Forest Fire

This was the very first book I ever checked out from the public library.  I can remember my first trip to the library when I was a kid.  And I remember how much I loved this book.  I have looked for it over the years online, to purchase, but it's obviously out of print by now.  The library my son & I have been visiting didn't have it, but we were able to request it from another library branch in the same county.  That branch actually had TWO copies of this!  I'm excited to be able to share this book with my son.  

Spiritual Warfare: Attack on Family

It is clear to me that there is a huge attack in force on the family.  It's been going on for some time.  I'm aware of it with the whole women's lib movement, but I would bet it was going on even before then.  

Obviously if you attack the family the children are the ones who suffer the most.  And what better way to destroy the people, the nation, the future generations?

At the root of a lot of it is selfishness.  As you peel back the layers of our sinful hearts selfishness is at the root of most of it.  It is appalling how selfish we all are.  I know I've mentioned the book "Respectable Sins" in the past.  It is really eye-opening in regards to this topic.  I am planning to re-read it soon, although that will take a while with a 4 year old underfoot.  I get precious little time to be able to read & most of that is limited to my Bible & devotional, as it should be.  

Aside from selfishness is our tendency to be like sheep.  Most people are just following along, doing as they see others doing. 

Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY: Monday, November 18, 2013

Outside my window...  it's clear, sunny, with a high of 68 F, although I must say it feels much warmer than that to me

I am thinking...  about gluten & how challenging eating at people's houses is going to be for the rest of my life & my son's life

I am thankful...  for my son--motherhood has taught me sooooo much

In the kitchen...  not much going on.....last week I was fighting a bad cold (sinus congestion & sore throat) & yesterday I was 'glutened'....so I"m not gonna be well again for some time now

I am wearing...  my pink Hummer tshirt & black sweat pants

I am working on...  getting well enough to take my son to the zoo

I am going...  back to the library tomorrow.....have to return the books we checked out & I requested a book from another library & it's supposed to there for me

From the learning rooms.....  no school since a week ago today has occurred, but I'm planning to pick it up again tomorrow

I am reading... nothing aside from my Bible & devotional....but I want desperately to finish off the book my pastor wrote, Turn Around At Home

I am hoping...  to recover from this glutening episode in record time!

I am looking forward to...Thanksgiving!!  I LOOOVE Thanksgiving, I love to cook, I love to eat, & it's fast approaching.

I am learning.........  that I need to put my health & my son's health of great importance & do whatever I can to protect our health from gluten

Around the house...  no housecleaning taking place today.....trying to rest & recover.....laundry is in full force today

I am pondering...  Christmas plans

A favorite quote for today...  The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it & they are saved ~Proverbs 18:10

One of my favorite things... playing with my son

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Praying hard that I can take my son to the zoo, and a library trip tomorrow

I am praying for:  lots of friends & family

Converting to gluten free products--part 2

I know I posted before that I was switching over to gluten free body wash, shampoo, conditioner, & lotion.  I am so grateful to Costco for selling body wash, shampoo, & conditioner that is gluten free, paraben free, sulfate free, etc, etc.  They are not the most natural of products, but they are much better ingredient-wise than most of what you find in the average store & they are effective & super affordable.  Having difficult hair as I do, I have to say that many of the natural hair products just don't work at all for me.  And many of the natural body washes don't lather well.  And I absolutely adore the Everyday Shea lavender lotion I am using.

I am little by little trying to determine what is & isn't gluten free that I'm using.  It feels a little overwhelming to try to figure everything out all at once.  It almost seems impossible as well.  I know that seems like an unbelievable statement, but it's really hard to stop & think of every single product that I come in contact with.  It's sort of a gradual realization over time as I'm using each product.

I'm close to eating gluten free for one year now.  And it's been challenging but I feel I have learned a ton of stuff about eating gluten free in the past 11 months or so.

