Changes

For months our life has seemed to be an endless series of unknowns. I haven't felt like I could make a decision about the future in almost a year now. Obviously, I've done it. I've tried as well as I could to live in the present and leave the uncertainty of our future to my heavenly Father. Because, after all, no one's future is ever certain. He is the only one who holds time in his hands. But most of us can plan to put our little girls in ballet for the fall or feel good about paying for another month of karate or take our children to try out for the holiday musical in town.... or whatever. Most years there hasn't been a question of whether I should enroll my children in a home school class that they wanted (or I wanted them) to take. But these uncertainties and more have been in the forefront of my mind now for many months.

I've been a bit cryptic in my posts (the few that I've written) this summer. I have talked more to my friends in person in the last few weeks than my sweet husband was really thrilled about. If it were up to him, he would just have me be as closed mouthed as he is about our personal life. But, thankfully, he knew before he married me that I was NOTHING like him when it came to "closing my mouth!" :) He knows I need to talk--actually spill my guts--to those close to me. And there are a lot that I consider close to me!! So in the last few weeks, most everyone that I know in Naples has become aware of the fact that Jon was interviewing for a CFO position in Knoxville, TN.

He's known about the position opening up for a few months now. The hospital system that he works for, HMA, is acquiring several hospitals in the Knoxville area. He told me the other day that he has felt called by God to go there from the time he heard about it. He's felt drawn there--to the mountains, to the trails, to the changing seasons. He's had trails along the Appalachians mapped out for months where he wants to take the boys for weekend outings. We've both wanted to get back to the "south" for quite some time now so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

All we needed was for him to get through the interview and get chosen!! :) He knew he wanted to be there, felt called to be there, but it was up to God to work out the details if that's where he really wanted us. That's when it is so good to feel right in the middle of God's plan and sovereign work in our lives. As disappointed as we knew we would be if he didn't get the job, we had no doubt that we would be right where God wanted us. Jon consistently prayed that God would take us where he could use us, where we would bring him the most glory. Every time he prayed it, I knew he meant it, but I also knew that it was going to tear him up if he didn't get it. I trusted God's perfect will, but I braced myself for my husband's disappointment if it didn't happen. I knew I would need to be his anchor for awhile.

Although having six children has taught me much more patience than I had when I only had one child, long suffering has never been a huge strong point with me. So waiting has been an arduous task this summer. God has seemed to not want me to make any plans....just leave them all with him. So that's what I've done. I've waited.....and waited.....until Jon finally had the interview a couple of weeks ago.

Since then I've waited....and waited some more to hear the news!! We found out on Monday that Jon did get the job!! We are moving to Knoxville!! I haven't been able to tell anyone until tonight so I've been about to burst!!

Jon told the kids tonight so there is a huge range of emotions going on around here. :) They have prayed for weeks for daddy to get the "job." Even though they knew the job was in Knoxville, it was a little overwhelming to actually learn that we are really moving away from the only home they've ever known. They are excited about moving to the mountains--and about the possibility of SNOW, but their minds wander back to their precious friends that they are going to miss so much. They think of their grandparents here that they've always just been able to pop over and see or meet up with for Sunday lunch or whatever. They think of their brand new baby cousin due at the beginning of Oct. They've waited forever to live in the same town as a cousin, and now they still won't! They think of their church family and how loved and at home they feel there. It's hard stuff!

God is going to grow them. God is going to grow me. We are all going to grow through all of this. It's a daunting task to think about picking up and moving 8 people 14 hours away in a month!! But I know my God can do it. He's pretty awesome, and he shows me this time and time again!! I will miss my friends, my church, my family, my home schooling community, my chiropractor and my hair dresser!! You may laugh, but those last two things have been high on my priority list of people I'll miss!!!

So begins a new chapter of our lives. Here we are, moving to Tennessee. I'm happy that my husband is happy. I'm happy that he feels fulfilled in his role as our provider. And as always, I'm happy that I will always be with him--wherever he goes, whatever life brings us--we'll do it together.

We'll be leaving Naples a much bigger family than when we came 11 years ago. We came as a family of three longing for more children--wondering if we'd ever have any more. Yes, Naples has been a wonderful time of our lives. God has blessed us here in many ways, and I'm excited to see what the next chapter holds.

Two weeks in....

