Health Update

I know I've been quite scarce around here lately, and I feel like I owe you all an explanation as to why I've been so quiet.

Mainly, I've just hit a very low spot as far as my health goes.  I sleep in very late in the mornings and spend the rest of the day trying to take care of the basics of feeding myself and the kids and straightening up the house so that it's not a complete disaster when my husband gets home.

During the kids' naptime I generally end up needing some more sleep myself.

I'll be all right, though.  The doctor I am seeing is everything I have been looking for, and we are slowly working through everything.  My body was so nutritionally depleted due to hormone disruption and poor digestion.  All the healthy food I was eating was not doing me much good because I just wasn't absorbing the nutrients.  I truly believe she's got me on the right track to getting all that resolved; it's just going to take some time.  And so often with things like this, you get worse before you get better.  It's just the body's natural response to clearing itself of all the built up toxins.  I've definitely spent the past couple weeks pretty near the bottom, so I'm hoping that the only way I have to go from here is up!

I'm not exactly thoroughly excited about a lot of the dietary restrictions.  She made me take an ALCAT test for those who are familiar with that, and there are a whole slew of things I can't eat for at least 6 months.  Meals have been a challenge so far, but once these things are removed from my system, she is confident that I will feel a million times better.  I know it will be worth it, but honestly I have felt like giving up.  I used to like food, and now so many of the things I enjoy have been taken away!  So many of the things on my “approved” list are things I dislike.  But, it's not good to eat the same few things all the time either, so I have to force myself to include as much variety as I can even if things aren't my favorite.  I tolerate eating now rather than enjoying it.

I'm not saying all this to complain or try to make anyone feel sorry for me.  I'm choosing to do this for my own sake and the sake of my family.  I'm just being honest and telling you that it's not always easy.  One day I hope I will be able to blog from “the other side” and tell you how worth it it was.  Until then, I've got to stick with this thing!

Please tell me:

Are you in the same boat with me – trying to get a handle on your health?  We're in this together!

Are you “on the other side” – please offer encouragement for those of us who have a long way to go!

Are you somewhere in the midst of your journey?  Let us know how it's going!

Are you thinking about getting into the boat, but aren't sure whether you're ready to commit?  Let us know; maybe we can help!

Herbal spring tonic from a little flower you know very well!

The following is a guest post from contributor Lauren.

Do any of you recognize this cute little flower?

{photo credit}

I bet you do! It loves to grow wild and it grows EVERYWHERE during the springtime! Many people consider it to be an invasive little plant and try to kill it with everything under the sun ending with a “cide”. That's a NO NO! This little spring flower is one of a honeybee's first available nectar after a long winter of nothing and is also an excellent little flower to provide vitamins and minerals for a spring tonic for us!

Isn't that neat?

Something that we consider to be a nuisance or invasive has actually been given to us by God for health and nutrition and has been given to the bees to help them reestablish after a long winter. We need our bees to be healthy so that they will pollinate our crops, fruit trees, and make us yummy honey to enjoy year round. We also need the spring greens to detoxify our bodies and get those sluggish immune systems going again after a long winter of being inside battling the winter woes! Here's some detailed information on how to make sure you recognize this plant correctly and also on how to use it for your health!

Disclaimer: All of the following information about the identification and use of this plant is accurate to the best of my knowledge. With that being said, only attempt to harvest and eat wild plants that you can identify with 100% accuracy. Buy a field guide or 2 on foraging for wild plants to learn to identify them at all stages. Cross-reference information and photos of plants with different sources. Know if there are any similar looking plants that might be poisonous. Before consuming a wild plant for the first time, eat only a small portion in case you are allergic.

General Characteristics

Purple dead nettle is a short lived annual in the mint family (Lamiaceae ). Usually growing no larger than 1ft in height, it has squared stems (characteristic of mint family) and soft fuzzy leaves with a opposite leaf arrangement. Leaves also have a bit of purple in them. Flowers are pink/purple and very small.

Edible Uses

The leaves, stem, and flowers are all edible. Purple dead nettle is very nutritious being high in iron, vitamins, and fiber. It can be eaten raw as a salad green or cooked. Try boiling in water for 20-30 minutes, drain, and season to taste. Collect when in flower for fresh eating or for storage by drying.

Medicinal Uses

The entire plant is an astringent, styptic, diaphoretic, diuretic, and purgative. A decoction can be made to help with hemorrhaging and the freshly bruised leaves can be applied to external cuts. Make a tea to use as a laxative or tonic by adding 2 tablespoons of fresh or dried herb to 1 cup hot water and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and drink in 1/2 cup doses.

