Contentment

Last night I read the book Henry and the Great Society by H.L. Roush cover to cover. The book was recommended by Angie at Maple Valley Off-Grid Farm. If you visit that link there is a post with a link to a free digital copy of the book.

Have you ever had a little voice inside of you urging you to get out of the rat race? A little voice telling you that you just want to get away from it all - to escape the busyness in your life that seems so meaningless and get back to a simpler way of life?

I've heard that voice since I was a little girl. As I grew up, the devil got a hold of that discontent in my heart and used it against me in many unhealthy ways. It wasn't until I was saved that I began to realize that nothing in this world was going to fill that empty place inside of me - only Jesus could help me do it.

Adam and I have been listening that voice for a few years now, which has prompted us to want to move somewhere quiet and build our own little homestead - a place where we can be self-sustaining and get back to a way of life that we feel has been completely lost in the secular world. This is our dream and God-willing we will achieve it.

We sit around many nights and dream up ideas for our homestead. We ask ourselves whether or not we could live without electricity like so many other families do when they try to build a home on their own. We dream up plans to start businesses and work together from home. The future is so exciting for us and we love that our possibilities are endless.

This book reaffirmed why my heart is telling me we need to get away from it all. Sometimes I just look at the world around me and think "Why?". Why do we need cell phones attached to us at all times? Why do people need to be in touch with us 24 hours a day? Why do I watch television shows that make me feel badly about myself or that cause me to have sinful thoughts? Why do I watch the TV at all? Why do we work so hard in order to pay for things we don't "need" or to pay for other people to do things we could do ourselves? Why do we pay other people for unhealthy food that we could be growing (much healthier) on our own if we were willing to put in the work? Why? Why? Why?

Sometimes it all seems like too much. I want out. I want to be free from the slavery in which these things and these "systems" in the modern world seem to have us bound. I want peace and health and most of all, I want my family to be content.

So I've been thinking a lot about contentment lately - and that is what the book I read last night was about. I think about the times in my life when I have felt TRUE contentment. They are simple times that have nothing to do with expensive vacations, electronics, or anything else having to do with money. The contentment I have felt came from being with my loved ones, being out in nature, doing satisfying work and/or feeling close to God.

And the more I think about it, a lot of our society and the progress we have made in the last half-century are all about pulling us away from those things that make me personally feel content. Our jobs have us working longer hours, keeping us cooped up in offices - away from nature and away from our families. Many times the work we do feels so trivial in the grand scheme of things and is far from satisfying. The things we buy with all of the money made working these unsatisfying jobs also pull us further away from our families and from nature - we spend hours in front of televisions and computers, forgetting to have actual meaningful conversations with the ones we love, especially God.

I want that contentment I feel on those special moments when I am with my family, playing together outside or working side-by-side. I want it all the time. And I feel I can have it, if I break the chains that keep me from it.

Everyone has these feelings - deep in our hearts I know we all yearn to get back to a simpler way of life. If you find yourself searching for contentment in your life, I suggest reading the book. It will open your eyes to things you may not have thought about and help you to begin asking yourself "Why?"

Our Day In Pictures

Peeled, cut, and made applesauce out of the bags of free fruit Nana brought us during David's nap. It's amazing how little sauce you get from three full bags of apples:



Gabe helped grate the cinnamon sticks:



Then he decided that licking them was more fun:



Peeled, cut, blanched and froze the free carrots from that package during Gabe's nap. I think we're set on carrots for a while:



Everyone ate applesauce at snack time and when Gabe finished his, he bothered David for more:



David decided to share:



And then decided not to share:



Gabe decided to steal the spoon:



And then Mommy had to step in:



The kid won't let you go near his mouth with a spoon, but attempts to feed himself. That's what happens when you don't introduce food until after 9 months:



Applesauce is messy:



Daddy came home early and played with his boys:



And we gave lots of hugs to Gabriel before he spent his first night away from both of us:



And since Gabe was gone and David goes to bed at 6:00, we watched a movie together and ate dinner in peace. Have I told you lately how much I love this man?:



Waking up without Gabe tomorrow is going to feel so awkward!

