To eat gluten or not eat gluten

I love carbs. I love bread, pasta, and crackers. I would love to eat Wonder white bread at every meal. Instead, I’ve filled our house with whole grains. Now however, we have some other things to consider.

There is a lot of research on the effects of gluten on the body. It makes me cringe very time I hear it because, if I didn’t already make it clear, I love gluten. Here’s the thing. I have a child struggling with an illness that could be greatly improved by eliminating gluten from her diet. That changes the stakes. Now “mom mode” kicks in. I have told her from the beginning I am willing to do anything to help her and apparently that includes giving up some of my favorite foods.

So this is the start of our family’s journey away from gluten. We are going at it as a whole family and will commit to 30 days. The first (huge) hurdle, getting my teenager on board, has been met so now I need to figure out what we are going to eat! I have two loaves of bread baking right now and we are exploring new foods every day!

If anyone has any suggestions, please share and don’t be surprised if you see a future post titled “I miss bread”.

I’m a hippie

I have been called a “hippie” a few times over the last few weeks. Actually, my teenager told me I’m too old to be a hippie. I’m not sure how that makes sense, as I’m only 33, but maybe the term means something different to teens nowadays. Anyway, I have become obsessed with making my own hair and skin products.
It probably started with all of the cloth diaper stuff. I made cloth wipes and did some experimenting with different solutions. Then a friend told me about how she was making her own sunscreen, lotions, and such, and I became interested. It’s fun, and the products work, most of the time.
Here are some of my experiments:

-I made my own cloth wipes and solution when I started cloth diapering. My husband was never on board with the wipes, so I found a way to turn a role of paper towels into homemade disposable wipes.

-Diaper cream

-I’m brewing a chamomile tincture (it takes about a month) that will help with upset stomachs and teething.

-I’ve been brewing a ginger bug that I use to ferment drinks that are like fizzy juice. It’s a healthy alternative to pop.

-All of my skin products are now homemade. The exception is make-up. While it is possible, I’m not ready for that quite yet.

-Hair stuff I’m working on. My hair will probably be in a ponytail or bun for the next couple of weeks because this is proving to be a challenge. It is currently covered in coconut oil that I haven’t been able to fully rinse out of my hair for two days.

Now here’s the question most of you are asking: WHY? First, I like the idea of getting chemicals out of our products and using truly natural ingredients. It’s also pretty cool to actually make the diaper cream I’m putting on my kiddos butts! Second, I’m saving money. It is much cheaper to make these products than to buy them, especially if you want natural and/or organic products. And finally, I think it is my creative outlet since I’m not teaching anymore. I get to research and experiment and I can teach my kids while we do it together. The “teacher” in me will never die:)

L loves to help me “cook” lotion.

If you are interested in it, here is the website I get most of my recipes from: http://www.wellnessmama.com.

Teaching prayer when the dog runs away

Today was one of “those” days. It’s Monday, and it felt that way. Our dog, Jesse, has shown himself to be a runner, and he got past me out the door this morning. I was panicked and worried and L was sensing it. I’m usually a pretty even tempered person, so when I’m anything else, I can tell she reacts to it. I told her we should say a prayer to God to bring Jesse back to us safely. We did and about 5 minutes later he was waiting at the back door to be let in. We then prayed a prayer of thanks that God answered our prayer.
Fast forward two hours, L is helping me “clean” the back door, opens it, and the dog gets out again. I was reaching a breaking point after what had been a long morning and nap time was not quite close enough. I was standing at the counter trying to prevent a personal meltdown when L says, in her sweetest 2-year-old voice, that we should pray to God. What a great idea! We did and Jesse came back a little while later, so we said another prayer of thanks.
It hit me what a great teachable moment God had given me this morning. We pray with L daily at bed time, but this was the first time I has prayed with her for a specific need. God gave me an opportunity to teach her to pray for a need and tangibly answered our prayer so we could then pray thanks. He used the dog running away as a way for me to parent my daughter. How amazing is that?!

Can you think of a time God has given you a teachable moment?

The Teenage Sigh

Any parent of a teenage knows the sound of a teenager sighing out of annoyance.  Usually, it’s something us adults think is acceptable or commonplace but we are quickly put in our place.

We pulled into my parents’ house this evening and my dad met us in the driveway.  He asked my teenage daughter if she’d gotten his text asking if she was coming over.  She sighed, possibly rolled her eyes, and said “yes, I responded already.”

He was thinking “I want to let her know I’m hoping she’s coming over because I’d really like to see her.”  She was thinking “Look at your phone, Grandpa.  I already responded so why are we still talking about this?” It’s a good thing my dad raised two daughters and knows to not take these things personally!

President Obama was on vacation with his family recently and I saw this picture of him and his daughter and laughed out loud.

Mr. President/Dad is thinking “Wow, this is so much fun!  What a great day out with my daughter!”  Malia is thinking “I wonder what my friends are talking about on Instagram.  It’s too bad I can’t text and ride at the same time.  This bike is dumb.  I wish my dad would stop smiling at me all dorky like that.”

Ahh, the joys of parenting teens!

Where my strength comes from

The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14

My family is currently going through a crisis.  I have to keep the details vague out of respect to those involved but it’s one of those situations that is horribly painful, confusing, messy, and isn’t going to be resolved any time soon.

During a recent conversation with friends, someone questioned how I could be so calm in the midst of such a significant life storm.  Some people are naturally strong people that have a gift for dealing with crises rationally.  I’m not necessarily that person and clearly these life-long friends of mine knew that because the question probably wouldn’t have otherwise been raised.  Instead, my response was “My faith in Christ.”  It’s as simple as that.

I am scared for my daughter and I don’t know what the future is going to bring for her and our family.  Here are the things I do, without a doubt, know:

-She is God’s daughter before she is mine.  He loves her more than I will ever be able to fathom.

-He blessed me with the opportunity to be her mother so He must know that I am the best person for the job.

-God has control over all things, even this.

If I live my life based on these facts (which I do) then I must constantly remind myself that whatever happens is His plan and for His greater purpose.  It isn’t the easy road or the one I probably would have chosen for her but I have faith in Him.

Sometimes music does a better job at getting a message across.  This was one of the worship songs at church this morning and I immediately connected it to our trial.

Always by Kristian Stanfill

We aren’t out of the woods yet; in fact, we are probably still walking deeper into them.  I am a very imperfect human that has doubts and gets scared but behind it all I will always have my faith in Christ.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

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