NieNie's Job Balls Idea: LOVE IT!

I read NieNie's Job Balls post this morning and I Love the idea! I'm going to try it out. It is similar to our "papers" idea. I'm not sure I even blogged about it, but it worked very well. I just want to change it up a bit. Our papers idea was a plan to get Jakob to do things the very first time we asked him, without saying ANYTHING, it was a goal to hear "Okay Mom" instead of "uuggphh BUT I..."  I had written a few rewards on slips of paper (extra Wii, Computer, Movie, Later bedtime, etc.) Randomly when I caught Jakob following directions the first time I told him he could choose a paper. He LOVES it! But it's gotten to the point that he says, "Okay!" and then under his breath we hear, "so I can get a paper."  I'm thinking it's time for a change and I'm going to try this idea from Stephanie.

Job Balls:
"Asking my little children nicely to do things around the house wasn't cutting it anymore. I needed something genius. Something that would work. Something down right fun. So I came up with a plan. It had to do with colorful balls. And it had to work. I wrote jobs down on the 50 soft golf ball sized balls. I have to admit coming up with 50 jobs became hard...after about the 25th one I was writing jobs such as:  "hug sister" or "pick up 10 strands of Jimmy hair on the couch.  I am making a tally of all the jobs done, and whoever has the most tallies, gets to pick out a treat.  Works for them, works for me. Hopefully this will last longer than a few weeks. "  - NieNie

Lunch Box Lunches and Lunch Box Notes Ideas

Going Gluten Free makes breakfast and lunch from home a requirement. I don't mind at all. It gives me another way to help my kids feel better during the day as well as a way for me to take a minute and show a little extra Mama Love. 

So here's where you come in:) Some of you have posted some great healthy sack lunches and lunch box note ideas on you blogs in the past. But I didn't need them at the time. Now I need them. Can you send me your ideas!?  I look forward to hearing from you!!

PS. Don't worry if your ideas aren't gluten free! I will do the conversion, No Worries!

Just Thinking

I love my Foto Friday post so much, I hate to move on.:) Hence the link to it on my side bar. Anyway, I need to think about something, and this is my "thinking corner" so I'll think. Think, Think, Think...  Sorry, just had to say it:)

So, I've taken this Gluten Free, Gettin' Healthy thing pretty seriously.  Uhh, a little too seriously. I realized yesterday that I think it was one of my "Manic Project's."  One where I catch a vision and I work my bunz off trying to make it come to pass.  But this one actually has just made me bummed really.  Honestly, I just wanted a place to blog about our health and help others along with keeping a good record. But now that I've taken hours building the blog, I'm not sure if I actually want to keep it up. I don't like having to keep a separate record. It's just too much writing and too little time.

I didn't want to include it on this blog because it doesn't really go with the flow of this blog. But now I think that it could just be a new part of this blog. Really, I just don't want to bore YOU, my readers. But, I'm thinking I'm going to have to add this new element into this blog.  After all, it's a pretty life changing part of our world. I'm thinking it should just be a part of our family blog.

So, I'll think about it a bit more. But don't be surprised if there are a few more/new elements to this blog soon. 

K-  Thanks for letting me Think!;)

Foto Friday - January Week 4

I am going to start something new. I looked on my camera the other day and realized that I have several photos that I haven't shared. Thus, the birth of what I am calling Foto Friday! Every Friday I will post new pictures and stories. Enjoy!  - This one will be long because it's for the whole month.-

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

This is a picture of a swaddling blanket that I made for JJ since he was growing out of his Miracle Blanket. I started and finished in one evening. Leif and I call these my "Manic Sewing" projects.

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

Jakob, Caleb, JJ, and Papa playing Choo Choo!

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

5 Month Old JJ Hauled Around in Caleb's Tonka. Tonka Tough!

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

Jakob and Papa built a snowman to keep Grandpa company when Grandma was out of town.

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

We woke up to Solid Ice outside and Jakob and Papa took the chance to "Ice Skate" together. They both had a blast sliding on the ice.

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

No their eggs did not taste like shrimp the next day!;)

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

Two Peas in a Pod!

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

My precious JJ at 5 Months Old

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

Three "Men" and a Baby:)

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

Cherished Times!

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

"Mommy Makeover Day" Jakob's class invited their moms to class for a special party. They had a great time fixing our hair, makeup, and nails. I took very NATURAL colors for very good reason. Sweet Memories!

