The Lactose Intolerant Kitty-Cat

***Warning! This post contains a lot of talk about constipation, bowel movements, and other unpleasant things associated with raising children. If that's not for you, then turn back now. ***

Two things to know about Anna.

1- She loves cats, and frequently refers to herself as a cat. She also talks about herself in the third person, and calls herself The Kitty-Cat. Dustin and I frequently refer to her as The Cat. 

2- We recently found out that she is lactose intolerant. She had had issues with constipation off and on, to varying degrees of severity since she was 2. It was always worse in the winter, although it never fully went away spring-fall. 

Fast forward to late last fall when her issue started to increase. By Christmas it was pretty bad. I had already removed dairy from her diet to see if it would help. Then she had a cold/bug that resulted in her needing to take medicine for a few days. That always makes it worse. 

When she was younger probiotics and a few days of no dairy worked wonders. 

It just got to the point that I couldn't help her. I ended up making a desperate call to a 'seasoned constipation mom' one afternoon when our dr was out of the office and Anna was absolutely miserable, just a few days before Christmas.  We started using pedialax jr, which was a life saver at the time. I thought that would solve our problem and started using it about once a week when she had issues. We continued with that, the elimination diet(dairy and some gluten) and probiotics to see if it would help until February. 

She continued to be miserable, and got to the point that her tummy was always bloated, she belched and passed gas all day everyday and she was miserable. One morning she sat on the toilet and just cried. That's when I called her pediatrician. Because we were eliminating so many foods, she was still miserable and I was starting to worry about the long term effects of not enough calcium, fat and vitamin d. 

Her pediatrician removed dairy from her diet almost completely for 6 weeks, added a vitamin d supplement, added dairy alternatives and put her on a medicine to help her body process things better. She told me that after a few days it would get her to the point of having diarrhea and we wanted to keep her there for 2 days to clean her belly out. Then we were to cut back the medicine until she had normal bowel movements. 

Well, turns out her tummy was so backed up, we never got to that point. I called the Dr numerous times, they upped her medicine three different times and she still never got to that point. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I was terrified that when we went for her check up the Dr was going to make me remove gluten.

When we went back for her follow up the Dr said her tummy was so much better. Most of the backed up issue had passed and her body was functioning as normal now. She still has to continue to take the medicine for another 3 months. Then we go back again for a recheck.

Anna is still off most lactose items, and the Dr instructed us to give her something more dairyish about once a week...a piece of pizza or a taco with cheese, to keep her body used to processing some dairy. She can still consume butter, ranch, cheese crackers etc. Everything else has been removed, eliminated or swapped for an alternative. 

Want to hear the craziest part? 

Anna has been our most difficult child with food. She was a picky eater, refused to try new food and was not a fan of many vegetables. Since we've gotten her tummy issues straightened out, she tries everything we put in front of her. She eats so many more types and kinds of foods, and she even asks for salad. Which is something her older three siblings did from a very young age. We started salad before age 2 at our house. We rarely had a picky eater type complaint until Anna. Now I'm realizing that she was having tummy issues all along but didn't know how to tell me because she didn't know the difference.

Once we got her body adjusted to no lactose, it was shocking how much her physical appearance changed! All of her tummy bloat went away and even her face slimmed out. What I thought was just a bit of baby fat still hanging on, was actually bloat from lactose intolerance. Poor kiddo. 

She is a much happier kid over all now. She used to be rather clingy, whiny and tearful from time to time. I didn't realize how much it had went away until I stupidly allowed her to eat alfredo sauce from Olive Garden yesterday. She ended up throwing up later in the day and was so clingy, whiny and tearful all day today. Any time I asked if her tummy felt better, she couldn't really tell me it was better but couldn't tell me exactly what felt wrong with her tummy. I'm 90% certain it was the dairy that made her sick. She had no other symptoms, other that burping and passing gas. No fever, no diarrhea and it was definitely not the viral kind vomit. Sorry, tmi, but it's the facts. Lol

In regards to my motherly mistake, she had had jared alfredo sauce and done ok. It didn't immediately occur to me that Olive Garden makes their alfredo from scratch with fresh ingredients...milk, cream, tons of butter and cheese too. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Plus I momentarily blanked because I'm also lactose intolerant, but I CAN have their alfredo.(I'm more of the can't have cream, milk, ice cream and yogurt kind of lactose person, with the occasional splurge on something without it making me too sick. Emma also struggles with some lactose issues, and is very similar to my diet with it.) Turns out Anna just can't have it. Now we know. We will definitely be living and learning from that one. I feel terrible that we learned that one the hard way. Sorry Anna. 

Now that she seems to know the difference of how she feels with and without dairy, she is very hyper aware of asking if an item has dairy in it. Thankfully the food system has come a long way with dairy alternatives in the past ten years. Anna loves chocolate almond milk, almond milk ice cream(I was pleasantly surprised by it as well, and keep my own pint hidden in the back of the freezer now. ;) ), yogurt(The almond milk key lime pie yogurt is my absolute favorite. It's nice to be able to enjoy these foods and flavors without the unpleasant stomachache afterwards.),  plant based cheese(No one in our house could stomach the stuff, but Anna is cool with it.) and so many granola bars and snacks without dairy. Just today we found a new item at Sam's club, it's called Oat Bites. They are these small oat muffins made without dairy, soy or gluten. Anna absolutely loves them. It does my mama heart good to see my youngest finally feeling and acting like the person she was meant to be all along. I just wish it hadn't taken us so long to get it straightened out. 

The best part of all of this, according to Anna, is the fact that she gets to keep Cheez-its in her life. They are a favorite of hers and she was almost in tears when she thought she would have to give them up. I'm thankful for her, a girl has to have a couple food vices in her life. Haha.

