Inspiration

Dirt Road Diary; 12 Country Living Lessons

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%22I wouldn't give a nickel to have it paved in gold. Everything I Love is at the end of the dirt road.%22

One month post our move and 99% of the time I’m still waiting for someone to wake me up from my dream. However, I don’t want you all to think it’s been without a few learning curves – so here is what ‘4 Weeks of Country Living Has Taught Me’

Dirty Road Diary Style; 12 Country Living Lessons

(in no particular order)

  1. Dirt is the new “cool” – my kids have never been dirtier and, I have never cared less. Hahaha, ok maybe I’ve cared a bit. Truth, country living is dirty – clean boots, coats, and clothes are a thing of the past.

Dirt Road Diary;

2) Music bee’s lungs work just fine – just ask the neighbors if they heard her when she saw her first Gardner snake in the woods.

3) Bugs, bugs, and more bugs!!! My house is infested with ladybugs and I’ve already killed 15 Mosquitos, a few spiders, and several moth thingies (yes, that’s what they are called)

4) Raccoons can climb really high: and, when you move your bird feeder they might just get mad and poop on your balcony.

5) Rainboots are a necessity. Did I mention it’s dirty? Thanks you Jesus for our mudroom!

 Childhood Unplugged; Country Living Lessons

6) Deer are such peaceful animals.

7) Real fireplaces take me back to my childhood. They are just so dreamy and magical.

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8) Chickens are super cool little creatures – and, I might just become the next crazy chicken lady. I love them!




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9) Well water isn’t actually scary at all and surprisingly tastes pretty good. Not to mention it makes your hair super soft (ummm..bonus!)

10) Going to ‘town’ still sounds totally strange to me but, is super fun! 1 grocery store, a few gas stations, a subway, a frozen custard place, a thrift store, and well, of coarse Tractor Supply – what else do you need?

11) And, the number one thing living in the country has taught me in 4 weeks – I hate leaving home!

12) Home is where the heart is –

“I wouldn’t give a nickel to have it paved in gold. Everything I Love is at the end of the dirt road.”

Behind The Scenes; Parenting Food Sensitive Kids

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No Gluten, GF, Food Allergies


I sit here another night-another belly ache. What caused it this time? I replay the events of the day. What did he eat? What did she touch? What could possibly be the problem this time?  


He lays quiet in my arms but simultaneously fidgets here and there. She lays next to me in bed scratching and ferociously kicking her feet. With an occasional arched back and an out cry of pain from him or a murmur from her. I want to give them comfort, but how? I bounce, pat, swaddle, and sing sweet nothings in their tiny ears.

This is the life of a mother with a child who has various food intolerance’s. You feed them and ‘think‘ your doing it right, but then one wrong move- bam, your back in that dark place. Just you and them. Hoping and praying for answers, cures, relief, and normalcy. What the heck is normal anyways? I seem to have forgotten what that is somewhere between baby one and four. 

Life spins by and tomorrow will bring a new slate. The night will ‘cure‘ the problem-while, coffee and Jesus will sustain me through my day. Although, the nights events will continue to haunt me throughout the day-“what did I do?” “What could I have done differently?” The truth is-likely nothing. 

Who would have thought-food, the vary thing that fuels our bodies could be such a headache.  If we put the wrong gas in our vehicle we’re not going to get vary far-now, are we? Similarly, when we eat processed foods that were never ‘made’ to fuel our bodies in such a fashion we our limiting our capacity to fully live. Our ability to move, function, and process information clearly can all become severely altered as a direct result from our ‘fuel‘ intake.  

However, what if your doing it right? You are choosing the ‘right‘ foods, eating a clean, well balanced diet? 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of factors to take into account genetics, pollution, nationality, and living conditions just to name a few. We can choose to be healthy, raise healthy families, and hope for the best-but, at the end of the day we are left with just that; hope. 

Sitting in a quiet house at night one can’t help but reflect and find hope in all that surrounds them. A chance to live fully, humbly, honestly, and purely. Despite, the cards not always being stacked up the way we might haven envisioned- it’s a ‘full house‘ –full of hope.

Raising A Healthy Family; Mind, Body, and Spirit

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Mind, Body, Spirit, Gluten-free, Food Allergies

Parents today no doubt have their work cut out for them. We fight for our children’s attention-simultaneously, they fight for ours. This world has gotten down right noisy on so many levels. There is technology buzzing around us-and, certainly no lack of temptation whirling about. Has it always been like this? Top it all off with an astounding number of health related issues in children-we have ourselves a recipe for disaster.

Raising my food intolerant, food sensitive, gluten free, dairy free, food allergy kids is not always easy but it’s the cards we were dealt and I hope it inspires you in your present situation. We can’t always control what happens around us, but we can choose to make it the best we know how. 

For me that means raising the healthiest family I possibly can with what means I have been given. A truly healthy person feeds their mind with worthwhile knowledge, their body with healthy food, and feeds their spirit with the things that lead to action. Coincidentally when I think of what makes my homestead the happiest it is when these three things align-mind, body, spirit. I also venture to say that is the same for you, your spouse, children, friends, and family. When one piece to the puzzle is missing we remain incomplete. Puzzles are made to be put together, take apart, and rebuild. Every once in awhile we need to evaluate the pieces and see what is most deserving or in need of our attention.
Since this is Easter week I intend to spend sometime filling my family’s spirit. We have been blessed in so many ways therefore, we will be reflecting, praying, giving forward, and giving thanks.

3 Ways to Fill Your Family’s Spirit 

  • Make cards for residents in a nearby nursing home.

  •  Deliver a special treat to your local fire department as a special ‘thank you’ for all that they do.

  •  Plant a tree, clean up trash, or take a field trip to a local recycling facility to learn more about how you can give back to our planet.

3 Ways We Will Be Filling Ours

    • We will make cards for a family whom I’ve never met but their story has moved my soul. Their recent loss of their baby girl has moved me to action. We will also be visiting a nearby butterfly house in Kate’s honor and be sending happy mail (aka snail mail) to her siblings. 
       
    • We will continue with our neighborhood clean up.
       
    • We will also be baking some gluten free treats to share with some much deserving friends. 

    What will you be doing?  How will you fill your family’s spirit this upcoming week? 

    More on butterfly’s for Kate here….