I have been thinking a lot lately about things that happen that appear at first to be inconvenient/trial, but after you look back, you can see the Lords hand in it all. For instance,
This past week, our family has been suffering with the stomach flu. I hate the stomach flu, probably because when I have had my share of throwing up through all of my pregnancies. (All I have to do is have the stomach flu for 1 day, and all my baby hungriness goes right out the door.(My neighbor calls pregnancy the Egyptian flu. In nine months, you’re a mummy!!!)) Nonetheless, my son came down with the flu on Friday. I had been planning on going into the school and helping out for 5 hours like I do on most Fridays. But of coarse now I couldn’t go. I was stuck home. I started reworking one of my songs, and got the instrumental part finished in those 5 hours that I would have spent at the school. What a blessing. I am grateful I was able to stay home. (My son probably wasn’t so grateful though)
My biggest trial/blessing has been my children!!! I am sure you will all agree. I have heard when you pray for patience, you “are blessed” with another child. I love each one of my children so much and wouldn’t want to go without any of them. My boys with autism have probably been the ones to teach me most about patience. Before I had them, I didn’t understand autism at all. I thought that they were children who just needed a whole lot more attention, and if you gave it to them, they would get better. HA!!!! Crazy hu!!! But when my second son started showing signs of autism, I thought if I never got upset at him, (double ha) if I spent every moment I could with him, if I showed every ounce of love I could, I could pull him out of it. Where I was greatly mistaken was the “I”. I thought I had to do it all. Only after several years of hardship and finally realizing I desperately needed help, I learned to place my trust in the Lord. He stepped in and showed me a much easier way. Having my sons has taught me how to think outside of the box, and all thanks I give to a much higher power who’s picture is perfect. I honestly can say, I am grateful for this experience . . . now that I am not going through the hard part anymore!!!
My first four children have some form of disability. I have 2 with autism and 2 with dyslexia. They have all required a great amount of effort in trying to teach them. My last little girl is amazing. I have found several educational websites that have fun games for children. The other day, she got on (by herself) and clicked on a game. (Thankfully I don’t have to worry about the sites.) After a while, I came to check on her and she was playing a game where you find the bigger number and click on the “crocodile mouth” (<>) that is pointing the right way. I had never taught her how to do this. She knows how to count to like 50 or something. She knows what the numbers 1-10 look like. But I hadn’t gotten around to teaching her the bigger numbers. When I first peaked in, she was doing the basic numbers 1-10 and getting them right. I was impressed because I had never taught her about the “crocodile mouth”. Then it went to the two digit numbers. Somehow she was still getting them right. Then it went to the hundreds. I got up to explain to her how to be able to tell those big numbers apart. She then explained to me that you are not looking for the biggest numbers, you are looking for the smallest. My term of the crocodile mouth was not correct in her mind. They were arrows pointing to the smaller number. 1<2 Crazy. She amazes me. So I have all these things I have made to teach my other children. I pulled them out to finally teach her the teen numbers. Within minutes, she totally got it. I am used to explaining, explaining again, my child gets frustrated (or I do) and we try it again the next day, usually taking several days or weeks going over the same concept before they finally get it. It takes me several minutes to teach her. Wow!!! Makes me feel like a great teacher. I also think it helps to already have all those visual manipulatives to help teach her.
I truly am grateful for this life, for friends and family, for support and love, and especially for an ever watchful Father above, who loves us enough to let us struggle at times.
My two favorite educational websites (both free) are . . . .
www.abcya.com (I learned about this one when I was helping at the school. They have the kids play it when they are done with there testing. It has games for k-5th grade.)
and
www.starfall.com (Summer showed me this one. Thank you!)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Scripture Power
It has been almost a year since my first son decided on his own to start personally reading the Book of Mormon. With this last October Ensign focusing on the Book of Mormon, I wanted to add my testimony as to the power of this amazing book. My son was diagnosed with Aspergers Autism. He had a very hard time seeing other peoples emotions, controlling anger, or even feeling sympathetic to others. I could not have him be in another room with other kids and think it was safe for me to leave. His temper would flare at anything and someone always wound up being hurt. Every day he would say, “This is the worst day ever!!!”
