by the bucket load for all kinds of physical and behavior problems. I know medical intervention is necessary sometimes, however, food is the best medicine there is regardless of the condition/diagnosis. Kids are at our mercy to provide for them. If parents were to provide their kids with whole foods then they wouldn't have behavior problems in the first place. I'm not blaming parents for their kids' problems...I'm blaming the Western diet...but parents can intervene with more conservative measures to heal their kids. We don't need to rely on Western medicine. In fact, I believe that traditional medicine can do more harm than good, in most cases. There are other ways that not only help kids but HEAL kids. Nate is one of many that proves that real food works!!

For more information check out gapsdiet.com.

Buying in Bulk

2009-03-02T19:02:00.005-05:00

In an attempt to save money on our grocery bill we have decided to join Costco. I often read that buying in bulk is the way go but I've been skeptical for awhile about whether or not we could buy organic items at a place like Costco. Much to my surprise, we can! I've only gone twice but here are my favorite finds so far:

organic, range-free chicken broth
Muir Glen organic soups (for busy days)
cold pressed olive oil
nitrite free bacon
"naked" chicken nuggets (w/o breading...that was a FUN find!)
Kirkland brand cleaning products...most of them are natural and don''t have perfumes
organic tortilla chips
organic butter
100% maple syrup
all-natural peanut butter
organic jelly
Newman's Own juice

There also seemed to be lots of organic produce, fish and meats. We've been buying those through our co-op but I saw some good deals.

We've been buying our rice, oats, corn, etc. in bulk at a local health food store, but you can check out these great resources if you're interested:
somethingbetternaturalfoods.com
azurestandard.com

Popcorn

2009-02-23T21:35:00.004-05:00

We have become completely addicted to popcorn in our family. So much so that we're buying corn in bulk now (organic of course!). We have ditched the microwavable stuff for good and have turned toward the goodness of homemade. So healthy and so yummy!

Here are some tips for successful popcorn making...

1. Choose a pot with a heavy bottom but not too big and not too small. My hubby likes to use our 3 quart saucepan.

2. Heat 1/4 cup oil on high. Choose your oil carefully. Make sure it's an oil that is best suited for medium to high heat. Coconut oil, grapeseed oil or sesame oil are good choices. Some people use olive oil but we haven't had good success and it's not meant to be used for high heat. AVOID canola, it's not that healthy. Experiment. Different oils will give you different flavors. Grapeseed is our personal favorite.

3. Drop one kernel of corn into the bottom of a hot pan and cover with a lid. When it pops, add a single layer of corn to the bottom of the pan and re-cover.

4. Turn heat down to medium high as corn continues to pop, occasionally shaking back and forth. You might want to dump some of the popcorn into a bowl to allow space for the rest of the popcorn to pop.

5. Remove from heat when there's about 15 seconds in between "pops".

6. Serve immediately with flavors of choice. Experiment with different toppings. Some like parmesan cheese, some like honey and butter. There are a gazillion different ideas out there. We're rather boring in our family and prefer plain old salt.

For popcorn inspiration click here.

ENJOY!

Super Simple Salmon Stew

2009-02-21T17:58:00.010-05:00

We've been getting a lot of great salmon from our food co-op lately. But I can only eat baked salmon so many times. So I went in search of something else to do with all this healthy fish. In the end, I came up with my own concoction that was so incredibly simple to make but tastes even better! Here's my recipe but keep in mind I don't measure, so these are basic guidelines...

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 potatoes, chopped (I don't peel to keep it even simpler)

chicken stock

salt/pepper

olive oil

milk

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Add potatoes and salmon and just enough chicken stock to cover. Add salt/pepper. Simmer until potatoes are soft (about 30-40 minutes). Just before serving, stir in a cup or so of milk into the whole pot. Serve with a pat of butter on top. YUM!! Leftovers taste even better.

And by the way, salmon is low in calories and saturated fat, yet high in protein, and a unique type of health-promoting fat, the omega-3 essential fatty acids. As their name implies, essential fatty acids are essential for human health but because they cannot be made by the body, they must be obtained from foods. Fish contain a type of essential fatty acid called the omega-3 fatty acids. Wild-caught cold water fish, like salmon, are higher in omega-3 fatty acids than warm water fish. In fact, the fat composition of salmon has recently been evaluated as superior not only because of its rich omega-3 content, but also because of its great ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s and its health-supportive balance of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Each of these features in the fat composition of salmon helps reduce risk of unwanted inflammation and help maintain the integrity of our immune and circulatory systems. In addition to being an excellent source of omega-3s, salmon are an excellent source of selenium, a very good source of protein, niacin and vitamin B12, and a good source of phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin B6. (taken from whfoods.com)

Natural Healing

2009-02-20T09:42:00.007-05:00

My foster baby has a cleft lip/palette. He is very prone to getting ear infections. He got one this week but I decided NOT to take him to the doctor and put him on yet another antibiotic which destroys the good bacteria in his gut and makes him prone to even more infections. This time I treated him with natural oils (yes, Laurie the same oils I wash my dog with!). I mixed 1T olive oil and 5-10 drops of tea tree oil, warmed it in the microwave for 30 seconds and put about 10 drops of this solution in his ear. Within 2 days he was completely back to normal and his immune system was spared.

In fact, tea tree oil has over 1000 different uses. It's known for it's antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. My kids use it to help with acne. We also use it for dry scalp. I've even used it for ringworm!! (when you have foster kids, you get all kinds of things coming through your house!). Two of my babies have feeding tubes which are prone to infected tissue called granulomas. I've tried EVERYTHING under the sun to try and heal their tummies, including prescriptions, but nothing worked like tea tree oil. No more granulomas. It might be worth keeping a bottle of this invaluable oil in your house.

Another one of my all-time favorite remedies is Emergen-C. My nurse practioner recommended this to me awhile ago and now my whole family swears by it. We start taking it at the first signs of a cold or virus. Or we take it under times of stress to help boost our immune systems. Olivia takes it every year when she's dancing in the Nutcracker (a very high period of stress!) just as a precaution and she's one of the few dancers that doesn't get sick during production week. You can buy Emergen-C just about anywhere...Walgreens, CVS, Kroger. Each packet contains 1000mg of Vitamin C and other essential vitamins. Vitamin C is essential for keeping your immune system healthy.

And for times of dehydration, skip the Gatorade which is full of sugar and try coconut water instead. Known for it's healing properties, coconut water (not to be confused with coconut milk) is as close to human plasma as anything else you can find. It has more potassium than a banana and 15 times more potassium than Gatorade. If you want to learn more about coconut water click here.

And of course don't forget about yogurt (preferably homemade). Most of your immune system lies within your gut. Your gut needs good bacteria to stay strong and fight infection. Yogurt is full of good bacteria and will keep your gut happy. If you gut is happy, then the rest of your body is happy.

Here's to your health!

I Stand Corrected

2009-02-17T23:07:00.002-05:00

Immediately after posting about Wendy's chili and McDonald's southwest salad, this article came to me about the hidden chemicals in what seems like "healthier" food in fast food restaurants. Even McDonald's coffee isn't just coffee. Now I'm depressed!! So maybe my 80/20 rule will have to become 90/10 or I'll have to find another solution to eating out altogether. Although I still do believe that if we lay a good foundation for our bodies, that they will forgive us if we eat not so healthy food.

Here's the article if you want to be depressed too...
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(NaturalNews) The movie Supersize Me has probably had more of an effect than the producers anticipated. Since then, in the fast food industry, there has been a market trend promoting menu items that appear to be healthy. But most of these menu items have ingredients that health conscious consumers would prefer to avoid.

Most health conscious consumers consider healthy foods to be things like raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, and clean meats like wild Alaskan salmon, or free-range chicken or turkey.

Some ingredients that health conscious consumers consider unacceptable are MSG (or free glutamate, or free glutamic acid, including anything hydrolyzed or autolyzed), trans fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils [3]), artificial colors, artificial flavors, and most preservatives.

Many so-called healthy fast food menu items, upon closer inspection, do not live up to the health hype. Most of the meat from any of the major chains has anything but a simple ingredients list. They add emulsifiers, preservatives, MSG, artificial colors, trans fats, and hidden ingredients under generic labels such as spices, or natural and artificial flavors.

Some of these food additives are not foods at all, but are chemicals that are generally recognized as safe. Most of these additives cannot be found at your local grocery store, probably because they aren't food. But some can be found at your local hardware store, though in inedible products like low tox antifreeze, silicone caulk, soap, sunscreen, and play sand.

to read the full article click here

Natural Body Care

2009-02-16T22:34:00.006-05:00

It's important to think about everything we put into our bodies. But we can't forget about what we put on our bodies as well. Our skin is the largest organ we have. What we put on it affects what happens underneath it. Typically lotions, shampoos, soaps, etc. are full of harmful chemicals.

I've been successful at replacing most of my hair care products. I have discovered tea tree shampoo from Trader Joe's that I love that are free from sodium laureth sulfate. They also have a deodorant that is made without aluminum (another ingredient I try to avoid). I haven't found any all-natural makeup products that I like yet but I'm still searching.

But my most recent discovery that I'm very excited about is Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. Made with the purest ingredients, including organic coconut, olive, hemp and jojoba oils and scented with organic essential oils, these are high-lathering soaps that foam naturally, without any foaming agents. I discovered it as I was looking for an all-natural soap to use on the babies. I was skeptical because I bought what seemed like a small bottle for $5. But once I got it home, I quickly realized that it only took a few drops to really lather up my little monkeys and now their skin has never felt softer. Then, I started using it for my face wash and it has never felt smoother. And because a little goes a long way, it's not as expensive as I thought.

But what's even more exciting is that you can use it all around the house. Apparently, there are 18 different uses: laundry detergent, dish detergent, hand soap, even pet shampoo. So now I'm really getting more bang for my buck. AND at the same time I'm confident that I'm using something that is healthier for my body and my environment.

I'm hooked.

Eating Out

2009-02-14T14:21:00.013-05:00

Generally my rule is 80/20, which means that 80% of the time I eat whole, natural foods and the other 20% of the time I don't worry about it. That pretty much means that everything we eat while we're at home is unprocessed because I spend 80% of my time at home. I don't even keep anything in my house that would tempt me. However, I do enjoy eating out. And sometimes because of our busy lifestyle it's a necessity. Because I know that I have laid a good foundation for my body, I try not to feel guilty if I'm out and bombarded with bad choices. Sometimes, I'm at a friend's house and I don't have a choice and therefore I just don't give it a second thought. But if I do have a choice, then I try to choose wisely.

When I was first getting started, the key for me was to plan ahead. In fact, I researched my favorite restaurants, even viewed their menus online and made a list of what I would order when I'm out. This took forethought and effort but made it easier in the long run because I didn't panic and wonder what in the world to eat.

