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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.

Our 3rd Anniversary!

3 Years ago on this day, I married the man of my dreams :)

Gage is without a doubt the most amazing person that I know. I'm not just saying this because I am married to him! He is kind, generous, trustworthy, intelligent, and so incredibly loving. He is a wonderful spiritual leader for our home, a spectacular husband and a wonderful father. I feel so blessed that God chose him to be my husband! I am honored to be his help meet and the mother of his child.

His entire life is devoted to glorifying God and providing for our family. He reads his Bible in the mornings, works two jobs (sometimes three), goes to school full time and manages to get A's in every class, he completes all his homework on time, he helps out in 2 different ministries at church, he spends quality time with me and our daughter Zoe and he still has some time to play computer games. I don't know how he does it!

Happy 3rd Anniversary Gage! Thank you so much for all that you do. I love you!

Thank you, Dr. Laura!

Dr. Laura recently put out a book titled 'In Praise of Stay at Home Moms'. I am looking forward to reading it. I have heard only a little bit of Dr. Laura's radio program over the years, but I'm almost always impressed with what she has to say. I've always been a huge advocate of stay-at-home moms, but lately I've been noticing that I've been allowing the world to influence me in a way that has me thinking that I should be "doing more" outside of the home. The truth is, I am doing exaclty what I am supposed to be doing - staying home with my daughter. There is nothing more important than that. Tonight I came across this short video by Dr. Laura and was very encouraged!

Menu Plan Monday... on Tuesday

With recent events in our household, we've switched to eating whatever food we have been given! Last year I did quite a bit of menu planning and it worked out wonderfully. I even had an 8 week menu plan a couple times and that was *awesome*. For now, as things are a bit hectic around here I'm going to try and stick with a weekly menu plan.

Monday - Pizza

Tuesday - Mushroom Macaroni, Salad

Wednesday - Our 3rd Anniversary! Dinner out!

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Hot Dogs, Salad, and Corn

Saturday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Soup

Sunday - Chili (Thaw chicken for next week's meals)

Rejoicing in God's Provision!

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22)

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I am going to tell you a story. In this story you will see God's incredible willingness to provide! I am so stunned by the generosity of so many people in Sioux Falls, and I'm so grateful to God for his answer to my prayers from Wednesday.

Yesterday I was supposed to attend Bible Study in the morning, but seeing as I had a few unexpected guests I decided to pass this week and tend to the needs of my guests. My friend (and neighbor) came by to pick me and Zoe up for Bible Study at about 9:00 am. I explained to her all that was going on and she went on her way to Bible Study without us.

I had made plans prior to Wednesday to meet up with a friend at the mall on Thursday. At 11am I took Alyssa and Zoe to the mall with me to meet up with my friend BJ and her son. We had a good time playing in the play place, chatting, and then eating lunch together.

And the blessings begin...

1. Once we returned home I was informed by my husband that the same friend was going to bring us to Bible Study that morning had stopped by with a phone number for us to call - a woman whose church provides food for families in need. A couple hours later that same friend brought us over canned goods and some pickles, salsa, and tomadoes that she canned herself!
2. An hour later, a woman from my church stopped by! She had heard about our little situation at Bible Study that morning. She provided us with some grocery money and 4 loaves of bread!
3. At the same time that woman arrived, my friend Anna arrived with her daughter. They were coming over just to hang out and have a snack with us. Anna lives just a few blocks from us so we tend to be at each others homes often. Anna brought with her a gift from someone I had taken photos for, guess what it was? A gift card for the grocery store.
4. Anna also brought over a snack for everyone! She brought grapes and a container full of delicious mint brownies that she had made.
5. Another friend from church stops by to return a swing we loaned her for her baby boy. She offers to help me figure out some frugal and healthy ways to cook for this many people and she even went home and wrote out a list of meals and e-mailed them to me.
6. At about 5pm a woman from the church that provides food for families in need came over and brought us 3 boxes full of food and essential items.
7. About an hour after that my in-laws neighbor, who has recently has become one of my own freinds, stopped by with a box full of fresh garden vegetables and a gift card for the grocery store!