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

While we were having family scripture study Jakob told us out of the blue that he had invited his friend to come to church with him on Sunday. We were thrilled about that, of course. He then proceeded to tell us that he wanted to give his friend a Book of Mormon so he would be able to learn about Jesus and live with his family forever in heaven. No, we did not hesitate to help him with that request.The card said, "Dear Jaydon, I want you to have a Book of Mormon so you can learn about Jesus. -Jakob" "And the Little Child Shall Lead Them!"

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

I found these shoes at the DI (Thrift Store) and I absolutely fell in love with them! They are from Spain. Love Em!

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

Mama's Boys!

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

I poured Caleb a bowl of cereal and turned around to get a spoon. But he had already found one:) An Ice cream Scoop.

From Foto Friday (January Week 4)

My Sweet JJ Loving His Bath!

Now That’s More Like It! Gluten and Fever Gone

I woke up Sunday after intentionally eating pizza Saturday night (which is filled with wheat flour and gluten.) and was at my “Hit by a Truck” level of pain by noon.  I quickly realized that I really hoped the whole episode would end and regretted conducting the “experiment" in the first place.  So I got online to find out how long the gluten would stay in my system if that was what was causing the pain and exhaustion. I found out that it could be up to three days until the gluten was out of my body. So I did the math and told myself to hang on until Wednesday. If I was still dying by Wednesday then I would have to rethink the whole gluten/wheat theory as to why I am so sick. 

Well, it’s Wednesday and I woke up and did YOGA! WAHOO!!  Then, I Cleaned The House! Then, I had a friend and her kids over for lunch! Then I went with Leif to clean our filthy double stroller at the car wash. Then I came home and made dinner. Then I cleaned it up. Then I showered. Then I packed Jakob’s lunch. And now I’m blogging up a storm and still feel good! Isn’t that AWESOME!!!???  Yes, I’m thinking it is very cool!

During the three days of horrible pain and fatigue I also had a fever and swollen lymph nodes in my arm pits (gross I know.) My temp has stayed at 98.6-98.7 all day today. And the lymph nodes are almost un-noticeable as well. 

So, my conclusion is again that either wheat or gluten are poison for me, or the timeframe of a Periodic Fever Syndrome episode just happened to hit right at the time that I was glutened.

Guess what! I might not even have to re-gluten myself to find out.  One of the doctors at our clinic has just started taking patients for allergy testing and consultation. So I made an appointment for Monday (5 days from now.) I’m really hoping to get some clear answers soon.

It’s nice to have some strength back!

Carsickness and Cavities

Yesterday we took a little road trip to a pediatric dentist for Jakob. We live in a tiny little town. So we drove for an hour and a half to get there. Last time we went the kids bugged each other the whole time, Jakob complained that the sun was in his eyes, the baby cried a lot ... You know the story.


So this time we thought we'd plan ahead. We picked up the Netflix, turned on a movie, and put a blanket in Jakob's window. Ahhh, no worries this time, right? Uhhh, Barf bags anyone? Are YOU SERIOUS!? Yes, about 15 minutes away from the dentist Jakob started complaining about being carsick. This isn't too uncommon for him. The thing you watch for with Jakob is his face. If he goes pale, you know you have a Very Short window before he pukes. Well he wasn't pale yet. But I was still trying to find something for him to puke in. And then I heard something strange from Caleb. I look back at him and HE had Puked! I couldn't believe it! So I was bending over my seat cleaning up Caleb as we came into the dentist parking lot. Jakob opens the door and pukes all over their driveway. LOVELY!

I really need to store Ziplock Bags under my seat.

Jakob met with dentist and sadly he told us that Jakob has 8 cavities. He gets those genetics from Papa (his dad.) I have Horrible teeth. But mine skip the cavity stage and just fall apart. The boys collect plaque and get cavities. Even with good hygiene. So they'll cap all of his molars and we'll hope for the best. JOY!

WOWSERS! Lots of Blogging and Cleaning Lately

It's time for bed. But I thought I'd drop in and say hello. I know it's not the best Sabbath Day activity, but I cleaned my house today (about killed me, but that's another blog) and Leif came home and helped me clean the boys' room which we reorganized this weekend. So I am a happy Mama tonight. My week starts out with a clean house. So Love It!

