Out with the Old

My son's allergies have really turned our household's way of eating inside out and upside down. The first couple weeks I was stressed beyond belief. He would follow me around the house crying because he was hungry and I would snap back because I had no idea what to give him! NO DAIRY, NO GRAINS. This means:

No wheat

No oats

No Barley

No Corn

No Rice

No Cheese

No Milk

No yogurt

AKA: no goldfish, graham crackers, string cheese, granola bars, waffles, pancakes, bread, cookies, sandwiches, donuts, french toast, pasta, etc etc etc

I was freaking out.

But then I started finding things. I found that if I pureed frozen strawberries (because bought in bulk frozen they're way cheaper) with some pears and apples and spread it on a cookie sheet and dehydrated I could make fruit leather that he could spread nut butter on.

I found I could slice up a banana and put some 100% fruit spread on it with a dark chocolate chip on top (dairy free kind).

Then I found the most incredible cookie recipe ever: seriously, even my husband who does not like health food LOVED THESE COOKIES! NOTE: I add about 3/4 cup of coconut flour to the recipe at the end to make the dough more firm and more cookie like. Oh, and as for the blanched almond flour, I simply take a bag of whole raw almonds and send it through my food processor until fine, def not as fine as blanching but way faster and I notice no texture problems with the cookies.

My kids were so delighted with these cookies and I'm so delighted with them being so healthy that I make huge batches and they're for breakfast/snacking all day. I have also made a variation with no chocolate chips and cinnamon instead. sooo good.

So now we're on a new diet. My name for it is "The Outer Rim Diet". I call it this because you only shop the outer rim of the grocery store :D. Wow it sure makes life easy when you only shop produce, meat/poultry/fish, eggs, etc! All processed crap is off limits due to all the hidden grains and dairy in EV.ER.Y.THING.

I guess the world would say we've gone "primal" or "paleo". See our food pyramid HERE. (It's the second one down on the page.) Obviously we do not agree with the "theology" behind it but rather out of necessity to preserve my sanity we are doing it as a family. I explained to my other kids that we are a family and that as a family we will support our brother and help him in his time of need. My other children are free to order what they want when we eat out or they can have a donut at church but at home, we all eat the same.

I'm excited to see the health benefits this will bring for us. I guess I've always wanted to eat this way but never thought it was feasible. But let me tell you, when you only shop the outer rim it's AMAZING how much money you have for tons of meat, fruits, veggies, nuts, etc!!! My grocery bill has not changed. We're still learning so I'm hoping it will even be way less eventually.

Here are some of my favorite websites for recipes:

www.nomnompaleo.com

www.fastpaleo.com

www.marksdailyapple.com

When I was growing up my mom always commented that big change usually happens in threes. Crazy enough she was right on multiple occasions in my childhood. And she was right recently too. We had a baby, three days later got a call and moved, and now two weeks ago we found out one of our children has severe food allergies to multiple staples in our family's diet that has basically caused us to do a Pastor Weedon in our home :). It's been stressful. It's been insane. There are days I'm amazed I can keep on keepin on.

Today the kids and I made a last minute decision to drive an hour away to a very small town in a rural area of our state. We had checked the weather and we were only supposed to be looking at 2 inches of snow. Well, we found ourselves in the middle of a white out with terrible wind. I was too far to turn back so I kept on going. When I got off the freeway things went from bad to worse. The next thing I know I'm at the top of a hill on back country roads looking down at a winding sloping road that dead ends into another road that I needed to turn on. There was no way to turn around and go back in my giant vehicle so I attempted to slowly make my way down the hill. Yea, didn't happen.

I lost complete control of the vehicle, swerving from side to side at a quickly increasing speed and finally began screaming as I realized there was no way to regain control. I did what no mother who has a brain should do but what anyone would do when they realize they are human and have no control: I closed my eyes. I gripped that wheel, closed my eyes, and wondered if I was about to meet my Lord face to face. It felt like an eternity and yet no time at all but suddenly I felt the vehicle stop. I opened my eyes, realized I was crying, and looked out my window. About 6 inches past the driver side front wheel was a drop off. Not grand canyon proportions obviously, but enough that we would have rolled a few times and probably would have been hard to find. There is no explanation for why our giant van that was propelling at that speed should have stopped right on the side of the road like that other than that the Lord or His messenger stopped it.

Life sure is messed up. At every turn people are dying: some young, some old, some at the hands of terribly evil people, some by terrible diseases...some by their own hand out of despair.

