Christmas in August: Mama's School Materials

I received my school materials yesterday! I am officially a student of the Global College of Natural Medicine in their Holistic Health Practitioner program. It is a two year program that will award me with a Practitioners Diploma when I am finished. I won't bore you with all that I will be studying. But I know I am really going to enjoy it! I do hope and pray that I'll be able to truly balance all of my priorities. It won't be easy. Wish me luck!!

We opened the box and had a lot of fun pulling everything out. I have my work cut out for me. It's been good showing Jakob our enthusiasm for learning and school. I hope it stays with him.

Let There Be Light

Today would be considered an excellent day! We did wake up tired from Caleb being awake a lot through the night. But we overcame that and plowed through the day and accomplished a lot!

The highlight of the day was just that, LIGHT! Leif installed three fluorescent lights throughout the house and it feels like a whole new home. I wonder if that is what helped me feel so good through the day. I was able to get the whole house straightened and organized. I;m so glad! This is the weekend before Jakob and I start school. So I really wanted to feel like the house is in order.

Leif also figured out what we're going to do for a ceiling. We are going to staple white flat sheets to the ceiling. We'll order them bulk online. It will be better then plastic. We also bought a sea foam paint roller. I am going to paint the walls next week. Leif said that he will put up the rest of the walls on Monday. So that means no more curtains breaking up the walls. We're going to put hinges on some of the panels so we can still use the space behind the walls as storage space.

We've saved a lot of money using these ideas. I'm really happy!!! Yesterday was a full day of running errands in SG and shopping. The highlight of the shopping "goods" was a memory foam mattress pad. When we purchased it I was worried that it was too frivolous of a purchase. But I think it might be heaven sent. I woke up last morning and this afternoon without any body aches. I usually feel pretty sore after sleeping. Especially after a night of getting in and out of bed all night. So maybe it was worth it. We got it at Costco for a pretty good deal... The other seal that we got was at the DI. We found the perfect office chair for me. It is completely cushioned (no bumped head for baby) It's height adjustable, and it's on wheels $3.50:)

Well, I got my school manuals, books, and supplies today in the mail. Honestly, when I opened the box I had a fear that maybe I was making a mistake. But as I started going through the box I began to feel like a little girl on Christmas who was getting exactly what she had hoped for! I am really excited!!!

Things are good. The kids have been sick and that isn't easy. But we're surviving!

My New Kitchen Tool

Leif and I are looking into making an investment financially, and into our family health. We want a Vita-Mix! I'll let them tell you why: "The Vita-Mix 5200 makes juice from whole foods in a minute, cooks soup from scratch without a stove, makes delicious, healthy ice-cream in 30 seconds and even grinds grain and kneads the dough for you..." This will be my new do-it-all kitchen appliance. I have very little kitchen space, and we try to eat a wide variety of healthy foods. So this will be great!

I'm really excited for the basic uses of the vita-mix like smoothies and ice cream. But I'm also excited to use it to make soups, nut butters, grinding grains and flax seed, grinding meats, canning, etc. AND IT CLEANS ITSELF! It has a million uses and I'm looking forward to it!

I'm not sure when we'll get it, hopefully soon! But I thought I'd share anyway.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 25, 2008...

Outside My Window I can see the morning sunlight peaking under the curtain letting me know that the rest of the world is waking up and I hope the rest of my world stays asleep for a while.

I am thinking about all of the things that I hope to accomplish today. Today is a day of organizing our upcoming daily schedules so we cam maximize our little time with all of our many things to do.

I am thankful for my husband's willingness to work hard, and a good nights sleep.

From the kitchen I am thrilled to say I only have clean dishes beckoning to me to be put away from the drainer.

I am wearing my sleeping attire:)

I am creating a list of all that I hope to accomplish this week.

I am going to stay home today and accomplish a lot, and tomorrow will be our getting out day.

I am reading many nutritional health articles and my lessons for the upcoming weeks for my LDS Young Women's class that I serve in church.

