Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Weight loss update
A week ago this past Sunday I was congratulated on being pregnant again. Excuse me, but Im not! I'm just bloated and put a weight! So raw food diet, ZERO alcohol, and limited pasta or bread from then on. A week and a half later I am now done 5 pounds! Forging ahead, I am about to go make my smoothee in the Vitamix ( kale, celery, apple, banana, and avocado.)
Seeing God's plan through frustrating circumstances
http://www.morningstarministries.org/Groups/1000046203/MorningStar_Ministries/Media/VIDEO_Featured_Video/VIDEO_Featured_Video.aspx
Is this for sure? Is he speaking to me? (link above)
I want to go to this conference below, but my husband says no. Why Lord? and what about this property?
| Conference Dates | September 30 - October 2, 2010 |
Monday, September 27, 2010
Homeschooling through Blogging
Some may say our homeschooling is non traditional but we tackled math, spelling/grammar, science, Bible, history, current events, typing, research skills, and reading today.
I taught my 11 year old to blog. I created a blog for her attached to mine. She hates to write and gets a mental block with it. She will write songs and skits on scratch paper but not for anyone to see. If I ask her to write a journal entry, a paragraph about something she read, etc. she gets all flustered and just plain frustrated. Her attention to spelling and punctuation is just not there.
First she started with typing in an essay I write comparing the Flood story in the Bible with stories of the Flood from other cultures. Then we looked up other interpretations. It was very interesting. The commentator explained that the Hebrew words translated as the "whole earth" in many Bibles literatal translation is "local land". When the words are translated in context they refer to the land where the people were that the story was about. For example when he speaks of Canaan, and he says whole earth, the writer in the Bible story was referring to the whole area that was inhabited which was Canaan. Check out the blog post Rambling of A Princess.
My daughter asked, "But mom what about the shells that were found on top of Mt. Everest? Doesn't that mean that the flood waters covered the top of that mountain at one time?" So I google that and we came up with an explanation that made sense of the plate tectonics and that the planet was mostly covered in water in the Beginning and Mt Everest is a mountain that came about from a shift. Can you see how much research we are doing with this? All the while she is typing her finding and posting pictures with it. She didnt know how to do any of this until this morning.
Then I had her go on Fox News and read some articles on what was going on in the world. Not much interested her until she came to an video interview about two famous people who had suffered with diabetes. Then the light bulb went off!!! She said, "Mom, you know Nick Jonas has diabetes." I responded, "Really, do you know what diabetes is?" Of course, she thought she might know but was very interested in search the internet for info. She remembered that Nick Jonas had done an interview on Jonas Brothers Living the Dream about his struggles with diabetes. She searched and searched and finally came up with the video that we could post a link to her blog. She searched out clear definitions of diabetes, the types, struggles, descriptions and images of people who have the disease and created a new post.
But the fun didn't stop there. Tonight we were driving through the end of a storm and when we came through it, there was a beautiful rainbow. My daughter took pictures of it with her phone and said "Mom, when we get home I'm gonna post this rainbow and stuff about rainbows on my blog." And when she got home the research began right where she left off. Its in draft form now with a picture, a small description waiting on all the research she wants to add in the morning. Hallelejuah I think we have found the golden ticket!!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Life's Roller coaster & God's hand in it
To those new to my blog, I should start here! (Name omitted for privacy). I'm a stay at home mom to our 5 blessings ages 2 1/2 -11 and been married to my husband 15 years this past May. This has been a hard past few years for us.
