The Whole30....The Home Stretch

So I'm on day 25 of the Whole30.  At this point I thought it would be smooth sailing, but I think because I'm so close to the end, I'm dreaming about what I'll be celebrating with next week!

I did have a  moment yesterday when I realized that the 30th is actually Monday, and not Sunday like I had somehow established in my mind.  It's like when I ran races and thought I was almost at the finish line, and then turned a corner and realized there was further to go.  :)

Someone asked me the other day if I was glad I did it.  For the most part, yes.  I believe I gained some valuable insights into what I'm putting into my body and how I choose to reward myself with treats.  But, a few times I was disappointed that I was missing out on fun times with friends and family when I couldn't enjoy a spring break frozen yogurt with the kids

or try the yummy southern food in this small Georgia town we were passing through on our recent family trip.

Right now our refrigerator looks nice and healthy.  I like opening the door and seeing fresh veggies cut up, and meats prepared and ready to warm up, and sides that are free of any processed ingredients.

I ate fairly healthy before this month, so I'm not sure if I saw the extreme results many people have experienced during their 30 days.  But, I definitely noticed that my clothes are fitting again closer to how they were before my knee surgery.  Ever since the holidays I had gotten into a habit of eating sweets or grazing on snack foods, so I felt like I just wanted to give my body a re-set.  I had also wanted to see if it would help my knee recovery, and I'm not sure that can be measured.  I feel like I'm seeing slow improvement, but that could be a time factor as well.

One big positive is that I have enjoyed meal times more than in the past.  For example, many days I would eat a smoothie or salad with a protein for lunch.  Many times, I was still hungry after lunch. Now I have a full plate of yummy food, that is much more filling, for all of my meals!

I have also discovered some new favorite food/recipes.

I have become obsessed with these oven fried sweet potato chips.  

They are so simple to make only using a few ingredients.

                                                                1.  sweet potatoes

                                                                2.  coconut oil

                                                                3.  salt & pepper

                                                                4.  rosemary

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice sweet potatoes.  (I was doing this by hand, but when I saw how often I was making them, I bought an inexpensive slicer from Target and haven't looked back since.) :)  Put potatoes in a mixing bowl and pour melted coconut oil over them.  Mix them up and add salt, pepper and rosemary.  Spread out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Try to have them in one layer, not touching other potatoes to get the crispest chip.  Bake 15 minutes, flip potatoes, bake about 15 minutes longer.  Watch for them to get overdone, although I liked mine to have a little burned edge.  They are definitely best fresh out of the oven, but you can make a large batch ahead of time and warm them up on demand.

Another favorite recipe is brussel sprouts and bacon.  You can pour balsamic vinegar over it when they are cooked, but I like mine plain.  (brussel sprouts on the left side of the plate)  

*If you want this recipe, let me know. :)

I also just discovered spaghetti squash.  Do I think it tastes at all like spaghetti?  No, but I like the texture and I used it under one of my favorite proteins (buffalo chicken) for lunch.  It was yummy!

(side:sliced apples with almond butter)

There were a few challenging times.  Going out to eat is not the easiest so I haven't gone to many restaurants this past month.  Andy and I did have a date night last week.

We went to one of our favorite places, Masa, and I was able to get a tuna salad, with plain steamed brocoli.

We went to the movies after, and I was so sad not to be able to eat candy or popcorn.  I mean, what's the point of going to the movies if you can't eat junk while watching?!!  I made it though, and still enjoyed the movie.  ;)

This past weekend we went out of town, and so instead of hoping to find Whole30 approved foods, I decided the easiest thing would be to plan ahead and bring my meals.  So I made a list of what I wanted to eat

I tried to make simple meals so it would be easy to bring along.

I packed it in a cooler and brought a little lunch box so that when we went into restaurants, I could just grab my meal and carry it in.  It worked out great!  And, it kept me on the straight and narrow so I didn't get tempted to break my 30 day commitment.