.... and I'm still on schedule!! :)

Okay, some of you might think it's absolutely ludicrous of me to celebrate the fact that I'm still on schedule after only two weeks. If you think that, you don't know me well!! :) As I've said before, schedules make my skin crawl!! Usually by the end of the second week, I've hung up the "schedule towel" and decided that we can once again make it through the year by the seat of our pants!! But not this year! I'm shocked that I'm actually enjoying the schedule and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it. Even when I've been waking up at 6:30 every morning after being up with the baby or another child at least once or twice a night!! (The first night it was four times and I still stayed strong!)

Now, I shouldn't be shocked. This is exactly what I prayed for over the summer. Why am I always shocked when God answers those prayers that seem so far fetched--like actually changing part of who you are!! But I'm giving him all the glory because I know I couldn't have done it on my own.

One thing I do think helped was the fact that I bought a school planner at the convention. Jon totally laughed at me and said I'd never use it. That wasn't very encouraging, huh? :) But I have to admit--even though I was totally adamant on the outside that I would use it (thus justifying spending the money) I had my doubts as well!!

When I got home I was so excited about it that I sat down with all my curriculum and planned out the first three months! Actually, it was two and a half, but it was all the way through to Fall Break!! :) Man, that was an accomplishment. It has been an amazing tool to actually use!! I know if any of you are teachers out there you think I'm crazy that I actually just figured this out! :) But I've realized that I need to schedule in time to make sure I have my schedule planned. :) I guess this is life with six kids!

So let me have my little celebration over my two week accomplishment! I know at least my Mama and Daddy will be proud of me! :) I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my little ones during school (after nine years of it, you'd think I'd have that figured out!) But all in all, it's been good!! I think it's gonna be a great year!!

Taking a walk in someone else's shoes

The other day I wrote a blog about our first day of school and how hard it was. Now, I'm not going to go back and say it wasn't. It certainly was. Fitting everyone into their right place and keeping a schedule and trying to find a place in the schedule to parent my 1 and 4 year old during the day while still making sure my school age kids are getting what they need--those are hard things. But just as I was beginning to think that I had it pretty hard, I had a conversation with a friend last night.

This is a lady that I don't talk to a lot just because she doesn't seem to be around a lot. She goes to our church, but I still don't see a lot of her. I found out last night that their family only has one car, and she only gets it twice a week so that may be a big reason why. She also home schools, and she also has six kids. One big difference is that she has four year old twins and one of them is autistic. I've talked with her before about it. She believes it was the vaccinations that put him over the edge. She believes, like I do, that these children have susceptible immune systems that are different that other kids. But how do you know who does until they have the symptoms AFTER the fact? But, this isn't a post about vaccines. She was talking to me about how hard it was to school her other children when she has to give so much time to her special needs child.

She doesn't want to put him in school--and I don't blame her. She knows that the one on one attention he gets at home is way better than he could ever get in a "special ed" class. And yet she's wondering if her other kids are suffering. She says that she thinks her oldest has Asperger's, although he's never been diagnosed. She's studied enough and seen enough that I think she's able to recognize the symptoms. So she told me last night, "I live my days on the 'spectrum.'" (If you don't know what this means, it means the 'spectrum' of autism--from slightly showing symptoms of Asperger's and mild autism to being extremely autistic.)

Her four year old is doing great! He is flourishing in their family with the love and attention he gets. He also gets love and attention at church. He's talking more, writing his letters, etc. His mom is doing a great job doing exactly what he needs. She's following the no gluten/no casein diet, and it's helping. But she's still dealing with autism every day. She's dealing with that while she's trying to teach five other children the work that they need to do. Now, she's got good kids, but they are still kids.

This humbled me. Here I was thinking how hard I had it. I have no idea what it's like to have a special needs child. I have no idea what it's like to have six kids and only one car! I have no idea what it's like to walk in her shoes for one day. But talking with her last night really made me realize that my life is a bowl of cherries compared to some of the things she goes through. Now, I'm sure she wouldn't trade her life for the world. Of course she adores her little boy and would move heaven and earth for him. But she's tired. It's hard. I admire her and resolve to stand up against the world (and family and friends) when they tell her she should put him in school. I admire her hard work and tenacity. I hope to get to be better friends with her and give her a place to talk and vent. I know I would need it if I were her.

God has a way of showing us that things aren't nearly as bad as we may think! I thank God for my six healthy children, my crazy fast paced life and all the things that go with it. It could change any day, but I'm enjoying the ride while it's here.