Honestly, words cannot express how grateful we are to every single one of you who showed up here yesterday. Thank you SO much for your help. On Wednesday, even though I knew the Lord was in complete control, I was still in tears because I was so ovewhelmed with worries and concerns that we would not be able to feed everyone this month. I knew God would provide for us in some way, I just never expected Him to do so much for us in just one day. To everyone who has prayed for us and helped provide...

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Your prayers and generocity has provided us with enough to get through an entire month, maybe even longer if we can learn how to stretch the dollars even more.

I read something here that encouraged me when I was worried about how this was all going to turn out and I wanted to share it:

The Lord reveals to us through His Word, the Bible, that we can be of good "cheer," that we can

1) rejoice in our problems because God will use them to our benefit. "Knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4);

2) see our "worries" as an opportunity to practice Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths";

3) counteract our anger by obeying Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you"; and

4) deal with any sinful feelings by believing and acting upon the truth of 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

All of our problems can be dealt with through simple faith in God's Word.

What wonderful encouragement those verses are. This unexpected trial can and will be a blessing to both our family and theirs. After talking with my best friend Amanda over the phone yesterday and sharing all the blessings we'd received throughout the day she said, "Well, God sure must want them to be there!"

I believe she's absolutely right.

09/09/09 A Day I Will Definitely Remember

Today was a day just like any other day...until about 1pm. The phone rang, I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Did you get my message?"

"No" (I had no idea who I was talking to at this point.)

"Me, my boyfriend, and the kids are in your little town here.. we're over by Empire Mall."

It was my childhood friend Rachel! I was so excited to hear that she was in Sioux Falls, but sooo confused at the same time. Why in the world was she in Sioux Falls? She lives in CA and as far as I knew she wasn't going on any vacations.

Well, 5 minutes later they showed up at the house.

It's a long and very complicated story but after about 10 minutes of them being here... we ended up with 4 additional people living in this house for an indefinite period of time.

I've been thinking about ways we are actually going to do this. We barely get by with just the 3 of us since Gage works one part-time job. I am trusting the Lord though. The Lord always provides. It is a challenge I was not expecting when I woke up today, but I will praise the Lord through this. God has a plan for this whole situation.

There is so much more I am leaving out of this story. Just know that we are in desperate need of your prayers. This is not going to be easy by any means.

God brought them to our doorstep today. We intend to see them through this difficult period of life every step of the way.

(In the photo: JJ, AJ, and Zoe)

Sioux Falls Residents...

It's Free!

September 12th

9 AM - 5 PM

Downtown Sioux Falls

9000 Days Old!

Psalm 90:12

So teach us to number our days

that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Today is the 9000th Day of my Life!

My husband came across a website that had a little gadget to figure out how many days old you are. I was pretty close to 9000 so I figured out the day and wrote it on my calendar. Today is that day! 9000 days... that is quite a long time. I was thinking, wouldn't it be facinating if we could remember every moment of our lives? Of course there are many things I would like to forget about, but overall I would love to be able to recall anything at any given time. Especially now that my Mom is gone. I'm finding that my memories of her are starting to disappear. It's a little scary... it's only been 4 years and I can hardly remember what she was like.

Anyway...

We had a late night last night at Lifelight (which I will write about later) so we are pretty tired today. With this being Labor Day, Gage is out of school today. We're spending the day hanging out at home enjoying this free time.

Today is also day 10 of my Amish Friendship Bread making, which means that today is baking day! I made 4 "loaves" of bread.... 3 were disasters, 1 turned out pretty well. I'll post pictures of my bread disaster/accomplishment soon. I'm beginning to wonder what could be causing all of my bread disasters. I have attempted to make various breads over the past few years and they always turn out the same - crumbly, sticky on the outsides, chewy and hard as rock edges.

