Sunday, January 30, 2011

hosting a terrific birthday party...

Rachel's Pajama Party



Atmosphere is important.  Dim the lights, light some candles, decorate the table with bedding, and mom, you need to put on your pajamas, too! 



Invite the nicest girls you can find.  They make the best kind of friends.



Serve chocolate cupcakes and don't tell anyone they are gluten-free.  They won't notice anyway.



Don't worry about the crumbs.  That's why there are 2 sheets on this bed!



Cupcakes work fine for the ten candles we had to light.



Have more games ready than you need.  (Use the internet!)  Go with the flow.  When the girls come up with flashlight hide-and-seek, ditch the idea for flashlight limbo.  Play Mancala and Apples to Apples Jr.  Know when to move on and when to backtrack.  Did I mention they liked flashlight hide-and-seek?


Make sure everyone leaves wishing they could stay longer.

Friday, January 28, 2011

The newest 10-year-old

 Today was Rachel's 10th birthday.  How is it even possible that our girl has hit double digits?



She dearly wanted a hamster, but we were very concerned about the allergy load already on us with two cats and a dog.  Fish were a worthy compromise.  She found the tank mesmerizing...and there aren't even any fish in it yet!



The day she was born, I dreamed of having her hair long enough to put up in pigtails and ponytails.  I have photos of every time I actually got to do this with her, which tells you how rare it was.  But lately, Rachel's been asking for braids, curls, and today...a pony tail.  And after 10 years I finally found a brush (this week!) that doesn't pull her hair.



We had two family parties to celebrate, and both were postponed due to illness.  But presents were delivered by Nana and Papa today anyway.  We'll get to that cake yet!


I really didn't understand why my mom cried when I turned 10...but I do now.


Happy birthday, Rachel.  You are so dear to us!!!


 

Sunday, January 23, 2011

halting the trend

For the past few years, I've had the privilege of leading women who are farther along life's journey than I am.  At first this role scared me to death, as I felt ill-equipped to handle a different season in life--one I haven't experienced yet.  However, as I've listened to their wisdom, walked along with them through trials, and peeked into heartaches, it has been an experience I treasure.  I'm so grateful to all these women who have given me a glimpse of their lives and hearts as they have walked trusting Christ in places I have not yet trod.

One particular area of heartache has gripped me as a mom of young children: hearing mothers of grown children expressing concern over one, two, or more of their offspring who were raised in the church and active in youth group, then went their own way in their young adult years.  We pray often for each other on these issues.   These are godly women and often their kids have attended solid churches.  What went wrong? 

It was with that concern in mind I recently picked up Ken Ham's book Already Gone.  With the help of a poll conducted by Britt Beemer, Ken carefully looks at the epidemic proportion of young adults who are leaving the church.  According to statistics, if you look around your church youth group on a Sunday morning, it is not unreasonable to fully expect two-thirds of those young people to leave the church when they leave home.  Some of them will return when they have their own children, but most will never come back. 

What Ken discovered is intriguing and alarming: many young adults who seem to leave the church after high school were "already gone" before they left high school, or even jr. high.  When asked when they began to question and even reject Christian teaching, these young adults cited these years as the ones in which they made their ultimate decisions about Christianity.  Shockingly, it was not their college years or experience that tipped the scales in either direction.  Furthermore, those who had grown up attending Sunday School were actually more likely to question their beliefs, embrace the world's values, and exit the church doors.  The reason for the abandonment of faith given was a disconnect in church to what they are experiencing in their daily lives.  They have no answers to provide a solid Biblical foundation which will counter the things they are learning at school about evolution, moral issues, and the things that matter most to them in life.

According to their poll, those who have attended Sunday School are actually:

  1. More likely NOT to believe that all the accounts/stories in the Bible are true/accurate.

  2. more likely to doubt the Bible because it was written by men.

  3. more likely to defend premarital sex.

  4. more likely to accept that gay marriage and abortion should be legal.

  5. much more likely to believe that God used evolution to change one kind of animal into another.

  6. more likely to doubt the Bible because of the secular dates of billions of years for the age of the earth.

