Before I introduce my newest food challenge, for the month of April, I have to admit that I failed miserably on March's challenge. It was to avoid refined sweeteners of all types. Having a weekend conference away, an out of town family visit, family birthday and Easter meant I made a lot of exceptions.
It's easy for me to be negative about my own progress. However, when I'm truly honest about it, if I compare this past month with any other month in my life prior to beginning my journey to better eating, it was fantastic! I used to eat sugar on at least a daily basis. And I COULD NOT pass it up. Anywhere I happened to be when treats were served, I had to have some: Bible Study, Sunday School, playdates, kids' parties. Even when I met a friend for coffee, I always got a treat to go with it. With my first pregnancy, I drove by Dunkin Donuts on the way home from the midwife and I would go through the drive through for 2 donuts after every single appointment! Food was used as a reward and as a "treat" far too often in our home. So just the fact that we made a few exceptions rather than a lifestyle of junk food means my progress is HUGE. And the fact that they were mindful - I didn't just indulge because sweets were there - I made a choice, realizing that it was a compromise. And that is progress in my book :)
So, only about a week late, here is my challenge for April. I'll be transparent again and say that this one is actually one of the easiest changes I've made. However, it's also one of the ones with remarkable results. So...
April's challenge is to eat only 100% whole grains! This is very tricky is you are shopping for breads, crackers or other prepared foods. Many packages say things like "contains whole grains" or "wheat bread." This usually means it's NOT 100% whole grain. Wheat flour = white flour. If you are looking at an ingredient list, every type of grain or flour should say "whole wheat" or "whole grain." Or, in the case of rice, brown rice.
We've found a couple (literally, two) brands of bread sold locally that use only 100% whole grains. They are pricey! But they are also much more filling than other breads! Switching to brown rice and whole grain pasta wasn't a big deal for us. Really, other than slightly altering what we bought in the store and changing out the white flour I bake with, this one didn't make our life much more difficult. But the results have been amazing. Before we made the whole grain change (and cut out sugar), I had kids who had been on Miralax for constipation daily for YEARS. Yes, years. At least 3 years. They haven't used it at all since we cut out the processed grains! No more constipation, no more tummy aches. Amazing!
If you eat out often, this one will be a little trickier since I haven't yet found a restaurant that actually uses 100% whole grains in their baked goods. Even places that use locally sourced, organic real foods still use some white flour. I found a lovely baker at the farmer's market who sold a delicious looking loaf of "whole wheat bread." When I asked if it was only whole wheat, they told me they used about 2% white flour. What?? Why? I have no idea. Especially when fresh, whole grains taste SO good!
We've recently begun freshly grinding our own wheat just before we bake anything and it is absolutely delicious. I won't ask you all to join me in that as part of the challenge :) But I will say that it's shockingly easy and quick. It takes me 2 minutes to grind 4 cups of wheat. Then I just put the fresh flour into whatever I'm making!
Baking bread from scratch is also super easy. I use my bread machine to make the dough, then I dump in into a couple of bread pans or form it into little rolls and bake. Really, the hands-on time is probably 10 minutes.
Here is the basic bread recipe I use. And it could easily be made in an electric mixer or by hand if you don't have a bread maker. It would just require a bit more time:
1.5 C water
1/3 C oil (I use olive)
A squirt of local honey
2t sea salt
1 egg
1T vital wheat gluten (optional)
4-4.5 C fresh ground flour (decrease slightly if using purchased flour)
1T yeast
Dump it all in the breadmaker and set it to "dough." When the machine is done, take the dough out and either form it into rolls or split it into two greased bread pans. Then set the pans on the counter covered with a dish towel until the dough doubles. When it's doubled, bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes for rolls or 25-30 minutes for leaves.
I sometimes add italian seasoning and garlic powder for an italian bread. Or a stretch the dough out into a rectangle and sprinkle on a little cinnamon, maple syrup and raisins before I roll it up and put it in the pan. Super easy and yummy cinnamon raisin bread :)
For other baking, I've found it's easy to just swap out whole wheat flour for white in quickbread recipes. Especially if using fresh ground or "white whole wheat" from the store. Yeast breads are much trickier and it's best to find a recipe that was actually written for whole wheat flour.