There's been a learning curve of making sure I eat enough to stay full until my next meal, and not overdoing it and feeling overstuffed.  I'm finally getting into the swing of things and making many of these dishes are becoming second hand.  It does take quite a bit of cooking and preparation, but if you plan ahead you can prepare meals for several days, so that you are just grabbing things out of the fridge to put your meals together.  

There is supposed to be a reintroduction stage of the foods that have been cut out of your diet over the past month.  I really haven't thought past the 30 days.  I don't know what my first "post Whole30" meal will be yet.  It might just be a big plate of eggs, sausage, and brussel sprouts.   

(Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day!) :)

I do feel like I'm much more aware of reading labels and finding out what is in the food I'm eating.  One week after church we went out to eat, and I asked the waitress at the restaurant how the chicken was prepared that goes on a salad.  It's actually marinated in several items that contain sweeteners and other ingredients that aren't Whole30 approved.  I was glad I asked, but it made me think I want to be aware of this in the future.

But..... I do plan to enjoy life with those around me who love special treats.  I can't wait to celebrate Easter next week with my favorite Easter candy, Robin Eggs and to eat some of Drew's birthday cake! :)

*If you are interested in doing the Whole30, there is a ton of information on line, but I am more than happy to share with you what worked for me, so please ask!

Now, go enjoy a piece of chocolate (or cheese, or pizza, or ice cream, or popcorn, or _________fill in the blank) for me!!!!!

The Yes Project....Success?

So, I completed my project and can I tell you something?  It was....

HARD!

By lunch time I was worn out.  I was not expecting that!  I think it was because it required me to be more present and involved.  It was interesting to me how many times I still said my quick no without thinking and then immediately changed my answer to yes.  (side note:there were still a few required "no's" when some discipline was necessary, but I said many more "yes's" than I normally do.)

Here's a few tangible ways I said "yes" and what I learned from it.

The kids often ask to help me with breakfast, specifically stirring up the eggs.  That may not seem like a big deal, but if I say "yes" to one of my children, each of them wants a turn, and that turns into a much sloooowwwwer morning.  But, I knew I was going to say "yes" and it turned out to be fun and each of the kids really enjoyed being my helper.  And, the eggs turned out especially good that morning.  I'm sure it was from all of the extra stirring.  ;)

When we sat down to do our read-a-louds, we read this book...

Davis and Ellis love all books by this author.  We discovered this author through checking out books at the library.  They are very simple board/picture books, but they love the little baby character.  This particular book focuses on fun with a box.

So, we were reading this story (again) and the kids (again) said that they wished they had a birthday box to play in.  Now, this wasn't quite a "yes" and "no" question, but I knew that overlooking it is like saying a "no", so I excused myself and went and gathered some boxes!  (we have a few I've been storing since we will be moving)  The kids were thrilled!  But, even the fun comes with some conflict.  We had to figure out who was in what box, Ellis didn't want to share a box, the boys were figuring out how to fit all of their blankets and guns, etc. in the box.  So our usual snuggling, reading time on the couch turned into interruptions every 5 seconds, crying from Ellis, and Drew shushing everyone as he tried to listen.

Two days later, we still have the boxes out and they are still being enjoyed!

 After reading time, Davis asked to do school with us.  So often I dismiss him, because I need to get school done with Drew and Knox and figure if there is time leftover we can work on something.  But, I said "yes" and he was so excited!  I was able to enjoy working on the letter "K", from Confessions of a Homeschooler, and the big boys had some independent work they were able to complete in the mean time.  We had a great time together and I'm so glad I took the time to say "yes".

 

Here's a "yes" I wasn't sure of.  When I began working with Knox he asked if he could use a marker for his copy work.  I don't want him getting accustomed to using markers, but since I said I would say "yes" to all reasonable requests I said yes.  He really thought this was a special treat, and he did a great job with his handwriting (luckily)!

