I just got done one of the more challenging jobs as a mom. But the most blessed also. My two littlest ones fell asleep on my lap, so the challenge became how to get them off my lap at the same time not waking them up, and getting them into their own beds. They normally fall asleep in their beds, but tonight James wanted some more "tuddle time", so I had Elise and him come sit with me on the Lazyboy while we sang our good-night songs, while Luke cuddled with Daddy. The moon was looking especially beautiful, peeking in and out of the clouds and shining its light on the yard when it peeked out. I kept rocking and watching the cloud formations, while the kids fell asleep. What a beautiful thing! Those are the moments that make you so thankful that God has blessed you with such a wonderful blessing. The only words that come close to describing it are as the Psalmist writes, "my cup runneth over."
Today was just a wonderful day all around. Although we hurriedly rushed to get ready for church this morning (and were late, even then as we had slept in just a little too long), it was a great day. After a wonderful sermon at church (which I didn't hear alot of, due to squirming kids), we came home and made a quick lunch (mini pizzas on hamburger buns toasted under the broiler), we tidied up our aftermath mess, and then settled down for a visit. Little girl took her nap, and our friend G (minus his lovely girlfriend E, who is out of town) stopped in. I love it when he drops by, because the conversation is much more varied than with people who are just acquaintances. You feel like you can state your true opinion, without offending anyone or that you might step on someone's toes. Anyhow, after discussion about something, we decided to watch Food, Inc., which I've been wanting to for a while. I had some low-cost bean soup simmering in the slow cooker, so after mixing up some biscuits and baking them, we settled in to eat and watch (and critique of course). Since I've been kind of interested in the topics they discussed, I knew pretty much what to expect. What infuriates this farmer's daughter (me) the most, was how the huge corporations hold their thumbs over the farmers. The farmer's are only trying to make an honest living, in yet are so stifled they are not able to do the right thing. It made me more adamant to know where my food is coming from, and who I am supporting when I buy items. So, goodbye Doritos, and all those other prettily packaged enticing foods. I don't need you anymore! The hard thing is being willing to pay more for the quality products. But, as they mentioned, when you pay taxes (that subsidize the cheap things to make them cheap), you factor in the cost of health care/medications, and quality of life- it doesn't work out any cheaper in the long run. And the only way to get the prices of quality products down, is to buy them and demand them. Write letters to your grocers, demanding organic, wholesome foods. And then buy whatever ones you can fit in your budget. Anyhow...I'll stop my rant there. You get the picture! http://www.foodincmovie.com/
So, the rest of the praise report is this: I'm back! After a somewhat doomful but successful facade this past year, I'm for real now. The inquisitive, investigative, more patient, more energetic, chipper, cheerful, motivated me is back! Almost a year of depression later, I am now actually looking forward to getting up each morning. What I suspected the ailment was, it was. And that was overtaxed adrenals and thyroid. Both of these get depleted when you're under stress, and I became a victim with my sleepless nights and endlessly crying but adorable babies. I had my thyroid checked by my Dr. about a year ago (which checked out fine), but apparently your levels have to be extremely low to register as low on their scale. So, I began taking some herbs to assist with that, and after 4 days of being on them, I feel like a new person. I was so productive the first 3 days of last week though, that I had to rest all day Thursday, as my body couldn't keep up with my motivation or my mind! We (Greg and I) also went running 3 days last week, and hope to continue that. (we'll see, now that it's raining this week!) We didn't run far, nor fast, but we did it, and that is the main thing.
When I was "down", I would drink coffee, hoping it would perk me up. Well, it perked me up energy-wise, but it did nothing to improve my mood. I still didn't have any motivation nor zest, that I normally have. I just got through each day drudgingly (the spell check tells me that isn't a word and that I should use "grudgingly", but you know what I mean...) I've also been taking a good quality B-complex for a while now which helps with all sorts of things like: metabolizes proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and provides the body with energy. They also support a healthy nervous system and mood, and are essential for healthy skin, hair and vision. (I was taking a cheap drugstore brand that did nothing, so paying the extra for a good quality one from a health food store is worth it). If you are suffering from any of the same things I have been, check these out. They are a much better option than meds, as medications only mask the symptoms and don't solve the problem. (I do use meds occasionally, but try to use the natural route first, mostly because I hate supporting those same corrupt companies that feed us lies to line their own coffers with our hard earned money)
The third part of this praise report is that I don't have to put a new zipper in a favorite jacket of my daughter's. The little square plastic piece fell off the bottom of the zipper, thus rendering it useless. But, thanks to my new dog and cat (aka Luke whose name is "Furry-Woofs-Around-All-Day" and James whose name is "Pet-A-Kitty-All-The-Time") who were roaming around the house on all 4's in their Hallowe'en costumes, they found it and I was able to super-glue it back on and fix it lickety-split. We had been in town all day and I hadn't noticed when it fell off, so I thought my chances of finding it were pretty slim.