We took him to many doctors who would prescribe stuff that wouldn’t help. After many tries, we finally got him on some herbs that helped a TON. After several months of taking the herbs, he was a good 70-75% better. And he seemed to remain there. But his temper would still fly at times; and realizing others needs was something I didn’t think would come about for a long time.
After reading the passage in our family scripture study about Ammon and his brothers and how they knew their scriptures and had the spirit with them, my son decided to try it for himself. The change was not immediate. But looking back over the past year, it is absolutely substantial. He now is the first one to run and grab an ice pack when someone gets hurt. He will make something for someone else when they are having a bad day to help them feel better. He will play with his brothers and sisters so much more now. He is so much happier. His desire to do good has shot through the roof. He is amazing.
He has improved in areas and in an amount of time that no herb, doctor, or therapist could have done or even predicted. Yes he still has bad days. If he hasn’t had enough to eat, its not good. If he hasn’t had enough sleep, life is miserable. If he is outside of his comfort zone, he struggles. But even then, he has learned how to deal with it better than he used to. Now when he has a bad day, he doesn’t say he is having the “worst day ever,” he just says he is not having a very good day. There is a light in his eyes I didn’t think would ever be there. There is an understanding inside him I didn’t know he could achieve. I KNOW it is through the reading of these scriptures that this has taken place. In his studies he would read something, ask me questions about it, think about for a day or two, and then I would start noticing a small change that would gradually grow. It has been amazing to see the transformation. There is a power within these scriptures that is more powerful than we can ever imagine. I testify of this and I have seen its power first hand. I am so grateful for The Book of Mormon. I don’t know where I would be without that inspired book.
We took him to many doctors who would prescribe stuff that wouldn’t help. After many tries, we finally got him on some herbs that helped a TON. After several months of taking the herbs, he was a good 70-75% better. And he seemed to remain there. But his temper would still fly at times; and realizing others needs was something I didn’t think would come about for a long time.
After reading the passage in our family scripture study about Ammon and his brothers and how they knew their scriptures and had the spirit with them, my son decided to try it for himself. The change was not immediate. But looking back over the past year, it is absolutely substantial. He now is the first one to run and grab an ice pack when someone gets hurt. He will make something for someone else when they are having a bad day to help them feel better. He will play with his brothers and sisters so much more now. He is so much happier. His desire to do good has shot through the roof. He is amazing.
He has improved in areas and in an amount of time that no herb, doctor, or therapist could have done or even predicted. Yes he still has bad days. If he hasn’t had enough to eat, its not good. If he hasn’t had enough sleep, life is miserable. If he is outside of his comfort zone, he struggles. But even then, he has learned how to deal with it better than he used to. Now when he has a bad day, he doesn’t say he is having the “worst day ever,” he just says he is not having a very good day. There is a light in his eyes I didn’t think would ever be there. There is an understanding inside him I didn’t know he could achieve. I KNOW it is through the reading of these scriptures that this has taken place. In his studies he would read something, ask me questions about it, think about for a day or two, and then I would start noticing a small change that would gradually grow. It has been amazing to see the transformation. There is a power within these scriptures that is more powerful than we can ever imagine. I testify of this and I have seen its power first hand. I am so grateful for The Book of Mormon. I don’t know where I would be without that inspired book.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Opinion
I was asked a few days ago what my blog was for. Did I start it to try and promote my music, books, or is it a family blog? I couldn’t outright answer her. I hadn’t truly figured it out myself. But as I have been thinking about it, I realize, I want it to encompass my joys, the things I have learned, my interests, everything I have ever wanted to share. When I learn the ropes and see how long things take, I may change things, but for now, I just want to share; share my hopes and dreams, share the things I have learned through the years, share my love for my family, and share my love for creativity.
