I have this sense of urgency to DO something! Anything! Already my words cannot do my thoughts justice as I sit contemplating what it is that God is calling us to DO. For too long our family has been centered around 'us'- the four of us- our needs/wants/desires.
I am over it.
God has been stirring my heart and my mind has finally caught up.
My epiphany.
My ah-ha moment.
This life, it's not about us. It was never intended to be about us- our desires, wants, and needs. Life is about bringing glory to our Lord and being the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. Being the Light in the darkness.
There can be no darkness in light.
The shift is here. No more will we be inward focused and self-seeking. We are earnestly praying and seeking that Lord will reveal to us how we are to reach out and serve Him. I have no idea what that will look like- but, honestly, I don't really care. I will do what He asks; I will go where He tells me to go.
Of course, even in writing this my mind has already gone to the "Oh gosh... what is God calls us to the jungles of Equador? Or the Sahara Desert? What will we do about Brooke and her cardiologists and cleft palate team....?"
Blah blah blah!
He will provide a way. It probably won't be moving halfway across the globe, but, the fact is that I have to be willing to do WHATEVER it is. And I have to be ready to love on people the way Jesus did!
Oh, Lord, prepare my heart and equip me with your Truth.
Something is Coming!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Gluten Free, Dairy Free... Everything Free!
This is my first post about living in a family with a limited diet. Probably what prompted this is the fact that we are going to an out of town wedding this weekend, and, I have been overcome by the amount of food prep that awaits! Luckily, my cousin has quite a few people attending that have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease/Non-Celiac Gluten Intollerance, so there will be food for us to eat... Even cupcakes! Score!
I, embarassed, called my cousin (the bride) to ask about the menu. I felt like an idiot- especially for a wedding- but- you have to know.
I read an article in a parenting magazine about having kids with food allergies- how often times we as parents of these kids feel like we have four eyes when we call before birthday parties to ask what will be served. Trust me, we do not enjoy doing this. Nor do we enjoy the time it takes to then prepare something comparable for our kids to have at the party so they don't feel completely alienated and out-of-the-loop. But, you do what you have to do! At the end of the article it talked about things parents of non-allergic kids can do to help us out. Here are a few:
- Offer the menu up front to all parents
- Ask if there are any food allergies/sensitivities
- Do NOT be offended if you have a parent call to ask what is being served ahead of time
- Do not be offended if parents ask to stay at the party (especially parents of little ones) to monitor
It takes a ton of work and time to plan outings, events, playdates for families that suffer from food allergies. Haha- if you ask me to come for lunch, I may say, "No." Especially if it's a short-notice invitation. It's nothing against you- it just takes more time that I often have to get the meal around!
Some tips for parents who are struggling through the early days of food allergy identification:
- Make items in bulk and freeze them! (cupcakes, icing- which doesn't freeze solid, bread, granola bars, etc)
- Keep some snack items in the diaper bag or car (baby food pouches, fruit strips, pre-packaged bars, etc)
- Alternative milks now come in individual serving boxes (like juice boxes)- stick some in the car/diaper bag
- Be up front with friends/family. They may not "get it" at first, but, they will eventually!
As for me... I am off to make a gluten free, dairy free, nut free PB&J.... ;)
Happy Eating!
I, embarassed, called my cousin (the bride) to ask about the menu. I felt like an idiot- especially for a wedding- but- you have to know.
I read an article in a parenting magazine about having kids with food allergies- how often times we as parents of these kids feel like we have four eyes when we call before birthday parties to ask what will be served. Trust me, we do not enjoy doing this. Nor do we enjoy the time it takes to then prepare something comparable for our kids to have at the party so they don't feel completely alienated and out-of-the-loop. But, you do what you have to do! At the end of the article it talked about things parents of non-allergic kids can do to help us out. Here are a few:
- Offer the menu up front to all parents
- Ask if there are any food allergies/sensitivities
- Do NOT be offended if you have a parent call to ask what is being served ahead of time
- Do not be offended if parents ask to stay at the party (especially parents of little ones) to monitor
It takes a ton of work and time to plan outings, events, playdates for families that suffer from food allergies. Haha- if you ask me to come for lunch, I may say, "No." Especially if it's a short-notice invitation. It's nothing against you- it just takes more time that I often have to get the meal around!
Some tips for parents who are struggling through the early days of food allergy identification:
- Make items in bulk and freeze them! (cupcakes, icing- which doesn't freeze solid, bread, granola bars, etc)
- Keep some snack items in the diaper bag or car (baby food pouches, fruit strips, pre-packaged bars, etc)
- Alternative milks now come in individual serving boxes (like juice boxes)- stick some in the car/diaper bag
- Be up front with friends/family. They may not "get it" at first, but, they will eventually!
As for me... I am off to make a gluten free, dairy free, nut free PB&J.... ;)
Happy Eating!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
For Such A Time As This
For Such A Time As This
My friend, Virginia, had a guest writer on her blog... soo encouraging- I just had to share!
Enjoy
My friend, Virginia, had a guest writer on her blog... soo encouraging- I just had to share!
Enjoy
Friday, July 6, 2012
MIA
I have no idea where on Earth the last three months have gone. They seemed to have vanished... right before my eyes! Last I wrote we were going forward with Brooke's genetic testing to rule out VCFS... and... Praise God... she does not have it! Woo!!
Since then, she has also done some growing (we think). We go in two weeks for a weight check. And, of course, Shane now outweighs her by at least a pound! He is a brute and is definitely our strong willed child! Whew! He keeps me on my toes!
God has been doing amazing things in my life over the past three months. One of the main reasons for my absense in blogging was to focus more on my quiet times and journaling my prayers. It has proved to be such a blessing and God is proving himself as Jehoveh Jireh! I am hoping to start blogging again at least once a week, and, hopefully, will even join Twitter soon (although I have no idea- still- how to blog effectively, and, "tweeting" is something completely foreign to me!).
I hope to start learning more about these things and make some time for little sewing projects with the help of my new friend, Virginia! She is my guru for all things blogging, tweeting, and sewing! Ha! Love ya girl ;) You can follow her blog at http://geekyandsassy.com/. She is amazing and God has blessed me with her friendship at a time when we both desperately needed to connect with someone close and in the same age/stage. Although we have only known each other for just over a month and a half, it already feels like a life long friendship!
Looking forward to connecting more via the blog world soon!
Since then, she has also done some growing (we think). We go in two weeks for a weight check. And, of course, Shane now outweighs her by at least a pound! He is a brute and is definitely our strong willed child! Whew! He keeps me on my toes!
God has been doing amazing things in my life over the past three months. One of the main reasons for my absense in blogging was to focus more on my quiet times and journaling my prayers. It has proved to be such a blessing and God is proving himself as Jehoveh Jireh! I am hoping to start blogging again at least once a week, and, hopefully, will even join Twitter soon (although I have no idea- still- how to blog effectively, and, "tweeting" is something completely foreign to me!).
I hope to start learning more about these things and make some time for little sewing projects with the help of my new friend, Virginia! She is my guru for all things blogging, tweeting, and sewing! Ha! Love ya girl ;) You can follow her blog at http://geekyandsassy.com/. She is amazing and God has blessed me with her friendship at a time when we both desperately needed to connect with someone close and in the same age/stage. Although we have only known each other for just over a month and a half, it already feels like a life long friendship!
Looking forward to connecting more via the blog world soon!
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