Hey all! One of my friends is making very cute headbands for the C.O.L.E.'s foundation, which raises the hopes of kids with cancer. She explains on her blog how it all works. You can either buy them for yourself and your friends, and the money goes to those kids. Or you can buy them for a child you know with cancer, or you can send one to a child you don't know, but one who is registered with the foundation. They are very cute, and not too expensive either. Check it out!!

http://walkingodslight.blogspot.com/

Nourishing Traditions (a book review)

Today I feel like writing, but don't have much on my mind. Things have been going smoother, and some of my goals have been attained and are daily attainable, some are not. But...since I've been meaning to do a book review on this book for some time, I guess I'll do it today. The book is called Nourishing Traditions and I bought it after months of debate as to where I could get the best price. It's been out since 1999, and has gained popularity due to it's Old World ways and makes us all stop and think twice about what we are putting in our mouths. I'll start with the preface itself, as it says it better than I can what the book is about.

"Technology is a generous benefactor. To those who have wisely used his gifts he has bestowed freedom from drudgery, freedom to travel, freedom from the discomforts of cold, heat and dirt, and freedom from ignorance, boredom and oppression. But father technology has not brought us freedom from disease. Chronic illness in industrialized nations has reached epic proportions because we have been dazzled by his stepchildren -- fast foods, fractionated foods, convenience foods, packaged foods, fake foods, embalmed foods, ersatz foods -- all the bright baubles that fill up the shelves at our grocery stores, convenience markets, vending machines and even health food stores.

The premise of this book is that modern food choices and preparation techniques constitute a radical change from the way man has nourished himself for thousands of years and, from the perspective of history, represent a fad that not only has severely compromised his health and vitality, but may well destroy him; and that the culinary traditions of our ancestors, and the food choices and preparation techniques of healthy nonindustrialized peoples, should serve as the model for contemporary eating habits, even and especially during this modern technological age."

The author, Sally Fallon goes on to explain (with referenced information on all she cites) how to get the most nutrients out of your food, for the lowest cost. That...appeals to me. She explains how the "Diet Dictocrats" (aka. the companies and organizations that gain the most from advertising what benefits their business the most - American Medical Assn., pharmaceutical companies, etc.)use facts from 'studies', whose results mysteriously change when the funding for them changes...to suit the fund-er's needs or desires. This also includes the food processing industries who are ever seeking to process more and put more money into their own pockets, with government approval. Politically Correct Nutrition, is what she calls it. It's all pretty pathetic, and infuriates me. But, the good news is, that she offers hope and solutions for the everyday eater like you and me. And they are affordable. And they work. People have been using the techniques and cooking styles since Bible times, and have remained overall disease-free (this is speaking of chronic disease as opposed to infectious).

Although I won't go into detail all the things she talks about (there are over 700 recipes alone, plus a wealth of information), I will list her "Limited Time, Limited Budget Guidelines" which sum up the most of the book. She states that "simple, nutritious meals can be prepared very quickly when one lays the groundwork ahead of time. If your present schedule allows no time at all for food preparation, you would be wise to re-examine your priorities."

-Don't buy boxed breakfast cereals, even those made with whole grains. They are expensive, poor in nutrients and difficult to digest. A serving of the best quality organic oatmeal costs half the amount of the average boxed cereal and is infinitely more nutritious.

-Make your own salad dressing. You can make your own dressing using the finest ingredients for about the same cost as the average bottled dressing, most of which use rancid vegetable oils, trans fatty acids and numerous additives. With practice it takes no more than a minute to produce delicious homemade dressings.

-Always buy butter. Margarine and shortening may cost less but it is a false economy, one that leads to numerous impoverishing diseases. If butter costs too much, use lard in cooking. (she explains in much detail the differences/pros/cons of each type of fat...animal fats being the best overall along with non-heat treated plant oils such as extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil)

-Make soup stock at least once a week using meat bones (fish, chicken, beef, etc) They cost very little and are very nourishing. You can get by with less meat in your diet when you use properly made soup stock.

-It's better to put your money into whole foods than vitamins. However, most people do benefit from daily cod liver oil, one of the cheapest supplements on the market. Lacto-fermented beet kvass (recipe in book) contains an array of nutrients and is easy and inexpensive to make.

-Good quality dairy products are worth the price. If you can, find a source for raw milk.