Drew was watching and said he wanted to use crayon, so I allowed it, and he began writing.  Within two words he figured out that writing with pencil was much easier, and switched back without my prompting.

As I reflected on this later, I realized that so often I tell them what to do and give them, what I think, are the best ways to do things.  I am glad I can be here to guide them, but often times I "think" for them.  I want to give them opportunities to test and try things on their own, and figure out what the "best" is for them.  Drew's writing was an example of this for me.  Instead of just telling him to write with a pencil, because I know he may need to erase and I know the point of the pencil is sharper and easier to write with than a crayon, he discovered this on his own.  It's time I extend the rope and give them a little more freedom, so that they can have opportunities to choose on their own what best choices are.  I hope I will remember that this will come with some failures AND choices that are different than what I would choose.

And....this girl asked to watch a show.  :)

I don't think the kids ever caught on to "The Yes Project", but I will say they definitely appreciated my willingness to allow them to do more, try more, ........and eat more! (they did get extra snacks, because they asked!) ;)

I found the following day, that although my experiment was over, my yes's came easier, and I considered more carefully what I said "no" to.  Although I was exhausted at the end of the day, I would say "The Yes Project" was a huge success!

The Yes Project

Today, it struck me how often I say "no" to the kids.

"No, don't jump on the couch!"

"Leave your sister alone.  Don't do that."

"Don't mess with him."

No, you may not have dessert."

I started thinking about some of the ways I say no without thinking about it.

"No, I can't get your water."

(I want to teach them responsibility, right?)

"No, we can't take a break from school."

(Because we need to make sure we get all of our books completed during our scheduled time, right?)

"No, we can't play a game right now."

(Because mommy's got a million other things I should be doing.)

But, are those the "no's" I want to say?  I know that "no" is necessary and needed at times, but are these the "no's" I want my kids to remember?

What if instead of saying no.... I said yes!

"Yes, I can get your water."

(because in this simple act I show you love and serving others)

"Yes, we can take a break from school."

(Let's laugh and play and have fun, and realize we can finish later.)

"Yes, we can play a game right now."

(The laundry, cooking, and cleaning will always be there waiting, and I can return emails and texts later tonight.)

What if?

Well, I'm going to try it!

Tomorrow I am participating in "The Yes Project".  Never heard of it?  Well, that's because I made it up!  (I think) :)  Tomorrow I plan to say "yes" to my kids as often as I can, and to put "no" on a shelf until Friday.  (unless bodily harm will come to one of my kids) ;)

So, if you happen to see my kids tomorrow, (which would probably mean you come and knock on our door since I'm hoping for an at home, in our pj's, doing school kind of day), please don't tell them!  If they get wind of my experiment I am sure the asks will increase from "can we have a break from school?" to "can we eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?" and "can you give me a thousand dollars?"  :)

I'll report back how it goes.  I don't expect this to become my new normal, but as I've been eating the Whole30 for the last 11 days I see that cutting out certain things are necessary in order to crave what's best.  My hope is that saying "yes" tomorrow will result in my considering more carefully what I say no to.

And just because I love to include pictures, here's a few of my little "soldiers".

Choosing what is best...and other news

This morning I came home a few minutes early from the gym and was anticipating having a little quiet time in my Bible while icing my knee.

I had no sooner written the date in my journal and "Lord, speak to me," when I heard the little pitter patter of feet making their way down the stairs.  I had a sweet little 4 year old come find me on the couch, as he held his "kiko" (blankie), and a tic tac toe game.  He asked me if I would play with him.  I almost dismissed him, because this was after all supposed to be my "quiet time".  But, immediately my mind started churning and I began to think about the sermon I was listening to while working out this morning.  (Disclaimer: I am not always listening to a sermon.  I just happened to put one on this morning.  I know how I can tend to compare myself to others so I don't want to give the impression that I'm working out every day and listening to sermons.)  :)  

One of the things that stuck with me that the pastor said was...

