After thoughts & Moving forward

After thoughts & Moving forward

So I have learned a lot from this experience and want to just let you all know what that is. I have had a lot of questions about how my body has felt and the overall effects that this has had on me physically. Overall, on this fast, I lost 7-8 pounds, which was great. While it was not my first goal to lose weight in this, it was definitely a desired side effect. I have been trying to lose weight for about 3 months now and had total lost 1.3 pounds before this. Stopping the sugar, caffeine, and processed food was definitely what I needed to give me motivation and to stop the cravings and not give into them. So this is the beginning of eating better and putting a stop the crazy way that I was eating before.

My sleep is the main thing that I have really enjoyed. I have had sleep issues for years now and, since stopping caffeine, I haven't had to take any sleeping meds (I usually use benedryl) once. So that has not only helped me feel better, but I haven't been tired during the day or had that slump mid-day at work that seemed to come with the caffeine and sugar intake. So, while I had a diet coke this morning, I think for the most part I am going to get off the caffeine. I just feel more awake and clear headed.

That is the other thing that I have noticed on this fast was how clear my thinking has been. I have been able to think a thought through and not get constantly distracted. I haven't walked into a room and forgotten what I was going in there for, and I haven't misplaced items nearly as much. I seriously haven't felt so much like myself since before having kids. I thought the sleep deprivation gave me some kind of brain damage, but it turned out it was putting all the crap in my system. I also have been more able to focus on my kids and my husband and really just be present a whole lot more.

One thing that did not go away for me was migraines and headaches. I had a headache everyday of this fast and some of the worst migraines ever. I think that this was mostly due to caffeine withdrawal  and the storms that have been here the last couple weeks. But I am glad that I did this, as I alway wrote them off saying that if I ate better, then they would go away. But apparently, there is something else going on that I need to see someone about, which is great information that I needed.

So, moving forward, overall with our diet, we are not going vegan but will be going mostly vegetarian (an occasional burger or something), I am giving up caffeine, drinking lots more water, we are going to be using more natural sweeteners, like honey instead of granulated sugar, and not eat as much processed foods. So yay!!!! I hope to be close to my goal weight by May as it is my best friends wedding and I would love to like the way I am looking by then.

Spiritually, this has been an amazing journey for my family. I have finally found out what Phillipians 4:13 means

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

While I have known this to be true in times of extreme difficulty that were outside my control - like when Chris got laid off, when Tate was in the hospital, or when close family members have died - I have never really taken it personally. He can strengthen me in every obstacle in my life and he wants to be a part of the big decisions and the little decisions. So when I want to eat the foods that were destroying my body, if I seek Him to strengthen me with that decision, He will.

I have also found 1 Corinthians 6:12 to be extremely pertinent to this fast and for me moving forward:

 "Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power."

While having a donut once in a while is fine, having one 5 times a week is not helpful for me. I had become a slave to Diet Coke and had not been able to stop drinking it for 20 years. While that may sound silly to some of you, it was a true addiction for me and I was powerless to get off of it on my own. but as 1 Corinthians 15:57 says:

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

I know for a fact that I could not have done this without God and his answers to my prayers and all those that were praying for me, and everyone who knows me can vouch for that. I really do appreciate all the grea

t comments and encouragement through these last three weeks. Thank you all and I encourage you to see what you are capable of through Jesus if you only humble yourself enough to ask.

Day 21!!! Wisdom in raising Tate

Ok so its the last day!!!! I am going to write a longer blog about the differences I have seen in myself along with how else this fast has effected me tomorrow. Today, I will write on wisdom in raising Tate. As Chris wrote in his blog yesterday it is hard to not to just have him along for the ride, but he deserves just as much time as the other kids so here it goes.

Oh my little Taterman, I love that kid. I went to a women's retreat last night and for most of the day today and God had some really amazing things to reveal to me. It was a great way to end the fast. One of the things was putting the scripture together in raising our kids. I discussed in an earlier blog about Proverbs 22:6 which states:

Train up a child in the way he should go,And when he is old he will not depart from it.

We talked earlier how this means raising up the child in the way that God intended for that child to be. This can lead to the conclusion that if we raise a child up in the way that we think they should go (like making them play soccer when they really want to play piano, or trying to make them an extrovert when God has clearly made them an introvert, etc.), we are saying that our way is better than God's.   Therefore, his authority means nothing to us as we can't trust him to make our children in a the way that is best. When we try and raise our children up in the way that we think is best we exasperate them and then go against Ephesians 6:4:

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

If we don't trust God in making our child the way that he intended, then how can we teach them how much they are valued by us and God? And how can we raise them to be what God intended if we aren't using God's guidance in making decisions about how they are raised?