-The less expensive vegetables are the most nourishing- potatoes, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, onions, broccoli, chard, beets and kale- and they are easy to prepare. Always prepare or serve vegetables with butter for best assimilation of the minerals they contain.

-If you can't afford caviar, buy fish roe in the spring, it's filled with nutrients. (I likely won't be jumping to try this one!)

-Don't forget eggs as a nourishing, low-cost alternative to meat. It pays to buy the best quality. (free-range if possible)

-Make soups part of your repertoire. Blended soups take very little time and are very nourishing.

-Don't forget to eat liver occasionally. It's inexpensive, but worth it's weight in gold, nutritionally speaking. (she gives many ways to cook and disguise it)

-Leftovers, leftovers, leftovers. Use them, don't throw them out. And be creative with them.

-Buy organic grains in bulk and store in 5 gallon buckets (if you have a grinder) If not, buy in flour or rolled form. Learn to make your own bread from whole grain flours, using sourdough/sprouted methods. (buy those types of bread too, if you can't make your own)

-Learn to make basic brown rice. It is delicious, economical and nutritious. Use leftovers in soups and salads.

-Children love cookies. Learn to make nutritious ones (from the book- no refined sugars or flours)

-Make kombucha! It's cheap, refreshing and nutritious.

-Try not to over-economize on food. Instead cut out all junk food, prepared foods, soft drinks, frozen foods, fast foods, etc. and use the savings to buy good quality whole foods. Above all, use good quality fats- they keep you healthy in times of stress.

So, that's the most of it. I can't do them all, nor can anyone. But if we strive in that direction slowly over time, we can change our own future. And that of our children. She goes into the epidemic of infertility also, and explains how that if we want grandchildren someday, we need to make eating healthy a priority. One or two generations can handle lack of nutrients, but more than that, and major problems will be pending (or already are in many cases). The bottom line is that, very few if any, big corporations (Kellogg's, Heinz, and those other companies that offer you coupons so you think you are saving big money) have your health and nutrition in mind when they are coming up with products to sell. Greg's aunt and uncle are friends with the CEO of Hormel Meats, and he is a vegetarian. Coincidence? I think not. He knows what goes into (and not into) the food, and doesn't eat it himself. That to me, is bad business. Our beef producer (who is butchering a whopping 5 animals this fall) eats his meat and proudly shares it with others. I feel safe eating his product knowing that he eats it himself.

Another quote from another source says, "May you never know the disease you avoided by choosing to live healthy". How true! If you're interested in the book, I found it cheapest at walmart.com (cheaper new there than used anywhere else) and there are also many reviews on amazon.com if you want more information without my opinion added in!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/1903477?sourceid=1500000000000003260340&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=1903477#ShortReviewTitleBar

http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282800469&sr=1-1

Here's a few pictures from this summer. Last Sunday we took a drive down to the coast for a day of R'n'R. We decided to stop whenever we saw the sun. Well, that happened to Cannon Beach. But, by the time we had exited the exit ramp, the sky was gray again. But, the weather was warm, and we enjoyed our time anyhow. We went to Ecola State Park this time, and these pictures are on Indian Beach. It is absolutely beautiful. You can see the lighthouse (in the background in the first picture), and there are tide pools where we found jellyfish and oyster shells.

The boys loved running in the waves, and those are surfers in the background catching the waves.



























Elise loved riding in the Ergo (my latest awesome carrier), and we did as much hiking as a couple 3 & 5 year old walkers could handle.

We then headed down to Tillamook, as we had promised the boys a tour of the Cheese Factory. As always, we try to cram too much into our relaxing day, making it a busy, busy day. The Tillamook Factory was super busy, so we didn't buy anything (the lines were miles long to buy even an ice cream cone), so we headed across the road and had some fish and chips for supper instead. James was at his finest cooperation, as per usual.

We tried to take a short cut home, which ended up getting us lost and back in Portland, so it ended up a long cut instead. Our map didn't zoom in close enough to see where we were supposed to go, and the signs were poor and somehow we ended up pretty much where we had left off (making a big loop instead of progress!)

This picture is of a bonnet that my aunt bought for Elise at a garage sale. She actually like wearing it, although you can't tell that from the picture. She wore it all day, to church and all. She usually is pulling hats off, so that's unusual.