Here are my general guidelines for eating out:

Avoid sandwiches and wraps because the buns are ALWAYS made with white flour.
No breading or sauces. They are most likely full of white flour and sugar.
Avoid buffets. Their food is usually prepared with lots of butter and sauces.
If I go to Mexican restaurants (Mo's is my favorite!), I ask for a "naked" burrito. They will serve beans, rice, and veggies in a bowl instead of a tortillas with white flour.
I also ask if their tortilla chips are made with corn or white flour. Skip it if it's white flour.
Avoid any/all dairy products. Dairy sold in public is highly processed and full of hormones/chemicals. Skip the cheese!!
Ask the waiter to cook meats and veggies in olive oil instead of butter, because butter in restaurants is usually full of unwanted fats. Order veggies steamed.
Order meats/eggs/fish rather than casserole type dishes because you never know what's in those sauces. Pick steak over meatloaf everytime.
Avoid cream based soups made with processed butters, flours, etc. Choose veggie soups.
Anymore, restaurants have their menus online. If I know where I'm going, I look up their menu online and choose what I'm going to eat before I go. Most restaurants even have menus for special diets (dairy-free, wheat-free) making it even easier to make choices.
And, of course, skip the soda which is full of white sugar or even worse, artificial sweeteners. Choose water instead or unsweetened iced tea.

So, here are my favorite places to eat:
Wendy's: I order chili and if I'm really hungry a baked potato with chili on top. I skip the cheese on top though.
McDonald's: LOVE their southwestern salad! Not too much else to choose from here, except maybe a grilled chicken sandwich without the bread.
Taco Bell: Surprisingly, Taco Bell came out with their Fresco Menu. There are about 10 items to choose from which have no cheese/dairy on them. Instead they use fresh veggies and pico de gallo. We order the crunchy tacos which uses corn instead of white flour.
Starbucks: green iced tea, unsweetened.
Ted'd Montana Grill: One of my favorite restaurants because they serve grass-fed beef.

Remember, many restaurants claim that their food is healthy merely because it's low in calories or fat. But you can eat low fat and still have a poor diet. It's about the QUALITY of food. It's better to eat a good steak, than to eat a cheeseburger topped with a bun made with highly processed white flour. Try to choose "whole" foods. The closer it is to the way God made it, the better.

Eating Healthy on Food Stamps??

2009-02-13T14:55:00.002-05:00

Ari Armstrong set out to prove that you can eat whole foods for the same cost (or less) than Americans receive for food stamps. He goes on to suggest that recipients of food stamps are complaining that they're not receiving enough money for food stamps while insisting that they're buying cheap, processed foods. Ari suggests that rate should not be increased and wants to help educate people how to make better choices.

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LOW-CARB FOOD STAMP DIET A SUCCESS
Week's Diet Proves Good Nutrition Possible on Low Budget

Ari Armstrong ate nutritious food February 4-10 for less than food stamps provide. For the week, he ate only meat, dairy, eggs, olive oil, vegetables, fruit, walnuts, chocolate, tea, and spices. He did not eat any grains, vegetable oils, hydrogenated fat, potatoes, or processed sugar.

For compete details about the diet, including receipts and photographs of select meals, see http://tinyurl.com/a9l7z3.

Armstrong spent $33.07 for the week, or $4.72 per day. (He added 78 cents of bananas to preliminary figures.) However, he had around $5.30 worth of food left at the end of the week, bringing the daily total to around $4. Food stamps provide $5.68 per day to a single individual -- see http://www.fns.usda.gov/FSP/faqs.htm.

Armstrong said, "With this diet, I wanted to prove again that eating well on a low budget is possible. I also wanted to protest increases in the food-stamp budget. People should not be forced to fund the unhealthy food-stamp program. Instead, I favor voluntarily funded food banks, which are better able to offer nutritious food to those in need."

Ari and his wife Jennifer spend a month in 2007 eating a higher-carb -- but still nutritious -- diet for $2.57 per day each.

click here for the complete article

Resources

2009-02-12T17:26:00.001-05:00

I updated my resource page today. Hopefully, I can add even more as the days go by.

What Did I Do??

2009-02-10T21:43:00.006-05:00

Our family belongs to a food co-op where we receive raw milk, cheese, pastured eggs, beef, organic produce, etc. As a member of the co-op, I'm responsible for driving out to the farms every month or so to pick up all the food. We receive our food from several Amish families that live about two hours away. I love it when it's my turn to drive because it's such beautiful scenery. And it's always so educational to visit the farms and meet these Amish families. Considering these families are nourishing MY family, I hold them dear to my heart.

Well, today was my turn. I took my three-year-old son to ride along. When we arrived I asked if he could go in the barn to see the cows. They said, "yes, I bet he would love to see the puppies too!" At that moment seven beautiful, white little pups came bounding out of the barn. My insides were shouting, "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! Don't even ask!" But I did. I have such a weakness for dogs. She told me they were for sale. Then, I asked what kind they are and she said Eskimo Spitz. Then I knew I was doomed. You see, my 15-year-old son has been researching the Spitz breed and has had his heart set on one. What could I do? I had to say yes! And I did.

Unfortunately, I don't get a cell phone signal out there on the farms. So I couldn't call and discuss with my husband first. I had to make an executive decision and take my chances that he would be ok with it. Even though I know darn well that the last thing we need is a puppy. Well, let's just say he wasn't pleased. But once he saw how happy my son was, I think he understood.

Isn't she cute? My son hasn't picked out a name for her yet. But he's researching Eskimo or Indian names.

And by the way, if you're ever interested in finding an organic co-op near you, you might want to check out these links.

http://www.eatwild.com/
http://www.realmilk.com/where.html

Menu Monday

2009-02-09T15:58:00.002-05:00

Here's what's on the menu for this week:

Monday
Breakfast: rice pudding
Lunch: leftover tortilla soup
Dinner: going to ballet, hit drive-thru on the way
to do: soak quinoa

Tuesday
Breakfast: omelets
Lunch: rice/kimchi
Dinner: teriyaki salmon, citrus rice
to do: soak oats

Wednesday
Breakfast: oatmeal
Lunch: egg salad sandwiches, fruit
Dinner: crock pot ragout, salad
to do: soak rice

Thursday
Breakfast: eggs, toast
Lunch: homemade mac/cheese, carrots
Dinner: chinese chicken salad (new recipe, I'll let you know how it goes)

Friday
Breakfast: peanut butter toast
Lunch: turkey sandwiches, fruit
Dinner: eggplant bruschetta, salad
to do: soak wheat flour for muffins

Saturday
Breakfast: muffins
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: chili, cornbread
to do: make lasagna for church

Sunday
Breakfast: blender pancakes
Lunch: make lasagna for church
Dinner: home fellowship

Amazing Tortilla Soup!

2009-02-08T19:31:00.004-05:00

We tried a new chicken tortilla recipe tonight. The recipe was called Amazing Tortilla Soup and it truly was amazing! Or as Rachel Ray would say, "Yummo!" I doubled the recipe so we can have plenty for lunches throughout the week. We served it with tortilla chips and shredded raw cheese on top.

SERVES 10
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1. Sauté onion, garlic, jalapeño and green pepper with olive oil in a large pot until soft.
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the large pot and bring to a boil.
3. After about 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and shred.
4. (Two forks work well to pull the chicken apart!).
5. Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer an additional 45 minutes.
6. Serve, topped with crushed tortilla chips if desired.

About Me

2009-02-06T18:37:00.001-05:00

FYI...I updated my About Me post today. Feel free to take a look.

Making Yogurt

2009-02-05T10:38:00.005-05:00

We've discovered a new treat in our family...homemade yogurt. The idea of making my own yogurt seemed daunting to me at first. But then I discovered how incredibly easy it is and now I'm hooked.

Yogurt is well known for it's health benefits. Yogurt is full of active cultures that kills harmful bacteria and encourages friendly bacteria. Yogurt will make your gut very happy and even help with issues such as constipation and diarrhea. However, the yogurt sold in stores is full of sugar and has been pasteurized to the point that all the good bacteria is often killed, defeating the purpose.

To make homemade yogurt you'll need:

1 quart whole milk (we prefer raw milk, try to at least find high-quality, unprocessed milk)

1 tablespoon of a store-bought yogurt (try to find organic plain yogurt and make sure it says "live cultures on the carton)

thermometer

glass jar

1. Fill the glass jar with boiling water so it's warm when you're ready to fill with milk. You don't want a cold jar to drain the warm milk of it's heat.

2. Heat the milk to 160 degrees. Some heat to only 100 - 110 degrees. The more you warm the milk, the more bacteria you kill. However, the less you warm the milk, the runnier the yogurt will be. I like to compromise and heat a little more for a thicker yogurt. But I'm still experimenting in this area.

3. Once the milk is heated, remove from heat and cool to 110 degrees.

4. Pour out the water from your jar and pour in milk. Add 1 T of your store-bought yogurt. This is your yogurt culture; the catalyst for growing new bacteria in your new yogurt. The more you add, the more you crowd out the bacteria which will produce a more sour, watery product so don't think that more is better.

5. Cover your jar and sit on a heating pad for 8-12 hours. I leave mine sitting overnight. You want to maintain a temperature of 110 degrees. Some people will put in the oven but my oven doesn't go low enough. Some say you can turn the oven light on and leave the oven off and this will maintain a good temp. Others will put in an insulated cooler filled with hot water. Find what works for you. But the goal is to keep your yogurt warm so you can incubate the bacteria.

6. Put in the refrigerator for another 3-6 hours. This will help your yogurt thicken.

7. Once the yogurt has reached the desired consistency...ENJOY! We like to mix fruit preserves or maple syrup in ours. But don't forget to save a couple tablespoons for your culture to start a new batch (or two) of yogurt.

Blender Batter Pancakes/Waffles

2009-02-03T18:06:00.026-05:00

Pancakes are a Sunday morning tradition in our family. I've tried many different methods/recipes in my attempt to perfect them. But I finally discovered the one recipe that not only tastes great but is very healthy and inexpensive. This recipe involves soaking the grains. The grains and a few other ingredients sit in your blender overnight. Add a few more ingredients the next morning and you have the perfectly nutritious delicious batter.

Soaking the grains before cooking or baking will neutralize the phytic acid, releasing nutrients for absorption. This process allows enzymes and other helpful organisms to not only neutralize the phytic acid, but also to break down complex starches, irritating tannins and difficult-to-digest proteins including gluten. Soaking enables much better digestion. In fact, my stomach always felt heavy and full after eating normal pancakes. But after eating these pancakes my stomach felt light and satisfied. Use grains that are raw whole uncooked grains, not flour! Experiment with millet, barley, spelt, and kamut grain for varied tastes and textures. Since my husband can't eat gluten we eat a rice/oats combo.

Recipe adapted from SueGregg.com
Yields 20-24 pancakes

1. Place in blender; blend at highest speed for 3 minutes.
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups butter milk or kefir (or non-dairy alternative)
2 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brown rice or uncooked rolled oats (or other grain variations, experiment! Our favorite is half rice/half oats) The batter should always swirl about a vortex in the blender. If it doesn’t, slowly add more liquid until the hole reap pears. This is the secret to light and tender waffles. Batter for pancakes may be thicker, but keep batter relatively thin and keep it churning.

