Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Bolognsese Sauce

I have been craving something different.  Not sure what exactly, but it just has to be different!  I think it has less to do with being pregnant and more to do with winter.  Where I live winter goes on and on (generally at least 6 months of the year from about Oct-Mar).  And just when you think it is finally Spring . . .Winter returns for one last hurrah.  I have to say that time has been passing quickly this winter and in my mind I know that Spring will be here soon, but in my stomach . . . well, that is another story!  I feel the need for a change in my taste buds!  So I've been trying new recipes lately: here is a new recipe that I tried last night that I really enjoyed :)

I got the recipe from The Gluten Free Table by Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson - but I changed it a bit and I'll just tell you how I made it.  If you want the original recipe you could ask me or just order the book from your library :)

Farmers Sausage (I used some spicy moose sausage)
onion (chopped)
Ground Beef
Tomato sauce
Diced tomatoes with juice
Chicken broth
minced garlic
thyme
oregano
cinnamon stick (just a small piece if making a small pot)
peppers (chopped)
Cauliflower (chopped into very fine pieces)

Fry the meet and onions together, and chop into smaller pieces.  I used a very small bit of sausage and mostly ground beef, but you could vary it according to your tastes.
In a separate pot mix together the remaining ingredients and simmer.  Once the meat is done add that to the pot.  Simmer as long as you like or at least until the veggies are soft.  Enjoy on top of whatever you like!  We had it over rice noodles.

You'll notice I didn't give you any amounts and that is because I really didn't measure - so please forgive me if you need amounts!

I'm guessing that the original recipe would've tasted great too, but I didn't have some of it on hand (or I just didn't want to add it).  They also added some red wine, tomato paste, bay leaves, cream, sugar, nutmeg, carrot, celery and bacon, butter and parmesan cheese. 

It really hit the spot for me and it was something different than my usual spaghetti sauce :)  Hurray!  I think the real star of the show was the sausage and for that I thank my brother who made it and shared some with us! 

Monday, January 28, 2013

When You Hear One Thousand Voices

Okay, so maybe it's not a thousand - but it certainly seems that way!  Who exactly are you to follow when so many are calling out?

One.

Only One.

Only His.  God's voice.

When I first began what I would call a health journey nearly three years ago it was for the sole purpose of restoring my husbands body.  It began with prayer and seeking the Lord and waiting and following His directions.  Over time I read more and more books, encountered dozens of different perspectives on health and what that entails, and began to realize that not only was my husbands health important but so was mine and so was my childrens.  Areas that used to be clear became fuzzy and blurred.  This one says to eat lots of fat, this one says to not eat pork, this one says that even rice is unhealthy, this one says it's okay to heat olive oil, this one says it's unhealthy to heat olive oil.  After a while my head was spinning and I have to admit that learning was becoming a chore and quite stressful!

I have recently realized that I need to go back to the beginning.  Back to that moment by my kitchen sink and put it all back into my Father's hands.  He knows me.  He knows my body and that of my family.  He made us after all!  It's time I once again asked Him for wisdom and discernment amidst all the different ideas and health advice. 

Ultimately I don't think that we were placed here for the sole purpose of being healthy.  God has used a lot of sick people on earth to do mighty things for eternity, and He has often used illness as a way to bring about change and spiritual healing in a persons life.  I do think that He wants us to be healthy and care for our bodies and not treat them with little care.  I would never feed my new baby a junk diet and I don't believe that God wants us to feed ourselves that way either.  But at the same time if it becomes my all consuming passion and all else is forsaken in my pursuit of the "perfect" health diet for us I think I am missing the mark.  I will never find the perfect health diet here on earth.  Perfection will only come in heaven (I can hardly wait!!!).  In heaven I will not have to question if the beef on my (wheat-free) bun was grain fed and mistreated, I will not have to eye those cherries and weigh the benefit of the fruit to the risks of the chemicals it contains. 

I recently read the passage in Matthew where Jesus says "Do not worry about what you will eat or drink or what you will wear", "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well" in a totally new light.  I have been worrying about it.  I have been worrying about the food I'm eating and feeding my family.  I have been stressing about it and overwhelmed.  And it's time I once again placed it all at His feet and sought His righteousness first.  Sought His kingdom first.

So what should you do if you are needing to be healthier?  If you are unsure of whose advice to follow and what to feed your family?  I think that you should pray.  Pray and seek Him.  Our Father knows what we need. 