Just for Fun

Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com

Saved Through Motherhood

"Has your child taught you any unexpected lessons lately? Pastor Mark Driscoll explains the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:15, the controversial and often misunderstood verse which states, "Yet she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control." FamilyLife.com

Saved Through Motherhood - A 2 part Series

Listen Here
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Soap Nuts: A Natural Laundry Detergent

I know what you're thinking. Soap nuts??

I'll explain. One of my favorite blogs is Passionate Homemaking. She is a big fan of these soap nuts for use as laundry soap! Yes, laundry soap that grows on trees. It is (obviously) a 100% natural product and chemical free. It is great for people with allergies and they work great with cloth diapers.

Had I come across these on any other website I'd probably be a little sceptical but I have been reading this blog for quite some time and I trust her judgement so I checked out the NaturOli website and read a little about the soap nuts.

From the website: "Soap Nuts are a 100% natural alternative to harsh chemical detergents & household cleaners. Eco-friendly, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, unscented, highly effective, yet very gentle. No more softeners & dryer sheets! "

They have a sample you can buy for $2.95! I decided that if nothing else came out of this it would at least be a fun thing to try. So I bought it and within a couple days my little bag filled with 5 soap nuts arrived.

To my absolute surprise, they worked! Our clothes are fresh, soft, and clean! I didn't even have to use any fabric softener or dryer sheets. I have done 2 loads with them so far and I can probably do about 2-3 more loads with these 5 nuts. The only "problems" I have:

1) Since I didn't use a dryer sheet my clothes were staticy, which really has nothing to do with the soap nuts. I think I'll continue to use dryer sheets until I find a new solution.

2) I LOVE the smell of regular laundry soaps. Especially the one I regularly buy. I know, I'm weird. I have always adored the smell of laundry rooms. The NaturOli company suggests adding a few drops of an essential oil to a cloth in the dryer if we want a frangrance but I'm doubting there is an essential oil out there that will resemble that of laundry soap, haha.

In addition to the raw soap nuts you can also purchase a liquid version, and an all-purpose cleaner. When you order the raw soap nuts you are also given instructions on how to make your own liquid soap and other household cleaners.

How to use the raw Soap Nuts:

It is very simple. Just throw 4-5 soap nuts into the little bag they send you. Close the bag, place in the wash before you put in your clothes. They work best in warm water. They send detailed instructions when you buy them, but that is basically it! Super simple!

Click here to find out about the Sampler!

For more information:

Soap Nuts FAQ's

Soap Nuts Pro

It is the end of August..

The end of August! This month just flew by.

It's the beginning of another week. Today marks the first day of a road trip for Gage's Mom, Grandparents, and younger brother Brad! They will be on the road for 4-5 weeks. For those of you who know Brad and are interested in reading Brad's travel blog, send me an e-mail at homemaker.shaina@gmail.com, and I'll give you the link!

While they are gone I will be taking over Brad's weekly paper route. He delivers the local shopping news once a week to 3 different neighborhoods. This will tie in great with my walking plan!

Gage is continuing with his school, tutoring other students, homework, and working. The first couple weeks of school are always the most difficult to get through. It's hard to adjust to him being so busy. There is a light at the end of the tunnel this year though! He will graduate, get a job, and then... we'll have to re-adjust to him working a full-time job haha.

Zoe's New Adventures:

- Many, many trips to the pantry to take out the Cheerios, find Mommy or Daddy, and say "CheeO? CheeO?"

- Climbing up and gracefully getting down from the couch. She decided that falling down head first was just not the way to go.

- She says well over 100 words now. I can actually somewhat have a conversation with her!

- Favorite things to say: "Awk" (Walk), "I see you!", "Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!", "Foo" (food), "Tissue", "Trash", "All duhh!" (All Done), "Daeee" (Daddy).

- She has started to announce when she needs a diaper change. We take this as the first indication that we need to get started on potty training soon!