Cover blender; let stand at room temperature overnight or 12-24 hours.

Preheat waffle iron at highest temperature, or griddle on medium high.

Just before baking, add and re-blend on highest speed for 1 minute:
1 egg, optional additional liquid (if batter needs thinning for vortex or churning)

Blend in thoroughly, but briefly (assisted with rubber spatula, if needed):
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt, to taste

Pour batter onto hot waffle iron, sprayed with olive oil. Bake about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes in waffle iron until crispy.

We like our pancakes served with all-natural sunflower butter and pure maple syrup.

ENJOY!

Recipes

2009-02-02T15:20:00.015-05:00

This is a post under construction. I am going to attempt to document all my favorite recipes here. Check the link above often as I will be updating daily.

Breakfasts
Blender Batter Pancakes/Waffles
Soaked Oatmeal
French Toast
Yogurt

Lunches
Salmon Melts
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Tuna Salad Sandwiches

Soups
Tomato
Leek
Corn Chowder
Chili
Veggie (Fat Flush)
Black Bean
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Super Simple Salmon Stew

Salads (I make my own dressings)
Apple Cranberry
Mandarin Walnut
Monte Cristo
Southwest Salad

Chicken
Chicken w/ Red Peppers
Chicken w/ Red Potatoes
Honey Mustard
Chicken Pot Pie
Mustard Lime Chicken

Crock Pot
BBQ Chicken
Ragout

Italian
Eggplant Bruschetta

Fish
Ginger Lime Swordfish
Teriyaki Salmon

Beef
Meat Loaf
Steak and Potato Stir Fry
Shepherd’s Pie

Condiments
Taco Seasoning
Mayonnaise
Teriyaki Sauce

Snacks/Desserts
Apple Crisp
Green Smoothie
Mango Smoothie
Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Bread
Basic Muffin Recipe

What's For Dinner?

2009-02-01T17:23:00.003-05:00

My niece asked me to post a sample menu. Here's what we're having this week. I don't have time to post recipes today but I'll try to post them tomorrow.

Monday:
eggs
salmon melts
crockpot ragout

Tuesday:
peanut butter toast
mac & cheese (made w/ rice noodles and raw cheese)
chicken tortilla soup. tortilla chips

Wednesday:
oatmeal (soaked the night before)
lunchmeat (nitrite-free)
salmon w/ ginger lime sauce, salad, rice

Thursday:
omelettes w/ fresh veggies
rice/beans
chicken/red peppers, veggie

Friday:
oatmeal
lunchmeat
turkey burgers. salad, fries

Saturday:
banana muffins
?????
peanutty sesame noodles

Sunday:
blender batter waffles
lunch at our Korean church
leftovers

Under Construction

2009-02-01T10:31:00.000-05:00

Please bear with me as I revise the look of my site.

Muffin Formula

2009-01-31T19:39:00.007-05:00

I've seen a LOT of muffin recipes in my day but inevitably I always come back to a trusty old recipe a good friend of mine gave me over a decade ago. It's more of a formula than a recipe which is probably what I love about it. I can use whatever I have on hand and they always turn out delicious. My muffins have never turned out the same way twice, I can pack them full of nutrition, and the best part about is they're CHEAP! You can make a batch of muffins for as little as 4 cents each.

Here's the basic formula:

2 to 2 1/2 C grain
1 C milk
up to 1/4 C fat
1 egg
up to 1/2 C sweetener
2 teaspoons salt
up to 1 1/2 cup additions

Makes 12 muffins

Mix dry ingredients first. Mix wet ingredients, then add to dry ingredients. Blend together; the batter should be lumpy. Grease muffin tin and fill cups two thirds full, Bake in a preheated oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Be creative with your ingredients! Experiment with different grains (but never use white flour!). Try adding canned pumpkin or even some nonsweet options like onion and shredded zucchini and a pinch of parsley. Here are some more ideas:

GRAIN: Use whole wheat flour or subsitute oatmeal, cooked rice, quinoa or millet. Try to use whole grains, nothing refined like white flour. For even more nutrition you can soak your grains overnight (more about this later).

MILK: Use milk or substitute buttermilk or fruit juice for all or part of the milk.

FAT: I use butter but you can substitute all-natural peanut butter for part or all of the fat. The fat can be reduced or omitted with fair results if using a wet addition.

SWEETENER: Use between 2T and 1/2 C sugar. I use rapadura or sucanat, a less refined sugar. You can substitute with 1/2 C honey, molasses or even maple syrup but decrease milk by 3/4 cup.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: Additions can be used in any combination, up to 1.5 cups total if using more than 1 C wet additions, decrease milk to 1/2 cup.

DRY ADDITIONS: nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, and so on.

MOIST ADDITIONS: blueberries, chopped apple, freshly shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, and so on.

WET ADDITIONS: pumpkin puree, applesauce, cooked and mashed sweet potato, mashed banana, mashed and cooked carrot, and so on. If using 1/2 cup drained, canned fruit or thawed shredded zucchini, substitute the syrup or zucchini liquid for all or part of the milk.

SPICES: Use spices that complement the additions, such as 1 tsp cinnamon with 1/4 tsp nutmeg or cloves. Try 2 tsp grated orange or lemon peel.

JELLIES/JAMS: Fill cups half full with a plain batter. Add 1 tsp jam or jelly and top with 2 more tbls batter.

TOPPING: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the batter in the tins.

NONSWEET ADDITIONS: Use only 2 T sugar and no fruit. Add combinations of the following: 1/2 C shredded cheese, 3 strips fried and crumbled bacon (without nitrites), 2 T grated onion, 1/2 C shredded zucchini, 2 T parmesan cheese. Spices could include a tsp of parsley and a pinch of marjoram.

HAPPY BAKING!

Butter is Better

2009-01-30T21:20:00.007-05:00

If you're thinking about making changes to your diet and don't know where to start, look to the butter dish. Americans have been taught that butter is bad and margarine is healthier. But nothing could be further from the truth. Full of hydrogenated oils, margarine is probably the most highly processed food there is. Let me rephrase that, margarine is NOT real food.

"These oils [in margarine and tub spreads] are as refined as the gasoline in your car. In the refinery they are treated with a caustic soda solution which removes the lecithin, an essential nutrient. Then the oil is steam-cleaned under a vacuum at tremendous temperature. This second step should destroy any remaining food value in the oil, but, just in case, the oil is then bleached at a ghih temperature to remove any color.

The liquid oil is then chemically treatecd by being bombarded with hydrogen under pressure in the presence of the metal nickel. This "hydrogenation" process is what makes the oil look like real butter. But now it's no longer a "polyunsaturate" which is supposed to be so good for you. The remianing step in the manufacture of plastic butter is to steam-clean it again at high temperatures to deodorize it. Then the preservative and color are added, and it is ready for your table.

The liquid part of margaine, which is the second largest component, is usually re-pasteurized, that is reheated, skim milk. So the butter stubstitute on your toast has been steam-cleaned or superheated at least four times." by William Campbell Douglass, MD The Milk Book

Sound appetizing? You won't find margarine anywhere near my plate. Butter is better!! Butter is a whole food. Butter is the nation's best source of vitamin A needed for a wide range of functions in the body from maintaining good vision, to keeping the endocrine system in top shape. Butter also contains all the other fat-soluble vitamins (E, K, and D). Butter is rich in trace minerals, especially selenium, a powerful antioxidant. Butter also supplies iodine, needed by the thyroid gland (as well as vitamin A, also needed by the thyroid gland).

It's important to buy a quality butter. Raw and cultured butter is best. If that is hard to find, then organic butter is your next best thing.

So, the next time you eat a piece of toast slather on the butter and feel good that you're eating the real deal.

Canola Oil

2009-01-29T17:08:00.005-05:00

I get really bogged down when I start thinking about oils. I start tuning out when I read words like saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated. And I really get lost when I start reading about short-chain, medium-chain, and long-chain fats. TOO scientific for me! I do know, however, that hydrogenated oils are bad (read those labels!) and olive oil is good. I also know that Americans kinda have it backwards when it comes to the discussion of cholesterol and fats. We have been taught to eat low fat or no fat. But fat is not the enemy...bad fat is! We need GOOD fats in our diets. In fact, for babies and children fat is very important. We just need to educate ourselves more about this topic and choose our fats wisely.

I found this interesting tidbit of information recently,

"Anyone who has eaten his way across France has observed that the French diet is loaded with saturated fat in the form of butter, eggs, cheese, cream, liver, meats and rich pates. Yet the French have a lower rate of coronary heart disease than many other western countries. In the United States, 315 of every 100,000 middle-aged men die of heart attacks each year; in France the rate is 145 per 100,000. In the Gascony region, where goose and duck liver form a staple of the diet, this rate is a remarkably low 80 per 100,000. This phenomenon has recently gained international attention and was dubbed the French Paradox. (The French do suffer from many degenerative diseases, however, They eat large amounts of sugar and white flour and in recent years have succumbed to the timesaving temptation of processed foods.)" from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

I thought I would do some more research this week on the topic of oils and report my findings. Starting with canola...

"Canola oil is "widely recognized as the healthiest salad and cooking oil available to consumers." It was developed through hybridization of rape seed. Rape seed oil is toxic because it contains significant amounts of a poisonous substance called erucic acid. Canola oil contains only trace amounts of erucic acid and its unique fatty acid profile, rich in oleic acid and low in saturated fats, makes it particularly beneficial for the prevention of heart disease. It also contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, also shown to have health benefits. This is what the food industry says about canola oil.

Canola oil is a poisonous substance, an industrial oil that does not belong in the body. It contains "the infamous chemical warfare agent mustard gas," hemagglutinins and toxic cyanide-containing glycocides; it causes mad cow disease, blindness, nervous disorders, clumping of blood cells and depression of the immune system. This is what detractors say about canola oil.

How is the consumer to sort out the conflicting claims about canola oil? Is canola oil a dream come true or a deadly poison? And why has canola captured so large a share of the oils used in processed foods?"

If you want to read more click here.

It's all so confusing and contrary to what we've been taught. More to come...

Getting Started

2009-01-28T17:43:00.010-05:00

I've had numerous people ask me lately what I did to improve my health. I would definitely say the single MOST important thing I did was throw away any/all processed foods!! I went through my pantry and eliminated all boxed dinners, like mac & cheese, frozen dinners, processed snacks, cereals, canned foods, salad dressings, etc. This didn't leave me with much and put me on a HUGE learning curve to try and figure out what to make for my family. For this reason, I'm not sure I would recommend going cold turkey for most people...although most people aren't sick like I was. BUT I would recommend making it a goal to get rid of as many processed foods as possible. Starting with one meal a week and replacing it with a meal rich in whole foods is a good place to start.