"It's not how much you know.  It's how well you know what you know."

I realized that this time was a gift.  It was an opportunity to knit my heart closer to Davis's.  With four kids close in age, time alone with each of them does not happen often.  We try to make special allowances for it...someone running errands with one parent, a "date" outing, etc.  But, as good intentioned as I desire to be, most days when I find moments alone I hide.  J/K :)  But, seriously it's hard for me to find the energy to want to either give up my alone time, or to find something to entertain the other three while I spend time one on one.

So this morning I realized that I had a choice.  But, both choices were good....time in my Bible, or time with my son.  This morning as I thought about what the pastor shared, I realized that it's not about how much I know, BUT instead, putting into practice what I know.  I know that I desire to love God, and love others, and this morning I had a wonderful time loving an "other" in my home.

I wrote in my journal this morning for the Lord to speak to me, and He certainly did, just not in the way I expected.

And can I just add that this kid was sooooo happy when instead of hearing a response I say too often of "maybe in a few minutes", he instead heard an excited "Yes!"

In other news....

Andy and I snuck in a quick pre-session getaway this past weekend to Orlando.  We planned on heading to some of the parks, but it was pretty rainy.

That was fine with us!  We were still able to do several of our favorite things.

We ate... A LOT!

We road Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror before the rain began.

We went to an afternoon movie at Downtown Disney, worked out at the hotel gym, and ate some more.  Then we enjoyed Cirque Du Soleil for the first time!

It was so nice to have this time together before session began.  I'm so grateful to my parents for always being willing to watch the kids and the kids LOVE time at Mimi and Papa's.  This trip there were crafts, games, movies, and they scored some pretty cool treasures at a yard sale with Mimi.  :)

In more news....

This one is constantly telling me that she is a "big girl" and is proving it by insisting on peeling her own banana.

These kiddos got themselves ready for our homeschool group Monday.  Notice a theme? :)

These two were entertaining themselves at Knox's baseball practice by pushing each other over into forward rolls.  Kept everyone happy and laughing for a good 5 minutes.  :)

Decided to challenge myself with the Whole 30 this month.  Ever since the holidays I have really let sugar and treats sneak back into my daily diet.  Since I can't workout to the intensity that I could prior to my knee surgery I need to clean up my eating and I am curious to see if this will help aide the recovery of my knee and femoral nerve that was damaged.  If you've done the Whole 30 PLEASE feel free to give me advice and tips and if you haven't, but want to join in, let me know and we can share ideas and keep each other accountable and celebrate together with pizza and candy when it's over!!!  Wait, that's not what I meant to say..... :)

"TGI almost F!"

Why? Here's the Answer

I heard this song at the gym yesterday and was so blessed by the words.  I was on an elliptical machine and closed my eyes and worshiped the Lord.

I love how, no matter where I am (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) the Lord speaks to me.

Enjoy!

(and listen for the last line, my favorite) :)

Frozen in Indecision

I haven't done as many house updates as I thought I would, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been a major part of our life.  In fact, it has at times felt like it has taken over our lives.  It seems like once we make one decision and feel like we have some breathing room, we are faced with another decision that needed to be made yesterday!

Going into building, we had several people who commented about how difficult building would be.  "We know," would be our nonchalant response.  

We did know that it would be difficult, or at least we THOUGHT we knew.  We knew there would be decisions about colors, counter-tops, cabinets, and lots of other words that start with "c".  Haha! (Not sure why I chose all "c" words).  Maybe it's because that's what we've been dealing with lately.  :)

But, we really had no idea the magnitude of each decision and how many decisions there would be.  I thought I knew what I wanted and what I liked, but when faced with options.....well, that just magnified my already indecisive self and honestly there have been times I couldn't fall asleep at night as I lay anxiously considering all of the selections before me.

This week, I found help in the most unexpected place.  But, it's just like God to speak to me in an unforseen way.