  7. much more likely to have become anti-church over the years.


Thankfully, Ken Ham does not suggest that we quickly pull our children out of the Sunday School program.  He does, however, call into question some of the ways we teach our children and suggests ideas to help remedy the problem.

First, we need to equip children with Biblical information on creation to help counter the evolutionary theories that are so prevalent in our culture.  This means we need to start teaching apologetics, even in preschool.  Whether in lessons to children or to adults, our congregations need help in understanding how things like dinosaurs, the fossil record, and Noah's flood fit in with scientific discoveries and the biblical account of God's creation of the world.

Second, we must teach Biblical authority, starting with the first book of the Bible.  It is there that we learn about the creation of the world in 7 days, the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, the problem of sin, the creation of races, and other issues that shape a Biblical Christian worldview.  Perhaps one mistake we are making is in teaching Bible stories, interpreted as a narrative that may or may not be true but from which a good, moral lesson can be learned.  The Bible instead must be taught as historical fact, including details on how/where/why such events took place.  Use this teaching to ask important life questions, using the text to make connections to the questions of our day and to defend matters of faith.

Where is the message of salvation in the remedies Ken Ham suggests?  Actually, a correct understanding of Genesis issues IS the basis for our knowledge of salvation.  Evolution supposes a world that started from nothing and gradually becomes more sophisticated over time.  Because of the assumption of millions of years before man arrived on the scene, we have death (of lower animals) occurring before the fall of man, which if true leaves the Bible inaccurate and irrelevant for any man.  Evolution supposes we have a world that given time, creativity, and the right solutions, can save itself.  Why would the message of the gospel be relevant to those who would believe such things?

From a Biblical standpoint, we live in a world that God orginally created as perfect.  Man's sin and its curse brought with it far-reaching consequences including physical and eternal death which, left to ourselves, we will never escape.  God took it upon Himself to provide a means of escape by sending His Son, Jesus Christ.  He lived a perfect life and died in our place to satisfy the wrath of a holy God and take sin's curse upon Himself.  He was raised to life, showing that the power of death and sin's curse has been broken, and proving that those who believe upon Him will one day receive eternal life as their reward.

Moms, dads, Sunday School teachers, youth workers, pastors...are you helping those in your care to have a Biblical worldview that is strong enough to counter the culture?  There is much food for thought in this book and I'd highly recommend it.  Another great resource is the Answers in Genesis website at http://www.answersingenesis.org/.

My oldest son has always been fascinated with dragons and dinosaurs.  When he was a preschooler, we happened onto a book about dinosaurs that was written from a Creationist perspective.  When we read about dinosaurs in other books together, we always discussed the words "millions of years ago" to be misleading and instead gave the Biblical perspective.  He is now reading Answers magazine with a thirst for how Biblical knowledge lends us clues about dinosaurs and is considering a career along these lines someday.  I'm thankful to see how God is at work in his life in these areas even as I soberly understand there is much yet to be done to equip him with a solid Biblical worldview.

Our kids can be equipped!  And by God's grace, in answer to much prayer and careful teaching, may they be among those who remain in His church because they know without a doubt they are in need of salvation and want to build their lives on the authority of God's word.  Perhaps they will even be empowered by the Holy Spirit to help others rediscover that the Bible does have answers to life's toughest questions and is necessary for salvation.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

you made chili with what?! carrot-based chili recipe

Since the carrot-based tomato sauce was a hit, why not try it for chili?  I cut this recipe in half, and my very picky 4-year-old ate it!  (The rest of us had the real thing made with tomatoes.)

Carrot-based Chili

2 cans carrots, drained

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 to 1 can red kidney beans, drained (0ptional)

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

add garlic, onion salt to your taste (we leave this out--I'm allergic and quit using onion/garlic in recipes a long time ago)

1/2 lb. ground beef

Puree all but last ingredient in blender.  Add browned ground beef and heat.  Serve with Fritos and cheese/cheese alternative if desired.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

milk is easier than corn...