I have this little flower growing ALL over my yard this year and I am definitely going to harvest, dehydrate at a low temp until dry, and store this valuable little plant for medicinal purposes! So get out there and SPRING into learning about what is growing in your yard that has been put there by God to help you stay healthy and fit for His service! James 1:17 says “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. Make sure to take time and enjoy the good gifts that God gives us each and every day of the year! Happy Spring!

Preparing my Heart For Easter

March 31 marks a very special day in all of our lives. For some, it is simply a day to usher in spring…with bunnies, lambs, candy and fun games. But for every born again Christian, it is an important celebration of the coming of The Lamb, the Savior of the world.

Ever since 2011, I have made it a point to not let that day come and go as just another holiday. No, I think that every believer should allow Easter Sunday to make a difference in their spiritual lives – our own personal reawakening, if you will.

Think about this:

Christmas is the day we celebrate Jesus birth on this earth. We spend weeks, even months preparing for that day. Yes, we do spend a lot of time and effort on the commercial aspect of Christmas, but most Christians also spend plenty of time preparing to celebrate His birth. We prepare special musical numbers, and even spend months preparing choir presentations and cantatas, all to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. There are many great activities and such that we do with our children and Sunday Schools to teach the nativity story. I even spent weeks focusing on the Christmas story on my blog this last year, in an effort to not forget what the season is really about. All of this is right and good! But why do we spend so much time on His birth, and only one single day on His death?

Yes, His birth was important and fulfilled prophecies and was completely necessary for redemption’s plan. But it wasn’t the only step of the plan. It was not His birth that washed my sins away…it was His death! And I personally do not want to forget all that He suffered for me.

So each year, I take the weeks leading up to Easter and spend some concentrated time focusing on Christ. I normally study Christ’s life, death and resurrection more fully from the Bible passages that deal with these events. I spend some time memorizing and meditating on verses related to our salvation. And I also read a book that digs into redemption’s plan.

I find that this concentrated time of studying Christ makes a big impact on my spiritual life! Spending time each morning focusing on Christ alone is so, so refreshing. It also takes me back to what I was before I got saved – a lost, hell-deserving sinner. It makes me so much the more grateful to Him and makes me want to serve Him in a greater way!

Why not give it a try? There are still almost 2 weeks before Easter Sunday. Take the time in those days to spend concentrated time focusing on your salvation. Include your family as well!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Our family has enjoyed using these Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story in the 12 days leading up to Easter. The last egg is especially thrilling! 🙂

Here is a great list by another blogger with loads of kiddo ideas and resources.

Grow your own Garden Tomb! Here is how one blogger did it.

Do you typically observe the Resurrection in a special way? How do you bring the focus of Easter back to the Lord? Any other activities you've tried before?

15 Minute Tasks for the Week

If you’re just joining us this week, this program is set up so that you can jump in right where you are!  You may want to subscribe to email updates or follow along on Facebook so you can keep up with each week’s new tasks.

We're back after a couple week's break from our 15 minute cleaning and organization tasks.

This week we're going to finish up in the bathroom.

Monday

You get to skip Monday since I'm late getting this up!  🙂

Tuesday

Head into the room with a trash bag.   Work your way around the room clockwise and go through every shelf, drawer, nook, and cranny.   Be sure to go through products in your shower, look through your makeup, etc.  Don't skip anything.  Be honest with yourself and throw away items that you don't use.

Wednesday

Set your timer for 15 minutes and begin organizing one shelf or drawer at a time.  Place like items together and use baskets or bins to hold smaller items.  Check out my Organizing board on Pinterest for more ideas.

Thursday

Work for another 15 minutes on organizing your shelves, drawers, and cabinets.

Friday

15 more minutes of organizing, and you should be finishing up in the bathroom.

Saturday

Make a list of projects that you would like to complete in the bathroom as well as the materials needed.  Maybe it's hanging new towel hooks or doing some redecorating.  Get it all on paper so that you will be more motivated to get it done.

Is your house starting to look clean and organized?  Just think, we haven't even finished three months of the year — you'll be able to accomplish a whole lot more by the end of the year!

What I Learned From a Week With No Internet

While having a computer with internet access is almost a necessity these days, we all get distracted with it sometimes, don't we?  We sit there in front of Facebook,  Pinterest, blogs, or whatever it is you like to look at, and end up sitting there longer than we intended.

When my computer's modem broke last week, I thought it would be a huge blessing.  I would be forced to stay off the crazy computer and focus on more important things.  It would be a breath of fresh air to not even sit down in front of that screen.  I thought I might even have the chance to see for sure just how evil that computer was and decide to get rid of it for good!

But I learned a different, very important lesson.

