Trying NOT to be Supermom

The kids have a Veggietales CD that we were listening to in the car today (after driving home from a horrible, no good, very bad day.) I was struck with the impression from the spirit a few weeks ago about doing better for my kids first. I was running late, frustrated and feeling overwhelmed as I was putting together things to give service to a friend, and as I'm going about doing this, I found myself yelling at my kids and being short with them. Made sense right? Someone else got my service, and I failed to serve my own children first.

So I was humbled at the call to reality of what is truly important. I want to love my children soulfully. And I've convicted myself to remember this every day, even on the worst and most trying of those days like today seemed to be.

Back to Veggietales. We were listening to the song that says "He is the vine, and we are the branches, his banner over me is love." And so I read to them the bible verse that is from before they went to bed.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abidith in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing... These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might remain full."
-John 15:5, 11

I'm trying to be more joyful. Men are that they might have joy! And I've got a lot of reasons to celebrate plenty of joy in my life. Then I saw this blog post about Supermom VS. Abiding Mom, and the one that I appreciated most today was this:

"Super mom teaches her kids to be good."

vs

"Abiding mom teaches her kids to be Godly."

So no matter how naughty and rotten Kellan has tested my limits this week (! boy has he!) I want to raise him more to serve God, and through that I know goodness will bear fruit.

The great outdoors

I'm so not a 'country girl.' My husband points this out as often as he can. Who did he really think I was when he married me?! I've never faked to be anything otherwise! So he "demanded" that I come explore the woods over the weekend, which I've only been in one other time since we moved here 3 years ago. (Like really *into them* where my house is out of view.) It was actually enjoyable :) Look at all the cool stuff we have right behind our house!

The kids found a smaller place to jump across the creek that runs along the border of our property.

But James took the easier way. Ok, it doesn't really look easier. But he found a fallen tree to use as a bridge across.

James also showed us his "deer stand" where he has spent many early mornings before the sunrise to hunt deer on our property. Facing from the other way, the screen makes James invisible to where the deer tend to walk when the sun rises. The kids got a kick out of that.

It was a nice walk through nature, I saw things going in there with James that I wouldn't have otherwise seen by myself. I would have taken a walk, but James took us on an adventure where we saw deer tracks, animal burroughs, trees that have been used for antler rubs, and more. After a thorough tick check, we headed inside for dinner. But I think I'm good for another 3 years, hahahaha :)

Man overboard!

There was a man stranded on an island (how he got there, I don't know. That's not the point.) But he didn't worry, he said to himself "God will save me."

And a dinghy floated on the shore. But he shoved it back into the waves and walked around, still saying "God will save me."

Later on, a ship set anchor at the island, but he didn't swim out to it, he still said to himself "God will save me."

And as time passed, soon the coast guard came looking and said "We're here to save you." But the man still said "God will save me!" and refused their help.

Well... the man eventually died on the island. So when he got to his judgement, he asked God "Why didn't you save me?!!" To which God replied, "You idiot! How many more times should I have tried?"

So even though I feel like I'm isolated on an island, and I feel so stuck, I too keep praying, believing that "God will save me." I remember a seminary teacher saying "God doesn't come to answer our prayers, he sends people to answer them." (that's probably the only thing I remember from seminary!) And I keep ignoring the dinghy, and the ship, and the coastguard that have come along to move my path, deep down knowing I better quit ignoring them because I'm scared to make a change. Me, of all people, who talks about things working out when you're on the right path, and I KNOW what I should/need to be doing, but I'm skeptical at not doing it well. But not just well, I'm skeptical of making an epic mistake.

Egg-citing breakfast

Breakfast was sooooo yummy this morning, I didn't want to wait for Tuesday to share it! The kids get excited when I make something they love (which is every meal, right?) So they call things "Mom's famous" whatever it is I made. So today, here's the recipe for my:

Famous Artichoke Eggs

In a baking dish place these items:

1 -10 oz jar or can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons minced tomatoes packed in oil
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 fresh minced cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper

Next, brown up 1 lb ground breakfast sausage, I found a yummy turkey one at Walmart of all places. Add this to your mixture.