Now I have to be careful because people could easily take this out of context and can make excuses for not raising them up in the Lord. God's word does not contradict itself. Sinful nature is part of all of us, so we cannot make excuses for our children's sinful nature, saying that God made them like that. We have to take the way that God made our kids and use that for good.

For example, if you have a super aggressive kid with lots of energy, you will just exasperate them by asking them to sit still and then you will get mad when they are unable to do that, and then disobey your instructions or hurt other people. However, if you are able to see that God made them with a strong will and lots of energy, you can use that to his/her benefit by having them play a sport or exercising in order to take good care of their body. This can also be a tool that God uses to teach about self control and how He is able to help them in times that they are struggling. If you are constantly yelling and trying to make them into something that they are not, that is exasperating them and not raising them up in the way that they should go.

Sorry it's a lot today, but God really has showed me what he has made me for during this fast, and that is to teach children their immense value. I feel that in society today, children are not valued in the slightest, they are killed in utero if they are an inconvenience or if they are not the way that we want them to be, they are banned from restaurants for being who they are, they are seen as a burden and a nuisance in so many areas that it hurts my heart. Of course there are kids shooting each other at schools, they are not held in high regard or as a gift from God, and if that is how you think of yourself, where else do you go?

I know I kind of went on a rant and not everything I said will be popular with all the people who read it, but that is how I feel. Last day, and this has seriously been one of the best experiences of my life. I will type more on that tomorrow :)

Day 20 -Tate's Future Spouse and Purity

So, it's come down to this. 20 days down. I can't help but to think of the words of the great(est?) all-girl soft-rock trio of all time, "Don't you know things can change, Things'll go your way, If you hold on for one more day, YEAH!"(all you Wilson Phillips fans know you're singing along).

We have had a lot of struggles and a lot of victories over these past 20 days. It has been taxing physically, emotionally, and financially. But the rewards have been incredibly noticeable in our communication with each other, with our resolve and commitment, and in our individual and collective walks with God. We have a very busy time coming up in the next couple of months as all the kids and I are back in school, I get to attend many Accounting internship recruitment events, and we become more involved in the inner workings of Jackson's school. It is important that we continue to recognize and implement the lessons we have learned through these three weeks as we move forward together. And, as the guest blogger, I would like to thank all of the people who have read, liked, and commented on (digitally or in person) this blog during this time. Your support, encouragement, and prayers have been noticed and are much appreciated.

Now to talk about our little Mr. T. That kid is crazy. I love him, but he's crazy. I'm not sure if this is something Jonelle has been thinking, but over the past 4 days of praying for him, I just keep on finding myself needing reminders that he's not just an afterthought. That sounds really bad, having just spelled it out, but I want to remember to remember him as he gets bigger. I am finding myself worried that in the midst of the busy-ness of life and the already established happenings of the other siblings, that Tate's needs will be neglected or minimized. I doubt that Jonelle (the thoughtful, loving, and nurturing mother that she is) would let that happen, but this has been a good way to plant that into my head as being important to recognize moving forward.

So, concerning his spouse and purity, I think his prayer is similar to that of Jackson's. We want him to value the gifts of his innocence, purity, and intimacy as he grows up. We are praying that the wife God already has picked out for Tate will have those same values, and that the love they have will be the God focused foundation of a great marriage. And, my prayer for myself is that I will be an example of what this looks like for Tate to see.

And here are a few of my favorite pictures of the little man:

OK, the food is all the same, especially tonight, since Jonelle is at her retreat in Park City. Fruit for breakfast. Almonds, fruit, and chips and salsa for lunch. And a can of Amy's Lentil Vegetable soup for dinner. Good food, but I am ready to have some bread and cheese. For those that don't know, I have recently decided to be a non-strict, mostly vegetarian. It has become obvious (painfully so, at times) that I could not be a vegan. The block of cheddar has been calling my name for three weeks, and tonight's turkey and cheddar crepes I made for the kids were very hard to resist.

"Break free from the chains......."

Day 19-Tate's school and friends

Day 19-Tate's school and friends
Sooooo I feel a little silly about this subject today as this seems so far away to have to worry about it. But it is always worth future thought. So we prayed for Tate's future schooling and that he would have good friends. Tate does go to daycare in the mornings when Chris has school, and it is not always a pleasant experience. He often looks like this when we leave:

So we also said a prayer that drop off is a little easier this year.

So for dinner tonight Chris made this amazing salad. It was a watermelon spinach salad, but I can't for the life of me find the recipe. We skipped the raw spinach and had red leaf and romaine instead. It had lettuce, avocado, olive oil, fresh basil, watermelon and some salt. It was so good, I had three bowls.

