Information Overload

Here's an interesting tidbit from Homeliving Helper:

To bring joy to the home, it may be necessary to boot the noise-filled, demanding world, out the door and never let it come back. Move all media to the basement or to an uneasily accessible place in the house--perhaps a small corner or an unused room, can eliminate some of the stress of the world. Newspapers, magazines and radio seem to be full of doom and worry. Soon everyone is looking for signs of disease or disaster. Their hearts constrict and their breathing becomes shallow. They don't know whether to continue on with life or give up. I read on someone's blog about her media fast. At day 30, she was enjoying life more than ever and her blood pressure had become normal. She was no longer having panic attacks. She was sleeping normally and not experiencing nightmares. Her home had become her haven.

This is one reason that I try to stay generally informed, but not immersed in all the bad news the world has to offer. I think people who focus on the true, good, and beautiful are happier and healthier.

On Daily Routines

I revamped our daily routine recently. I happened sort of by accident. We’ve started having Elizabeth’s home school lessons in the afternoon, starting while the little ones are asleep.

I have to admit, it feels strange. Even having been homeschooled myself, I have a hard time breaking out of the idea that our school day should look like a traditional one. That if I start at a different time of day than people who send their kids to traditional school, I’m somehow giving in to a low standard. Never mind that it works better, we get more done in a shorter amount of time, and she learns more! An efficient and productive day is meeting a high standard!

I’m also learning to be flexible and change things up every now and then. This wouldn’t have worked a few months ago. I really want a “forever” routine. I want to establish a schedule and never have to re-vamp it. Of course that is totally unrealistic. It’s a balancing act between establishing structure and routine for the sake of our sanity and good habits in our kids, and being flexible enough to recognize when a change is in order.

Here are a few benefits to our new routine.

I don’t feel rushed and pressured in the morning. No matter how early I got up or how fast I worked, there was no way to get everything done that I needed to do before 8AM. I was upset every single morning, because I just could not finish before it was time to start lessons. Consequently, I kind of gave up on my morning tasks. They weren’t going to get done anyway. Now it does get done, because I haven’t placed unrealistic expectations on myself. In the near future, when my kids are a bit bigger, they’ll be able to shoulder more of the load. Till then, since I’m mostly doing it alone, this works better.

The kids can play outside early while it’s cool. I found that when we had school all morning and naps after lunch, by the time they had free time to play outside, it was too hot. I think it’s important for kids to have lots of time to play outside. My kids weren’t getting that, but now they are.

The house is more or less tidy when Billy comes home for lunch. That’s a big plus.

School time is more peaceful. People have asked me how I manage school with toddlers. I haven’t had a really good answer. Honestly, many days I was doing well to just grin and bear it…Um, bear it anyway. Now we can get the bulk of our school work done without distraction. Yesterday I put the little ones down, fixed Elizabeth and me some tea and a dainty snack, and we had school—with no interruptions. Yay! I’m so much less stressed, and so is she!

Elizabeth and I have one-on-one time, so she is learning more.

I feel almost guilty that school is not a struggle every day. Is it supposed to be this fun and easy? Of course it is. I just had to change my conventional ideas about our school time. I’ve heard people say for years that one of the greatest benefits about home schooling is the flexibility, but I didn’t really understand what they meant. Now I do. It's a no-brainer, but I'm kind of slow sometimes. A side note: I had to give up my time to myself during the kids’ nap time. But it is so worth it for greater peace in our day!

Thyroid

Here's a bit I wrote about hypothyroidism some time back. I try to mention this every now and then because it's so epidemic, but so under-diagnosed. Figuring this out changed my life, and maybe this will help someone else!

******************

I knew my mom has to take thyroid medication. I thought my grandma has taken it in the past. But it wasn't till last year when Billy was diagnosed with hypothyroidism that I realized what total havoc this disease can wreak on your body and mind. It can truly be debilitating disease, as much as any other debilitating disease, if you don't discover it and get treatment. From severe head-to-toe body aches, coldness (low body temperature), extreme exhaustion, forgetfulness and confusion, and panic attacks--Billy had a bad case, but we didn't know what it was. That's a scary feeling. Thanks to a good doctor friend, he got to the bottom of it. Three medications, a lot of side affects and 6 different dosages later, he found what worked for him and regained something like normal health.