Crack 10 eggs into your blender and add 1/2 cup water, mix until you see bubbles for super fluffy eggs. Pour on top of mixture in the baking dish, and cover with foil.

Cook on 350 F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and cook another 15 minutes. Top it off with crumbled chevre cheese or mozzarella.

We enjoyed it this morning with the green drink , we added carrots today, and frozen mango instead of mixed berries for a delicious healthy start. MMM, typing this out made my mouth water, I'm going back for seconds!

Wrong Again

After talking with a Naturopathic Doctor, lots of searching and Dr. appointments, and ineffective prescriptions, I don't think it was fever blisters.

And they weren't hives on her face. This is what she now has. They aren't blisters, they don't burst open or weep with any fluid like chicken pox (which she already 14 months ago) They aren't rashy, they are like... well, pimples. Except that when they first appear they are super bright red and irritated looking, and they calm down after putting Benadryl cream. So that seems more like an allergic reaction.

And she never had a fever, or any sign of an illness. Her sores on her lips didn't resemble fever blisters in their place or process. They didn't resemble the pattern of Herpangina either. Or Hand/foot/mouth sores. But what she did begin this issue with was swollen lips. But the doctors looked past that, only focused on sores, and treated them as a viral illness.

Except this entire illness has continued to progress instead of getting better, because the medicine constipated her, and made her feel sick. If she ate something that caused a reaction like swollen lips, how is it supposed to process out?

And when the gut becomes clogged with illnesses and toxins, it manifests in acne, eczema, and other skin irritants.

So in combination to a reaction to the medicine, and something that caused an allergic reaction in the first place, all of that makes much more sense than an illness that never showed any of the symptoms of an illness except "sores 'kind of' in the mouth."

We're trying a bland diet with her, no meat and dairy. Just more things like hummus (garbanzo beans), quinoa, and brown rice for protein. Flax seed oil for Omega 3's, Vitamin C sources like Pinapple and Oranges for an antihisthamine, a B vitamin like Bananas or Walnuts for the stressed out adrenal system, lots of probiotics and no sugar. Of any kind other than naturally occuring in fruits.

I feel so bad for her, she is very embarrassed, because children are supposed to have beautiful skin! We went to the natural market last night and another kid asked her what happened to her face. She can't remember how to say "an allergic reaction" so it scares her to go to school. Until yesterday, she has been out of school because no one was sure what was going on and if it was contagious. But it doesn't have any characteristics of being anything contagious.

I remember being super embarrassed to go to school wearing a neckbrace when I was 7 after being in a car accident, and I cringe when I think of her being teased. But what's another 2 days home when it has been this long? Might as well finish out the weekend, hope her skin clears up, and send her off to school feeling much better. Besides, it's kindergarten. And she is the most advanced student in her class. I can hardly picture her teachers holding her back for another year because of excessive absences. And I'm leaning more towards homeschooling next year anyway!

Tasty Tuesdays- Healthy Start

I have decided that I am finally fed up with the illnesses that have been going on around here. And not the common stuff like colds and flu's. After talking with our good friend who is a Naturopathic Doc back in Utah it made a lot of sense to me. My kids haven't been tolerant to processed foods, dairy, and conventional things because for a long time I didn't eat like that. I didn't when I was pregnant either, and they were all breastfed. But they each have their sensativities regardless, for Kellan it's finding the right milk that agrees with his tummy, he has to have almond. For Maren it's her skin and finding the right detergents.

We've slacked. A lot in the last year. A lot of illnesses, busy schedules, and flat out lack of caring has put a lot more 'cheap quick' food into our diets. And it's showing.

So we're starting our rehabilitation back to health by beginning our day with a Smoothie, Dr. Oz style.

