Hooray!

Can I say that this week is a total change from the last?  Yes it is, and in many good ways.  I think that last week I was likely fighting a nasty bug that 3/4 of the kids ended up with.  Yucky!  But, thankfully haven't got it yet, although they are still struggling with random symptoms now and then.

And it's possibly too early to sing the praises of feeling better, but I'm doing awesome, and have been for 4 days now.  What, you ask, is making the difference?  Now, those of you who know me, know that I'm always reading up on different products, foods, and diet things that will make life "better".  With the various health struggles in our family, nutrition seems to be the key to getting it all back on track.  Our Naturopath even told us that with kids, getting good digestion will solve pretty much all of their problems on it's own.  A bit extra of HCl added at mealtimes is what he recommends for most kids and it'll cure whatever ails them.  And yes, we've seen it work well here!

I take my ordinary prenatals, but they don't seem to make a difference in my day.  I take calcium/magnesium/minerals and they don't either (but I know they're necessary for a growing baby as well as me keeping my own bones and teeth healthy).  I've tried omega-3 oils, digestive enzymes, and all sorts of other things to help give me some energy to make it through the day reasonably well.  Because I'm an older mother and my oldest isn't real old yet, I have that strike against energy in the first place.  I delegate what I can to the kids, but still need to be functional myself.  Functional so that I can direct them in reasonable tasks.  Functional so I can keep a toddler out of a reasonable amount of mischief.  Functional so that I don't just yell and growl all day at them.   Functional so that they do some schoolwork most days.  And functional so that I can give them (and dear husband) the emotional stuff they need from me (which makes everybody's life more pleasant in the long run!)  And if I have enough energy to cook, clean, do dishes and such that's just a bonus.  Not even on the list of requirements.

So what's the ticket?  It's (drum roll, please)  GREEN VIBRANCE!!  I bought some (finally) after my chiropractor has been singing it's praises for a couple years now (they even sell it now).  And the health food store always has it on sale.  While I was looking for just a probiotic to try (to improve some pregnancy digestion issues), this sounded like an even better option.  The link I listed tells all about it, and I do have to say that I feel like a million bucks now that I'm taking it each day.  Today I vacuumed the whole house and then had enough energy to sweep the deck and vacuum out the van.  That never happens.  If it's vacuuming day, I'm lucky if I can get the house done before I'm wiped right out.  My digestion issues are gone and right now I should be napping (as I have every day this pregnancy so far), but I'm wide awake typing this instead!  And supper is in the slow cooker (hasn't happened either because I've been too tired to think that far in advance).  I hope I continue to feel this good, as life is alot better when you have (some) energy and are happy at the same time.

Do read up on it if you get a chance (on the link listed above), as I think most people could benefit from more greens, probiotics, and other nutrient dense foods like this has in it.  (Amazon has a ton of positive reviews too, which are helpful)  No matter how healthy we eat these days, it seems that the toxins/chemicals coming in our bodies from various sources override the good we do.  And I don't know of anyone who actually eats enough vegetables.   (Guilty too!)

I even bought some GABA as recommended by a friend (thanks, K) but haven't needed it yet! If I do, it's a good backup plan for those rough days, which usually follow a rough night of sleep (planning on them coming up regularly with 3rd trimester woes which I've encountered in the past!)

http://www.vibranthealth.us/green-vibrance/product-pages/green-vibrance

Monday blues

I've had a hard time staying positive lately.  Growing a baby is hard work, and I seem to be more tired each time.  And older.  And in worse shape.  I'd love to exercise, but I just don't even have enough energy to do the bare minimum.  We did take a walk today, but even that was taxing in many ways.  I've been trying different things to try to boost up my energy levels, but nothing seems to make much difference.  I get good sleep, but still always need more.  There's random aches and pains that I won't go into which make each day unpleasant.  And then when I don't have much energy, the kids behavior gets out of line and then they stress me more (my fault).  And then I don't eat properly and feel worse.  And then kick myself for not eating healthy.  And then I gain lots of weight, making everything mentioned above more difficult.  Oh, sigh.  And it's Monday.  I try to limit coffee, but can't seem to even function without it.  I try tea, but get bored with that after just a few days.

And then there's the comments.  Last week a guy (who didn't even know about the coming baby).  "Whoa, are all of those your kids?"  (Yes, we're very blessed!)  "They must be like, a year apart or something!"  (No, actually 2.  They are 2, 4 6, & 8)  "Man, that's alot!"  Stomps off!  (His wife did whisper, "I love kids, I wish we had some!" as she embarrassingly followed him off.)