~Lyndsay

P.S. I used to find it so strange when other moms would openly talk about bowel movements. Now I totally get it. I've become one of those vigilant 'Have you pooped today? What did it look like?' kind of Moms. The older kids find it annoying and embarrassing. It's just a daily part of survival in life with a lactose kid. 😁 I'm looking forward to the day they have kids and start talking about poop like it's totally normal. 

Valentine's Date and Eyeliner | Ramblings | Mom Life Journal

Earlier in the month my husband and I attended a Valentine dinner at our church. We had a great time being out together without the kids and spending the evening with our church family.

When I was getting ready to go, I did something I don't always do. I put on eye liner. I used to wear it every single day,(the pencil kind that looks like a colored pencil.) then it started to irritate my eyes. I stopped wearing it a few years ago. I felt like looking special for the occasion, so I dug into the bottom of my make up container and found an old eyeliner. It was so old I figured I would get an eye infection. Surprisingly I didn't. Yay!

My kids asked what was wrong with my eyes and my husband was even surprised I was wearing it. Which prompted a couple of conversations about make up. I asked my family and basically all of them couldn't tell if I had it on or not most days. Hmm. While I'm all for it looking subtle, I kind of figured people could at least tell I had it on. 

Which also prompted the kids asking why my face looks weird and their father telling them that's how a lot of women wear their make up, mom just happens to be different. 

It caused me to think that maybe it wouldn't hurt to wear a little more make up than I currently do. Especially if people literally can't tell if I'm even wearing it. 

If you are still reading this you are probably wondering where I'm going with all of this. 

Well, after wearing that super old eye liner, I didn't have any issues with my eyes. Which then prompted me to buy some new eyeliner that is less likely to give me an eye infection. Haha. 

I grew up in a rather conservative home, and my mother was very strick with make up in particular. So while a lot of girls in their teens were trying out make up, and learning how to use it...I wasn't. I basically missed that whole part of growing up. Now, I'm not saying I especially missed out on anything special with that. However I definitely missed the part where younger teens learn how to do some of these things. 

While shopping for eyeliner, I discovered waterproof liquid liner. Um, liner that doesn't smudge under my eyes and stays put all day? Yes please. 

Turns out there is learning curve with putting on liquid eye line. Lol I'm 35 and I was up late a couple nights last week watching videos on how to put on liquid eye liner. Yep. I did that. 🤷🏼‍♀️ It helped. I can actually put liquid eye liner on really well, on one eye. Haha. I'm still working on the other eye. Yep. I'm 35 and still learning how to be a girlie girl, I guess. 

This little adventure also prompted me to send a handful of random pictures of my eyeballs to my friend Julie, because she is good with make up, and ask her if I was doing it right. At one point I told her I feel like I missed a seminar on this when I was twelve and she promptly replied 'You totally did.' and that is one of the many reasons why I love my friend Julie. 

Well. I guess this rambling has no true reason, besides I went on a date with my husband, I kind of learned how to put on eyeliner and all of this snow is starting to drive me bonkers. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Happy Thursday!

Banana Breakfast Cakes Recipe | Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, PCOS Diet Compliant

I have PCOS and I should not eat lactose, gluten and a handful of other items. 

I do my best but I sometimes jump off the wagon and eat all the things I shouldn't. Life gets in the way sometimes and it's not always easy to stay compliant at a drive thru or when the food budget is tight. 

Recently I have been at trying to leave out the gluten. But let's be honest, you can only eat so many eggs before they just soind gross. 

I was struggling with what to eat for breakfast. When I hit this point I end up defaulting to oatmeal, which is not goitennfree. It is better than toast though. (I need to add gluten free oatmeal to my list)

This morning I remembered a recipe that I used a couple years ago when I was first on this eating journey. 

The original recipe was called Paleo Banana Pancakes. Now, let me tell you something, if you are expecting these to taste like fluffy, gluten filled pancakes...get that out of your head now. You aren't going to find that with most gluten free pancakes situations. It's just not happening. Sorry. Readjust your expectations now. Okay? Ok! Yay! 

I have since fiddled with this recipe and adjusted some things. As well as the name. 

They have now been called Banana Breakfast Cakes.

There's barely a recipe because it is so simple, but I'll do my best. 

Banana Breakfast Cakes

1 banana

2 eggs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

Dash of salt

Butter for cooking in pan. 

Smash the banana in a bowl with a fork, add the eggs and mix well. Add the cinnamon, baking powder and salt.

Allow to sit for a few minutes until it is foamy. 

Heat a skillet on medium heat, add butter and wait until melted. 

Fry the banana cakes, I really just guess on the amount I put in the pan. This recipe makes about 3 rather large cakes. You could make them smaller and make six, they would cook even faster. These will be very brown on the outside, they aren't burnt. It's normal. Flip once or twice and make sure the inside is cooked well.

I enjoy there with pure maple syrup and peanut butter or almond butter on top. 

I usually only eat two of them and give them third one to one of the kids. They are very filling! 

Enjoy! 

Well... | Mom Life Journal

Here I am after making a commitment to write and it has been six days since I last wrote. Yep. I failed. Oops. It's a good thing I didn't set parameters to all this, right? 

In my defense, I was sick most of last week and a lot of the time when things are quiet here online there's actually a lot going on in my real life. 

We started back to school last week, and I managed to power through not feeling so hot and we got it all done. We kept the house clean most of the week and stayed on top of laundry. Yay! 

We had a new employee start at work, and I had to go set that up. We also had to make some big decisions regarding the business, which took a lot of number crunching and prayer. 

Like I said, it was quiet around here, but it wasn't quiet in real life. 