I don't remember it being like this....

We started back to school today!! I know there are some moms out there who jump for joy during this time of year. They are sending their kids off to school five days a week and enjoying their time alone, at work, doing their own thing, etc. I know there are also moms who send their kids to school who are sad at this time of year because they don't want to send them back. They miss their lazy summer days. I am also well aware that there are home school moms who love this time of year because they love schedules, organization, fun projects, etc. etc. I fit none of these molds!! :) I do not want to send my children off to school to be away from me everyday. I can't even imagine it!! But I love summers where we have no schedule, nothing going on, and we can just be together, spontaneous, fun!

The thought of scheduled days for the next nine months sends chills down my spine! I would much rather be the "unschooler" who just does school at the whims and interests of her children. I would love to sleep in and just have my children do some school through out the day, evening, or even 11 o'clock at night if they so chose. But I've tried it, and guess what?? It doesn't work for me! My kids don't go for it. I've never been able to figure out the secrets of moms with kids who love to do school. I've heard about them. I hear there are children out there who can't wait to do the fun, crafty projects that their moms have planned. Oh wait.... maybe that's why my kids aren't really excited about school. I'm not really into fun, crafty projects these days.

I used to be. I really was. I look back at stuff I did with Trand when he was in K and 1st grade. We had so much fun together doing long, time consuming, messy projects. And he remembers none of it--thanks a lot!! I know that's no reason not to do it. I know it builds relationships, gives an educational foundation, etc. But just the fact that he doesn't remember any of it really kind of makes me sad!! (and if I'm honest it makes me feel like it was a waste of time!)

But I've discovered there are times for schedules--like when you are schooling four children of all different ages and also have a 4 year old and 1 year old around as well! I know there are home schooling guru mega-moms out there who school like 47 children at the same time, but I'm having a hard enough time with four! To tell the truth, I only really spend a lot of time teaching 3 of them. My oldest is in 9th grade this year and does much of his stuff independent of me. Thankfully! But he doesn't need instruction in his school subjects as much as he needs a little "kick in the pants" to get it done. Sometimes that's a HUGE kick in the pants! And on some days, that can be my most difficult task. So I include him in my task of teaching four children!

Also, my kids work better on schedules. When I try to just do school throughout the day it doesn't work. If there's not a set time for it, I get lots of groans and moans and "I don't want to do this" and "I hate school" etc. etc. But when they see it on paper that they are supposed to do Math at 10:00, for some reason it's usually okay.

But not today..... well, not with Liza-Hill anyway. She was my hard one today. First of all, she is out of sorts if she is ever tired or hungry. She seemed to be both all day. Even though she ate breakfast, a snack and lunch, she continued to be hungry. She claimed to be tired as well. So tonight she is going to bed at 8:00--no excuses. Her normal bedtime is 8:30. I don't know if she'll fall asleep or not because she really is a night owl, but I'm hoping that after a few mornings of waking up early and going to bed on time, life will get back to normal for her. Today, though, she fought me on everything!

Thankfully, Breck was very easy today. That's usually the case, but he was extra happy about doing it and told me how much he liked history. He had a good attitude about everything actually so I guess maybe I do have one child who is "one of those kids." :) It's just hard to see sometimes when the others are giving me a hard time.

Today was Shepley's first day of first grade. She was very excited, and she had a great day. It's fun to see her learn. She's very animated about it and shows her excitement for learning new things. It's very rewarding to teach her.  And she's so proud of herself which is fun to see as well. I can't wait until she can tell Jon about her day today.

As for my little ones, Cama-Jane was pretty good today. She likes to sit right up under me all the time which she did a little today, but she was actually pretty good about letting us have a little time today. Cedar is fighting a summer cold (as is Cama-Jane) so he was fussier than usual. He didn't go down easily for his nap at all. I had to nurse him and lay with him on the bed then rock him in my arms and put him down asleep. I never have to do that anymore. But all that took about 30 minutes out of my schedule! And in that time, the kids had gone a little crazy. After a few weeks, they'll be easier to leave on their own to work, but the first day--forget it!

