This summer I spent many days and even 20 consecutive hrs in the doctor's office attempting to identify the source of this tiredness, only to walk away with the diagnosis of "idiopathic hypersomnia" (i.e. you're really tired and we don't know why). Note that I had received a diagnosis of idiopathic hives approximately a year ago (i.e. you have hives and we don't know why). Two idiopathic diagnoses in a row can make one feel like quite an idiot...so I began to seek coping strategies--coffee, food, dt. mt. dew, repeat...but I couldn't shake the zombie-like state.
A very caring friend ask me almost weekly how I am feeling and my response is almost always "still tired." She seemed to be on a mission to find my cure--each week having a new suggestion: essential oils, vitamins, coffee, sleep, Whole30?
Whole30 and the concept that "it all starts with food" grabbed my attention. I began to read the book It Starts with Food and connected with the stories of real people who had changed their eating habits and changed their lives. Before finishing the first chapter I had convinced Adam and Rachel and Rachel to join me. I was excited to see where this journey would lead.
We are now at day 18 and I can say that while the idiopathic hives have not subsided, the idiopathic hypersomnia has dramatically decreased in intensity. I am not falling asleep at my desk or even in front of the tv. I have not felt the same feelings of tiredness while driving that would leave me frightened to be behind the wheel. I feel more in-control of my sleeping and waking and less grumpy to be awake!
Here is a breakdown of our meals over the past few weeks for those of you who may be interested in giving it a try.
Breakfast:
I make breakfast for the week on Sundays and we reheat throughout the week or throw together some eggs, meat and avocado.
Week 1: Apple Bumpkin Bake
Week 2: Tomato, Bacon and Arugula Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust--replaced arugula with spinach
Week 3: Lagniappe Casserole
Lunch and snacks: Fresh fruit, veggies, nuts and leftovers
Dinners:
Sausage and Cabbage Delight (WholeFamilyStrong) with roasted golden potatoes
Meatloaf "Cake" with sweet potatoes and veggies
Lamb Steaks, potatoes, and green beans with mushrooms
Seasoned fish, cabbage, and broccoli
Crock pot pork, asparagus and mashed cauliflower
"Nachos" with a base of home fries covered in pork, peppers and onions, salsa, etc.
Chicken thighs with artichoke hearts, mashed potatoes (with almond milk)
Zuppa--delicious--get sausage from Earth Fare or Whole Foods--ask the butcher about sugar and MSG. This recipe can be found @amazonashley on instagram--totally worth the effort
Slow cooker chicken and vegetable soup--we chopped up fresh veggies instead of using frozen and let the chicken cook with the veggies in the crock pot
Spaghetti squash spaghetti--roasted spaghetti squash and added ground beef with an approved (no sugar added) tomato sauce and a little coconut milk
Turkey burgers with avacado slaw, sweet potato fries and riced cauliflower
One pot curry (a favorite) --find it @whole30recipes on instagram
Bacon wrapped, apple-stuffed chicken with roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini and mushrooms
Unstuffed paleo cabbage rolls
Eating out:
We have eaten out a few times on the program.
Steak houses are the best choice while on Whole30 although Mexican is possible (fajitas with no shells).
Resources:
whole30.com
Follow @whole30recipes for daily inspiration
Wholefamilystrong.com
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Everyday Faithful
Snow days allow for lots of thoughts...here are some of mine.
"Life is usually pretty ordinary, just like following Jesus most days. Daily discipleship is not a new revolution each morning or an agent of global transformation every evening. It is a long obedience in the same direction." --Kevin DeYoung
A few weeks ago, Bart preached from Ephesians 5 as part of a series entitled "Worshiping and Witnessing Community" and, through the word of God, led us to consider HOW we worship...you can catch the message in its entirety here: http://www.cfcbirmingham.org/sermons#series_11
One of the main points was that we worship by walking in the light, abstaining from evil and modeling what is holy to those around us.