Try to experiment with other types of whole grains, both for flours and for eating. Quinoa, brown rice and oatmeal are all whole grains that are delicious cooked and eaten plain or in recipes. For flours, try spelt, oat or brown rice. Or even grain free flours, like coconut or almond flour.
Enjoy eating whole grains this month and let me know if there are any recipes you are looking for. I'd love to share more of the ones I use!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Food challenge #1
My original intention was for a large part of this blog to be about food. It's recently begun taking up lots of mental real estate in our family. We have started reading labels, researching what all those ingredients really are and what they mean to our bodies and thinking much more carefully about what we consume. This has resulted in a huge amount of time spent driving to different stores (we used to be able to shop mainly at Walmart), more creative budgeting, trying to make tough decisions about what's most important and, of course, LOTS of time spent in the kitchen preparing food that is better for our bodies.
The past few months, with way too much sickness (we had a stomach bug in our house twice in the space of a month!!) plus my pregnancy exhaustion and just general busyness, we've really struggled to shop, cook and eat the way we'd like to.
And we need to change that now!! We've done several challenges in the past, ranging from a month to 100 days, trying to make a habit of eating healthfully. I'd like to invite you all to join me in a series of monthly challenges. My hope is that really focusing on one change a month will result in a lasting habit without being so overwhelming that we feel like quitting.
Around the first of each month, I plan to post the challenge and a little about why we feel making this change is so important to our health.
Challenge #1: Sweeteners!!!
This one is huge for me. I have always said that I didn't just have one sweet tooth, they were all sweet teeth! I am a true sugar addict and really struggle with moderation. I learned only after giving up sugar (after years of saying I could NEVER do it), that it truly was an addiction. Once it was out of my system, I no longer craved it. Or, if I did crave something sweet, it was easy to satisfy myself with something healthy and small, like a clementine. For me, this one is the hardest. Especially because it's all around us. At Bible study, Sunday school, playdates, coffee with a friend, meetings, sit seems like everywhere we go, there are treats!
It's also one of the ones with the greatest felt effects in my body. My ulcerative colitis is very much triggered by sugar and I feel so much better when I'm not eating it. It's funny because when I'm eating lots of sugar, I don't realize how bad I feel. But once I've detoxed from it and then I eat some, I get a headache, usually feel nauseous, sluggish and just generally icky. Not to mention the damage it does that I don't feel, like increasing my risk of cancer and depressing my immune system.
So, sugar is going for the month of March! And along with it, all artificial sweeteners and refined sweeteners. Honestly, it's much easier for me to specify what we DO use rather than what we DONT. Mainly local honey, pure maple syrup, and occasionally palm (coconut) or maple sugar if we need granulated sweetener. So...
The Rules:
No refined cane sugar including white sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar.
No agave nectar (which is far more refined than we are led to believe)
No artificial sweeteners of any kind, including those in chewing gum, sodas, etc.
No stevia unless you grow it yourself and are using the actual leaves. The white powder sold in the store is highly processed.
No high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup.
It's possible I am forgetting something with the myriad of junk out there. So remember, the main issue is that we want sweeteners that have not been processed or refined until they are toxic to our bodies. A few notes about the sweeteners we use:
Honey: Most of the honey sold in grocery stores is not really honey at all anymore. It's been pasteurized and actually had the pollen removed. Please be sure you are buying real honey. It's best to find raw, local honey. If you can't find raw or feel uncomfortable with it (or with the price!), local pasteurized honey is your best bet.
Maple Syrup: This is NOT pancake syrup. It's 100% pure maple syrup from an actual maple tree. Again, local is best.
Coconut or palm sugar: Honestly, I need to do more research on this, but I've bought an organic brand we've been happy with. We use it very rarely, just when we have a recipe that needs at least some granulated sugar. Honey and syrup seem to meet most of our needs.
I'll end with two of my favorite resources for sweet treats:
http://thenourishingapron.blogspot.com/ The Nourishing Apron: lots of yummy recipes for cookies, cakes and treats without refined sweeteners.
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-coffee-creamer/ Homemade flavored coffee creamers from Deliciously Organic. Flavored, super sweet coffee was something I never thought I could give up. But these are so yummy, you won't feel one bit deprived.
