Flare-up

I signed up for email updates from Christina Tidwell last year when "autoimmune disease" became a real item in my family's life. She has had encouraging and timely (God is good!!) posts and this is one of them.

Flare-up was our last couple weeks ("I feel like 2019." ~KL). The above linked post made me realize we're making our way out of a flare-up. I've had a lot of people ask me "how are you doing?" and I've been trying to be honest, but there is no concise answer right now... I'd say though that today we're "better" (but not back to 2020 good). These are great toolkit ideas if you have 12 minutes to listen.

SUMMARY

1. breathing in and out  

2. focus on what you can control

3. eating healthful foods that will heal the body - NOURISH

4. sleep and rest - rest more than you think you need

5. calling on your care-team and support team

Zoo Day

 We made it to the zoo today.  I got a little extra sleep last night and I think it was just enough (along with the sunshine) to get the idea in my head...and L's!  Being right after lunch, we had the zoo nearly to ourselves.  

Isn't this giraffe beautiful?  We couldn't remember seeing one sitting before.  We didn't see zebras today, but this bongo was in the viewing area.  They must take turns.  

Funny to us that the camels are out, but it's too cold for the penguins.  About the time we got our zoo pass the penguins were finishing up their outdoor time.  The kids have enjoyed watching them out of doors, but I haven't had the pleasure.  Looking forward to that this spring.  (BUT just so you all know!  It's only February.  Not Spring.  Snow will most likely return and be just wonderful.)

Six Months!

Can you believe it!?  This boy child is 6 months already!  Oh, we love him!  He's sleeping like a newborn, but rolling, laughing, eating, loving and loved!

A billboard I drove past had a picture of a cat next to the note:  "The best 10 lbs. I ever gained."  I had to do my own version.  This is "The best 16 lbs. I ever gained." ...I mean, along with the siblings of course!  

We've started foods a little differently with each child.  This time around, he's getting egg yokes, chicken heart, salmon, sweet potatoes, avocado, banana and basically what we're eating.  If it's simple enough, we'll let him test it.  He won't be having our store-bought chicken tortilla soup for a while...we don't consider that simple foods.

 He didn't get a whole lot off of this sweet potato wedge, but he was able to practice grabbing, chewing, and it kept him contentedly occupied so we could all eat together!  

Camping!

Ahh, we really enjoyed this get-away.  It took me until the last moment (night before) to be fully certain that I would really want to go!  Gradually, starting to widen my horizon after a long time (I'm not counting/lost track) of staying-at-home has been interesting...

Heading to Oakwood was a great decision.  We checked ahead of time how they cleaned the cabin and we just went for it.  Oh, it was beautiful!! We might have to switch our end of June campout to end of May!  We actually made it around this island/peninsula loop without swarms of mosquitoes.  We were really able to enjoy the journey!!!  And the wildlife...

Fires. The kids did some scavenging and we were able to have a late-afternoon to bedtime fire AND an all morning fire.  Our main meal this time around was not our typical burritos, but Cari's favorite...hobo meals.  Diced up a load of veggies and some sausages and ate until we were fully satisfied, and maybe a bit more.  Really though, that is what you want when camping...it's terrible still feeling hungry while camping.  We didn't pack any fun desserts, but the kids enjoyed wrapping baby carrots in the used tinfoil and eating roasted carrots.  Something about having their own inventive treat was enough to not even ask about s'mores.

Mn was allowed pocketting of a pocket knife.  He brought it out under supervision and enjoyed being able to say he had it in his pocket and use it now and then.  Below: more wildlife. Can you spot it?

Prior to the campout we found that E.Nesbit didn't just write The Railway Children.  She was an author of fantasy! Kevin started reading this book to them of short dragon stories. We found one in picture book form at the library and Mn's been re-enjoying that one since.

Another loop at the park had a lovely open area with trees and spaces to play frisbee/soccer/run.  It was all our own for about an hour before we headed away from the park altogether.  Last stop, a little spot in the woods the kids and K had explored while I read in a chair in the open spaces.

Our lovely take-home...a tick!  Extracted with the help of Nana and the internet, because apparently the hot (not burning) match on the tick body is an old wives tale...

Bike Crew

Thursday afternoon, the kids and Kevin went on a long bike ride.  6 miles!!!  They arrived home tired, but really happy!  Kevin hadn't been feeling well Monday morning so had taken 2 hours off to "recover", then the rest of the week he had 2 other hours to take off.  Wednesday was the mid-week picnic and then this day...off an hour early to bike with the kids.  Back afterwards for supper and a concert.