He kept telling me that I had hypothyroidism too. I kept telling him that he was crazy. I was just tired from being up all night with babies, this was mommy brain, hormones, normal. I even got my thyroid tested. The studies came back normal. The problem is that this crazy brain and exhaustion has been "normal" for six years.

Finally I realized that something really was wrong a few months after Sarah was born. I felt like I was losing my mind. I faxed my OBGyn a detailed letter describing my symptoms. His nurse called me back and told me that I must have post-partum depression and they wanted to put me on prozac. I said no thanks.

Taking care of myself with excercise, water, sunlight, a good diet, and as much rest as a mom of 3 little ones can get helped. It helped enough that I still felt like it was just adjusting to a new baby and that with time it would pass. But a couple weeks ago after a series of particularly goofy mistakes, Billy made me take my temperature. No surprise to him, it was 96.9. The next day, even lower. Then he made me make a doctor's appointment. I felt pretty sure that my studies would once again come back normal, and I was sure that the doctor would just want to treat me for post-partum depression again. But I went anyway and told the doctor what he told me to tell her.

She felt my thyroid and said that it was "nodular". She said that based on my symptoms and family history, I probably did have hypothyroidism. And even though my studies indeed came back within "normal" range, she perscribed me a small dose of natural Armour thyroid.

The very first day I could tell a difference. Within a three days I felt like a new woman. Last week my house was on the way to getting organized for the first time in three years. I finally had the energy and mental clarity to go into a room and organize it! I was no longer just barely keeping my head above water! I feel human again! If I feel this much better after just a few days, I can't imagine how much better I will feel in a few weeks or months.

Hypothyroidism is on the rise, due in part to the soy products and fluoride we consume, as well as other factors. It's also grossly underdiagnosed and undertreated. Different labs have different standards for "normal" and consequently a lot of people aren't getting the treatment they need.

If you are tired all the time, depressed, gaining weight (or not able to lose weight), achy, confused, forgetful, and cold, chances are that you could have hypothyroidism. After several stubborn years I am so glad that I listened to Billy and did something about it. If in doubt, get it checked out. Educate yourself as well. The most helpful resource we've found is the book Living Well with Hypothyroidism by Mary Shomon. Read, read, read. If you have hypothyroidism you don't have to suffer any longer!

Migraine

I've been fighting a migraine since Monday night. Anybody know how to get rid of this thing, besides sleeping it off???!!!

Public Domain Vintage Clipart

I found a great source of free vintage clipart.

Karen's Whimsy

Nature-Deficit Disorder

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Al Mohler tells of the vast numbers of children growing up with "nature-deficit disorder"--the malady of not spending any time outside, except during sports activities.

Pinky

Sarah, who’s 2, knows one color. Pink. It’s her favorite. She doesn’t know what the other colors are called, she just knows that they aren’t pink. And since it’s is the only color she knows, she also uses the word to mean “color.” To inquire what color something is, she says, “What dat pinky?”

Her reddish sippy cup has a name: Pinky. “Where my Pinky?” she asks first thing in the morning, last thing at night.

I got her some new clothes yesterday. A couple shorts sets, and a couple cotton sun dresses, one pink and one blue. This morning I laid them all out and asked her what she’d like to wear. Without hesitation, she pointed to the pink dress. “Dat pinky!”

A Blast From the Past

Since I can't think of anything to blog about today, I thought I'd link to some old posts I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on.


Grace


Love


Bread


And the single-income/frugal series:


Frugal Baby


More Frugal Baby


Frugal Food


More Frugal Food


Frugal Clothing


Frugal Entertainment

Seven Great Marriage Books

Note: I just edited to correct the first couple lines which just came across sounding really wrong. Not what I intended. Note to self: Proofread better, CG.