Friday, January 25, 2013

These Moments Make Me Smile :)

As a Mom I have front row seats to some of the best moments!  For example:

  • Benjamin says "My tummy really wants to go downstairs and play."  Everything is according to his tummy these days!  "My tummy wants to have friends over."  "My tummy doesn't want to go to bed."  Cracks me up!!!

  • Chloe playing the piano and making up her own song all about Jesus.  So sweet :)  Watching her excel in her swimming lessons and her excitement over what she's learning to do!  I love sharing in her joy!  

  • And of course there's Kara Rose!  What can I say about Kara?!  How about this morning I was a little upset with her and Ben because they had gotten into a bag of garbage that was just waiting to go out and spread it around their room that I had just cleaned.  Thankfully the garbage wasn't kitchen or bathroom garbage! Kara had to chime her two cents in "Ben! No garbage!" And she points to all the garbage and speaks very sternly!  As if she hadn't been in on the whole thing with him! Such a little Mama that one!  And lately she has taken to growling and trying to scare people!
Being a Mom is such a blessing and I'm so thankful to be here for all these moments with them!  Of course I'm the first to admit that a one way ticket for one sounds good in some moments - but thankfully I love my little munchkins and God sees me through those trying moments.  And I have all sorts of wonderful memories to carry me through :)    

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Dear Baby,

My dear child, 
You are hidden from my view.  I don't know your name or your face.  I don't know what you like or what makes you sad.  But you are mine, and while I don't know you yet, I will.  In a few short weeks you will be big enough to make yourself more known to me.  I will feel you move.  
Your big sister Chloe asks me all the time when she will be able to feel you kicking.  I tell her that maybe by her birthday.  I hope that she can feel you by then, what a wonderful birthday present that would be for her.  She loves you so much already.  She is so anxious to hold you and be a little mama to you! 

A few days ago, Chloe, Benjamin and Kara (I can't wait for you to meet them!) were sitting on the couch together and I was imagining you beside them.   I just know that you are going to make our family more complete and add so much laughter and joy!  Right now it feels like a long time until we can meet you but I know that in a while we won't even remember what life was like before you.  

How happy we are that you are growing and that God has given you life!  You were made by our Creator and He loves you so much!  He has a plan for your life and a special purpose.  While you are hidden from my eyes, He sees you.  He is knitting you in my womb.  It is my prayer above all other prayers for you that you will know Him.  That your heart and soul will remember that it was He who made you.  It is He who loves you more than any other.  He loves you more than I ever could.  And I love you a lot!  I pray that you will love Him and seek Him and that your days would be filled with His joy and guidance in your life.  You can so many things on this earth my child, but my biggest dream for you is that you would love Him with all of your heart and soul and that you would follow His leading.  

So rest my darling, while you can - I know that once you are born you may not rest as well!  If Kara is as gentle with you as she is with kittens you may be in for a surprise!  We are so happy you are growing and that God has blessed you to us! 


Love, 
Mama

Monday, January 21, 2013

There's Just No Telling When They'll Come!

I have always been an emotional person.  I remember well my Mother's voice through all my growing years "Don't fly so high Miranda, it'll hurt so much more when you fall."
Well I never was able to find the line of moderation - it was either up or down for me :)
Despite this I have never been one to cry.  Oh I cried from time to time.  Occasionally it was even quite extreme.  Mostly it would only have been a few little tears at the corners with maybe one or two escaping.

Pregnancy has changed everything.

Now the tears come like the rain.  

I remember crying with my first pregnancy but it was very seldom.  The most vivid moment I recall is when I broke the lid to my slow cooker.  I sat on the floor and cried like it was a very big deal - because you know, it was!  

I don't remember crying much with the second pregnancy.  I think I was too busy trying to keep my eyes open from all the sleepless nights with Chloe.  If I did cry I certainly can't remember it!

With the third it all changed.  I don't know what happened exactly but all of a sudden I was crying a lot.  And not just little tears, but the really awful ones that leave you with a headache and your husband doubled over in laughter.  Yes in laughter!  He seems to find it highly amusing when his sweet, normally very untearful, starts crying over really unsad matters.  I think Chloe has inherited his ability to laugh when others are crying.  One afternoon something made me cry, can't exactly remember what, but you'd have thought my best friend was moving away.  I just couldn't stop.  Chloe had been resting in her bed and she came out and saw me.  She would have been about 3 1/2.  All of a sudden she is (forcing herself) laughing and giggling.  When I could finally ask her why she was laughing when I was so sad she said "I'm just trying to make you happy Mom."  