And now I'm feeling I should ensure that everything else I'm using is gluten free as well, whether it enters my body or not.  (Especially for my son, but he's very simple--just body wash, shampoo,  lotion, toothpaste, & mouth washes)  I did contact Neutrogena Naturals regarding a face wash I use by them--I use this one when I'm wearing foundation because it has a makeup remover built into it, which isn't very often these days.  They did verify that it's gluten free, although they couldn't guarantee that no cross contamination occurs along the way.  Since I don't use it very often, & I know that statement is mostly to cover their butts in a legal sense, I feel ok with continuing to use it.  (Most restaurants that offer gluten free menus also have the same legal disclaimer, that they cannot guarantee the foods are gluten free, but in most cases I don't react & I am very sensitive)

My toothpaste is clearly labeled gluten free, so I didn't have to check on that one. I am surprised that more products aren't labeled as gluten free when they are in fact gluten free.  Especially the brands you find in health food stores.

I did contact Alba about my face wash a while back & I never got a response.  So I contacted them again, this time including other Alba products that I use in the question--unpetroleum, sun screen, lip glosses & lip tints.  I had actually never realized how many Alba products I use!  I am hoping they all check out as gluten free.

We use 3 mouthwashes/rinses.  I decided to ensure that these are gluten free, especially since they go in our mouths (Lil J only uses 2 of the 3).  I was thrilled when I went to the website for Closys because it clearly states gluten free on the main page of the website, in big & bold print.  I had never heard of this product prior to reading the book "kiss your dentist goodbye" & I had no idea that it was such a healthy & natural product.  But based on what I read on their website it certainly is.  I just wish it wasn't so hard to find.  I emailed listerine & spry to check on the gluten status of the mouthwashes I use from them. Listerine responded saying that I need to call them on the phone with my question. I should be able to do that this coming week. 

I was fighting a cold recently & as I took my dimetapp that I take for sinus congestion I found myself worrying that it might not be gluten free.  I didn't have a reaction, but still called pfizer the next day & they verified that all of the dimetapp products do not contain gluten & there is no risk of cross contamination.  Thank God for that since the liquid children's cold & allergy formula is the only thing that helps my sinuses!!

And for now that's all I can think of that I haven't checked on as of yet..........my makeup is gluten free, well all the bare minerals stuff I use.....my everyday lip balm is also......but I'm waiting to hear from Alba about the lip gloss & lip tint that I use for special occasions.  (if my lips are extra dry I use the alba unpetroleum on them, so I'm also really hoping that one is gluten free as well)

Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY: Monday, November 25, 2013

Outside my window... It's sunny & clear....,& in the 30s!!!

I am thinking... About life & relationships & how good God is--I feel like I've been punished for years for something I hadn't even done & the truth is finally being revealed-my God is restoring the years the locusts have eaten so to speak. 

I am thankful... For my life, my family, my friends, my son

In the kitchen... Tons of prep work for Thanksgiving begins today

I am wearing... Jeans & a red Levi's tshirt

I am working on... Thanksgiving preparations.......my mind is racing

I am going... To spend my day in the kitchen, aside from swim lesson for Lil J & laundry 

From the learning rooms..... School is breaking this week-hopefully we can do some crafts & definitely will read the Squanto book

I am reading... Nothing aside from devotional & Bible.....no time :(

I am hoping... To get lots accomplished today so tomorrow & Wednesday can be much easier days 

I am looking forward to... thanksgiving, I so love this holiday, it's not a big flashy materialistic holiday-just about reflecting on thankfulness & gratitude & eating with family & friends

I am learning......... How to be more flexible, it's a good thing

Around the house... Need to do some small things on our motorhome (our other house)--hopefully before our next trip

I am pondering... What the future holds

A favorite quote for today... "Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness" Proverbs 25:5

One of my favorite things... Cooking & baking--plenty of that this week

A few plans for the rest of the week: Thanksgiving prep, crafts, swim lesson, church on Wednesday

I am praying for: lots of family & friends 

Learning Styles

Back in 2006, when I was in college, in the LVN to RN transition class to be exact, we had a guest speaker one day.  Surprisingly, it had absolutely nothing to do with nursing or medical anything.  But it amazed me & will always be one of the most informative lectures I've ever sat through.  

The speaker was just a guy whose expertise was in people's learning styles.  Since nursing school is tough (crazy tough--20 super long chapters of reading every single night & tests on those 20 chapters every single day) our teacher felt it would be beneficial for us to be able to study more effectively & that's why she had this guest speaker join our class.  