If you have a question about a particular sweetener or a particular food/recipe that you think you just can't have without sugar, please leave a comment and I'll try to find resources about those things!
Also, please leave a comment if you are planning to join us for the month of March in ridding our bodies of harmful sweeteners.
The past few months, with way too much sickness (we had a stomach bug in our house twice in the space of a month!!) plus my pregnancy exhaustion and just general busyness, we've really struggled to shop, cook and eat the way we'd like to.
And we need to change that now!! We've done several challenges in the past, ranging from a month to 100 days, trying to make a habit of eating healthfully. I'd like to invite you all to join me in a series of monthly challenges. My hope is that really focusing on one change a month will result in a lasting habit without being so overwhelming that we feel like quitting.
Around the first of each month, I plan to post the challenge and a little about why we feel making this change is so important to our health.
Challenge #1: Sweeteners!!!
This one is huge for me. I have always said that I didn't just have one sweet tooth, they were all sweet teeth! I am a true sugar addict and really struggle with moderation. I learned only after giving up sugar (after years of saying I could NEVER do it), that it truly was an addiction. Once it was out of my system, I no longer craved it. Or, if I did crave something sweet, it was easy to satisfy myself with something healthy and small, like a clementine. For me, this one is the hardest. Especially because it's all around us. At Bible study, Sunday school, playdates, coffee with a friend, meetings, sit seems like everywhere we go, there are treats!
It's also one of the ones with the greatest felt effects in my body. My ulcerative colitis is very much triggered by sugar and I feel so much better when I'm not eating it. It's funny because when I'm eating lots of sugar, I don't realize how bad I feel. But once I've detoxed from it and then I eat some, I get a headache, usually feel nauseous, sluggish and just generally icky. Not to mention the damage it does that I don't feel, like increasing my risk of cancer and depressing my immune system.
So, sugar is going for the month of March! And along with it, all artificial sweeteners and refined sweeteners. Honestly, it's much easier for me to specify what we DO use rather than what we DONT. Mainly local honey, pure maple syrup, and occasionally palm (coconut) or maple sugar if we need granulated sweetener. So...
The Rules:
No refined cane sugar including white sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar.
No agave nectar (which is far more refined than we are led to believe)
No artificial sweeteners of any kind, including those in chewing gum, sodas, etc.
No stevia unless you grow it yourself and are using the actual leaves. The white powder sold in the store is highly processed.
No high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup.
It's possible I am forgetting something with the myriad of junk out there. So remember, the main issue is that we want sweeteners that have not been processed or refined until they are toxic to our bodies. A few notes about the sweeteners we use:
Honey: Most of the honey sold in grocery stores is not really honey at all anymore. It's been pasteurized and actually had the pollen removed. Please be sure you are buying real honey. It's best to find raw, local honey. If you can't find raw or feel uncomfortable with it (or with the price!), local pasteurized honey is your best bet.
Maple Syrup: This is NOT pancake syrup. It's 100% pure maple syrup from an actual maple tree. Again, local is best.
Coconut or palm sugar: Honestly, I need to do more research on this, but I've bought an organic brand we've been happy with. We use it very rarely, just when we have a recipe that needs at least some granulated sugar. Honey and syrup seem to meet most of our needs.
I'll end with two of my favorite resources for sweet treats:
http://thenourishingapron.blogspot.com/ The Nourishing Apron: lots of yummy recipes for cookies, cakes and treats without refined sweeteners.
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/homemade-coffee-creamer/ Homemade flavored coffee creamers from Deliciously Organic. Flavored, super sweet coffee was something I never thought I could give up. But these are so yummy, you won't feel one bit deprived.
If you have a question about a particular sweetener or a particular food/recipe that you think you just can't have without sugar, please leave a comment and I'll try to find resources about those things!
Also, please leave a comment if you are planning to join us for the month of March in ridding our bodies of harmful sweeteners.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Giving Up
Parenting is hard. Anyone who says otherwise either has a child less than a week old or is lying. Certainly there are moments it feels blissfully easy. There are times it's rewarding and wonderful, fun and exciting.
