AWOL

Hello blog friends. Yes, I'm (mostly) alive. 

We are enjoying the fall colors but some unusually warm weather. It seems like Christmas is just around the corner but it's 70 degrees outside.

There- I've talked about the weather...hmmm, what else?

Oh, where have I been. You didn't notice I was gone? That's okay, Mom. I know you are busy.

Things have been up and down here. I thought my health issues would clear up with a few visits to a new doctor, but low and behold they have not. I had a small break-through two weeks ago when I decided to cut out all gluten from my diet (after being told by the doctor that everything looked normal...to which I wanted to say, "Everything but ME!" Gotta love test results...) and found myself relieved of about 75% of my symptoms. But gluten is in EVERYTHING, and trying to weed it out is detective work. Work that is hard to do when your symptoms include a very foggy brain, forgetfulness (what did I just put in those muffins??) and an energy level measuring in at negative ten. So, I'm not really sure if it's the gluten, or preservatives of some kind, or some other environmental allergen. I think I've stayed away from gluten for the last two weeks, but I've had several things that said "May contain trace amounts of wheat." I'd like to think I'm not really that sensitive, but who knows. When I think back to what I was eating when I first cut out gluten it was mostly plain old meat and veggies and fruit, with a lot of brown rice thrown in for good measure.So we're going back to that plan for now. And I will say that this experiment has helped me to diversify my grains...my bulk food shelf, which consists of glass jars, has doubled in the last week!

When I do have a good day or a burst of energy, I find myself not wanting to sit at the computer, but usually buzzing around the house playing catch-up. Life does go on, and we've continued to have abbreviated school days (mostly just phonics and reading, and not for hours on end because that can be exhausting, too...) and a lot of playing around the house. It's been good for me to be around the kids so much: I get to see how they interact more than if I was busy in the kitchen or doing my own projects. We've been able to tackle discipline issues that are subtle but fierce. And my soon-to-be 2 year old has turned into a book worm! We are memorizing the poem, Block City, by Robert Louis Stevenson, and he even has the last word of most of the lines memorized (he's a genius, I say).I just spelled genius wrong (a typo, for sure) so I guess that means he doesn't get it from me.

This has been an unexpected quiet season...we flew like madmen from April until August and then hit a brick wall. I'm ready to be back on my feet, accomplishing more than just laundry and dishes, but for now I'm working on being content with my limited sphere. I do have an appointment next week with a doctor several hours away who specializes in the endocrine system and natural hormones, so that may provide us with some answers.

So, I'll leave you with a picture (because it's the only one we've taken in the last few weeks) from our family photo shoot last week...

Don't worry, our yearly picture will include everyone's heads.

And the next time I get around to it (haha, Grandpa Glenn...I still have the one you gave me) I will share with you a tip from a friend on managing children's "treasures" and memorable stuff that multiplies and makes room organization a bear.