My oldest is getting too old....

Ah. It is now 8:41 on Sunday night. Little miss priss has been in bed for about 45 minutes. We are praying HARD for her tonight. Last night was just short of desirable, with her waking up screaming and kicking her legs every hour or so. I'm guessing it's either teeth or an ear infection. If she's not back to her normal cheery self by tomorrow, I may just have to take her in to be looked at by our hippie doctor. :) Today was busy. Woke up just a tad bit late this morning which meant that yours truly did not have time for a shower. Church was great, as always, but we never did actually make it into the service. This happens WAY more than I care to admit. We get the kids situated in their classes, get through Sunday School, then check back in on the kids before heading into the auditorium. This is when we tend to start some deep, meaningful conversation with dear friends in the hallway and before you know it, the hallway is filled up once again, but this time with parents picking up their kids. It was one of those days. Oh well, we felt "fed" and encouraged by the ones we spent time with. Then we had a wonderful lunch at the grandparents house, followed by our boy's favorite past-time: watching Gramp's trains in his enormous, very realistic looking set up. This is where all the boys end up after a meal....both big and small. Boys, that is. Not the meal. That's always big. :) And I just love how my grandmother still puts the china out, even when my kids will be there. Who needs plastic Toy Story plates and chicken nuggets? No no no, my children are worthy enough to eat off of china placed on a lacy tablecloth. :) Love it. Then of course we come home and heat up leftover pizza and serve it on plastic Wall-E plates for dinner. :) Okay, back to my whole point of: "Ah". The boys have been in bed for 30 minutes and I think I've been up to "resolve an issue" at least 5 times. I gave a very strict warning after my last little visit, so I'm pretty sure they are good to go. :) Silas was afraid of the shadow, so we placed a pillow over the night-light. Then he was afraid of the pictures hanging on the wall. HELLO!? Since when are you afraid of the pictures!?!?! I was desperate, so I took them down. Then he needed his "heat wrap". We have a microwavable heat wrap that we give him when he has those crampy growing pains in his legs. His legs didn't hurt. He just wanted the heat wrap. Then I so graciously offered to open the shade in his room to let in a little more light. He was super excited, so I thought that was the end of it. Oh no. The light from the window was now casting a shadow on Caden's bed, so he was scared. Shade is shut. You think I'm done now, right? Guess again. Now his underwear is tickling him. Navy blue boxer briefs are ripped off of his cute little butt. Orange skull and cross-bones briefs are yanked on. Why oh why do we not just let them sleep in their sleeping bags every single night on the floor in our room??? They would sleep sooooo well. We would sleep sooooo well. I guess the nagging fear that I would end up with 2 teenage boys who still want to sleep in their Lightning McQueen sleeping bags, on the floor, in our room. :) All of this to say that I am considering eliminating my almost-4-year-old's nap. He sleeps 2, sometimes 2 1/2 hours every afternoon, but I am afraid it's keeping him up at night. Time will tell. Not so sure I'm ready to give up those 2 very peaceful hours in the middle of my day, but I know that sooner or later I will have to "die to self" in this area. How in the world can I be old enough to have a 4 year old? I remember taking that pregnancy test. I remember the tears of joy and excitement. I remember the overwhelming fear every time I'd go a few hours without feeling any movement from my ever-expanding belly. I remember being induced at 37 weeks because we couldn't get him to move. I remember being in labor for 24 hours before his heart rate took a drastic drop and they decided to do an emergency c-section. I remember laying in the OR and hearing my doctor say that the cord was wrapped around his neck 3 times. I remember him saying that Silas would not have survived a vaginal delivery. I remember holding him in my arms for the first time and saying "I'm ready to do it again!" :) And again we did. Silas was born in '06. Caden was born in '07. Paisley was born in '08. God is good. May I say it again? Can I scream it from the roof-tops? God is good! I share this story with you because I needed to be reminded. And now I must go, because he's crying and asking for something again. Love you, Silas! :)

Veggie Fajitas!

