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Shaina

Autumn has Arrived!

Things I am looking forward to this season...

• Leaves changing and falling to the ground.
• The cooler weather!
• Breaking out the sweaters and long sleeved shirts.
• Raking leaves: I've actually never done it before so I'm excited to try something new.
• Picking apples the Apple Orchard!
• Apple cider.
• Picking out pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch.
• Cooking and pureeing a pumpkin to use in a few recipes.
• Baking pumpkin seeds.
• Zoe's second attempt at coloring. I printed out a picture of a pumpkin. I plan to give her some orange crayons and have at it! :) Her first attempt was in a restaurant, she tried to eat the crayons.
• Tons of beautiful photographing opportunities!
• Getting out my autumn decorations for the house!
• Candles!
• Our first Garage Sale since we've lived in Sioux Falls.
• Finding a cute little costume for Zoe for Halloween.
• Fall into Reading Challenge - this year I will set a lower goal than I did last year and only include books I own already. Last year I made it through half a book! haha.

A Wonderful Wednesday

Wednesday was a wonderful day!

That morning I babysat my friend Anna's daughter Kjersten for about an hour and a half. Later that day I went for a much needed walk. It was a beautiful day! At about 5:30ish Anna and her husband came over to pick up Zoe, as we were in need of a babysitter that day too!

Gage's Dad bought us tickets to go see the Wizard of Oz in HD at our theater here in town. We met up with Mike (Gage's Dad) at about 6:30 at the theater. It was showing for one night only, in celebration of it's 70th Anniversary (available on DVD on Sept 29th!). This was also my first time ever seeing the movie in its entirety! I know I had seen bits and pieces of it over the years but I had never watched the whole thing.

After the movie, we got some Cold Stone ice cream... and we all ended up getting a "Like It" size of Coffee Lovers. I had never had that before (usually I just get coffee with heath). Having that extra caramel and almonds in there made it extra delicious :)

Wednesday was a much needed day of relaxation. Even though the previous Wednesday was our Anniversary and we were able to get away for a full 24 hrs (which was *amazing*), we went through quite an ordeal last Sat night and the whole week we had been tense, worried, and completely stressed over all that had happened and what was to come. After Wednesday I started to believe that things really are going to get back to normal around here. We still have no idea where Rachel and her kids are, or if they are safe, so we continue to pray for them. But now it is time for us to let it go and see what Lord is going to do with the situation.

MSG - Monosodium Glutamate

"She is like the merchant ships; she brings her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." Proverbs 31:14-15

While many may not take these verses literally by getting up before dark, I believe these verses are extremely important as they put emphasis how a woman should work hard to benefit her family by finding the best available food out there and she should disciplined in her ways of providing. One way to do this, I believe, is to be well educated about the food you are preparing for your family.

I've always heard, "Avoid MSG at all cost!" I've seen signs at chinese food restaurants that proudly proclaim, "NO MSG!" Though, I've never actually done any research on MSG to see exactly what it is and why it is bad.

I decided to do some searching to find out what foods actually contain MSG. I came to find out that nearly ALL packaged products (which is what? 80-90% of our grocery store?) contain free glutamate (MSG).

Great.

So What is MSG?

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a salt made from the amino acid Glutamic Acid (Glutamate). Many manufacturers use this as a flavor enhancer for foods. The human body has a natural controlled amount of glutamate, therefore glutamate in its original bound form is natural. The problems arrise from the processed glutamate. Manufactured MSG contains contaminants as a result of the processes it goes through. The natural glutamate is changed from its original form, which causes the MSG to be "free" from its bound form, thus being labeled as "free glutamate". (For a MUCH better explaination, I recommend reading this article)

Here is the main problem with free glutamic acid - It is the very same neurotransmitter that your brain and many organs including your ears, eyes, nervous system and pancreas in your body use to initiate certain processes in your body.

So there we have it. It messes with our normal bodily functions, causing numerous health problems in the process. Now I know why MSG is bad.

So, what does MSG look like on the average food label?

Ingredients to Avoid: These are ingredients that contain the highest percentage of factory created free glutamate.

MSG	Gelatin	Calcium Caseinate
Monosodium glutamate	Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)	Textured Protein
Monopotassium glutamate	Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)	Yeast Extract
Glutamate	Autolyzed Plant Protein	Yeast food or nutrient
Glutamic Acid	Sodium Caseinate	Autolyzed Yeast
Vegetable Protein Extract	Senomyx (wheat extract labeled as artificial flavor)

You ready to have your heart broken? Check out what popular foods include free glutamate. *sigh*

*What Foods to Avoid*

Now, of course I have been avoiding pre-packaged frozen foods and pre-packaged things such as crackers, cookies, etc. as much as I can for a while now but I never really thought about ketchup, seasoned salt, canned soups, etc. I've always known that anything that comes pre-packaged is not the healthiest and most nutritious way to eat but I never would have thought these things contained MSG!

So what does this mean for our family?