About two years ago, someone whom was influential in our lives contacted us to let us know their property was for sale. My husband and I met 17 years ago at a small Bible study/church held on this person’s property. We prayed and prayed for two years about buying and relocating our family there (about 1 1/2 hours away). It would have radically changed our lives. My whole family lives within 10 miles here and our church family is here. The property is in the middle of nowhere (15-20 minutes to the nearest store). We had discussed having a summer camp and school there too. Anyway, this past January we put it on the market for the second time and I showed the house 33 times in 6 months, along with caring for the kids, keeping the place show ready, leading a co-op, and homeschooling. I ran on sheer adrenaline. In June we felt released from the property and the showing contract expired. When it expired we were relieved but confused. We went from a million miles an hour with a purpose in mind to nothing and what now? My immune system was really weak and I started to crash physically and emotionally. Then the first of July I went to pick blueberries and got poison ivy. It went into the bloodstream and I got a systemic infection that was atrocious. I spend the next 7 weeks on various does of steroids to get rid of it. I am still battling the affects of the steroids, low immune, etc. Plus I was already dealing with depression. At the end of August (about a week and a half after finishing the steroids) my body went into shock. It started with a migraine on a Wednesday night. All day Thursday I got up ate, and went back to bed. I slept most of the day. Same with Friday. My speech slurred or stuttered, my breathing was taxed, my hands wanted to curl up and my teeth was grit and I just couldn't articulate was wrong with me. I felt like I was going to die. It felt like the worst flu you could have. My husband took me to the doctor and he said at this point she's severely depressed and it has manifested physically symptoms as well as emotional. He sent me how with an antidepressant and a sleep inducer for at night (so I wouldn't have insomnia at night anymore).
I was praying the whole time and asking Him why? And what?
While on the steroids I was on top of the world cleaning out everything and organizing like crazy. I had our whole school planned out to a T and was really excited about it. But when everything started crashing down my husband had a different thought about it all. That Saturday we went on a date while my parents watched the kids. He said he felt like I was overwhelmed and we needed to remove 1/3 of what I was doing. He said it was best to put the middle boys (2 of them) in the private Christian school for the year. That would leave me with the two youngest and the oldest to school. He also wanted me to back off on leading a co-op. Well it was a really crush for me. I loved homeschooling and I knew what the schedule with the boys in school would be like. Wed done this once before. The first three weeks were a nightmare! Today ends the 4th week and Im finally better with it. I am being submissive to my husband on this one!
To add to all of this, while I was in bed that Thursday during the crash, a realtor left a message wanting to show the house. I didn't listen to the voice mail until Saturday, I told my husband about it but left it alone. He called back on Monday and said " I am bring a buyer into your neighborhood to see two other houses but I know they will like yours the best. They have seen pictures of it already from the expired listings and driven over there. They are buying in cash and this could be a real easy sell." My husband and I agree there was no harm in letting him in. I told him I was not going to clean up and if they could see the four walls and land for what they were worth he could show them. Two days later they gave us an offer. We countered and they accepted it as is. We were shocked and a little bewildered to say the least. All this happened leading up to my big crash! Our house closing is today at 12. We have not put down a contract on anything yet. Praise God the buyers are letting us rent our house back from them until November 15th if we need to for a by the day rate or by the month for $800 less than our current mortgage. Wow. God's hand is in this but would He please reveal the plan to us!!!!!! I feel like I have been stripped to the bone of everything that I I identified with (vision, co-op, friends, schooling plans for the year, house, etc).
On top of that a company that has been pursuing my husband's company has said they want to buy it. They had a meeting with him that same week of the crash to say we want to do this and get us info on numbers etc. Well the next step meeting has been postponed twice. My husband hasn't wanted to make any formal moving plans until he knows if they are purchasing his company and for how much. That will change our financial status and give us the ability to buy in cash.
So, in a nutshell my mantra is that song "I'll praise in the storm". Its hard to not know where your going and let go of control but I am working on it. It has forced my husband and I to have many big talks about our roles and how we communicate. Lots of tears but joy and mercy is new every morning!
Count it all joy.... I am working on this and I'm repeating it to get it in my head and heart!