Researching High Fructose Corn Syrup: Part 1

Many of us have seen the commercials in the last couple years in which the Corn Refiner's Association attempts to make all of the people who are wary of high fructose corn syrup basically look ignorant, uneducated, and darn right stupid. Quite frankly, I think that if a product has a hundred saftey concerns associated with it, they are in no position to make fun of the people who are concerned!

Perhaps the biggest concern I have is that a small amount of Mercury could be passed into the HFCS through the process it goes through before it becomes HFCS. Another concern I have is that it is in nearly everything we eat and drink! If there are concerns regarding something I am giving my family to eat, I want to know what it is and what the concerns are.

I took some time to read what the CRA (Corn Refiners Association) had to say about all of this and surprisingly the website does not cover a lot of the safety concerns. It does cover about 10-15 of the most popular concerns. The website seems to be pretty thorough and truthful in its explainations except for a few in which they are clearly making excuses. There are many areas of the site I do not approve of as they are extremely prideful, stating that they "have the facts." Whether or not they are being truthful about those facts is another question.

Audrae Erickson, President of the Corn Refiners Association has said, “Americans should know that no mercury or mercury-based technology is used in the production of high fructose corn syrup in North America.” He also says, "High fructose corn syrup contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives and meets FDA’s requirements for the use of the term ‘natural.’"

Those are some pretty big claims. They say a lot more that you can read on their website. The thing to do now is to look at the other side of the argument and then ultimately I'll make a decision, which I will do in Researching HFCS: Part 2.

Taking a Walk!

My daughter and I started taking walks about a month ago. I haven't been super consistent but I can say I've gone on more walks in a month than I ever have in my adult years so far.

I want to set up a challenge for myself. I'm a huge fan of setting goals. I figure the best way for me to do that is to announce it on my blog for the world (cough :: the5peoplethatreadthis :cough ) to see!

This is a very basic plan that is not very detailed. It IS a plan though and it does give me weekly goals which is what I need. Feel free to join me if you would like!

Shaina's 5 Week Walking Plan - September 2009

Week #1: 4 walks, 1 hr each

Week #2: 4 walks, 1 hr each

Week #3: 4 walks, 1-1.5 hrs each

Week #4: 5 walks, 1-1.5 hrs each

Week #5: 5 walks, 1-2 hrs each

Week 1 begins tomorrow!

"New" Wedding Photos!

Today in the mail we received a CD with photos from our Wedding!! Gage's Great-Uncle Garry had taken some photos at our Wedding and had forgotten that he had them. We were married on September 16, 2006 - our 3rd Anniversary is coming up very soon!

No Facebook for a Week! :o)

I typically check my Facebook account once every 3-4 hours during the day. If Zoe is napping, if she's watching a TV show or something that I can't really participate in. Sometimes its more sometimes its much less. I think FB is a wonderful site overall and I think it is amazing that I can be in touch with nearly everyone I have ever known, every single day. I get so excited when I hear of a new baby coming or when someone posts pictures of their family that I haven't seen in years. Nearly everyone in my family (even my Grandma!) is on there so its a great way for them to hear what is going on with us here in South Dakota. FB has so many wonderful aspects to it! It also has its drawbacks though.

However, lately I have been noticing that my attitude during the day is in direct connection with what is going on in the lives of my friends and family on facebook. If I see an argument between friends or if someone disagrees with something I say or if someone posts something utterly disgusting and it leaves me questioning who they are as a person, it is almost guaranteed that I will be affected by it in a bad way for the rest of the day. The same goes for days when everything is going well on facebook, my day is a better day. This is not how a person's life should be! Of course I love to hear great updates and news from friends and family, but facebook has become a 2nd home to people where they feel completely comfortable announcing to the whole world about their troubles, no matter how personal they may be. There are also people who have no problem complaining day after day after day in their status'. They think it will draw sympathy for them when really it does the exact opposite. I honestly have a very negative view of a lot of my friends that I never would have had without it. No I'm not just pointing fingers here, I am very guilty of doing these same things. I'm sure there are people who are not impressed with things I post on there sometimes as well.

