Week 2 Cloth Diaper Favorites

Week 2 of cloth diapering went well. We are happy with our fluffy butt and as he has been eating pretty much non-stop the diapers have been similar. I would say 1.5-2 hours is what we change, sometimes sooner depending on what he does and what diaper he is in. We have had some funny moments where Fulton decided he liked to wait to use the restroom until either A- we have the diaper off or B- we just put a fresh diaper on. It's made for a lot of laughs but for that second one - I am SO glad we aren't using disposables. Little man can mess as many diapers as he likes I just wash them.

Week 2 Favorites

Little man has grown quite a bit and is still little but not as little.

All in One - We have the most varied types of All In Ones. I've been trying them out and so far SmartBottoms Born smart are still a winner. We have 3 of them and I wait for them to come back around in the cycle. We are also using Grovia newborn all in ones and blueberry all in ones that are discontinued but we do love them. I won't go on about them since they aren't findable. We also still love the little joeys but now that his umbilical  has fallen off I think that Smart Bottoms and the Thirsties Natural All in One for Newborns is perhaps a close second. Friends. I can't tell you how much it absorbs it's amazing. So far natural fiber totally wins. We do have some Thirsties all in ones newborn that we had some trouble getting a good fit in the legs when he was smaller but now at 7 pounds 10 ounces we are doing much better with these but they don't absorb as much and aren't as trim. If I were to do it again I would skip the regular all in ones and go for the natural but we still use them.

Thirstiest all in one natural on a 2 week old newborn.

SmartBottoms Born Smart in Sprinkles on a newborn

Pocket- We tried apple cheeks size 1 this week and I LOVE THEM. We stuff them with the GMD newborn pre-folds and this is amazing. I will say it makes for a fluffier butt so some of his clothes don't fit as well but it absorbs! A great mid afternoon diaper when he seems to do a good amount of his production.  I do want to try them overnight but I would need to put him in a bigger sleeper for that.

Pre-folds -  We are using GMD, Thirsties hemp duo and osocozy. I still appreciate the Thirsties for the absorbency and dryness but a few things we have done. I started using fleece liners with the prefolds which has helped baby stay dry and made me feel better.  Definitely like Green Mountain over Osocozy. More absorbent.

Flats- We have flour sack towels but no other flats at the moment. I don't think it's fair to pick a favorite when I've only tried one option and it works for sure. I would say you definitely could do newborn cloth diapering with just flats or prefolds and covers and it would be super economical and easy to clean. I would say if you have people who are hesitant to help you with the cloth journey this would be the options that require a little more effort as far as putting it on the baby. Anything absorbent can be a diaper so don't shy away from the flat option. We haven't purchased any addition flats at this time but could be something to try at some point.

Fitteds- Favorite is still the Ecoposh newborn fitted. So absorbent. They wash great, they don't leak, great fit. LOVE these! My little boy pees a lot and it's amazing how these hold up for the long naps.

Covers- I'm still loving the Rumparooz Newborn covers but the Thirsties size 1 covers are now fitting! WOOHOO! And let me tell you I like where they fit on the legs better as I don't think it is as low and lets move a little more. So week 2 favorite cover may be Thirsties size 1 but only a hair over the Rumaprooz and I honestly think either one would be a great addition to your diaper stash. For the little baby I would definitely go with Rumaprooz.

alright I think that wraps up week 2. I though it would be fun to include a few pictures of him in the diapers. If that helps I can do some more of this in the future.

Fulton John - Naming Our Son

When I was in college I learned about the story of Nehemiah. I learned how he asked the King for permission to go build the walls of Jerusalem. I was inspired by the story and it really impacted me that a cup bearer to the King could go and protect a city despite opposition. If you have never read the book of Nehemiah I recommend it.  I'm not sure when but at some point I had thought that Nehemiah would be a lovely name for a boy.  I shared this with my husband and for our marriage when we have talked about having a child we have referred to the child we hoped to one day have as Nehemiah.

When we found out I was pregnant we decided not to know the gender. We were so thankful for a baby we had no preference if it was a girl or boy. I would do it this way again as it was a lovely surprise at birth. We had the names picked out early on. We never consulted a baby name book we just thought we knew boy or girl what the names would be. If you surveyed our close friends they would have told you Nehemiah would be the name of a boy. 