I was really hoping that it would be different this time around.  I find it very hard to cry so much.  It gives a headache.  It's irrational (there's usually never a good reason for setting me off), it's very out of character for me.  I gave TR a good lecture on how he was to handle it if I did get quite emotional - "You will NOT laugh.  You will pretend I have a good reason for crying!"  Of course it didn't take very long and I realized that this pregnancy is behaving much like Kara's.  The first time it happened we were sitting on the couch watching a Christmas movie.  It wasn't sad. It wasn't a particularly happy moment either.  Nothing emotional whatsoever about the scene.  And they came.  As soon as I realized they were coming I rushed upstairs to avoid my husbands laughter.  When I could finally compose myself I went and sat down beside him again.  Well as soon as he looked at me and asked if I was okay I started again.  And he laughed.  

I have to admit that it is a little funny - and having him laughing does help me to have a good perspective on the tears.  I smile when I think of how silly I must look, crying at such odd times :)  All the same I will be very happy to have regular, normal for me, emotions once again.  But for now I'll just stock up on tissues and hope that strangers who see my red eyes will understand.

Friday, January 18, 2013

A Mother's Perspective

Maybe it's because I'm a Mom, or maybe it's because I'm a pregnant Mom, whatever the case I am finding it difficult to read certain stories without tears.

I think I have known about Moses all my life.  I'm sure I knew about it in the womb from listening to my older siblings learning about Moses.  I can't remember a time when I didn't know how he was placed in a basket and put upon the water with his older sister watching over him.

But something has changed . . . now I'm a Mom and I saw the story in a totally different light.  The other day I was reading to the kids and I found myself tearing up.  I cannot imagine the pain and suffering that must have been felt by Moses' mother.  To hide him for 3 months.  To endure the death of her friends' baby boys.  To hear the sorrow of her friends as they struggled with empty arms and engorgement.  Then to lovingly build the basket for her son.  I was picturing her tears falling upon her work while she tried so hard to be brave and believe that God had a plan for her son.  Did she just know that she had to put him in the basket?  Was she hoping to go down every night and feed him and change his soiled bottom and hold him close before putting him back again?

I look at my own son and wonder what kind of strength she had to put him upon the water - trusting completely in God.

We all know that the story ended well.  Moses gets saved and even gets to be with his family for a few years before going to live at the palace.  His Mother gets the chance to hold him close (and even get paid for doing so!).   But I'm sure at the time of hiding him, building the basket and placing him on the water were some of the hardest most trying moments for her.  What an amazing God we serve!  He chose a boy who had been saved in a miraculous way to become the leader who would lead His people out of Egypt.

But now that I'm a Mom I can't help but think about Moses Mom.  And now that I'm pregnant I must admit the tears come much more than I (or my kids!) are used to.  But I think that's okay.  What a wonderful gift that after all the years of knowing the story I can see it again in a very fresh way.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Easy Chocolate Milk

I've heard it said that drinking chocolate milk is just as healthy as drinking regular milk and that if you can at least get your kids to drink chocolate then that is fine as long as they are drinking milk.  Now that I know so much about conventional milk and what all happens to I am quite certain that you would be healthier without the milk let alone the chocolate milk!  But that is perhaps another story for another time.  If you are at all interested in learning more about milk a really great book on it is The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid.  I may tackle my opinion on consuming grocery store dairy at some point, but not today :)

Today I have a wonderful recipe that I thought I would share with you that I absolutely love and it is super simple.

Chocolate Syrup

Put some milk into a small pot and heat it gently on medium.  
Add cocoa powder (lots and lots - I really can't tell you the amount but you want it to be concentrated)
Add some honey

I never measure and I've never been disappointed.  I usually put in about 1/2-3/4 cup of milk.  4-6 large tbsp of cocoa, and about 1/4 cup of honey or so.  This also works great for making hot chocolate, except then I make it to taste and not concentrated and heat it until hot.

Only heat the milk long enough to melt the honey and whisk it together to be smooth.  Take it off the heat and put it in a jar in the fridge.

When you want a glass of chocolate milk just pour yourself a glass of milk with a liberal splash of cream and then some of the syrup.  So good!  And the best part is that I can feel good about what my children and I are drinking :)  

*I often link books to amazon, but I always get my books from our local library here.*

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

One More Package Bites the Dust!

I am very happy to say that I no longer need to buy mayonnaise!  Hurray!!