And Trand.... well, Trand doesn't have all of his school stuff here yet. He's got his history curriculum so he may be doing that non stop for this week. I'm excited about it, and I wish that I could do it. We ordered it from Vision Forum last year, and it's called The History of Christianity and Western Civilization. It's the history of the impact that Christianity has had on the world in the past 2000 years. It starts at Rome. There is a book, CDs and a video documentary. I think he'll really enjoy it. So today he did History and he read. I haven't been able to make him read too much all summer so now that it's "school" he will do it! :) He should get his online science class tomorrow. He'll be doing Physical Science with Catie Frates online classes. He's doing writing once HEED starts on the 23rd. And Math.... oh math..... every year it's the eternal thorn in our flesh! I still haven't decided exactly what's going to happen. I know. I've got to figure it out soon. But I don't have the money for a tutor/teacher, and I can't fight him hard enough on the math anymore. So I'm kind of in between a rock and a hard place. Still praying.... And I was planning on him doing spanish through Florida Virtual School, but I have to send in the letter from the county saying he is registered with them. I got that 9 years ago. Yeah, like I still have it! So I need to request another letter saying he is registered here so that I can go ahead with that.

Anyway, didn't mean to write a diatribe about my home schooling plans or anything. Just got on here to share that my first day wasn't ideal. But I'm fighting back. I'm not giving up, and I'm going to somehow, someway make schedules the norm around here!! And that's going to take more self discipline than child discipline! :)

Meatballs!!

I have children with different tastes. Some of you who personally know my children know this is an *understatement* about one of my children in particular!! :) Whenever I say "all my kids loved this" just know that that means 5 out of the 6 unless I specifically say HER!! So in this case--all of my kids loved these (except the one!) I have yet to find anything much beyond plain roasted chicken and peanut butter sandwiches for this one!! But anyway, my others devoured these. They made 24 good size meatballs. If you have a smaller family you can 1/2 the recipe or freeze them (I always love that option!!) I actually ended up freezing 7 of them. I figured I could give them to the kids as a quick meal one night when Jon and I are going out. They wouldn't be a whole meal for anyone (unless a couple of them were gone) but they would be some good protein!! So here they are--

The Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. mild italian sausage
3 celery stalks, diced
1/4 white onion, diced (could use more, but my kids like lesser amounts of onion)
2 carrots, diced
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. garlic powder
4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
pinch of cayenne pepper
sea salt and black pepper to taste

I put the celery, onion, and carrots in the food processor. It gives the taste and nutrition without the kids seeing the chunks of orange and such in the meatball!! :) Plus, it's a lot easier than dicing!! Also, next time I'll leave out the cayenne. I liked it, but it was a bit spicy for a couple of mine. Ones that would have probably eaten another one but just couldn't because it was spicy. :) This wasn't the case with the baby though. He ate two of them--spiciness and all!! Use your hands to mix all ingredients together. Form the mixture into large meatballs.  (I probably did between a golf ball and a baseball size.) Place them on the bottom of a crock pot, stacking if necessary. (I cooked them on the stovetop in a deep pan on low for about 2 hours.)


The Sauce
16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 fresh tomato, chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Cover the meatballs with the tomato sauce and cook 6-8 hours on low. (In the crock pot.)

America's drug of choice

So I've started on another 30 day kick. For some reason I feel the need to do things for 30 days!! :) Although since I started Aug. 1, it will probably be 31 days since there's 31 days in the month. My plan this month has been to do all raw for the first part of the day (breakfast, lunch, snacks) and then Paleo for dinner. If you don't know what Paleo is, you can click the link. I'm not going to take too much time to explain it here. Basically, it's eating only meats, veggies, fruit, seeds and nuts. What that means is NO dairy, NO grains, NO sugar. It makes sense to me that this way of eating would be good for our bodies. Well, it is good for my body anyway. I'm still convinced that there is no ONE right way for everyone to eat. But I know that grains do bad things to me!! Especially wheat and gluten-filled grains. But I'm pretty sure any and all of them could do some damage!! :) But no matter what your body type is, no matter what "diet" is best for you, I can promise you that we would all be better off without SUGAR!


Yes, that is America's drug of choice. I have heard that it was a drug, and I've come to definitely believe it. I used to think and I've heard others say *God made sugar cane so surely it's okay for us to eat it in it's natural, unrefined state.* So as long as you use "pure cane sugar" you're fine.... right? Funny thing is--it does the same bad stuff to your body and keeps you in a dependent state on it. Lately I've started thinking about other "natural" things that God put on this earth. Hmmmm, the tobacco plant is natural, but we shouldn't smoke it or we're in danger of lung cancer. We pretty much all agree on that one. What about natural marijuana? That's something that most of us would agree that we shouldn't smoke as well, right? There are poisonous berries, mushrooms, and plants. Those are all in the natural world, but it would do our bodies harm to eat them. So why are we so convinced that *God gave us sugar cane so it couldn't be too bad!*? 


