On making goals or not

Difficult is the task of jumping back into writing one's ongoing history. It seems there is always too much to explain, too many back stories, and excessive qualifying of statements. To dive in and give a little update would make me seem excessively weird(er). And yet to forego the jumping in means I just have to stand on the side of the pool shivering in my bathing suit while everyone else has fun. You can see my predicament!
It looks as if I really have no "choice" but to close my eyes, hold my nose, and hope the splash isn't too embarrassing.

So what's up at our house this week? Today a friend came over to give me a pedicure, fulfilling a promise given at my baby shower with Eleanor. She used to work in salons, so she was the real deal, and it was a sweet treat. I am still shying away from nail polish these days, just because chemicals seem to wreak havoc on my body, but that was just a minor part of it anyway. Thanks, Hannah! One little fun find in the process: I couldn't use her foot scrub because it had several dyes in it, so I pulled out my coarse sea salt, some sugar, coconut oil, and 3 drops of peppermint oil. It was such a great foot scrub, and we've been using the leftovers to wash our hands. Much cheaper than the fancy shmancy stuff they have in the bathroom at my health food store!

My sister is staying with us for a month while we try to help her with some food sensitivities. She seemed to develop "allergies" to wheat and certain chemicals this summer after she had her wisdom teeth out. The only thing I can attribute it to is either the massive amounts of antibiotics and meds she was on making her liver less functional OR her immune system in general is more weak and not able to handle what was already a slight sensitivity to milk and wheat. Not sure. We are starting with this Candida Diet, which is only 2 weeks long and a good cleanse of sorts. She's been a great sport for a 14 year old having to down glasses of loose herbs in smoothies and foregoing wheat and sugar for a WHOLE two weeks. Our whole family is mostly doing it with her so as not to tempt the poor girl, although I finally gave in after a week and made my kids some bread products. We've had some awesome meals- so I don't think any of us are suffering. Except maybe our grocery budget...eating no grains is expensive! I spent almost $70 in produce this week. And the amazing thing is that we will eat it all. Is it gardening season yet?

  Speaking of the Candida Diet, I'm not one to follow fad diets (wait 'til I write my Paleo post), but after several years of struggling with my health, I finally found a short, powerful plan, and I can't believe how well it is working! My hormones were c-razy after this baby. I actually thought I was pregnant a few months ago because my PMS was so severe. My cycle after I finished this cleanse was a non-event. I also realized how bloated I'd been for years but just thought I was fat from having lots of babies (there might be some of that going on, too). I should back up and say that the reason I decided to try this was because I've been taking certain supplements for years and have seen little to no improvement in my labwork for Vitamin D deficiency, certain hormones, and even some basic minerals. I know that candida can actually consume your nutrients, so this was a logical step. I could write a whole post on this, but a huge contributor to candida is steroid drugs (which I chose to take for a few months due to adrenal problems both before and at the end of my pregnancy), and another is bio-identical hormones (e.g. progesterone), which I was on for my entire pregnancy with Eleanor. My last three babies have all had yeast problems, so I knew they were getting it from me. I've never had a yeast infection so I guess that's why I never thought to look here. I don't think it's the answer for everyone, but it is nice to have some answers (and some stabilizing).

Roasted Cumin Carrot Fries

 I've decided to post my kitchen experiments over here on our farm blog. We've been busy with meat and even lard. I never thought it could all be so interesting!

I'm reading Call the Midwife, which my step-mother thoughtfully sent me for Christmas. We've only watched one episode but the book is great, too. I wanted to make a list of 50 plus books to read for the year, like so many fabulous blog friends do. Truth is, I have made some goals for the year and I know I need goals for productivity in life, but I'm struggling with balance. I'm so task-oriented, and feel like such a failure when fill in the blank doesn't get accomplished the way I'd hoped. Right now, I have one child who needs so much attention and nurture and TIME that it seems like all other goals pale in comparison. I don't know how to get things done and really nurture the relationships I have with my children. I'm sure it's an on-going challenge!

Speaking of which, the baby is up and needing me. These are the kind of interruptions that derail goals. But with those sweet cheeks, it's no contest!

My parents came for a quick visit to drop off Molly

Hopefully, now that I've taken the plunge I will stay in and enjoy the water for a while! Hope to be back soon!