Prevent The Stomach Bug!

TESTIMONY:
A couple of years ago, my family and I were visiting the BFF and her family in the germy, contagious month of December. We had Christmas around the corner and my sister and kids would be visiting from out of state just after that. While normally I was quite laid back about germs with my friend's family, this time I had warned each of my kids NOT TO SHARE any drinks or silverware and to be extra good when washing hands. I wanted a healthy couple of weeks! Thinking my chat was successful and that my reasoning would be motivation for them to be cautious of germs, I sat back and enjoyed my visit while the kids played. It wasn't until all of the kids came stomping down the stairs to show us what they learned on the harmonica. THE harmonica. "THE" meaning, singular... and dripping with the drool of each and every one of them. Well, that was a fail...and to top it all off, my husband decides to give it a good wipe on his sleeve and start playing himself. REALLY?! Well it was a good try and as far as we knew, all of us were healthy so I knew I shouldn't overact. We went home and an hour later I got a call from the BFF saying, "we've got a puker!" Her oldest started the dreaded stomach bug and all of us had been more than exposed! So what did I do, I went home and Googled..."how to prevent the stomach bug after being exposed?" And that's where my research began. I put it in place immediately and not one of us caught that bug!

PUT IT TO USE:
I learned a lot about our body's PH scale and how when it's balanced, it's ready to fight off the bad stuff...especially the stomach bug! Here is one Blogger's info on the stomach bug that inspired me to keep reading and put these easy health tips into our every day lives. Not only has it prevented the stomach bug, but unknowingly, we have been improving our health in so many other ways as well! SO EASY!!! Check out this quick video on Bragg's website to learn a little more!

I finally created my own little concoction that works for me so I thought I'd share and I hope you pass it along so that others can reap the benefits of this awesomeness. Here's what I do ONCE A DAY...for the bug prevention as well as daily health benefits!

1 can of seltzer water
2 tsps (usually the cap of the ACV is a tsp)
1/3 cup (about) of Welch's 100% Grape Juice NO SUGAR ADDED
Ice (optional, but tastes way better cold!
1 cute mason jar (optional!)

I drink this once a day...and it's not bad!!! I've actually grown to really look forward to it!

TIPS & INFO YOU SHOULD KNOW!
-Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar is (in my opinion) the best. I love their products! If you can't get your hands on this brand, just make sure it says on the label "contains the mother". This is pretty much the pulp at the bottom of the jar, which is what makes this whole thing work!
-Shake that mother up before pouring!
-NO SUGAR ADDED is so important. Adding sugar to this drink would basically be a wash out. Sugar will make your PH levels imbalanced and that's the whole point here.
-You don't have to use seltzer...I just like this because I like bubbles and a little added flavor. You can use plain water too!
-Don't take ACV straight unless instructed to. Mixing with another liquid helps your body to absorb it properly.
-When I know for sure I've been exposed to the stomach bug or even other sickness (like when my kids have it or they share a drooly harmonica with their sick friend) I drink this 3 times a day, lessen the water, and strengthen the grape juice. The grape juice isn't just for taste, it also aids with the PH balance and has lots of antioxidants in it!
-This whole remedy is to level your PH balance (sorry to be repetitive), so it won't work as well if you're eating or drinking super unhealthy. It's all about balance!
-I only give my little kids 1 tsp...I fill a shot glass with grape juice and add the acv to that. Same rule of thumb...1x a day for health and prevention, 3x a day when we know they've been exposed.
-And one of my favorites...LYSOL WIPES DO NOT KILL THE STOMACH BUG! Here is a great resource for what DOES work...please don't use the wipes for a stomach bug....it's a waste of time!


Lastly...I am not a doctor, I just like to learn and research things :)  I am not getting any payment or credit for this information. Just passing this along so that this world can be a little healthier without the use and cost of unnecessary medicine. I hope it helps you and your family!

