a lesser known bible verse
halloween 2017
My favorite story from this Halloween is that Elsie went back and forth all month if she was going to be a princess, a queen, Aurora, a queen bee, or Elsa. And in the last half an hour she landed on the humble hot dog. I didn't see it coming!
Also, Ivar wanted to be a Ninja Turtle even though he's never seen the show. But his Lego magazine has ninja turtles in it and his dad has all of his figurines that Ivar gets to play with. A few weeks before Halloween Rory and I were in a thrift store and I found Alden's turtle costume for $4. So awesome. He was supposed to have purple headbands and wrist bands, but when Halloween came around they were missing. Not Ivar's thought. Ivar's costume had been set out all month, all ready to go. He's my very organized boy.
And finally, I have come to realize that I am really, super, incredibly disciplined with Halloween candy in the house.
Until I'm not. And then I just have a great time enjoying every single kind. Baby Ruth are my current favorite.
a shelf for my hairbrush
The trouble is that when you are sleep deprived and irritable then you forget that little fact. And you go down a familiar spiral that may sounds something like, "the babies don't nap together anymore. Alden wakes up, Hattie goes down and then Hattie wakes up and Alden goes down. I'll never have a minute to myself again! I will die at age 89 never having another nap!"
It sounds silly to write it out, but in that downward spiral, it feels very rational and terrible.
This happened last Thursday night. And I felt terribly sorry for myself. And once again, I made sure Rory knew how sorry I felt for myself.
I went to bed and woke up every 3 hours with Alden and then it was Friday morning. Alden used to sleep long stretches through the night, but he must be growing, because the boy wakes and eats often again...
So Friday began and I wasn't ready for it. I had made four casseroles the night before for Casserole Club and was getting everyone ready to head out the door to swap meals. (So brilliant: make four lasagnas, give three away, come home with three other large meals...) I jumped in the shower and for some reason decided to put on my big girl pants. Not actual pants. The figurative ones that tell you I can find solutions to difficult seasons.
I got out of the shower and went to comb my hair, but all the combs we own were out of the bathroom. Like always. I opened the drawer to find my brush and it was gone too. And if I hadn't put on my big girl pants I may have comeundone, but instead I went and found a paper and pen and wrote: build a high shelf for my comb and hairbrush. Then I went to put on my jeans that are too short and drive me nuts and I wrote down: shop for new jeans.
My entire day progressed this way. Emphasis on PROGRESS in progressed. I made a list of tangible, attainable solutions to all my woes. And you know what? That afternoon I had a piece of scrap plywood screwed to the bathroom wall. When he was done Rory said, "well, sorry it's not very pretty." And I said it was beautiful. I still think it is. Because every time I go to grab my comb or brush, my comb or brush is still there.
It's a good lesson. That you can pull back from your frustration and look for solutions.
The other reality is this. Rory and I were in the car for a long drive a few nights ago and I was telling him that things just feel challenging. And he reminded me, "yes. and they probably really are that challenging. when we said we wanted four kids we knew it would come with a hard season. Winter was your hard season when Ivar and Elsie were the ages of Hattie and Alden. You probably need to just have more grace for yourself, say yes to less and go for more walks."
It was amazing how hearing him just acknowledge that we're in a challenging season felt comforting. I'm not sure why, but it really helped. So here we are. I've got a shelf for my hair brush. And I bought a new pair of jeans. And Rory and I are bringing a lot of grace to the winter season ahead.
into the woods!
But I love it. Doesn't it just feel good? My kids are doing exactly what I spent my childhood doing. My mom said she did the same. They have raked a path of dirt, pushing the leaves aside. Each kid has their own "room" with doors made out of leaf piles. They have made chairs and tables and decorated their homes with scrap lumber Rory had in a pile. They pretend they are Pa and Ma Ingalls and when Hattie comes out she is baby Carrie.
It is good. Childhood outside is so good.
apple cider vinegar
A bit more than a month ago I began feeling a lot of pain in my hands. In the joints. Wringing out the dish towel felt difficult. Pulling out the clothes from the washer to put in the dryer was a challenge. Anything that required a firm grip left my hands feeling weak and unable.
Then the seasons changed and I felt this throbbing pain more regularly. I didn't want to talk about it aloud, hoping it would go away. But deep down I was really anxious about what it was because my sister had rheumatoid arthritis in her 20's and my grandma had it very badly in her 30's. So here I was in my 30's, hoping very badly this wasn't actually happening.
Rory prayed over my hands each night and was quite concerned. Hands that hurt is a problem when all we do all day is write, hold, wipe, wring, button, unbutton, zip, unzip, buckle, unbuckle, carry, pick up, push, pull, pour, cut, draw, chop, open, close, fasten, brush, wash, fold, type, squirt, play, turn and point. Hands are very important.
A week later a friend of mine, Cori, posted on facebook that she was offering a 7-day pure eating menu for anyone interested. So I took her grocery list and got off of gluten and most sugar. And the affects on my hands were tremendous. On the whole, my pain was cut in half. Easily. The timing was an absolute answer to our prayers. I have stayed on this changed eating plan for a month now and feel so, so grateful to Cori for getting me started with such a healthy menu of great foods to eat. (I started an instagram account to document what I was eating so that when I get discouraged and think, what can I eat?!!" I can easily see my options. Here's the page if you're at all interested. :) I don't plan to post regularly, just as I eat something new that fits the plan.)
I do still have flare ups. Which led me to read an article on Apple Cider Vinegar. Have you read about the stuff? With the mother?!! Read this article. It is sort of a wonder cure for many, many things. I now drink three tall glasses of water a day with 2 cap fulls (maybe 2 teaspoons?) of vinegar in each one (I drink one before each meal). At first I added maple syrup, but now I like it best with just the vinegar. Weird!
I love it. I feel really good.
Then one night Hattie fell and gashed her head. Rory was gone and an egg was beginning to develop right on the front of her forehead. I called Rory and asked him to pick up some Arnica at the Co-op. My friend Ali had told me all about this wonder cream that reduces swelling immediately. Rory brought it home and said, "I think you should use this on your hands...it reduces swelling." I put it on my hands and immediately felt relief.
So here's what I'm learning from these things. Arthritis is terrible. I was initially really nervous about how it would alter my life. But you know what? It has altered my life in really positive ways. My eating is the best it's ever been. Every day I'm having a kale salad, eggs, sweet potato mash, veggies and hummus, ants on a log, and tons of water. I feel healthy in many ways I didn't feel before.
And then Hattie's terrible injury (on her head which is even worse) turned into a serious blessing when we discovered Arnica, an herb we can grow in our own house. That was when I began reading about holistic anti-inflammatories and began the apple cider vinegar routine. It was another hard thing that led to some really great knowledge gained.
The lesson God is showing me is that really hard things, scary things, difficult things can lead me to a place where he can teach me something new. I know that's a very elementary teaching. I know you're likely thinking, "duh, woman." But, again, it is profound when it is you going through the motions to learn the lesson...living through the hard things to get to the good things.
My hands still ache when I come in from the cold. But by-and-large if I drink my apple cider vinegar, stay off of gluten and corn products and most sugar, then man, I am nearly fully healed. Arnicare is helpful when I feel the ache. And I praise God that I am healthier in all other ways because these hands of mine were hurting. He has so much to teach us through trial and hardship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)