A week before my water broke we were in the car running errands. Okay - in reality Paul was taking me to get chocolate sea salt popcorn that I was craving. I had felt like the name for a boy had been on my heart and I had wondered if it really was going to be Nehemiah but had not mentioned it. In the car, as I'm stuffing my face with popcorn my husband asks if I'm sure about the names for our baby. It started a conversation that lasted about 10 minutes. We talked through the name for the girl. We were sure. The name for the boy we decided wasn't Nehemiah but was going to be Fulton John. It was the craziest conversation in that we were both so open to the change, didn't have to debate on names we just knew. No baby name books needed. 

Fulton John. 

Fulton is after Venerable Fulton Sheen an American Bishop of the Catholic Church who died in 1979. Fulton Sheen has impacted my faith in so many ways. His book "The World's First Love" is perhaps my favorite. It gives a beautiful understanding of the role of our Blessed Mother. If you have questions about her and how to view her I recommend it. He's written some other books that have really impacted my husband including The Life of Christ. I asked him which one of us suggested Fulton and honestly we don't know but we both remember being quick to like the name. While pregnant with Fulton I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral where his body is. At the time we were still unsure if Fulton would make it this pilgrimage really encouraged our hearts. Fulton Sheen helped my faith and helped lead my husband back to the Catholic faith. It was only fitting that Venerable Fulton Sheen be the inspiration for our sons name. Fulton means bird or bird catcher. What kept my heart comforted through my pregnancy was the idea that God's eye is on the sparrow, knowing that if He was watching a bird he was definitely watching my child. 

The middle name had been long decided: John. My husband lost his father this year. It was his dad David John who inspired the Catholic faith in him. As a child he will tell you didn't see the beauty or goodness of the church but now as an adult who has come back to the faith he remembers the lessons his dad tried to instill in him. John is also the name of John Paul II whom my husband and I have a strong devotion to. Turns out John was also Fulton Sheen's middle name but we had it picked out before we were sure his name would be Fulton John. We also realized after Fulton was born and named, that it's actually the first name of his godfather too. John means "Yahweh is gracious". I didn't know this when we picked it but you can ask my husband - I find a way to name everything grace. In fact that is what my name means. It is such a grace to us that our son, who was conceived during the year of mercy and born during the hour of mercy, is here.  Grace and mercy have completely surrounded this little man and I pray they will continue to. 

It was Fulton Sheen that interceded for us during our birth. It was his writing that encouraged me during labor. It was my husband reading his book to me that gave me so much to think about and so much hope to hold on to. Then God amazed us with his addition to the name. Our son was born on the feast of St. John of the Cross. 

So the question we have been asked what was Fulton's name going to be if he was a girl? We wont's be sharing. We feel God may one day bring us a daughter and that may be her name. Who knows maybe one day we will have a child named Nehemiah.  Only God knows what is to come for our family. 

We ask that Venerable Fulton Sheen, Pope St. John Paul II, St. John of the Cross pray for us and our son that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

What did you name your child and why? I love hearing the inspiration of people's names. 

Week 1 Favorite Cloth Diapers

I sit here with my little boy asleep on me amazed that he's now 9 days old. Before he was born I spent a lot of time, more than I care to admit, reading and watching and learning about cloth diapering.  We started cloth diapering him in the hospital. I wish I could say he didn't have a disposable on his butt but after delivery after we bonded through skin to skin (after he peed on me)...the nurses took him to weigh him and measure him and handed him back in a diaper. We had an incredibly hard labor, which I will share the story of soon, and the last thing I could think about was worrying about his diaper. We didn't know if he would need to be put in the NICU so while he was watched we used disposables but at the first mention of us being discharged he got his first fluffy butt. 

First diaper: Sprinkles - Born Smart Smart Bottoms. 

This is what his dad chose. I mean who wouldn't love a donut diaper. The nurses and the hospital photographer kept saying they had never seen anything like it before. In fact they said they never have seen cloth diapers in the hospital. I'm surprised with how popular cloth diapering has become and the awareness of it. The reason most I've read give for not doing it is not wanting to come home with laundry. I was willing to risk it as I work in a hospital and every single thing that came home first thing when straight into the washer. I don't regret it at all. If I had it to do again I would cloth from the beginning or at least from his first diaper from me on.  We used disposable liners through the meconium stage and the diapers have no stains even when the liner didn't work. So don't let meconium scare you. 

So a week in what do I think about cloth diapering? 