And the other extreme from a lady who wishes she had more kids (and has made it very clear to me in the past, although she already has more than me anyhow).  "Wow!  God just keeps blessing you and blessing you!"   In a how-come-you're-so-lucky-and-I'm-not kind of voice.

What to say?  Or feel?  Or do?  I just can't focus (even for a moment) on those things as they drag me down even further.  I need to think about things of beauty that lift me up.  Like cute baby clothes (because I'll need some since this is going to be a different season than we've dealt with before).  And shopping for a "new" car seat and bassinet.  And getting excited about using my diaper bag again (which I love).  And getting back into clothes that aren't too tight or falling down at all times.   And decorating my sun room as we can afford it.  (I've got it all planned out, just need the $$$)  And a warm bath before bed to boost my spirits and relax everything.

On the same note, one of the kids was telling about his bad days lately.  How a couple little failures wrecked his whole weekend.  I tried to brighten him up by telling some stories about bad days that I have had and how now we can laugh about them.   One story was about how I slept in for work one time, and then went to start my car (and clear the snow off it) and proceeded to slip down the stairs, losing my keys back under the stairs (in a tight crevice that was difficult to get to).  When I finally found them and unlocked my apartment and went to call work and tell them I'd be late, I had no voice and they couldn't even hear me enough to tell who was calling.  Thankfully I squeaked it out enough for them to understand and they told me to take the day off and "get better".  I then went back to bed and slept the day away.  Or the story about slamming my finger in the car door with it locked and no one nearby to hear me yelling.

Then I told a story about my Dad (a plumber) who had a customer who was too cheap to use the right size venting to plumb his house.  My Dad strongly advised against it, but the customer refused.  A few months later, the town was flushing the sewer pipes and because of the small pipes, the toilet didn't vent properly and everything flushed up and out the toilet instead (while he was sitting on it).  My parents were on vacation and my grandparents were looking after us kids.  My Grandma wrote the message which said, "So-and-so called.  Toilet blew up."  It was apparently hard not to laugh when he returned the call and got the details.  I was telling the kids that whenever they have a bad thing happen to them, they can be happy that their toilet hasn't blown up on them that day!

The sun is shining, and the kids are happily playing outside for now, so that's good.  

And tomorrow is a new day.  With no mistakes (or aches) in it.  Yet!

_____________________________________________

This is my only permanent record, so I try to record the kid's stuff here.  For those of you on Facebook, sorry for the repeat.

We've been on coyote patrol lately, as they've been eying our chickens. The kids reactions when they saw the first one staring at them from the corner (outside) the pen. Luke: "Mom, there was a coyote staring at me right by the chicken pen so I wasn't sure what to do." (calm and collected) James: "Mom, there's a coyote right by the chickens! Shoot it, shoot it! Get Dad's gun and shoot it! Just put the bullet in and pull the trigger. It's easy!" (excited and got a plan) Elise: "We should stay in the house all day because coyotes like meat. And we're meat." (scared and nervous) Isaac: Just wanders around wondering what a coyote is, imitating a howl whenever he feels necessary.

When will we ever learn?

Sometimes (well, most of the time), parenting is just hard.  There's lots of advice out there, but I've found that most of it rarely works consistently.  Most of the time I feel like I'm just stumbling around in the dark, trying new things on a  regular basis in hopes that something new will be "the ticket".  Not so.  There is no magic pill.  There is no magic formula.  Well, there is but I forget to use it (it's called Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, the life).

I'm a researcher.  Love finding new information.  Love honing in a process and streamlining it to fit my life and needs.  Unfortunately I am blessed with 4 little rascals who fail to follow my predictions and wishes.  Which is a good thing, but that doesn't make it easier.

Here's the example:  one of our children has been acting out ALOT lately.  Bullying, belligerent, pestering, will not communicate.  I haven't known what to do.  What I want to do is to just yell at them, shake them, "knock some sense" into them.  I tried lecturing, adding more work (when original jobs didn't get done in a reasonable time), punishment, bribery, the works!  To no avail.  I finally reached the end of my rope the other day, leading me to become a crying mess.  After voicing my concerns to my dear husband, and he gave all the kids a pep talk of expectations, and I expected things to get better.  Not so.  This mom was still nagging, cajoling, and bribing these kids to do a few simple tasks (to no avail).  The problem child was the worst, instigating trouble wherever they were.