Mayo is something that TR eats on his sandwich nearly everyday he is working.  He eats it with chicken that I've canned myself, but the mayo is still store bought.  It is still full of "spices" and preservatives.  It has been pasteurized and in my unprofessional opinion does not benefit the body at all, but rather harm it.  I've been dreaming for a while of making him some from scratch and even did a few times this past summer.  It tasted awesome, but it was an effort to make it and having it fail one time did not encourage the effort (not that it was terribly difficult, but I found the most success with mixing it by hand with a whisk which does take a bit of time - especially if you need it in a hurry because you forget to make it the night before!).   TR also didn't like the strong taste of extra virgin olive oil.  I went and bought the less healthy version of the olive oil to try but never did get around to trying it. 

I read this blog a few weeks ago that gave me the push I needed to try again.  She describes a method I've never heard of before.  I've always read that you have to mix the oil in verrrrrry slowly and if you go too fast you'll wreck it.  I was a little hesitant to try it, but what did I really have to lose?  She says to use a hand held blender stick and simply mix all the ingredients together and blend.  It takes merely a few seconds and it is done!  And it tastes amazing.   I've made it several times now and I've never messed it up - it's been perfect everytime!

My recipe:
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 farm fresh egg yoke
about 1/8 tsp. -1/4 tsp. sea salt
spoonful of mustard
1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (I usually don't like the taste of this, but honestly it tastes great in here)
little splosh of lemon juice (maybe about 1 tsp. or less)
sprinkle of garlic powder


Mix altogether in a bowl and blend with stick blender for a few seconds until it is all emulsified.  Stir in the little bit of oil that stays on top and refrigerate. (she recommends eating it in 5 days)

TR has taken it to work and he likes it!  I am so thankful that it is so simple to make and now I have more control over the ingredients and freshness.  Instead of being harmful and void of nutrients it is full of wonderful fats that our body needs and raw egg yoke which is so healthful to the body.

*a lot of people are afraid of raw eggs - I suggest that you buy your eggs locally from a farm you trust.  Raw eggs (specifically the yoke) have so many health benefits and if you have a good source for them, there is no need to be afraid of eating them :) 

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Reasons to Love the 1st Trimester

For a lot of women the first trimester is simply to be endured.  After all there's morning sickness, an insane increase in the ability to smell, nausea, aches and pains, fatigue, mood swings and emotions that rival PMS any day!  There's also not to much to enjoy about being pregnant - no cute belly or cute maternity clothes.  I used to feel this way.  I used to just want the first trimester to be over so I could get to the good stuff: the baby kicking, watching my stomach rolling like ocean waves and being obviously pregnant so people don't just assume you're getting into too many chips at night.

But this is my fourth and a lot of things have changed for me!  So here's my list of why I love the first trimester:

  • I can still sleep on my stomach!
  • My hair doesn't fall out nearly as much as it usually does (although this is true for me for the whole pregnancy)
  • I can do nearly all the normal activities I'm used to doing - so long as I don't overdo
  • I can wear all my regular clothes
  • I'm not kept awake at night from insane kicking and rolling
  • My poor bladder isn't getting kicked
  • My rib cage is in a normal position and I have no problems breathing
  • It's still very easy for me to hold my 1 year old 
  • I can read a story with a child on my lap
  • I can eat a meal without it all ending up on my belly
  • It's easy to get behind a steering wheel
  • Giving someone a hug doesn't make me feel like I have really small arms
I have to admit that while I absolutely love being able to feel the baby moving it does cause quite a few discomforts!  I have developed a lot more patience than I used to have.  I know that the time will come very soon that I will experience all the pleasures of being more aware of my child and as a result I can enjoy the first trimester so much more than I used to.  It definitely helps that I'm not nearly as sick or fatigued as I have been in past pregnancies, and so far the aches and pains are mostly held at bay.  Maybe the patience comes with age - I am after all 6 years older now than I was when pregnant with my first child.  Or maybe it comes with experience.  Whatever the case it is a wonderful thing to be content with where you are and not spend the entire trimester waiting for what's coming next!


Taken just before I found out I was pregnant - Spent a few hours digging out my carrots from their warm cozy home in a hole in my garden.  If I had known I was pregnant I would have understood why it wore me out so much!!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Putting Fear to Rest

One of the problems of changes we've made and doing things differently than what most of society considers normal is that whole "fear factor".  There is a certain amount of comfort and saftey in following doctors orders.  If you eat what they say and do what they say, if you take all the tests that they suggest and follow the popular pregnancy books than you will have a healthy pregnancy and baby and all will be well.  If something does happen to go wrong than it must be because they gave you bad advice, but it certainly was nothing you could have prevented.