But in between those moments are the hard ones. The heartwrenchingly painful moments of watching your child hurt. The immensely difficult moments of having to discipline - to be God's tool in molding a child to become more like Him. The physically exhausting moments of nursing a baby in the middle of the night, comforting a sick child in the wee hours of the morning. The emotionally exhausting moments that stretch into hours, days, weeks.
God uses parenting to stretch and grow us in a way nothing else can. We are brought to our knees as we question. Question ourselves, our worth, our very identity. Question Who God is, what He is doing and where He is!! We are terrified, of the unknown, of the future, of ourselves and our human nature.
And at some point, we want to give up. Today I did. I wanted to give up on my life. On the monotony of the laundry, the dishes, the vacuuming, the feeding and wiping and dressing these little people. But mostly trying to make the hard decisions, trying to figure out how to reach their hearts. Trying to pick up the shattered pieces of myself after they shouted, "You hate me, you hate me, you hate me!"
And I did. I gave up. I came to the end of myself and cried out to God that I could not do it, that He must have made a mistake giving me these children. I told Him that I was spent, exhausted, that I could not go on.
And I realized that it is Right, it's True that I cannot parent these children on my own. I don't have the emotional energy, the physical energy, the wisdom, the anything. I am utterly unworthy. He uses these moments to remind me that I am absolutely dependent on Him.
And He speaks to me. If I am willing to listen, He is always speaking to me. Sometimes He gives me a scripture, sometimes a friend who can encourage. Sometimes it just looking at those sleeping children at night or feeling a tiny toddler's hand on my cheek while she gets as close as possible to whisper some secret to me. Sometimes I'm convicted. Sometimes I'm comforted. Sometimes He reminds me that this relationship parallels the relationship He has with me - that I am not very unlike that child who is ungrateful, who is disrespectful, disobedient and defiant, but yet, through it all, is loved deeply, unconditionally, with forgiveness always waiting.
Today, after a day that felt like battle, He spoke to me with a gift of a sincere apology and seven precious cents. One nickel and two pennies put into my hand with an explanation, "I don't really want to give these to you, but I do want to give them to you. It's not too little and it's not too much. I want to say I'm sorry."
He spoke healing into my soul and into our relationship. He reminded me that He is walking the whole way with me and when I come to the end of myself, that's where He is. That's where He will always be.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Feeding my... Five?
I know I have been remarkably silent since my one and only post only two months ago. Shortly after posting, we were surprised to discover we had a fifth blessing on the way. Not only did it take a bit of getting used to (five kids?!? Really, God? You are trusting us with FIVE lives? After I just admitted that I really struggle in a lot of ways to care for four!?), but I have also been, well, pregnant.
And anyone who has been pregnant knows what that means. It means that for the past couple of months, I have been in what I call "first trimester fog." It means I wake up in the morning and make a to-do list for the day. Something like this:
-dress little people
-feed little people
-do a load of laundry
Then, I immediately feel overwhelmed by the enormity of those tasks and start counting the hours until I can go back to bed.
It means I constantly feel tired, that kind of tired that can never be explained to someone who hasn't experienced it. Exhaustion, Weariness, Fatigue. That kind of tired that is painful. The kind of tired that leaves you sitting on your kitchen floor crying because you just can't muster up the energy to make a PB+J for someone for lunch. With my first, I was tired. I remember sleeping probably at least 16 hours a day. There were times I felt refreshed. Even with my second, I was able to follow that age old advice "Nap when the baby naps." But after two, "nap when the baby naps" becomes a sick joke. When the baby is napping, the preschooler is gluing his body to the wall (literally, with a purple glue stick). When the preschooler is napping, the baby is begging to watch a midnight showing of Elmo. A few nights ago, I dropped into bed, giddy at the thought of a night's sleep. I woke sandwiched so tightly between my two and six year olds that I literally had to lay on my side because there wasn't room for me to turn to my back. And my head was not on my pillow, because my 4 year old's entire body was curled up on it, like an enormous, restless cat. Exhaustion doesn't even begin to touch this.
