Food. aka give me a cookie.

The first week of 7 is super hard: Food. The author, Jen Hatmaker, chose 7 foods and that’s all she ate for a month (whole grain bread, chicken breast, eggs, sweet potato, spinach, avocado, and apples) with modest amounts of salt and pepper and olive oil. The cool thing about 7 is you’re free to make it your own. I started out thinking that I wanted to exclude 7 foods, but in the end I decided to pick my own 7.

I included Jen’s chicken breast and eggs, but I wanted to try going gluten free for a week, so I swapped for gluten-free tortillas. I also included balsamic vinegar (very importantly, this does not mean sugar-laden dressing, just real balsamic vinegar and one particular dressing that’s just vinegar and oil and no junk or gluten). I was going to limit my list to pears, sweet potatoes, spinach and avocado, but in the end decided to include all vegetables and fruits. I also have had some 100% fruit juice mixed with sparkling water, salt and pepper, and olive oil for cooking.

What isn’t on this list… cookies, bread, cheese, milk, ice cream, candy, cookies, brownies chocolate, soda, wine, beer, coffee, iced tea…. A lot of more. Those are the ones I really miss. Especially iced tea, and super especially baked goods.

I have had a few moments when I thought I might lose it. The first was day 1. I drink coffee or tea every day. Lately, I’ve been drinking a glass of iced tea every morning. The night before day 1 included a trip to urgent care for a massively painful canker sore, which meant I was already limited what I could actually eat. And it turns out that my body is pretty accustomed to caffeine, so by the afternoon of day 1 I was completely useless, laying on the couch, a combination of the migraine from the caffeine withdrawal and feeling generally blah from the canker sore and resulting antibiotics. Normally that’s exactly when I want sugar. Day 2 was a little better, the headache more mild, and then we went to church. Being on the hospitality team, it’s my job to put out all of the trays of goodies after the service. And one person was so kind as to bring a full tray of caramel brownies (my kryptonite). I had to prepare, set out, clean up, and wash that tray. Oh, and then Carter had to go to urgent care immediately after church. Fun times right off the bat. Yesterday in Sprouts I almost cried in the bakery section. Seriously. It’s also Easter time and Cadbury eggs call my name from my very own pantry, along with their friends Starburst jelly beans. Today I ate some clandestine food, a salad with turkey breast and a little avocado mousse which probably had a little cream, but that’s been it.

But in all of this complaining, there’s been a lot of good perspective. Our entire culture revolves around food, almost to the point of worship. My so-called problems are really nothing compared to the millions of people who are actually hungry. We have over 650 food items in our house. That’s a real problem. I’m hoping that over time we have far, far less. SO much less! I’ve had to focus on why I’m doing this, and I really like how Jen Hatmaker sums it up as a prayer of less of me and my junk and more of God. Our bodies are temples, and Little Debbie is not the high priest. Day 1 we watched Hungry for Change, which was mostly stuff I already know and yet altogether convicting and encouraging. We super blessed to live in America, where we have so many healthy food options. And I have an amazing supportive husband who did this all with me and even made dinner every night. I also found out that I tend to eat little things mindlessly, which I noticed when I almost accidentally popped a jelly bean in my mouth about 50 times.

So tomorrow is the end of my 7 days. I don’t physically feel much different, but spiritually I really do want to be conscious in this area of food. 

7

Obligatory Hello Neglected Blog! Okay, now that that’s out of the way…

I recently embarked on a new book journey. Back in September, some of my new neighbors asked me to join their Beth Moore study. I did, and I liked it and I liked them. We just finished that and started 7 Experiment: Staging Your Own Mutiny Against Excess.

Here’s the little blurb about the book:

Do you feel trapped in the machine of excess? Jen Hatmaker was. Her friends were. And some might say that our culture is. Jen once considered herself unmotivated by the lure of prosperity, but upon being called 'rich' by a child who was living in poverty, evidence to the contrary mounted, and a social experiment turned spiritual journey was born. This study will lead you through this same experiment, at whatever level you choose, in seven key areas: food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, and stress.

What's the payoff for living such a deeply reduced life? It's the discovery of a greatly increased God a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends a social experiment to become a radically better existence.

I felt like all of those things had been stirring in my heart. Something about needing 2 FULL loads in a 20 foot Uhaul to move four people (plus more stuff crammed in cars and vans) makes one stop and think about how much stuff is really necessary. So I knew I needed to do it, and I was a little scared. Okay, a lot. I'm on week 1, and I sincerely plan on writing a little about each week to reflect and remember. 

Hello 2013.

It’s a little crazy that I didn’t post a single word in December. But December was a little crazy, along with every day of our life.

Last year, I resolved distinctly not to resolve to anything. We were right in the midst of life swiftly and quite effectively kicking our butts in one of the hardest seasons of our lives. I just wanted to survive it and someday be past it. I think maybe we finally are, but it took most of 2012 to get there.

Looking toward 2013 is new and exciting and different. I pray that it’s a year of growth, of peace, and of joy. I’d like to leave a few pounds behind, eat a few more salads (although I tend to oppress the health benefits with piles of cheese and dressing and all the reasons those aforementioned pounds are sticking around), organize the piles I shove in bins and boxes when I’m trying to clean and don’t have enough time to do it.