I am hoping that my strength holds up today, that my liquid iron arrives soon, and that the kids allow me the time to do all that I need to with them as well as for myself today.

I am hearing the tick of Caleb's swing in the distance.

Around the house things are tidy thanks to all of our willingness to clean things up last night.

One of my favorite things is when I truly learn something new that I can apply to my life or another persons life.

Family Home Evening tonight will most likely be short and sweet. I think we'll talk about how we can be a leader who chooses the right. We're trying to help Jakob be more of a leader instead of a follower.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Calender upcoming events, outline Caleb's upcoming immunizations, Make eye exam appointments, laundry, and plan our family schedule during the school months.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... My Precious World!

One Full Week! ... Jakob's Birthday

We're supposed to be in bed by now. That was our goal... But we were determined to get our freezer/refrigerator working right. It's struggled for years. But three gallons of milk soured and melted ice cream bars has a lot of motivation. Purchasing a new fridge was not an option. So the first step was to help with insulation. So, we glued foam pads to the sides and top of the fridge. That help a tiny bit. But still not good enough. So, Leif started investigating. He discovered that the vents and coils in the freezer to the fridge were frozen solid. But this is strange because it is a frost free freezer. So, we emptied it out and let it thaw. As it was doing this Leif investigated the freezer down stairs to get an idea of what a working fridge does. He realized that the fan in our freezer was not working. So, he took ours apart a bit and worked for a couple of hours at it and after taking the fan out of the freezer downstairs (not a mandatory freezer) and putting it into our freezer, IT WORKS!!!!! YIPPPEEEE! I love when we can work together and fix something that saves us hundreds of dollars! So Exciting! Now I have a Clean Working Fridge! Thanks Love!



At the beginning of this week Leif got something special in the mail. He has collected comic books for years. He found a HUGE lot of all kinds of comic books on ebay for a deal of a deal. His dad loaned him the money to get them and they arrived this week. He and Jakob opened the box and it was like Christmas in August.:)





There are days when I am really glad that Jakob is still so tiny. He needed a bath and I wanted him to be able to play in the water for a long time. We don't have a bath tub so our options are; the sink, the shower, or Caleb's baby bathtub. The sink was full, he didn't want a shower, so I chose the baby bath tub. The problem with the baby bath is that it gets water everywhere. So, I put it outside on our porch. Jakob loved it of course and I didn't mind him splashing all over the place. It was great!





Today we had a birthday party for Jakob with his friends... Finally! Jakob has been looking forward to it all week. Now that it's over, he can't wait until tomorrow when his cousins come over. But that will be another post. Today we had a great time! Leif and I made a jet cake with a dinosaur as a pilot. We have a tradition of making his birthday cakes together. It's a lot of fun. Last night was stressful. I was not feeling well, and Jakob was incredibly frustrating (exaggerated by Mama not feeling well) but we got it done and I'm glad we did. We had a pinata and played a few little games. The kids played and we (parents) visited. It was fun!

Mama's Update: Blood Test Results and More

I need to get to bed... But I know that tomorrow will be another full day and I want to stay up to date with this. A few updates about my life (Mama's.):

The bishop called Leif and I in on Sunday and asked me if I would accept the call to serve in the Young Women's Presidency as the first counselor. I think it will be fun. Not always easy. But I love the ladies that I will be working with!! It will be a blessing!

I went to the doctor today for a follow up visit on some blood tests and for a discussion about my health. He told us that I am severely Iron deficient. Not just iron in the blood, I'm so anemic that the cells in my body haven't been getting near enough oxygen. That is why I have had such horrible pain, fatigue, and brain fog throughout my body. I am also vitamin B deficient. It is good to have a name and it was good to see the numbers on the lab work and really catch a vision of the reality of the situation. So of course I'm on supplements for 3 months and then we'll run more tests.