It means food becomes a whole issue. I sit down to write a menu plan and grocery list for the week (in one of those rare moments when I can keep my eyes open long enough to focus), and realize the though of every single food I can think of makes me nauseous. All except one thing, gouda one week, apples the next, toast the third. But I certainly can't just buy cases of a single food for my family for a week. So I force myself to make a weekly dinner plan with lots of variety. Something like this:
Monday: Grilled cheese
Tuesday: Grilled cheese
Wednesday: Grilled cheese
etc.
Then I force myself to go to the store (Okay, I'll be honest, I think I've gone to the store twice in the past few months - the truth is I send my dear, dear husband, who not only goes to the store but doesn't complain about the menu of grilled cheese 29 nights in a month).
Eventually, it means we announce our pregnancy to the world and are met with embarrassing questions about our sex lives (you know how this happens right?), unabashed personal prying (was this planned?), and oddly negative reactions from other parents who appear to love their kids but just can't imagine enjoying having several of them.
Of course, the ones we like to focus on, and cling to, are the wonderful ones. The older women who confide that they always wished they could have more. The ones who squeal and jump and act as though we are giving them the greatest gift imaginable by having another child. The ones who remind us that God is indeed blessing us, that He indeed trusts us, that we will not only manage to deliver five children safely to adulthood but that we can do it with grace and do it well! The ones who hug us. The ones who know us well enough or are polite enough to not ask probing, awkward questions.
And in the midst of it all, I become home to a miracle. A life growing inside my body. The kids ask about the size of the baby, what it looks like, what it can do. So we look online and learn that now it has a beating heart, that now it's tripled in size, that now it can blink it's tiny eyes, and, to lots of giggles, that now it can pee. There is nothing I could do to create a human life, to start a heart beating, to cause a body to grow, to create moving eyelids or even a working bladder.
I am reminded that I am not in control. Daily I worry that I will lose the baby, that something is wrong. Daily, hourly, I remember there is NOTHING I can do to control the outcome.
I can pray.
I can trust. Trust the creator of the Universe. The Creator. Of The Universe. Of the Universe, and also of this tiny child He is gifting us with.
Psalm 139: 13-16
For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."
I remind my kids daily (seems like it's been hourly the past week) that their siblings deserve to be treated with honor because they are made in The Image of God Himself. The Creator of the Universe is using my body to create a new life, a life fashioned to reflect Him in His glory.
It kind of makes everything else fade away. I become ashamed to admit the number of times I've complained about my exhaustion, my food aversions. The number of times I've been so self-focused that I've become fearful, overwhelmed, wondering how on earth I could possibly care for five little humans. How I could parent them well, how I could retain my sanity while keeping their noses and bottoms clean. How I could teach them to use the potty, tie their shoes, treat each other well, learn to read. And most importantly, to love God with Abandon. To seek Him desperately and long, above all else, to serve and honor Him. How, how, how??
Selfishness, vanity, all of it! Because the truth is, I can't. I can't do it all. Honestly, I can't even do half of it. But God can. And He will. Even when I fail. Even when I fail a thousand times. He is still their Creator. The Creator of the universe and the creator of my family. Just as I cannot cause my unborn child's heart to begin beating, I cannot cause my 6 year old's heart to love God.
I can pray.
I can trust.
I can be obedient to God as He guides me - teaching my kids Bible verses, praying with them, being patient with them, being an example, even if that means admitting I was wrong.
I can be obedient as He strengthens me - to show them His love at 3am when they are sick, at 10pm when they are afraid, at any and every moment He calls me to action, I can be obedient.
So, I look forward with anticipation to feeding my Five. It's easy to find joy in the unknown when I remember to take my eyes off myself and look toward God. He has a plan for our family I cannot begin to imagine and I am giddy with excitement and honor that He has chosen me to be a part of it.
And anyone who has been pregnant knows what that means. It means that for the past couple of months, I have been in what I call "first trimester fog." It means I wake up in the morning and make a to-do list for the day. Something like this:
-dress little people
-feed little people
-do a load of laundry
Then, I immediately feel overwhelmed by the enormity of those tasks and start counting the hours until I can go back to bed.