I have been in shell shock awe at what Brittany feeds her family. I'm reading post after post of hummus and veggies and beans and no apple juice and beans and veggies and beans and veggies and did I mention beans??? I mean, I had put myself up on this high and mighty shelf for what!? One glass of freakin' Green Lemonade!?! Meanwhile my youngin's are stuffing their faces with chicken nuggets and "Dino Snacks" from Aldi's! Good grief. So, I was on a mission this week: try some of Brittany's recipes! I was nervous because, for one, I am much more of a "why waste time to figure out a new meal when you can just down a bowl of cereal in 4 minutes" kind of a girl. And for reason #2: who in their right mind would attempt to learn a new recipe at 4:30pm when the children have just woken from their naps and are miserable? Not me. We woke this morning, completely expecting 10 inches of snow. Instead we saw 4. So Seth got dressed and headed to work. Little did he know that NO ONE else showed up at the office today, so he put in a few hours of hard labor and headed back home to us. This meant he was going to be home for lunch. This also meant I had a chance to try a new recipe! We had to trick the boys into what they were being served, because we tend to get very different reactions according to what "terms" we use. "Lunch is ready, boys!" is quickly followed by "ohhhhhhh mommmmmmmm. I don't want to eat lunch. I just want a snack!" Whereas if we say "Snack plates are ready, boys!!!!" it's a quick "Caden! Hurry! Mom made us snack plates!!!" {insert evil, motherly laugh} It doesn't even matter what is on their "snack plate". As long as we call it a "snack plate" and not lunch or dinner, it's eaten! So, Seth and I had veggie fajitas for lunch. The boys had snack plates. :) You can find Brittany's recipe on her blog. Here's how I followed it:

Heat up one can of refried beans. (warning: it totally looks like dog food)

Have a jar of salsa ready and waiting. :)
Mix together 3 T lime juice (I used lemon), 2 t cumin, 2 t chili powder, and 1/8 t cayenne pepper (I left the cayenne out). Cut up: one red onion into rings, one bunch of asparagus into 2 inch pieces, 1/2 red, yellow, and green pepper, 1 yellow squash and 1 zucchini. Toss the veggies into the seasoning mix. Place on a pan and put them into a 425 degree oven until they are tender.
Place tomatoes, avocados, salsa, veggie mix and refried beans in one tortilla.
Wrap. Eat. Enjoy.
These were absolutely delicious. We were able to just cut the tender veggies into small pieces for our sweet baby girl, and each boy ate half of a fajita. Please try it. You won't regret it!

If you were stuck on a deserted island....

wouldn't it make life so much more fun? We have lived in our home for 3 1/2 years. This was not our plan. :) We committed to 2 - 3 years upon moving in. After being here for "sooooo long", we are actually falling in love with it. For the first time. Ever. We have never loved a home since we've been married. Maybe it's because our first apartment was only for 7 months. Or maybe because our first home was only for 1 year. And, ironically, this is not the easiest home to live in. We have, according to my husband, "3 blades of grass to our name". It's what the rest of the world would consider a townhouse. We also only have 3 bedrooms. With a family of 5, this causes some problems when four relatives and 3 dogs come to stay for days at a time. Maybe not problems. Just room for creativeness. :) We also have to pay a very hefty amount of $$$ every month that goes towards trash removal, snow removal, mowing, and general up-keep of the playground and common areas. We love love LOVE to entertain, but have no where to put 10 extras vehicles. So, needless to say, there are "issues" with this house. Our two major complaints about living here were: lack of seating in the kitchen/family room, and lack of counter space. Well, thanks to a mother who guts one of her kitchens and lets us haul away her old kitchen island, one of those problems are solved! We have had this "builders grade" kitchen island in our garage for years. It served as an extra work bench for my hubby (because, apparently, the garage is "his" space) as well as storing lots of tools and cans of paint underneath. I came up with the oh-so-brilliant idea of carrying it upstairs, refinishing it, and using it in our kitchen. He was less than thrilled. But seeing as how I'm pretty good at sales, I talked him into it. I am just in love with islands! Ta-da!!!