His Recipe for a Green Drink (for lots of the vitamins and minerals that we need to rejuvinate healthy cells and thrive)
1 Cucumber
2 Apples (I like Gala or Fuji)
1 Big handful of spinach
1/2 cup parsley
1 Celery Stick
1 Medium cucumber
1 squeezed lemon (juice only)
1 thumbnail size slice of ginger root, peeled

I throw all of this into our juicer. When I've got all the fresh healthy juice, I add 4 oz. of filtered water in the blender with this juice, and add:

1/2 tsp. powdered probiotic like Babylife
1 tbsp Flax seed oil
2 tbsp plain organic yogurt
3/4 Cup frozen mixed berries

And blend it up!

If you are not used to tasting fruits and vegetables in all of their natural glory, try adding sweeter things to your smoothie like a banana, or sweetening it with a little bit of honey. But remember, processed sugars don't allow the probiotics to be of any benefit to the healthy bacteria that we need in our gut (even natural sugar cane), so you can just leave the probiotics out if you need to add some sugar until you are ready to drink your juice how Mother Nature flavors it.

Valentines Day

The kids and I made James a "candy gram" with a different twist. We made the candy part of the flowers, on sticks, with hearts that had the sayings on them like Reese's Pieces "I love you to 'pieces'." Then we developed some of our family pictures that my friend Cara took of us and framed them for James's office (so he can see who he's missing when he is working all the time! ;)

In typical James fashion, he is not to be out done. I *loved* the arrangement of flowers that he had ordered for me. He brings me home flowers from time to time (those times have gotten more rare as the years go on!) But the big fantastic arrangements have only been when I had a baby. He wanted something that was my favorite flower (white rose) and my favorite colors (blue or brown) so this is what he designed for me. I must say, my candygram flowerpot pales in comparison to what he got me!

We went out Saturday night (Thanks to Grandma and Grammy babysitting in shifts :) We saw Avatar in 3D, I loved that movie! I don't think I've seen a movie that I liked that much in a long time, it had so many levels that I was inspired and entertained by, so so good.

Then we went to dinner at The Palm Resturaunt. I have a hard time fathoming why food could cost so much, so I had a hard time committing to something off of the menu, James did have to order for me because I couldn't bring myself to spend a weeks worth of grocery money on just myself for one meal! (If someone else buys, sure, no problem, ;) haha. ) We were sat next to really loud obnoxious college students, which itself is annoying but we can live with that. They started talking so vulgar and offensively, I think they thought the more ugly of words they could burst out must sound better if they were shouted. So James asked the waiter for a quieter table, which they gladly obliged. They understood why! And the college students clearly understood why we moved after 10 minutes of sitting next to them, because the (loud) girl slowed down and glared at me as she passed our table when they left. Oh well, the resturaunt even comp'd our dessert which wasn't necessary but very gracious of them.

Even though I fussed about spending that much on one dinner, I'm grateful for a husband who enjoys eating at a fine resturaunt (definitely not often though) and wanted to treat me entirely like a princess because those moments have not been around as often with this job and several kids too. Now I can check "Eating like a celeb at a resturaunt" off of my Bucket List.

Snow much fun!

What do you do when kids are in bed when daddy finally gets home from work, and it also snowed 4 inches?

You get out of bed and go play outside in your jammies, that's what!

We haven't seen snow like this at our house since we moved here, it usually just gives us one day a year, and it has been barely enough to cover the grass. Usually icy too. This was perfect snow! It made me so homesick for Utah.

The baby stayed inside curled up on the couch watching the fire. (Karosene heater.)

But he got in the action the next morning. He was so excited and babbled the entire time, it broke his heart to take him inside to thaw out.

When it doesn't snow often, the snow gear is sparce, so we got creative for a sled!

That looked harder than they thought it would be... better just let Daddy be the horsepower.

This might not look that interesting to some of you, especially if you've been covered in snow for a few months, but this was amazing fun for us! A day filled with hot chocolate, pumpkin muffins, blankets, movies, and naps after a day in the snow is the stuff great memories are made of.

A bit of Max for your viewing pleasures

This is how it's gonna go see... Because I'm the boss.