If there is one thing I have learned through the years about critiques, (which I am still trying to learn how to take in,) is everyone has a different opinion. When I send out an e-mail desiring an opinion or feedback about different things I have done, I get so many varied answers. What one person likes, another doesn’t, what one person thinks needs changing, another thinks is perfect; if I send out 4 different options in a certain topic for people to choose from, it usually only checks off 1 of the options, maybe two, if I am lucky, and I am still left with 2 to 3 to choose from.
I use to take suggestions too seriously, and still sometimes do. If someone told me they didn’t like something I had done, I would be sure to make a change according to their suggestions. But then I would hear back from someone else that they thought it didn’t need to be changed and that I should change it back. Such has been the case for several years now as I have sought to improve my skill. (Why did I not go into Math, where there is one answer, not opinions. (Unless you get into the higher math.)) And yet, I still seek opinions. And when many opinions seem to center in on about the same thing, I can generally trust it. But, not like math, being in an area of opinion, you can come up with your very own answer. And it can be just right for you . . . and who knows, maybe it will be the right answer for someone else too.
I wanted to share a few recipes that have made a huge difference in my family and that I love.
__________________________________________________________________
Pure butter is much too expensive, plus it’s not that good for you. We used to use Margerine, but after learning more about health, I realized that needed to change fast. My husband didn’t like butter because of the expense and because he didn’t like it left out on the counter to be softened. Finally I came up with a solution that both my husband and I really like.
Butter Spread
2 cubes of softened butter
3/4 cup of Canola oil
Mix thoroughly and set in fridge for 2 hours or more. This is a cheaper, healthier butter spread than just plain butter. It is also spreadable right from the fridge. The only draw back is that if left out for more than a half hour, it can become a little too soft.
___________________________________________________________________
Really good Ranch
I struggled with my ranch recipe for a long time until my friend gave me hers and it is sooooo much better.
3/4 cup plain natural yogurt
3/4 cup mayo ( I usually use the canola mayo, its just a little more healthy.)
3/4 - 1 tsp onion powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash or 2 of pepper
dash or 2 of paprika
1 tsp parsley flakes crumbled a bit.
1/2 tsp dill.
Mix up and serve. No MSG or bad stuff and it still tastes oh so good. (the dill and paprika made the difference for us)
__________________________________________________________________
This is my children’s favorite. They will eat them way faster than I can make.
Popsicles
1/2 bag of frozen raspberries
1/2 bag of frozen blueberries.
10 or more strawberries
1-2 bananas depending on how big they are
1 1/2 cups of apple juice or to make it sweeter, apple juice concentrate with some water. The juice is to help your blender, if you have one like mine, to be able to mix it up. It also can sweeten things a bit.
Some variations. Try other fruits like peaches, mango's, or any of your favorites. Now there are many bags of mixed fruit all in one bag. If the mixture is too sweet, try mixing in some plain natural yogurt. It adds good bacteria. (Just try and stay away from the sweetened kind. It usually has high fructose corn syrup in it.) If it is not sweet enough, add some frozen concentrated apple juice. This also makes an excellent shake for you. I usually mix some up, eat a cup, and freeze the rest into Popsicles. I found my Popsicle molds at the dollar store. The smaller the better. The children will waist less that way. Tip. . . When you want to get the frozen popsicles out of their molds, run some hot water on the outside and they will come out a lot easier. Also, if you spray-wash them right away, they come clean really easy, if you wait to wash, it can get really hard. (No procrastination.) I usually take all the Popsicles out of the molds at the same time and put them in a zip lock bag.
____________________________________________________________________
Chocolate oatmeal bars
I got this recipe from my friend and just tweaked it a little to fit our needs.
½ cup butter
3/4 cup honey
½ cup milk
3 T. Cocoa
Boil for one minute.
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup peanut butter. (Most peanut butters have hydrogenated oils that you want to steer away from. So check your labels. My favorite peanut butter now is the “Smart Balance” brand.)
3 or more cups of oat meal. I usually put it in a pan and let it set in the fridge. Then I cut them up into bars and wrap in plastic wrap.