We were supposed to start back to co-op last Friday, but it got postponed because of a funeral. Postponing was a small blessing for our family, because last week was full. Speaking of back to co-op, I'm teaching a middle school literature class...and the book list was already chosen before I got the class. I haven't heard of or read a single one of the books. Which is ironic because I read a LOT of books every single year, and my kids do too. You'd think we have had heard of these books before. 📚 I'm looking forward to teaching the class and plan to have some fun with it. I haven't really taught middle school at co-op yet, so this should be interesting. I used to always teach under third grade and then I taught mainly high school. Wish me luck! 

Speaking of books, a friend told me about a book challenge group she joined with another friend. They are doing an alphabetical book challenge. You read a book that the title starts with each letter of the alphabet. Um, I find this kind of cool. It would be good to help you get out of a book rut. My friend said she also joined a challenge with a friend to read 80 books a year. Knowing my friend, this will be no challenge for her. She and I got to discussing it and we ended up doing a quick count of the books we had already read this year...I'm up to 15, not including books of the Bible I've been reading. I told you I read a lot.

I'm half tempted to keep a yearly count of the books I read this year. Maybe I will, although I have a feeling I'd lose track eventually. But it would be nice to know my total count for the year. Hmmm. I'll have to think on that one. 

Church was amazing on Sunday. It had been a couple weeks since we got to go, and and we definitely missed it. I snapped the above picture of anna while she was praying at the beginning of church on Sunday. Let me tell you, this little girl has been blessed with a heart for prayer. One of the elder women in the church stopped me a couple months ago and said she was surprised to hear Anna truly praying while she was at the alter on Sunday mornings. I'm also surprised how much she pours out for the Lord in her moments of prayer. Such a blessing to witness the Lord at work in my childrens lives. It's only been two days and I'm already ready for next week's service. Why can't everyday feel like Sunday?

 Today I went to get my hair cut and dyed, I didn't take a single picture of the process like I normally do. I need to take more pictures of daily life again. I get swamped in actually living life and forget to take pictures of it.

Tonight was carnitas rice bowl night for dinner. 

Something kind of sad happened yesterday. My friend has been inviting me to join her at a women's conference hosted by her church for years now. I've always wanted to go, but it never seemed to work out. This year it finally worked out for me to go, and I logged on to sign up. It was sold out, when an hour before it had openings. :( They placed me on the wait list but said they were taking half the women than last year because of new virus restrictions. What a bummer. I really kind of hope someone cancels so I can go, but I'm also aware of the fact if I don't get to go then I must be because someone else needed to go and hear the word more than I did. I'd love to go but will understand if it isn't the Lord's will for me to go. 

Dustin and I are planning to attend our churches Valentine's dinner early in February. I'm excited about it. They said they play their own version of the newlywed game, and it's their favorite night of the year. I'm really looking forward to attending. 

Well, that pretty much catches everyone up on life at our house. I'll try me best to write more later this week. We have plans every single day this week. We aren't used to our weeks being this full anymore. It's an adjustment for sure.

I'm also realizing that even though we went on vacation in January, it didn't keep us from getting the January blues. All of us are a little sad and really hoping for some sunshine soon. Springtime, hurry up! 

Happy Tuesday!

~Lyndsay

Merry Christmas! (2020) | Mom Life Journal

Merry Christmas! 

We had a wonderful Christmas day, spent relaxing, eating, playing in the snow, playing together, napping and enjoying each other's company. 

I can't tell you the last time we got snow on Christmas. It makes for extra special memories for all of us  

The highlights for the day include Anna getting a karaoke machine and everyone singing along, my husband getting a container of 'Tang'(A childhood favorite drink.) And talking about it, and making endless jokes about Tang, Alex and Emma played anew video game (Overcooked) that had all of us rolling with laughter, Addison got her most requested gift an Instax camera, Dustin alsi received a Sling puck game that everyone has enjoyed. The kids gave Dustin and I a massage chair and massage gun. Such useful gifts for all of us! 

The high on Christmas was 19 degrees, and we were basically snowed in. The roads were very icy and the county did not clean them until early the next morning. It was nice to be at snowed in home, with no where to go for Christmas. 

How was your Christmas?

~Lyndsay

Day 11.  I have not been entirely consistent but I'm getting words on a page a lot more often than I was before. It will be easier after Dustin goes back to work and we are back in school. 

Thursday...and a picture! | Mom Life Journal

    Well, would you look at that? I put a picture up. Ha. I get busy with life sometimes and that I neglect to take enough pictures, and other times I take a ton of them. 

Today is our next to last day of school and eight days until Christmas. I really just want to announce that school is out and be free. Although we really need to finish our days. Especially with the four weeks we are taking off afterwards. All of this hard work will be worth it during this upcoming break and in May, when we are ready to be done for the summer. 

All of our Christmas plans have been cancelled because of Covid. Some of our family members have compromised immune systems, and we have opted to avoid catching any viruses between now and our time off. We hate to miss things this year, but we aren't the only ones being extra careful. We have been known to be this careful in past years, but this year we aren't the odd ones out doing it. It isn't so much about Covid for us, as it is all viruses. If we catch the flu it hangs around the house for a month or more, and brings its friends sinus infection and bronchitis. Toss in some asthma and we are down and out for an average of six weeks. We really would like to get through this winter without being six for a month and a half.

As of last Friday I had nine packages floating around in the oblivion of the delivery systems. A few of them are gifts for the kids. A couple have randomly shown up this week. One finally arrived yesterday, and a few more might straggle in within the next week. The one that came last night was semi important, the rest I can work around, or do without. 

Tomorrow morning I am going to the grocery store for groceries for the weekend and part of next week. Since tomorrow is the last day of school for most of us,(The high schooler will be working through part of break.)  I'm thinking a pizza party might be in order! 

On Sunday, Dustin (My husband) is planning to smoke a turkey on the smoker he got in early fall. He has smoked just about anything he can get his hands on this fall. The kids and I are making all the trimmings to go with the turkey and calling it an early Christmas feast. 

