6.27.2011

Knowing

I was thinking: wouldn't it be cool if we could tell someone was a Christian just by looking at them? For instance, maybe every God-follower could dye their hair blue. Or every disciple of Christ should have "disciple of Christ" tattooed on their right forearm. Hmm....

Or maybe, every true Christian should have a face that reflects peace and joy, and their actions should show patience and kindness.

"they will know we are Christians by our love"

Do people know? Do we look different? Do we act different? I have heard some people say the people in the grocery store were kinder than the ones they met at church. What has happened to us?

If you feel convicted by this, I do not apologize.
If you have been mistreated by someone who claims to be a Christian, I do apologize.

We are not perfect, but there is One who is perfect and His love extends to everyone. We are supposed to reflect His love and grace to others and sometimes we fail. He never fails.

Isn't it terrible---awful---condemning---that we should have to say to someone, "Look at Christ, not at Christians."

6.25.2011

These days

I wrote this a couple weeks ago and forgot to post it

We said we would do this diet at least four weeks, or for the whole summer if it seems to be helping. We are at three-and-a-half weeks now. PJ5 has shown a lot of improvement in behavior and vocabulary. He is responding to verbal directions much better. He also started drawing a LOT, which he did when he was little but then quit. NB is counting, and spelling words he's learned from a game. PJ5 got on a fruit kick for a few days there and I could tell the sugar was a little too much. I finally found a version of chicken nuggets they both love....However, it's a little time-consuming and messy.

Actually, this diet is somewhat time-consuming all-around. I've been trying to eat my meals before or after the boys, because making theirs usually takes awhile and they eat every crumb that I make! And in spite of the stash of frozen bean burritos (for protein) in the freezer, and carb-snacks locked in my bathroom, I have lost about 5 pounds. If you know me, you know I don't need to lose five pounds. I had just gained that weight and now it's gone again. I just don't always have time to eat every time I'm hungry. And I try to save for the boys the foods they really like. And I am just so busy!!

One reason I am so busy is that for the past two weeks I've been doing almost all the house chores, etc. on my own. Hubby has a big deadline at work and has put in many, many hours the last two weeks, so I have a lot less help from him than usual. He's even had to work the last few Saturdays, which is rare. So, on top of doing all this cooking I am trying to keep up with dishes, laundry, clean-up, shopping, etc. on my own. I keep telling myself this is only temporary.


I wonder: Do all mothers feel like they are trying to do the work of more than one person?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I think about the burnout he has at work and the burnout I have at home.

6.13.2011

Two weeks and counting

Well, we've been on this diet for two weeks now. I really expected NB to accept this diet better and PJ5 to be the picky one, but it has been the complete opposite.

I definitely see some improvement in PJ5. He is "tuning in" better and making better eye contact, trying new foods, and calming down somewhat quicker. He's also using more words and phrases.

NB has had a harder time on this diet, not wanting to try things and refusing to eat what I put in front of him. I've let him have a few Phase 2 foods, because I was worried about him getting enough. That could be why I haven't seen as much difference in him. He's eating a little better the last couple of days, so maybe we'll see some improvement, both in eating habits and in behavior. He actually ate a mini-hamburger I had in the fridge today. That's the first meat he's had in about five days. He is getting protein from eggs everyday.

Hubby and I have "mostly" followed the diet, except on date nights. He was sick this last weekend with bad sinus problems, so I got him some bread, diet 7-Up, etc. so that he could eat things that agreed with him. We had to hide it in our bathroom.

We really need to find a lock for our fridge so that the boys don't get into the eggs and break them. And so we can control how much fruit PJ5 eats. He may have gone a little fruit-crazy last week. We've gone through all the child-proof locks for appliances and the boys figured them out some time ago. If we could just figure out a way to get a padlock on there. (And I'm only half-joking.)

I also may look for some special shoes for the extended time I spend standing in front of the stove. Or maybe a special rug...

6.02.2011

I need a chicken

Yesterday we went through 16 eggs!!

At least two were thrown away because PJ5 broke them into a dirty bowl. Four went into a recipe for pumpkin pancakes which both boys really liked (but was a little time-consuming to make). But I think all the others were scrambled or fried, and all but two were consumed. Wow.

The first day I chopped up chicken breasts and fried them directly in olive oil and salt. I served them with honey for dipping and both boys ate them. I did the same thing yesterday and neither one wanted it. Go figure.

It's been interesting to see the boys different reactions. The first day, both boys ate fairly well although PJ5 was searching the cupboards most of the afternoon for more familiar foods. The second day, PJ5 continued eating a LOT, mainly eggs and fruit; while NB ate only a little and drank alot.
There is a yahoo group made of people who are, or have been, on this diet. It includes helpful tips and some recipes--yay! That is where I found the pumpkin pancake recipe. It's nice because you can use canned pumpkin. It's time-consuming because you have to make the pancakes very small or they fall apart when you try to flip them over. Several recipes require a food processor and I'm not sure I have one. (If I do, I didn't use it much and so would have put it out of the way.) They also share how their kids have responded during different phases of the diet.

I feel like I've spent tons of time in the kitchen the last two days. I need to figure out a way to cook ahead, but I'm still trying to figure out what the boys will eat well. I think I may cook several hamburgers and put them in the fridge or freezer for myself, so I can get some quick protein and keep going.

Maybe I need a cook, rather than a chicken.