Here's one from the Cowlitz County Fair, where we went a couple weeks ago. It's a great small town fair, which is free (yay!) although we did have to pay to see the rodeo. The kids found the rodeo a bit boring, mostly because there was so much waiting between action. Then they'd miss the action because they were jumping around, not paying attention. Luke enjoyed petting some animals, but James was pretty hesitant to be so close to them.













This video is our boys (along with their friends) who came up with the idea to drive their car down the driveway. The switch is broken on it, so it only goes backwards, so they came up with the idea to push it up the driveway and then ride down. It worked so well that Greg had to try the fun!

Mundane Bliss

One thought that has run through my head frequently, that I'd like to share with you, is how important mundane chores are. In this world we live in, we'd all love to get a massage, relax in a hot tub, or find a sport that relaxes our mind and refreshes our body (me included). While these are all well and good, often we overlook the obvious, and even complain about them.

If we look at the happiest people in the world, most of them have nothing by material standards. But, they cherish the things that matter. God, family, food, shelter, clothing and the basics. They have to work hard just to live, when we complain so often about the perks and pluses of the abundant life we lead. We often take the basics for granted, and gripe that we have to "make" our food, "maintain" our houses and "wash" our many clothes. Yep, I do that too, regretfully. One quote I heard recently said something to the effect of "if you can't take a few hours out of your week to prepare nutritious meals for your family, then you really need to reevaluate your priorities." I have to say I'm guilty of flying-by-my-seat when it comes to meal planning, but I know that we eat a lot more nutritiously and cheaply when I take the time to plan ahead. And I don't get as stressed overall.

The point that I'm getting to is, that these mundane tasks are what refresh us the most. There is nothing that clears your head like folding a mountain of laundry. Or washing a huge pile of dishes. Or thoughtfully putting cookie after cookie on a cookie sheet and seeing them all lined up in a row when you're done. Although I would never want to trade in my automatic dishwasher or washing machine, I am secretly glad that there are still some chores that require no thought other than taking the time to get them done. This gives me time to pray (which we are to do without ceasing, and it's pretty hard to do if you are talking, listening to music, TV is on, etc.) and to meditate what God wants for my life and how to go about achieving it.

This weekend we had beautiful weather, which gave me the opportunity to hang all my wet laundry on my clothes line. That...was therapy. If you don't have a clothes line, get yourself one! Even a drying rack outside (or inside, which is how I often have to use it in rainy WA) is just about as good. I have one friend who isn't on facebook, because she likes to hang dry her clothes, and figured it out that the time she would spend on facebook she could be hanging out clothes each day. And much more therapeutic too! Very true, although I haven't been able to give up facebook yet! (side note benefit of hanging laundry: about $50 a month was saved by another friend when she switched to hang drying!)

Picture is of Woof Woof, Snuggle Monkey and Cuddle Bear after their "bath" in the washer! (in order of ownership -L, J, E)












Jobs that I am blessed to do which I classify as "therapeutic" due to their monotony: hanging laundry, folding laundry, washing dishes, baking bread, mowing lawn, berry picking, weeding the garden, stirring the soup pot. This is, of course if you don't have a crying baby to tend to while trying to get them done, or whining toddler hanging on your leg. Then, not so fun! But, try one today and just let that phone ring. I think you'll see how much better you feel. And remember to thank God for them, and the ability to do them too!

Another added bonus is the benefit it has on your family. These chores give your family a sense of accomplishment when the job is done which builds self-confidence. It gives you time to discuss the matters on your heart or mind that day, and what the proper response as a Christian should be. It gives you time to teach your children about hard work and trains them to be a good employee someday. It also teaches a child patience over instant gratification. Weeding the garden shows how to tell the difference between weeds and vegetables. It teaches them about the plant life cycles and the need all living things have for water and nutrients. There is so much that can be taught while doing these mundane chores. And last but not least, it provides the quality and quantity time with them (both in one shot), that they so need!

Kids, kids and kids

Well, through all the craziness in my head, one thing keeps me going each day. It's these beautiful children that God has entrusted to my care. They shower me with love, give me purpose each day and make me laugh (something not too many folks can do, sorry to say). Here's a few of the latest:

James: Mom, at that cowboy fight the other day, I heard some horses saying "ouch" not "neigh".
Luke: It wasn't a cowboy fight, it was a rodeo.
James: Yeah, at that yodeo...

Luke: I feel sick
Me: What kind of sick- your head, your tummy?
Luke: No, just the regular kind. Can I have some tea?
Me: What kind?
Luke: Well, it doesn't matter, as long as it's not DECAF!