I picked up this book that my sister-in-law got me for Christmas.  I have been wanting to read it, but time and energy have kept pushing it down my "want to read" list.

I knew I would gain great insight from this book, but I was expecting to receive direction on how to balance my life in a healthier way.  Do you ever do that?  Do you head into time with the Lord praying or reading the bible "knowing" what you expect or hope to get from it?

So I began to read and was looking forward to getting some general insight into life decisions.  As I read, I related more and more to so much of what Lysa wrote.

When I got to the chapter titled "Analysis Paralysis" I began to get clarity into my struggle with making many of our house decisions.  As Andy's work schedule has increased again recently, I have been faced with many of these house decisions on my own.  For most of our building process I have been able to consider decisions, and then bounce ideas off of Andy, or look to him to make the final call.  That's one of the characteristics I love so much about Andy.  He is very decisive.  He's able to make a decision fairly quickly, and once he does there is no looking back.

Me, on the other hand, I can consider decision for days or weeks, and then hesitantly make a decision, and then often for days and weeks to come I will think about whether or not I chose the correctly.  It's enough to drive a person insane!  :)

So building the house, with constant decisions, has shown me a lot about myself.  It's shown me that I often doubt my ability to make a good choice and it's shown me that I fear making mistakes.  This isn't just in building, but it carries over to my every day life.  I discovered that at times I try to escape or veer away from areas that require decisions.

So back to the book.  One of the first sentences that struck me in this chapter was:

"Fear of failure is the real cause of our analysis paralysis."

This sentence couldn't be more true.  I have heard a number of people say to us that no matter how hard you try to make good choices while building, you will move in and wish you did something differently.  I don't know if I took that as a challenge, or it increased my fear, but subconsciously it became my goal to try not to have any regrets.  Honestly, I just don't know if that is possible.  I remember one time a pastor sharing that he got his first new truck after spending a life time with older and used vehicles.  He tried to keep it nice, and would park way out in a parking lot so that no one could possibly hit his truck with their car door.  Well, inevitably one day it finally got a scratch.  Instead of being upset, there was a freedom that came with that first scratch.  His truck wasn't "perfect" any longer and now the fear of that first blemish was gone.

Lysa said she has stayed stuck in the analysis paralysis so may times, trying to figure out which choice is the perfect one.  If she couldn't pick the perfect one, she'd rather stay stuck.  But, eventually she realized that there are no perfect decisions.  She also shared that many times we are faced with a good choice and a good choice.

As I think about the house and our decisions I am aware of several truths.

1. Building this house is a huge blessing and one that I don't want to take for granted.
2. I am constantly faced with a good choice and another good choice.                                          (At the end of the day we are going to be thrilled no matter what colors and counter-tops we choose.)
3. In all areas of my life I can choose to allow the Lord to mold me and make me more like Him and to use my current circumstances to draw closer to Him.  
4. Life is more important that things.  It's really all about the Gospel and loving God and others.

There are many other truths that God has been revealing to me along this journey and I am trying not to dismiss them, but to let Him teach me, correct me, and guide me.

With the recent passing of our fellow home school mom, Leah, I am once again given a much needed perspective shift.  It's fun to get to dream about this new home, but ultimately I want to be focusing on and dreaming about my forever home; my home in Heaven with God.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4 

For those interested in the house, here are some quick pictures I snapped yesterday when I went to the house to make more decisions. :)

By the way, you will be happy to know that God has used this book to give me freedom about these decisions.  As I began reading this chapter this week I began making decisions left and right.  :)  Gone was the fear of mistakes, because I know they will happen, and gone is the desire for a "perfect" home.  I hope that I will remember to rejoice in the "mistakes" as I discover them and the wishes for different choices as I remember what the Lord showed me during this season and how He once again drew me closer to Him.  And lastly, how He shows me that nothing will be perfect here on earth.  Perfection is only in Him and with Him and the imperfections here on earth will keep us yearning for an eternity with Him.  :)

No Sting in Death!!!! Praise the Lord!