I love how babies can fall asleep anywhere at times, it makes up for the times when they refuse to fall asleep all together.






And Max has clearly grasped how adorable he is, because everytime I bring out the camera, this is the face he gives me:


Ok, lets try it again. Ah, no, same cheese smile. He even says "Meeeee" I guess it's his rendition of "cheese" and knowing it's all about "me."


Alright, one more try and Kellan is volunteering to pose with him so he'll quit being silly. Well, that didn't help too much!


When you have kids as cute as this, you can't mess with perfection, so just go with it!

Where's the Veggie Tales to sing "I love my lips" when you need it?

What I *thought* was just chapped lips for Maren actually wasn't. I kept her home on Monday from school to keep applying chapstick and olive oil, I knew she wouldn't remember often enough if she had (as I thought) let them get that chapped in the first place. But they didn't improve, so we tried A&D ointment, since it helps with all kinds of skin dryness/rashes/burns, etc. And even with that on, she came to me with a new spot that was bleeding, and I thought "how in the world?" So to the Ped. we went Tuesday afternoon. Yeahhhhh.... Fever Blisters.

The red scabs on her lips go into the tissue of her mouth a little bit too, chapped lips would have been closer to her skin on her face instead, and these ulcerated insead of cracking. The red spots on her face are hives, probably just a reaction to the illness and stress on her immune system. So she is taking a B Complex supplement, as well as the 'magic mouthwash' the doctor prescribed to help numb/prevent infection in her mouth.

She was embarrassed that I was taking a picture, because she doesn't like how she looks. She didn't want to go back to school because she was afraid kids would laugh at her. I talked to her about the other kids who won't laugh at her, and that she shouldn't be afraid of the rude kids. She misses her 'BFFL' Nikki (best friends for life, she says.) So maybe one more day home and they'll quit bleeding so she can eat her food in solid forms again? We hope anyway.

Tasty Tuesdays- Secret Recipe

I can't even remember how long it has been since the pitcher to my blender got broken. So I finally sucked it up and paid the price for another (decent) blender. To welcome the new stainless steel Oster beauty into our family, I couldn't think of anything (i wanted) better than an Orange Julius :)


3 Cups Orange juice (I like Simply Orange juice, or fresh.)
1/2 Cup French Vanilla Yogurt
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
12 ice cubes


Yields about 4 servings. I never said it was super healthy. But it so delicious!

Parental Note

"Please Excuse Maren from school Monday Febuary 8th, she was home with... chapped lips...?"

Yes. That's right.

This is the princess who has more makeup than I do, and is always putting on lipgloss and chapsticks. Her lips got chapped, and all day Friday she kept picking at the dry skin. But then it would tear, and hurt. And then scab. And oh yeah, she has a scab-picking fetish. So by Saturday afternoon her lips are swollen, she looks like someone smacked her a good one.

And I'm not 'mommy' right now, I'm 'hah-hee' because she won't put her lips together and talk normal. Yes, she's a drama queen. So in pure drama fashion, it was a fight to put the chapstick on her now-bloody-raw lips because she didn't do it in the first place.

Seriously?

New digs

Look what I built! (Ok, James had to help too. )

We got Kellan a bed from Ikea, my new love. And finally, his small room feels more organized with the train table in the loft area of this bed. It's called the "reversible bed" because it can be turned upside down from what it is now, and be a poster frame twin bed to put a canopy or curtains on the rails. Speaking of canopy, isn't that giant leaf canopy so cute? Kellan was digging that.

And when Max is ready to be moved out of his crib, the train table can take the crib's place in the room, and a mattress can be in the bottom loft! Perfect for the little one to not be so high up, did I mention how I love Ikea?! :)

What do you get when...

...you combine Batman, AND a Wii game?

Pure awesomeness for this little boy.

He is a big fan of Batman right now, thank you Lego Batman on the Wii. **Costume is required to have better skills while playing this game.

(Those red snow boots have totally earned their expense, we have gotten full mileage out of them since buying them for the UT trip, even without a need in NC.)