Snapshots of our week

Thanks so much to all of you who have prayed for Caedmon this week as he recovers from his tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy (not sure that's really a word). He is doing better than I anticipated. He's still taking it pretty slow and not eating a whole lot yet, but he's getting more playful each day. The pain seems to be worst in the mornings as the medicine has worn off over night.

Here's a few snapshots of the kind of week we've had...

Taking it real easy... 

Popsicles, juice, and ice cream time 

Lots of laundry 

Superman joined the party one evening. Not sure if anyone from Old Fort follows my blog, 

but Andy is sporting his t-shirt from "The Kiss" retreat which was about 12 years ago. 

 Caedmon's creativity started to return last night and he made a large "ship" with all of his blankets. 

His dad and brother were the honorary crew members along with his stuffed animals. The 

shark and dolphin (obviously) had to stay in the water and were not invited on the ship. 

Me? I have been working away to prepare all of my materials for homeschool. We received 

Caedmon's curriculum in the mail yesterday and I've been printing, cutting, and laminating a 

bunch of preschool materials for Sammy. Here we go, folks! Ready or not, we're diving in!

Wellness Wednesday

Tip of the Week: Plan what you eat.

There are lots of benefits to planning ahead of time what you will eat.

First, planning takes the stress out of deciding in the moment what to cook/eat. I never have to wonder at the last minute what I'm going to cook for dinner or prepare for breakfast and lunch. I just glance at the meal plan attached to my fridge.

Second, some people get really good at planning and it helps them save money because they can repeat certain ingredients. I, honestly, could never claim to be a frugal grocery shopper. But I have heard that planning is key to saving money. Somehow.

Third, planning ahead helps you make wise choices in food selection when you're "starving" or grumpy or just really in the mood for some chocolate. Andy often will even decide on what he'll order at a restaurant before he goes out to eat. That way he can jump online to look at the particular restaurant's nutrition information and make a good choice before he's sitting in the restaurant with all the tempting sights and smells surrounding him.

I realize that meal planning takes some time, but it is well worth the effort. Putting a little thought into it on the front end can really propel your desire to eat healthy.

Here's a sample meal plan for our family from this week. Most weeks are similar for breakfast/ lunch/ snacks. I change it up a bit, but I stick to a rhythm that works for us. This week we're having more smoothies than normal because it's one thing that Caedmon can enjoy after his surgery. Another note, a lot of evenings Andy & I will have another snack after dinner because we eat pretty early. We make popcorn, have a piece of fruit, or enjoy a frozen smoothie popsicle that I made earlier.

Monday:
Breakfast- oatmeal with berries
Lunch- Egg salad, triscuits, apple, cheese
Snack- Yogurt
Dinner- Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and meatballs, salad
Tuesday:
Breakfast- Fruit smoothie, whole wheat toast w/ peanut butter
Lunch- leftover barbecue sandwich
Snack- apple & popcorn
Dinner- Stirfry vegetables with pork and quinoa
Wednesday:
Breakfast- Omelet, fruit
Lunch- Apple sandwiches with peanut butter and raisins, yogurt
Snack- cheese & crackers
Dinner- Vegetarian fajitas
Thursday:
Breakfast- oatmeal with berries
Lunch- smoothies, popcorn, celery with peanut butter and raisins
Snack- almonds or walnuts with raisins
Dinner- DATE NIGHT!!!!!
Friday:
Breakfast- Whole wheat banana pancakes
Lunch- humus, carrots, cheese, apples, triscuits
Snack- banana with peanut butter
Dinner- quesadillas with leftover fajita veggies
Saturday: 
Breakfast- smoothie, whole wheat toast w/ jam
Lunch- zucchini muffins w/ cream cheese, fruit
Snack- fresh veggies with hummus
Dinner- Parmesan crusted chicken, quinoa, green beans
Sunday: 
Breakfast- Eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruit, whole wheat toast
Lunch- at church
Snack- yogurt
Dinner- ham & cheese quiche, fruit

Whose Job Is It Anyway?

Do you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed as you try to fix someone else's problems? I have experienced this a lot in my own life, especially in regards to my husband.

You see, I love to know all about what he's doing at work... challenges he's facing, decisions he's making, projects he's working on. It makes me feel apart, like we're a team working toward the same cause. I'm 100% bought in to the vision of South Bay Church and I am one HUGE Andy Wood fan. So I love to listen and provide feedback and support where I can.

But every once in a while I notice myself getting stressed over what he's stressed about. I start trying to think of ways that I can be the solution to one of his problems. My shoulders get knotted up and my mind is always racing. My heart's motivation is to help and to support, but what's really happened is we've just added one more stressed out person to the equation. It's not helpful to anyone.