Another place to start is to begin reading labels. READ, READ, READ. You might be amazed at what you find. Can you believe that even some whole grain breads have high fructose corn syrup in it? I refuse to buy anything with additives, preservatives, or anything I can't pronounce. The general idea is to buy food as close to the way God created it. Think quality of food rather than quantity. Americans these days are rather obsessed with calories, fat grams, sodium, etc. If you eat good quality food you don't have to worry about how much you eat. You can enjoy a wide variety of things, as much as you want. Just be aware of what goes into your body and make sure it's real food, not processed.

Here is an example of what my grocery list looks like now...

Eggs: I buy only cage-free eggs. They cost a little more but well worth the money. Even better, buy them from a local farmer!
Cheese/Milk: I buy my milk from a local farmer. This is a loaded topic...will discuss more at length later. If you're interested check out realmilk.com.
Kefir: More beneficial bacteria than yogurt. You drink kefir, rather than eat it. It has a pleasant tart flavor.
Grains/Beans: I buy my grains in bulk to save money. I buy only whole grains, organic if possible.
Oats
Rice: Only brown. White is highly processed and stripped of all nutritional value.
Quinoa
Corn
Flour: I only buy whole wheat. White flour is the enemy.
Black Beans
Oils: I only buy cold-pressed. Coconut has wonderful health benefits and cooks wonderfully in high heat. Try to avoid canola and vegetable oils.
Olive
Coconut
Grapeseed: We use grapeseed to cook our popcorn for a snack at night. Has a wonderful flavor and less harmful than canola.
Juice: Only 100% juice of course!
Tea: Organic if possible.
Meat:
Hot Dogs: I buy hot dogs without nitrites. Trader Joe's carries them. We avoid pork in our family so we always look for beef.
Chicken: Range-free, antibiotic-free
Turkey
Beef: Grass-fed beef, no hormones
Produce: I try to look for things in season because it costs less.
Frozen Fruit: Great for smoothies!!
Frozen Veggies: I use frozen to save some money on groceries but I look for organic if possible.
Snacks: Currently, I buy my snacks at Trader Joe's because I know they don't have hydrogenated oils or preservatives.
Tortilla Chips
Chips
Staples:
Spices
Raisins/Dried Fruit: I try to find unsulphered fruit.
Sunflower Butter or any other nut butters without the preservatives. NO JIFFY!!!
Coconut Milk: Also great for smoothies and has great health benefits.
Condiments: I look for ketchup without added sugar. I'm trying to start making my own condiments though.
Salad dressings: Look for salad dressings with healthy oils (olive, grapeseed, etc.) or I try to make my own...it's very simple to do!
Bread: Currently, I buy Ezekiel 4:9 which is sprouted. I occasionally buy whole grain bread but I'm trying to learn how to make my own so I know exactly what it has in it.
Sweeteners: NO WHITE SUGAR!! We use honey or agave syrup. Some people use rapadura or sucanat.

Taco Seasoning

2009-01-24T19:10:00.006-05:00

Seasoning mixes that you buy from the store are full of preservatives and chemicals, most of which wreak havoc on our bodies. I've been trying to make my own mixes lately, mainly because I want to know where my food is coming from and exactly what it has in it. It also saves money.

This is a really good recipe that I use in place of taco seasoning. Tonight I'm trying it in our chili. The cumin makes this mix especially flavorful.

1 tsp chili powder (or more if you like heat)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried oregano (I leave this out because I don't care for it)

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and add to ground beef or turkey when meat is almost fully cooked. If you are not going to use it right away, cover and refrigerate until needed to preserve flavor.

Delivered!

2009-01-21T17:31:00.005-05:00

I just looked back through my old posts. It's amazing how far God has brought me in the last year or so since I've posted. He has delivered me from some horrible symptoms and I am happy to report that I am finally healthy again!

It's been exactly 16 months since I took the plunge into whole foods. And what a difference it has made in my life. I haven't been sick since. Occassionally I get a headache, and usually it's because I've strayed from eating well. But for the most part, I haven't been healthier. And I have so much more energy. Most importantly, I'm able to do more of what called has called me to do.

I've debated about keeping up with this blog...blogs seem so self-centered to me! BUT I've depended heavily on others' blogs to teach me how to eat and cook well. So I want to pay it forward by documenting my continued journey into whole foods. I have a long, long way to go. So I thought I would share as I go.

More tomorrow...

Better Late Than Never

2008-05-14T16:40:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it's been two months since I've posted. What can I say? With seven kids in tow, my feet hit the floor running in the morning and I barely have time to stop and breathe, much less blog. I'd rather coordinate seven little lives than blogging anyway so I guess that works out. Although it's seven complicated lives right now. Olivia is gearing up for a big performance this weekend. We spend most of our time and money running her to her dance classes. I regestered both Parker and Olivia for high school next year. That's BIG news in our family. We're putting Claire into a special needs classroom next year. We checked that out last week and although I'll be sad to see her go back into school, I realize it's in her best interest. Gabe, our fourth, is busy being two (he'll turn three next week). He is getting into everything! Nate, our fifth, is keeping us on our toes. He has complicated health issues and therefor has therapy five times a week and at least one doc appt a week. His smile makes it all worth it though. Our two foster kids have brought even more life and joy into our home, although not without incident. We are trying to sort through their own health issues. We even had to be treated for scabies when they joined us! All in all though, life is good. Busy, but good.

Scarlet Thread

2008-03-23T16:51:00.007-04:00

I stole a great Easter idea from a friend this year. I tied different colored yarn to each Easter basket before hiding them. I wove the yarn throughout the whole house, in and out of furniture, creating a beautiful web. (Well, it was beautiful until I had to figure out how to get our 100 lb. golden retriever through it to go outside!!) Anyway, I left the rest of the yarn at the top of the stairs with their names on each corresponding color and instructions to follow the "bunny trail" to their baskets. It was so much fun watching them rolling up their yarn and getting tangled up with each other. It created a memorable experience.

As we were sitting in church this morning I was thinking that the colored yarn that led my children to their baskets is like the scarlet thread each one of us is invited to follow. This particular thread, however, doesn't lead to a basket full of temporary pleasure...it leads to life everlasting! The thread is colored scarlet because it's covered in His blood which was shed at the cross, payment in full for our sins. Just as one single thread led my children to their destination, Jesus is the ONLY way to our final destination.

This Easter, I am so thankful that God threw us a lifeline named Jesus which leads us back to Him. I am thankful that His death on the cross redeemed me from my sinfulness. But more importantly, I'm thankful that He rose again three days later. Without His resurrection, Jesus would just be another great figure in history. It was the fact that He conquered death that we celebrate. Because He conquered death we have reason to hope. We have something powerful to believe in. I know of no other God that is worthy of our praise.

Make Your Best Offer

2008-03-17T12:54:00.007-04:00

Today I'm ready to sell all my kids to the circus, the zoo or the first person to make an offer. It has been a hard parenting day. Don't get me wrong. I love my kids and I really love the job of parenting. I love shepherding their hearts. I love teaching them, guiding their thoughts, their motives and redirecting their selfish hearts toward God. BUT some days are definitely harder than others. Some days require more patience, strength, and definitely more self-control. Let's face it, I live in a house full of sinners and today these little heathens have put my own sinful nature to the test. Today, I am desperately listening for my own Shepherd's voice. I need Him to guide me, redirect me. I need His rod and His staff to comfort me. Or else you'll be seeing these kids the next times Barnum and Bailey come to town.

Scribing

2008-03-06T14:36:00.005-05:00

I've never been a big fan of devotionals. There's usually one verse at the top of a page and three-four paragraphs of some person's commentary or cute little story on that one verse. They totally annoy me. Give me more Scripture and maybe a *few* words of insight on that Scripture. But don't overload me with another human's interpretation of Scripture.

I really want to know my Shepherd's voice. And the best way to do that is to really dig into the Word. But my Bible study over the years has been rather random and spontaneous. I pick up the Bible, open it and tend to read whatever I land on (my Bible professors would be appalled!). Despite this rather wimpy method of studying, God has used it powerfully in my life. Sometimes, the words jump off the page and speak volumes to me. But lately, I've been craving more Bible study, more depth, maybe something a little more intentional. Well, today I jumped over to my dear friend, Ann's blog and she had a whole list of creative ways to study the Bible. One idea in particular was writing out the Bible. It's called scribing. Why didn't I think of that?? So simple and yet so effective. Ever since my kids were in Kindergarten I've been having them copy out verses, poems, speeches because not only do they learn grammar, spelling, etc this way but they also retain what they're studying better if they write it out.

So today, I'm going to get started. I haven't decided which book of the Bible to choose yet. I'm praying for direction. Maybe Acts? Or one of the Gospels? But I have just the journal book in mind and my colored pencils are all sharpened and ready for making my own observations in the margins. I haven't been this excited about studying the Bible in a long time. Thank Ann, I'm inspired!

Judgment

2008-03-04T16:08:00.004-05:00

I find it interesting how quick we are to judge. We have a handicapped pass for our car because my husband has MS and we have a son who has severe neuro problems and therefore can't sit or walk (he is very heavy too!!). It's safe to say our parking pass is justified. But it never ceases to amaze me how many people will judge us. Countless times people will walk behind our van to see if we have a pass or not. Some old ladies will even shake their heads at us or do a double-take. They judge us based on who knows what...maybe my husband's age, maybe we just look like the type of family who wants to take advantage of close parking! I don't know. Years ago a cop pulled over my husband just because he didn't look handicapped. What is handicapped suppose to look like might I ask???

I have to admit I often give in to the thoughts of others. Even if my husband is having a good day and can walk without the use of his cane I'll tell him to take his cane anyway just so people will see it when he gets out of the car. As if I have to justify our pass to complete strangers. But if people knew our story maybe they wouldn't judge. Maybe they wouldn't peer behind our van. I'm not above judgment, however. I've done it too...jump to big conclusions without knowing someone's story. My thoughts run wild when I'm at the checkout behind a mom who has lost control of her young ones. I've wagged my finger at people inside my head when I see them doing something I don't agree with. But I need to stop and remember that I don't know their story. It's usually not for me to know. Just like I don't want everyone to know my business, I don't need to know everyone else's. It's not for me to judge.

XOXO

2008-02-15T09:03:00.002-05:00

Kisses from our family to yours.

CAUGHT

2008-02-13T11:54:00.003-05:00

Owen has been caught red handed...ummm, I mean red-pawed. The mystery of the headless dinosaurs has been solved. And now it seems Owen has developed a taste for Mr. Potato Head pieces. As you can see by his picture he was caught eating Mr. Potato Head's tongue.

Owen was taken into custody today and is being held without bond (or treats!). He will appear before the judge when he gets home from work today. Owen failed to comment.

Epidemic

2008-02-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

An epidemic has swept through our house! Dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes have been surfacing everywhere with missing heads, limbs and tails. Is it a plague? Is it a flesh-eating virus? Is it a curse?

No, it's OWEN!!!