Thank you Lord for the example through Jesus that their is no sting in death.

If you haven't already, please read the post below.

Continue to pray for the Tucker family.

Community

*I've added a link at the bottom of the page if you want to help the family financially.


This has been a hard week.  This week a sister in Christ, a fellow mom in our home school community, entered into the presence of Jesus. 

Monday morning at the opening time for our group it was announced that this family had added a new bundle of joy a few days earlier.  A "pink" bundle of joy I must add!  They already had two boys, so there was a lot of rejoicing about this new daughter.  Little did we know, that within a few hours many of us would be brought to our knees praying for this mom's life.

Everything seemed to happen so quickly.  We received the prayer request, began praying, scheduled a corporate prayer time, emailed and texted friends and family to lift Leah up in prayer, and then waited.

Last night I slept with my phone, waiting for news.  Many of us talked and knew that if we woke in the night we would pray.  As I rose this morning and hadn't heard anything I was at a loss.  Again, all I knew to do was to pray.

I received the news about Leah's passing early this morning and was broken-hearted.  Not because I have any doubt of where she is, but because I think about her family, her boys, her baby girl, and the void many of us will feel when we return to class on Monday and her chair is empty.

Leah was a joy.  Every time I talked with her or saw her from across the room she was always smiling.  There was a realness about her that made you immediately feel comfortable and to know that you could be completely yourself.  She was a helper, always participating in any needs that arose in class.  What stands out to me the most though, is the love I saw between she and her boys.

Today, one of the moms in our home school group opened her home for us to come together.  As soon as I saw her email I knew we would join them.  Today I desired community.  Today we needed community.

Then tonight I watched a church unite and come together to support their Pastor, Leah's husband.  Earlier in the day a few women in the church organized a time where others could come together and pray.  There were hugs and tears, and then a time of prayer.  There was individual prayer time and then small group prayer time.  

At the end of prayer time, it was announced that Pastor Dan had come to briefly share.

As he stood in front of his congregation, who he referred to as family, I wondered what he would say in a moment like this.  I quickly got out my phone to take notes, because I could feel that it was going to be powerful and that I would want to read it again, and that I would desire to soak in the words of someone sharing in the midst of grief.

Here are some of the words Dan shared tonight.

"The goodness of God doesn't stop because of tragedy."

"I've been asked what I need.  I've gotten so much already.  Just knowing you care means so much.  Please don't let satan use this opportunity to do anything destructive.  God is still sovereign.  I hope He gets the glory out of this."

"We don't mourn as those without hope.  We have heaven.  Honor Leah's memory but take that opportunity to share the Gospel.  That's what it's still about."

After he left the room, before we closed in prayer, a man in the congregation stood up and said that we just witnessed a man who lives what he preaches.  To that, there were many amens.

As I was talking to my dad tonight he reminded me of something Pastor Jon Courson said after his 16 year old daughter died.  Someone said to him that they were sorry for his loss.  He responded, "Oh, I didn't lose my daughter, I know exactly where she is."

I pray we are all comforted by knowing exactly where Leah is, and that if we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, one day we will have the joy of joining her.  What a blessed day that will be for each of us!

In the mean time, as Pastor Dan exhorted us to do, tell someone about Jesus.  Lead someone to that assurance of knowing where they will spend eternity.  Let this spur us on to realize that all of our days are numbered, none of us are promised tomorrow, so be bold for Christ, share this wonderful gift that is free to anyone wanting to receive it.  Don't just pray for someone, pray with someone!

And remember this family in your prayers.

This is what was sent around last night, which is why it says to pray for Leah.  We know that where she is, she no longer needs our prayers. :)

But, please pray for Dan, Elijah, Joshua, and Zivah.

If you would like to give, please click on the link below.

Leah Tucker Memorial Fund