On Christmas Day we will be having more of a buffet style meal to snack on throughout the day. Plus most of the kids eat junk half the day and are rarely truly hungry until later in the day. I'm planning to make a very small ham, a Butterball turkey breast, meatball and lil smokies in the crock pot, cheese ball, a veggie tray and a few other things to snack on throughout the day. It takes the stress off of me having to try to make a big meal and then everyone sitting at the table and not wanting to eat it.

I think I am going to try a new recipe for dinner. Cheesy Tater Tot and Ham Casserole. We've been trying to see how long we can go without going to the store for groceries this month. With the utility room remodel happening in a couple of weeks, we needed to use up some of the food in the freezer and pantry. Plus it was getting to be time for a 'use and restock' of the freezer and pantry. Aside from shopping for food for the week of Christmas, I probably won't go back to the store until sometime in mid January.

Well, I think I have spent enough time clicking away at this keyboard for the day. Time to get dressed, get on with the school day and then move onto chores in the afternoon. 

~Lyndsay

Day3

10 Steps To Taking a Relaxing Mom Bath *Humor Edition*

 I love taking baths. They are an essential tool in my busy mom life!
  

 I used to be a shower person, and I still am to an extent. In recent years I have found that a good soak in the tub can work wonders on my mood, it helps with sore muscles (Thank you T-TAPP boot camp!), stress, anxiety and my arthritis pain too! In all honesty it is my time to decompress after being with the kids all day, every day.
I absolutely love being a homeschooling Mama to four awesome kids, but it can be mentally and physically exhausting.

 I try to take a soak 2-4 nights a week. If I'm having an arthritis flare, it's even more often than that. You would think this amount of repetition would make it painfully simple for the kids to understand that Mom is taking a bath, all other things can wait fifteen minutes or at least be redirected to Dad until further notice. 

Nope. Nada. Not happening. 

*Sigh*

 

We only have one bathroom in our house, so I tend to not lock the door while I'm actually in the tub. I lock it before I get in and after getting out. I do it in case of urgent needs or emergencies etc.

It has come to my attention that my children do not know the difference between urgent needs vs. totally unnecessary whims. 

 I've been keeping count and on average I am interrupted no less than six times per bath! SIX! How many times do they go to their Dad? Zero. Zero times. 

 Upon further thoughts on this topic and the sheer mass and absurdity of the interruptions, I decided to mentally keep track of my interactions with my children while taking a bath and then relay a sampling of them to you. Because we all could use a little more humor in our lives. Plus if we are being honest, this happens at your house too. 

So I present you with my typical bath time 'routine'.

Step 1
  Place tired, freshly bathed, milk cup holding, blanket snuggled toddler up with an episode of Doc McStuffins on a tablet, on the couch near Dad. Announce to my husband that I'm taking a bath. Tell the children I am taking a bath. 

Step 2
  Grab my towel and favorite pajamas. Wait outside bathroom for the traffic jam of kids who can't wait fifteen minites to go. 

Step 3
 Remove toys, and wet wash clothes from tub. Run the hottest water possible into the tub.

 I do this for two reasons.

 Reason one; I am usually the last one to bathe and the hot water tank is typically tapped out by now. 

 Reason two; because the tub never stays hot long enough and non dissolved Epsom salts are not your friend!

Step 4
  Add Epsom salts and turn on favorite worship music on my phone. My phone automatically starts playing The Greatest Showman sound track, because one of the kids was borrowing my phone. Switch music to Lauren Daigle.

Step 5

 
  Strip down, avoid mirror (I've had four kids after all) and climb into tub.

  Child knocks on door, interruption one. 

 It's Addison(age 7) she enters the bathroom because she has to pee. I remind her she just went pee, but she has to go again anyway. She turns down the music because it keeps her from being able to go...makes perfect sense. 

Still sitting on potty, 'Mom, what are you doing?'

Me: 'I'm shoveling snow. Why? What does it look like I'm doing?'

Addison: *giggles* 'Oh. I thought you were taking a bath. I thought it was summertime, I didn't see snow?'
*All sarcasm is lost on this one.*

Me: 'Yes, I'm taking a bath. But you already knew that and probably did not need to ask.
Are you done yet? Please go finish your evening chore.'

Addison: *Washing hands painfully slow, asks five more questions and comments ranging from why the sky is blue to how babies are born. I politely suggest she go ask her father. She finally starts to leave,
'Do you want me to keep you company? Do you want me to sing you a song? Are you lonely? I'm gonna miss you!'

Step 6
  Soap up wash cloth, shave legs above the shins for the first time in longer than I care to admit, and wash body. 

Someone stands outside the bathroom door, doing a rather loud, completely  believable cry.
Interruption two. 

  

I yell through the door and ask if someone is bleeding. 

'Huh Mom? What? Do you need me? Did you miss me?'... It's Addison again. 

After reassuring her that I promise I'm not lonely, and as long as no one is hurt I'm good for her to leave. 

She leaves, but leaves the door cracked 2.5 inches. *Sigh*

Ten second after Addison leaves, Emma (age 10) appears at the door. Knock, knock...'It's me Emma, I figured you would shut the door for your bath?'

She is doing her kitchen chore, 'Mom, how do you get the lid off of this cup. It is on really tight.'
Me- 'There are two very strong and able-bodied men in the living room.'

Emma: 'I already asked Alex (13), he said it was too tight, Dad said he couldn't because of the tendonitis in his arm.'

Emma hands the cup into the bath, I open it in .5 seconds. 

'Wow Mom! How did you do that?!'

Me- 'Magic mom powers.' *hint of sarcasm*
Emma leaves, actually closing the door.
That's the end of interruption number three.