"You're Doing WHAT?!" (Part 2)

I'll start off by saying, that this time, it was NOT the fact that I have ADD that I haven't posted in so long! For those of you who know me, you know that we are expecting our 4th baby. We found out about this little bundle of surprise, about a week before we began homeschooling (go ahead, laugh!). I also have a very good friend, who had a life threatening tragedy happen to her around the same time (more on this in another post). Between those two things and beginning homeschooling, finding time, energy, and concentration to blog has been challenging to say the least. I'm here now though! So here's part 2....


I left off sharing about how I discovered myself to have adult ADD, how I get help for it, how I'm still working on it, and how I'm learning about myself. During that process one of the things I realized was that I had a lot on my plate. Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I'll use this analogy: every year I look forward to this meal like no other. It's my favorite! We celebrate Thanksgiving at my parents house with lots of family and TONS of food. We set it up buffet style (it looks so pretty!) and I fill my plate, piling all the fixings on top of each other, being careful not to let anything spill over. I take an annual picture of my overflowing dish and dig in. I try with all my might to finish every bite on my plate, regardless of how much I can't breathe for hours post dinner.  My life had been relating to this scene very much. "My eyes are bigger than my stomach"...but I somehow make it fit, no matter the cost. I had a lot on my plate in life, and I put everything on the plate all on my own without anyone telling me I had to. I liked being full, but hated not being able to breathe. It would affect my family and my happiness in the end...always. I was advised to start intentionally taking things off my plate and learning to say no...even when I really wanted to say yes at times. It was all about balance. It felt so freeing! While it felt freeing, it also felt still. At one point I had gotten rid of so much that it felt like the calm before the storm (but not in a negative way!). I prayed about it and felt God was saying, "be still, keep learning, something big is headed your way." I told my counselor this and he was very intrigued and excited. At one point I visited my younger sister, who home school's her daughter. She's the same age as my oldest son, and they both have similar focus issues. I couldn't believe what she was learning and how she was soaring with her studies! Meanwhile, my very intelligent son was regressing in school. His teacher kept telling me he couldn't focus, but that he was too smart to get any academic assistance. His class was big...like 25 students big. I started to wonder if I had truly considered all my options. I began researching and researching the idea of homeschooling. I talked about it to my husband and he was interested and supported me in looking into it more. I talked to best friend and sisters. I kept getting mixed reviews.. while one would say, "go for it, best idea!" the other would say, "you just slowed your life down, don't you think you should enjoy that?!" Well I honestly had no desire to just be still and enjoy the slowness, but I also didn't have any interest in crowding my plate again. I prayed, researched and finally brought it to my counselor. This man is a 30 year retiree professor from a prestigious college...the man is very intelligent and really knows his stuff...and my stuff haha! I knew if it was a crazy idea, he would tell me (especially being a former educator). I brought the idea to him and he said, "I think it's exactly what you're supposed to be doing, I think it's going to be the best thing for your kids, and I completely support the idea." Wow! I didn't see that coming. I thought there was a good chance of him saying, "wait another year." or, "are you sure? I'm not sure you're ready for that." But he knew me inside and out and he believed in me! It was so refreshing and exciting. I felt like I graduated something. Husband and I began taking it more seriously. We met other local homeschooling families, we looked into curriculum and home school groups and organizations. We prayed a lot, we eventually talked to the kids about it and came to the decision to go for it. At that point, I had only told my counselor, sisters and best friend. We made it official and began telling family and finally at the end of the school year, we made it more public. I still was working on my insecurities and it was difficult to share this news, a little fearful of what people may think or having to hear their opinions. But honestly, I overcame this insecurity through it all. It made me more confident as time went on. I had ZERO question that this was the direction God was leading me in.