Well, I'm working on updating all of my blogs. I got rid of a weird spammer. So I will put my boys' blogs up and public again. Their blogs are fun to share because Jakob is old enough to add to it himself. I will also be actively adding recipes to my recipe blog as well. As I go Gluten Free I find myself making up recipes or wanting to remember certain recipes. Just because you're not gluten free doesn't mean you can't make my recipes either, you just use glutened food;)

I'm having fun on Amazon too. I have an account that lets me show you all of the fun books or products that I love and you can buy them if you're interested. It's been a lot of fun. My recipe blog has the most done right now. Check it out!

Quotes of a Six Year old

This is a Papa post.

Just some quick quotes from our six year old. A couple of nights ago Jakob had been having night terrors. We had to comfort him a couple of times. The last time I went in I found him going through his art box on the floor. I asked him what he was doing and he stood up with a pencil and started to climb back into his bunk bed. I told him he didn't need a pencil but he was supposed to be sleeping. He then handed me the pencil and climbed back in bed and was out. Sleep walking....fun. Anyway in the morning I asked if he remembered getting the pencil and why he did it. His answer was...."I think my brain was playing tricks on me."

Then this morning he saw the moon setting in the sky. He said "It is beautiful, it looks like the shadows of a family playing together on the moon."

Anyway, if I think of more quotes I'll share!

Another One!

Well, I've just decided. I know I have several blogs. Like over a dozen to be exact. Some of them are on-going, some are at a stand still, and some are complete. And then there are those yet to be written. You've got it. I'm going to start another blog. This blog just isn't the place to keep a travel log of our fluctuating health and experimenting as I try to find my family's optimum health. So, I'm going to make a place just for that. I'll call it: Mama's Gettin' Us Healthy. If you feel like your life's just not enough of a roller coaster or perhaps not mysterious enough, join my world there. It will be a work in progress over these next few days.

Remembering Back: My Girls' First Birthday

I have so many things to write about tonight. I will take a minute and write down a memory.

My dear friend and fellow Angel Baby mama and I were talking yesterday. The one year mark of the birth of her Angel Baby is right around the corner. We talked about what they might do as a family to remember their little one and how she as a mother was unsure of how she would feel that day or what to expect. That afternoon I took a moment and turned back the clock four years and reflected on my girls' first birthday.

I was pregnant with Caleb (around 4 months along.) We set up the BIG ultrasound for that day. The one when you find out if you're having a boy or a girl. We went to the appointment and found out that I was having a little boy. Of course I acted brave, but I really wanted a girl. The day moved forward. I remember that it was a long day. I'm not sure what took up the bulk of the day. But we got home after dark and there on our door step was a flower arrangement for me. I was shocked to find that it was from my dear sister in law. She never fails to remember special events. She remembered my girls. One year after the loss of a baby few people are still thinking about the loss of your baby. They have moved on. It's just part of the journey. But she remembered. The flowers meant so much to me.

I remember feeling so tired that night. I threw myself on the bed and began to think. Of course I don't remember the train of thought. But I do remember the conclusion. I realized (once again) that it wasn't that I didn't want another boy, because I did. The problem was, I Wanted My Girls! I finally let the tears flow that night. The cleansing kind of tears that heal the broken heart.

That was four years ago. When I think about it I am filled with the longing for my girls, yet it feels like a dream at the same time. The love never goes away. In fact, it evolves just like the love for your living children evolves. We are now at a point as a family where the boys are old enough to understand that they have sisters. It's possible that within the next year or two we will begin to make a tradition of remembrance on the girls' birthday. Either way, they are always in my heart. When the lady at the grocery store asks if I have all boys, I smile and the moment always dictates which answer I give. But there is never a second thought in my mind. No, I have three boys and two beautiful little girls.

New Found Energy - Could It Be Gluten Free?

Things have been interesting since I posted last. I received a great blessing. ENERGY! I'm not exactly sure how it happened other then an answer to prayer. I woke up on Thursday and I decided to start cleaning the house. Not just surface cleaning. REALLY cleaning. Gutting things out cleaning. Vacuuming from top to bottom cleaning. No dust left cleaning. Ten bags of garbage and Thrift Store cleaning. And it feels AMAZING! By Friday night I had worn Leif out with all of the "Honey-Do's.' At one point he asked how I got all of the new found energy. I was wondering the same thing.