Discernment

2008-02-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

I've been having some great discussions with my kids lately about the media. I've been in heavy prayer over the last months/years about how to help them make wise choices when it comes to reading, watching tv, listening to music, etc. It's easy for all of us to think, "What the big deal? It's just a book." But not so easy to stop and think, "Does it honor and glorify God?" "Does it present a temptation to sin?" "Does the message arrive from a pure motive?" We don't stop and think about what we're filling our minds with often enough. I'm as guilty of this as anyone.

I came across this great quote today as I was searching the internet for wisdom. This was written while John Wesley was away at college. He wrote to his mother, Susanna, asking for a list of sins he should avoid. Her response is a model of biblical wisdom applied:

"Whatever weakens your reason, whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscience, whatever obscures your sense of God, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, whatever takes away from your relish for spiritual things, that to you is sin, no matter how innocent it is in itself."

Such a great quote!! I was explaining today that even if a certain book has no swear words in it doesn't mean it's appropriate. If the book obscures our sense of God...it's not entertainment. No matter how innocent it may *seem* if it weakens our reason then it is not appropriate. Not an easy lesson for young people. Especially since our culture encourages just the opposite, "If it feels good then it must be entertainment."

We are waging war with the media. The world is sending a message through tv, books, all forms of entertainment, "It's all about me." I am fighting for the minds of my kids. I want them to learn how to filter the world through God's principles. I want them to stop and think. I want them to learn discernement. It's a battle worth fighting.

Broken But Restored

2008-02-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

I love the symphony. I mean I really love the symphony! I believe everyone has at least one thing that fills them to the brim with pure joy. I had one friend that described her nature hikes this way. She just loved nature! She would always say how much nature "fills" her. Well, the symphony is what fills me. It is guaranteed chills up and down my spine. I love to hear the orchestra warm up, I'm mesmerized by the fervor of the conductor, the passion on the performer's faces, the rise and fall of such unique sounds. But what leaves me dumbstruck more than anything is how any one human being, a composer, can take all those notes and know how to put them all together to make one glorious, melodious sound. It amazes me! How can anyone take so many smaller parts and make them into a beautiful whole? Wow!

Art doesn't start out beautiful though. Regardless of the type of art, it starts out as a mere thought or concept. From there it progresses through many different phases before it actually reaches it's final stages of beauty. As a graphic designer I can speak from experience that the "process" of art is often long and tedious and sometimes even painful. But necessary. As much as I'd like, I've never been able to avoid the process. I can't get the thought out of my head and directly onto paper as a finished piece of work without some huge amounts of effort in between. It's the process that makes art become beautiful.

Our lives are like art. We are all somewhere in the process of becoming something beautiful. In fact, the Bible says, "We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

Each one of us are broken pieces of clay. Merely cracked and dried pieces of mud. But before we can become beautiful we have to be shaped. We have to yield to the potter's hand. More importantly, we have to be put through the fire before we can become beautiful. In fact, it's the fire that gives us our beauty.

Wikipedia says that "pottery is made by forming a clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln to induce reactions that lead to permanent changes, including increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape." It goes on to say that, "it is only after firing that the article can be called pottery."

I find that interesting that it can't even be called pottery until it's been through the fire. So until that point it's still just a lump of clay. It's in the process of applying heat that the pottery is strengthened ...leading to permanent changes. Wow! That's pretty cool...or should I say hot?

There's been a lot of "heat" in my life. I could view the heat as unnecessary or annoying. I won't lie...I don't like the heat. But God is teaching me to appreciate it. The heat is necessary. He took my broken pieces and is in the process of restoring me into something beautiful and purposeful. The heat shapes me and strengthens me. In the end, I will be a vessel from which His living water will flow. Although heat is not pleasant...it seems to me it's worth it.

On My Nightstand

2008-01-30T14:51:00.001-05:00

Other people who blog sometimes have a list in the margin that shows what they're reading at the time. I enjoy looking at those lists. I like to see what other people are interested in. Now that Olivia's ballet classes have started back up I've actually had time to do some catchin' up on my reading while I wait for her in the car. So here's what's on my nightstand right now:

Shame Off You by Alan Wright...just finished it. Great book!
Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmell
Building the Bonds of Attachment: Awakening Love in Deeply Troubled Children by Daniel Hughes

And speaking of ballet and reading...I'm off to sit in the car for two hours to read some more. Isn't that heavenly??

We're Rich!

2008-01-27T15:01:00.000-05:00

It should come as no surprise that Americans are some of the wealthiest people in the world. But did you know that anyone who makes a mere $34k/annually is within the top %5 of wealthiest people in the world? Below is a cool link to see where your wealth ranks you:

www.globalrichlist.com

God has clearly given us MORE than we need. He has truly blessed us. So why do we mumble and groan that we don't have enough? Why are we so discontent all the time? Why aren't we GRATEFUL?? And more importantly, why aren't we sharing some of our wealth with those who aren't so rich?

I Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Nate's New Helmet

2008-01-23T15:12:00.000-05:00

Our youngest child, Nate, has a condition called schizencephaly, which basically means that part of his brain is missing. Because of that he can't coordinate his swallow very well and is fed with a g-tube. He is also blind and has seizures. In addition, his skull isn't forming correctly (called plagiocephaly) so he needs a helmet to help support the proper growth of his head. If left untreated and his skull continues to grow disproportionately, he could develop dental and eye problems amongst other things. Last week we had to take him downtown to have his a mold of his head made. We picked up the helmet yesterday. He will have to wear it 23 hours a day for at least the next 6 months. We can take it off 1 hour a day for baths and cleaning. Surprisingly he doesn't mind it and even sleeps well in it.

Although Nate looks very cute in his new helmet I already miss kissing his sweet head. I also miss seeing his bright red hair. It seems almost a sin to cover up his beautiful head of hair. But we'll do anything for this kid!

Too Peaceful

2008-01-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

Is there such a thing as too much peace??? It seems almost too good to be true with five kids in the house. But now that the holidays are over, the ornaments are put away and our normal routine is well underway it has grown quiet around here. YES, it is possible to have quiet in a house full of kids. At this moment two of them are taking naps, two of them are doing their school work and one of them is in school. So far this week I've organized our laundry room, my jewelry box, Gabe's room, and our closet. If I don't get another foster placement soon I will run out of things to organize!! Although, I've noticed over the past years that there's always a calm before the storm. It's almost as if I "nest" right before I get a new placement. So maybe God is getting me ready. I hope so because I'm going nuts with all this quiet.

Blessed Thorns

2008-01-10T16:56:00.000-05:00

The previous owner of our house planted some rose bushes outside our front door. I'm not big into roses so I dug them up the first year we lived here. We've lived here almost eight years now and daggone it if those darn bushes came back this past summer!! I can't tell you how many times now I've caught my arm on their thorns as I walk in and out of my front door. Those thorns are not only painful but annoying. I am constantly fighting with them. We have another type of weed that seems to LOVE our yard...I don't know the technical name for them...but even my kids know that you can't pick them without good garden gloves. Because if you don't they will get under your skin and fester for days. And although relative to the rose's thorns their thorns are very small but ten times more annoying.

It never ceases to amaze me how God tries to get our attention. Sometimes He whispers and sometimes He screams but His question is always the same, "Am I enough for you?" I believe He gets our attention in the form of "thorns". My thorns have changed throughout the years. Twenty years ago I had a HUGE thorn in my side called infertility. This particular thorn was all-consuming and very painful. My eyes became focused on that pain instead of my Savior. But eventually I accepted that thorn and told my Savior that I didn't need a baby, He was all I need. Ironically, He gave me a baby anyway, in fact five babies!!

I've had many more thorns throughout the years and the question has always been the same, "Am I enough for you? Or do you need that house, money, job, security or health to make you happy?" Although my heart wanders and forgets, my Savior always gently leads me back to the same answer, "YES! Lord You are enough! Of course you are. I'm sorry I forgot."

I have another thorn now. Unlike a thorn from a rose bush, this thorn is small and annoying like those darn little weeds all over our yard. It has burrowed into my flesh, irritating the daylights out of me. Over the last several weeks/months I have found my mind wandering again, taking my eyes off the Savior and focused on the pain that the thorn gives way to. But I was reminded of this verse this passage from the Bible this week...

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I am so ashamed. How could I have forgotten the question so quickly, so easily? How could I have gotten so focused on an insignificant weed in my soul? But this verse turns my eyes back to the Savior again. Yes, Lord you are sufficient for me!! And even if this thorn never leaves my flesh...you are enough. I'm sorry I forgot.

I feel thankful now for this thorn to remind me of His grace. I am thankful for His power to rest in me. And I delight in this blessed thorn. For in this state of weakness I am strong!!

Resolution

2008-01-03T17:23:00.000-05:00

I really like this time of year. A fresh slate. A new beginning. A new lease on life. Somehow it seems my closets get cleaned out and certain areas of my life get purged. It's such a hopeful time of year.

I'm HAPPY to leave 2007 behind. Whew! What a hard year. It seems half of the year I spent either in bed or on the bathroom floor. The other half I spent tending to very needy kids. I know there has to be a connection between the two. When I foster I know I am working on the front-lines of God's Kingdom and Satan would love nothing more than to keep me from doing it. He won't succeed but boy has he tried and stripped me of my strength.

I'm not big into resolutions but I really do like the hopeful feeling that comes when you look forward. It's almost as if God built this opportunity for purging into the rhythm of life. As I look forward to the upcoming year I'm not thinking about a new exercise regime (well, actually I am kinda), I don't smoke, I don't want to strive to laugh more (I heard someone claim this resolution on the news last night). I just want to lift my eyes to the hills. I want to gaze into my Savior's eyes. He is where my strength comes from. He is what I want to focus on today and tomorrow...not my own selfish desires. So, I decided that instead of choosing a pointless resolution this year I want to choose a verse to focus on.

My verse this year will be: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

So, for 2008 my mantra will be to fix my eyes on what is unseen. I can't imagine one single scenario that I might encounter this year that this verse won't apply. I will tattoo this verse on my soul and remember it the next time I feel I'm losing strength or feeling defeated. And I know there will be plenty of opportunities in 2008.

Update

2007-10-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

Who has time to blog with seven kids in the house?? We have two new foster kids. We've had them three weeks now. Personally, I like having the house full of kids but it does keep me hopping. But most importantly, THANK YOU LORD that He has restored my health so that I can serve Him better. I have been using the tools He has given me, such as whole natural foods among other things and it's working. In fact, in many ways I feel better than before I got started getting sick two years ago. They say 90% of your immune system lies within your gut and I know my gut was a mess. I also know it's not completely healed yet but it's definitely healing and I'm on the mend. What a glorious feeling!!

Complaining

2007-09-05T19:57:00.001-04:00

I guess the good thing about a blog is that I can complain all I want. I'm sure my family is tired of hearing me complain so I'll just write out my woes...