I love it. 

I think with all my research I wasn't naive about the things that we might encounter and it also helped me know some of what was needed and what wasn't. What it couldn't tell me was what size the baby was going to be when he came out or what would fit him. So we bought and were gifted a variety. We chose to do a newborn stash which I know some people don't because they say its such a small window they fit in them, but we wanted to cloth for health reasons so we were willing to make the investment. We also figured we hoped to have other children. 

Baby boy was born 7 pounds 1 ounce at 20 inches long. He was born at 38 weeks 3 days.  He lost some weight as babies do and I think got down to 6 lbs 3 ounces at one point. My milk came in and this breast fed baby has grown. Last measurement was 6 lbs 15 ounces. So we were dealing with small legs small waist and a cord stump. 

Week 1 Favorite Cloth Diapers

Best Fitted: Ecoposh fitted- these little guys rock. We use with a cover to be safe but honestly I don't think we even need it. They are made from recycled water bottles apparently. We ordered off zulily because it was way cheaper and we were trying to stay on budget. My husband loves them and I think they are wonderful for overnight. We have ordered a few more. 

Best cover: Rumparooz newborn cover. Hands down the only one that fit when he was down in the 6 pound range and now that he's gone back up I can get some of the others on but week 1 this was  our main jam. We have 3 snaps and 1 with hook and loop. I believe I like the snaps better.  Runner up is best bottoms. We only have one so he's only had it on the bum a few times but it's the only diaper of them all he isn't on the smaller size. 

Best prefold - Thirsties duo hemp. I know everyone loves the green mountain prefolds and I like them too. Why then did I not pick them? The GMD orange edge prefolds are wet all the way through and all around when I go to change him. Thirsties stay dry the outside. and stand up to more time overnight. Little man doesn't wake up upset he's wet. I will say for prefolds of all kinds I've been using the angel wing fold with a snappi. Other uses may yield different results. These are more expensive but time will tell if thats worth it. We thankfully were gifted 3, and 2 we got on super sale. I wish we had more but its enough to cover a night.  We were gifted 12 orange edge refolds and I have been using them during the day when I can change him much more frequent. They do a great job and I love how easy to wash and dry. 

Best all in one- this is a hard one. We tried Thirsties- which I like but the legs have a gap and we had a leak so I need a chunkier baby for those. Grovia newborn all in ones have been good. No leaks but they take a long time to dry. Little Joeys and Smart bottoms give us the best fit for certain. So what's my favorite between these two? I may pick Smart Bottoms Born Smart because they are more trim and easier to fit in the car seat. Love them both though on my little man. Smart Bottoms does win on prints. 

We didn't try any all in 2s, disposables or wool. I also didn't even try and put my little man in a one size as most of them start at 8-10 lbs I do have a few brands and styles but until his cord is fully off this is what we are working with. 

We tried a few other things I didn't list on the favorites. Maybe when we finish newborn cloth diapering I'll do a run down of everything we tried and my thoughts if anyone would be interested in that. 

What are your newborn favorites if you cloth diapered? 

For those wondering- it really is easy. Wear and throw in the washing machine. If you can work a washing machine you can do this. Alright little man is waking up and needs a diaper change. 

If you have any cloth diaper questions let me know.  I'm just a first time mom navigating the cloth world. Oh how sweet is a fluffy little butt. 

Anita 

I Will Give Thanks To You For You Have Answered Me

In May 2015 Paul and I began to try to concieve. It wasn't our plan to start then, but after a trip to the shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, we went in to pray for mommas and babies we knew. We both came out of the chapel nervous to tell the other that maybe we should try to conceive. Walking in that day we can felt the time for trying to have a baby was not now, and walked out feeling the opposite. The relief to us both when we realized God had put this desire on both of our hearts.  We wanted to do our best to protect any life God would give us so we met with a naprotechnology doctor and had my charts reviewed to ensure there was nothing in them to indicate that a baby would be in danger. We were told to go for it and we did.

May...June....July....August

As the months started to pass I began to become more worried but was told wait, and trust.

So we prayed and asked. We trusted. We did several novenas asking for the intercession of the saints and our blessed Mother.

September....October....November

Each month that passed an ending and yet a new beginning to a new cycle. It began to wear on my heart. I continued to pray and trust. Continued to ask. My napro doctor continued to make suggestions and I continued to follow and hope. I found God teaching me about the persistent widow. Encouraging me to keep knocking at the door.