I was also diagnosed with Vasospasms. This goes along with Raynauds Syndrome. It is where certain parts of the body (usually the hands or feet or earlobes) will go numb or tingle because the tiny arteries in the area are constricting. I have a strange case that affects me while I nurse the baby as well as possibly in my ears. It is no fun! My symptoms are more burning and throbbing. So now I am trying to alternate between pumping milk and nursing Caleb. Caleb doesn't nurse calmly (he latches on and off a lot) so this adds a lot more pain and aggravation. So I'm hoping to get things worked out soon. There's a possibility that the Vasospasms are related to the Vitamin B deficiency.

We were VERY blessed at the Dr. office today. The nurses over heard that I needed a pump and they gave me one that had been donated to the office. They GAVE it to me. It saved us literally over a hundred dollars. And it works well. Now I just need to order some MAM Bottles. Caleb won't take the basic Playtex Nursers anymore. MAM is the type of Binky he takes so it should be fine.

So, that's my update.

The Future Looks Good

I haven't written this week because life has been full of stress. I conducted a health experiment this week and the results were shocking! For several months I have taken a full regimen of nutritional supplements. I knew that they were very helpful in keeping my body functioning. But I had no idea how helpful they really are until this week. I stopped taking all of them and by the sixth day I was a mess! I won't go into details. But let's just say if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. I started taking everything again and I'm back on track. Leif is probably the most grateful for my regained stability.

When it comes to family life we are looking forward to a clear and steady schedule for the next year. Leif was offered a job my the school working in their office. We are very grateful. It will meet our needs financially and the schedule will be really nice.

I am looking forward to a few additions that we are going to work on for the barn (our home.) We are going to put in a few sky lights in the ceiling. We are going to complete the ceiling. And we are going to fix up the walls. We might even close our bedroom space in with walls instead of curtains. The most helpful thing that we are going to do is purchase a washer and dryer for ourselves. Right now we use Leif's parents. This requires us to take the laundry over to their home. Leif is my laundry man. But with the new job he won't be able to do it any more. I am looking forward to having the washer and dryer down stairs!

There are many things that I am grateful for. Our home is one of them. It meets our basic needs and we aren't required to pay rent. But as a mother and a girl who was raised living in a beautifully decorated home. I do find myself murmuring. I feel really bad about this. Pride! I have been able to do little things here and there in the barn that raise some eyebrows by Leif and his parents that have beautified the barn and made the space more efficient. This has been a blessing! I look forward to the new changes... I think it's a form of therapy for me too.

Anyway, the kids are doing well. Caleb is a sweetheart! He tried solid food for the first time this week. I gave him organic apples and oatmeal. He didn't mind too much. I think I'll feed him peas for dinner tonight. Caleb is trying hard to sit up. I have to watch him closer now because he'll do a sit up and fall forward. He's sat up for around five seconds or so. My guess is he'll be sitting in a couple of weeks. That will be nice!

Jakob will mirror what ever mood I am in or what ever tone or reaction that I give to him when we're communicating. So, it's up to me to help maintain harmony in the home. Jakob is very excited to turn four years old at the end of this month. He looks forward to his birthday party and has been practicing to hit a pinata' for the game at the party. He of course eat sleeps and dreams the idea that he will hopefully be getting new jets and dinosaurs for his birthday. Mama hopes for just a few new toys and more books and maybe some fun necessities like cool unddies or something for school:) We'll see what the birthday bunny drops in.:)

Our garden is starting to bare fruit. It's nice to work together in the garden every once in a while. The veggies are very appreciated too! I found that it's easy to use my Pampered Chef food chopper and chop up squash and add it to ground hamburger when I use hamburger in a meal. I've had a good time being creative with healthy cooking lately.

