God Made You Special Part 2

Thanks for coming back! This is one of those issues that needs to be viewed as a whole, but I felt like I was getting really long-winded. So, if you haven't read the first installment, please take a few minutes to do that here before you move on. The "what God has done" is really awesome, but taking into consideration where I was before just amps up the awe!

I like to consider the big picture when I look at a situation, and that was one reason we chose a family physician for our OB care, to deliver our principessa and to also provide our pediatric care. We wanted someone who would know what was going on with our entire family and consider that as health and wellness decisions were made for all of us. So when I felt like my body was falling apart, I wanted to get to the root of the issue. I started thinking about my spine and looking back toward the natural medicines that worked for our ancestors before issues like diabetes and cancer became as common as air and water. I was too busy and too stressed to really follow up on those ideas, but the seeds had been planted.

Then I became a stay-at-home mom and, although my days are filled with homeschooling and household responsibilities, I also found myself with a little bit of time left over to care for myself. All of a sudden it became even more important for me to get back to a functional state to honor the God who made me and the family who trusts me. I started by researching and choosing a chiropractor to help address the spinal issues. I was also able to get in touch with a friend who opened the door for me to begin using and distributing Young Living essential oils. I had already done research and determined that Young Living's purity standards, including their Seed to Seal promise, made them the correct option for our family.

These changes started just about 5 months ago. I have ditched the Epi-Pen and the arsenal of drugs and I DON'T MISS THEM! I am down to one daily medicine, which I hope to eventually eliminate. The daily debilitating migraines are gone. The headaches I do get now are infrequent and minor, and are treated with Peppermint and/or Lavender essential oils. The daily allergy meds and shots have been replaced by diffusing Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint overnight. When I do need a little extra allergy support, I take a 2-4 drops of Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint in a vegetable capsule a couple times a day. (Please note that I specifically refer to Young Living essential oils, as they are the only one I have found that are safe for internal use. Note also that only certain oils are safe to take internally. Read your labels carefully and research before you use any essential oil.) I still get carsick when I ride in the car, but it is alleviated with a little Peppermint or Ginger oil, or by taking a few moments to get out and walk around. No more meds for motion sickness in my purse! The back pain and the issues with pain and lost strength in my hands have been determined to be a result of chronic systemic inflammation. I am already seeing results from an increase in Omega-3 fatty acids and some slight changes to the way I eat. I'm eating fewer inflammatory foods, cutting out things I only thought I would miss. I'm taking in antioxidants and enjoying NingXia Red twice a day. I still enjoy my daily cup of coffee, but I drink it black. I still enjoy water and unsweet tea, but I amp them up a bit with some Lemon or Citrus Fresh for a little extra detox boost. Natural foods don't trigger my mysterious food allergy, and since I no longer eat much meat or dairy, I no longer see some of the digestive issues that often accompanied them.

Now brace yourselves, my sisters, because at the risk of giving too much info, I have GOT to share what happened to my feminine cycle. And I feel fairly safe doing that here because, let's face it, I don't reach many people and roughly 0% of my readers are male. I started taking birth control pills when I was 15 to regulate my hormones so that I could function. The beginning of every cycle brought cramps that caused my legs to not work and pain that kept me in bed, curled into a semi-fetal position because I couldn't curl up tightly, but I couldn't straighten my legs either. I had prescription pain medicines I was instructed to take from 2-3 days before the beginning of each cycle, through the duration of it. I specifically remember one day I tried to get to my meds, but I collapsed on the floor of our home office and it took a couple hours to inch my way to my meds, take them, and lay there while they kicked in enough that I could get back to bed. That info is meant only to express how stinkin' excited I am that my current experience is completely opposite of that! I switched from the toxin-laden products that are so easily accessible to natural products. I worked hard to get my spine in line, and I started treating my pain with my "power pair" of Lavender and Peppermint. The change wasn't instant, but the changes I have made over the last year have started to show results that my family and I greatly appreciate!