Everyday for EIGHT weeks now I've had a bad headache...some days a full-blown migraine...and almost constant nausea...very bad pain after eating almost anything. Oh, and let's not forget the anxiety. I am not equalized! BUT the good news is it's almost been 3 weeks of no caffeine, sugar of any kind, white flour and anything processed. I think the new diet is helping...let's put it this way...I'm not intending it to be a quick fix...I think it will help in the long run. But I've read that when healing through diet, it sometimes has to get worse before it gets better.

I am starting to see some things emerge though. For instance, after eating a piece of whole grain toast the other day I felt HORRIBLE. Ok, no more wheat for awhile and see how that goes, well, for that matter no gluten. Today I woke up with hives everywhere. I'm guessing it was the goat cheese omelette I had yesterday. So no more eggs for awhile. My body is talking to me in a whole new way. I've taken away everything that was "masking" what was really going on inside my body...caffeine, sugar, ibuprofen. Now that they've been removed my body is telling me the true story. We'll just keep eliminating all the culprits until my body feels equalized. I'm not interested in a quick fix anymore. I'm in this for the long haul.

On the flip side however I'm so thankful that this has FORCED me to come to a complete standstill. I've gone hardly anywhere over the past 8 weeks. And I have to say I'm enjoying it. I've spent most of my time in the kitchen with the kids chopping, slicing, dicing...trying new recipes. Or just laying around with them. I'm thankful for this new routine. God says, "all things work for good" and God is using my "illness" to bring me closer to my family. For that I'm truly thankful.

A New Symptom

2007-08-24T16:30:00.000-04:00

A new symptom has set in and this time it's in the form of fear. Fear and anxiety is foreign to me...not something I've ever wrestled with before. It's gripping. Almost tortuous. Whether it comes from my brush with death this time last year and my current state of health has me scared of dying. Or my adrenal glands (the part of your body that helps us deal with stress) have gone awry and have my emotions out of whack...I don't know. Either way this is not normal for me. I've ventured out of the house a couple times this week and each time it has ended in either hyperventilation or dizziness, nausea and a gripping sense of fear. It feels almost like a sense of impending doom. It's hard to explain. But I know it's a sign that something is not right within me.

So what should I do? I could run back to all my doctors but I'll bet any amount of money they won't know what's wrong. They'll probably hand me a prescription for an antidepressant or the like. OR I could lift my eyes to the hills, from whence my help comes from. My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

When my thoughts turn to Him, it's amazing how peace washes over me, cleanses me. Immediately I feel some relief. I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord is my salvation. You can keep your antidepressants and your drugs...just give me Jesus. He is the best medicine.

However, I do believe that fear and depression are NOT something we should settle for. I believe they are God's way of signaling that something is NOT RIGHT within our bodies...they are symptoms just like a fever or pain. I am learning to pay better attention to my body. I am learning about the healing power of foods. And I am learning about the body's amazing ability to heal itself. If our bodies are out of balance then a whole host of things start going wrong. And as Americans (and I am very guilty of this!), we want quick relief. If something goes wrong we run to our doctors asking for the latest and greatest pill. What want relief and we want it now. There is a place for prescriptions in our society. I'm not denying that. But I want to take better care of my body than filling it with synthetic drugs. God gave us good foods...they are drugs too. And if we use them wisely they can heal even better.

I don't want to settle for being depressed. I don't want to just assume that this is part of the aging process. Something is NOT right within my body and I'm going to be responsible and allow it to heal and give it all the support I can in the meantime. I no longer want a quick fix. I'm in this for the long haul.

God keeps reminding me of the verse over and over again, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I don't see fear and anxiety, depression or even constant headaches anywhere within God's plan for my life. He is the giver of life. He is where my help comes from! He is my source of relief.

Season of Rest

2007-08-16T15:35:00.001-04:00

Initial testing for lupus was inconclusive. The tests were done while I was on prednisone so the results were most likely inaccurate. The doctor wants me to see a rheumatologist and I'm still waiting for my appointment. I broke out with strange little blisters all over my legs yesterday so that has me a little freaked out. And I'm still dealing with severe headaches off an on throughout the day. But each day is getting a little better. I'm still hanging on to hope that this is a strange reaction to the migraine medication I was on. The medicine is known to cause metabolic acidosis:

"Metabolic acidosis is a state in which the blood pH is low (less than 7.35) due to increased production of H+ by the body or the inability of the body to form bicarbonate (HCO3-) in the kidney. Symptoms may include chest pain, palpitations, headache, altered mental status, decreased visual acuity, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, altered appetite (either loss of or increased) and weight loss (longer term), muscle weakness and bone pains. Those in metabolic acidosis may exhibit deep, rapid breathing called Kussmaul respirations which is classically associated with diabetic ketoacidosis. Rapid deep breaths increase the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled, thus lowering the serum carbon dioxide levels, resulting in a compensatory respiratory alkalosis."

It's possible I didn't have pleurisy afterall but rather this rare side affect of this horrible drug. I'll tell you one thing...I've had so many reactions to drugs over the past year that I am VERY reluctant to put anything in my body that isn't natural. I'm also sick of going to doctors only to have them push one more prescription in my hands which only causes more problems and solves nothing. I am about to make some major changes in my life that will hopefully yield better results. In fact, I've decided over the next six months I'm taking time off all major commitments to commit to getting my immune system back on track. This is going to be my "season of rest". No fostering, no working, no commitments for the next 6 months. Only time dedicated to eating right, exercising, and well...resting. I'm excited to see how it goes. I just know my body hasn't fully healed from last year's trauma so I know this is what I have to do. I'm anticipating good things to come out of it.

Now What??

2007-08-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

What is a day in the Ginn house without some sort of crisis?? The crisis this week is that I ended up in the ER last weekend for what seems like the 100th time in the last year. Surprised? But this time for a very new and unusual symptom. Last week I was thinking that I was having a bad reaction to my migraine medication and blogged about it. I had some very weird symptoms but also a horrible, horrible headache for over 5 days. The doc put me on a round of steroids to break up the headache due to "inflammation" in the brain. By day 6 my heart was racing, my chest hurt and I was short of breath. I thought for sure it was the effect of the steroids but I called the doc and he said to go to the ER right away. They did an EKG, blood work, etc. and to my surprise diagnosed me with...pleurisy. WHAT??? Where in the world did that come from? Pleurisy is an "inflammation" in the lining of the lungs. How did my lungs decide to get involved? Now, I've had a LOT of strange and unusual symptoms over the last 2 years but now we're starting to move into a whole other system of the body. What is going on???

Needless to say, I couldn't come home fast enough to start researching pleurisy (that is, of course after the pain killers wore off!). If it is not the result of infection (which it isn't in my case) then a lot of times it is the result of an autoimmune disease such as lupus. LUPUS??? Now, I've been to the Mayo Clinic and I've been to many specialists in town but this is the first time lupus came up. It has never been considered before. But in light of recent symptoms it makes me suspicious. But what's most interesting is that within ONE WEEK I've had TWO different inflammatory problems within TWO different parts of my body...brain and lungs. Maybe God is giving me another piece to a bigger puzzle than I originally pictured.

So how fast do you think I picked up the phone to call my neurologist on Monday morning? He agreed that it is indeed very suspicious of lupus and ordered blood work immediately. I don't think getting a diagnosis is as easy as a blood test. I think it involves many different tests/ specialists but the ball is rolling now. And finally the ball is rolling in a different direction. I should hear the preliminary results on Wednesday.

I'm certainly not anxious for a diagnosis of lupus by any means!! Frankly, I'm terrified of that diagnosis. But I am anxious for some closure. I would like a definitive answer as to what is going on in my body. After my trip to the Mayo last year I've never been 100% satisfied with their conclusions..everything didn't fit. And I've always kind of been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'd really like to get on with life, you know? Maybe God is ready to reveal more information. Or maybe not. One thing is for certain...God is enough no matter what. His grace is sufficient for me. I need His grace more than I need to know test results. More than I need pain relief. More than I need answers. And if He chooses to reveal lupus to me then I trust Him to give me the courage and the strength to face the journey ahead.

Funny Faux Pax

2007-08-08T19:39:00.000-04:00

I've been waiting several weeks now for a call back from our lawyer. Tonight at dinner Claire said,

"We had a couple calls from Keller & Keller."

I thought, hmmm, they're not the law firm I called but who knows maybe that's the name that would come up on caller id. So I said, "Are you sure it was Keller & Keller?"

"Yes, Keller & Keller, well something like that."

So I started flipping back through the caller id looking for anything similar.

"Claire, was it unknown caller?"

"Nope, definitely Keller & Keller."

Still flipping I finally come across "cellular call". Claire looks at it and says, "See I told you so, (pronouncing the "c" like a "k") kellular & kellular."

Cleansed from Within

2007-08-07T20:13:00.000-04:00

This verse came to me as I was driving to the zoo with my kids today.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139:23,24

The last 3-4 weeks have been miserable. I started a new migraine medication a month ago that sent me spiraling downhill very fast. Almost from the minute I took the first pill I haven't been myself. I've been crying and depressed. My thoughts have been all over the place...uncontrollable, anxious, and offensive. Search me, O God. I've been doubting myself, my faith, and my abilities to do anything. I've been fatigued and barely able to get out of bed. UGH! What has this drug done to me? But what amazes me more is how quickly my mind and spirit can be persuaded. I'm sure the enemy loves opportunities like this to sneak in his little lies. But I'm reminded of another verse....

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Psalm 1:4

How is it we can be so confident one day and blow away like chaff the next? Scary. It reminds me so more of how much I need Him. I fall so short of the glory of God. But what amazes me the very most is how our loving God continually, time and time again forgives us for "blowing away" and takes us back. It's the purest definition of grace. Sing it with me...

Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all my sin.

This song came on our radio today. I couldn't help but smile when I heard it. I'm starting to wean myself off my migraine medicine now and I feel hopeful again. My body is being "cleansed" within of this toxin, just like God cleanses of our sin. God's grace gives us hope for the future because He loves us no matter what. Thank goodness for that!!

No Donkeys

2007-07-31T18:35:00.000-04:00

Ok, so no donkeys for us. Someone beat us to an offer on the house we wanted. It wasn't meant to be. So we decided to stay in the house we're in for a little while longer. At least until we find another house that's comparable to the house we're in which could take awhile. But we're ok with that. Our house does accomodate us very nicely. We'll get the elevator fixed and count our many blessings.

Speaking of blessings, we've had a two-year-old foster child that has been with us for a year that is leaving us this weekend. We've had many, many ups and downs with him. It will be bittersweet to see him go but we're ready. It's hard to put into words when a foster child leaves. You really can't understand it unless you've been through it yourself. Once you find out that a child is leaving you start disengaging yourself. You start preparing yourself mentally. You really have no choice. When they're in your care you see them as yours, you would do anything for them as if they're your own. But then you have to start loosening your grip on them, one finger at a time, regardless whether you like where they're going or not. Because you have no control anyway. All you can do is know that you did your best, pat yourself on the back and move on to the next child. That's all you do do. That and pray. Pray like mad for the rest of their lives. And sometimes that's my only hope that what I'm doing is worth it. I may be the ONLY one praying for them in the whole world. And if I hadn't fostered them, then I wouldn't have known they existed and therefore wouldn't have known to pray for them.