I have often struggled with the desire to have "big, SUPER-Christian" faith like that of missionaries who go to dangerous lands and theologians who write books that encourage thousands. Twice in my life I can see how these desires have let me to pursue noble things, good things, godly things, for ungodly reasons. The Lord convicted me of this once again and reminded me of the beauty of everyday faithfulness.
I have begun to think of the many in my life who exemplify this faithfulness. Ordinary men and women who may have never been to a foreign land, although I'm confident they'd go...who have never written a book, but may have still encouraged thousands.
I think of my dad, how each and every day he goes to work for many, many hours, and while there, takes every opportunity to encourage and spread the glory of his God.
I think of my mom, who encourages me every evening after school, and not just me, but many others who love to hear her voice on the other end of the line.
I think of my co-worker, who often finds herself weary after a day of giving, giving, giving to students who haven't been given enough, yet continues to come and work, knowing that these battles are not flesh and blood...but something more.
I think of stay at home moms, nurses, accountants, pastors, and widows...life can be weary for them all...who continue to strive for the glory of God.
I think of myself, and how I fail daily to live faithfully. Convicted and burdened for the lost and my own sinful soul on Sunday...frustrated and defeated by Monday...4th period to be exact.
So on this snow day, back to the throne I go, to beg for grace to be faithful here at home, where it is a little easier, and tomorrow or the next day at school as well.
"Life is usually pretty ordinary, just like following Jesus most days. Daily discipleship is not a new revolution each morning or an agent of global transformation every evening. It is a long obedience in the same direction." --Kevin DeYoung
A few weeks ago, Bart preached from Ephesians 5 as part of a series entitled "Worshiping and Witnessing Community" and, through the word of God, led us to consider HOW we worship...you can catch the message in its entirety here: http://www.cfcbirmingham.org/sermons#series_11
One of the main points was that we worship by walking in the light, abstaining from evil and modeling what is holy to those around us.
I have often struggled with the desire to have "big, SUPER-Christian" faith like that of missionaries who go to dangerous lands and theologians who write books that encourage thousands. Twice in my life I can see how these desires have let me to pursue noble things, good things, godly things, for ungodly reasons. The Lord convicted me of this once again and reminded me of the beauty of everyday faithfulness.
I have begun to think of the many in my life who exemplify this faithfulness. Ordinary men and women who may have never been to a foreign land, although I'm confident they'd go...who have never written a book, but may have still encouraged thousands.
I think of my dad, how each and every day he goes to work for many, many hours, and while there, takes every opportunity to encourage and spread the glory of his God.
I think of my mom, who encourages me every evening after school, and not just me, but many others who love to hear her voice on the other end of the line.
I think of my co-worker, who often finds herself weary after a day of giving, giving, giving to students who haven't been given enough, yet continues to come and work, knowing that these battles are not flesh and blood...but something more.
I think of stay at home moms, nurses, accountants, pastors, and widows...life can be weary for them all...who continue to strive for the glory of God.
I think of myself, and how I fail daily to live faithfully. Convicted and burdened for the lost and my own sinful soul on Sunday...frustrated and defeated by Monday...4th period to be exact.
So on this snow day, back to the throne I go, to beg for grace to be faithful here at home, where it is a little easier, and tomorrow or the next day at school as well.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Officially Waiting
When we were first starting this adoption process, I wanted to read the blogs of moms and dads who had been through this before and get a feel for their experiences as we embarked on our own. However, it was hard to find a blog where they shared their experiences during the wait. As we now wait, I realize that there just isn't much to tell...
This week though, there is an update. We received word that after almost a year of signing, approving, notarizing and apostiling papers, we are finally REGISTERED!
So...what does this mean? After approval from the state and federal government, our paperwork was sent to Bulgaria, the country from which we are trying to adopt. They looked over our papers and approved us for adoption, thereby registering us in their database. We are now one of the many families that could be selected as they place children. According to our adoption agency, the current wait from the point of registration is 1.5 to 2 years.
When our contact from the agency called on Thursday she said "You are now officially WAITING."
Really? I felt like we were already doing that!