Mid-Week Retreat

This particular Wednesday was a hard one for our family...mostly this mama... Kevin took off work an hour early and we packed a picnic.  There are 2 state parks quite near to each other and we frequent one and only go to the other every few years.  We thought we'd try the less frequently visited one.  We did find a quiet parking lot to picnic near, but the hiking areas were packed.  So, we started at one park and headed to the other.

Forgot to get a pic of our picnic view until we were in the van about to head to the next park...

Off the main trail hiking has been our specialty before the mosquitos reign.  :)  Found some trees to climb in and hills to roll with.

Just before we returned to our van, we pulled off the trail for others to pass.  Then we decided to stay a while and draw in our nature journals.  It was a lovely evening.  Yes, it took the whole of it for this mama to lighten up, but it worked!  God is good!!

Weekends at Home

This video was Easter weekend, but just had to share!  Maybe a futures student of our friend, TK, an enjoyer of snowboarding.

For 3 weekends we've had a pretty sweet schedule.  Saturday AM decide on a hiking location.  En route to the hike, or upon our return we would make a series of drop-off/pick-ups, then, hike at a nearby nature area.  Saturday afternoon, we would work in our backyard.  The last 2 weeks had been working to make 2 raised garden beds and a compost container/system.  This weekend, we started a chicken coop.  All the wood has been from around the house and garage, including an old wood storm door.  We still have some work to do and then chickens to acquire...but we have a possible offer.  It will be a summer-only endeavor and possibly only this one summer.  After that, as most of you know, we'll have a new babe and I have long ago decided that we wouldn't have chickens and crawlers/toddlers at the same time.  Just with the hands to mouth factor.

Sundays have been a long morning before 10:45 church, lunch, nap, then outdoor something...biking, more yard enjoyment, snow play...  This week, because Kevin was on the worship team and I had just received a box of dresses from my sister-in-love, we both dressed up.  :)  Including slippers, house crocs, and a sneaker.  Haha.  Enjoying this journey!  Note to grands:  you might have to travel to us first...we really enjoy this schedule and the lack of road time!!

Weekday Mornings

Mornings here start with breakfast, chores, instruments, math, and a bit of reading before we convene together for Bible Study + snack and the rest of school at 10 a.m.  One of L's daily chores is bringing down and sorting the dirty laundry.  She's fashioned a new method of carrying it out.

Kj plays piano and violin each morning and L piano.  It's a lovely soundtrack to my chores!  They've, this week, voluntarily added Typing Instructor, as well.

Mn and I try to have some reading time together before 10.  We've just finished One Minute till Bedtime and are now going to work our way through The Real Mother Goose, interspersed with other picture books.

Also, our view of Kevin, at times sitting, at times standing, with his sword at the ready.  Mn and Kevin take daily 1-minute-breaks for dueling down the hall, down the stairs, around the living room and back to work.  It's lovely to have 2 knights at home through the week.

Saturday...But Sunday is Coming!

Spring is a wonderful time to go hiking here!  No ticks or mosquitoes, still get to wear jackets...  Taking the less traveled paths also seemed appropriate for this "shelter at home" or "quarantine" time.  These paths through the ravine to the river we wouldn't have found on a summer or fall day.  It was lovely.  

 

Found 2 sets of tracks by the river's edge!

We've been bringing a small nature journal backpack along on our hikes and taking a little break to draw a little.  Ly and I did this time, while Kevin, Kj, and Mn climbed a hillside on a fallen tree.

Kj discovered this really cool looking thing.  We weren't sure what it was, but she found it on a juniper tree.  The following pictures are of it broken open and then pinched between my fingers...maybe not smart, but I didn't think of that until midway through the pinching.  I looked it up this evening and found that it is a gall.  A growth, a disease.  Thankfully, it was really hard to find another one...feeling like we should go back and dispose of others though.

Returned home for lunch and work on our garden beds.  The biggest in the forefront we put together last week.  Today we made the 3-section compost area and the tiny garden bed in the middle of them.  It's been fun over the years in our house to add improvements to the yard and garden.  The boards over the top are basically to keep the straw from blowing away until we get the plants and such in.

The finale of the day was "nice cream" and the 2nd half of Mary Martin as Peter Pan.  Even Kevin was able to have it!  Just didn't add any m&ms to his portion.  This batch was salted caramel nice cream with caramel sauce.  Mmm!  Kj eats "nice cream".  If you know Kj she WILL NOT eat bananas, she tastes them in everything that their put in, but for some reason this works. She won't have seconds, but will eat a full portion!  Win-win here!

But Sunday is Coming!!