I Will Not Knock On Wood!

 I think I've written about this before, but it has come up in my life again lately.  The other day I overheard a conversation and someone wanted to knock on wood.  I am saddened that Christians feel the need to do this.  After thinking about it, I could picture my self interrupting saying, "No!  You do not need to knock on wood!  We believe in the Almighty God!  He is good and all powerful!  He will take care of you, not this piece of fake wood you are knocking on!"
The bible makes it clear in the Old Testament that we are not to believe in these superstitions of the world.  Yet, the other day when my daughter said, "I think I am the only kid in my school that hasn't had the stomach flu since first grade," (she's  in seventh grade now) I marveled at her innocence and boldness.  She was not afraid to say something good about her life.  She was not afraid that the opposite would come true.  I did not burst her bubble, but I did pray.  I do not want her to loose her child-like faith like I have.  I admit, I am afraid to say something positive about my life.  I am afraid to admit things are going well for fear that things will take a turn for the worse.  Maybe Satan has done this to me in the past.  He has made me, and others feel like if they actually knock on wood everything will remain good.  What fools we are.
I don't want to be a fool or a fraidy cat any longer.  I want to have faith in the all powerful God of the universe.  The God who loved me so much He sent his Son to die for me so I can have a direct relationship with Him for eternity.  The God who lives in me.  I am going to listen to the song, "Greater" by Mercy Me, and remember that the God in me is greater than he who is in the world.  I will be thankful for all the things God has done for us, and not be afraid to say them out loud.  I will not give Satan an edge by bowing down to a piece of wood!
Dear Lord, I pray for the confidence in You to not be afraid.  I stand against this lie Satan has fed me. I pray for a child-like faith and not fear.  You are the greatest, and You live in me.  Praise Jesus!  Amen

Menu Planning - Ugh!

I hate menu planning!  Sometimes I wonder if Satan knows how great life is when I menu plan, and that is why I have this mental block.  I was really good with planning our meals when we went gluten-free.  Now, this week, we have fallen apart.  So the struggle begins.  I have done this in the past, so I don't know why it's such a hassle.  I need to start with prayer:
Dear Lord, Please release the block on my brain regarding menu planning.  I pray that I will be able to sort through what my family likes and doesn't like, and what type of meals we need to go with our schedule.  I pray that this time spent will be profitable to my family.  Above all, may Your will be done.  In Jesus name I pray--Amen
Whew!  OK
STEP ONE: What type of meals does my family like to eat?
Pasta, Mexican, Stir-Fry, BBQ, Sandwich, Basic, Leftovers  Alright, that was pretty easy. 


STEP TWO: Basic Weekly Template (We don't eat fish or pork.)
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Chicken
Tuesday: Ground Beef
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Chicken
Friday: Beef


STEP THREE: Plug in recipes using each meal type one time per week.
WEEK ONE:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Green Spaghetti broccoli, fruit
Tuesday: Taco lettuce wraps (or tacos), refrieds, Spanish rice?
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry using leftover grilled or crock pot chicken.  Rice, broccoli, fruit
Friday: Shredded Beef with lots of leftovers for weekend lunches.  Onion, carrots, other veg and fruit


WEEK TWO:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Greek Pizza, salad, veg, fruit
Tuesday:  Ground Beef Stir Fry, rice, broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: SW Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps, refrieds, chips, veg
Friday: Shredded Beef Sandwiches with leftovers for weekend.


WEEK THREE:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Chicken Quesadillas, refrieds, spa rice?, guac
Tuesday: Lasagna in a bowl., or just plain old lasagna
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Turkey Breast (for a change!) From Cost-Co., veg, fruit
Friday: Chalupa (roast, no surprise here!), beans, chips, veg, fruit


ALRIGHT, JUST ONE WEEK LEFT TO GO!


WEEK FOUR:
Sunday: BBQ with double meat for leftovers.
Monday: Chicken Caesar Salad, veg, fruit
Tuesday: Indian Ground Beef
Wednesday: Leftovers/Date Night
Thursday: Summer Chicken "Burgers", veg, fruit
Friday: Shredded Beef Burritos, refrieds, veg, fruit


Holy smokes!  Seriously, I don't know why doing this hurts so badly.  It is such a load off to have this done.  Even if we don't stick with it, at least there's a plan. 
How's your plan?  Are you good at this, or do you struggle like me?  If you don't meal plan, I urge you to try it.  Don't follow mine, create your own - unique to your family.  Go for it!  Just don't forget to look at it when life gets moving.  :)


Dear Lord, Thank You for the resources to plan these meals.  I pray that I will remember to follow it.  May it bring good, healthy food and peace to our family.  In Jesus name I pray--Amen


 

Gluten-Free Update

Gluten-Free update:  We gave up!  :)  I had to laugh the first week when Little Man came home from a friends house and asked, "Do those peanut butter crackers have gluten in them?"  Uh, yes, Little Man.  Crackers are wheat, and wheat has gluten!  I am smiling right at this moment...  What was I expecting?  He is so polite, he rarely says no because he doesn't want to make people feel bad.  And, what kid doesn't love peanut butter crackers?  Obviously, a more detailed lesson on what gluten is would have helped.  Oh yeah, there was also the time we went out for frozen yogurt and he added two chocolate covered pretzels to his delicious treat.  What was I supposed to do?  Make him throw them away?!  He had already had the crackers anyway! :)
Then there's Hubby...well it's hard to deny him a beer every now and then.  Especially after a long and stressful week at work.  That's the only gluten he had, though.
Dear Daughter hung in there the longest.  She rejoiced when we gave up!  We did go past the two weeks and the gluten was out of our systems when she proclaimed that she still felt the same!  She has been enjoying her frosted mini-wheat cereal and we all celebrated with whole-grain mac and cheese, which is a special treat in our house.  :)
I am feeling like I have brain fog.  I hate it when I my mind isn't working as it should!  I will re-assess after this week.  Could be hormones.  Intestinally, I am pretty good.  Yeah.
We did find some yummy healthy snacks, I was an awesome meal-planner and started making our homemade treats again.  So, all in all, I think it was worth it.
Dear Lord,  Thank You for using this to bring about good in our lives.  I pray that we will continue to follow Your lead in our lives.  In Jesus Name I pray--Amen