Wednesday was a really hard day. The students seemed especially needy after 3 days of late starts and less structure than they require. I had been trying forforever a few days to get in touch with the adoption agency to see if we had been registered yet, as we had sent in our last piece of paperwork at the beginning of December. All of this brought about the frustration of an impatient heart. As I drove home from small group that night, I received a timely text from a consistent friend that let me know she was praying for me and had attached a blog she thought I should read.
http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/09/06/after-the-airport
When I got home, I sat down at the dining room table and read the entirety of the blog, each line resulting in more ugly tears and even ugly laughter...a mixture that few people other than Jen Hatmaker can produce. Adam walked in to find me a mess. After reading the blog himself while I blew my nose and cleared my throat, we asked the questions that you don't want to say aloud: "Can we do this? Are we crazy? For our FIRST? What are we thinking?" Not so quickly, but eventually, came the calm assurance..."No YOU can't but I CAN." The One who has blessed us with every spiritual gift, the One who will never leave us nor forsake us, the One who has conquered the grave, this God can, through us, love this little girl who hasn't had enough love. He can heal her broken heart, and He can give us the strength and patience to parent her well.
After all that, the words "You are officially WAITING" seemed filled with grace. We aren't ready just yet! So, as we enter the official wait, we continue to ask for your prayers, that we would trust His timing, His provision, and His purpose and be open-hearted to learning to lean on Him more and more as He prepares our hearts to lead the heart of another.
This week though, there is an update. We received word that after almost a year of signing, approving, notarizing and apostiling papers, we are finally REGISTERED!
So...what does this mean? After approval from the state and federal government, our paperwork was sent to Bulgaria, the country from which we are trying to adopt. They looked over our papers and approved us for adoption, thereby registering us in their database. We are now one of the many families that could be selected as they place children. According to our adoption agency, the current wait from the point of registration is 1.5 to 2 years.
When our contact from the agency called on Thursday she said "You are now officially WAITING."
Really? I felt like we were already doing that!
Wednesday was a really hard day. The students seemed especially needy after 3 days of late starts and less structure than they require. I had been trying for
http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/09/06/after-the-airport
When I got home, I sat down at the dining room table and read the entirety of the blog, each line resulting in more ugly tears and even ugly laughter...a mixture that few people other than Jen Hatmaker can produce. Adam walked in to find me a mess. After reading the blog himself while I blew my nose and cleared my throat, we asked the questions that you don't want to say aloud: "Can we do this? Are we crazy? For our FIRST? What are we thinking?" Not so quickly, but eventually, came the calm assurance..."No YOU can't but I CAN." The One who has blessed us with every spiritual gift, the One who will never leave us nor forsake us, the One who has conquered the grave, this God can, through us, love this little girl who hasn't had enough love. He can heal her broken heart, and He can give us the strength and patience to parent her well.
After all that, the words "You are officially WAITING" seemed filled with grace. We aren't ready just yet! So, as we enter the official wait, we continue to ask for your prayers, that we would trust His timing, His provision, and His purpose and be open-hearted to learning to lean on Him more and more as He prepares our hearts to lead the heart of another.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Entering 4th Trimester
On February 14th, 2013, Adam and I received word from our adoption agency that we were officially approved to begin the adoption process for a little girl (or two) from Bulgaria.
This past Thursday marked nine months from that day.
Thursday seemed special to me, perhaps it is my overly sentimental self. Throughout the day I thought about the thrill of that February day, how excited we were to tell friends and family. It seemed to me similar to the way you would feel if you were announcing a pregnancy. However, nine months have come and gone and there is no little Waters. Some days it seems we are further away now than we were 9 months ago.
Oh, but how we have grown!
-In patience. It is, humanly speaking, much easier to wait for something when you know approximately how long you will have to wait. For example, I knew when we were engaged that my wedding would occur on December 18. While the waiting was difficult at times, I could always look forward to that day. This, however, is so different. They could tell you "about 1 and a half years" and 1.5 years later you could still be 1.5 years away...we just don't know. However, God DOES know.