Step 7
  I attempt to listen to music(at it's still lowered volume) and think calm thoughts. Twelve seconds later...
I hear a scratching  and meows at the bathroom door. Ah yes, interruption number four (Anna, age 2) has shown up right on time. 

Anna: 'Mommy, I WANT you! Meow! Mommy I NEED you!' Scratching. 

Me: Silently praising God that the toddler lock is still on the doorknob. 'Why do you need me?'

Anna: 'Doc turned off. I need Doc.'

Deep breaths, with the mental image of her getting up from near her father and walking past three other capable people in search of me. I remind her that Daddy is home and can help.
She mumbles through the door and walks off, meowing. 

Forty-five seconds later, Knock knock. 

It's Addison...again.

Number five.

 
She wants to make sure I don't actually miss her. Comes into the bathroom and makes herself comfy on the toilet lid.

'Mom, can I get on my tablet? I did my chore.'

Me: 'Yes, put PJs on first.'

Thinking to self. This is great, she will go and watch a show!

Nope. 

 
She decides to hang out for a few. She is writing a note on the mirror, so I can read it; in case I get lonely and want something to read. Also in case I might forget about her in the whole fifteen minutes of my bath.
She opens the curtains and insists I should read the note, so she can see the surprise on my face. 

Me: 'Addison'

Addison: 'Yes, Mommy?' *doe eyed*

Me: Cringing from guilt before even opening my mouth. 'Get out.'

Addison: 'Won't you miss me? Will you be lonely? Do you want me to tell you a story? Do you want to tell me a story? Can we have ice cream for a snack?

*Slowly leaving room and sticking her face in the crack as it closes.*

'Bye Mom, I'll miss you, I can stay if you want. I love you!'

Walks away leaving door cracked 2.5 inches. Every single time.

Interruption number six. 

 
  Alex (age 13) sees door is cracked and assumes no one is in the bathroom. Whips open door.(Yes, I'm smart enough to shut the shower curtain while bathing.)

 
Alex: ' Oops, sorry Mom. Didn't know you were in here. Hey?! Why don't you shut the door so people know to knock?'

Me: 'That's a really good idea. I'll have to remember that in the future. I'll be done soon.'

Alex: 'Ok. Hey. Since you aren't busy I have some questions about co-op, is there going to be...'

Me: cutting him off. 'Get out.'

Alex: 'But...'

Me: 'Unless you want me to come in and ask you questions while you shower, get out.'

*Silence*

He is gone.

Step 8

 
  Having lost all hope of having a relaxing soak in the tub, I release the tub plug and admit defeat. I Climb from the tub to find my towel has been used to dry someone's hands and my clean clothes have been trampled, I lock the door.

Vowing to never leave it unlocked again.

Then I hear a knock knock on the door and a 'Hey, why's the door locked?' from Addison. 

SEVEN. 

 

Step 9
  I emerge from the bathroom 17 minutes after entering to find everyone happily engrossed  in other things. They don't need me anymore, I'm clearly available to help them now.

Anna is passed out cold on the recliner. 

 I walk into the living room and my husband looks up from the movie he has been watching uninterrupted and asks, 'How was your bath?'

Maybe yoga would be more relaxing?

Step 10

 
Briefly consider running away to a deserted island and then secretly admit that I would miss them, plus the art work here is priceless! 

Blessings!

~Lyndsay

How to prevent homeschool burn out | Why breaks during school are important.

It's March, we are a couple of months into school since Christmas break.

Who's suffering from school burn out?

We schedule regular breaks into our school year, it helps keep everyone fresh and ready to learn. Two weeks ago I was sitting in the living room, during school, wondering why I would rather run away and hide so they couldn't find me to teach math. 
Then it occurred to me...we hadn't taken our scheduled break! Due to being sick and crazy weather it had slipped my mind.

Last week we took the break we had missed. I am still always amazed at the difference it can make in all of our lives and outlooks education and school.
We watched movies, went for haircuts, built gingerbread houses with friends, visited the library, attended science club, slept in a little, meandered through the mall, took adventures outside, visited the candy store and just generally had fun. It is always fun to unplug from the school part of homeschooling and focus on the home part of it. It can sometimes get lost in the shuffle of school, eat, sleep, repeat.

Something I have been making a mental note of, every time we take a week off, everyone of the (school age) kids has found themselves elbow deep in their own self lead form of education by Wednesday afternoon.

When you see your child has turned their own mind back to learning, then they are ready to start school again.

We keep our work loads full but not too heavy for them to manage. However, when we are doing school a lot of information is going into their brains, scheduled breaks are necessary.    Our brains process a lot of what we have learned while our bodies and minds are at rest. How can that happen if we never give them a moment to rest?

We started back to school this week ready to learn.

That's a great feeling!

Learn from my past mistakes, take regularly scheduled breaks. They are best for everyone's mental and physical well-being. 

Blessings!

~Lyndsay

Life With Toddlers

 I realized this month that we are in that phase of life with a two year old when I don't take a lot of pictures. There are usually loads of pictures from birth until eighteen months, then a huge lack of them until sometime shortly after turning three.

   In the past I used to feel really bad about this, then I realized it has happened with each little one. I don't snap a lot if pictures because my hands are full and I'm in the thick of it with them, running along behind them with a blanket, a sippy, snacks and lot of wipes!

  Toddlers are excited, full of wonder, always sticky, super smart, and running full speed ahead toward whatever the next new adventure may be. It is fun, surprising, joyful and even down right exhausting for mothers, fathers, and even big siblings.

  It's no wonder these elusive creatures are not documented as much as their infant counter parts. Sometimes it is not for a lack of trying to take a picture, they all turn out blurry!

  While this isn't my favorite stage, I definitely wouldn't trade it. Because in the blink of an eye she will be a real true big kid, ready to take on the world with her brother and sisters.