It's not the computer that's the problem.  It's me.

Computers and internet are incredible tools.  They help us do all sorts of good things, like preparing Sunday School lessons, blogging encouragement to Christian women, and staying in touch with long-distance friends and far-off missionaries to name a few.

But they can be huge time-sucks too.  We get on Facebook to say hi to a friend from church that we didn't see on Sunday or to read the latest update about an injured teenager we know, and the next thing we know it's been half an hour.  Then we need to hop over to Pinterest to look up that recipe we were planning to make for supper.  Another half hour gone.  It's so easy to get lost on the internet even when you get on with the best of intentions.

You can see why I thought it would be nice not to even be able to get on.

But here's where the story didn't turn out like I thought it would.

First, it was terribly annoying not to be able to take care of things that needed to be taken care of – paying bills, sending emails, making a couple purchases, etc.  I think having internet is getting to a point where it could actually be considered a necessity.

Second (and this is the part I don't like),  I found out that I can find ways to waste time even without getting on the internet!

I am a born procrastinator!  I hate it!  Without even thinking about it, I find myself doing the least important things possible, instead of doing what I really should be doing.

Furthermore, when I do have some legitimate “down time”, I automatically seek out something entertaining rather than edifying.

I made a promise to the Lord years ago that every day I would not look at any type of media (books, magazines, movies, computer, etc.) unless I had already spent time reading His Word and praying.  I haven't kept that promise perfectly, but I can honestly only think of a handful of days where I haven't.

But, here's the thing.  Is there anything wrong with reading my Bible two times a day?  Three?  What kind of a person would I be like if I ran to spend time with the Lord every time I had a moment to sneak off?

As I think back to the days when my husband and I were dating, I can say for sure that I took full advantage of every possible opportunity to be with him.  He was a dorm student at a local Bible college, and I was a commuting student, living only about 5 minutes away.  I was in that cafeteria sharing every meal that I could with him.  We were allowed a certain number of hours of dating every week, and you better believe we used up every minute.  If I knew he was going to be somewhere, I would purposely make sure I ended up in the same place at the same time, even if all I had time to do was to say a quick hello.

If I can be that in love with a man, should I not be even more in love with the One who gave His very life because He loved me?  And if I'm truly in love with Someone, wouldn't I want to spend time with Him every chance that I had?

Instead I've found the ugly attitude of  “Well, I've already read my Bible today, so I shouldn't feel guilty doing something fun right now.”

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with entertainment, as long as it is wholesome.  Everyone needs some rest and “down time” occasionally.

But I am wondering what kind of person I would be if I had such a passion for Jesus that I couldn't keep myself away from spending time with Him — if I went apart to spend time with him because I wanted so badly to be with Him. (Psalm 42:1)

No, friends.  The computer is not the problem in my home.  It's me.

I am begging God to continue to do a work in my heart – to give me more of a desire to be with Him and to be like Him.  However, I must also remember that love is an action.  With that in mind, I will be making the choice to spend time with the Lord during my down times, even if I feel like I'd rather do something entertaining.  I think the results will be better than I could ever hope for.

What about you, my dear readers?  What would our nation be like if we all got a passion for Jesus and just couldn't stay away from Him?  I believe that's when we'll see revival.  And it can happen.  But we must make the choice to love him.  Our love must be based upon action, not feeling.

What will you choose to do today to love your precious Lord?

Lessons from a 5 Year Old

I'm always learning something from my kids.  Sometimes it's because they're just not afraid to say things as they see them.  Sometimes it's because they see the world from a different perspective than adults who like to over-complicate things.

I think I may have to start a regular series on things I've learned from my kids.

Today my little boy said, “Mom, if people are poor and need clothes and food, and we don't help them, we're disobeying God, aren't we?”

I had to agree that he was right and then quoted James 4:17 to him: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

The Bible is clear that not doing right things is just as much sin as doing wrong things.

But, maybe we feel that we're excluded because we don't personally know anyone that needs clothes or food.

In our minds, ignorance is bliss.

But ignorance is actually sin.

If you truly wanted to find someone to help, you wouldn't have to look very far.  They're living in your community. They're homeless, living their life in a vicious cycle of hopelessness.  They're your co-workers, experiencing marital problems.  They're your neighbors, depressed and feeling like life is pointless.  They're the children playing in your neighborhood, with parents too busy to care about their physical or emotional needs.  They're the unwed pregnant mothers, faced with difficult decisions.  They're cashiers at the grocery store, addicted to drugs, and finding their life spiraling out of control.  They're members of your very own church, struggling with financial stress, but you haven't cared enough about them to get to know them and their needs.

God forgive us.