-In faith. When we pray about our adoption, we do so knowing that there is NOTHING we can do. We have to trust so many people along the way. For example, we are currently waiting on UAB to send Adam's medical records to a local doctor's office. We have no control over how quickly these people move. BUT we serve a sovereign God who has power over all of these
"The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." Proverbs 21:1
It has grown my heart to pray about things that I previously thought were controlled by man.
-In selflessness. "He has taken so much out of me that I didn't need." This is what a mom of two shared with me yesterday. She and her husband have been waiting for a little girl from Haiti for over two years. With basketball, Adam in school, fundraising, and paperwork, there has been little time for ME the last nine months. As an introvert, I definitely need some time alone, but even when I'm by myself, I am learning to serve, pray and focus outside of myself.
It would be naive of me to act as though these nine months have been rainbows and butterflies, or to pretend that the next nine will be any different, but along the way I am learning to trust.
I am so grateful to all of you who keep asking, keep praying, keep supporting. I pray that your heart will grow as well--for orphans and ultimately for our Lord.
This past Thursday marked nine months from that day.
Thursday seemed special to me, perhaps it is my overly sentimental self. Throughout the day I thought about the thrill of that February day, how excited we were to tell friends and family. It seemed to me similar to the way you would feel if you were announcing a pregnancy. However, nine months have come and gone and there is no little Waters. Some days it seems we are further away now than we were 9 months ago.
Oh, but how we have grown!
-In patience. It is, humanly speaking, much easier to wait for something when you know approximately how long you will have to wait. For example, I knew when we were engaged that my wedding would occur on December 18. While the waiting was difficult at times, I could always look forward to that day. This, however, is so different. They could tell you "about 1 and a half years" and 1.5 years later you could still be 1.5 years away...we just don't know. However, God DOES know.
-In faith. When we pray about our adoption, we do so knowing that there is NOTHING we can do. We have to trust so many people along the way. For example, we are currently waiting on UAB to send Adam's medical records to a local doctor's office. We have no control over how quickly these people move. BUT we serve a sovereign God who has power over all of these
"The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." Proverbs 21:1
It has grown my heart to pray about things that I previously thought were controlled by man.
-In selflessness. "He has taken so much out of me that I didn't need." This is what a mom of two shared with me yesterday. She and her husband have been waiting for a little girl from Haiti for over two years. With basketball, Adam in school, fundraising, and paperwork, there has been little time for ME the last nine months. As an introvert, I definitely need some time alone, but even when I'm by myself, I am learning to serve, pray and focus outside of myself.
It would be naive of me to act as though these nine months have been rainbows and butterflies, or to pretend that the next nine will be any different, but along the way I am learning to trust.
I am so grateful to all of you who keep asking, keep praying, keep supporting. I pray that your heart will grow as well--for orphans and ultimately for our Lord.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Adoption is a slow process...
When we began this journey many months ago, I had great intentions of updating this blog, and thereby updating those who were praying and supporting us. However, each time I thought to write, I found that I had nothing exciting to say. It has been almost 8 months of paperwork and waiting for approvals so that we could fill out more paperwork.
However, it seems that we are nearing a milestone!
A few weeks ago, after creating a paper portfolio of our life, we sent this portfolio off to Montgomery to receive the official seal from the state of Alabama.
This seal allows us to then send this documents into a foreign country...so we did :-) These documents are now in Bulgaria awaiting translation.
Here is a glimpse into where we have been in the process so far and where we are going:
We pray that God will continue to teach us patience and endurance and that you will enjoy the journey along with us!
However, it seems that we are nearing a milestone!
A few weeks ago, after creating a paper portfolio of our life, we sent this portfolio off to Montgomery to receive the official seal from the state of Alabama.