It means I constantly feel tired, that kind of tired that can never be explained to someone who hasn't experienced it. Exhaustion, Weariness, Fatigue. That kind of tired that is painful. The kind of tired that leaves you sitting on your kitchen floor crying because you just can't muster up the energy to make a PB+J for someone for lunch. With my first, I was tired. I remember sleeping probably at least 16 hours a day. There were times I felt refreshed. Even with my second, I was able to follow that age old advice "Nap when the baby naps." But after two, "nap when the baby naps" becomes a sick joke. When the baby is napping, the preschooler is gluing his body to the wall (literally, with a purple glue stick). When the preschooler is napping, the baby is begging to watch a midnight showing of Elmo. A few nights ago, I dropped into bed, giddy at the thought of a night's sleep. I woke sandwiched so tightly between my two and six year olds that I literally had to lay on my side because there wasn't room for me to turn to my back. And my head was not on my pillow, because my 4 year old's entire body was curled up on it, like an enormous, restless cat. Exhaustion doesn't even begin to touch this.
It means food becomes a whole issue. I sit down to write a menu plan and grocery list for the week (in one of those rare moments when I can keep my eyes open long enough to focus), and realize the though of every single food I can think of makes me nauseous. All except one thing, gouda one week, apples the next, toast the third. But I certainly can't just buy cases of a single food for my family for a week. So I force myself to make a weekly dinner plan with lots of variety. Something like this:
Monday: Grilled cheese
Tuesday: Grilled cheese
Wednesday: Grilled cheese
etc.
Then I force myself to go to the store (Okay, I'll be honest, I think I've gone to the store twice in the past few months - the truth is I send my dear, dear husband, who not only goes to the store but doesn't complain about the menu of grilled cheese 29 nights in a month).
Eventually, it means we announce our pregnancy to the world and are met with embarrassing questions about our sex lives (you know how this happens right?), unabashed personal prying (was this planned?), and oddly negative reactions from other parents who appear to love their kids but just can't imagine enjoying having several of them.
Of course, the ones we like to focus on, and cling to, are the wonderful ones. The older women who confide that they always wished they could have more. The ones who squeal and jump and act as though we are giving them the greatest gift imaginable by having another child. The ones who remind us that God is indeed blessing us, that He indeed trusts us, that we will not only manage to deliver five children safely to adulthood but that we can do it with grace and do it well! The ones who hug us. The ones who know us well enough or are polite enough to not ask probing, awkward questions.
And in the midst of it all, I become home to a miracle. A life growing inside my body. The kids ask about the size of the baby, what it looks like, what it can do. So we look online and learn that now it has a beating heart, that now it's tripled in size, that now it can blink it's tiny eyes, and, to lots of giggles, that now it can pee. There is nothing I could do to create a human life, to start a heart beating, to cause a body to grow, to create moving eyelids or even a working bladder.
I am reminded that I am not in control. Daily I worry that I will lose the baby, that something is wrong. Daily, hourly, I remember there is NOTHING I can do to control the outcome.
I can pray.
I can trust. Trust the creator of the Universe. The Creator. Of The Universe. Of the Universe, and also of this tiny child He is gifting us with.
Psalm 139: 13-16
For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."
I remind my kids daily (seems like it's been hourly the past week) that their siblings deserve to be treated with honor because they are made in The Image of God Himself. The Creator of the Universe is using my body to create a new life, a life fashioned to reflect Him in His glory.
It kind of makes everything else fade away. I become ashamed to admit the number of times I've complained about my exhaustion, my food aversions. The number of times I've been so self-focused that I've become fearful, overwhelmed, wondering how on earth I could possibly care for five little humans. How I could parent them well, how I could retain my sanity while keeping their noses and bottoms clean. How I could teach them to use the potty, tie their shoes, treat each other well, learn to read. And most importantly, to love God with Abandon. To seek Him desperately and long, above all else, to serve and honor Him. How, how, how??
Selfishness, vanity, all of it! Because the truth is, I can't. I can't do it all. Honestly, I can't even do half of it. But God can. And He will. Even when I fail. Even when I fail a thousand times. He is still their Creator. The Creator of the universe and the creator of my family. Just as I cannot cause my unborn child's heart to begin beating, I cannot cause my 6 year old's heart to love God.
I can pray.
I can trust.
I can be obedient to God as He guides me - teaching my kids Bible verses, praying with them, being patient with them, being an example, even if that means admitting I was wrong.