Then we started to notice a change in my cycles with no explanation that said things weren't improving but were worsening. The regular OBGYN tried to tell me birth control would help to "regulate my cycles" but medically that is untrue and of course wouldn't help us conceive.

December

Several rounds of blood work and we found I had very low progesterone. I had to cut out a lot of things from my diet to try and keep my adrenal glands less stressed. This included giving up sugar, coffee and several others things during the season of advent. It was no coincidence that God had the timing of this during such a penitential season. We prayed and hoped and I noticed a lot of improvements in how I felt and symptoms I was having were disappearing. Diet alone wouldn't be enough so we went on medication and were told after 3 months we would reassess.

January

February

...

Negative
...

March was a month like no other. I had more peace and hope that month, and yet my body seemed to be doing things that were strange. New symptoms, new issues and I felt like I realized that this journey we were on could be very long. It could even lead to no children. Another penitential season of the church that coincided with struggle in my life: Lent.

At the end of the month when the pregnancy test was negative I was feeling resigned. I asked my  napro doctor where we should go next but the answers were vague as there was a lot unknown.  scripts were written for all sorts of tests that would start evaluating both of us more closely.  This wasn't going to be any sort of easy physically for sure, but mentally and emotionally I really started realize we were dealing with one of my worst fears  : infertility.  I knew this sooner than I would have admitted but it took me a while to accept it.While in the midst of the challenges physically I felt God really near. I was seeking Him in bigger ways than I had and He was drawing near to me as I drew near to Him. I felt myself ready to stop checking and hoping but instead to just pray. Pray the rosary daily. Go to mass daily. While my daily schedule does not normally accommodate daily mass God seemed to work out miraculous timing for me to make it each and every day of Lent. I know He knew I needed this to keep me together. So we prayed for God to be clear of what His will would be and planned to purse the testing. I begged and asked and we journeyed to ask Our Lady of La Leche once again to pray.  

We planned to go to a mass at the Cathedral that morning, when I learned from research that they were doing mass in tiny chapel at Our Lady of La Leche. So we changed plans and thought what a beautiful place it would be to celebrate mass: a bright spot in Lent. We went but after 15 minutes with no priest appearing we were told mass was canceled due to it being Holy Week and the Chrism mass that was occurring that day. The toughness of Lent seemed to continue and I added this to the list. I felt sad but trusted that God had a reason and we found there would be a mass later that day. I was going to get to go to the daily mass I had come to desperately need.

We ended up having a pretty great day together walking around the city and seeing friends. We were settled into a favorite dessert and coffee spot and I had just ordered and been given a latte when it hit me. Mass is in 20 minutes. We must go but my coffee was just delivered...warm and wonderful. Hello temptation.  Note: I spent a lot of time without coffee and this was one of the first ones after many months. My husband asked if I wanted to go and I was honest "no but that's when we should go the most" He agreed and we packed up got in the car and went. We went in and sat down on the left side rather than on the right like we normally do.

The mass began and the priest had a joy about him. I felt joy in my heart that was truly flowing and I stared up at the statue of Our Lady of La Leche praying and asking for her intercession. Offering the mass for our intention of a baby as I had done every day of lent but this day was different. I didn't offer it with sorrow or worry I offered it with joy.  I was thankful for Jesus in the Eucharist. As the readings were read I felt like this was a beautiful mass. We said the responsorial psalm " Lord in your great love answer me" and I remember thinking about how I would love an answer for a child. Lord please. In your great love answer our prayers. We stood for the gospel and the priest read about Judas trading the savior for 30 pieces of silver. It hit me as he read how much we ask or trade for. I asked Him to forgive me if my heart if that was in me and to cleanse me from any desire that wasn't from Him. The homily was shared. He encouraged us to be faithful in our walk, reminded us to be in community and was very joyful. Then my favorite part: communion. As the priest read the discourse I looked up again at our Lady. I could see the light hitting her left cheek in a way that almost look like a reflection from a tear that had rolled down. I can't say the statue was crying but its how I imagine that would look. I thought if there was a time for our blessed mother to have tears it probably would be now as we remade present the sacrifice of Christ. The picture of her holding her son in such a tender position breastfeeding him, looking down as His broken flesh and blood was made present on the altar gave a glimpse into her heart. The suffering that truly giving your life and your will to God  can be. I asked God to grow my heart like Mary's. The host was bigger than at my home parish and the blood had a deep sweetness to it that I honestly could have consumed all of it. It was as though what I had come accustomed to each day of Lent was made new that day.  I walked back to my pew knelt and found myself just saying thank you. No petition as I usually did...just thank you. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for His sacrifice and to Mary for her fiat.