We're already praying for the next child to come along. And really, that's the best coping mechanism a foster parent has...looking forward to the next one. It's like Christmas really. The anticipation of what the next one is going to be like. Each one is like a gift. A precious gift waiting to be opened. I can't wait.

Plans to Prosper

2007-07-26T08:16:00.000-04:00

We've started the whole house hunting process. And it is a process. Moving out clutter. Freshening up the house. Driving by prospects. Lots of phone calls to banks and realtors. It is a stressful process but kind of a fun one too. It's an adventure and I love an adventure.

Currently we live in a handicapped accessible house complete with an elevator. When this house found us it was a Godsend. It met all our needs and more. My husband was in a wheelchair for three years so the elevator was used to it's full potential. My husband is ambulatory now and doesn't need to use the elevator. In fact, the elevator is broken and breaks often! We haven't felt the need to spend the money to get it fixed...however, the stairs are getting more and more difficult for him to climb. Now, even if we do get the elevator fixed and he uses it again we will continue to have to pay to keep it maintained which is expensive. And even if we pay to keep it maintained, it's loud and wakes up the babies. So what do we do?

Our current plan is to find a ranch home. No stairs, no elevators to contend with. Not only did we find what we wanted last weekend but we found a handicapped accessible ranch!! It even has an acre and a half of land with a barn and two donkeys! What more could we want?? We were smitten and told our realtor to make an offer right away. He said he wanted to check a few things out first and make a few phone calls. We didn't know why he didn't make a phone call right then and there before we left the house but we trusted him. To make a long story short, when the owners didn't hear back from us right away they accepted another offer. We were crushed! We lost the house...and the donkeys.

When I woke up the other morning I was pondering the whole house hunting thing and God brought this verse to mind. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." How exciting! A prosperous future in our new home....or maybe God would have us stay in this home. Either way, God promises hope. The adventure continues. Now I can't wait to see what the ending will be.

Hubba, Hubba

2007-07-17T22:03:00.000-04:00

While walking down the street with Claire the other day we saw a cool car go by and this was our conversation:

Claire: Mom, look at that cool car. Hubba, hubba.
Me: Claire "hubba, hubba" is not the best thing to say. Some people use that expression when they see a pretty woman.
Claire: Then you're a hubba, hubba.
Me: (laughing uncontrollably as I try to explain the definition of deragatory)

Hard Way

2007-07-16T21:06:00.000-04:00

Tonight was Special Olympics again. Before we left, Claire decided to argue with me about wearing shoes. Now, I'm not the smartest woman around but I think I'm smart enough to know that shoes are a requirement for riding horses. She wanted to convince me otherwise. She KNOWS she saw other kids wearing flip-flops. She would have sworn by it. I knew better but didn't have the energy to argue with her so I made a split decision to say ok and let her find out the hard way. She found out the hard way alright but maybe it was a little too hard. I told the instructor that Claire needed to hear it from her what the proper attire was and then the instructor informed her she couldn't ride today wearing flip-flops. Claire was crushed to say the least!! The look on her face made my heart sink. I had to fight back the tears myself. Maybe this wasn't the time to teach her a lesson. Maybe I was a little too hard. Maybe I should have put another pair of shoes in the car. And I certainly didn't look good in front of the other moms. Oh well. It didn't help that Claire kept repeating, "I'm so mad at myself." Well, one thing is for sure. Claire will not argue about wearing shoes when riding horses again (at least until next time)!!

New Normal

2007-07-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

I've spent the last week in the hospital with our soon to be son, Nate. He has a rare neurological disorder called schizencephaly and his brain isn't allowing him to swallow correctly. As a result, he's aspirating into his lungs. Since it's no longer safe for him to eat he needs a feeding tube which delivers food directly into his stomach. Today was our first day home and we spent the day trying to get used to feeding Nate through his tube. It's amazing how much you take simple things for granted...like swallowing and feeding your child. I wish you could have seen me spilling formula all over the place when trying to prime the tubing. And then Nate's tube popped out spilling even more fluid. Of course, this is also the exact moment my toddlers decided to act up and the dog tried to escape out the door. It all feels very overwhelming right now but I'm sure we'll get the hang of this soon and this will become our new normal.

Special Olympics

2007-07-02T08:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a big day in our family. Our 11-year-old daughter started Special Olympics. She's going to be competing in equestrian for now and will try other sports next season. She had her clothes laid out since last week...she's so excited!! The more I'm learning about Special Olympics, the more I'm really impressed. What a vision! Our daughter has a mild to moderate mental handicap and seems to be on the part of the spectrum where kids fall through the cracks. We've always known this as we've tried to advocate for her through the school system. There has never been a good program to plug her into at school. There are programs for kids who have mild learning disabilities and there are isolated classrooms for kids with more profound handicaps. But Claire doesn't fit into any of these catagories. Fortunately, our school system has been very cooperative and has found ways to meet her needs. But something new occurred to me when we were at our church camp a couple weeks ago. Claire was on the fringes the whole time. She couldn't keep up with the bigger kids and the little kids didn't want to have much to do with her either. I can understand...Claire can be intrusive and lack boundaries. This may, however, been the first time Claire noticed it. She went up to the top of her bunk and refused to come down. She had a sad look on her face the whole week. It broke my heart. I came right home and looked up Special Olympics. What a great opportunity for kids like Claire!! A place where she doesn't have to try so hard to fit in. She can be who she is AND learn something fun at the same time. Her first competition is in September and I can't wait for all of us to be on the fringes...cheering her on.

Corner of the World

2007-06-28T20:38:00.000-04:00

This is a strange question but have you ever felt like a Google Earth map? You know, how it starts in outer space somewhere and zooms in closer and closer and closer until the details of your destination are so close you can almost touch it? Sometimes, I'll be sitting somewhere, like on my back porch and all the sudden it will hit me, how did I land here? On this exact coordinate, at this exact moment? Of all the zillions of places on the earth, and all the zillions of people I landed here...on this corner of the world. Somewhere out there is a boy herding sheep in Ireland in his corner of the world. Somewhere else is a girl in Iraq shielding her ears from gunfire and that's her unfortunate corner of the world. Yet in another corner is a woman walking down her own corner street to get fresh fruit. But how did my corner become XYZ Street, USA? Choice? Somewhat. Destiny? Maybe. Purpose? Absolutely.

Over the last year, I've been thinking a lot about purpose. Most people define their purpose in life by what they do. For most men, this is obvious...they are where they work. For most women their purpose is wrapped up in their families. For some their purpose is to grab all they can out of life and buy as many toys as possible. I'm sure many others are muddling through without any sense of purpose at all. I guess I thought I knew what my purpose was this time last year. Wife. Homeschooling Mom. Graphic Designer. Foster Mother. I wore many hats, had many roles and thought I had life figured out. Until I got sick. When I found myself in bed day in and day out unable to wear any of my "hats" I started doubting my purpose. I wasn't much of a mom in bed, I certainly wasn't getting any homeschool done. I lost several graphic design clients because I couldn't get their work done and a couple of our foster kids had to be moved on. I felt like God had stripped me of everything I "was". What's worse? I think the house somewhat ran better without me. I would have liked to think the whole world would have stopped when I did, but that wasn't the case. Instead the world kept right on ticking as if I wasn't even there. If life keeps going with me and all that I "do" then why am I even here in the first place? What is my purpose?

Lately, we've been fostering some very sick babies...one right after the other. The most recent one is going to stay. We're fortunate enough to adopt him. He has a rare birth defect causing severe neurological damage. He's blind and has pituitary problems. We're told he may never learn to walk or talk. He will have feeding issues and will never lead a so-called normal life. So what is his purpose? I've struggled with this question almost more than my own sense of purpose. I know this can't be a senseless act of God. But when then? The answer I've come up with so far is...joy. He brings joy to everyone in our family. When he hears my voice his face lights up making me weep for joy. Once I watched him laugh so hard at a funny sound that I actually cried tears of joy. I see him sleeping peacefully, and a smile of joy comes across my face. He brings joy to us, and we bring joy to him...that's his purpose. In fact, we named him Nathan meaning "gift of God". He came to us Christmas weekend and he has brought us the gift of joy.

Job was stripped of everything he had in a much more dramatic way than I ever was. But I feel God's message was the same, "Am I enough for you? Even if I take away everything you *think* your purpose is...your spouse, your livelihood, your children, your things...will I still be enough?" Why does God even care? He can have anything He wants in this whole world!! Anything. So why does He bother with little old me on this very teeny tiny, miniscule corner of the world? Because I bring Him joy. Just like our son brings us intense joy, I bring God joy. Wow. He is like the ultimate Google Map zooming in closer and closer and closer to my heart. My heart. Because I bring him joy. So wherever our corner of the world is...God sees us and we bring him joy no matter what our circumstances. No matter who we are. We don't have to perform our motherly duties to achieve purpose. We don't have to work 60 hours a week or own many toys. We don't have to "do" anything. My little corner of the world is enough for Him and He is enough for me! Pretty cool.

Oh, and coincidentally, *my* middle name is Joy.

Ream of Paper

2007-06-26T19:33:00.000-04:00

When I saw the mail truck stop in front of our house today, I got all excited. It's not often we receive packages of any kind, much less certified mail. But when I read the return address my heart sank. It was from our lawyer. She had promised to send my file in case I wanted to pursue my lawsuit with another lawyer. I set the 4" thick package down on the kitchen table where it still sits. I can't bring myself to open it. I may never open it. I don't want to see my whole horrible experience reduced to a ream of 8.5 x 11 paper.

I realize this journey is my own. I can't expect a doctor, a lawyer or even a loved one to walk in my shoes and feel what I feel. But it sure is hard to see my journey reduced to a ream of paper. Stark white paper at that. Couldn't it at least have been colored paper? And am I somehow supposed to gain closure by seeing my journey compiled in such a nice, neat little package? There was nothing neat and tidy about what I went through. I spent months being sick. I counted 6 weeks just in the hospital alone by the time it was all added up. And even after it was all said and done I went through a horrible depression. So much more went through my mind than went through my body. So you can't quantify my experience in days, weeks, or even months. And you certainly can't boil my experience down to ream of paper. The scar from my belly has long since healed, but the scar that remains in my heart is still healing.

Forgiveness

2007-06-20T11:09:00.001-04:00

Forgiveness. It can be a heart-wrenching, agonizing, tortuous thing to wrestle with.