A while ago we decided we wanted to start living a more healthy lifestyle. One of my goals is to eventually make the majority of our foods from scratch, using the most nutritious options available. Well, seeing as we live on a one (part-time) income at the moment, making all foods from scratch is not entirely possible at this time in our life. I can however eliminate some of the not-so-healthy-msg-containing foods from our diet though, as well as continue to take baby steps toward a more natural and healthier life.

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Autism Contributor?

Food for Thought -- These are lists of theories associated with MSG (in plain terms so they are easy to understand).

The one that struck me the most actually co-insides with my thoughts on autism! My brother is autistic and so over the years I have looked at a lot of research on autism. I'm hoping that someday I can at least find some reasonable explanation for his autism. This one, though, really has me wondering if MSG could be a culprit. Obviously, genetics play an important role in whether or not a person becomes autistic, but I firmly believe it is a combination of genetics and environmental factors that have lead to the increase in autism. Here is their "food for thought" on the subject:

MSG injected into mice reduces free glutathione levels

Glutathione protects children from mercury poisoning by chelating mercury

Both Mercury and glutamic acid are still found in certain vaccines

Vaccines are suspected of being an environmental trigger for autism in children

Mercury in the environment is increasing due to air pollution

Zoe at 18 Months Old!

Her Favorite Words/Sayings:

"I sit down."

"Trash?"

"Gink?" (Drink)

"Okay"

"Guck." (Stuck)

"Daaeee" (Daddy)

"Baff?" (Bath)

"Bie" (Bite)

"Err Go" (There we go.)

"Peee" (Penny, our dog.)

"Sooeee" (Zoe)

"Cheeos?" (Cheerios.)

"Aaaww Done"

As soon as we finish putting her shoes on, she says, "Ahh Go!!" As in, "Let's Go!" If it actually is time to go, she continues with saying "Keys?", "Cars!", "Go!" "Buh-Bye!"

Words Learned this Week:

"Mouse." (As in, computer mouse...of course. Hehe. She was calling it a car so we had to teach her the proper term.)

"Okay"

"Bucket"

"Fie" (High Five)

"Hom" (Home)

"Anna" (My friend)

"Fum" (Fun)

"Buckle"

"Bow" (Ball)

"Oww" (When she gets hurt)

"Outside"

"Wuss" (Uncle Russ)
"Judah" (one of her friends from church)

"Noah" from the Bible

New Activities within the past two weeks:

• Pretend eating out of bowls.
• Pretend drinking out of play tea cups.
• Sharing her pretend food and drinks with people.
• Climbing onto the couch or a chair and sitting down, then gracefully climbing down. No falls!
• Running!
• Pointing at the actual person or object and then pointing to the same person or object in a photo. Points to Daddy: "Daaee" Points to picture: "Daaee"
• Opens some doors. (Oh joy!)
• Daddy built Zoe her first fort today but, she didn't quite understand the purpose. She would rather tear it down and play with the blanket :) Penny on the other hand loved the fort!

In the photo above: Zoe and her favorite ball. Unfortunately it has a hole in it and it will not stay inflated so I think we're going to have to replace it with a new ball soon.

She's attempting to put words together this week! There are here first *almost* sentences:

Took place today after Grandpa put something in the trash. "Grandpa got trash?" (9/20/09)

"Peeee (Penny our dog) got Cheeo (Cheerios)" after Penny ate a few of her cheerios. (9/22/09)

New Troubles:

• Does not like to share, at all.
• Starting to push other kids out of the way.
• She has very great verbal skills, but has very few listening skills.
• Cries whenever Daddy leaves, even if it's just for a minute.

Zoe loves eggs! So far we've tried hard boiled eggs and scrambled eggs, she loves them both.

Zoe does not like cream corn:

I asked Zoe if she wanted some corn (cream corn actually). She said, "Coon?" (Yay, another new word!) She said, "Oh okay. I sit down." She sits down on the chair. I gave her a bite and...*kerplop!* There it goes, spits it right out of her mouth. This may be a regular thing for some babies but not Zoe. I actually laughed because she will rarely spit anything out. I guess she really doesn't care for creamed corn!

Trusting the Lord in a Difficult Time

I was right when I talked about this being a time I will never forget. Things we witnessed this week will stay with us for many years, if not the rest of our lives. My heart is aching, I feel so sad and so betrayed.

The people that we welcomed into our home a week and a half ago turned out to be in more trouble than they initially let on. Ever since they arrived here there had been tension, non-stop stress, anxiety, and confusion. From the moment they arrived they were secretive, treated us with disrespect, they took advantage of our willingness to help them, they mistreated our home, they lied to us, and they hid very important information from us. They also expected far more from us than we were able to give, which is difficult to understand given that they were the ones in need of help to begin with. The more we tried to show them kindness, the worse things seemed to get.

Despite all of this God blessed them with a place to live, free food for their entire stay, free childcare, and so much more for 10 days. Just as quicky as God gave it to them, He took it away. Their time here abruptly ended on the night of the 19th.