We finished mass. We genuflected and walked out and the priest was at the door. I heard the man in front of me tell father "God bless you" to which he replied "may he bless you more. and more"

We shook his hand and I said thank you. and he stopped us. He said he could tell we were a very special couple. He asked if we were local and how long we had been married. He then asked if we had children. I told him we were waiting on God and Paul mentioned we were praying. I was used to this and I smiled as I answered.

He continued to talk to us about this and said that if we don't ask we don't receive and at times we must ask deeply and demand.  I felt my eyes start to sting.... I had asked. I demanded Gods will be done but prayed and prayed His will was children. I asked every saint I knew of who could intercede for us. It wasn't a lack of asking but I figured maybe I needed to keep asking. Maybe this was my encouragement to keep knocking at the door.

He then put his hand up to pray for us and bless us. My heart was overwhelmed with emotion. His kindness, my fears and the true hurt that comes from infertility. He prayed for myself, my husband and our marriage. He then stopped and told us we needed to prepare because "God is going to bless you with children." I felt my heart thankful that someday it would happen. I believed what he was saying.  He then told us that a couple had just emailed him that after 8 years of trying they were pregnant. He said they were the  3rd couple he had encountered who had conceived and that he believed we would be the fourth. He told us again we would have children and made it clear that he was sure of it. He said "sometimes I joke a lot but I'm not joking right now." He told us we had to bring the baby to come play in the church. We agreed but something in my heart wondered how long it would be before we could that. We said goodbye and I couldn't believe that A- We almost missed mass B- that I had ever worried about just having my coffee instead and C- that this was the third mass we attempted to attend that day and it was clear this was where God wanted us. God even met me with my coffee still warm in the car after mass just another way He was showing me He was in control. What we didn't know is that favorite coffee shop was closed down while we were in mass, and we can never go back.

So we had faith and we trusted. The encouragement was exactly what I needed. My prayer: Lord in your great love answer me He met me where I was through his servant.

I trusted that God would provide a baby for us in His timing. 

10 days later I went to mass and the responsorial psalm was " I will give thanks to you for you have answered me." I thought to myself "well that's interesting" but didn't really think long on it.

A few weeks passed and the month was much different than previous. I was still having strange symptoms but I just decided to not worry about them. As the month end came I didn't even plan to take a pregnancy test. There is only so many times you need to see a negative test. However, after a few strange things happened including me feeling overly emotional I figured well I might as well make sure. Then I saw it. Two lines. So excited and yet so scared knowing this baby was going to need a miracle and the help of napro to make it. It took progesterone injections and serial blood work for weeks until we could be sure that this baby made it through the first trimester. Now in the 3rd trimester and we are both doing great.

I felt I could finally understand those lines in scripture "Mary pondered all these things in her heart." Turns out we conceived 9 days from the time the priest told us we would have a child. That 10th day I was pregnant but didn't know it yet the Holy Spirit was already telling me to give thanks for the Mighty One had done great things for me. Our good news came during the Easter season, and our Lent truly was over. Now we wait for the next joyful season: Christmas. We find it no coincidence we are due December 25th 2016.

The Grace of Lent 2016

Hi friends!!!
Happy Easter! 

I pray that the end of lent was a gift to you as it was to me.

Lent 2016 was a challenge physically mentally and spiritually. God never left me but He allowed me to be challenged and tried. He allowed me to trust Him even when things seemed tough and He gave me gifts of renewed faith. You see friends when God leads your through the valley its not that he is forsaking you, he is right there with you. He is letting you continue to grow and decide if you choose Him. I choose Him even in the valley. I choose Him even in Lent. I choose Him even when it is far from easy.

While I will not go much in to details on the challenges at this point I want to reflect on the blessings.
God has shown me that life is not about me. I knew this but He has grown my understanding of what He wants from me and how He wants me to serve. He has helped me to see that it is all for His glory and purpose. As I reflect back on some of the past times in my life he has always guided me through and in this Lent I had the hope of Easter coming. I knew that the valley would not last. You see all things come to an end and if you keep your life in light of that you know even the trials will pass. They may not resolve in the way you hope but time does bring healing and new blessings and it all works together according to His purpose.