We painted it the same color as our kitchen cabinets. Then the hubby applied his professional chocolate brown "glaze" (not really. it's just brown paint wiped on/wiped off with an old cut up t-shirt). We also (ha. who am I kidding) installed the new hardware on the drawers and cabinets. Oh look, there's that great craigslist find, again. :) It's not staying there, by the way. I just happened to find a random nail on the wall and hung it up to see how it looked. I would never EVER hang something so haphazardly. :)
Another good use for islands: It sends a much needed "stay out of my way while I'm cooking for you" statement.
Thanks, mom, for giving us the island. Thanks, babe, for helping me to carry it up a full flight of steps, painting the glaze, and installing the hardware. The counter top obviously does not match. It's also pretty scratched up because of the use it got in the garage. The next step will be to just order a new formica slab from Lowes that matches the rest of the kitchen. Now I'm off for a third attempt at becoming friends with my sewing machine. :)

My day:

Well, I started out here. It is now 3:34pm, and the bed still looks like this. :) And please take note of our pillow placement. Do you notice how one pillow is on an actual "side", and the other one is in the middle? Yes, that would be me. I am and forever will be a middle-of-the-bed kind of girl.

Never made it here, today. Did I mention it's 3:30 in the afternoon? Not good.
My indulgence during naptime.....
the house smells wonderful.....

This is what I am left with on day #2 of trying to sew curtains. :(
My current enemy:
My inspiration for searching craigslist for a large, rusty star:
The $10 star I came home with today! It still had the original price tag on it: $40. I'd say I made out pretty well. :)
Also stopped here. Sadly it's not for me. The VS girls used to actually know me, as in "hey, how are you today? weren't you just here yesterday? and isn't that other blonde your sister?" Kind of ironic how you care more about what your underwear looks like BEFORE you're married. Poor Seth. :( The boys were enthralled with this trip, however. Caden (2 1/2) kept going from table to table (which are draped with luxurious silk) saying "this is sooooo nice". He's going to have a lucky wife someday. :)
And the rest of my day was spent here. No, not really. I was busy diapering, juicing, dressing, nursing, and disciplining. But this is my favorite chair in the house right now, and this is where I plopped my still-holding-on-to-10lbs-of-baby-making-pudge as soon as the babies were sleeping. :)
Now one is on the couch begging for one more of those cookies, another one is running off with the digital camera, and the other one is about to wake up any minute. Getting off the chair to resume real life!

Weekends are for wanting!

Well, not really. But I am lusting over a few things right now. :) Sometimes I think my blog must be the most boring blog in the world to read because of my lack of pictures. My most favorite blogs to read are the ones that share great fashion or design ideas. So, here are some of the things I am in love with at this moment. Hope you enjoy them, and what's left of this weekend!

Alright ladies (and Seth, because I'm pretty sure you are the only guy who is actually reading this blog. Hehe.) I am in love with this tote. First of all, I am a tote lover. I love small, compact, designer, slip under your arm and hold only a lip gloss "bags", as well as totes. Not a huge fan of anything that fits between those two sizes. :) Actually I love just about anything in extremes. I can go from "denim skirt-homeschool-patch the pirate" mom to "zebra bikini-Coldplay concert-road rage" mom in 7 minutes flat. Seriously. The Bible does say something about being luke warm, right? SO relieved that's not me. Hehe. Well anyway, I have this tote in the buttery yellow color. It is huge, and sturdy, and fun. Ours is usually filled with library books, which is so very convenient for when it's time to return them. So if you are in the market for a new tote, or need one as a gift, I highly recommend this one. It's from Ballard Designs.

Here is something that's been on my wish list for quite a while, and if you are into monograms, you absolutely have to order this now. It is super super cheap at the moment. On sale, actually. And if you are even semi-crafty, you can just order the cover and fill it with something that came out of the gross old pillow on the bed in your guest room. smile.
I picture myself wearing these cheery boots on a rainy, late-March morning as I pop all 3 kidlets into my brand new Nissan Armada to grab a caramel macchiato before heading to yoga. Can't you picture it? Of course I'm looking super cute with minimal makeup because I have perfect skin, and my gorgeously long hair is pulled up romantically-haphazardly in a "granola-ish", "Louis Vuitton carrying" bun. Have I mentioned yet that I am a very visual person? :)
If you haven't noticed, I am a huge Ballard Designs fan. I prefer a few more splashes of color than what they show in their catalog, but it's a great place to start. We had a wonderful weekend. Of course I had hopeful plans of sewing 7 panels out of the 18 1/2 yards of fabric I just bought for my kitchen and family room. That didn't happen. But we were able to attend my grandmother's birthday party and worship with friends at church! Not bad, eh? Here's to the start of a great week. I raise my glass of apple juice to you, my blog friends. :)

Thankful Thursdays...