Remember the daily puke-fest I mentioned as a result of the antibiotics I was taking for the painful acne? I didn't really discuss it with Hot Daddy; I didn't want to whine and he was busy with the stresses of starting a new job. Then one day he was home and witnessed it. I was only halfway through the 3 month course of antibiotics, but he encouraged me to stop taking them. Could they truly be worth vomiting every single day? There had to be another way to get relief. Enter my new friends, Frankincense and Purification. Within just a couple days, my face was clearing up. I now make my own gentle cleansing wipes to use in the evening and wash with only water in the mornings. I make my own nighttime moisturizer with coconut and jojoba oils as the base and Elemi and Lavender essential oils as my power players. I'm not totally blemish free, especially as my hormones fluctuate, but my face doesn't burn and sting. My blemishes actually heal, where they used to flare in cycles, but never actually heal. I'm calling this success. And it feels good!

I'm not a doctor, I can't tell you what will work for you. I'm just telling you what has worked for me. I am telling you that I am slowly, surely getting back to the way God made me. I am learning that respecting His creation involves respecting and caring for myself. Otherwise, how can I care for the family He has given me? How can I be His hands and feet, caring for the other people God made special?

I was going to wrap up this post with a reference to Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Then the Lord gave me 2 Timothy 1:7, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

If you have questions about God's love, the changes He has brought me through, or Young Living essential oils, feel free to contact me through this page.

God Made You Special

If you've ever watched VeggieTales with your kids, you know that "God made you special and He loves you very much!" I've known that all my life, I've watched roughly a jillion VeggieTales episodes, and I've taught that motto to our Princess Pea Pod. Still, I think it is only now that she has matured to the point that I have a few moments' peace that I have started to realize how very true that is on a personal level.

Don't get me wrong, I've always felt that God made YOU special, and I've always kind-of known that He made me special, too. It just never really clicked. A person is not a person is not a person. There are many people I love, many who are near and dear to my heart, but there's something deeply moving when I look at our principessa and realize how carefully God planned her and put her together. From the eyelashes that fan delicately across her face when she sleeps, to the perfect placement of every freckle. From the slightly maddening cowlicks that add yet another unique flair to her hair, to the toes that are still as adorable as they day she was born - only a tad more smelly. She's a lot like any other kid, and yet she is different. She is special. She was planned by God long before she was formed in my womb, long before her precious daddy and I ever held her.

So my logical mind says that if I can recognize this about our principessa, and about her daddy, or about any number of other people who are also totally amazing... then God really did make ME special. And He planned me for a purpose. Now, I'm not one to get all self centered (and if I ever seem that way, feel free to deliver a reality check) but this is huge. It also means that something has got to change. You see, I've been going through day to day, really only concerned with taking care of my family and surviving til tomorrow, Lord willing. And I hate to complain, so I always figured the aches and pains and oddities with which I lived were the same as everyone else. So I put on my big girl panties and trudged on. I am not going to start whining now - it still gives me the willies and triggers a gag reflex when I hear whining - but I have learned something and I want to shout it from the mountaintops. Are you ready for this?

It doesn't honor God when I let little issues snowball to big issues and allow my health to suffer.

Yep. Read that again. And then internalize it, please. He made me special and I trashed His creation. "Hey God, thanks for putting all that thought and care into making me, but Your work isn't important enough to maintain." I never said that, but boy did I say that. We'll fast forward past the obvious transgressions... junk food and very little exercise. Everywhere you look there is someone talking about diet and exercise. I wrestled with those issues, but they overshadowed much more.

Several years ago I developed horrible headaches. Debilitating migraines that led me to shut myself in a cool, dark room with no stimuli. These started about the same time as the vertigo and constant motion sickness. I can get carsick sitting in a chair in the living room. I can get carsick backing out of the driveway. I can get carsick sitting still in church. I was nauseous all the time. Surely all the fatigue was just the result of new motherhood, or having a toddler, or working while maintaining the home. The back pain was too, right? There were so many times I thought I must have been pregnant again, because my body ached and exhaustion was overwhelming. Not to mention that issue of pregnancy - or lack thereof. After not even having to try to conceive Princess Pea Pod, we've spent nearly 8 years trying to conceive her sibling. I'm not whining, but yeah, I was a hot mess.