Not too long ago here, I expressed the thought that we would be trying to take corn out of Josiah's diet.  Starting sometime in November, some of his ADHD-type symptoms began to return and worsen.  It seemed like he was reacting to all kinds of things he was eating. 

Now I can see, hindsight is 20/20!  Just before Thanksgiving, Josiah developed the stomach flu.  Then he started showing signs of lactose intolerance.  Finally, I took milk out of his diet completely to see if it would make any difference for him.  For a few days, nothing.

Then, like a switch had flipped, his ADHD-type behaviors again seemed to disappear.  He stopped spinning around constantly, fidgeting, and having trouble with attention and focus.  He began to obey again rather than resist every direction.  When I grabbed some pizza made with a milk-based white sauce to heat up for him again at lunch one day, the behaviors quickly returned.  Now every day off of milk is an improvement.  We even tried some vitamins today that had caused a reaction while he was still on milk.  They are working for him fine now.

Here's a casein-free recipe to celebrate!

Gluten Free, Casein Free Mac and Cheese

2 T. of butter substitute

2 T. potato starch

1 c. warm milk substitute (I used unsweetened coconut milk--coconut milk is my family's favorite milk sub.)

1 c. or more of cheese substitute (we like Daiya cheese)

8 oz. elbow macaroni (Tinkyada is our favorite)

Melt butter, add potato starch.  Stir until smooth paste.  Slowly add warm milk; stirring constantly until thickened.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Pour over pasta.

To be honest, this was not a smashing hit for my kids, but I've heard it is sometimes best to leave favorites like mac and cheese out of the diet for awhile if they are used to the real thing.  Eric and I thought it was pretty good.  We'll try again in a few months and see if it goes over better.

This sauce is great if you have children with milk intolerance or allergies, and worth a try if they aren't used to milk!  The Daiya cheese is the best substitute we've found.  It's a bit pricey, but we don't use it too often, or just use it to sprinkle on top of tacos.  That way, a little goes a long way.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

they ate this, too: carrot-based un-tomato sauce!!!

My kids polished their plates when I experimented with a spaghetti sauce made with beets and pumpkin instead of tomatoes.  When I saw this recipe made with carrots instead, I couldn't wait to try it.  We all agreed it was even better!  I'd like to play around with the spices, but I can't add garlic as it calls for so that may be why.

Most people don't avoid tomatoes...but if you want to sneak some carrots into your next batch of tomato sauce, my guess is no one will notice!!  Micah has gagged on carrots since he was a baby, and he thought this was pretty good.

NO BEETS UN-TOMATO SAUCE

2 15-oz. cans carrots, drained
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup pomegranate juice (I think next time I will try all chicken broth or use another kind of juice...pomegranate juice is expensive!)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (I didn't have any on hand, so left this out.)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. basil  (I added about 2 T.)
1/2 tsp sugar

Put all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth. Heat, add ground beef if desired, and serve. (Or proceed to use in another recipe, such as for BBQ sauce).

Thursday, January 13, 2011

picture Him

Like most moms, I love to take pictures of my kids. I love to take them, but even more than that I love to look at them again and again. Why is this? And why would a mom spend an otherwise free evening and even a good deal of money on all kinds of little scrapbooking tools in order to preserve them?

I think the reason is this: each and every picture we take of our children gives us a unique glimpse into their personality in a way it has never been captured before and perhaps never will be captured again. The grin at a beloved pet, the joy of a moment at play, the disgust of that first bite of birthday cake all reveal a little more of who that child is. The parent of that child leans in closely to capture just a little bit more of the miracle God has given in this precious bundle of life.

 

I have begun to find reading the Bible to be a lot like looking at snapshots of my children. As God reveals Himself in Scripture, I have begun to lean in for better glimpses of who He is.   In the book of Isaiah alone, we have been given glimpses of many pictures of God.

The Father: a righteous judge, contrasted with that of a heartbroken parent (Ch. 1), full of wrath against His rebellious creation yet pleading with any who will listen to turn and repent, (umm...chapters 1-39?), Rock (Ch. 17), a refuge, shelter, and shade (Ch. 25), Holy One of Israel and Lord Almighty (so many times I've lost count), Upright One (Ch. 26), and the glorious crown and beautiful wreath of His people (Ch. 28).  Isaiah depicts God's wrath against sin as I've seen it nowhere else in the Bible, but I'm going to keep looking because every book reveals it in a little different light.