Tonight Luke stepped off the curb where a car was coming (and he had forgotten to look). Greg reminded him what could happen if a car didn't see him and hit him (that he could get hit and fall to the ground). James piped up "and then you'd be DEAD". Akk! James quite regularly lays on the floor and says, "Hey look Mom, I'm dead!" in a very cheerful voice.

A Few Solutions

Since the last post, I have been seriously praying and pondering potential changes in our life. I've come up with a few things that I'm trying to implement, and welcome more if you have any! Here goes:

1) Ruthlessly declutter my house, and get rid of unused stuff. Decluttering my house will help me declutter my mind. It seems that if things are messy, unorganized or just too full; then everywhere you look you see work. I'm hoping that reducing "stuff" will help me to stay more organized with less work and less overwhelming-ness. I do need more bookshelves, so am trying to get that one in order too.
2) Get good exercise each day. Not just a walk with the kids, but actually get my heart rate up in the target zone and feel beat when I'm done. I'd love to swim laps each day, as that has been my best form of "stress relief", but since it's just not possible, I'm trying the other forms of exercise that I can do from home.
3) Get the kids to bed earlier so that Greg and I can both get more sleep and some time with each other each day. This is hard for me because I'm a night owl, and don't like getting up early, but I'm trying!
4) Do a gall bladder/liver cleanse. The liver is the most important cleaning tool our body has, and if it is congested, nothing will work right. I figure I'll start there, and do more thorough cleansing if needed to follow.
5) Take 5-HTP if necessary. This is an amino acid that makes your body produce more serotonin improving mood, assisting with sleep and aiding in depression symptoms. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan)
6) Reduce my own expectations of myself. Good parents take the time to make good choices for their families, and this wears a person out. Less time/thought into decision making, especially minor decisions.
7) Closure on burdening thoughts (that I can) so they don't keep recurring.
8) Take deliberate time each day for my husband and children, and for myself.
9) Reduce dish use in the house to reduce kitchen clutter, and strive to wash each dish after using. Our life can handle this at this point, but hasn't been able to at times with a new baby, and then bad habits form.
10) Open up my journal again and log my thoughts more often. I used to write daily from age 12-30, but have neglected it since I had children.
11) Plan a vacation. We've got 9 days awaiting us in the beginning of Sept., so are planning what to do with it. Criteria: no visiting anyone, no deadlines (except campground checkins/outs), no more than 2-3 hours of driving every few days, must have swimming pools or areas, etc.

So, that's my start. I'm feeling hopeful and trying to turn everything I can over to God, since He knows better what to do with it anyhow.

In Praise Of Mothers

This post is difficult for me to write, although I feel very necessary, as acknowledging our weaknesses often assists in solving problems and getting it out in the open sometimes is the hardest on our pride (which is often what first needs attention to!) It also is hard to ask for prayer requests if you don't let people know you are struggling.

This past while (say 6 months or so), Greg and I have both struggled with coping. Feeling overwhelmed by pretty much everything, tired all the time, in yet unable to see what to do. We've tried simplifying our life as much as possible, and can't really see how things could get much simpler. The other night we stayed up late talking (something that isn't always advised because you tend to be overtired and problems seem much bigger than they actually are). But, it's also sometimes necessary because otherwise in the daytime you try to justify your feelings, ignore them, and pretend as if they aren't there. Anyways, I voiced my struggles, and he admitted to feeling the same way. We both have felt like we're just getting by in survival mode. We concluded that night that we were too tired to find any solutions, but that we could pray and see how we felt in the morning.

The next day we were still overtired, and ended up coming home from church and the whole house took a nap (well, the people in it did!). Then we went for a bike ride and had dinner and a visit with some friends. This all went well, but Monday morning came and the problems still seemed to loom. Mondays are always difficult for me, and this was no better. Overhanging fog and clouds each day lately haven't helped. I feel like summer has completely evaded us except for a handful of nice days. Monday when I talked to Greg (on his coffee break), we were discussing what should be done. One of us suggested "lets call our Moms and see what they have to say". So, he called his Mom, and I called mine. We should have done it months ago. Moms are so wise, (well, ours are, and we are very thankful for that...they know us better than anyone else!) and offered alot of not only solutions, but prayers and wisdom into what may be causing this lack of coping.