A couple years ago I mentioned these issues to my doctor. I ended up with meds for indigestion and meds for pain. There were trips to a fertility specialist and surgery for endometriosis. Then more meds for that pain and the excruciating experience that was the beginning of my monthly cycle. There was also surgery on my back to remove a fatty tumor that may or may not have been pressing on my spine and causing the back pain, and pain meds for that when we found that the lipoma was not the source of the back pain. The ER trip in the midst of a vertigo attack brought about the addition of blood pressure meds for the migraines that may or may not have set off the vertigo, as well as anti-anxiety and antiemetic drugs to take as soon as vertigo symptoms arise. A couple years ago, an anaphylactic reaction to some food somewhere triggered an ER visit and allergy testing, resulting in consistently high doses of antihistamines and the addition of the Epi-Pen to my daily life. Not to mention the daily antihistamine/decongestant and eventually the allergy shots. I had to carry a large purse wherever I went so I was sure to have the right meds at the right time. I was in my early 30's and carried more meds than my 90 year-old grandmother!

How could I honor God when I couldn't even grip a pen to add my daily reflections in the journal I keep for Princess Pea Pod? How could I be His hands and feet when I fell asleep at the computer while I was working? (And thank God for a job at home, where I could make up that time.) How could I respect what He has given me when I was barely functional? I didn't even want to show my face in public because the deep, painful acne on my face made even washing my face with plain water bring tears. Not to mention applying makeup that made my face burn and itch, no matter what product I tried. Or the daily vomiting session that resulted soon after I took the antibiotics prescribed for that acne.

And then God brought our family through a series of events that included my resignation from work and the decision to become a homeschooling stay-at-home mom. Add that story to the list of posts I really, truly have to add. I can't even begin to do justice to the great blessings God has brought upon our family. But check out God Made You Special Part 2 for what He has done to restore my health. If you've powered through this post, you need to know what happens next!

I'm only a wee bit late... I hope you had a very blessed Christmas season.

Our family has been through quite the series of events since my last post, but I am looking forward to moving forward together. I'm back and I'm better than ever!

Instant Gratification

Has anyone else noticed that our on-demand society has created a "me now" culture? I recognize it most often in Princess Pea Pod and tend to respond by digging in my heels, but in the peace and quiet of some time somewhere I realized that I have become the same way. I recognize it most when I turn on the tv. We don't watch much tv. As a matter of fact, we cancelled our satellite service and use only Netflix or other (on demand) providers. We don't watch a series and wait week to week, or even between seasons, building anticipation and savoring what we've just seen. We do season marathons. Episodes back-to-back-to-back until they've all been seen. And that's not even my point...

Several years ago we went through a personal finance management class, and one of the points that really hit home for me is that our generation sees what everyone else has and tends to think we should have the same things without effort. We fail to respect that our parents have worked hard to get where they are financially, that they put in those growth years, and that they probably didn't begin their adult lives in the family-sized homes we knew. Now we are raising the next generation. What will we teach them about work, about managing finances, about "things?"

This led to a shocking realization about marriage... I was recently talking to a friend who is having some marital "growing pains." We look at our parents' marriages and think "I do" means everything is chocolates and roses. I remember being a young bride, never thinking there might be a moment of disagreement with my as-perfect-as-humanly-possible groom. We would always see eye to eye and neither of us would ever, even accidentally, hurt our beloved's feelings. Reality check: marriage is two INDIVIDUALS who become one. We love and adore each other, but we didn't pledge to become clones of each other. And here's the kicker... it takes patience, it takes grace, and it takes a healthy dose of growth together to learn how to live and love together. We enjoy being together, but sometimes we don't want to do the same thing. Last night he wanted to watch Star Trek and I wanted to be near him, so I read. Sure, a few years ago my feelings would have been hurt that he didn't want to do the same thing, but I've learned to savor what we share even in our differences. And to consider everything we do together. Even the mundane chore of the grocery store is so much more enjoyable when he volunteers to go with me to pick up a few things. He doesn't have to go, but he has learned to consider the little things.

I learned. He learned. It didn't happen on our wedding day. It didn't happen on our first anniversary. It didn't happen the day Princess Pea Pod was born. He didn't do all the work, and he didn't expect me to. I am not the only one who gives grace or exercises patience, and I appreciate the *many* times he does. Loving marriages don't happen overnight and they never stop growing. We never stop learning. Neither did those who came before us. This is what we need to teach those who come after us.