After prayerfully seeking the Lord (finally!), I realized that I was going about it totally wrong.  This kid needed love.  And needed reassurance.  And needed time with their Mom.  And needed to be believed in and trusted.  Oh, dear.  I felt like such a failure.  But, as God promises, His mercies are new every morning.  And sometimes in the middle of the afternoon too.  So I started laying on the love.  I made that child sit by me while we read (all afternoon).  I made them (grudgingly) hold my hand for our whole afternoon walk.  The walk started with a trudging child, lagging behind very much rebelling at having to hold my hand.  By the end of the walk though, this child was holding my hand (not me grasping theirs) willingly and wouldn't let it go when we got home.

Then this child began cheerfully helping me.  Then at bedtime I cuddled a long time with them.  Where I found that there was a guilty conscience that needed freeing. (And I was able to put the worries aside, bless them with God's forgiveness, and discuss the whole scenario in terms of what to do next).  This morning this same child came and cuddled with  me in my bed when they woke up (which never happens).  We've had no squabbles yet today, and things are going well.

We discussed options for getting work done easier/quicker and we have a Mom/child date planned tonight and hopefully things are on the mend.  My biggest gripe is "Why can't I learn to go to the Lord first?"  Grr!  I beat my head against the wall so much, when "His yoke is EASY and His burden is LIGHT!"  I guess it's human nature in many ways, but it's also one of those lessons that I have to keep relearning, over and over and over again.  But, what a patient Father we have.  He never angers or loses it when we are disobedient.  What an example Jesus set by His perseverance/patience with those who were foolish, unlearned and didn't understand His ways.  And what a blessing that Jesus has that same love for us today.  To forgive us in our shortcomings, our failures, our meager attempts to do things on our own.  Sigh...

Fun at our beach

One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go to our local park right here in Kalama.  Most times we just go for a walk or bike ride, or let the kids play, but sometimes we bring a picnic and eat there too.  We feel so blessed to have such beauty and opportunity just 3 miles away from home.  They have awesome log picnic areas.  And lots to see and do (huge ships pass right by our very noses, and there's train tracks right on the other side, which makes certain boys pretty happy).  We make it a regular place to go all year round and haven't gotten tired of it yet!

 Beautiful scenery (that's the Queen of the West boat that happened to be docked there during our supper).

 Fun times in the water

Lots of new learning experiences

View to the west

Mommy not letting the kids get too far, while getting quite splashed in the process!

Running as fast as he can

The windblown look

Hmm.  Do you see what I see?

This sand is pretty neat!

Adventure starts here

Part of the fun of having boys is the adventure.  Although we haven't seen much of it in our house, I've been waiting for the day when it would arrive.  Luke (8) is a bookworm, so lacks adventure (in reality) most of the time.  James (6) would be up for it, but isn't big enough to tackle it on his own.  So, the kids hang out in the yard doing normal kid stuff.  And this Mama rests.

It was a sunny, lovely, fall day when were skipping school, and were keeping busy in the yard.  I was weeding strawberries and Elise was doing her favorite job of watering flowers.  Isaac was digging in the dirt, and the big boys were "exploring".  Whatever that meant to their sheltered lives.  I had to go down to our shed to get something, and came across this little snake in my path.  I told the kids about it, but left it at that.  A few minutes later they were yelling and calling out, "Mom, where's a box?  Luke caught a snake!"  

Frankly, I didn't believe it.  He's been scared of spiders and most insects, let alone snakes.  But, sure enough, he had gone in the house and gotten his gloves, and recruited James and Elise to corner the little fella, while he caught it.  

They then put it in a box and James held the lid shut while Luke ran inside and opened all his books up to find out how to care for one.  After looking through the 4th or 5th book (World Book Encyclopedia to the rescue), he came back outside with a list of all they needed.  Food, water, shelter, bedding, climbing stuff.  We had an old aquarium that was lying around, so they put the snake in there and proceeded to make a home for it.

When Dad got home from work they dug some worms for it and secured a better fitting lid.  I was so proud of Luke for taking the initiative and going after it.  Usually he's so timid that he'd talk himself out of it.

After the novelty wore off (a couple weeks of ownership), and worm finding was getting too tedious, we decided to let him or her go free again.  I told the boys that they can always catch another one if they feel the need to have a snake again.  It sure was fun while it lasted though!

Isaac turns 2

Down at the Columbia River in Kalama trying out "swimming".

Our little Isaac William just turned two.  And is he a character (as 2 year olds are).  Unfortunately I rarely remember to video him, but he has us laughing most of the time.  His vocabulary is expanding, but his improvising cracks us up.  He clicks his lips (smacks them like he's kissing) for the word "ice cream" (his favorite food).  He now makes that sound even if he hears the word birthday, since he correlates the two now.