  Right now she is learning about the world through us, she's testing her boundaries, she's learning how to push mommy's buttons, and she's learning how to care for others and be loved. 

'I'm Captain Mickey!'

  Last night at dinner she told Daddy and I thank you for dinner. The day before, she hugged me and told me she loved me.

  Toddlers are such awesome little people. Although, very difficult to capture on film!

  I know now, after the first three, that we'll eventually emerge from this stage. There will be more pictures, more calm and less running with scissors. She will tie her own shoes, use the potty alone and think at least twice before barreling into the next new (usually dangerous) adventure.

  I absolutely love watching her grow and learn. You can literally see them processing life and their brains growing, making new connections. It happens right before your eyes. I don't want to miss a moment of it. 

  So the next year or so, I'll be soaking up this little ball of energy and love, taking mental pictures instead if real ones.

  Feeding her knowledge, love and hopefully a few green vegetables.

~Lyndsay

Budget Friendly Minimalist Makeup Routine

Let's talk about makeup! 

Way back before kids, I used to work in the type of job where your looks took you a long way. The hair, nails, makeup and clothes had to be on point. I didn't maintain that job for long, just long enough to know that it wasn't for me.
I am not much of a 'girly girl'. Spending hours on my appearance is not something that brings me joy. 

On the flip side, I do like to look presentable. I may be a busy and sometimes exhausted mother to many, but I don't like to look that way.

While I am blessed to be home with my kids, I do also run a business with my husband and manage our large, homeschooling family. I don't always know where the day may take me. It can start out being a quiet day of school at home, and quickly turn into a day of errands, with a business meeting, doctor appointment, and or playdate. 

I strive to look put together enough to seamlessly transition between whatever life might bring for the day. 

Do I always accomplish this? Nope, but I do like to think I manage to walk around not looking too disorganized. 

Below, you will find my personal thoughts and tips on my budget friendly, minimalist makeup routine. 

Are you ready? Here we go!

The Budget

 I use drug store makeup. It is mid range in quality and price. If I purchase a product of less quality, it breaks my face out. I try to walk the fine line between price and quality. Since I don't wear large quantities of makeup on a daily basis, I can afford to purchase a better quality product.

 I have added up the price for everything currently in my bag. It is roughly $50. (I will list all items with links below.) These items do not need replenished monthly, or all at once. The cost is broken up over the course of the year. I account for it in our monthly grocery budget. It is such a minimal monthly amount, it is barely noticeable.

The Products and Thoughts on My Personal Style

  I go for natural colors with my makeup. I'm not trying to look 'made up'. I just try look presentable and enhance what the good Lord gave me. :) I have a light complexion and colouring; Blue eyes, blonde hair and fair skin. My color choices reflect my personal colouring. I stick with beige, tan, pinks and small pops of color.

  I am not committed to any one brand or product. When I find a product that works for my complexion and budget, I stick with it. I've been using most of these products for at least five years.  

 Face

Loreal Mineral Foundation

Cover Girl Cheekers

 Cover Girl TruBlend Fixstick 

 

Eyes 

 Maybelline NY Nudes Eye shadow

I alternate between a neutral *white, tan, beige* eye shadow and the lavender. 

Why lavender? It makes my eyes pop. ;)  

MaybellineNY Purple Daze Eye shadow

I have only ever owned two eyelash curlers. They are an essential for me, but last forever. They are replaced when they break.
 

Eyelash Curler 

MaybellineNY Mascara 

 

Lips

Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lip Shimmer, Peony

I wear the lip gloss most of the time. The lipstick is for specials occasions, meetings and date night.

     Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lipstick, Ruby Ripple

Burt's Bees lip balm is something I keep around all the time. I have one in my makeup bag, one in my purse, and on my desk. I don't even consider it makeup, It is an essential. Sometimes, I skip both of the items above and just use this.

Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lip Balm, Original Beeswax

Not pictured are 1-2 eyeliner pencils. They are so old I can't even read the labeling anymore. 

 

 

Minimalist Mindset

 

Minimalist tip. Set limits.

This bag is my limit. Your limit may be different. It might be smaller or larger than mine. It might be a drawer in your bathroom, or a set amount of time you allow yourself to get ready. 

For me, it is about space and time. If it doesn't fit in the bag or takes more than three to five minutes to apply...it doesn't fit in my life. It is outside of my personal minimalist limits.

One of the best things about minimalism, you set your own limits. Make it to fit your life and needs. :)  

While it may look like a lot, when I post it product by product, it really isn't that much. It all fits in this bag.

*Don't ask me where the bag is from. It was some freebee from back in my department store, high-end makeup days. I think it is from Clinique? **Shrugs shoulders.** *

   

Tips

 

1.  Black Mascara

 If you are trying to look less tired, use black mascara. It highlights your eyes, making them look more open.  

 2. Waterproof Mascara

If you are a busy active Mom, you need waterproof mascara. It saves you from having racoon eyes! The dark circles around the eyes caused by smeared make up. The point of make up for Moms is to make us appear less tired, and more put together. Trust me, go with the waterproof mascara.

3. Shimmer

I try to find a flattering eye shadow, with a bit of shimmer. It does a lot for your complexion and brightens your eyes. 

4. Nothing Heavy

This is my own personal rule. I don't like the feel of heavy, thick make up. If it feels heavy or thick, I have trouble focusing. Not sure how that is a thing, but it is for me. I do not wear any type of liquid foundation.

5. Ditch the Eyeliner 

 Last year, I stopped wearing eyeliner on a daily basis. It was frequently getting smeared and made my eyes itch. I also started to make me feel too 'made up.' 

6. Pick One

Keeping in lines with minimalism, I only 'go big' on one area at a time. If I do a color on my eyes, I wear lip gloss. If I wear lipstick, my eyes stay more natural. 