I can be obedient as He strengthens me - to show them His love at 3am when they are sick, at 10pm when they are afraid, at any and every moment He calls me to action, I can be obedient.
So, I look forward with anticipation to feeding my Five. It's easy to find joy in the unknown when I remember to take my eyes off myself and look toward God. He has a plan for our family I cannot begin to imagine and I am giddy with excitement and honor that He has chosen me to be a part of it.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
The secret: How I do it all
I am so excited to have a format for sharing what I learn as I strive to feed my family in the ways that God has called me to. I am blessed with 4 kids under 8 years old and I have a passion for feeding my family healthy food. We avoid refined grains and sweeteners and favor local, organic food. On a tight budget, this means lots of creativity and time in the kitchen, baking, cooking and cleaning up.
I also have a passion for "feeding" my kids' souls. I want them to learn to love the Bible, to know exactly Who God is, and that He created them for the purpose of a loving relationship with Him. What a huge job!
I am often asked "How do you do it?" or "How do you it all?" when people discover that I am involved in several ministries, cook much of our food from scratch and have four kids. I tend stammer out something that is less than witty or informative like "You know..." or just flash an uncomfortable smile. I find this question remarkably awkward for several reasons. I feel very put on the spot. And it's such a vague question. How do I do what? I can only imagine what this person is picturing my life to be. And I know it must be very, very far from the truth. Because I am finally ready to give a truthful, informative answer. So, to those of you who've been wondering how I do it?... Here it is:
I don't.
Truly.
I really, really don't do whatever is it that you think I do. My house is rarely clean. There are several (all?) closets in my home that will cause an avalanche if you open the door. I regularly ask my mother in law to do simple things like sewing lost buttons onto clothing because I don't even know that I own a needle and thread much less know how to use it. I am far too selfish in my marriage. I lose my temper daily with my precious children. They watch too much TV than I really think is healthy. There are times I only throw in a load of laundry because someone has completely run out of clean underwear. There have been entire weeks my kids haven't had a bath.
Those delicious dinners I make my family? They usually end with most of the food on the floor, someone using too much potty humor and a naked toddler standing on the table. And the dishes are frequently still there in the morning.
Certainly there are things I do well in life, but there are plenty I do badly (or just don't do at all. Like Dust.) I am truly thrilled to invite you to journey with me as I feed my family physically and spiritually. But I want to first be clear that I don't do it all. I do only what God calls me to do and what He's gifted me to do. And I let the rest go.
I also have a passion for "feeding" my kids' souls. I want them to learn to love the Bible, to know exactly Who God is, and that He created them for the purpose of a loving relationship with Him. What a huge job!
I am often asked "How do you do it?" or "How do you it all?" when people discover that I am involved in several ministries, cook much of our food from scratch and have four kids. I tend stammer out something that is less than witty or informative like "You know..." or just flash an uncomfortable smile. I find this question remarkably awkward for several reasons. I feel very put on the spot. And it's such a vague question. How do I do what? I can only imagine what this person is picturing my life to be. And I know it must be very, very far from the truth. Because I am finally ready to give a truthful, informative answer. So, to those of you who've been wondering how I do it?... Here it is:
I don't.
Truly.
I really, really don't do whatever is it that you think I do. My house is rarely clean. There are several (all?) closets in my home that will cause an avalanche if you open the door. I regularly ask my mother in law to do simple things like sewing lost buttons onto clothing because I don't even know that I own a needle and thread much less know how to use it. I am far too selfish in my marriage. I lose my temper daily with my precious children. They watch too much TV than I really think is healthy. There are times I only throw in a load of laundry because someone has completely run out of clean underwear. There have been entire weeks my kids haven't had a bath.
Those delicious dinners I make my family? They usually end with most of the food on the floor, someone using too much potty humor and a naked toddler standing on the table. And the dishes are frequently still there in the morning.
Certainly there are things I do well in life, but there are plenty I do badly (or just don't do at all. Like Dust.) I am truly thrilled to invite you to journey with me as I feed my family physically and spiritually. But I want to first be clear that I don't do it all. I do only what God calls me to do and what He's gifted me to do. And I let the rest go.
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