I want to cherish today. I really want to take more pictures and capture and remember my precious children just as they are now. I have to start writing down more of what Carter says, because those gems are too precious to forget. I want to cherish my time in the Word. I want to actually go on dates with my husband, something we didn’t do nearly enough of in 2012, and cherish our marriage. I want to cherish our friendships and the family we have in our lives.

I guess that’s my word for 2013. Cherish. Cherish means to hold dear and love, but it also means to care for. There’s an element of intention, a responsibility.

And I’m just going to pretend like Madonna didn’t ruin that word for all of time. 

Full of gratitude.

I am full to the brim with thankfulness this year. Overflowing, even.

I am so thankful for the little people in my life. My sweet boy who lights up my life, makes me laugh each and every day, helps me grow and learn so much. My wild girl who brings joy to my heart, with her adorable smiles and the best hugs, her sneaky antics, and the way she curiously observes the world.

Of course I'm thankful for lots of bigger people too. Among them is a husband who is as involved a father as he could be, who keeps me grounded and keeps me laughing (sometimes at myself).

I'm thankful to have the last year of our lives behind us, to leave some of the pain and frustration, but thankful to carry on those lessons learned and perspective gained in those difficult times. Although it's not perfect, I'm thankful for the season we're in. Thankful for our relatively good health, for little things like warmth in our home and cupboards full of food. For cars that drive us where we need to go.

For the new babies around us, and for the much-prayed-for baby growing in the belly of a dear friend (who I'm guessing will be happily passing up a glass of delicious wine this Thanksgiving).

We're thankful God is giving us an opportunity to help plant a new church, even though we're sad to leave behind the church we've called home for over 7 years and friends we've grown to love like family.

If I counted a day of thankfulness for everything I'm thankful for, I could probably go on for a year. A few days ago, Carter was running around the grass playing with his sister. Completely unprompted, he paused for a minute and sprinted over to me and said "I just told God a nice thing. I told him 'we're so happy you made us!'" I can't come up with anything better than those precious words. I'm so happy to be here, in this life, and so thankful for all the many, many blessings I've been given.

Parents of the year.

Courtesy of the New York Times, "Thrill-seekers watched the tide at Hampton Beach in Hampton, N.H."

Evacuation orders and natural disasters always bring about some interesting behavior, but these people really need to get their kids away from the biggest storm to hit the US, maybe ever. Especially that sweet girl in pink clinging on for dear life. She needs to be home snuggled with a blanket and some hot cocoa. 

Conversations with Carter

Carter really does say so many things that catch us off guard or are just so funny, I can't even remember them all. This is my attempt to capture some recent treasures-

Last night, when getting ready for bed:
"Daddy, it's getting dark outside. The earth is rotating."

Driving home from school, when I was trying to ask him how his day was:

"I'm not telling you about my daaay! It was just lots of things that were boring. All my friends were just ransacking. I'm just kidding about that."

The boring thing is a variation of what we sometimes tell him when he asks about work stories we're telling. Also, to my surprise, he correctly defined ransacking. 

He is so into Star Wars right now. When I picked him up from school, he was perched on top of a tunnel/toy thing they have and he exclaimed:

"Mama! I was racing to the planet! It was about to explode! but I saved it."

His teachers may start questioning our parenting. 

Weekend Recap

1. SeaWorld at Halloween with small children is awesome. Two words: Treat Stations.

2. Getting stuck at the top of the sky tower is not. Two things you don't want to hear from the ride operator: "the mechanics are on their way up" and "this is making me a little nervous, too."

3. Three story Targets are cool, but I think I'll stick to my one story Target.

4. Jillian Michaels is trying to kill me. Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred is not kind. I was yelling at the tv, and today I'm sore in places I don't even understand.

Hebrews 3:13

But encourage each other every day, while you still have something called “today.”

Sidenote: this is from the "Easy-to-Read Version." I did not know there was such a thing, but for some reason I think it's funny. And although it feels like a less Holy version of the Bible, I like this particular translation. And this spoke to my heart this morning.

Shock and awe.

This morning, Carter wanted pancakes with "whooped” cream. I am not normally the parent to indulge my child in dessert topping for breakfast, but it's Friday, it wasn’t a plate of it, and he was going to school soon after where he more than burns off his energy.

So I agreed, but I told him he had to eat it at the table. He likes to sit on the couch for his morning snack, but I’d very much like to phase that out. In the new house, he can sit at the table and still see the tv (our deal is that if he cooperates and is all ready to go, he can watch a show before it’s time to go). He protested, and I braced for a tantrum. I explained that I didn’t want food on the couch and that the new rule was that we were going to eat at the table. (Followed by “Isn’t that so exciting?! Isn’t that a great idea?!”)

Here’s where it got weird. He listened. He hopped down off the couch and came over to the table. Mark it on the calendar, the morning of September 21. The first time my son complied. Calm, rational, logic won him over. I continued to praise him about 5 times.

This is really amusing because I am just about out of ideas with his spirited defiance. These books are currently in my Amazon cart, while I’m weighing which ones to buy:

Taming the Spirited Child, You Can't Make Me, Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child, Try and Make Me!: Simple Strategies That Turn Off The Tantrums and Create Cooperation, Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, and Kids, Parents, and Power Struggles, among others.

I know this isn't that big of a deal. I shouldn't really be so surprised that my kid listened. But anyone who thinks that doesn't really know Carter. Oh, that child. His purpose in life is to test and grow me. 

Four beautiful letters.

While it's sad in some ways to close this chapter, but we are so thankful to be done.