The Son: Messiah and the coming King, the Branch of the Lord (ch. 4 and 11), a Canopy (Ch. 4), Immanuel (Ch. 7), Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Ch. 9), the Banner (Ch. 11), and so many more!!!  It is no wonder we go to this book time and again as we celebrate Christmas.  His coming was promised and anticipated as the only hope for man, revealed in every chapter.

The attributes of God, pieced together throughout Scripture, make for a pictoral scrapbook unlike any other.  All it takes is some time, prayer, study, and meditation...and the God of the Bible is revealed in glimpses that are breath-taking and life-changing.

The next time you open your Bible, I hope you find some aspect of His character you've never noticed before, and see Him a little better.

Monday, January 10, 2011

some pictures from the past few weeks...



Christmas was a great time to spend with family.  We'll never forget the Christmas Eve service at Christ Church with candles in the windows and snow falling outside.  We started in Genesis with the first promise of Messiah and followed the Christmas story through the prophets and into the gospels.  Then Christmas day we celebrated with the Nelson side!

Micah holding Elliana

Rachel and Lanie with curls


[caption id="attachment_958" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Michelle and Jared visit."][/caption]

This picture still makes me heart leap into my throat.  God has shown us great faithfulness and His provision as we've dealt with the aftermath.
A view of the accident

Micah celebrated his New Year's Eve birthday.
Micah turns 12!

Josiah began a new class called All Star Fitness, just for 4-year-old boys.  I think it will be great for helping him further develop focus and listening skills while having fun.  The first class was a bit rough in terms of his ability to attend to his teacher, so Josiah, Micah, and I have been practicing what he learned in our basement.  My favorite moment was when he caught the ball over and over and said, "Mommy, I'm getting good at this!"
Learning to throw a football!


[caption id="attachment_965" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Learning to catch!"][/caption]

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Pumpkin Pancakes

This gluten-free recipe is delicious.  I think you could easily use regular flour and milk if you are not gluten-free and casein-free.

1 1/4 c. GF flour mix*
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice OR the next 4 ingredients:

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. brown sugar
6 heaping T. pumpkin puree
2 T. margarine or oil
1 c. milk substitute
1 egg

Topping: Whipped topping or maple syrup.  We sprinkled a little cinnamon on top of syrup.

In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, stir together wet ingredients.  Mix wet ingred. into dry.  Cook pancakes in a skillet or on a griddle with butter or oil.  Use about 1/4 c. for each pancake.

*I used the following gluten-free flour mixture: 1 c. white rice flour, 1 c. brown rice flour, 2/3 c. potato starch flour, 1/3 c. tapioca flour.

Another tip: freeze leftover pumpkin in ice cube tray.  Use 6 cubes of pumpkin in recipe.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

broken in this world

Difficulties engaging in independant play with toys...pestering the dog all day long...spinning around instead of paying attention...inappropriate use of words...lack of impulse control...inability to focus...short-term memory issues...

I absolutely love my son.  His outgoing personality, zest for life, and friendliness toward others encourages me and even spurs me on towards growth in these areas in my own quiet, more self-conscious personality.  But there are times that I see how his misbehavior causes him trouble, grates on those around him, and interferes with normal functioning.  It makes me hate ADHD and what it has done to him.  I see his potential and the precious gifts God has given him, and it breaks my heart to see the times this disorder makes a train wreck out of his actions and have such an effect on who he is.

But what a reminder of the spiritual realm:  we are all marred by sin.  God has made each person unique, and gifted in some way to be blessing to others.  When we willingly disobey our Maker and allow sin to rule our lives, we too are adversely affected in every action, relationship, and even in our eternal destiny if we choose to continue in defiance against God.

Do I hate sin as much as I hate ADHD?

