Who am I? Identity after children

I have heard many moms say lost their sense of self after their child was born, especially if they made the transition from working full-time to staying at home with the child full-time. It didn’t happen to me, but I can understand how easily it happens to many women.

Suddenly, any affirmation they had received from their previous employers, clients, and work-mates, disappeared; and they started a brand-new career with a huge learning curve, menial labour, long hours, 100% emotional engagement, overwhelming responsibility, and little positive feedback.

My top 10 frugal living tips

Every time I turn around, it seems someone has posted about the importance of frugal living, so I won’t repeat all that. Here are some things that our family does to stretch our family income, and (sometimes) help the environment:

• Cloth nappies (aka diapers)
• Slow cooking
• Bucket insert in kitchen sink to collect & re-use clean water
• Recycling cardboard packaging for childrens’ constructions
• Recycle paper for telephone notepads or childrens’ artwork
• Home-made and second-hand children’s clothing. I have not bought clothing for my daughter in about 2 years, and she has items in her closet that have never been worn! My second son has also inherited most of his clothing.
• Using rags for cleaning – I cut up my old cloth diaper squares into quarters, and use them for wiping any household dirt or dust. When dirty, they go into the wash with the cloth diapers
• Op-shopping (aka thrift shopping)
• Keeping chickens
• Home-made baked goodies

Have you become more frugal in the past 12 months? Please share!

What if it’s true…? Part 4: God will never leave us

Then...

He is here in the middle of the messy house.

He is here in the middle of the fighting screaming children

He is here in the middle of today's silent war between my husband and I.

He is here in the middle of my failure to get my best friend a present in time for her 40th birthday.

He is here in the middle of my stinking inner bog of pride, fear and blame.

In spite of all my failures, mistakes, sins, and short-comings, and the collective failures of the people around me, God is still present in our midst. His faithfulness endures forever. Selah.

Let's talk about mommy guilt: Part 2

Last week, I posted about mommy guilt, and how we need to learn to think logically, rather than emotionally, if we want to get free.

Sometimes there is some truth in that nagging voice. But I believe that women are wired to react emotionally, especially when the issue involves our kids, and so we fast-forward straight into guilt (“I should have/would have/didn’t mean to”) without stopping to think with our logical side.

When I am feeling mommy guilt, it helps me to pray first, asking God to forgive any sin in me, and asking for wisdom. Then, when my mind is clear enough, I’m learning to ask these questions:

Friends in need

During our recent time of financial stress, we have been greatly blessed by some wonderful friends.  We have been given gifts of money and store vouchers, both anonymous and named; encouragement through wise counsel and prayer; gifts of food; and constant concern and care from all who know our trouble.

Healing Autism with Food?????

I’ve just spent the past week reading up about the GAPS diet, which I first heard about here. The author, Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, has impressive credentials: she holds a degree in medicine and post-graduate degrees in neurology and human nutrition; she has extensive clinical experience in treating adults and children with learning disorders; and she is also the mother of a son who was diagnosed with autism at 3.

The fundamentals of the diet are fairly straightforward, if a little unusual from the mainstream perspective:

• Animal products including fish, meats and fats, home-made meat stocks, soups and bone broths, eggs, ghee and butter, stews and casseroles
• Pro-biotics
• Vegetable juices, cooked and raw vegetables
• Fermented foods such as yoghurt and kefir, sauerkraut, or other fermented vegetables
• Organic nut butters

The author describes a systematic method to introduce the various foods into the diet (Introduction Diet), along with a longer-term maintenance diet (Full GAPS diet).

The startling thing about the diet is not the food, though. It is the author’s claim that this diet is an effective and appropriate treatment for autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression, and schizophrenia.

Mel Hayde: Terrific Toddlers

I first read this book following the birth of my second child, when I realised I was struggling with the behaviour of my eldest (who was 2.5 years at the time). I read the 101 pages within an hour, but it was a life-changing hour for my toddler and I.