 Even after finding out I was pregnant, even after being more fatigued in the last few months than I've ever been (or so it seems), even after most of my alone time has vanished, even though I clearly don't have this down yet, and even though the transition from public school to home school has been nothing short of a never ending struggle...I still just know. Life wasn't meant to be still, or easy and it looks different for us all. God has nestled Himself in our lives and in this decision. He's here all the time and works through others to provide just what we need: support and words of encouragement, help from family, friends, neighbors, and of course, my counselor! The kids are learning a ton (and so am I!) and we are figuring this out together. I love the flexibility it's given us. I can send my kids outside when I sense they need to get their wiggles out. I can start our day, and stop our day, at any time to interrupt with prayer when we need it most. We can do school in our PJ's, or we can go outside or to the library. It's our own playing field and I make the rules that best fit for MY kids individually and not as a large classroom. Right now, this is my full time job, my full time ministry and so far, I have no regrets!

You're Doing WHAT? (Part 1)

A few months ago, we made the courageous decision to home school our 3 children. Lot's of people have been asking, "Can I ask you why? Did something happen at school?".  Truth be told, it wasn't just one thing and it wasn't just school. If you asked me a year ago if I'd ever consider home schooling my children, I would've laughed in your face! Not because I'm against it, but because my house is small, my kids are crazy, I'm crazy and home school is a whole lot of crazy to be added to a small house with crazy kids and a crazy mom! God had other plans, though, and I couldn't deny the very strong call to do this over the last several months. One thing I've learned along the way, is to never be so confident in my life plan, thinking that I know what the next moves are all the time. God can change it up at any time and ask me to do something that I didn't plan for, and His plan will always be FAR better than mine!

The journey to this point began before I even knew it was beginning. Almost 2 years ago, my twin sister, Erika, called me and said, "I just took an online test. I have moderate to severe ADD. And by the way, you have it too." I laughed, not surprised much of her result but didn't quite think she was right about me! I hadn't even taken the test yet, so how would she know (when you're an identical twin, you kind of just know stuff...the way no one else could!)? I had her send me the test and sure enough...moderate to severe ADD. I took another, and another until I finally considered that this self diagnosis could be correct. I was kind of devastated. I felt sad in the weeks to follow. I always wondered why I was the way I was and thought my "bad habits" would go away as I got older. Or maybe when my kids got older and I had less on my plate. At this point I was facing the fact that this is not going anywhere; it's a thorn in my side.

A lot of people say, "I think everyone has ADD in them, we all have it a little." It's true that we all can lose focus, and become distracted. When it interrupts your life, affects your day to day and the people in those days, then that's when something needs to be done. While I always considered myself to be someone who had it "a little" I hadn't considered that I have it, like really have it! So when this realization came about, it affected me emotionally. I was sad and felt hopeless. I've gotten really good, over the years, at hiding my ADD and I think I got good at hiding it from myself. I wanted to deny this so badly, but at the same time, I knew God wanted me to do something.
A friend of mine referred me to a psychologist/counselor, and after getting his contact info, I called him...probably 6 months later (cause that's how us ADD peeps do things)! I started going to counseling in October of 2015 and began to learn how to live with this disorder in a way that was rewarding instead of feeling like a failure all of the time. I began learning about myself and how to use my strengths and how to change my outlook on my weaknesses. I turned them into challenges, goals, and began making strides in my day to day life. I was given tools and methods and was being held accountable for them all. There were many times that I would fall down and need to pick myself back up again, but instead of feeling like I failed, I was supported. I had my counselor, my husband, my best friend and my family all on my side. I became more open and honest about having ADD, anxiety, and insecurities. Letting that all out just made me stronger. None of it came easy, and at times, I felt like the changes I was making were going at such a slow pace. When I shared this with my counselor, he encouraged me and told me that my pace was perfect. I had been dealing with ADD my whole life with no help or awareness. My changes shouldn't come overnight! I SHOULD mess up and fall down and learn from my mistakes. As long as I didn't stop and hit rewind; as long as I could keep pressing on, I was on the right track. Once, he compared it to fad diets. People who go on a "quick fix" diet lose lots of weight, feel and look great in a very short amount of time. Then, before they know it, they're back to where they began, and sometimes even worse. This was something I could personally relate to! I began to appreciate this steadier pace; the pace I'm STILL on, to this day. It's guilt free, it's forgiving, and it's paved with victory!