Think about it. We hear people say all the time, "I just have a sweet tooth" or "I just NEED a little something sweet after a meal" or "I just feel better when I have a little sugar." We say these things and think of them as just normal. It's just part of someone's personality. One person likes sweet, another person likes salty. It's just likes and dislikes, right? The problem is that sugar wreaks havoc on our bodies! The first and most noticeable example of this in America is that it makes us FAT! Look at Americans today. Statistics say that 65% of Americans are obese!! That's crazy ridiculous!! Now, I'm not blaming that all on sugar. The fact that people are lazy doesn't help! But look at the rise of diabetes in the last three decades. In 1980, there were just under 500,000 new cases diagnosed. In 2009, there were almost 2 million!! We've got to take a look at this huge jump and figure out what we're doing as a culture to cause this! 


According to this website the average American consumes 2-3 lbs. of sugar a week. In the last 20 years, our consumption has jumped from 26 lbs. per person per year to a whopping 135 lbs. per person per year!! Is it any wonder why diabetes has shot up?? And going back even further, before the turn of the century the average person only consumed 5 lbs. of sugar per year!! That was back before we had the obesity problems, the cardiovascular problems, and the cancer that we have today. 


There is such a long list of things that sugar can do to our bodies, that I'm just going to copy and paste them from this website right here so that you don't have to go look for yourself! :)

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
• Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
• Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
• Sugar can promote tooth decay.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
• Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
• Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
• Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
• Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in thekidney.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar can cause hypertension.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes.
• Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

Now, believe me, I'm just as guilty as anyone. I known a lot of this stuff for a long time. I've even been off sugar several times over the last few years. It's a lot easier for me to go off then it is for me to make my kids go completely off!! They tend to buck me a little more than I do myself. But it's what I know I should do--for their sake and well being. Now, they are pretty active kids so they burn it pretty quickly. There's not one of them that's overweight or unhealthy. But that's no excuse. It's my responsibility right now to teach them healthy habits for a lifetime. My 14 year old is actually the best about sugar intake. He's just naturally a pretty healthy eater. The food he chooses is usually pretty healthy. Most of my others will eat healthy food when it's put in front of them. But most of them will also choose fast food (pretty much Chick-fil-A or Jason's Deli are the only choices for that these days) over eating at home. Hmmm, hits a little close to home there!! I think that's a learned habit!

So once again I'm off of sugar. It's going on five days now. I had some cloudiness the first couple of days, but I'm doing better. But I promise, go cold turkey off of sugar (if you are one who finds you "have a sweet tooth") and tell me you aren't addicted! Sugar feeds yeast in our bodies which can lead to all sorts of problems--starting in early infancy. Each time I do this I say, "I'm never going back!" And here I am, once again. I know this about myself. I am an *ALL OR NOTHING* kind of girl. I have to have the "rules" to live by. If I tell myself that I'm going to do a certain kind of diet for 30 days, I'll do it. I won't back down. I have the will power. Even if I tell myself I'm going to stop eating something for good, I can do it. I haven't eaten gluten since October, and even though it's a pain sometimes, I don't give in. But if I give in once--if I tell myself I'll just "watch" it--you can forget it!! It's over. So I know that I will have to tell myself *no more sugar forever.* That kind of hurts right now. It makes my heart a little sad--okay, a lot sad! But we'll see how it goes.

I've always been frustrated that I'm not one of those girls who just loses weight easily, that I'm not naturally skinny no matter what I eat. You know those girls you just want to hit?? Well, I guess I'm thankful (sort of) now. If I was naturally skinny and didn't have to think about it, I don't think I would have set out on the journey that I have. I don't think I would have been so determined to figure out this nutrition thing. I know I wouldn't be so determined to cut sugar out of my diet! But since I am, I think I'm the better off for it! 

Cutting out gluten is one thing--cutting out sugar is another! God will have to be the one to give me strength for that one!! He is the ultimate end in my quest for health. He is the giver of life, perfect healthy life. His ways are best. His word is best and has the answers--even for our health.