If there is one thing I have learned through the years about critiques, (which I am still trying to learn how to take in,) is everyone has a different opinion. When I send out an e-mail desiring an opinion or feedback about different things I have done, I get so many varied answers. What one person likes, another doesn’t, what one person thinks needs changing, another thinks is perfect; if I send out 4 different options in a certain topic for people to choose from, it usually only checks off 1 of the options, maybe two, if I am lucky, and I am still left with 2 to 3 to choose from.
I use to take suggestions too seriously, and still sometimes do. If someone told me they didn’t like something I had done, I would be sure to make a change according to their suggestions. But then I would hear back from someone else that they thought it didn’t need to be changed and that I should change it back. Such has been the case for several years now as I have sought to improve my skill. (Why did I not go into Math, where there is one answer, not opinions. (Unless you get into the higher math.)) And yet, I still seek opinions. And when many opinions seem to center in on about the same thing, I can generally trust it. But, not like math, being in an area of opinion, you can come up with your very own answer. And it can be just right for you . . . and who knows, maybe it will be the right answer for someone else too.
I wanted to share a few recipes that have made a huge difference in my family and that I love.
__________________________________________________________________
Pure butter is much too expensive, plus it’s not that good for you. We used to use Margerine, but after learning more about health, I realized that needed to change fast. My husband didn’t like butter because of the expense and because he didn’t like it left out on the counter to be softened. Finally I came up with a solution that both my husband and I really like.
Butter Spread
2 cubes of softened butter
3/4 cup of Canola oil
Mix thoroughly and set in fridge for 2 hours or more. This is a cheaper, healthier butter spread than just plain butter. It is also spreadable right from the fridge. The only draw back is that if left out for more than a half hour, it can become a little too soft.
___________________________________________________________________
Really good Ranch
I struggled with my ranch recipe for a long time until my friend gave me hers and it is sooooo much better.
3/4 cup plain natural yogurt
3/4 cup mayo ( I usually use the canola mayo, its just a little more healthy.)
3/4 - 1 tsp onion powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
dash or 2 of pepper
dash or 2 of paprika
1 tsp parsley flakes crumbled a bit.
1/2 tsp dill.
Mix up and serve. No MSG or bad stuff and it still tastes oh so good. (the dill and paprika made the difference for us)
__________________________________________________________________
This is my children’s favorite. They will eat them way faster than I can make.
Popsicles
1/2 bag of frozen raspberries
1/2 bag of frozen blueberries.
10 or more strawberries
1-2 bananas depending on how big they are
1 1/2 cups of apple juice or to make it sweeter, apple juice concentrate with some water. The juice is to help your blender, if you have one like mine, to be able to mix it up. It also can sweeten things a bit.
Some variations. Try other fruits like peaches, mango's, or any of your favorites. Now there are many bags of mixed fruit all in one bag. If the mixture is too sweet, try mixing in some plain natural yogurt. It adds good bacteria. (Just try and stay away from the sweetened kind. It usually has high fructose corn syrup in it.) If it is not sweet enough, add some frozen concentrated apple juice. This also makes an excellent shake for you. I usually mix some up, eat a cup, and freeze the rest into Popsicles. I found my Popsicle molds at the dollar store. The smaller the better. The children will waist less that way. Tip. . . When you want to get the frozen popsicles out of their molds, run some hot water on the outside and they will come out a lot easier. Also, if you spray-wash them right away, they come clean really easy, if you wait to wash, it can get really hard. (No procrastination.) I usually take all the Popsicles out of the molds at the same time and put them in a zip lock bag.
____________________________________________________________________
Chocolate oatmeal bars
I got this recipe from my friend and just tweaked it a little to fit our needs.
½ cup butter
3/4 cup honey
½ cup milk
3 T. Cocoa
Boil for one minute.
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup peanut butter. (Most peanut butters have hydrogenated oils that you want to steer away from. So check your labels. My favorite peanut butter now is the “Smart Balance” brand.)
3 or more cups of oat meal. I usually put it in a pan and let it set in the fridge. Then I cut them up into bars and wrap in plastic wrap.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)