Let's face it, our husbands are not perfect. (Neither are we!) But as women, we hold amazing power in our hands to make our marriages better, and to influence our men for good, just by loving them in a way they understand, respecting them, and putting them first. Here are a few books that have blessed my marriage. They aren't all necessarily Christian books, but they all contain sound advice. Let's do our part to make our marriages better!

His Needs, Her Needs By Willard F. Harley

This is a great book that discusses the five major needs of men and women respectively, in a marriage relationship. It was so helpful to me as a newlywed. I still refer to it now, as a refresher.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

This helps you understand how your spouse receives love. It may not be the way you receive love. It's not necessarily a cure-all, but great information nonetheless.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura Schlessinger

In classic Dr. Laura style, this book is a swuft kick in the rear, and not at all politically correct. I loved it. It's humorous but to the point.

For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhan

I've heard great reviews of this and read most of it in the bookstore yesterday. It's very good! Learn what makes your man tick, how he thinks, and what's important to him. Well worth the price.

Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl

I'm sure I'll get some flack for recommending this book because it's been very controversial. Debi is a hyper-traditionalist and contends that our created purpose is to help our man. It's a sort of kick-in-the-rear version of For Women Only. It's not perfect, and like the previous two books does not even touch on what our husbands should be doing. However, it does tap the power we have as women to make our marriages better. Let's take responsibility for our part. Put a smile on your face and quit making your husband beg you to go to bed with him. Those would be two major themes of the book.

Since I'm pretty traditional myself, it didn't bother me. I'm also a chew and spit person--chew up the meat, and spit out the bones. If you aren't the kind of person who can take the good and leave the bad, you probably don't want to look at this book. It's also not a cure-all. But if you read it in harmony with other marriage books for balance, it's extremely helpful. I liked it.

Intimate Issues by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus

Excellent book on...well, intimate issues...for married Christian women. Not an exhaustive treatise on Christian s*xuality, but an excellent resource for us girls. It also has study notes, for group or personal study. Direct, but very tasteful.

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian

Why is it that we so often nag and complain before we pray for our husbands? Before Billy and I got married, I adopted Stormie's statement as my motto: "Shut up and pray." Not that I've done it perfectly every time. But I've tried. Prayer works a lot better than nagging.

Funny Girl

Last night we were invited to supper with new friends. All the kids were playing in the bedroom, with Elizabeth being the oldest. We heard a piercing scream come from the room...The daddy of the house went to check it out...Sarah and Silas were squabbling over a toy. Elizabeth assured him, "I've got it under control. I'm six."

Veils Christians Wear, Part 4

Yes, just one more masked hero.

The final mask Ray Steadman discusses in his book Authentic Christianity:

But perhaps the most common veil employed by Christians is remoteness--the practice of keeping feelings and attitudes completely to oneself. Remoteness arises primarily from fear--the fear of being known for what one is. Often, though, it is described defensively as "reserve," "privacy," or "reticence." It is clearly a veil to keep others from seeing a fading glory [like the glory of Moses which faded over time after he came down from Mt. Sinai] and is a direct violation of such biblical commands as "confess your sins one to another and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16) and "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).

The flesh, or natural life, likes nothing better than to hide or disguise itself. We all tend to fear rejection if we are seen for what we are. The satanic lie is that in order to be liked or accepted we must appear capable or successful. Therefore we either project capability (the extrovert) or we seek to hide our failure (the introvert). The new covenant offers the opposite. If we will admit our inadequacy, we can have God's adequacy, and all we have sought vainly to produce (confidence, success, impact, integrity, and reality) is given to us at the point of our inability. The key is to take away the veil.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Veils Christians Wear, Part 3

OK, OK, I promise this is the last picture of a creepy masked superhero! My 4-year-old little boy thinks it's cool though...