I can't remember all the details & the guy had brought quizzes, etc, to help us determine how we best learn, but I do remember being amazed that some people learn best with absolute silence & others learn best with lots of 'distractions'.  Everyone is different & if you can determine how you best learn you can maximize how/what you learn.  

Pretty cool stuff if you ask me.  And I can clearly see in my son that he needs lots of sensory stuff/distractions going on while he is learning.  But knowing what I do, I can help maximize his learning rather than yelling at him & forcing him to learn the same way I best learn, which would not be to his advantage at all.  That sort of makes me think of public schools & that's probably a big part of why it's such a failing system.

I encourage everyone to look into this more, I am sure there's plenty of info out there somewhere if you look for it.

SB 48 AB 1266

When SB48 was passed into California law my pastor decided to put up a fight.  He began a statewide campaign.  When the government passes a law without the public voting on it we have the right to collect signatures.  And if we collect enough signatures we can get the law on the ballot to be voted on by the public.  

Sadly (& shockingly I might add) we didn't get enough signatures to repeal SB48 & it was put into law January of this year.  

So once again the government (or should I specify that Governor Brown was the responsible person) passed AB1266 into law.  Once again my pastor jumped into action.  My pastor feels that when he stands before God & is accountable he can at least say that he tried to fight the evil laws, irregardless of the outcome of the fight.  

This time we have collected enough signatures--so long as the government doesn't find a loophole.  Apparently for any error in the signature collection paperwork the government will automatically deduct 15% of the total signatures for each error.  This could be someone signing on the wrong county, someone signing more than once accidentally, not filling out their info properly, etc.  

So we continue to pray & wait for the final outcome.  

Gluten Free Baking

As I've said many times I LOVE to cook & especially to bake.  I've been doing both since I was a teenager.  I can remember in my childhood watching my mother ask my sister to help in the kitchen & she never wanted to.  And I would be begging to help & she would never let me.  (That's a trend in lots of areas of my childhood)  

It wasn't until I was a teenager & my parents had divorced & my mother was no longer cooking that I was able to learn on my own how to cook & bake.  

Almost a year ago my son & I had to go gluten free.  While I did have someone trying to tell me that all we need to do is heal our guts & then we can eat gluten again, I know this isn't true, at least in our case.  In our case this is a genetic disease & it is forever.  My whole life I've had lots of health issues & as I've learned more & more about gluten issues I can see that all of my health issues have been related to gluten.  

Honestly my biggest concern as I faced the fact that I had to give up gluten forever was baking.  Would I have to give up baking?  I was very concerned.....it's almost therapeutic for me.  I had no idea what I could possibly replace it with.

As I dove into gluten free baking (& was amazed at how wonderful it could be) I realized it's very different in some ways & I've tried hard to forget everything I know about baking & move forward learning anew how to do it gluten free.

I truly don't understand why there's so much gross stuff out there that's gluten free.  It's no wonder that when people hear "gluten free" they automatically assume it's yucky since so much stuff out there is so gross.  Part of me wishes I could market my gluten free baked goods just to help prove how good gluten free can be.  

My ultimate dream would be to have a place like Panera or Corner Bakery that is totally gluten free.  It would have soups, salads, sandwiches, & the sweet treats as well.  I doubt that that dream will ever become a reality, but it sure would be nice & it's fun to dream.  

Grammar

I am definitely a product of the whole dumbing down of the govt.  I have always felt that I got ripped off when it comes to my education in school.  I can remember my older sister & brother discussing things they were learning in school & I would think to myself "someday I'm gonna be learning that" & yet in most cases I never did.  

Granted I didn't apply myself as much as I should've/could've from 7th grade onward BUT I was aware of what was being covered in my classes......and there's an awful lot that wasn't covered.

I love to learn & I am a smart person--in college I had exceptional grades with an extremely heavy load of difficult classes.  I have always wished there was a learn on your own program that would fill in the gaps that I missed in school.  