Earlier this week I shared that I was dealing with something. It was laying heavy on my heart, and I am ready to tell you about it. My dear hubby has been away this week. This is not too far out of the ordinary, and we have dealt well with it. We've spent the majority of our time here at home, and we were also able to spend some time at "nana's" house. We've been healthy, and safe, and warm, and for this and so much more, I am thankful. But Seth heading to Florida meant one thing to me. He was going to have to be in an airplane. Do you all know that my father was killed in an airplane? It has been 6 years, 6 months, and 10 days. The plane went down. He entered heaven's glory. I want so badly to be able to tell you it's only been 3 weeks, because that's how fresh the pain still is. Yet through all of this, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I believe God doesn't make mistakes. This post has been on my mind all day because I knew Seth would be flying home. The threat of the "what if's" was still tempting to take over my thoughts, and I'll admit I even tried to "barter" with God today. "Lord, if You keep Seth safe, I'll do an entire post about how great You are, and how much I trust in You." But that's not exactly the point, is it? :) While typing this out, I got a call from Seth saying that his plane landed. He's such an amazing husband. He knows that I'm on pins and needles until I know that the plane has landed safely. And you know what? He calls before he even gets off his seat. :) He understands my concern. He knows I'll be worried. He knows that my heart still aches. Thank You, Lord, for blessing me with this man. When I heard his voice, and knew he was safe, the tears came. Thank You, Lord, for allowing him to land safely. When he left for this business trip on Monday, I was expecting the same nervousness, upset stomach, and clouded thinking that I am used to experiencing. But it never came. Thank You, Lord, for granting me the peace that only You can give. Thank you for comforting my nerves. Thank You for understanding all my anxieties, all my cares. Hymns speak volumes to me. Maybe it's my genetic draw to music. Maybe it was all those years being the pianist's daughter. But this one, especially the last verse and the chorus, sears my soul and draws me close to Him.

Does Jesus Care? - Frank Graeff 1901

Does Jesus care when I've said "goodbye"

To the dearest on earth to me,

And my sad heart aches till it nearly brakes-

Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

O yes, He cares. I know, He cares

His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

I know my Savior cares.

May I introduce you???

I'd love to take the time tonight to introduce you to some of my friends. And when I say "friends", I of course mean blogs. :) What wonderful friendships I have. They never get offended with my opinion of their posts, and they are always sitting there, waiting for me when I should get the inkling to share an afternoon with them. I had absolutely NO idea how large the blogging world was. Now it's the outlet that I turn to if I have some down time (what is that!?) and lack the energy to be creative. If you flip through cable channels when exhaustion hits and you have 20 minutes to zone out, I blog. It has the same effect. You should try it sometime. :) I have had to learn some MAJOR self control though. It was just too easy to leave the laptop on the couch, waiting for me to perform one more click while looking through a book with the boys, nursing, or waiting for the hubby to get home from work. Now the computer stays upstairs so that it's not as easily accessible, and can only be given attention when the kids are asleep. I first fell in love with Ann. And you know what? I have no idea how I found her. :) Can't remember. But I have relied on her for quiet comfort.....simplicity, contentment, and a whole lotta soul searching. I would read a quick post before bed, knowing that the soothing tune behind her writings along with her words would grant me rest. But sometimes a girl needs something lighter. Actually, I very often need something lighter. This is why I enjoy Darby. She is fun fun FUN. The baking, the cooking, the sense of humor, the no-makeup-and-sweats -because-that's-how-a-crafty-mom-of-3 has to roll sometimes kind of "friend" that just makes you want to stay at home and create something beautiful out of nothing. I met Erika through Darby. They are twin sisters! She, unfortunately, does not blog every day the way that stalkers like me are holding our breaths for, but just take a look at her design website and drool over her work. A-STOUND-ING. :) I also met Edie through Darby. I think. :) It's all getting a bit fuzzy now. And I really hope you are appreciating all the work I am doing tonight in pulling you into my circle of friends. :) Edie is SOOOOO not like me. She was a doctor. Yes, a real doctor. The kind that I blog against. And she's funky, and quirky, and homeschools in her garage. But she is heart-felt, and throws a good mix into the group. My new f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e: The Nester. She is just amazing. In fact, just thinking about her and her tremendous blog makes me want to gather the fabric for our bedroom curtains and start sewing at 10:20pm. So much inspiration, and motivation! You don't have to sew to love her! She does entire drapery panels and valences with a hot-glue gun! See!? I knew you'd be impressed. And I'd love to add two more: Jen and Shyla. These are "real life" friends. :) Yeah, I have those too. These women are real, as in because of their lifestyles and their Faith, I can tell you they aren't faking it. :) Okay, there are more, but that's enough to keep you busy for awhile. Oh dear me, I may need to add one more. This gal has 4 boys and twin baby girls. She homeschools the boys and breastfeeds both girls at the same time. They are the organic/only wash your hair every 10 days type of family, and OH so loved. Thank you, to whomever introduced me to her. :) She does bring on a sense of guilt though. Especially remembering the juice box I gave to each boy this afternoon for part of their snack. :( But she's an inspiration, and I have learned oh-so-much from her. Alrighty, loved readers. Are any of my friends, yours? Or maybe I've introduced you to someone you have an instant connection with? Let me know! I'd love to hear who your friends are, but I am concerned that if I fall head-over-heals with too many more, the house will surely go to ruin. Also, I'm dealing with something tonight. I will share more later, but for now, I'd love to leave you with these words that are comforting my heart right now. This is from my Friend. You know, the One. "When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul." Psalm 94:19