So, there's my schpeil for today. Thankful for the blessings of the day, as well as the answers to prayers of myself and many of you to start feeling better so I can enjoy life again instead of dreading each day, wondering how to cope. Praise the Lord!!
Today was just a wonderful day all around. Although we hurriedly rushed to get ready for church this morning (and were late, even then as we had slept in just a little too long), it was a great day. After a wonderful sermon at church (which I didn't hear alot of, due to squirming kids), we came home and made a quick lunch (mini pizzas on hamburger buns toasted under the broiler), we tidied up our aftermath mess, and then settled down for a visit. Little girl took her nap, and our friend G (minus his lovely girlfriend E, who is out of town) stopped in. I love it when he drops by, because the conversation is much more varied than with people who are just acquaintances. You feel like you can state your true opinion, without offending anyone or that you might step on someone's toes. Anyhow, after discussion about something, we decided to watch Food, Inc., which I've been wanting to for a while. I had some low-cost bean soup simmering in the slow cooker, so after mixing up some biscuits and baking them, we settled in to eat and watch (and critique of course). Since I've been kind of interested in the topics they discussed, I knew pretty much what to expect. What infuriates this farmer's daughter (me) the most, was how the huge corporations hold their thumbs over the farmers. The farmer's are only trying to make an honest living, in yet are so stifled they are not able to do the right thing. It made me more adamant to know where my food is coming from, and who I am supporting when I buy items. So, goodbye Doritos, and all those other prettily packaged enticing foods. I don't need you anymore! The hard thing is being willing to pay more for the quality products. But, as they mentioned, when you pay taxes (that subsidize the cheap things to make them cheap), you factor in the cost of health care/medications, and quality of life- it doesn't work out any cheaper in the long run. And the only way to get the prices of quality products down, is to buy them and demand them. Write letters to your grocers, demanding organic, wholesome foods. And then buy whatever ones you can fit in your budget. Anyhow...I'll stop my rant there. You get the picture! http://www.foodincmovie.com/
So, the rest of the praise report is this: I'm back! After a somewhat doomful but successful facade this past year, I'm for real now. The inquisitive, investigative, more patient, more energetic, chipper, cheerful, motivated me is back! Almost a year of depression later, I am now actually looking forward to getting up each morning. What I suspected the ailment was, it was. And that was overtaxed adrenals and thyroid. Both of these get depleted when you're under stress, and I became a victim with my sleepless nights and endlessly crying but adorable babies. I had my thyroid checked by my Dr. about a year ago (which checked out fine), but apparently your levels have to be extremely low to register as low on their scale. So, I began taking some herbs to assist with that, and after 4 days of being on them, I feel like a new person. I was so productive the first 3 days of last week though, that I had to rest all day Thursday, as my body couldn't keep up with my motivation or my mind! We (Greg and I) also went running 3 days last week, and hope to continue that. (we'll see, now that it's raining this week!) We didn't run far, nor fast, but we did it, and that is the main thing.
When I was "down", I would drink coffee, hoping it would perk me up. Well, it perked me up energy-wise, but it did nothing to improve my mood. I still didn't have any motivation nor zest, that I normally have. I just got through each day drudgingly (the spell check tells me that isn't a word and that I should use "grudgingly", but you know what I mean...) I've also been taking a good quality B-complex for a while now which helps with all sorts of things like: metabolizes proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and provides the body with energy. They also support a healthy nervous system and mood, and are essential for healthy skin, hair and vision. (I was taking a cheap drugstore brand that did nothing, so paying the extra for a good quality one from a health food store is worth it). If you are suffering from any of the same things I have been, check these out. They are a much better option than meds, as medications only mask the symptoms and don't solve the problem. (I do use meds occasionally, but try to use the natural route first, mostly because I hate supporting those same corrupt companies that feed us lies to line their own coffers with our hard earned money)
The third part of this praise report is that I don't have to put a new zipper in a favorite jacket of my daughter's. The little square plastic piece fell off the bottom of the zipper, thus rendering it useless. But, thanks to my new dog and cat (aka Luke whose name is "Furry-Woofs-Around-All-Day" and James whose name is "Pet-A-Kitty-All-The-Time") who were roaming around the house on all 4's in their Hallowe'en costumes, they found it and I was able to super-glue it back on and fix it lickety-split. We had been in town all day and I hadn't noticed when it fell off, so I thought my chances of finding it were pretty slim.
So, there's my schpeil for today. Thankful for the blessings of the day, as well as the answers to prayers of myself and many of you to start feeling better so I can enjoy life again instead of dreading each day, wondering how to cope. Praise the Lord!!
