The crazy stuff

we are getting my boy on some new meds and the last two weeks have been CRAZY!!!! He has to be free of all meds to make sure the new ones wont be too strong. If you have a little one with ASD then you know what I am talking about…

We are still traveling down the gluten free road and I am learning more and more about the “dangers” of gluten in his diet. It creates an effect in his brain that is compared to a drug addict coming off of the drugs…a little scary.

that is all for now, life is getting back to normal. I will post more later when we get a little more in order.

New book!!!

So the past couple months we have been dealing with some family medical issues. Everyone is okay!!! I haven’t written much because of that. I did however get a new book that I am excited about!!!

It’s the ADHD/autism cookbook. I will put the link at the bottom of the page. It is soooooooooooo detailed. The author goes into extraordinary detail on why we need to take away glutinous foods. I’m excited to read it!! Can’t you tell? Yes, yes you can!!!

http://books.google.com/books/about/The_kid_friendly_ADHD_and_autism_cookboo.html?id=tl5JIw7CbbkC

Now starts the summer journey of turning this house into a gluten free house. I’m sure there will be ups and downs and fits of rage when I can’t have some kinds of foods in the house. If we are going to do this we are ALL going to do it. My hubby might not be happy. But healthy, happy kids are better than a husband that can eat when he is at work. Lol

I will try to do a daily post. If I do not make it daily, I will absolutely get in a weekly post. It is summer after all…

Podcast

Slate’s Table to Farm. #1 seared scallops edition

I’m really wanting to start a CSA in my town. It is a community supported agriculture. You buy a part in the crop and food gets delivered to you every week or two. You can also have an area that every one that is signed up to garden in that area and everyone share. In this podcast they are talking about fishermen and how the government is taking away the licenses to fish. And how to look at fish and when it is better to buy them in the store. They are only allowed to catch so much a day if you want fresh. And I want to live in an area that has fresh fish and fresh veggies all the time.

I think it’s garden time!! I need to find a house with land enough to have a garden area. And some chickens. For eggs, not to eat. I don’t think I could kill an animal. Unless it was a threat to my kiddo’s.

If you have an iPhone this podcast is amazing. I like that they are talking to real people that work in the area they are talking about. They also give you a recipe to make at the end of the podcast. It is a 30-40 minute podcast.

#2 frittata edition is actually about chickens!!! Yeah. I’m getting excited now. I’m really liking this series.

I will post more later.

Winter is still here…

I am typing this out while the LO sleeps in. I’m really hoping that I can get it done, doubtful. Lol

I would like to first say that I haven’t posted in a while and realize that I need to do more. I will be posting a new daily meal plan each day for a week. I will add how I made each meal and post pictures for your viewing pleasure. I will post prices and where I shopped to get these things also. We live on a grocery budget of $150 for two weeks, that includes personal hygiene items and cleaning products also. I save a lot of money by making most of my own cleaning and laundry supplies. I will do a totally separate post on that next time I make laundry soap and cleaning stuff…

For today I do not have prices or pictures for what I’m making. I will add them later
BREAKFAST
Blueberry oatmeal. I found it at our local grocery store on sale for $0.58 a box, there are 5 pkgs. in each box. AND it is “real food”, meaning no preservatives and no fake or added sugars. They also added flax seed to the pkgs.
SNACK
Apples and Bananas. Organic Fuji apples and the normal large banans
LUNCH
Left overs from last night. Chicken teriyaki, all fresh foods and gluten free. It is a “dump” meal. Meaning I made it earlier, froze it and “dumped” it in the Crock-Pot.
SNACK
Animal crackers. I have one child that is 19 months now and 5 1/2 years old.
DINNER
Tonight we will be going light, the stomach flu has been going around…I will make tomato soup (from a can) with “goldfish” type crackers. The kids will also have 1/2 of a grilled cheese each.

That is very typical for us to eat like this. I mean the layout. We usually have salads and deserts, but I didn’t find any good salads on sale and I’m trying to cut all processed sweets out. It is not easy because we are so conditioned to eat them. My kindergartner is the hardest one hit. He takes his lunch and eats snacks at school. We shall see what happens.