As each challenge occurred it became almost a humor for my husband and I to say "well it is lent." Big things, small things it did not matter for we knew that the dawn of hope was coming. So we trusted, and we praised Him in the storms. We did our bests to embrace this penitential season, thanked God for struggles He brought as we knew He would give the strength to get through them.

My lenten attempts at joining my diet challenges to prayer and stepping away from facebook did so much good for me and yet brought their own challenges. In many ways the autoimmune protocol helped me and I was overjoyed to start reintroduction but also I struggled to meet the full requirements in incorporating organs and broth into my life. AIP is labor intensive and I learned diligence. I also learned about myself and gained some information as to what is best for my body. How often not just in food but in the spiritual life  also do I pick the easy thing to meet the need but not what is needed to nourish.

I found a peace as I let my eyes and mind fast from facebook. Oh how much quieter and still. How much more time for prayer. Also how much I find I rely on facebook to be educated on the news and information about the world. I found myself truly searching reliable sources and I spent the time I would use reading facebook to read articles. I also found my heart steadied. I think facebook can be a great tool but also a great vice.

I learned a lot in my relationships. I found that if you take away communication via facebook you learn who really cares and who really wants to make an effort to know you. Not to say everyone who didn't talk to me through lent doesn't care- don't get me wrong I use facebook to communicate and keep in the loop as well. It just helped me remember to keep it personal and be intentional.  I know what a blessing that was to me when people did this and it reminded me to do this for others.

I also learned about boundaries and the importance of having them in my life. Not only in relationships and in what I post on facebook but also in my time. I have been intentional to spend my time in a worthy way and found I have gotten a lot more accomplished.

As I have grown in diligence I have attempted to do a little each day on the things I hope to do. I have great plans for a clean and organized home, multiple quilts I hope to make, reading I hope to be done and lots of time with my husband. I have tried to do just a little of each with the time I have and I feel much more productive. I also have been trying to become more efficient and yet thorough in my work. Setting goals for myself to be better has helped me to get more done but also helped me to see ways I can improve.

As we attended mass on Holy Thursday I saw the service of Christ in all He did in his ministry and I know He is calling me to serve. As I watched the priests lay prostrate before the alter on Good Friday I reflected on how my savior laid down His life and how I am to do the same. As I kissed his wounds on the cross I knew that it was I that wounded Him. He gave me grace in confession and I felt overwhelmed by the love and mercy. Then friends came the joy of easter vigil as the journey had some light: watching the candidates and catechumens that we were able to help catechize join the church was a shower of gifts to my heart. Seeing these people stand up and say Yes to Jesus and His Church is up there on top moments of my life. That God would allow me, a sinner, to help in His mission. Oh what mercy that is. He even blessed Paul and I with two grandchildren that we can join in praying for. We saw others be showered in grace as they embraced the sacraments and truly I could see the hope.  Don't get me wrong all the challenge did not leave with lent, but the reminded of Christ being our hope we learned to embrace the challenge and offer our suffering to our Lord for His glory. Friends even the broken can be used by the one who makes all things new.

So Lent maybe the best thing to happen to me this year even though it was by far the hardest. God has showered grace on my life during this Easter octave and I hope to take all I have learned into the Eastertide season to continue to honor and serve my Lord to the best of my abilities. As we walk through Eastertide I pray that the hope of the resurrected Lord will be with you. That He who raises the dead to life will raise Life in you friend in new ways this season.  I pray He also does this in me.

May the joy of easter warm your heart all year round friends.

God bless you!
Anita

Lent 2016 Update: the first 10 days

Dear Friends-
I pray that you are doing well. I hope this Lenten journey has been beautiful for you. I am learning so much and want to share a few things.

First of all being off Facebook has been lovely. It's not that I don't miss communicating with people but I'm learning who truly wants to know how I'm doing and who just wants to lurk and follow my life. Also my phone battery lasts longer and I've enjoyed that. I was talking with a friend this week about the need for genuine friendships. I feel so blessed to have genuine friends. There was a time in my life where all my relationships were shallow at best but I see how God has grown depth in my heart and soul and led me to others who feel that way.  I go on for just a moment to post things to my blog page but I'm not using Facebook messenger and I have no scrolled. I wish I could tell you I miss all that I learned from the Facebook newsfeed but all I really miss seeing is the notifications from some of the couponing things I follow about the deals going on.