Life is looking up!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 11, 2008 ...
Outside My Window... I can see that the sun is setting.
I am thinking... about how much I'm looking forward to bed time. Not the "putting the kids to bed" part. But definitely the sleep part!
I am thankful for... my good husband and his understanding and patience, as well as his hard work.
From the kitchen... I am bidding my hubby farewell as he leaves after a long day at work to yet work some more.
I am wearing... Comfy pants and a shirt. But I'm happy to say my sizes are dropping:)
I am creating... Many projects.
I am going... to resist getting angry with Jakob for the millionth time today (he just hucked a hanger towards a shelf full of memento's.) I can't wait for his school t start!
I am reading... my scriptures more and a lot on the internet.
I am hoping... that Leif will be hired on at a better job and that we might find a bigger place to live.
I am hearing... the hum of the air conditioners and Jakob talk to himself as he plays with his toys.
Around the house... I am trying not to look around. It is just a reminder of all that I didn't get dome today. But the toilet is scrubbed:)
One of my favorite things... writing and researching.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Dishes, securing Leif a better job, RS enrichment night, taking Jakob to the park.
Here is picture thought I am sharing... I Really Miss Hawaii!

Mothers Who Know

Sister Julie B. Beck addressed the mothers of the world during the October 2007 General Conference. Her address was titled "Mothers Who Know." Apparently her address has stirred up a bit of controversy since it was given. When I read in the Deseret News about the frustration that people were feeling I decided to read Sister Becks address again and make my own conclusion.

In my opinion Sister Beck was completely in line. She was addressing the mothers of the world. Part of the frustration naturally stems from feminist groups who struggle with conforming to the view of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints because they feel that women in general should be free to choose a path other then motherhood. What it seems they missed in Sister Becks talk is that she was addressing women who already chose to become a mother or desires to be a mother. There are other addresses to the women of the world who are unable to have children or choose not to become a mother. But at this moment Sister Beck chose to offer some guidelines for the mothers of the world to draw from as we sojourn to raise our children in this not so peaceful world.

As my husband and I discussed this subject last night I found myself repeating the words "mothers who know." I fell asleep with this question in mind, "mothers who know what?" I had caught on to what mothers should do once we know. But I had missed exactly what we should know before we can act. So I went back to Sister Beck's address this morning. I was given the answer to my question in the last sentence of the second paragraph of Sister Becks address. It states, " When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children."

When we know 1. Who we are, 2. Who God is, and 3. Are willing to make covenants with Him, then we will Know. Sister Beck knows that understanding these three things brings wisdom into our lives and motivates us to move forward and reach our potential.

We are of Heavenly heritage. If we have a Divine heritage, then we recognize that our children are Divine. This is the motivating factor of a mother who knows. We are simply doing the very best we can to help our children reach their Divine potential. As we help our children reach their potential, we will naturally be reaching our own personal Divine potential.

Sister Beck lists several things that we can focus on as we raise our children. Realistically, if we take all of her council to heart and determine to apply it all immediately in our lives, there is a very real possibility that we might fall short. What we need to recognize is that Sister Beck did not say "Mothers who know do This, and This, and This, and she does it TOMORROW!" She just says that mothers who know will DO! Every mother has a different story and a different journey. There are many season's of life.

I have determined to take Sister Becks address and consider it a road map. I will take one step at a time and move forward each day with a prayer in my heart that just as I am a mother who knows, my sons will one day determine that they are Father's Who Know!

Life's Just Movin' Along

Life is still just truckin' along at the normal rate. Fast yet, slow... This week should give us some insight into the future. We're hoping Leif can square away a new job. Whether it be with Zions Bank or Fredonia School. Either one will work at this point.

We're trying to get things in order a bit for when school starts for all of us. Leif is thinking of getting his dads motorcycle fixed up so he can ride that to work and leave me with the car. I'm not thrilled with the idea. But since he'll only be driving a short distance on our country roads. I need to just let go and let faith take the lead with that fear.

We're trying to plan ahead financially so when the school loans come through we don't act like famished animals who just found the watering whole:) Wish us luck. Needs verses Wants isn't always the easiest thing to determine. But we'll try.

As for myself and my projects I'm still working on this and that when it comes to nutritional medicine. This week I'm actually conducting a tiny experiment. I have weaned myself off of Zoloft and am not taking ANY supplements for a week. No medicines, vitamins, or herbs for a week. I'm keeping a log of how I feel each night and then I'll go back to the supplements next week and compare the results. So far it's been interesting!