A few years ago I lost my faith in doctors.  In fact my first thought now when a doctor suggests something to me is "they must be wrong".  I understand that there may be exceptions to this (and believe me, my mother and I used to have slightly heated discussions about this!) but for the most part I have come to think that doctors make assumptions, are quick to diagnose and hand out the prescriptions, and know next to nothing about true health and healing for the body.  I have not been to the doctor much in the last few years and there is one here that I trust more than others, and another that I absolutely would never trust.  I know that there are good doctors - so please don't misunderstand me and think I have something against them.  I don't.  But I do think that their education is lacking and therefore I am distrustful.  I've had a doctor tell me that my husband would be on prescription drugs his whole life, could expect to battle great pain and changing his diet would not produce good enough results to warrant changing anything.  I've had a doctor write me a prescription for my daughter who had an odd diaper rash because he was convinced she had an allergic reaction to a cat even though the rash had shown up days before she had been near a cat.  I've had a prescription written out for antibiotics for an infection that I might have, that I should start taking before I got the results.  I never did take the antibiotics and I never did have the infection confirmed (it was tested, but they never called with the results).  I tried a few natural remedies and I was just fine.  I've asked a doctor if it was okay for my husband to take large amounts of alfafa and the doctor wasn't quite sure what alfafa really was.

Okay, so I tell you all that just so that you can understand a little - not to belittle doctors.  Doctors do save lives in this country and if ever I was in an accident of some sort I would be very grateful for their help.  I just don't think that they know much about healthy living and eating and the dangers of prescription drugs.

With such a distrust in doctors comes a great desire to do my own research.  I am still learning things all the time, but if I can't trust a doctor and I have no natural doctor to consult than how am I to know what to do when my family gets sick?  And with that comes fear.  Fear that I am going to make a mistake.  That I'm going to learn something too late.  In a lot of ways I feel as though my entire family's health is resting on my shoulders.  It is a great responsibility and lately it has been causing me great amounts of stress.  I am tired of learning new things.  Tired of making changes.  Tired of going against the flow.  Tired of questioning and wondering whose voice to follow.  Should I believe this source, or this one?  *sigh*

Some days my only comfort is that this world is not my home.   How thankful I am that one day our bodies will be perfect!  No more GMO.  No more pesticides.  No more harmful toxins in the air and water.  No more digestive disorders.  No more passing up food in the potluck line because we can't eat it anymore.  No more outbursts from my daughter when she has to drink more probiotics or try something new.  No more fatigue and pain for TR.  No more fear that I will eat and breath the wrong things and harm my unborn baby.

But I am slowly coming to realize that I don't have to just "get through" this life in anticipation for heaven.  The verse that I love just keeps coming back to me "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7.  Trusting in my own knowledge is foolish and silly.  My trust needs to be in God.  Not in research, not in natural doctors, not in herbal remedies.  My family's health is in His hands and I have to trust that just as He guided me in the beginning of this journey - so He will continue to lead me on.  I can't learn it all at once, but I can learn a little at a time and do what I can for my family.  But ultimately He is still the one who calmed the waves, who healed the leper and the blind.  My kids memory verse this month is "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, cast out demons.  Freely you have received.  Freely give." Matthew 10:8.  Jesus is talking to the disciples who are about to go out into the towns and preach and heal.  As much as I need to take a pro-active approach to our health, He is the one who heals!  He is the one who heals!!  Jesus never asked that we carry our burdens alone.  I think it's time for me to lay my burden down and rest at His feet for a while.  This song is so inspiring to me and I will often sing it when I need a reminder of the greatness and power of our God.

Water you turned into wine, 
opened the eyes of the blind
 there's no one like you, none like You!
Into the darkness you shine
 out of the ashes we rise
 there's no one like you none like You!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
 God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Making Changes

After Christmas I began to notice that I was having frequent stomach pains.  All I wanted was hot baths and a heating pad when that was over.  I began to wonder if I might be reacting to something that I was eating.  The first thing I took out was wheat and I noticed a difference almost right away.  After a few days of no wheat I was really missing my morning toast.  Eggs without toast and oatmeal without toast is like tea without honey :)  So I decided that if wheat was making me sick than perhaps I could still have wheat if it was fermented first.  So I made this overnight bread and enjoyed it very much with my oatmeal.  It didn't take very long, maybe an hour or so and I was having the pains again.  Over the course of the day it got worse so that by the time the kiddos were in bed I was in the tub again.  I love a good bath, but this was getting a little ridiculous!  Toast with my breakfast is not worth a day of pain.