So what does this have to do with home schooling my kids? Well, there's more on that, but I've realized, without learning about myself more, I would've never made the decision to home school. I'll share more about what led me to consider home schooling next time!

Changes in Mother's Day

Yesterday was my 10th Mother's Day. Over this past decade of my motherhood being celebrated, so much has changed. I remember my first mothers day...the husband just didn't quite get how special it was for me. Every other day of the year, the guy is bringing me home little prizes all the time to show that he's thinking of me, but on Mother's Day, he sort of...dropped the ball! I can remember crying about it and us getting into a heated discussion. I had been getting texts and calls all day asking how my first Mother's Day was and everyone asking "what did Steve do for you?!" I felt robbed (and quite sorry for myself). We've both changed very much since then. While Steve has made a substantial improvement, I have as well. Did you hear me say that, 'this guy is bringing me home little prizes all the time to show me that he's thinking of me....'? He's not perfect, but he shows his love for me so often and openly throughout the year that I wouldn't trade that for the most perfect Mother's Day ever.  I have grown in the fact that, while I may anticipate and hope for an amazingly spoiled mother's day (don't we all, ladies?!), I don't let my world crumble to pieces over it when my Mother's Day dreams don't come true. I look more forward to the next time Steve surprises me with an unexpected date on the town (with overnight sitters!!). Or when he randomly takes a day off from work to spend some much needed time at home. And (probably my favorite) when he goes food shopping and brings me home a little sushi treat! Awareness; on the days when I don't expect it. Way better than getting it all squished into one day. 10 years later, I feel the love on Mother's Day more than ever when I think about the days in between!

Officially Seven

Seven. There's something about the age of seven that just sounds so...big kid. Warren has always been my baby. I mean, they're all my babies, but Warren, from the very beginning, has always been my dose of little kid. Leading up to the day he graced us, I feared that my longing to have a daughter so badly could possibly alter my excitement level when I gave birth. I knew that I would love any baby that I was blessed with, that wasn't the concern at all! Between saying good-bye to the days of Trevor being my one and only and wondering if I'd ever have a daughter, my anticipation was...well, off. Those last couple of weeks of pregnancy were so emotional for me. I was just shy of turning 26, I had an 18 month old baby who was huge and running all over the place, and I was about to have a scheduled c-section with 6 weeks of healing and no lifting. What was life going to be like? I knew I would miss Trevor so much being in the hospital, I could hardly deal with saying goodbye to him the night before delivery when we dropped him off with his auntie. Then it happened....the Dr held up my big ole baby and announced..."It's a boy!"