I've also had a great time creating my own recipes lately. I'll usually take a basic recipe and make some changes to make it my own. Tonight I made some delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that have crushed up fiber cereal in place of flour. So it's packed with fiber making the sugar and chocolate chips not as big of a deal. It's fun! You can read some of my recipes on my Healthy Mamas Kitchen blog www.healthymamaskitchen.blogspot.com

Normal Routine

I've been tinkering on all of the blogs lately so I haven't posted since Monday. Life is pretty much routine these days. Leif's usually home most of the days and works in the evenings. So we work on our projects and enjoy each other's company during the day. We're really looking forward to the first week of September when school starts. Money will be in and that will ease a lot of stress. We're hoping Leif will interview with Zions Banks call center within the next couple of weeks. That job will really help out a lot too.

Jakob is very excited about school and dance class. I'm really excited about my nutritional medicine classes. And Leif is just looking forward to moving forward! Caleb is growing and happy. He'll have his four month immunizations tomorrow. Those are a bitter sweet thing. He's "talking" right now. Jakob says that he's telling us a jet story. Jakob is obsessed with jets and dinosaurs right now.

Leif's dad had neck surgery today. He was in tremendous pain because of several bone spurs that had grown on his neck vertebrae. It was a laser surgery so it wasn't very invasive. It went well, and we pray that it will ease some of the pain that he lives with on a daily basis.

The Simple Women's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 4, 2008

Outside My Window... It's dark. 9:22 PM, curtains closed. I think it's cloudy...

I am thinking... about so many different things. I think I will be formulating health supplements in my sleep.

I am thankful for... Sleeping Children.

From the kitchen... The dishes linger in the sink and Jakob's dinner plate still sits on the table.

I am wearing... My comfy pants.

I am creating... a health supplement formula and plan for Leif and I.

I am going... to bed as soon as I'm done here.

I am reading... A lot of information about vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, etc.

I am hoping... That I can stand having Jakob whine about wanting to play with the big kids tomorrow. I should be glad, but they're older then him and I'm protective. (A family from the community needed a trailer to stay in this week.)

I am hearing... The hum of the air conditioner and stillness. Ahhhh~ Caleb's fussing! GRRR!

Around the house... There are things waiting for me to do tomorrow. But for now.

One of my favorite things... is my biggest vice: Peanut Butter Panic ice cream, smothered in hot fudge and nuts.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Just getting through it. Things aren't bad, but not easy.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... I can not believe how much Jakob and Caleb look alike! This is Jakob at Caleb's age. The only difference is Caleb still has beautiful blue eyes and Jakob had/still has deep brown eyes. They even hold their hands the same way...

Hair Thing Is Normal: Body Type Tests And Research

I had heard that hair loss was normal after pregnancy. I've heard it now from a few of you. I don't remember it after Jakob or the twins. But I'm sick of it! The adrenal and thyroid glands are all related to hormones and chemicals in the body. Mine have been messed up for a long time. It's just really showing itself at the moment. I won't go into details, but the hair loss isn't the only thing. I'm not too focused on the problems, but I have had to take a minute and really do some health evaluation. Not just skim the surface with eating healthy and taking some good supplements. I needed to figure out what supplements to take. I already have a good knowledge base of what healthy eating is through trial and error. So I went on a quest.

I found some really good resources. These doctors and their websites really narrowed things down for me. Each of their sites have a short quiz for you to take that analyzes your health and gives you a good clues as to what the issue might be if you're just not feeling right. It's REALLY neat! I got the same results on all three tests. Severe adrenal fatigue and moderate thyroid fatigue. So, now I know and I'm on my way to feeling better. Here are the websites:

DrBerg.com

WomenToWomen.com

LiverDoctor.com

(Friends and Family) Let me know what your results are and I'll give you an idea of what supplements I have found for your results. Read the information on their websites too. It's all really god information.