About two years ago, someone whom was influential in our lives contacted us to let us know their property was for sale. My husband and I met 17 years ago at a small Bible study/church held on this person’s property. We prayed and prayed for two years about buying and relocating our family there (about 1 1/2 hours away). It would have radically changed our lives. My whole family lives within 10 miles here and our church family is here. The property is in the middle of nowhere (15-20 minutes to the nearest store). We had discussed having a summer camp and school there too. Anyway, this past January we put it on the market for the second time and I showed the house 33 times in 6 months, along with caring for the kids, keeping the place show ready, leading a co-op, and homeschooling. I ran on sheer adrenaline. In June we felt released from the property and the showing contract expired. When it expired we were relieved but confused. We went from a million miles an hour with a purpose in mind to nothing and what now? My immune system was really weak and I started to crash physically and emotionally. Then the first of July I went to pick blueberries and got poison ivy. It went into the bloodstream and I got a systemic infection that was atrocious. I spend the next 7 weeks on various does of steroids to get rid of it. I am still battling the affects of the steroids, low immune, etc. Plus I was already dealing with depression. At the end of August (about a week and a half after finishing the steroids) my body went into shock. It started with a migraine on a Wednesday night. All day Thursday I got up ate, and went back to bed. I slept most of the day. Same with Friday. My speech slurred or stuttered, my breathing was taxed, my hands wanted to curl up and my teeth was grit and I just couldn't articulate was wrong with me. I felt like I was going to die. It felt like the worst flu you could have. My husband took me to the doctor and he said at this point she's severely depressed and it has manifested physically symptoms as well as emotional. He sent me how with an antidepressant and a sleep inducer for at night (so I wouldn't have insomnia at night anymore).
I was praying the whole time and asking Him why? And what?
While on the steroids I was on top of the world cleaning out everything and organizing like crazy. I had our whole school planned out to a T and was really excited about it. But when everything started crashing down my husband had a different thought about it all. That Saturday we went on a date while my parents watched the kids. He said he felt like I was overwhelmed and we needed to remove 1/3 of what I was doing. He said it was best to put the middle boys (2 of them) in the private Christian school for the year. That would leave me with the two youngest and the oldest to school. He also wanted me to back off on leading a co-op. Well it was a really crush for me. I loved homeschooling and I knew what the schedule with the boys in school would be like. Wed done this once before. The first three weeks were a nightmare! Today ends the 4th week and Im finally better with it. I am being submissive to my husband on this one!
To add to all of this, while I was in bed that Thursday during the crash, a realtor left a message wanting to show the house. I didn't listen to the voice mail until Saturday, I told my husband about it but left it alone. He called back on Monday and said " I am bring a buyer into your neighborhood to see two other houses but I know they will like yours the best. They have seen pictures of it already from the expired listings and driven over there. They are buying in cash and this could be a real easy sell." My husband and I agree there was no harm in letting him in. I told him I was not going to clean up and if they could see the four walls and land for what they were worth he could show them. Two days later they gave us an offer. We countered and they accepted it as is. We were shocked and a little bewildered to say the least. All this happened leading up to my big crash! Our house closing is today at 12. We have not put down a contract on anything yet. Praise God the buyers are letting us rent our house back from them until November 15th if we need to for a by the day rate or by the month for $800 less than our current mortgage. Wow. God's hand is in this but would He please reveal the plan to us!!!!!! I feel like I have been stripped to the bone of everything that I I identified with (vision, co-op, friends, schooling plans for the year, house, etc).
On top of that a company that has been pursuing my husband's company has said they want to buy it. They had a meeting with him that same week of the crash to say we want to do this and get us info on numbers etc. Well the next step meeting has been postponed twice. My husband hasn't wanted to make any formal moving plans until he knows if they are purchasing his company and for how much. That will change our financial status and give us the ability to buy in cash.
So, in a nutshell my mantra is that song "I'll praise in the storm". Its hard to not know where your going and let go of control but I am working on it. It has forced my husband and I to have many big talks about our roles and how we communicate. Lots of tears but joy and mercy is new every morning!
Count it all joy.... I am working on this and I'm repeating it to get it in my head and heart!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sold our house... Now What?
For two years we have talked about moving and selling our home. It started with a piece of property and a dream of a mountain home, a Christian camp, and possible small school. In June 2010 that dream dissolved and our house went off the market. The let down of the adrenaline rush was awful. My husband kept saying " What are we doing and what do I want to be when I grow up?" THe adrenaline rush I was living off of, little sleep, homeschooling, showing a house 33 times in 6 months, and leading a support group has worn off. The boys are a private school and there are so many unknowns.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)