7. Hydrate, Eat Well, Rest & Exercise

While it is nice to have these products to help us look our best, it is not a replacement for taking care of yourself. 

Drink plenty of water.

Eat a well rounded, healthy diet. Vegetables, fruits, healthy carbs and protein are your friend.

Find out how much sleep your body needs, and strive to get it most nights. (I am a person who needs a minimum of 7 hours.)

Go for a walk and lift some heavy things! It doesn't take much to maintain good health. It goes a long way in helping you maintain a healthy glow. ;) 

8. Wash it Off

This is a throw back to your grandma's day. Never go to bed with your makeup on. It can be bad for your skin. I will confess that I do sometimes break this rule. I do try to wash it off more often than not. :) 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, there you have it. My budget friendly, minimalist make up routine. 

What's your minimalist make up routine?

2018 Goals

  I am not a resolution person. I tried that years ago and it is a pretty quick way to end in failure.

  Instead, I make small goals and build on them each month and even over years.

This life is a journey, and no one said the end goal was perfection. I tried perfection, that doesn't work.

We are working toward being a better version of ourselves and growing in wisdom and closer to Christ.

I am making a small list of things I would like to work toward changing, making better and even building upon from years before.

#1. Read the entire Bible

  We started reading through the Bible as a family in January of 2017. Some of us kept going all year, but all of us got off track. We have kept pushing and will continue until we finish.
  I'm personally a little over 1/3 of the way through. My goal is to finish this year.

#2. Read 12 books

  I love to read! Always have, and probably always will. During certain seasons of my life (a.k.a. When there's a baby in the house.) I don't get to read much. My hands are full and my body is exhausted. The books get put to the side for a while.

  I felt a personal conviction, about 7 years ago, about reading multitudes of fiction (I read Breaking Dawn in 48 hours) but I couldn't finish the Bible? Major conviction. So I made a personal commitment to not read a lot of fiction. At least junky fiction.

  My main focus is non fiction, biblical, budget/financial, minimalist, homeschooling and historical fiction/non fiction. (I'm always open to title recommendations! Tell me in the comments. I'll add it to my list.)

I have read that some of the most successful people in the world read 4 books a month. Wow. 48 books a year! I would love to be there right now. I know myself and I'm starting small. One book a month is a good goal for me for 2018.

*I'll share which titles I read and thoughts on them as well.

#3. Lift 2x & Walk 7 Miles Per Week

  A few years ago I was in very good shape. I may not ever get completely back to there, and I'm ok with that. Being healthy, fit, active and happy is important to me. Not seeing a certain number on the scale or on my jeans.
It falls by the wayside every time I have a baby. Especially after Anna. She is finally settling into being two and becoming independent enough that I can focus back on my own physical health.

 
4. Continue the swap

Over the last couple of years we have started the slow process of switching household items over to healthier options. We have finally turned a corner and I feel like we are getting the upper hand on most of the items.

This year I will be focusing on my make up, the rest of our cleaning products and probably shampoo and conditioner.

When I say it is a slow process I mean it. I research items and only change one item at a time.

5. Sewing and Crafting

I used to do a lot more crafty stuff a few years ago. Life happens and those things got pushed to the side for quite a few seasons. I have been blessed with some pretty amazing and gifted daughters who love to create, craft and get their hands dirty.(Alex enjoys certain aspects of art and crafting as well. Drawing, painting etc. He gets it from his Dad.)
My focus this year is to spend more time being creative with them.

6. Gardening and Spending Time Outside

I do not spend enough time outside, which means it reflects on the kids as well. It's better for all of us to be outside on a regular basis.
  I also love to garden and do yard work. This old house is ready to have the yard be put into it's rightful state. It's going to take a lot of work. But we have many hands to make the work go quickly.
  It has been 6 years since I had a real garden. Dustin promises it is happening this year. I'm praying he has time to help me build the beds. Then the kids and I can do the rest. I've missed gardening. It's one of my joys.

Well, there you have it. Nothing all too life changing, world shattering or shockingly unheard of.
Just a homeschool mom and wife doing her thing. Trying to be a better version of herself.

What are your goals for 2018?

~Lyndsay

7 Quick Takes! A Recap of Life in the Tiny House This Week! Tears Over Ice Cream, The Couch Ate It, And The Surprise Gift Reveal!

 Hi! How was your week?

Ours was good, interesting and different. How's that for an answer?
 

1. Happy January!

 Most of us rang in the New Year sick.(Dustin and I have avoided it thus far.)

 Alex was healthy and took an invitation to stay with friends and ran for his life to get away from us. Can't say I blame him. No one wants this bug that is going around. Jokes on him though,  he came down with is a few days later.

I don't have a lot of pictures from this week. Except for this...

 
Poor Addison. She got my hair. Addison, Anna and myself included are doomed to have their hair look like this from now until March. 


2. Girls Night

I have one cousin by marriage and an ex co-worker that I am close with. LOL It sounds funny when I describe them that way.

 They are a couple of my longest friends and we have been through a lot together. Kara, Julie and I have spent a lot of years, laughter and tears together. Prayed each other through trials, help with a couple of each others weddings, held and gushed over our babies together.

 We try to get together a few times a year. It has gotten so hard to get together with life, family and literal miles. So we started doing sleep overs a few years ago. It gives us more time to truly share and chat after the kids all fall asleep.

 It is extra special when we get together this year. We have a new member to our group. Remember that little baby I asked everyone to pray for a while back. Well here he is... Kara and I fought over him, because he is the last addition to our group. We have ten kiddos between us (4 boys and 6 girls) and baby Owen seems like the perfect one to round things out. 

 



P.S. Kara, he obviously, still loves me more. ;)


 

It also snowed while we were there. It was beautiful..the drive home was not.