How is it possible that in that moment of his 2 second little life on earth, I could feel an outpouring amount of love for this child that nothing else in this world could measure up to? I loved him as much as my oldest child; instantly. There was an immediate burst of excitement, happy tears and smiles. My first thought was that Trevor had a brother; a future best friend and playmate. Once I got him in my arms, I knew that Trevor was just fine with his auntie, and I'd see him when I got home! I knew that having a second son was part of a perfect plan and that not having a girl (yet, wink wink) was just the way it was supposed to be and I didn't want to change that for anything. Time went on and, at the stage that Trevor was walking and running (9-10 months old!), Warren was still my snuggle bug baby that couldn't care less about all the hype of running around. His lazy bum finally started walking around 13 or 14 month old. I began falling into that trap of comparing my children and wondering why Warren wasn't following the same path as Trevor. Turns out, they're two different people! I am beyond thankful that my kids are all very different. It keeps things entertaining...day in and day out! Trevor has always been very tall for his age and he has a side to him that has been more mature, and ahead of the game, for the most part. Warren is...well, the complete opposite! So back to the seven thing...it's a bittersweet number for me. I can't believe my little guy is a big kid. Of course, age is only a number. He will forever dwell in my heart and mind as my little guy. His personality will keep him young for all of his days. I know he will forever be making people laugh, he will never stop being goofy. He'll love building Legos till the end of time, and he'll always be a huge fan of movies like Jaws, Jurassic Park, ET, Star Wars, Jumanji, Hook,...and all the adventurous classics! His imagination will take him far in life, and his love for babies, little kids and animals will certainly win the girls hearts. He will always have the gift of prayer, among other gifts that he's blessed with. He will always be protective over his brother and sister. He will always be well liked and people will always have fun with him...his smile and laugh are contagious! If anyone doesn't like him, they can try and mess with him, but he's tough as nails; the only thing you can hurt on him is his feelings. We'll always compare him to Leave It To Beaver, we'll always wonder where he thought up some of his sneaky ideas, and we'll always cave when he gives us those puppy dog eyes displaying his love for sugar. Some things, though, I hope won't last forever; I hope he will one day stop picking his nose, I hope one day he starts eating some vegetables, I hope one day he stops dripping on the toilet seat, I hope one day he washes his hands after he goes to the bathroom, I hope one day he won't think kisses from mommy and daddy won't be too germy, and I hope TO GOD he stops bringing bugs and creatures into my house (like, right on the dinner table)! Whether it's his always or his phases, they are pieces of him that make up our Warren Walter. I can't imagine him not being the way he is. My baby. My little guy. My mumma's boy. Happy seven, big kid.

Back On Track

It's so fun to get off track sometimes, isn't it? Getting back on that track is so challenging, yet OH so rewarding! In the past year or so, I've learned a lot about myself and the insecurities that have lurked in my brain for several years. That whole story is for another day, but for now the short of it is this....it's not worth it. I've learned that thinking of how I look, or what I weigh, and constantly wondering what people must think of me is completely selfish, totally self centered and not honoring to God at all. I didn't feel like I was being selfish, because I was thinking badly of myself. It doesn't matter what we're thinking though, does it? Whether I'm constantly thinking good or bad of myself, I'm still obsessed with myself! Not what I want at all. That brought me to change. God called me to be done with that, so with much hard mental work, I made some major changes. I stopped weighing myself, stopped complaining about my body and how I looked and decided to just have a season where I wasn't focused so much on my image. It's been about a year or more and I have been so much happier! My outlook on things is so different. It hasn't been a perfect journey, and it probably won't ever be. I still have the tempting moments where I want to listen to those little voices saying, "just say you look fat, you know you do!" That's where my strength from the Lord comes in and saves the day, because I certainly could not fight those demons off on my own! 

All of this brought on a sort of, a comfort for me. I was really healthy for most of this time, but over this past winter, I got extra comfy. I mean, who doesn't feel extra comfy when there's 3 feet of snow out side and you can hide under leggings and big sweaters?! Every time I could start to see that track I wanted to get back on, but it would snow again...making it really hard to see any track! Spring has come and is almost gone and now there's no excuse. I can see the track as plain as day. This past Monday, I decided to get on it and not look back. I don't usually weigh myself anymore but after joining My Fitness Pal a few days ago, I thought...ehh, what harm could it do? I had originally made some wild guess as to how much I gained. I was really hoping I had shot high with this guess, but turns out I was exactly right! Talk about knowing your body! Shockingly, I did quite well with the news. If this were the old me, I'd be dwelling in my sorrows for days on end, been a witch to my family, and probably would've Googled the latest fad diet and jumped on the wagon. 