I've heard of people having near death experiences and walking away from it with the "you better enjoy life while you have it" nonsense, guilting people into enjoying their life by being happy and smiley all time. You know, the "don't sweat the small stuff" crowd. I don't get that. I mean, I have been thanking the Lord all day that He chose to spare me and my children. I kind of like my life you know? :) I want to see what's at the next bend and I want to grow old with my husband. But today just convinced me even more that sin sucks. Death sucks. Life is scary and sad and terrible when sin gets in the way, when hard change happens, and when your path is long and hard (read all the time). But as Rebekah so beautifully said today, I might be in the trenches right now, I might not smile as much as I did when I was responsibility free at the age of 16, life might be stressful and long and hard and smelly but look inside my soul and you'll see pure and radiant joy. I am saved. Jesus loves me. And one day:

I'M GOING HOME!!!

Come soon Lord Jesus!

I want to learn Latin.

Lately I have been examining my reasons for home schooling my children. The K year was much different than I anticipated when I was a younger, dreamy eyed mom imagining my brilliant son in a uniform reciting Latin at the table in a calm, dignified way. HA!

What is education? How is one intelligent? Is it even possible for one be intelligent? What is intelligence? What is my goal for my children?

All are questions I have been wrestling with.

And I will tell you this: the standardization and age segregation of knowledge by the human race is crippling. To tell a specified age group: this is the knowledge we think you should know and those of you who know it the best will get an "A" and be told you know all that you need to know for your age group is a devastating embarrassment for a student. Oh, not at the time. But one day that student will graduate. She will be applauded by her class and, with eyes beaming, walk out into a world believing she, in fact, is something special due to the knowledge she holds.

But one day she will step out of that protective vessel of "equal opportunity" and come face to face with a harsh reality: the knowledge she holds is in fact not only known by trillions of people both now and before but was chosen for her to know. She is nothing special, she is a program of the public institution.

Now obviously this is not 100% true. Every human being in all of time is different and special. Every human being has unique emotions, unique ways of responding to stimuli, and unique thought processes. It points to the miraculous diversity of God: that we are made in His image and yet throughout time the number of unique human beings with unique thoughts and emotions are endless. So far. :)

Therefore, knowledge is not in vain. BUT: why the box? Why create false caps giving students 100%, patting them on the backs, and letting enough be enough? Why standardize? Why segregate? These are all reasons we have chosen to let our children learn at home. First and foremost they are children of the Heavenly Father. Second, they are members of our family and live to love and serve in the family God has placed them. But third, they live to laugh, to learn, to grow, to think, to feel, and to chase knowledge and wisdom. For they are indeed made in His image and it is their joy to think in complex ways for in thinking and in learning, little glimpses of the magnificence of our God are revealed. And isn't that our ultimate goal for our children? That they know their Heavenly Father unto life everlasting?

If you've ever shared a bed with your baby...and really, what parent hasn't? Then I think you will find THIS to be HILARIOUS. Enjoy your day! :D

Feeling sad tonight. The kids are having a really hard time with the move (well, two of them) and it's taking a toll on my husband and me. One of our children is night waking 2-3 times a night screaming as if he's being hurt terribly and it takes forever to calm him down. The other is crying several times a day asking to "go home" and throws a fit when we tell him we are home. He's too little to understand.

It doesn't help that we have mattresses in our kitchen and plastic blocking off half of our house while floors are refinished so I know things will calm down, but it's hard to see our little ones hurting, esp when we ourselves are struggling to find comfort amidst so much change.

Clinging to my Jesus tonight who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Come soon, Lord Jesus.

There's nothing like those first toothless grins, "goo"s, and awesomely adorable baby rolls (both on the thighs and the movement :D ) oh yes, and the first baby giggles to make one forget the pain with which the child was both grown and brought forth and nearly desire* another one. I said nearly. As in almost. As in, HAHAHAHAHAHA ;-)

*Good thing we are not the ones in control of the timing of such blessings, no?

Fear Not

Have you ever noticed that when angels appear to men/women in the Scriptures they have to comfort them by telling them to not be afraid? This never had much impact on me until my oldest son saw a female angel on top of someone's Christmas tree this Christmas who was very beautiful and said angrily, "Mom! That's not an angel! Angels are men! And where is his sword?!" :)

But the young lad has a point. There's a reason the angels have to comfort those they come in contact with: they are warriors! Messengers of the Most High God. They are not looking for friends: they are fulfilling a purpose.

I wonder what the LCMS would look like today if our clergy and leaders behaved this way? Moreover, I wonder how many children would stay in the church if their pastors and parents exercised their authority in such a way?

Our job as mothers is not to coddle and make friends: it is to rule our homes while our husbands are away with a firm and loving hand. Our authority is given by Christ and when we wear it respectably, our children will not only understand what authority at home is: but also will understand and respect authority in both the right and left hand kingdoms.

Many children who do not have authority figures at home that they "fear and love" would probably be afraid of a painting like this...not my children. My children shiver with excitement over a warrior angel that is willing to fight for them.

May every faithful Pastor and Dad garner the same response!

And mothers: may we serve faithfully in such a way that we teach our children to fear and love God and their father.