on this wintery Wednesday...

I have a link for you to read! This is from one of the blogs that I follow on a fairly regular basis. We were asked many times over if we were going to allow our children to have the swine flu vaccine, or if we ourselves were going to get it. "How do I sum up so many thoughts and opinions" was what my mind was pondering. Until I found a post from someone else. :) This is exactly what I would've loved to scream to the world, or maybe just a few friends, but had fears of causing a rauckus. :) Don't think that's really a word. Oh well. It's one that we use. {grin} Anyway, this time you can't be offended with me because I didn't write this one. Enjoy! Here it is.....

A word of advice....

If you are one of the ones who were thinking about trying Green Lemonade, do not, I repeat DO NOT add ginger. He added it this morning while doing his normal juicing routine and it was so bad I couldn't get past 3 sips. :( It was so strong that it made the back of my throat burn. Sooooo not worth it. I'm sure the ginger added lots of nutritional benefits, but what benefit is it if I'm not even going to drink it. Also, I think I was a little heated up with yesterday's post on doctors. {sheepish grin} Maybe we have just had some really bad experiences with them. If we were terribly ill, or had a serious health issue, I would never hesitate to see a "regular" doctor. In the meantime, we are very content with our hippie ones. :) It's funny how much I've changed since marrying him. I was so set on my traditional "baptist" ways, fully comfortable in my Gap chino's and twin sets. :) Oh how times have changed. I used to get in such a tizzy when he would get himself dressed for church in jeans and a sweater. Almost hyperventilated with anger once, I do believe. But I have learned SO much from him in these past 5 years. And I'm not so against his artsy-hippie ways, either. I've accepted his holy jeans and love of weird art. :) I've even been known to wear wool socks with Birkenstocks, which totally turns him on. Along with accepting other forms of worshipping God (ones that don't involve panty-hose and organs), I even went to church in jeans (gasp!) on Father's Day because he begged. So the hippie doctor just seems to fit our family. Maybe not yours, and that's okay. We can still be friends, and I won't try to slide a bag of herbs across the table at you if you tell me you have a sinus infection. :) But I will gladly share if you ask! :)

My opinion of family practitioners...