I cannot go into details about exactly what happened that night, but I can tell you that I had never been so afraid for myself or my family before that night. The situation we were in was absolutely uncalled for and I am extremely disappointed that it occurred. I was absolutely terrified and I am still shocked that all of this could happen as a result of us trying to show someone hospitality.

My question now is, why did this happen? Why did God have them come here if only to have them leave in such a dangerous and irresponsible way? Why did God send them here if it was only going to cause a massive amount of trouble for both families?

My husband and I know that God had them here for a reason. God placed us in this situation and we had to see it through. We waited on the Lord, praying that His will would be done. Well, God carried out his will for this situation and now we are left to contemplate what happened.

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Our hope is entirely in the Lord and His will. We're completely taken aback by this entire experience, but we trust that God is in complete control. Even so, we feel as though we gave them a gift and they spit in our face in return. The Lord has instructed to us the need to forgive, and though it is difficult, we want to live as if it never happened. (Matthew 6:14; Ephesians 4:32) There has been a lot of prayer, a lot of seeking guidance and wisdom from the word of God, and encouragement from dear friends in the past few days. I know that after a little time, God will bless us with peace and help us to forgive and we will be able to leave this all behind us and move forward.

God always works things together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), so I know more good will come out of this week than I can even begin to comprehend. We may never find out just how God is using this, but through the promises He gives us in his Word, we can know for a fact that good will come out of this. God will use this circumstance for the good of our family and hopefully one day for the good of their family. I can already see some things, at least in our family, that have been good as a result of what we've recently witnessed.

1. A stronger desire for Christ to be the center of my life, the only reason that I am living. There were a few moments the other night where I feared for my life. The reminder that my life could end at any time any day has given me a much greater perspective on life. Every decision made and every move I make should be according to the will of God. Just the thought of disobeying and sinning against God who has done so much for me breaks my heart. He deserves nothing less than everything I have to give.
2. We now have a greater understanding of why it is important to use proper biblical discipline of children, encouraging repentance of their wrong actions. I have learned just how important it is to teach our child in the way of the Lord and how important it is to protect them from the harmful things this world has to offer.
3. I've always been extremely grateful for my husband and all that he does, but through this experience I've come to appreciate so many of the seemingly small things he does and I appreciate his kindness more than I ever have before. God has blessed me with a husband who would never harm me in any way, emotionally or physically. He has never and will never treat me like dirt.
4. We now have a much stronger heart for women that are being physically and verbally abused and mistreated by men, and a stronger urge to teach young boys the proper way to treat women.
5. We realized that door locks are a good thing! I strongly encourage everyone to put locks on all doors to the house. I never thought we'd really need them.

These are just a few things things that we've learned so far. I'm sure there will be much more learned from this experience in the days, months, and years to come.

Shopping Days

Gage works at our local grocery store and because of this we receive a small rebate at around Christmas according to how much we spent in the store during the year. Honestly I think if we shopped at Wal Mart all the time we'd save the same amount or more...but even so, I think it is better to do more local shopping and it'll be nice to get an extra small paycheck around Christmas. They have set aside 3 days out of each month for us to buy our groceries (usually the 3rd weekend of the month). Today was one of the days. Grocery shopping used to be something I loved to do, but now it involves so much more than just go, grab a few things for the week, pay, and leave.

Now we must:

1) Create a list of meals for the month. Then create a list of the ingredients needed to make those meals - writing them down in groups that go somewhat in the same way the store aisles go (vegetables, canned foods, deli, dairy, etc). Using the local grocery ad, check to see if any of those ingredients are on sale (or plan meals according to whatever is on sale!), check the pantry to see if there are any items that are not needed at the store. Make a seperate list of non-food items needed.

2) Remember to bring the re-usable bags. They are so easy to forget, even if they are in the trunk...I forget to bring them in.

3) Remember to bring the WIC pouch with the WIC checks in it.

4) Remember to bring any coupons we may have for items we regularly buy (this is one I forgot to do today)
5) Remember to go to the customer service counter to get our "Employee certificate" thing

before we shop.
6) Keep Zoe settled down (We LOVE those kid carts shaped as busses and whatnot. Even though they are a huge pain to push around, she loves to "drive" them and it keeps her occupied for a while.)
7) Find *everything* on the list. I try my hardest to plan our list according to the aisles but I can't always remember which isle things are in. I hate to backtrack, especially when pushing one of those huge kid carts around.

8) Examine the ingredients of every little thing we buy.
9) At the checkout, remember to separate our WIC items from our regular items because they run as a separate transaction.

10) At the checkout, remember to give them the re-usable bags, coupons, WIC checks, employee certificate, etc.

Going grocery shopping has become such a huge process, which is another reason why I love to just do one main trip each month. However, since circumstances have changed around here with 7 people in the house rather than 3, I've decided to do a big trip every 2 weeks for the time being. Though that does mean that half of what we spend next month will not be part of our Christmas rebate...oh well. Shopping for 7 people for a month seems to be a little too much for me at the moment.