Life is like a Map

What a journey this life is!  I am so grateful for the blessings in my life.
My husband, my children, my sisters and brothers, my parents and grandparents. Friends!
My God, who gives all these good gifts.  I am thankful.  I don't say that lightly.
Really, what would life be without those you hold close to your heart?

Sometimes in our lives it is hard to be thankful, we wonder why we get out of bed in the morning.
We struggle to see meaning in life.  We see all the negative things and they become soooo big!
Maybe you never had those feelings, I have.

Looking back over the past few years feels like looking at the back of a cross-stitch piece.
Or maybe, like following a map and coming up on detours would be more like it.
At the time I didn't understand why the I had to turn there, I didn't see that big hole in the road up ahead.  I am glad I followed the directions  that I heard my Father God speaking to me, It created a whole different piece of art in my life than if I would have just followed the map to a T and ignored the detour signs!

One turn in the road was putting our kids in school instead of continuing to home-school.   I am so thankful.  It has made a big difference in my perspective and energy levels.
I am very impressed with the teachers and Principal at R. L Madsen Public School.
They do a great job with the children.  I have been able to be there as a lunch room supervisor and get to know my kids friends and the teachers a bit.

It is hard to describe the reasons I home- schooled and the reasons we chose to send them to Public schools.
Looking back, doing some soul- searching I realize one reason in my heart was that it was time to let the kite string out a little.  You know, let the children learn to "fly" in this world while they are under our roof.  I felt God was asking me, "don't you trust me to take care of your children?"
I was hanging on to them.  Losing mom when I was 10 maybe played a part in wanting to make sure I had quality time with my children. I wasn't ready to let them go.

Though, as difficulties arose with having to teach and parent I began to wonder if it was quality time anymore.
I think it has been for the best of all of us!

Another detour was with my health.  Last year, in the winter there were days that I still struggled to get out of bed.  I was frustrated! Good grief, the kids are in school now, what is wrong with me? I thought it  was having the kids home all day!  I realized that wasn't all of it.

After talking to my friends, I felt prompted to get some blood work done and check my Vitamin D.
Sure enough my Vitamin D levels were very low.  I started taking 3-4000 IU's a day.  Sometimes more.
I am hoping that will help my energy throughout this winter.  I am recognizing it is a pattern and that I get the Winter Blues!  So I am on a journey to find out what helps that.

A couple things I am going to try this winter is to make sure I do something fun in those freezing cold months!  Like Scrapbooking, card making.  I might try my hand at decorative painting again.

I also find that exercise really really helps my winter blues!

Through this journey of fatigue, I've done lots of reading!
One book I just finished is YOU on a Diet.  Great book!
The one thing that I am taking from that book is that deprivation diets just cause us to crave more food!
I realize we can't just eat everything, and all the portions we might want, but if we listen to our body's signals, it tells you when you have had enough.  Our problem is that we don't usually wait until we are truely hungry to eat.  And we don't stop eating when we are content.  This is Key!
Eat when you are hungry!  Stop when you are content!

If you haven't read it and you struggle with your weight, or you think about food all the time and what you are going to eat to try to lose weight .  You need to read this!
You on a Diet gives you answers to why you crave food.  When we allow ourselves to get soooo hungry, because we are "on a diet"  trying hard to lose weight, our desire for food increases!  When your body is satisfied, you will eat less.
You On a Diet discusses all the different diets and why they don't work unless you do them 100%.

Another thing they say is automate what you eat.  I think a reason so many people are overweight today is that there are soooo many choices!  Simplfy what you eat in a week.  Even if it is just your breakfast and lunches.   It takes the brain work out of what am I going to eat,  and the "monotany" of the same food most mornings and lunches take away that "this is soooo good, I'm going to have another serving"
It is working for me.  My main breakfast now is steel cut oats, a bit of natural peanut butter, handful of blueberries, honey and milk.  A cup of coffee or Green Tea.
Yeah, maybe it is boring, but it sure is freeing! Or yogurt and granola and blueberries or raisins.  Just a few of my favorites.

It also talks about how high sugar foods, and white flour foods leave us unsatisfied and craving more in the end.  Protien and fat are needed to help you feel satisfied.
I'm not convinced yet that I need to completely cut out white flour and sugar,  but my reading has led me to buy spelt grain, and try  to grind my own flour this winter! We'll see how that goes!  Thanks to Jenni for letting me borrow her grinder till I know if this is going to become a lifestyle change! or if it is just another thing I'm going to try!    So, I am on a quest for new recipes!
That is why Wanda has been posting recipes with Spelt in them.

Well, I am hoping this Flu is going away!  I've been sick going on 3 weeks now.  This week it really hit me hard.  I've been house bound, exhausted.  So as I lay here on the couch so much stuff is running through my mind.  So I thought I would write.  Maybe next week when I'm feeling better I'll read this and wonder why I wrote what I did, but oh well!  Enjoy
Wendy