I am taking a week off from facebook starting today to get back to reality. I'm hoping that I can get to a point where I just check FB maybe once every 3-4 days and have most of my corresponding be through e-mail or phone. I'll see how this week goes and then maybe I'll take another week off as well.

I want my life to reflect Jesus Christ. The only way for that to happen is for me to stop relying on what everyone else is doing and focus on my own walk with God.

A Mother's Influence is Unmatched

"Mothers, please don't let the world rob you of the incredible joy of a life invested in your children.

They are your mark on the world.

They are your legacy, your testimony, and your contribution to mankind.

Don't let some other woman steal your influence.

Remember, 'The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.'

That saying didn't just show up one day.

That proverb is the result of centuries of observation.

A mother's influence is unmatched."

-Voddie Bauchaum, Family Driven Faith

Quote found at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Discovering True Patience

I became a Mother about a year and a half ago. My journey into motherhood was not as difficult as I had always imagined it would be. I got through the pregnancy (although definitely not pain-free!), I made it through labor & delivory (which had always been my greatest fear!), and the first year of motherhood was surprisingly simple. I was patient with my daughter, attentitive to her needs, and every moment I had to care for her I was glad to do it! This was a shock to me because I have always been an impatient person and I had always worried about how I would be as a mother. God definitely answered my prayers in getting me through the initial shock of being Mom. I fully understood that she was a baby, she did not know any better when she did things wrong (to a certain extent) and when she cried it was for a purpose.

Somehow as my daughter has begun to learn how to talk, walk, and express her personality, my level of patience has decreased. I'm starting to realize why God has placed such an emphasis on patience in the Bible. It affects our own lives, our families' lives, and the lives of those around us. For this reason I have been seeking encouragement and biblical advice on how to practice patience in everything I do, not just when it comes to motherhood, but in everything that I do.

These are some verses that have been encouraging to me at this time...

James 1:19-20
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Colossians 3:12-13

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Oh if only it were simple to just say, "Ok God! From now on I am going to be the woman that you desire for me to be. I will be slow to become angry. I am going to be humble, patient, merciful, kind, and tenderhearted towards every person that I meet. I will forgive anyone who offends me, and I will always be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."

Yes, it would be nice if we could be all we are called to be in one instant. But that is not how God has designed us! He continues to teach us His ways through His word, and through Him we can know that these things are perfectly attainable! God is not finished with me yet. As I continue to grow in my walk with Christ, He will (as he has promised!) grant me the wisdom needed to attain all of these things! Everything the Word of God says a woman should be is something we all should stive to achieve, because God WILL bless us with these qualities the more we seek His truths.

One person I have truly been blessed by lately is

Michelle Duggar. This may be the first time I have ever looked up to a person that I do not actually know haha. She is a mother of 18 children, yes I did say 18! She and her family have a reality show on the TLC network. This show has been such a blessing to me because everytime I turn it on I am absolutely amazed by Michelle's stature. She has a heart for God, she submits to her husband, she loves her children, she is sooo kind to everyone she meets, and her patience with each and every one of her children is one the things I admire most about her. Michelle and her husband Jim Bob teach their children in the way of the Lord. That is something I strive for with Zoe, and at this point in my life I feel like I don't even know where to begin!

This week I have one goal: Not to express any harsh tones towards my daughter. I want to exercise true godly patience towards her. I can be stern and let her know when she is doing wrong of course, but I do not want her to think that I am angry when I am disciplining her. That is one area I consistently fail in.

So that is it for now! God is in control and I am looking forward to seeing how God is going to work in me in the next few weeks.

More on the TV show: 18 Kids & Counting -- I did some reading about the Duggar family on their website and they said they would not do the show if they were going to edit out their faith. TLC does a surprisingly great job at not editing out the times when they talk about thair faith in Jesus. It's amazing! It is so unlike any other TV show I've seen before. I definitely recommend it.