Growth milestone!

I am so very proud of B1.

For years, when B1 would go to the dentist it was an absolute nightmare. He did not like going to the dentist and would fight every inch of the way.

See, B1's first dentist was all business and he was young with some dental issues. A simple dental cleaning was very painful for him and never ended well. About eight years ago we changed dentists. This was the best thing we could have done. The new dentist is a pediatric dentist, which I highly encourage parents to take their children to, that also is good with children with special needs.

B1 is not a special needs child, but from prior trauma at the dentist it would take a loving hand to convince him that everything would be okay. Our dentist has worked with B1 through cleanings, sealants, and cavities. It has not been an easy journey.

Typically, B1 would have to have the "loopy juice" for anything more than a cleaning. He even had a difficult time staying still for cleanings.

But now, this past week when B1 went to the dentist to have a cavity taken care of he only had to have the local anesthesia and he stayed still. This is a huge step for our soon to be teen boy.

We are not contributing this milestone to any one thing. B1 has matured quite a bit recently, especially since being in middle school. We also diffuse oils pretty much 24/7 in the house. (Balance, doTERRA's grounding blend) Plus we put God first and have made a few positive changes in regard to the kids putting God first too.

What have your kids done lately that you are proud of?

How do you teach your kids to put God first?

Wellness is a way of life

As we have ventured through many trials and tribulations in this life, we have regularly seen the best way to do things. (This usually happens after all hell breaks loose and we realize we should have done X to begin with.)

Since our youngest was born almost ten years ago, our eyes were opened about food and medications (OTC and prescription). Our youngest was born with medical issues, but to exasperate them he also was born with food allergies and sensitivities. One of our older kids had a dairy issue, so we weren't caught completely off guard when his allergies started showing up. Our first example was if I would have dairy products within an hour of nursing him, he would throw up. So I quit eating and drinking dairy. Not only did it help him, it also helped me.

For some people dairy products wreck the digestive track. I found out i was one of those people and started feeling amazing being dairy free. What we didn't know yet was that a lot of people with dairy issues also have a problem with soy. We found that out when we went on a family trip. Little man can't do soy either.

As this journey has progressed, we have research and learned that what we eat determines our health more than anything.

Processed food is killing us all. Cancer, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, etc.. are increased because of the adulteration of the food and the overuse of the soil the food is grown in.

Simply, our youngest can not have dairy, soy, artificial sweeteners including corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and the others, food coloring (red 40, yellow 5,6, blue 33, etc). These are what we know of, there are a couple other suspects.

Removing the crap from our diet enables our bodies to repair themselves. Then if you add pure supplements and exercise in addition to organic, natural, unprocessed food, you support your body to heal.

Our family avoids processed foods as much as possible. We limit our intake of meat and try to go with organic and natural foods. We also use essential oils to supplement our body's natural instinct to repair.

How do you promote a wellness lifestyle?

Finding smiles and joy while battling the storm

If a person is determined to be miserable, there is not a whole lot that anybody can do. But, if a person hates being miserable, they will find joy somehow. - Faith Tilley Johnson

We have a lot going on. If you read the last post, you can understand that. Hubby is going through a tough time right now. This past Monday he started physical therapy. If you have ever gone through the rigors of physical therapy then you know that often times you feel worse before you feel better. The muscles and ligaments didn't just get tied up in knots over night, it took time. And it will take time to get them back how they are suppose to be. We are seeing improvement.

We are struggling with the financial aspects. By the time medications and therapy is figured in on top of the doctor visit we are running about $200-$250 a month. That is with insurance. God has and will provide, just focusing on Him through the tough times.

If only hubby was the only one going through these trials.

I didn't cover it in the last post because B3 has his own blog and his trials are usually covered there. However, B3's most recent struggle is not in the physical sense and I haven't posted about it. Benji is on disability with his heart condition and all of the compounding issues. Unfortunately, the cut backs in the government, they are trying to clear the disability roles. We have been fighting for two years and Tuesday is our hearing. I have to find the money to pay our lawyer and pray.

(I will not go into all the ins and outs of B3's disability here. We have followed all the rules and have been truthful and honest from the get go in this situation. We trust in God.)