The Battle of Wills

They say you get it back ten-fold, right?! I was a stubborn child and it seems Gabe is growing quite "independent" lately...

Here's how our post-nap snack went today.

I open his bedroom door.

Me: Rise and shine sweetie! How was your nap?

Gabe pouts in the corner and won't answer me. I smell poop.

Me: Do you have a dirty diaper?

Gabe: NO!

Me: Are you sure?

Gabe: NO!

I pick him up and carry him to the changing table. The whole time he is stiff as a board and won't talk to me.

He kicks me a few times while I'm changing him and asks where Jodi, our babysitter, is.

Me: Jodi went to her house because Mommy is home from work now.

Gabe: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Meltdown begins. This same meltdown happened when I left earlier for work, so I'm not quite sure why it's happening now that I'm home.

Me: Do you want a snack?

Gabe: Yes.

He perks up like a little angel.

I get his snack ready and sit him down at the kitchen table.

Me: Let's pray.

Gabe: NO!

Me: Gabe, if you want your snack you have to pray.

He puts his hands together and shuts his eyes.

Me: Dear Father...

I wait for Gabe to repeat like he always does.

Me: Gabe, you need to say your prayer.

Gabe: NO!

Me: No snacks unless you say your prayer.

Gabe: Dear Father...

I continue the prayer and Gabe repeats me until we get to Amen.

Me: Gabe, you need to say "Amen."

Gabe: NO!

Me: No snacks.

Gabe: NO!

Me: You can sit here until you say "Amen!"

And so he sat there. For nearly thirty minutes. Like this:









Check out the tears and the snotty nose. And the sweet sweatbands on his wrists that he is obsessed with - you can tell by his sweaty bedhead that he needs those wristbands while he naps. lol

Me: Gabe, all you need to do is finish your prayer and you can have your snacks.



Then, out of nowhere I hear...

"Amen! Snack please Mama."

And so it begins. I'm in for it if he's anything like me.

Despite his little tantrums lately, I still am having a hard time letting him stay the night at his Nana's tomorrow. I have only been away from Gabe overnight one time - the night I was in the hospital having David. I missed him so much that I begged for them to let me go home and the soonest they would approve was 24 hours after the birth (this experience pretty much solidified my decision to have a homebirth the next time.)

I'd been holding off on letting Gabe stay the night somewhere for as long as I could, but Adam said it's time to cut the cord and let him have some fun at Nana's with his cousin, Lily. So, he'll be spending the night away from me tomorrow.

That is IF I don't end up driving over there in the middle of the night to pick him up because I miss him.

Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

A Perfect Winter Saturday

Today we woke up to the first real snow of the year and I was so excited. I always figure if it's going to be cold and dreary outside, the least I can ask for is snow to make it pretty. Plus, in my opinion the snow makes Christmas much more magical!

Adam watched the boys and made breakfast while I taught a dance class in the morning. The class is going really well! The church has asked me to perform in January and I am working on figuring out what song I would like to use. I'm sure I'll post a video of the performance one day if I'm feeling brave.

When we got home Adam took Gabe outside to play in the snow.





Gabe had so much fun. And I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear watching him frolic and giggle.



Daddy taught him how to make snowballs - two seconds after I took this picture I got pelted in the belly with one.



Gabe tortured Max by chasing him around.



Adam collected some firewood.



And then they made a snowman that Gabe named Gabriel.



He would point to himself and say "Gabe" and then point to the snowman and say "Gabriel" - it was adorable.



Then everyone got a bath and we enjoyed some homemade beef and vegetable stew. Afterwards Adam made a fire from the wood he collected.

Now I'm getting ready to finish one of my last Christmas sewing projects by the fire.

Life is good!

Happy Tryday

Today I thought I would try sardines for the very first time. They are high in omega-3s and Iron, so I figured they would be a good, easy snack if I liked them.

I was scared they would taste a lot like anchovies, but was pleasantly surprised to find they didn't at all. They sort of reminded me of canned tuna.