Birthday boy, barely waking up

We've relearned that you can't argue with a 2 year old.  You will get no where.  Today I bought a new coat for Luke (8) and Isaac thought it was for him.  He wore the huge coat around for the longest time, and wouldn't let Luke even touch it.  Finally, little brother lost interest and we took it off and Luke got it back, but things like that happen so many times each day.  He loves to mess in the sink, wear big shoes/boots around, dress up in costumes and adds so much brightness (and disaster) to our day.

Birthday Mickey Mouse pancake before a trip to Cabela's

He loves Dad, and being like Dad.  He wears a cap that Greg got from work, and pretends he's Dad quite often.  He also has a shirt he likes to wear that is his "Da" shirt.  He has a favorite cowboy hat too, and has discovered a picture of a little boy wearing one in one of his books and thinks it is himself.  You can not convince him otherwise!

Hanging out at the KOA campground when Grandpa and Grandma from Canada were down.

He is convinced that he's the only baby around too.  When we talk about any baby, he points to himself and is very determined to let us know that he. is. the. baby!  We'll see what happens when our new baby does show up!  Hopefully he'll be more used to the idea by then.

Isaac still reminds me in looks of my uncle Cliff, so that is really neat.  Makes me so happy.   My aunt has a picture of Cliff at this same age, and they could be the same little boy.  If you don't recall, Cliff was my only bachelor uncle that passed away when I was 14, and I have never quite gotten over him.  He treated me so special, and I always loved spending time with him.  (Memories of Uncle Cliff blog post.)

Savory Borscht

 Yummy fall soups.  Coming up.  Right now.  

I just love making soups (if you didn't already know that).  There is something about it that's very satisfying in a way that cooking other things isn't.  Some people love baking, but me, I'll stick with soups.  Last winter my goal was to eat more veggies, so it send me experimenting with new ones and ways to use them.  I bought some beets and then had to figure out what to do with them.  We tried them roasted (in the oven with a cover on the pan) and enjoyed them alot that way.  But then I remembered borscht.  That yummy Russian soup that was cheap, nourishing and uber-healthy.

My sister-in-law Reidun gave me her recipe, so I tried that.  It was good, but it needed something more.  I googled it and found a recipe from a lady from Azerbaijan which looked fabulous.  But a ton of work.  I think I'll pass.  I then got information from my sister Rebecca, who had got a recipe from an extended family member (Svetlana, who is from Russia) who is an excellent soup maker apparently, which gave me some good tips too.  I then tried to put it all together to make an easy, yet delicious soup.  (here's the Classic Russian Borscht from Azerbaijan recipe)

Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition.  They cleanse the liver and blood (and we could all use a bit of that), are high in minerals and fiber and lots of other vitamins too.  They help fight cancer and tumors and can be stored for a long time, which makes them a great year-round vegetable.  They also have some carbohydrates in them, so will give energy if it's low.   15 great reasons to eat beets

Cabbage is a wonderful vegetable to get acquainted with too.  It's good for many of the same reasons that beets are, but their nutritional values are a bit different.  Great for livers, cleansing, vitamins and minerals.   20 Best Benefits Of Cabbages For Skin, Hair And Health

Parsnips are another new one for us.  They look like a carrot, but taste very different.  Mild in some ways, spicy in others.  Tasty for sure!  (We like them roasted in the oven as well.) All three of these mentioned veggies are high in fiber, and cleanse the body as well as promote weight loss and prevent cancer.  We could all use more of that!  Health Benefits of Parsnips

Here's the recipe I came up with.  It still takes a bit of work (grating veggies mostly, which I hire out to our eldest), but is one of those things that actually tastes better the next day and the next, so making a big pot is highly recommended.  I usually make it in my Dutch oven so that I can brown the meat and get more flavor out of it.  But a slow cooker works too.  The Russian lady's recipe has you make the broth the day before, but if you simmer your roast all day first, you'll get a lovely broth (with all it's health benefits).  She also tells you to chill it and not even eat it on the day you make it, but to reheat the next day. (I can't seem to do that after smelling that awesome smell all day!)  The measurements are very easy to increase or decrease, which is another great reason I love making (any kind of) soup.  Just use what you have and it'll be fine!