Didn’t do it…

I didn’t do it…I have been going over everything and found this on passionatehomemaking.com

I failed miserably in my mothering today. Everything from getting coats and shoes on, to going potty in underwear, to getting out of bed before the proper time. Each situation was responded to with an outburst of anger and frustration. I experience guilt on many levels in my motherhood. I feel guilty when my house isn’t clean, organized, or I don’t have the energy to design all these glorious organizing tools (thanks Pinterest!). I feel like a failure when I don’t spend enough quality time with my children or waste too much time on my phone or computer browsing this and that. I feel guilty when we don’t do family devotions as if my children’s salvation was all dependent upon me. I feel like a terrible homemaker when I don’t get anything done on my to-do list. So in response to my guilt, I get frustrated and the cycle continues. It’s a dangerous pit of self focus that destroys my joy.

The only means through which we can find deliverance out of this battlefield of guilt, condemnation, and anger is through the power of the gospel. The only lasting freedom can come through acknowledging what Christ has done on my behalf.

We have to steep ourselves in the power of the gospel. We have to soak it in.

I have to remind myself that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Yes, you and I will surely fail. But we have a glorious Savior who bore our condemnation. He bore our guilt. It was nailed to the cross. So in our failure, we can have hope. Christ Jesus has replaced our sinful record with His perfect righteous record.

As Elyse Fitzpatrick says, “When you are tempted to slide down into a miry pit of self-condemnation, you can remember Jesus’ sinless life and the perfect record that is now yours. Yes, it’s true that you sin heinously and consistently, but you have a perfect record before God, the only one who opinion really matters.”

“Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:24)”

Colossians 1:16-17 says, “The Father…has qualified you [past tense; it’s finished] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us [past tense again; the deliverance is completed] from the domain of darkness and transferred us [past tense once more: the transferal is already concluded] to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have [present tense; this very moment we possess it] redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

My outbursts of anger were nailed to the cross before I even walked this earth. My fear of failure is a waste of my energy. He paid the greatest price for them. In order to experience true freedom from guilt, I must stop focusing on all that I need to do in order to become a better mother. I must first turn my gaze upon what He has already done for me.

The only way to become a better mom is to preach the gospel to myself every day. It’s not by behaving that makes me a better mom, it’s by believing- believing more deeply in what He has accomplished.

God doesn’t call me to be perfect. He calls me to embrace my standing before him, and to run in that freedom he has already granted to me! I am adored by Christ! I am redeemed! I am accepted!

Ultimately, when I enslave myself by guilt I am mocking what He did on the cross, I am disbelieving the grace and mercy purchased for me through his sinless life. This guilt is witness to the fact that I am depending upon my own strength. I am believing that my children will only grow, flourish, and follow Christ if I do this certain set of practices.

So when you are tempted to put another brick of guilt on yourself, may I encourage you to stop, and declare with me:

“Because Jesus was strong for me, I am free to be weak;
because Jesus won for me, I am free to lose;
because Jesus was someone, I am free to be no one;
because Jesus was extraordinary, I am free to be ordinary;
because Jesus succeeded for me, I am free to fail.” -Tullian Tchividjian

Praise God for the full and abundant life I have in Christ! Jesus loves me just as much today as He did yesterday!

Many of these insights have been gleaned through Tullian’s powerful book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything.

A lot has been going on

I’m so freaking out, I have gotten rid of my old iPad and am saving to get the new one and should have kept the old till I got the new, but I didn’t. And my phone is being really slow and it has just been a crazy time. Okay so I’ve updated! I do have ALOT to blog about and I have made some great things getting them easy to post.

Today is rest day!! WOOT

I went today and changed my hair completely!! I went from brunette to blonde and from shoulder length to right above. My hubby likes it and said that he will have to get used to it. I will be going in four weeks to change it just a little more…putting brown undertones in with the blonde. Pictures will be uploaded soon.

This absolutely no style or products in my hair, washed and air dried.
It looked REALLY bad before my stylist got ahold of it. I was trying to save some money and bleach it at home…well that will NEVER happen again. I spent more money having it fixed and with the money I spent on the kit at home than I would have just going to the salon in the first place.
I’ll be relearning how to style my new cut, so I will start posting before and after photos each time.