That's when I have to remember that God has called Andy to be the point leader of South Bay Church. Not me. I lead with him in many ways. But Andy is the man of God who has been called, anointed, and equipped for that position. God has given Andy the strength, wisdom, and grace he needs to lead well, to make hard decisions, and to navigate tricky waters. God has made Andy's shoulders broad enough and strong enough to carry the load that's been given to him. My shoulders, on the other hand, are not equipped for the same load.

When I start trying to shoulder the responsibilities that God has place on someone else, the load feels awkward and burdensome and unbearable. It's not my job. I'm taking on something that God didn't give me the grace to do.

God has equipped my shoulders for a different job and life works much better (for everyone!) when I focus on carrying the load He's given to me.

At the end of my life, I will not be held accountable for how well I did Andy's job. God gave Andy a load and He gave me one too. Part of that job for me includes loving, supporting and encouraging my husband. So I need to listen, care deeply, provide thoughtful feedback, and trust. I will be held accountable for how I cheered him on, provided a "safe place" for him, and told him how much I believed in him. My shoulders were equipped to carry that kind of load.

I can't take on his responsibilities; but I can do mine well. And me doing my job well helps him do his job well.

Has your well meaning empathy for someone else's situation turned into you shouldering a load you were never intended to shoulder? Remember, God has given them the grace and strength they need to carry the load He's given to them. He has not given that same grace and strength to you. So love them well, but don't try to meet needs for them that only Jesus can meet. 

Movies, Ice Cream, & Tonsils

This morning my lil buddy, Caedmon, had his tonsils and adenoids removed...and thus commenced a week of "Movies & Ice Cream". Thankfully, a couple friends got us well stocked with movies the boys have never seen.

I snuck in some of my childhood favorites! 

The waiting room at 7:30 AM. Thank goodness for iPads & iPhones! 

A little brotherly movie time as he gets prepped.  

This is our anesthesiologist. He was pretty funny asking Caedmon, "So, do you smoke?" 

"No." 

"Do you drink?" 

"No." 

"Nothing?" 

"Ummm..." 

"Milk?" 

"Yes." 

"Juice?" 

"Yes." 

"Whiskey?" 

"No." 

"Water?" 

"Yes." 

"Rum?" 

"No."

Whew! Sure am glad he answered all those questions correctly!

And those, ladies and gentlemen, are the two overgrown chicken nuggets that got us into this situation! Sorry if that grosses you out. I know, it's way TMI but I was a little shocked when I saw them. I said to the doctor, "Those look really big to me. Is that normal?" She said, "No. Those are huge. You did the right thing." Can you imagine having those in the back of a 5 1/2 year old's throat?! No wonder he snored like a lumber jack!

Coming out of anesthesia was not a pretty sight. Although all of the nurses assured me that it was quite normal, I had never seen Caedmon act like that and it was a little disturbing. Screaming, flailing around, totally disoriented... it was not cool. He finally settled down (a little) and watched a few more minutes of a movie until they released us. 

We're back home now where we intend to camp for the next week or so. My parents sent him an Angry Birds game to entertain him during his recovery. So far he's had two bowls of ice cream, applesauce, and some yogurt. We've already watched The Jungle Book and he's sleeping right now (thanks to the codeine). 

Here's to lots of snuggles, hibernating at home, and movies every day. Minus the pain, that sounds like a pretty fun week!

Wellness Wednesday

Tip of the Week: Don't drink your calories.

This tip is comin' at ya straight from Bob Harper's book "The Skinny Rules".

Soft Drinks, Juices, Gatorade (and the like), Starbucks favorites, and Alcohol all contain a lot of calories. Depending on the amount you consume, it's not hard to drink the equivalent of an entire meal by mindlessly sipping away.

I'm pretty much avoiding soft drinks and Gatorade altogether (due to my rule of "if you can't pronounce the ingredients you probably should eat it") But natural juices, the occasional treat from Starbucks, and a glass of wine every once in a while isn't going to kill ya. You just have to be aware of the calories that it adds to your diet and make up for it somewhere else.

In the words of Tony Horton, "Drink your water, People!"

The one little trick that helps me drink more water, as simple as it may sound, is having a water bottle that I like. I'm not nearly as likely to pour myself a glass of water and sip on it throughout the day as I am to guzzle through several bottles of water. I don't know why that is, but I know it's true for me. I don't like the water bottles that you have to unscrew the lid. I just like the lids that pops on and off. Here's my current water bottle:

Pretty fancy, huh? It has nothing to do with the brand and everything to do with the cap. This bottle has lasted me for about a month so far. I just refill it and keep on drinking. Whenever I lose it or it gets destroyed, I just buy another one. I typically drink at least 3 of these per day.

If you are used to drinking a lot of calories, you could probably drop a couple pounds really easily by switching to drinking water instead. Once you get hooked on water, you'll start to crave it just like you used to crave soft drinks! At least that's true for me...