Savory Borscht
1 pot roast with a bone in it (the bone adds minerals and flavor)
4-6 medium beets, grated
4-6 carrots, grated
2-4 parsnips, grated
1/2 head cabbage, finely chopped
4-6 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper (about 1 tsp. of each)
lemon juice (optional)
beef bouillon (1 cube/tsp. per cup of juices)
3-5 cloves garlic, minced 
 3-5 T. fresh or 3 T. dried parsley
sour cream (dollop in each bowl)

To make in Dutch oven, sear meat on high heat until browned on all sides.  You can do this either on the stove top or in the oven (400-500*F for about 15 min in oven).   Turn down heat (350*F) and put the lid on it, then bake as you normally would for a pot roast until falling-apart tender.   This could take all day, depending on how big your roast is.  Add bay leaves, salt and pepper the roast well before you get it baking.

While you're baking/simmering your roast, you'll want to prep your veggies.  Onions and celery can be chopped by hand or with a food processor.  Add them to the roast and let them cook all day too.  You should end up with lots of juices simmering in with your roast, and that will be the base for your soup. 

Saute the onions and celery if you want a more flavor, not necessary though.

Near the end of your roast cooking time (last hour), you can add the bouillon and garlic and your root veggies and put the lid back on and simmer them all together (move Dutch oven from the oven to the stove at this point).  Grate your beets, carrots and parsnips (using a food processor or crank hand grater).  I do not recommend grating these by hand, as it may take all day.  You'll have about 8-10 cups of grated veggies when you're done.  (Save 1 handful of beets to add at the very end for color, as the beets will lose much of their color while they're simmering.)  About 1/2 hour before serving, add your shredded cabbage.  Then about 15 min. before serving, remove the roast from the pot and let it sit on a plate/cutting board until it's cool enough to shred and then put it back in the pot, and you're going to add that last handful of beets and parsley and finish simmering it up.

Enlist your strong 8 year old son to do the grating, with the meat simmering nearby.

At this point, you'll taste and see what it needs (if anything).  It should be a nice even combination of sweet with a hint of sour.  If it tastes too sweet, you can add the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. at a time.  You may need more bouillon, garlic, salt, or pepper.  Celery salt and dill are good too.

Other things you can add:  potatoes (add with cabbage), apple (add with root veggies), turnips or rutabagas would be good too.  You could use a different kind of meat if you like (I've even used ground beef, but the texture was not great), but a slow roasting one is best.  Add more broth if you want it "soupier", leave the lid off if you want it less watery.  It's all good!

Dollop sour cream onto each bowl before serving.

Starting the roast in the morning in the slow cooker.

(To make in the slow cooker, just simmer your meat on low all day, and then start the veggies (beets, parsnips, carrots) cooking about an hour before mealtime, and follow the rest of the times accordingly.)

Enjoy! (we didn't have any sour cream tonight, so went without)

So that's it.  Greg actually craves this soup alot.  He thinks it's something in the nutrition of it that his body needs, since he feels much better when he has some.  We always serve this just by itself, but you could add some bread if you need to.

Kid stuff

I wish I kept better track of the cute things that our kids say, but I often forget.  I'm going to record a few here, just so they don't escape me.

When we were making pickles this fall, the kids were helping Grandma peel garlic for it.  Getting those last few papers off the garlic cloves can be tricky, especially for inexperienced kids.  As they were doing this, I said, "This can be your school lesson today.  How to make dill pickles."  James (rather frustrated with his garlic that wouldn't peel) says, "I think I'd rather just learn from a book!"

The other day we were eating ice cream for dessert and I mentioned to the kids that some of our friends used to have just ice cream for supper as a treat on Sunday nights, and asked them what they thought of that.  James was appalled and said, "That means they didn't have ANY protein!"   I guess my nutrition lectures are paying off!

Every morning the boys have these elaborate dreams that they relate to us at breakfast.  The dreams go on and on in excruciating detail.   Elise was feeling left out and says, "It's no fair.  I only dream about boring stuff.  Like people going to the fridge.  That's all!"

And the innocence of youth...

Elise says, "Did you know that there's only one Christmas song that isn't about Jesus?  It's Jingle Bells."  The boys quickly jumped on that and burst her bubble.  If only they were all about Jesus!

Luke and James were experimenting with Google Earth on the computer.  They finding all sorts of places and looking at them from different angles.  The Eiffel Tower, Great Wall of China, Statue of Liberty, etc.  Then they looked at our house.  When they did, James excitedly ran outside and started waving up at the sky so that Luke could see him on the computer inside.  Unfortunately we had to enlighten them that it wouldn't work.  But that youthful exuberance was rather exhilarating!