Not going there and I'm feeling quite victorious about the whole thing. I know the victory for getting back on track typically doesn't come till somewhere down the line...like after you've lost the weight or gained some muscle or completed some cleanse; but not this time. My jeans might be a little tighter, I may have divulged in some bad eating habits and become physically weaker, but I can't even explain the mental strength it takes for me to not let a number on a scale take me down. While I'm not willing to sit around and let my jeans get tighter and be ignorant of my health, I'm also not willing to look at myself like a failure or obsess over the whole thing (while it's quite tempting!). 

I want to be healthy, I want to eat good, stay fit and not be sidetracked my by old self loathing attitude. Jeans getting tighter isn't the end of the world, it's the start of getting on track and taking the first steps with the right focus and frame of mind that God calls us to have when caring for our bodies. The best part about listening to what God wants is knowing He's right there with me the whole time. The second I feel alone is the moment I have fallen and tried to do it on my own. It will happen, probably more than once or twice. But with His grace and love, I will be picked up, once again, and move further along on that track each time!  

Our 2 Weeks of Summer

They're gone. Once again. Another visit in the books. This visit has left me feeling a little different than usual. There was a lot of "usual" that went on while the Bales' were home, but it was a little more...magnified than "usual". There was the usual tears, heightened emotions, and lack of sleep from all of the kids, but it seemed to effect them more this time. Maybe quarters were to close, maybe it was the ages and stages that some of these kids are at, maybe it was that they just didn't feel at home. There was the usual lack of communication between the adults, changing of plans at the last minute, and feeling like there wasn't enough time in the visit for everything we wanted  to do or people we wanted to be with. But this time, some things came to a head, feelings were felt, words were spoken, and exhaustion was upon us all.
I appreciate every visit we have with my sister and her family. But I'm sick of it. I'm sick of things getting harder each and every time. I'm sick of cramming months of unspent time together into several days. I'm sick of all the cousins getting so frustrated with each other by a week into a visit because they go from never seeing each other to being forced on top of each other.  I'm sick of feeling like I don't want to share my sister with anyone else while she's here, I'm sick of not knowing when the next time I'll see  them all again, I'm sick of saying goodbye, and seriously...I'm sick of gaining 10lbs by the time they leave...every time!
So many fingers seem to be pointing in the direction of, MOVE HOME! In my point of view anyway. Oh, how our lives would be changed in so many awesome ways! I hate feeling like we're missing out on a season that we can never repeat. It's going to come and go so quickly and I want us to all be together for it. And we're not. I want us to be that village that I always anticipated us being.
Is it selfish to say that these visits are not enough? They're expensive, they're squished (in so many ways!), they're emotionally draining and few and far between. The kids are SO off routine that we start making excuses for all of them and let them get away with murder. It makes me feel like we're all only seeing glimpses of what these kids are really like because they are so out of the norm. And it's not their fault. I'll shove some candy in every one of my kids faces if it means they'll be quiet so I can have 5 more minutes of chatting with my sister! Bedtime routines are shot because no one wants to spend the time away from anyone to tackle that job. The men go from having amazing times together to hardly talking till the next visit.
I sound like an unappreciative, complaining little brat. I just don't get it. 5 years ago when the Bales moved away, God was most certainly sending them in His direction. It was so clear. But is He always that clear? Sometimes I feel like we wait for God to give us some blatantly obvious sign when it's not really needed. Or is it? Sometimes it seems so clear to me that these guys are supposed to end up back here...and soon. But does anyone else see that, or is it just me? The trips back and forth from Memphis to Boston and Boston to Memphis are getting fewer and fewer but more exhausting each time. I hate not knowing what the future will bring. I live on the hope that things will change but let's be real...it just might not.
I'm going to go back to my Dr.Pepper and box of Cheez-Its now (my own little pity party) and hope for the best. Tomorrow things will go back to normal again and there will be no summer days together or fun sleepovers with the kids. No last minute ice cream runs, or backyard bbq's. No double or triple dates or BFF beach or pool days. Our summer together happened in a chaotic 2 weeks in the middle of May.