First of all, thanks to all of you who have posted comments on the blog page itself. I'm guessing this happened a while ago, but seeing as how I am a newby to the blog world, I just discovered them today. :) Some of you I know, some I don't, but I appreciate each and every one! Thanks to whoever it was who commented on the pee strips only testing urine pH, instead of body pH. I've never heard this before, so you have now given me some more good research material. Thank you! I am going to try to add a link to the post today, which I had a failed attempt to do in an earlier post. Again, still learning. :) I want to say a word about doctors. Let me first remind you that these are only my opinions. If you are thoroughly offended, feel free to stop reading. Also, if you are married to, a son/daughter of, or are in fact a family doctor yourself, I will apologize ahead of time for offending you. :) And let me also add the disclaimer that I am only referring to the family doctors I have experienced in my own life. I am in no way judging or criticizing your doctor. With that said, I will proceed. :) I really really really wish that more doctors had an overwhelming concern with "strengthening the host"* rather than treating the symptoms. A few examples: I broke my tailbone in high school. Have I mentioned this before? It was excruciating, and I still suffer pain from time to time. My regular family doctor had 2 suggestions (after trying to manually put my tailbone back into the correct position - not fun). #1 - surgery to have it completely removed. #2 - take a non-prescriptive pain med for the rest of my life. Needless to say, these were not appealing to me. I am thankful for parents who had the wisdom to take me to a chiropractor, knowing that if the rest of my spine was in alignment, it would alleviate more or all of the pain. Yes, this actually happened, by the way. After my very first adjustment I sat completely straight for the first time in years. :) I believe I've already shared the story of taking my middle child into the pediatricians office to get the thick, yellow scab on the top of his head checked out. The doctor prescribed a steroid cream. I tossed the prescription in the trash can and chose to find out on my own that he was allergic to the wool hat he had been wearing all winter. And here's one more: a loved one had a complaint about a numb arm. Her doctor prescribed anti-depressants. Sheesh! What are these people thinking!? Doesn't it make sense that you can fight aches, pains, and disease if you strengthen the body instead of throwing it the on-slaught of antibiotics and other medications? Well I am pleased to announce that we have been seeing a holistic practitioner for the past year. We go to Steiner Medical Center in Phoenixville, PA. Now don't be taken back by this practice's routine. They go by a modified vaccination schedule, not starting vaccines until the age of 2 in order to protect their baby immune systems. I once went in after suffering from a miserable cold and left the office 2 hours later with a bag of herbs. Their whole idea is to strengthen the immune system so much that it can combat infection on it's own. Baby #2 was in with an ear infection. I thought "surely they will prescribe an antibiotic! I mean, it's an infection for crying out loud". Our doctor said that she had all the power in the world to prescribe an antibiotic, but she really wanted to try homeopathic options first. I even remember hearing the words "worst case scenario" and "antibiotics" in the same sentence. :) So we left with ENT (ears, nose, throat) drops and oil to rub in his ears. We were told to keep an ear-covering hat on his head at all times, because that would cut down on the pain, therefore reducing the need for Tylenol (yes, they are against that too). I was a nervous wreck and cried to my hubby that night. "I don't want him to be a guinea pig to see if this stuff will really work. I wish I could just jolt his body with strong medicine to make the infection go away." But because of the peace my husband had with the whole thing, we kept plugging away. And guess what!? The infection was GONE. No lie. :) Hm, I thought. Maybe this stuff is really worth believing. We could have given him an antibiotic, and I'm not totally against them. But to know that I had the freedom to try something homeopathic first meant the world to me. His immune system didn't have to suffer because of strong medicine. He was healed! There is definitely a time and a place for conventional medicine. But we, as a family, have decided to try other things first. Meanwhile, we are still in love with the Steiner Center. I wasn't pressured into starting my babies on rice cereal at 4 months of age like my conventional pediatrician had done. Our homeopathic doctor understood that there was no nutritional value in white rice. So go ahead, think we are weird, new age, or irresponsible parents. :) Homeopathic medicine has proven itself to us!

*I cannot take responsibility for this quote. My mom had heard it at a health conference a few years back. I love it though, don't you???

Yuck.....