Essential Oils vs. Head Cold. Part III

Day 5
Just a quick update...
Little Man is still coughing.  He woke up last night at 4 or so saying he couldn't stop coughing.  We rubbed the frankincense, rosemary and eucalyptus blend on his chest (after applying a layer of coconut oil), behind his ears, wrists and feet.  Then I tucked him into bed.  He coughed a few more times, but that was it.  I love that I didn't have to give him medicine!  You know that struggle...you want him to stop coughing, but know he'll be exhausted when he has to get up and go to school?  I am loving these oils!
Dear Lord, I am so thankful that these oils are working.  Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!  I pray they will continue to work, and that Little Man will be totally better soon.  In Jesus Name I pray– Amen


Part I    Part II

Double Challenge - Essential Oils vs. Head Cold Part II

If you want to read part one, click here.  :)  Another disclaimer...I am not an expert on anything, but a mom and helpmeet doing what she thinks is good for her family.
Little Man stayed home from school Friday.  Good thing too, as he had a 100 degree temp by late afternoon.  We applied essential oils (see part one) all day, he took two epsom salt baths and basically laid around all day long.  He never needed anything for the temp, but did take two short naps.
Day Two  Feeling better!  Energy is back, no temp.  Cough is setting in, lots of congestion.  Time to add new oils to our regimen.  Little Man has had success in the past with a mixture of Frankincense, Rosemary and Eucalyptus (equal parts mixed together) when he has a cough.  Last year, he had a cough that would just not go away, and Hubby was ready to take him to Urgent Care for antibiotics.  We used these oils for one or two nights, and it was gone.  So, we rubbed this mixture on his feet, wrists and behind his ears throughout the day.  We also rubbed it on his chest and then applied a warm washcloth one time.  The On Gaurd oils were also used.
Day Three Much better!  Cough sounds like a tickle, and isn't bad at all.  Nose is VERY runny, but I'll take that over congestion.  Gave him benedryl at night to dry it all up.  He slept all night.  We kept alternating the oils throughout the day.
Day Four Little Man is back at school.  We rubbed the oils on his feet before he left, and we'll do it again when we get home.  He will be at football practice this evening.  Sweet victory appears to be ours.  :)
Dear Lord, I thank You for these natural wonders.  I pray for wisdom as we use them in our lives.  Thank You for always watching over us.  In Jesus name I pray--Amen

Double Challenge

**DISCLAIMER:  I am not an expert, just a Mom and Helpmeet.  Here is a great site that I go to for expert help: everythingessential.me.


My little man is home sick today.  Yesterday he was complaining of a sore throat, and was obviously congested.  Add to that an hour of football practice in the rain followed by an hour of football practice in the cold.  This morning he awakes miserable and tired.  This all leads to a challenging conversation with Hubby.  Challenging because we do not see eye to eye.  I could say annoying instead of challenging, but when I think of it, he is probably annoyed with me as well. 
Hubby's point of view is this (as I see it): Little Man is sick.  Little Man is in football.  Little Man needs to miss as few practices as possible so he can play in the game.  Get Little Man to Urgent Care for antibiotics.
My reaction tends to be: Are you kidding?! 
This of course gets me nowhere good.  So I choose to not say that out loud.  :) I agree about not missing practices.  I disagree about antibiotics.  It is my view that antibiotics are way over used, and we are headed down a dangerous road toward super-bugs and drug-resistant bacteria.  Our bodies are stronger than people think.  We just want immediate results, and hate to be sick.
So, I have a challenge before me.  A couple actually.  1.  Don't be a jerk to my Hubby just because he has a different point of view.  2. Be very diligent in my care of Little Man so he will get better quickly!
So, here is the plan:
1. Lots of liquids!
2. Two Epsom salt baths combined with essential oils.
3. Essential Oil application all day long.
4. REST.
Last year we started using essential oils, and discovered that they work.  Today I will be using a blend based on doterra's On Guard product.  You can buy doterra oils on Amazon, or you can sign up with their company and order every month.  I don't buy doterra oils because we just can't afford them.  I buy other oils from Amazon because they are less expensive, but are still 100% essential oils with no fillers.  I figure I need to honor God by staying within my budget.  I trust that He will take care of us with the resources He's given us.  I have bought the ingredients for this blend and just combined them to make my own.
Anyway, I am rubbing this blend (orange oil, clove oil, cinnamon oil, eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil) on Little Man's feet, wrists and behind his ears pretty much any time I think of it.  I want to get a good dose into his system.  I will also rub his back several times today using the doterra Aroma Touch technique.  This link will take you to a short video showing you how to do this.  There are many other videos explaining the hows and whys. 
This conversation with Hubby and the looming football practices and games are actually helping me to step up my game as we attack this cold so I guess I shouldn't be irritated by it.  Instead I welcome the challenge.  Hopefully I will be writing a victory post soon!


Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom an guidance as I attempt to nurse Little Man back to health.  I pray for grace and respect as I interact with my husband.  Please bring us to the same page in our thinking.  May we kick this sickness without the need for doctors and antibiotics.  In Jesus Name I pray-Amen