I'm not sure why I felt like arranging the food to look like Mickey Mouse.

I served the sardines over noodles drizzled with olive oil and fresh parsley for Adam, but I had to eat them plain since I cut out wheat/gluten. We also had a spinach salad with lemon juice and olive oil and a side of boiled cabbage drizzled with vinegar. Yum yum - it was a meal full of superfoods.

We even got Gabe to eat a sardine and three pieces of broccoli tonight. It's amazing what pretending that his muscles are growing and squeezing them to check between bites will do!!

Have a great weekend :)

Merry Christmas Y'all

Yee Haw!!

From Adam, Jess, Gabriel, David and Max :)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Diets

Our lives are riveting, I know. Lately it seems like all I talk about is food and sleep.

We are obsessed with food in this house.

Adam's Diet

He's on the last week of his detox and I am so proud of him! He fasted three Sundays in a row and his will-power was amazing. Last Sunday we went to his mother's after church and she had spent all morning making cookies and white chicken chili. Adam watched football and sipped tea while the rest of us stuffed our pieholes.

I am also proud of him for listening to God even when he didn't want to and it didn't make sense. Adam wasn't expecting to be cured of his pain simply by changing his diet for three weeks, but he knew that God was asking him to change some of his unhealthy habits to create an environment in his body that will promote healing.

Changing these habits has forced Adam to ask God for help in avoiding temptation and also has brought the two of us closer together. So for those reasons alone, I would say the detox has been a success. He only has two more days and then he told me he wants a huge steak with steak sauce and a fruit cobbler for dessert :)

Gabe's Diet

Since we got the green light for tomatoes on Wednesday, Gabe has had spaghetti and ketchup without a reaction. Yay!!

David's Diet

Sigh.

My boys are allergic nightmares.

Something is going on with poor little David's body.





His eczema is BAD! He has always had rough patches on his outer thighs, but since the weather has changed it has gotten progressively worse.

Plus, he recently broke out in the worst diaper rash he has ever had.

What does this have to do with diet? In my opinion, everything - since eczema is an immune system issue and I believe that diet plays a huge role in a healthy immune system, it has to be something he is consuming. The problem is, he really only eats maybe one banana, a few grapes, some apple slices and something green each day. And he had the eczema before he started eating those foods.

Besides that he lives off of breastmilk. And he's never had any of the top eight food allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, soy, and wheat) so it has to be something I am eating and he is getting through my milk.

This leads me to...

My New Diet

I am doing an elimination diet to help determine if something I am eating is causing his eczema. I plan on breastfeeding him for as long as possible, so I am willing to invest the time in doing this.

I don't eat soy, so I know that isn't what is causing the eczema. I read somewhere that many doctors think wheat and milk contribute to the condition. So, starting tomorrow I am cutting out wheat. If it doesn't help, I'll cut out milk.

This kind of stinks, because I eat a lot of both of these foods. A life without butter sounds so sad.

But my gut is telling me (literally sometimes) that neither of them are really that good for you anyways (at least not in the forms in which most Americans consume them), so cutting them out will probably be good for me and my Crohn's Disease in the long run.

A lovely internet friend of mine sent a surprise package full of soy, egg, and dairy-free sugar cookies today for me and Gabe (thanks SP - you're the best). When I got it I ate five of them - I had to get my fill of wheat before I can't have it for a while and have to live off of nothing but meat, fruit and veggies!

This is how I feel about the new diet (actually, I just got a new camera and was fooling around/liked the picture. lol):



I'm also trying calendula cream on David's eczema to see if it helps. Besides that we are only bathing him once a week and have put a humidifier in his room at night to see if it will help. Any advice is greatly appreciated. What worked for you if you have dealt with this before?

At least he doesn't seem to mind it that much!







Just as I was sitting here typing this, Adam's mother knocked on our door and delivered this box full of locally grown produce that a friend of hers didn't need. We now have enough apples, carrots, and cabbage to get us through the next month! Just in time for me to go on my veggie/fruit binge.



God is amazing, isn't he?!