We are sick. :( I can't remember the last time I was really, truly, on-the-couch, might-pass-out-if-I-stand-up sick. Moms are not allowed to get sick! Unless you have an amazing husband who is able to pick up where you left off with the kids, the food, the laundry, the patience, etc. etc. etc. Thankfully I've got one of those. :) It hit with a vengeance and had me all but crying out for mercy for about 6 hours. It left just as quickly as it came, and I was ready to get a peaceful night's sleep to restore my energy. That is until a little boy woke in the middle of the night with the same symptoms his momma had just a few short hours prior. :( The poor guy was up all throughout the night, sick as a dog, which of course also woke up the oldest and the youngest. Peaceful rest was not God's will for me last night, obviously. :) We made it through the night and I was brought to tears this morning when the hubby announced he was staying home to take care of us. You know the feeling....here I had been trying to muster the strength to get through the day with searing aches and pains and a very tender tummy, all the while catching every flying thing coming from the sick little boy's mouth, getting snacks and switching movies for the other kids, nursing, and tackling the enormous pile of puked on towels. And then he said it. "I am staying home". Relief flooded me. This is the type of love that surpasses the first kiss, the roses brought home after work, and even the "I do". This love says "I know you need me the most, and I am staying here for you". It would be one thing if I was laying on the couch all glamorous in super-cute Victoria's Secret "loungewear" and freshly showered. But no, that's not me today. :) And he's still here, doing laundry, making breakfast, emptying trash cans, changing diapers, and trying to get as much "real" work done on his computer all at the same time. When sickness takes it's toll on your body you have this overwhelming sense of clorox-ing the whole house top to bottom. But isn't it the same when we have the sickness of sin impose on our weekend? Don't you have an urgent desire to spend time with Him when you know your life has been indulging in other virus'? Doesn't it feel refreshing to get all the "junk" cleaned out of your relationship with the Lord in the same way that it's refreshing to take a shower and scrub down the house after sickness has invaded? The similarities are amazing, are they not?

So.....

I am disappointed. We are still brushing our skin. We are still downing large glasses of bright green concoctions. But, sadly, that is it! :( And I feel HORRIBLE. Not in a guilty way, but in an emotional, tired, cranky way. I thought I knew better. Apparently not. I have occasionally added a bowl of cereal to my morning meal, and my entire afternoon now consists of Pop-tarts and Dove Valentine chocolates to boot! :( But I've learned something in the midst of all of this. If I am dehydrated, even slightly, my sugar cravings get out of control. On the days when I remained raw until noon as well as guzzled multiple glasses of water, I got to my normal nap-time snack-time with no real "need" for something sweet. But if I even so much as risk it with an apple juice "chaser" after the green lemonade, I am IN FOR IT. Hm. Go figure. This is also the reason the blogging has suffered. I felt since I had no new astonishing revelation to share, then I didn't have a reason to write. But that would be boring! This is not supposed to be blog after blog of scientific health information. This is my real life account of what's going on in our home and in my body. So, thus the writing has continued. And as a side note, I have fallen in love with crafting. This is huge for me because I have NEVER "crafted" for fear it would leave the kitchen table a disaster. My mother sewed ALOT while I was growing up. We always had a new custom Christmas dress, Easter dress (unless Gran took us all to Donackers and bought exquisitely expensive tulle layered "heiress" dresses, which happened on more than one occasion), curtains, quilts, dolls, etc. etc. And with each of these memories also comes the memories of fabric scraps and thread "crumbs". I knew there was NO way I would be able to put up with that in my house, so I refrained from entertaining the thought. That is until I started seeing pictures of baby girl dresses with ruffles and monograms and started getting visuals of my own daughter's Easter dress with coordinating ties for her brothers. And I also never realized how using this as a creative outlet is almost therapeutic. I had a relatively stressful day earlier this week and ended up constructing hair bow after hair bow until my poor dear soul was content. You know you've done way too many bows when your thumb is still sore the next morning from flicking the lighter. :) But I was happy and content. So if you are still reading and haven't been distracted by my rabbit trail, then I will quickly share my latest "gold mine" of a book. It's by Suzanne Summers. She is someone who I really had no clue about. "Three's Company" was way before my time. :) My mom suggested this be my next "read", and I was lucky to have found a few at the library. This blog's follow up will be title, picture, and info about the book. Enjoying it so far. Who knew such a blondie could pack such a healthy punch!? Did you know she works 6 hours (yes 6 HOURS) every single day in her backyard garden? The dishes are done. The house is quiet. Please excuse me while I go read. :)