We still have more to do. But it feels so good to walk in to a less cluttered, more organized house. When it comes to how I feel, I'm feeling better. Obviously. I still have a lot of pain (especially as I am trying to get out of bed.) But during this last weekend I tested to see if eating Gluten-Free helped me at all. I wasn't perfect. But I'm wondering if it played a role in my energy and motivation level.

Today we cleaned out all of the cupboards and will give away all of the food that is not Gluten-Free. Saturday we went shopping so we can try to go Gluten-Free and see if it makes any difference for me or the kids (Leif doesn't think it will make a difference either way for him.) We shall see. Last night as we were going through the bedtime routine I announced that we were going to conduct a science experiment. I knew this was a good way to get Jakob on board. I told him that we were going to eat certain foods to see if they help me feel better and we would not eat certain foods to see if they were the foods making me sick. Today Leif called me and Jakob answered the phone. Leif asked him what I was doing (I was clearing out the cupboards) Jakob told Leif I was working on my Science Project. :)

Life is busy and ever-changing. We are working on getting the family healthy. New eating habits, new battery operated toothbrushes, dentist appointments, allergy testing (hopefully), an upper GI scope for Leif (he's had problems for a while with his stomach or something.) Along with all of this Leif starts classes tomorrow. AND we have to apply for nursing school and a scholarship. Never a dull moment. I sure hope things only continue to get better!

Celiac Disease? Nope! Anemic? No. Mono? Nadda! I Am...

PERFECTLY HEALTHY!? Are You SERIOUS? No, I am not crazy. Okay, maybe I am. Because I did in fact hope that the doctor would tell me that I had a serious illness. But as you can see from the title of this post all of the test results came back saying that I am just fine. I should be accustomed to this by now. But it is still a bummer when it happens. Inconclusive doctor visits are very much part of my life story.

"So what exactly is Wrong?" I have been asked this a lot lately. "Are you sure it's not just the riggers of life with three little rascals?" Definitely part of it. "How about Prozac?" Takein' the Zoloft thing. "Exercise?" It could not possibly just be a lack of exercise... could it? Tis' a possibility I guess. "Sleep Apnea?" I'm not thinking so. But... I'm sleeping, how would I know!?

I had concluded that Celiac Disease fit like a long lost glove. I know that it's insane. But I wanted Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is diagnosed by a blood test (or a biopsy.) You either have it or you don't. You can solve many of the problems from Celiac just by changing what you eat. We were ready to do that. And to think that I could look forward to a healthier, much healthier future felt like a dream come true. uhhh... Now What?

Well, as a teenager I had a little saying posted all over my room, it said "Smile Through the Tears." So that it what I will do. Luckily, I'm not often on the edge of tears. I have Very Much to be grateful for and I laugh daily. Really, I just want to feel better so I can be a better wife and mother. It's just a bummer...

So the plan? Well, I need to do everything that I can do. It's time to lose some weight. Start walking again even if it's hard. And I will be tested for any and every allergy that I can be tested for. We have one allergist within a two hour drive from us. He does not accept our insurance. So we will turn to the internet and order a Home Allergy Test Kit. So far I'm leaning towards this company: Test Your Intolerance USA. They do hair analysis that is as effective as a blood test but cheaper. So we shall see.

I know some of you might be wondering what this ramble is about. The behind the scenes. I think I have mentioned on the blog somewhat how I've been feeling the last little while. But tomorrow I will post a "For the Record" post with details about what's going on. Perhaps one of you will read it and have a idea of what might be happening. Until Then. G'Nite!

It's My Birthday and I'll...

So the song says that I can cry if I want to... Maybe I should? No, no test results or anything. I'm just in a real junk mood and I feel bad about it. I've had over a dozen Happy Birthday wishes from friends on Facebook. My family has all called me. And Leif has been wonderful as usual. So I feel very loved. But I feel blah too.

I think I'm going to switch my birthday to tomorrow. Maybe I'll feel better. Right now I feel like a smelly dishrag, not very fun to be around wouldn't you say!? Funny analogy:) It just came to me. Maybe it's the dishes still in the sick calling to me that gave me the thought. Ugg, I really dislike dishes. However, I did get some of them done last night as Leif read the final chapters of my book to me. That was Very Nice!! He has said that he'll wash them. But he's done EVERYTHING else today and the hours are slipping away. I've just woke up from a nap. I usually have more energy for a few hours after my nap. We'll see what happens.