Update on how I am feeling on the fast.....so the weather has looked like this:

And with my pressurized headaches it has not been good. I have had a migraine all day but was able to use some medicine to hold it off. However, despite that, I feel like I am on top of a mountain top with my relationship with God, Chris, our kids, and extended family members. Mostly God has used the Bible and other sources to really give me clarity to learn of who I am, why I react the way I do to certain situations and how to change some things to help me live the life that He has planned for me. It has been great to have that, and while I can't wait to eat some bread, I am going to miss the closeness in fellowship with God that I am experiencing right now. Tomorrow and Saturday is the perfect ending to this fast as I am going on a women's retreat with my church up in Park City. I am really excited to see what God has in store for me and I get to spend some quality time with some great friends, overall good times. So Chris will be guest blogging again tomorrow. See ya'll on Saturday for day 21!

Day 18- Tate's Health and Wellness

Day 18- Tate's Health and Wellness

So today is about Tate's health and wellness. Our little man did not start off in the world in the best way possible. I had pre-eclampsia when I was pregnant with him, and it got pretty sever by the 35th week. I was hospitalized and my blood pressure was not going down so they induced me at 36 weeks, which is only one week premature. They didn't think that it would be a big deal but when he was born I got to hold him for one minute and then he was having trouble breathing. We found out that his lungs weren't fully developed, they partially collapsed, and he was put on a ventilator. I unfortunately had to be put on magnesium since my kidney's had started to shut down and I was on strict bed rest for 24 hours. Ugh, that was the worst 24 hours ever. Luckily, our little man is a fighter and was out of the NICU in a week.

Luckily he has been blessed to have pretty good health since then. He did get RSV when he was 6 months but was able to recover quickly at home. So our prayer today is just that he continues to have good health, is active and takes good care of his body. I am just so thankful that he is even here because 50 years ago he wouldn't be, and now look at him:

So as for the fast.....we are ready to be done. We haven't really made meals in the last couple days, just going off of what we have around. Not really the way that I would have it, but Chris has been sick, so it is what it is. I'm not cooking, that's for sure. I actually do like to cook normally but having to find stuff around the kitchen is way too tempting. 3 more days....

Day 17-Tate's walk with God

Day 17- Tate's Walk with God

So I'm going to try and keep this short as Jackson starts school tomorrow and I am not ready. So today we are focusing on Tate and his walk with God. Soooo for some background, Tate just turned two last month. He is a fun loving kid, with a great arm. We chose his name because it means "He who brings happiness" and he totally lives up to his name. Even with the terrible two's rearing their ugly head around here, he makes me laugh so much every day.  He loves it when I sing "Jesus love me" and wants to hear it every night before her goes to sleep.  Here are some great pictures of him just because he is so dang cute.

And this is what we had for dinner as Jackson had soccer practice, I had a meeting, and Chris was sick

The Rico stuff is really good, no weird ingredients but expensive. This fast is killing my budget.

Day 16- Wisdom for Raising Lily

Day 16-Wisdom for Raising Lily

Well its the last Lily day, which means only five more days! We prayed for wisdom in raising her to be the little lady who God intended her to be, help her get stronger in her strengths and minimize the undesirable behavior. For example, Lily is stubborn; that in itself is not a bad thing, but our job is to help her use that for her benefit and to help others, not to just get in fights with others because she doesn't want to admit she is wrong. To learn from things that she can improve on and at the same time, stand up for what is right and not back down. This is true for her "time management." I am one of those people who like to be on time, I am a planner, and like to keep on schedule. Lily, not so much. She is more of a stop and smell the flowers type of girl. I love that about her, that she appreciates what is going on around her, can live in the moment, and not worry about what other people are thinking. However, it is also my job to teach her some responsibility and how to use this to help her and those around her. So we work with it, I know that Jackson can literally eat breakfast, brush his teeth and get dressed in 15 minutes.....Lily is more like 45 minutes, so she gets woken up earlier, allowing her to enjoy her morning but also be on time for school. So this is our prayer that we can appreciate who she is and the gifts that God has given her, but also help her grow up into a responsible adult.

Ok so things with my body on the fast seemed to have evened out.....not craving anything (even Diet Coke!), but am definitely looking forward to a real meal. For dinner we had Easy Breezy Mashed Cauliflower and the Tahini Cakes that we had the first week. It was pretty good, cauliflower could have used a little less garlic but otherwise, Chris really has rocked the cooking. I on the other hand have just given up. 

So that is Day 16, and since it is the last day of Lily, I am going to add a couple other pictures that I love because its my blog and I can do what I want.