Forgiveness. A couple months ago we were fostering a baby girl that was very sickly. I nursed this baby girl for weeks. Three of those weeks were spent in the hospital holding her, kissing on her, nurturing her, loving her. We sacrificed our time and our money to be by her side, and she wasn't even our child. There was an adoptive couple who was going to adopt her but when they found out the reality of her situation they backed out. It's probably a good thing. We were determined we were not going to abandon her though and decided to adopt her ourselves. We even went to court and the judge granted us permission to adopt her. But before taking her home from the hospital, the caseworker came in and informed us that they had decided to place her in another foster home. What??!! There was little rhyme or reason why they decided to do this. How could they undermine a judge??? How could they rip this child from my arms after what I had been through with her. It didn't make sense and I was angry! I came home from the hospital with empty arms and cried for days. How could I forgive the people who took her from me? How could I accept the injustice?

Forgiveness. Today I find myself wrestling with forgiveness for very different reasons. I thought I had made peace with it but after one single phone call all those feelings have been drudged up all over again. You see, one year ago I had pancreatitis and needed a feeding tube, but the feeding tube was misplaced. I needed emergency surgery and spent weeks in the hospital. The depth of my anger toward the doctors who not only misplaced my tube but also treated me so poorly, doesn't even begin to describe my tumultuous feelings. But to make matters worse the docs lied about misplacing the tube and blamed it on me, saying I must have messed with it. If it's one thing I don't like...it's when someone attacks my character! In the end, we decided to file a lawsuit. We had obtained an xray taken immediately after my tube was placed which was b/w evidence that they had placed it wrong. I had been told by numerous people that it was an open and shut case. However, the lawyer called yesterday to inform me that she doesn't want to proceed with the case. She feels the money we'll get in the end will not justify her expenses. I can totally see her side of things and don't blame her but to me it's not about the money, it's about the principle. These docs need to be held accountable!!! So now I have a choice...I can find another lawyer and insist on being heard...or I can find forgiveness in my heart with no earthly reward.

Forgiveness. But I hate injustice!! I hate that a caseworker undermined a judge and jeopardized an innocent baby's life. If it's one thing I've learned it's that the foster care system is FULL of injustice. I also hate that a doc violated my body, lied about his actions and I'm left with nothing more than a ugly old scar in my belly and a bruised ego. I know God hates injustice too so forgiveness doesn't make sense to me.

Forgiveness. I know God is calling me to it. I know in my head I will find peace once I embrace it. But right this minute I can't wrap my heart around it. I want the truth to be known. I want to tell it like it is. I want to be heard. I want justice. I want accountability. I want all those earthly things that my flesh demands. But I also know that I serve a King who has upside-down standards. In His kingdom the first shall be last and the last shall be first. When we are weak, we are strong. His grace is sufficient for me.

Forgiveness. I'm not there yet. I have a lot of forgiving to do. But as of right now...I'm still wrestling with it.

Resources

2007-02-12T16:38:00.004-05:00

Books
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz
Makers Diet by Jordan Rubin
Real Food by Nina Planck
Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch
The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid

Cookbooks
Cooking with all things Trader Joe's by Gunn and Miniati
Whole Foods Cookbook by Steve Petusevsky
Simply in Season Children's Cookbook by Julie Kauffman
More with Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre
Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron
Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook by Lizzie Vann

Links
Real Milk
Weston A Price
Mercola
Sue Gregg
Wholesome Baby Food
Eat Wild
Women to Women
Something Better Natural Foods

Yahoo Groups
Blenderized Diet: online support group for kids (and adults) who have g-tubes and want to eat whole foods.
Discussing NT: online support group for people who are following the suggestions of Nourishing Traditions.

My Soul is Singing

2007-01-25T20:18:00.000-05:00

Then sings my soul,
My Savior God to thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art,
Then sings my soul,
My Savior God to thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.

Who can ever get tired of those words?

Calm Assertive

2007-01-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

My newest obsession is watching "The Dog Whisperer". Obsessed with a capital "O". When I first started watching it I heard the dog psychologist, Cesar, talk a lot about "energy". It rubbed me the wrong way because it sounded almost "new age" to me. But the more I watched...and I've watched a lot by now...the more I understood his principles. When you are tense and frustrated your dog will sense your frustration and become frustrated himself. A lot of bad dog behaviors stem from this bad energy. In the dog world, dog's don't use verbal communication, they use instinct. They sense each other's energy and draw from it. When their pack leader is fearful or frustraed the whole pack is unstable. But when the pack leader is calm and assertive the pack becomes balanced.

Ok, so call me crazy...and maybe I've been watching The Dog Whisperer too much...but it seems to me this principle can be applied to all areas of life. At work today an issue came up that someone became very passionate about. This person became so passionate in fact and outspoken about it that it started rubbing some other people the wrong way and turned them off to her ideas. Her very same point could have been made a lot more effectively if she had remained calm and assertive instead of frustrated with heightened energy.

It seems this could also be true in parenting as well. I've noticed that when I approach my kids with a calm, assertive energy I get a better response from them. They feel more respected and understood, more balanced. But when I approach them with anger, frustration or confusion, I generate more frustration and anger.

I am a very passionate person myself. Very high energy. I think I'd like to make it my mission to channel my energy differently. There's nothing wrong with being passionate. But when passion reaches an elevated level to the point that it diminishes the effectiveness of the communication then it ceases to be passion.

Calm Assertive...that's my new mantre.
And by the way, Cesar's philosophy is working wonders on our new dog, Owen, too.

Fitting In (or not)

2007-01-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

As you can tell by my "About Me" section, I am a foster mom. A very fulfilled foster mom. I love what I do!! It's definitely not for everyone, it takes a different mindset. I'm not even sure how I got this mindset. I can't explain what it is I love about it, it's just part of who I am. I've had 28 kids within the past 3 years. Whew! I'm tired but can't imagine giving it up. I can imagine a nice long nap but I dread the day I have to say goodbye to my last child. Maybe you can even dare say I'm addicted to it. I guess its my proverbial "calling" in life.

I am most comfortable when talking to other foster parents (well, good ones that is). The issues of foster parenting are like no others...even different than that of adopting. It is not uncommon for us to talk about going from a family of 4 to a family of 6 in a matter of an hour or so. Shopping for clothes at midnight because the child only came with the clothes on their back. Coming up with names to call your child because you either don't know how to pronounce their name or don't know it at all. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS where to find a good buy on a bigger vehicle!!
These topics don't normally come up in your average everyday conversation. And yet these words come as natural to me as white on rice. But I forget that this is uncommon conversation. I slip and start talking freely about crack cocaine as if I was talking about McDonald's french fries. I mention that we don't know what race the child is or how they stayed awake all night after a visit with their mama. I think it might turn people off when all they want to talk about is their plans for spring break.

I just got back home tonight from picking my daughter up from ballet. She takes classes at a very well respected dance studio near the downtown area. Most of the people who attend this academy have a very different lifestyle than we do! We had our new baby with us tonight. Well actually we had all 6 kids with us tonight. I feel the shaking of their heads when I turn my back. I feel the wagging of their tongues when I walk down the hall. I know my family is different. They tease me and I know there's truth behind their words. I know our lifestyle is not one they would choose. That's ok. I wouldn't live my life any other way. But part of my mind flashes back to high school where the cool kids are standing by their lockers and looking me up one side and down the other, sizing me up. I never sized up well. I never really fit in with the cool kids. I REALLY wouldn't fit in now...not even with the nerdy kids. I live in a whole different world now. There's a part of my soul that still wants to be accepted. I still want to fit in. There's a price to pay when you follow your calling I guess. It's refreshing to know there are some people out there who are wacky enough to know and understand my mind set. They are few and far between and I praise God for their support. But wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world where we could follow our calling AND fit in???

Good Grief

2007-01-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

A close friend pointed out to me recently that I say, "good grief" a lot. She commented that it's refreshing considering that most people take the Lord's name in vain or something else derogatory. I didn't even realize I said this until she pointed it out to me. And now, the more I think about it the more I really like this phrase..."Good Grief". It's kind of an oxymoron but if you think about it grief can be good too, right? One of my favorite sayings is, "it's not what happens to you it's how you react to it." We all grieve...some of us more than others. But not all of us grieve well. Some of us grow bitter, resentful, start pointing our fingers at other people. We want life to be comfortable but when things don't go our way we throw a temper tantrum and start striving for comfort again at whatever cost. God didn't promise that our lives would be comfortable. Actually, he guaranteed grief. And I believe He wants us to approach our grief, our pain, our everyday inconveniences with grace, selfless abandon, humility, most of all thankfulness.

I named this blog "Good Grief" because my life is full of grief. I hope to chronicle some of that grief here. But I also hope that as I encounter, wrestle, struggle with my own grief that I can come out in the end by saying, "Good Grief!"

Sorry

2007-01-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

I guess I screwed up my settings and set up some of my friends as authors. See? I told you I was new here. This whole process makes me feel so vulnerable and well...stupid. But I'll learn. It's kinda exciting to be a this kind of journey. I wonder where it will take me.

New Addiction

2007-01-16T13:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, I can definitely see how this might become addicting. In the middle of the night last night I was thinking of all the things I could potentially write about. Creativity is already flooding forward. I love that kind of inspiration! And I love that I have a new creative outlet. Besides, I process my thoughts best through writing so I can see how this might become very therapeutic for me at the end user's expense. Of course, that's the glory of this invention...I can write till my heart's content whether anyone reads it or not.

New Here

2007-01-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

This is a test. I've never blogged before and frankly, I'm scared. My thoughts for all the world to see. But I'm doing this as an inspiration for my kids. I want to improve their writing skills and would like them to create a blog of their own. If they see me maintaining my own blog maybe they'll feel more motivated. This is going to be an interesting homeschooling experiment. We'll see how it goes.

About Me

2007-01-01T14:53:00.014-05:00

Welcome to my blog! This blog is based on my personal experiences with grief and loss and how I've learned to live well through it. I am a single mom of 5 adopted children, most of whom have special needs. Among them, I have a daughter has a rare chromosome disorder resulting in a mental handicap. I also have a son with a rare neurological disorder called schizencephaly. He is unable to walk, talk and is legally blind.

Several years ago I myself became sick and bedridden with pancreatitis, amongst other things, and as a result needed a feeding tube. But if that wasn't bad enough, it was misplaced by doctors and I needed emergency surgery. It was a very long uphill battle to recover. My own illness was the catalyst for researching better ways to heal my body. Every time a traditional doctor touched me, I got sicker so eventually I started looking outside the medical community for answers.

In 2007, I radically change my diet and haven't been sick since. My body has not only healed, but I am full of energy and have a much better quality of life than I did before I got sick. I am more equipped to do the things I feel called to do.

And even though my son has a feeding tube I found ways to blenderize whole foods in place of the mainstreamed, highly processed, commercialized formulas. He has not had a single seizure since feeding him whole foods and he doesn't have digestive issues anymore.

I feel passionate about good, whole foods. Good food nourishes my body, but Jesus Christ nourishes my soul. He is the ultimate Healer, the great Physician. He is the One who delivered me from illness. He nourishes me better than good food. He gives me the strength and the wisdom to deal with all of life's many challenges. And more importantly, gives me hope for my eternal home which I so long for. Without Him I have nothing.

I'm glad you're here. Feel free to post any questions you might have.

Resources

2006-02-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

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