Here's another excerpt from Ray Steadman's Authentic Christianity, about "veils" Christians wear:

An impatient spirit can be a veil to hide the reality of what we are. It is often manifested to indicate importance or busyness. It frequently appears as a mark of zeal or dedication. But to be easily irritated, to frown readily, or reply sharply is a form of pride usually used to cover insecurity or a deep sense of inferiority. A self-justifying habit by people who can't stand to be misunderstood but who are forever explaining their actions reveals something similar.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 4

Veils Christians Wear, Part 2

Again, from Authentic Christianity by Ray Steadman:

Another common Christian veil is sensitivity or touchiness. People who are touchy or excessively sensitive are easily hurt by the words or actions of others. They must be handled with kid gloves lest they take offense. And when offended, they suffer agonies of spirit and tend to wallow in a morass of self-pity. Their explanation of such agony is always the "thoughlessness" or "rudeness" of others, but in reality it is their own protest at not being given the attention or prominence that they're sure they deserve.

P.S. I don't think Batman really embodies the style of this blog very well, but he sure had a secret identity, didn't he?!

Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

Veils Christians Wear, Part 1

In his book Authentic Christianity, Ray Steadman talks about the "veils" Christians wear--those things we hide behind to disguise what is really going on inside.


Here's one veil he discusses:

Self-righteousness is a particularly noxious form of Christian pride. It seizes upon some biblical standard of conduct and takes pride in own ability to measure up externally while conveniently overlooking any failure of the inner life to conform. The end result is a smug, patronizing, and even nasty attitude toward anyone who does not meet the standard. Self-righteousness is also the sin of the person who nags another, for the nagger is focusing on a single point of conduct and ignores the areas in his or her own lifewhere a similar failure is occuring.

Part 2
Part 3

Cookies for a Crowd

We were invited to a get-together Sunday afternoon, and I planned to bring brownies. When I got the ingredients out, my cocoa container was almost empty. Ack! What to do! I didn't have much in the house to bake with.

Snickerdoodles were the answer. Rich, buttery, moist, special, but with the most basic ingredient list. They were fast to make and everyone liked them. We didn't bring any leftovers home.

Recipe below!

Snickerdoodles

3 c. sugar
1 lb. butter
4 eggs
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 t. cream of tartar
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

1. Heat oven to 350.

2. Mix sugar, butter, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in dry ingredients.

3. Shape dough in to 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup sugar mixed with a few t. cinnamon). Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

4. Bake about 13 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

I see now that in addition to changing some of the ingredients, I've changed the temp and baking time from the original recipe. They were great and popular, so I guess it worked!

I Want a Robot!

I'm not a techie person, and normally I'm pretty content--I can count on one hand I've really wanted something that cost over $100. But when friends were singing the praises of their scoobas...And they told me they sell for around $150, refurbished...Well, the scooba has made my wish list! One of my greatest sources of frustration has been not having time to keep my floor properly mopped. This is a very large house, with mostly hard floors. It takes about an hour to mop the floor, and once it's mopped it's dirty again in no time (3 kids six and under!). Besides, the string mop is so heavy that I just end up smearing dirty water over the floors again because I can't wring it out thoroughly. Swiffer has too much ongoing expense. My own personal floor-mopping robot sounds pretty darn great. Anybody have a scooba?

The Talk

Barbara Curtis, mom of 12, has a great 3-part series on having "The Talk" with your kids. You know, The Talk. Yeah, that one.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Healthy "Ice Cream"

I thought of this while I was reading Carrien's blog, The Real Food Revolution. A reader wondered how to satistfy her craving for creamy, smooth, or fluffy treats.

This raw vegan "ice cream" has got to be the best kept secret of the vegan world. It makes my carnivorous husband nervous when I use the term vegan ("vegans are weird"), so I'll clarify that I'm not vegan or even vegetarian, but I do have a child with dairy and sugar sensitivities, so recipes like this one are a boon. Everyone in my family loves animal products of all kinds, but they also love this creamy, good-for-you treat. I have to credit my sis who first told me about it.

So you're wondering how to make it, right? (BTW, the picture really does not do it justice. It was snapped in haste.)