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

hidden allergy

Ever since we discovered that a diet eliminating artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives has helped Josiah with behavioral issues, my mind has often wandered back to his infancy.  His first year was full of feeding issues that left my husband and I ready to pull our hair out at times.  Today I sat down with the book Is This Your Child by Dr. Doris Rapp.  She describes possible signs of infant allergy, which include the following symptoms we noted in Josiah:

-feeding issues: Josiah cried with colic-type symptoms at 3 weeks and starting pulling away while nursing from the age of 5 weeks.  I noticed he seemed to wheeze after feedings and would vomit forcefully--more than just spitting up.  When we switched him to soy formula at the age of 3 months, he continued to pull away from the bottle through his entire first year, but the wheezing and vomiting disappeared.   Anytime I tried to give him frozen breast milk, the wheezing and vomiting returned.  This would indicate that Josiah most likely had a milk allergy and the continued pulling away from the bottle of soy formula may suggest he was either allergic to soy or (more likely) to corn derivatives.

-Early hyperactivity and early walking.  Josiah was a difficult baby to hold because he was so active.  He did not cuddle.  He also walked at 9 months.  One indication of allergy is hyperactivity and walking between the ages of 7-10 months.

-At age 1, we switched Josiah from soy formula to cow milk.  Within 2 weeks he developed his first upper respiratory infection (most likely RSV) and ear infection.  He continued to battle ear infections and sinus infections for the next year, and these were only alleviated after 2 sets of tubes and adenoid removal.  This indicates a milk allergy.  (It is also interesting to note that 90% of children diagnosed with ADHD have a history of ear infections.)

-Somewhere in his second year of life, we noticed Josiah had white splotches on his tongue that changed shape over the course of many days, but never seemed to totally disappear.  He was diagnosed with geographic tongue, which we were told was benign.  Recently we reintroduced tomatoes and noticed the return of geographic tongue.  When we removed them from his diet, it disappeared.  This would indicate a tomato allergy.

Josiah was checked for a milk allergy at one year of age with a RAST test.  It did come back negative, but I have learned from my own experience and further research that RAST does not catch every allergy.  It also cannot detect food sensitivities.  Another thing to note is that children with allergies can be quite sensitive to environmental chemicals.  Inexplicably, a child with allergies or food sensitivities sometimes craves the very foods that are causing them harm.  (Josiah loves tomatoes, milk products, and corn.)

This is most certainly my child.  Perhaps the things we are learning will help others...I wish I had this information 4 years ago!

they ate it!!!

Tonight I tried a new recipe I had seen posted on the Feingold bulletin board a few months ago.  It was for a tomato-free marinara sauce, and several other people made it and said it was really good.  I had to trust them, because I wasn't too sure when I looked at the ingredients....

Tomato-Free Marinara Sauce
Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 onion finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup olive oil

3 oz of lemon juice (about 6 tbsp)

2 tbsp rice vinegar

16 oz can of beets, drained (reserve liquid)

30 oz of canned (or fresh) pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

2 tsp course salt

24 grinds of black pepper

1 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 cup dried basil) (can use italian spice mix)

3 tsp cornstarch or Arrowroot, moistened with 4 tbsp beet juice

Directions:


  1. Saute on onions, garlic, meat and olive oil until onion is soft and meat is cooked

  2. Add lemon juice and vinegar, Simmer for 5 minutes

  3. Puree beets until very smooth and no lumps

  4. Add pureed beets, pumpkin puree, salt, pepper and basil to pan.  Stir until combined

  5. Whisk in the broth.  Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, do not over cook as beets will discolor.  If sauce is too thick, add a little more broth to thin out

  6. Whisk in the moistened cornstarch.  Cook for 1 more minute and add spice to taste.


TIP: if  is it too acidic, add some sugar to it.

*I didn't bother with the cornstarch, and had to leave out the garlic and onion due to allergies.

I made the sauce while our older kids were at piano lessons so they couldn't see what I put in it, and then served it without any explanations.  A quick taste told me it might go over OK.  I watched as Micah took bite after bite, and then he finally told me, "I really like this, Mom!"  Rachel, too, seemed to devour her plateful.  When I told them what was in it, they didn't flinch.  Amazing!!