One of the biggest gaps I'm aware of is grammar.  I can remember learning grammar in elementary school but we never learned about it again after that.  All the English classes after that focused on spelling & vocabulary words & reading literature.  There was some composing involved as well.  But there was NO grammar.  

So in elementary school I learned the very basic parts of grammar.  But there's all kinds of stuff that we never touched on.  It was assumed that we would learn it later on....yet we never did.  And even as poorly as my grammar education was I can clearly see that what's being given in schools now is far, far worse.  

Grammar is something that's important to me.  I do try my best to use proper grammar--at least as much as I'm aware of.  I am certain that I make errors that I'm not even aware of.  And when I'm rushed & don't proof read what I've written (moreso with typing than with writing by hand) I do find that I make stupid mistakes that I never should've made.  

And in the younger generation I see improper grammar all over the place.  Even with super basic stuff.  And I don't see teachers correcting it either!!  It's crazy to me.  All the words with apostrophes are used incorrectly these days.  And that's just a basic understand of what you're actually saying.  I don't understand why that is so poorly understood nowadays.

And now you add on all the texting & online abbreviations to the already poorly taught grammar & I fear that future generations to come will be an absolute disaster when it comes to grammar.   

Homeschool Preschool Unit 14--King David--Part 1

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Bob books beginning reader books, various forms of Spanish, & reading aloud (usually from a chapter book) to my 4 year old son.

This week/unit focuses on the letter L & David.

On Monday we started off the week with a new fingerplay.  We read about David becoming King in the Bible.  Lil J read another Bob book.  He did really well this time, he's starting to gain the confidence he needs, realizing that he really is able to do it.  We discussed what we read in the Bible, he practiced writing "L" & "l".  I walked away for a moment while he was writing the Ls & came back to find him going crazy with it & he told me he was adding grass, LOL!!  He did 'count on me', drawing & counting jewels (diamonds).  But I must say it didn't explain why it was jewels......I don't get it & couldn't explain it to my son.  Then we did Spanish & since it's Veteran's Day we discussed what that means & he colored a Veteran's Day page.  (I had looked for a craft, but couldn't find anything, so I settled on this coloring page)  Then we did our songs--a song about David, books of the Bible, God made the universe, & 10 commandments.  Later on I will read aloud.

I started getting sick on Monday evening & was very sick on Tuesday & Wednesday.  I considered doubling up on Thursday & Friday & getting caught up, but I was still very tired & just didn't feel like it. I decided to just rest & next week I'll take off Monday--my busy laundry, housecleaning, swim lesson day (& I think I'll try to squeeze in some grocery shopping) & then pick up where we left off on Tuesday & finish off the rest of the week as usual.  

On Thursday evening I started feeling lousy again & am not feeling well as of Friday morning, while posting this. Praying I get well fast for our eventful weekend we have planned. 

My biggest regret was that I had promised to take Lil J back to the zoo on Tuesday of this week.  I'm normally up at 4 or 5 am but not when I'm sick of course.  Lil J came to my bed on Tuesday morning & put his face in mine, saying "mom, wake up, let's go to the zoo" over & over again.  I felt soooooo bad, but there was no way I had the energy or strength to go.  Hopefully this coming Tuesday we'll be able to go.  

On a sidenote: next month I am planning to move the swim lessons to Friday mornings rather than Mondays.  The swim instructor that Lil J likes best (& she is an amazing instructor, she really pushes him to advance & do better) is only there on Mondays & Fridays.  So that will make Mondays easier.  But I'm debating on whether or not I should condense school into 4 days per week.  We could do it Monday thru Thursday & then not have to worry about it along with the swimming......just a thought but I think I might give it a try soon & see how it goes.  I know the curriculum I'm using starts out at 5 days per week but a couple of years in it changes to 4 days per week.  I think it's to accommodate extracurricular activities (or just plain old life I guess).  But I've been considering doing it now & since we have the swim lesson causing us to do school so late in the day I'm thinking I might as well just condense it to 4 days as of now.  This is the first month I've done the swim lessons in the morning (on a weekday I mean, for his first year of going there he went on Saturday mornings) & I love doing it in the mornings, I'm just wondering if life would be easier if we condense the school week.