I am learning more about rest and it's importance. I'm learning to enjoy being in my home and I've been spending a lot of time in my kitchen. When we bought the house it was one of the things I loved about the house. It's beautiful and spacious and I love that there is a ton of counter space. As I mentioned I am following the Autoimmune Protocol in an attempt to heal my body. If you haven't heard of it this might help explain http://www.thepaleomom.com/autoimmunity/the-autoimmune-protocol . It's not something for everyone but I notice some benefits so far.

1. Some of the symptoms I was having are gone! I notice more energy and physically feeling better.
2. I've learned I love oranges. LOVE. I could eat 4-5 a day. You can't do that and be healthy and it's not part of the protocol but it's something to note.
3. I learned that I have unfortunately thought my whole life that I did not like coconut. Growing up we didn't eat anything with it except Mounds candy which I thought was disgusting. Now I know that wasn't coconut and I've learned to love it in all forms: butter, flour, milk, shredded, chips, ect. It's nice and refreshing. It adds something different in the mix between all the meat and veggies.
4. I have found some wonderful recipes that I would not have tried without this experience. I wanna link some of my favorites that I've tested and loved below. You can also follow my on pinterest for more ideas if you are AIP or thinking about it.https://www.pinterest.com/anitahelton/

http://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/smoky-maple-sage-breakfast-sausage
These sausage patties are how I made it through the week for breakfast. Everyday but Friday (because as a Catholic I don't eat meat on Friday). So tasty. I highly recommend them. I made them with pork.

http://www.forestandfauna.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-aip/

- I make these with freeze dried blueberries, some with raisins and some rolled in cinnamon and coconut sugar. WOAH so good

http://autoimmune-paleo.com/nutrisclerosis-meatloaf/
This meatloaf was possibly the best I've ever had. It cooked beautiful, tasted wonderful and was healthy. I used ground turkey and ground grassfed beef but you can use any combination of meat you like. The bacon on top is delightful. The next time I am going to add in some ground liver to really improve the nutritional value.

I've also learned to love some spices that I have never used like Marjoram. So tasty and delicious on some over roasted carrots. I even made homemade bone broth. It was good but I found it a little bland. I did meet a wonderful women this week who gave me some tips. Any tips you have would be great. It's such a healthy gift for our family I want to learn to make it a part of our lives.

Do you have any favorite recipes that are AIP friendly?

Spiritually I've seen God leading me and giving me quite a bit of grace. I call and He answers. He is teaching me to lean on Him more and more. Mass this past Sunday was especially beautiful. As I was in my head knowing that the Eucharist is the body and blood, the priest spoke during the consecration on how it is Jesus without a doubt. All this following readings that reminded me that man doesn't live on bread alone.  As I'm bread free right now, among many other things God was reminding me that He is the most fulfilling food for me. His body. His blood. It fills my heart and soul. It's such an amazing experience to physically encounter our Lord and it was such a gift for God to especially speak to my heart the first Sunday of Lent.

I have fallen off the wagon with the Rosary. I was doing well and faithfully saying it but make it a goal for Lent and suddenly it doesn't even cross my mind or if it does I'm in a place where I can't at that moment. I know how amazing and powerful the rosary is so this week I hope to be more diligent with it. I know there is great grace from it. Pray for me friends that I will be faithful in this.

How is your Lent? Are you learning? What is God teaching you. Remember each day is a new chance. If you haven't been so good at keeping this Lent Christ centered maybe start today. It's never to late to turn to Him.
God bless you friends.

Anita

Lent 2016 Begins

Hello friends
Today we begin a Lenten journey. I am starting in my pajamas on a day off.  My husband is off to work and i have had the morning to relax. For me this is a treat. I have spent time reading and listening to podcasts. It really has been nice. Rest is something I hope to have in this journey. It is something that does not come easy to me but something I need.  I have my sweet dog curled up at my feet. She enjoys a nice day off as well.

So how am I going to grow closer to God this season ?

First I will not be scrolling facebook. Facebook is not evil or sinful I just want to free my mind and my hand. I want to not fill every moment with some thought but let my mind rest. I hope when I want to share or type I will blog. I will be posting Lenten thoughts on facebook but thats it. So notifications you will have to wait. Facebook app on my phone: goodbye.  I think it will be good for me.