Leif is going to take me out to dinner and a movie (Tangled is in town.) But grandma isn't off work in time tonight. So like I said, I think I'll move my birthday celebrations to tomorrow.

Well, just crying here has helped a bit. Don't worry. I'm just fine. Just in a bit of a funk and ready to feel all better. It's time to get this mama better!! The (Celiac Disease) test results should be in by Monday or Tuesday. I hoped they'd be in today. ANYWAY, thank you sweet friends and family for your Happy Birthday Love, I've felt it! Even if this post doesn't show it!

More Blood: For The Record

Blood always seems to grab our attention doesn't it? Not that that was my point in putting it in my title. I just grew up trying to make a good headline for my papers as that was something my dad always tried to help me with (he was a Chief Copy Editor for the Deseret News.)

ANYWAY: I went to the doctor again today to try to brain storm on what might be going on with my health. I know it's not just fibromyalgia, if at all. I Can Not be sick any more!!! My family needs me at full capacity. I'm praying that we have struck gold this time. We have concluded that it is highly possible that I have Celiac Disease (An autoimmune disease caused by a negative reaction to the protein in grains called gluten.) So I'll go give blood to test for: Celiac disease, Mono, Anemia, B 12, and Thyroid. None of these are fun. But for a person who has been sickly their whole life, a clear answer with a clear solution is WONDERFUL!

A Good Day!

Ahhh, a good day! Such a blessing! Last week I actually made it to sacrament meeting. Being the last Sunday of the year they announced the usual time change for church. Our meeting starts at 9:00 AM. I turned to Leif and whispered "I will need a priesthood blessing to get me to church next year. He smiled. I assured him that I was very serious. I ended with telling him that I had asked, and that it was up to him to follow up with me and give me the blessing." And then I didn't think about it again. In fact, the last week was such a rough one that I had already pretty much decided that I wouldn't be making it to church this morning. And then Leif surprised me last night and reminded me that I had requested a blessing. Such a dear gift he is!

I was told to be a light unto all this year and to push forward with all of my might and then I would be blessed with angels along side me to help me when I needed help. A true blessing.

So, I woke up this morning and went to church. I was well enough to go! I know where that gift came from. How grateful I am for a Father in Heaven who knows my needs. We had a great meeting. Jakob and Leif bore their testimonies. What more could a mama ask for then to hear her little one speak of his love for family and God?

My precious co-teacher ((Teressa Johnson) and I met our new little Sunbeams today. Just three years old they are jewels. One little boy kept whispering to me, "Jesus wants ME for a Sunbeam!" Oh how true he is!

Now I'm sitting at my kitchen table. Typing on my new net book that I used (in my kitchen)) to read THIS recipe. The yummy food is settling and we're about to partake of a YUMMY meal together!

Yes, a good day indeed!

A boy's Heaven...

This is Papa blogging tonight...

This is a little bit of a conversation I had with Jakob as I put him to bed tonight. We had just got done reading a couple of verses from the scriptures. Overall the verses were about how if you make bad choices you have a bad after life, if you make good choices you go to Heaven. (Yes that if VERY simplified.)

Jakob asked, "What is the bad place like?"

I sat pondering for a little bit, but he answered his own question. "Is that where you can't be with your family?"

"Yes" I said.

Then I told him in Heaven we get to be with our families, we will be able to fly, or go back in time...

This got him really excited. "I want to go back and ride a dinosaur and race a flying dinosaur!" "It can be a family trip!!"

Then he continued..."In heaven can we have the same house?" (Yes he is talking about our little barn.) :) I said, "Maybe Heavenly Father will build us a nice big house."

Then he responded, "Maybe we can build our own house, we can have magic and we just have to think it and poof it is there!!!"

I said, "Maybe...we will just have to work on getting to Heaven"

"But it is so long away" Jakob quipped.

"But at least we're together as a family now" I responded.

"But we can't fly or go back in time now!" Jakob exclaimed.

"We'll just have to wait and do our best."

After this it was time for prayer. Jakob has had a bit of a hard time holding still during prayers lately, but tonight when I said we were going to pray Jakob quickly folded his arms, bowed his head and held perfectly still for prayer. I guess now that he knows Heaven is so great he is going to work hard to get there.

Just thought I'd share! Love ya all!