Here is a glimpse into where we have been in the process so far and where we are going:
Apply for and receive approval from adoption agencyComplete courses online to educate ourselves about the adoption process as well as common struggles faced by adopted childrenComplete four visits with social workerGather documents and recommendation letters for social workSocial worker writes home study and has it approved by adoption agencyFinger prints to receive clearance from state agencyHave all documents notarizedHave all documents sent to Montgomery for apostille (fancy seal)Send documents to Bulgaria for translationBiometric fingerprints for US Government clearanceMedical examination- Send US government clearance to Bulgaria
- Receive approval from Bulgarian government to be "registered" as adoptive parents
- Wait...wait patiently
- Raise money for final payment and travel expenses
- Travel for first visit
- Travel to pick up little girl
We pray that God will continue to teach us patience and endurance and that you will enjoy the journey along with us!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Google it!
That's my motto!
In class when we don't know the answer to something...that's exactly what we do. My students have learned the hard way, however, that when you google something you have to have the background to translate it.
For example, no matter how many times or different ways I google "deBroglie wave equation" I will not fully understand the explanation because my calculus and physics skills are just not up to par.
Perhaps that is why I can't "google" anything about this adoption stuff and find the answers that I am looking for...
Some of my recent searches have included...
"Establishing sleeping patterns with adopted child..."
"Food for recently adopted children..."
"Language transitions for adopted children..."
One that got me in trouble..."homestudy requirements"
Thanks to google Iwent nuts got prepared for the home study by
In class when we don't know the answer to something...that's exactly what we do. My students have learned the hard way, however, that when you google something you have to have the background to translate it.
For example, no matter how many times or different ways I google "deBroglie wave equation" I will not fully understand the explanation because my calculus and physics skills are just not up to par.
Perhaps that is why I can't "google" anything about this adoption stuff and find the answers that I am looking for...
Some of my recent searches have included...
"Establishing sleeping patterns with adopted child..."
"Food for recently adopted children..."
"Language transitions for adopted children..."
One that got me in trouble..."homestudy requirements"
Thanks to google I
- Buying cabinet locks
- Putting plug covers around the house
- Sweeping
- Dusting
- Mopping
- Pricing gun cabinet...too expensive
- Hiding ammo
Turns out none of this was really necessary!
In all our education, we seem to be finding more questions that answers....but perhaps that is the point?
It seems that in parenting, like in marriage, it is the journey to the answers that is important, more than the answers themselves.
Where will I turn when my child won't sleep? What will I do when she repeatedly misbehaves, or doesn't seem to know how to misbehave thanks to years of "training" at her orphanage?
Will I turn to the Lord in prayer or will I run to my computer and try out bing.com since google is yielding faulty results? Will I ask the Lord for patience and guidance or immediately post something on facebook?
Praying for grace for each day of the journey...and to choose each day to lean on Him rather than the wisdom of this world.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Blessings in Business
The past few weeks have been filled with crafting, teaching, Relay for Life planning and working on chemistry projects through A+ college ready...all while the adoption paperwork and upcoming home study take a back burner.
Here are a few updates from life.
Last month we raised approximately $1,000 selling crafts, monies which are currently in the mail to All God's Children International to be placed in our adoption fund!
We have a few new door hangers available, just in time for summer and Mother's Day!
Here are a few updates from life.
- Crafts: Marjorie, Rachel and I had lots of fun hanging out, meeting people and selling a few crafts at the Mt. Laurel Spring Festival today.
Last month we raised approximately $1,000 selling crafts, monies which are currently in the mail to All God's Children International to be placed in our adoption fund!
We have a few new door hangers available, just in time for summer and Mother's Day!
- Paperwork: We are about half way done with a training booklet on adoption and it has been so
terrifyingeye-opening. It seems to focus on the worst-case scenario, but it is encouraging us to ask good questions, discuss them and look for wisdom.
- Homestudy: We will have our first home visit on April 23. Prayers will be much appreciated on that day and leading up to. Also, if you have ever had a home study we would love to have a few pointers.
- School: My AP students are having a GREAT year! Their AP exam is May 4 and I can't wait to see how they do. I've been teaching some review sessions on Saturday for a little extra cash. It is very rewarding to be able to use my chemistry knowledge and training in education outside the normal classroom setting.
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