I am going on a journey to help some of my health issues. As you all may have read I did Paleo over advent and saw a great improvement in how I felt. However when that was over I jumped back in to food, and while I choose much better choices than I did and have really limited myself in so many ways, I have also cheated. When I do it makes me feel physically horrible. Muscle ache, joint pain, fatigue, irritability, rash...something is bothering me and I do not know what. Then at work one day I was being compliant and having a salad when my mouth started to swell and I had to take Benadryl to stop it. Cue extreme drowsiness. It might have been a contamination on the gloves of the preparer of the salad because I have ordered this salad many times at work since it is the only Paleo compliant meal I can get on a busy day if I forget my lunch. Needless to say I was afraid to eat many things for a few days and it put on my heart the need to figure out what is truly irritating me.  I know what your thinking: go get an allergy test. I would but statistically they can miss sensitivies and allergies. I do not want to miss things. I want to be sure. When I am finished I will go through a specific reintroduction phase. I am ready to give up whatever it is.  This will not be easy but I know it can work. I know I can deny myself and fast from all these things that may hurt me to move toward heatlh.  Coupling fasting with prayer is powerful and so my hope is to spend my time off facebook growing in prayer. Learning about it and comitting to it. My husband  is in on this as well.

It begins today: Ash Wednesday.

What are you committing to for Lent? How are you letting God work His story in your life. I keep reflecting on my Savior: The Mighty One who has done great things for me. His journey to the cross set me free. I hope as I pick up my cross each day of Lent that I will continue to grow in freedom. Fasting has always yeilded growth in my life and taught me so much. I am excited to see what God accomplishes in this season.

Friends what are your plans for Lent? How can I be praying for you this season? I encourage you to embrace this season. Deny yourself to grow in virtue. Ask for strength if it seems hard.

God bless you friends
Anita

Late Advent/Paleo Wrap Up

Ok friends - I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. Paleo was great for advent but the second advent was over I had no process of reintroduction and no self control. I was on vacation and some of my favorite foods that I can only have when in the north east called my name. All in one day I went from strict to no rules. Yes I did eat fried blueberry cheesecake with ice-cream. Yes, I did eat cheesy potatoes. A day or two of that and cue the joint pain. Random joint pain that I always attributed to some other reason made me realize how my body really does feel better cutting out the sugar and the dairy and the breads and everything else.  It may not be all of it helping but I don't know what did help and what didn't. I figured I could figure it out another time, until I got a phone call.

Right around this time however I learned that what I thought was just an experiment for fun was actually God leading me to where I needed to be.  I learned I need to be on a restricted diet, even more restricted than Paleo and then go through reintroduction the proper way. I am not ready to share details just yet friends but please keep me in your prayers. I'm still learning about what is going on and what isn't. It's a change that I'm learning to figure out.  It has not been easy, and I haven't been perfect.

So we come back from vacation, I get started on a better eating plan and then.... I had a birthday. A weekend of blessing and being showered with love and kindness and I ate all the things I'm not supposed to. Oh friends the piece of cake really did call my name and I had to have a cup of coffee...or so I thought.  I thought maybe just the usual joint pain would come back from my choices but no. It was much worse. It almost felt like I ran a marathon and I missed it. My stomach hurt and I realized that my body was reacting to what I was doing. This was no longer a choice, this was needed.

I won't say that I am stuck like this forever. I do believe a proper diet, some medication with other adjustments and I really may be able to occasionally enjoy a coffee or a cake at some point. Right now I don't know what item it is that is setting off all the symptoms so I need to go through this process. I don't know what is working for me and what is hurting me. So I'm back on the journey. I'm learning to be diligent and plan and cook. I even got a lunch box for work to ensure that in the hectic days of my job that now only do I get to eat, but what I eat won't make me sick.

I learned through my advent adventure so much about the body affects the spirit. i learned how important it is to really try and be as healthy as you possibly can, and I learned to offer everything to Him even when what I have isn't health but illness.  I also learned how denying yourself grows virtue. It does get easier as time passes.

Now I'm not doing an experiment, I'm making learning to make choices to help my life. I'm learning to honor God and be as healthy as I can be.

Friends did you make a change during advent? How did that affect you?  I hope God met you an prepared you for the Christmas season. He sure prepared our family.

God bless you friends
Anita