3. Forget the dog, the COUCH ate it!

 As much as I have loved our furniture. It was our first matching set and we paid cash for it, brand new. Plus it was made in the U.S.A. It has been through a lot in the last few years, and is slowly starting to show the affects of 4 kids.

We have a Roku and got rid of our cable a while ago. The only issue with the Roku is the remote. It is small and sleek. Something I am sure the designers found appealing. Not so much to a large family with a toddler that likes to hide things. It gets lost ALL THE TIME!

 It went missing Christmas night. I did a major organize and purge on the house the two days following Christmas. It was gone. I searched everywhere short of the trash, because it had already been picked up. We even looked into buying a replacement remote. They aren't cheap people!

 Finally, I did something I had been threatening to do for a year. I flipped the couches over and slit the bottom! I have to say, they weren't as scary inside there as I had feared. Just some napkins and random trash and toys....and this stuff!



 The cable remote that we had to order a replacement for, the TV remote that had been missing for I don't know how long, part of one of our spelling curriculums, a rather expensive flashlight that Dustin had replaced months ago, scissors, and the Roku remote.
 I now wish I had cut the bottoms out of the couches sooner. The plan is to hopefully replace the furniture in there this year. We have one small couch from Home Reserve. We love it for all it is and also what the company stands for. Seriously, go over there and check it out.


4.  Let's move!
  
  Some friends of ours moved back to the area over the weekend. This was their third move in four years and they always seem to move over Christmas week, when it is freezing and usually right after a snow storm. It was cold people...freeze the balls off a brass monkey, kind of cold. (It's a historical term, look it up!) Also known as perfect major construction weather! It is nice to have our friends within a 20 minutes drive now. Compared to an hour before.

 The cool part is the fact that they are renovating a really old house like we did here with our little old house. Her husband has been kind enough to post pictures of the progress. Dustin and I have loved watching the work progress, from the comfort of our almost finished house. I wouldn't take back all the work we put into this place, but I wouldn't want to do it again anytime soon. So we shall live vicariously through them. 

I took a peek around while I was there. They have a lot of work to do on it, but it is one amazing old house! There are fireplaces, and original built ins in all of the downstairs. I can't wait to see what they do with this house! There is something about an old house that's about to be brought back to life that makes me so excited and happy.
 
*I have to say that my friend looked around while I was there the other day and I saw the same look on her face that I had a few times. It was the "What have we gotten ourselves into?!" look. Ah, yes. I know that look well!* It will all be ok though. These old houses are always worth it!
 
5. The broken cat.
 Have you ever seen the videos of the cat that freak our over the cucumbers? They are quite entertaining! While as the girls night mentioned above we were discussing these videos. Kara has a cat now. It took thirty seconds of video and two seconds of us looking around between the three of us and we sprang into action to find the cat and a cucumber. 
After about forty-five minutes(off and on) of us trying to surprise the cat with the cucumber we decided she must be a defective kitty cat, or the fact that she lives in a house with a lot of kids has desensitized her to basically everything. 
Since our cat cucumber video didn't pan out, here is a generic one from youtube..from people with cats that are not broken.

  


6. Ice cream and tears

I think we all can collectively agree that toddlers are confusing. Especially when they are sick. 
On the third day of Anna being sick, her fever spiked up(after being down for most of the day), she was lethargic, her breathing was super heavy, she hadn't been eating or drinking and I was afraid she was getting dehydrated. The doctor squeezed her in for a check.
She was not dehydrated, at least not enough to be too concerned. She tested negative for flu and strep. It was just a really nasty virus. They ended up giving her an oral dose of prednisone in the office. Then sent her home with breathing treatments and instructions to get any and all foods and fluid in here that she would take. 

She went out to play in the snow

 for five minutes.

Later that evening she asked for ice cream. We get her a scoop, present it to her and she fell into a puddle in tears. Because apparently it was all wrong. This is how all of Anna's meals went for the next few days. She would beg for a food item. I would give it to her. She would cry or throw it on the floor and stomp on it..and ask for it again. 

Where I spent most of my week.

This was all likely due to the side effects of the pred and the fact that she had a sore throat. But it still made life rather different...as I have been typing this she keeps coming to the computer, grabbing my face in her hands and asking for a pickle.

 The younger two both ended up with ear infections before the week was out. Thankfully they are both on the mend. The older two caught it a little after the younger two. Emma is holding her own and heading out the other side of it now. Alex is 12 and part fully grown man now..so I am working on his funeral arrangements as we speak. The man flu is strong with that one. 
 
7. The gift reveal!

Remember last week when I told you about the surprise gift that Dustin said was coming? Well, it got stuck in transit due to a snow storm. It finally arrived almost a week late. 
He kept giving me hints and even told me the price and weight of it. I really had no clue what it was. He even told the kids.
Then the package arrived. He told me not to get the mail that day. Well, they delivered it to the house, instead of the box and I saw the box. it was from one of my favorite stores. Christian Book Distributors.
He made me wait all day to open it. He came home, took a shower, ate dinner and then opened it. He hid in our room with it forever. 
When he finally came downstairs, he presented me with a Henry Morris study bible! He got us both matching bibles with our names printed on the fronts. He even wrote a message to me in the front. 
I cried a tiny bit. It is amazing! He might just be a keeper. <3
We have been reading through our bibles together for the last year...we like to sip coffee, read and then share what we learned together. It is one of my favorite parts of the week.
 

 Well, that pretty much sums up our week in a nutshell. I told you it was good, interesting and different. :) That tends to be how we do life around here.
Well, I need to go and make a menu, and grocery list. I found a way to order most of our household and grocery items online. (If it goes well, I will share it in a video or post for you.) I am picking up one of the orders and making a run into Aldi tonight. If I plan it right, I will be going all by myself! Yay!

Happy Friday!

  ~Lyndsay