However! With all this craziness going on. We are blessed to help out my niece and watch her kids while she works. It is a load of joy with everybody playing and enjoying summer. It doesn't matter if we stay home or go off to the splash pad or lake. It is the simple things.

I get to surprise them tomorrow night with a movie night! We will watch the Lego Movie and have some popcorn.

We find joy in the good times. We find peace in the tough times. And we find laughter at all times. We do ask for prayer. Our family can always use some prayer.

Change, seems that is the only given

In the midst of chaos, one's focus turns inward. - Faith Tilley Johnson

We have been going through many changes within our family the last several months. Those changes have brought about a different outlook on life and have pulled us in to God more than ever. (We are not perfect though. We have a lot of work to do.)

Hubby has had the most radical changes. Let me give you some back story.

Hubby has had pain issues off and on since he was a teen due to a moped accident. There have been other accidents that contributed to his pain, but he was always able to heal and move on. Then three years ago we were in a bad wreck where he hit the windshield. Ever since, his pain has been a predominate part of our lives.

The neurologist he has been seeing decided to send him to another doctor after seeing that the pain medication and dietary changes were not relieving his pain. When the neuro sent him, she told us that she believed he had fibromyalgia. So we went to the specialist. Hubby had 12 of the 18 points and he also scored high on the inventory checklist. Without doubt he has fibromyalgia. But the specialist surprised us, he ordered an MRI on hubby's neck, pack, and hips. What we discovered has been both a relief and a shock. Hubby has arthritis in his neck and several bulging disks throughout his spine. One of the discs has a tear and there is mild stenosis on the spinal cord.

Many think that having a diagnosis and tests to prove that the pain is not all in your head would be relieving. To a degree, the information is a relief. Except, we have searched for answers for three years. An MRI had not been preformed until now. The only other tests ran was a head CT and then a spinal x-ray. It is exasperating to know that the pain has a founded structural reason and nobody considered it until now. Please do not misunderstand; I do not fault our doctors. Our doctors were acting on what the hospital told them. The hospital that only did a head CT, the hospital that did not send him to trauma even though he had a head injury, the hospital that left him on a gurney in the hallway with no privacy.

The good thing is that we now know what is wrong. We are holding on to the promise of healing from God. Right now, medication has changed and the specialist is working to relieve the pain. There has been some progress. Next week, hubby will be starting physical therapy.

Hubby needs prayer. After being convinced that the pain was all in his head, this is a huge change. By accepting that there is structural damage, the mind is changed. The manifestation of the level of pain and the ability to function can be overwhelming. Hubby is still working. I wonder how at times when he drags himself in the door and collapses on the recliner in the evenings.

I wish we were only going through one trial but alas, we are not. However, we are holding on to the promises of God.

Oh the weather outside’s been frightful…

The weather the last few days has been rather frigid for Tennessee. We haven’t gotten down in the single digits since the mid-90s prior to this past Monday. And boy, Mother Nature made sure it was registered.

We have been very grateful that we got our fireplace installed last month. It was very pleasant to sit in front of it and warm up while watching movies with the family.

Thankfully, we have not had any property damage this go around with the snow and ice. In December we lost quite a few branches out of our two large willow trees. To that we are just hoping they recover from the severe pruning they received.

For the most part the kids have enjoyed the extended winter break. Since we celebrate Little Christmas, or Twelfth Night, they were able to enjoy playing with their gifts before going back to school unlike usual.

Speaking of Little Christmas, the one gift that seemed to be the biggest hit was dad’s. Dad got a tabletop Foosball game. He of course has not yet played it because the kids have commandeered it. Love seeing happy faces.

All and all, we are starting the New Year off well.

New Year Celebration!

2013 was quite a year for us. We had two significant graduations with G1 graduating high school in May and Faith graduating college with her B.A. in December. B1 started middle school.

G3 got her driver’s license. And she has managed to get part-time work as a babysitter during downtime from school.

G2 has finally found a niche that she loves in drawing.

B2 and B3 are all about b’daman and video games.

We truly enjoyed a year that was rather calm and limited the exciting moments.

For the upcoming year we expect some changes, but our focus is on becoming a stronger family and focusing on God being the center of the family.

We also intend to focus on our blessings. Focusing on what God has given us is more important than what the world has taken away.