When Greg got home from work, we discussed what our Moms had said, and here it is (collaboratively, in no particular order).
Potential Stresses:
1) Having kids over age 30. You just get more tired and don't bounce back as fast as if you were 10 years younger. We don't like to admit that, but I'm sure it's true. We are getting older and can't expect the same of ourselves as if we were younger.
2) Not having a family support system nearby. My mom mentioned that she had gone to a local fair near them and ran into a few of my old classmates. She visited with them and noted how they had never had the challenges that some of us who have moved away from our family have had to face. Life is pretty safe and easy for most of them, since they have a built-in support system nearby.
3) Lack of sleep. With Greg getting up at 0430 for the past almost 5 years and 3 kids who haven't slept very well until they are 2, we've become a couple of pretty sleep deprived souls. I don't know how to solve this, but acknowledging it helps lower our expectations of ourselves.
4) Need a vacation. Although we likely need a visit-the-family vacation, we also find those the most stressful. Riding in the car buckled in for a few days, taking the kids to a strange environment to see people they don't know very well, and sleep in strange houses is not usually a fun time for tired parents. We need to go relax somewhere where we can just think about eating and sleeping and enjoying our kids for a while. We're working on that, and hopefully can get something in before the end of the summer. Greg's parents usually visit us every summer and this summer were unable, and I think that that has been harder on us than we would like to admit. My parents did come, but were only at our house for 2 days, one of which we had company the whole day. We also enjoyed my brother and his wife, and that was a real needed boost.
5) We are both perfectionists. I don't like to hear that, because I like to think that I'm not one. Although we're not perfectionists in the way most would think of them (tidy house, impeccable kids, etc), we are when it comes to moral obligation, following what we believe is right and our own expectations of ourselves. I really don't know what to do about this one, because I feel like we've relaxed as much as we can in the areas that will allow it. Other than letting the house go to pot, never bathing our kids or brushing their teeth, losing our "schedule", becoming completely unreliable (things that others seem to be able to get away with); I don't know how to do this. I feel doing those things would actually make our life alot more stressful for the crap we'd be putting up with due to undisciplined kids, more lack of sleep, more whining, etc.
6) Not being willing to share our burdens with loved ones who care. I have always been one that people have relied on for "being strong". I feel guilty burdening others with my problems, especially when I feel like I have nothing to be complaining about when so many others are filled with "real" problems. But, inability to cope is inability to cope, no matter what the burden at hand is. Both our parents encouraged us to talk to them more, share what's on our heart and to not try so hard to be strong all the time.

These things all ring true, so we've been figuring out what to do about them. Some other suggestions were taking a few different vitamin supplements that help with nerves and mood, getting a checkup to make sure nothing is out of whack (thyroid, adrenals, anemia) and just limiting our social activities. I'd love to limit them, but we feel like we will go crazy if we don't get out as much as we do (which isn't much).

Two of the ideas that have been flowing regularly through my head are these. The first is just being a kid again. To ride my bike as fast as I can down the driveway and down the "lease road" (a road at my parents that leads to their oil pumpjack) with my hair flowing out behind me. To be at my Grandpa and Grandma's sleeping in their sproingy beds and getting up and Grandma doting on me all day while the box fan blew the curtains up in their dining room on a hot summers day. To just sit in the back seat of our old Chrysler and let Dad and Mom drive me wherever we needed to go. All these thoughts focus on lack of responsibility. It just gets weary being responsible all the time. I don't know how to avoid this when you are a parent, other than completely shirking your duties.

The other thought that keeps running through my head is to be going fast enough to leave my burdening thoughts behind. Whether it be swimming laps, rollerblading, biking or running; I just want to be going fast enough that my thoughts escape me for a while. With little kids, you don't go anywhere fast. Even a bike ride seems extremely slow and monotonous. I just want to pedal as fast as my bike will go. Yesterday on our bike ride Greg and I took turns staying with the slow one (Luke) and the other rode fast and actually got some exercise. That felt really good. We've been trying to do that each day, and it seems to really help clear my (our) head so that I can start with a clean slate again.

I would, however, solicit your prayers for peace, for wisdom, for the ability to let go of the things we need to let go of (not sure what those are yet), and for direction. But, one thing is for sure...we are very thankful for our wise Mothers who see us how we are, love us despite our faults and encourage us in a Godly way. Any suggestions are more than welcome.