Merry Christmas

Lit & Latte Love

I can't believe it has been nearly two years since the birth of Lit & Latte, which is (in my opinion) the greatest group of girlfriends to ever discuss a book over coffee! It's another one of those strange stories about how God had this plan for me and, even though I really wasn't totally sure I agreed with Him, I went along for the ride and quickly realized that (as usual) He was right. Funny how He's always right and I'm often amazed when... HE'S RIGHT! As usual, I am so glad He is right... L&L has blessed me in so many ways! Book club is amazing. Book club plus coffee is outstanding. Book club plus coffee plus amazing friends I might have completely missed out on without the book club and coffee is SUPERFANTABULAWESOMENESS!

So... flashback photo from last June, when we chatted with the bonniest lass to ever put pen to paper... Liz Curtis Higgs!

If you've ever spent more than 10 seconds discussing literature with me, you'll know that I truly believe Liz is the greatest author to ever grace the bookshelves. She is the first author to make me truly forget I am reading a book. Having the opportunity to discuss her books with her was very (um, very) high on the "Most Fantastic Events of My Life" list. Check her out: http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/

You won't regret it!

Then one day, on a lark, I got this free book for my Kindle. It was called Love Amid the Ashes and was written by an author who was completely unfamiliar to me, Mesu Andrews. I had no expectations for this book, but I gave it a shot. Then I went and found it in print to share with my friends. Then I went and bought another copy to take to the L&L Christmas party. This was the first book I've ever put down and thought "This woman rates up there with Liz!" Mesu writes this story about Job (yes, THE Job) and Dinah in a way that flows perfectly, conflicts realistically, and ends... well, you'd resent me for telling you! I was left wanting more! Lo and behold, after masterfully handling Job's story, she tackles Solomon and his beloved in her next novel. I've already purchased three copies!

Now, let me tell you this... DO NOT read Love's Sacred Song if you want sugar and gumdrops. You will be disappointed. DO read Love's Sacred Song after you check out the bible study on her site: http://www.mesuandrews.com/ (Look under Free Stuff, then next to the picture of the book cover.) I read it cover to cover the first time, drinking it with gusto as if it was a caramel frappuccino. It was yummy...

Then L&L enjoyed a call with Mesu to discuss Love Amid the Ashes and in preparation for an upcoming call with her to discuss Love's Sacred Song, she challenged us to look for the Christ figure in the story. That prompted me to really get into the bible study and discussion guide for LSS. In my second reading of this story, which has already taken a week (6 days longer than it took me to slurp it up the first time,) I am only now getting to chapter 8. Why? Because every other sentence is highlighted, with notes on my Kindle and notes in my notebook... papers scattered all around me as I read. I can't wait to discuss it with Mesu and my L&L girls! (I sure hope I get through it again in time!) Here's the pic from our call with Mesu last month.

Shameless plug (in case you didn't notice that the whole post was a shameless plug!)...

You can find this fantastic group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lit-Latte/128330210566983

Of Trebuchets & Chubby Bunnies

My super fantastic family was here last week, and I took time off work to enjoy every possible moment with them. They live in Indiana, and we don't get to see them nearly as often as we would like. So when they were coming to visit for a few days, I dropped everything. (I offer my laundry and dishes... and vaccuuming... and bathroom scrubbing... as examples.) I don't know how it started, but within hours my dad and my cousin were on their way to Lowes to get supplies, and by the next morning they were test firing this beauty (the trebuchet, not the chicken coop.)

There was talk of firing off the feathered menace, but Billy Bob survived the weekend. They got the best results with rocks, but the biggest fun with water balloons.

While they were busy with the trebuchet, the other kids were having fun with the balloons that didn't get launched. Apparently Fat Albert wasn't meant to fly...

To top it all off, the kids played Chubby Bunny. That was pretty cool while it lasted, but the other kids were no competition for Anna, so the appeal wore off pretty quickly.

We're always sad to see them go. Now we're looking forward to next time!