So it has been almost a week now since I've had wheat and while I still miss that option, I am feeling better.  I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that I have more energy, but it is actually a possibility.  I have not been drinking kambucha lately as it was turning my stomach a little and my energy levels have been pretty high considering I'm still in my first trimester.  So maybe the lack of wheat is helping in more ways than one.  I'm not sure if this is a permanent thing or if pregnancy is just making me extra sensitive, but maybe it is the kick I need to remove more wheat from our diet.

So for breakfast I've been having soaked oatmeal or eggs.  I tried this zucchini date bread this morning and while it's not awful it's not exactly something I'd jump out of bed for either.  Maybe I'll try to toast it tomorrow and see if that helps.  Otherwise I haven't really missed wheat too much.  I often make the kids and I gluten free pancakes - we've been eating them that way for months - so I can still enjoy those.  We often eat rice noodles instead of wheat. The other day I made gluten free wraps that I've made a few times already.  I'm guessing it'll be just like how it's been for TR - easy enough at home, it's when you go visiting that it becomes a problem. 

I am so very thankful that I found the connection between the wheat and my stomach pains so quickly - and also that I live in this day.  A generation ago most people didn't even know you could be unable to digest wheat.  There weren't even that many other options.  I have so many options for replacements in my diet and there are so many resources (like the library!!) for learning. 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Morning Sickness

Throughout my pregnancies I have experienced different degrees of morning sickness - not one pregnancy has been the same.  With Chloe I used to throw up every morning after breakfast.  I had a long hall way in that house and I used to run down it every morning half way through breakfast.   I don't know why I didn't just eat in the bathroom!  Hindsight is everything :)  A few times I got sick during lunch at work.  It lasted the typical first trimester and I was very happy to see it go!
With Benjamin I didn't throw up but I felt like it every morning.  I was always so nauseous.  After 3 months it was gone - but returned around 7 months when I did start throwing up.
When I was first pregnant with Kara I honestly worried that I had miscarried.  I didn't like talking about the fact that I was pregnant because in my heart I wondered if she was even still alive.  The reason?  I felt awesome!  I hardly had any nausea, I never felt like throwing up.  It was unlike my other 2 pregnancies in so many ways that I truly questioned it.  When I finally heard her heartbeat my mind could finally rejoice!!  I wondered at the difference between the first 2 and the 3rd and the conclusion I have reached is our diet.  We changed our diet (which you can read about in older posts of this blog) when Ben was about a year a half.  There wouldn't have been tons of time (several months) in between the change and conception of Kara but we did make several very significant changes to the way we eat in a very short time. 

So what about this pregnancy? I am happy to say that this pregnancy seems to be very similar so far to Kara's.  I feel great!  I do get quite sick feeling if I don't eat.  I often forget to snack in the afternoons and pay for it big time!  I get very shaky and have to eat slowly.  I absolutely crave proteins and some meals all I eat is the meat.  Last night my snack was cheese :)  Some foods seriously turn me off and I think I could eat salmon all day long!  Some foods that are so very healthy for me that I used to enjoy - like sauerkraut and fermented salsa - are turning my stomach, which I find disappointing.  I'm hoping that in a few months I will be able to enjoy those foods again.  I have felt great fatigue a few times but not nearly as much as I expected.  I have been drinking kambucha (I know that there are differing opinions on this and the safety of it during pregnancy. I choose to believe that it is okay for me to drink especially considering that I was drinking if before.)  in the morning and again in the afternoon and that helps so much to maintain my energy.  I am thankful beyond words that I feel so good.  It is a wonderful gift from my Father!  I am also thankful that I have the experience of Kara's pregnancy and am not worried that my feeling good is a sign of miscarriage.  That is also a huge blessing!


I have had a great start to this pregnancy and  we are all so very excited about him/her! 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Changing Direction

The direction of this blog is going to change!  I am very excited to say that we are expecting our 4th child next summer!! With my third pregnancy I really strived to learn all I could about handling pregnancy and delivery naturally and I'm excited to keep on learning even more this time!  I thought that this blog might be just the place to share what I'm learning and my experience with Kara's pregnancy/birth a year and a half ago.  I'll try to update regularly but I'm sure you understand by now that my best intentions often forget!  Nevertheless I'm excited about the journey of these next 7.5-8 months or so and I'm excited about sharing it with you here on this blog :)