Peel and freeze a bunch of very ripe bananas. I freeze them on a cookie sheet so they don't stick together and then tranfer them to a ziploc bag.

When you're ready to make the "ice cream," chunk a couple frozen bananas up and blend in the blender with a little water or rice milk or whatever liquid you have on hand. Just pulse it slowly till it's nice and creamy, and I promise you, it will have the exact consistency of soft serve ice cream. You can eat it plain...Add a little vanilla...a glob of nut butter...a few frozen strawberries (as pictured)...a spoonful of carob powder...Lots of possibilities. Soooo yummy.

I was amazed at how good it was. We served this to friends the other night, and they tell me that their freezer is now full of frozen bananas, too. You don't have to be a health food nut to enjoy this.

By the way, Carrien also has a great post up about making the decision to eat right, which I needed today. I read it while I finished lunch...A hot dog, mac & cheese, and a cookie. Ahem!

Smart or Wise?

Recently I was in a social gathering where intelligence was highly regarded. Much of the conversation revolved around who was the smartest, who had the highest GPA in high school and college, who had attended what university, and so forth. By the end of the conversation the “less smart” people were apologizing for their supposed lack of intelligence and their community college attendance. (Those who hadn’t been to college at all didn’t dare speak up.) The sad part was that this was a Christian gathering, where, of all places, everyone should feel welcome and valued, regardless of IQ or education. Being “insane smart” shouldn’t even make the brag list.

I thought of I Corinthians 1:26-31, which says,

Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God." (The Message)

Now there’s nothing wrong with intelligence or education. In fact, getting a good education is important for lots of reasons. I’m married to a very smart guy, and I’ll be pleased if my kids are smart. But it’s not the most important thing. You can be as smart as can be, but lack wisdom. You can have all the education in the world, and no common sense. I know some people whom most people would consider ignorant who have great wisdom and good sense. While I believe intelligence and education are some of God’s good gifts, I’d far rather have God’s kind of right thinking, the wisdom He promises to give if we just ask, with a heart of humility and love.

I Corinthians 13:2 says,

“If I…know all mysteries and all knowledge…but do not have love, I am nothing.” (NASB)

It’s good to know that God loves and values us all equally, whether we’re “the brightest and best” or whether we come from humble circumstances, whether we are smart or dumb, whether we’re well educated or not. It’s good to know that He loved the world, not just the smart people of the world. It’s good to know that He came to earth to be raised in a simple, common family, just like many of us. It’s good to know that when he looks at us, He’s not looking at our IQs, but our souls.

My House

Before we moved, when Billy suggested the idea of renting for a few years, I sat down and cried. I so wanted our own home. But I gave it to God, saw wisdom in the idea, and accepted it, even though I figured we'd have to downsize and live someplace less than ideal.


Well, God surprised me and gave us a home better than I could have imagined. I love this place, and I'm not anxious to leave. Sure, we'd like to buy a place some day, but for now, I'm loving it here. Here's a little peek at a couple of my favorite features in the living room.

French doors

Front door, inside the covered porch

Front door stained glass

I'm reminded of this poem. My home is certainly not a trial, but the trial was letting go of what I wanted and accepting what God wanted. His provision is so much better than anything I could have forced on my own!

In Acceptance Lieth Peace

In acceptance lieth peace, 0 my heart wilt thou be still, Let my restless worries cease, and I'll accept His will; Though this test be not my choice, It is His, therefore rejoice: In acceptance lieth peace, In acceptance lieth peace.

In this plan there cannot be Aught to make me sad; If this is His will for me, I'll take it and be glad, Make from it some lovely thing To the glory of my King, In acceptance lieth peace, In acceptance lieth peace.

Cease from sighs and murmurings, Sing His wondrous loving grace; Every trial brings furthering, For my celestial place; From my fears take His release, Joys and happiness increase; In acceptance lieth peace, In acceptance lieth peace. By Hannah Hurnard and Alberta Knoch