Today was one of THOSE days. I came down with some version of the flu yesterday. I still wanted to keep an appointment some 30 miles away because the kiddos needed their eyes checked.
Being a mom of a child with special needs is just darn hard some days and today was one. I found myself increasingly frustrated with his behavior and frustrated with his lack of progress lately. Despair started to settle in. When we got home, I discovered that our ailing Bullmastiff took a chunk out of two of my beloved scrapbooks. Mercifully, the photos are okay.
I threw a mental tantrum…tired of pets and dogs…tired of endless appointments…tired of financial pressures…tired of still having to clean my 8 year old son’s behind.
And I was reminded of something God showed me during spin class. When I’m utterly depleted and don’t think I can go any further as I rely on Him, He gives me the strength to go on.
Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows how much I miss the north. But for reasons I struggle with, God has me planted in Florida for the past 15 years. For a long time we were unable to even take a vacation out of state but I have been blessed in the past couple of years to visit the mountains that I love so much.
I’ve also struggled with uncertainties that have crept into our lives. I’m a big picture person and like to know what is happening next. A few years back I thought God said to me, “Try to relax and enjoy the ride!” I wondered if God really spoke like that or if it was just my imagination!
The beginning of this month we stayed in North Georgia. The fall colors were just past peak, but still very beautiful. One of the highlights of my week was a horseback ride up the side of a mountain. Had I known that the trail ride was going to be up the side of a mountain, I might not have stepped out but now I’m so glad that I did.
Being beginners we had the “robot” horses. I had a really stubborn one who insisted on walking at the very edge of the trail. I have trouble with edges so this was pretty nerve wracking for me. Finally I had a revelation…don’t look at the edge, don’t look down and just try to relax and enjoy the ride! That was a familiar thought! The same God who was faithful to me in every season of my life was still looking over me now.
Had I chickened out of the ride, I would have missed a grand adventure and a totally breathtaking view!
I didn’t take pictures while on horseback (too chicken). But this is pretty much the same view I experienced up on the mountain.
The Holy Bible: Mosaic NLT
is a very beautifully put together Bible. I have honestly never seen a Bible quite like it.
The Holy Bible: Mosaic provides weekly meditations that are designed to be used in connection with the church year. According to the Holy Bible: Mosaic, “the church calendar is organized around God and his activity in the world.” This was very interesting to me because I have never heard of the church calendar before, and after looking over the weekly meditations I must say I am intrigued!
The weekly meditations are also great for simply studying the Bible. The meditations focus on specific topic and include a devotion, scripture references to study, time for reflection, poems, and so much more. Not only can you participate in the weekly meditations, you can also simply read the Bible. The Holy Bible: Mosaic provides the New Living Translation of the Bible along with the weekly meditations.
I don’t know what my reasons for not trying to get tickets for the Tampa show were. Probably financial. But now that it’s THIS Friday…I wanna go! U2 is a band that I don’t have to cringe about when I tell me kids about the music that I listened to when I was younger. The older I get, the more I appreciate the spirituality of their music. I would imagine some Christians would call them carnal…but their lyrics speak to me and stay with me.
Since attending the Tampa show is a pretty nil possibility, I am consoling myself with You Tube~
I have lived in Tampa since 1994 and have never acclimated to the weather. I love cool weather, gray skies and leather. I’m tanned and dress the Florida mom part but I have a Northern soul. October was my favorite time of year and I lived for the changing of the leaves. We had a teaser of a cold front a week ago and now another week of 90’s/70s is staring me in the face. I thought looking up fall photos of the Catskills and the Smoky Mountains would help but it makes me nuts. Starbucks is now serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes but it seems sacriligious to have one while dressed in my capris and sweating my way out to the car.
I’ve been suffering through insomnia for the better part of the past ten years. I chalked it up to hormonal stuff but came to realize via Internet research that what I was dealing with was adrenal fatigue. How could that happen? Multiple deaths in the family, a high risk pregnancy, two children with special needs, an open heart surgery for Nic at two months. Years of going, going, going and not taking care of myself as I should has taken its toll.
I’ve found a good set of supplements from Enzymatic Therapy. I’ve only been using them for a few days but here I am, sick again. Frequent respiratory infections are a sign of adrenal fatigue. At its worst this will happen to me every two or three weeks. I exercised hard and heavy four times this week. The experts say you shouldn’t do that and stick with walking and yoga. But my bloodwork is so much better and working out is such a great stress buster!
Trying to start most days in the Word now and not the Internet. Definitely ending my evenings with it. I have Max MacLean’s Bible audio on my iPod and if I’m too tired to read, I listen to it.
It’s definitely a step forward, two steps behind thing for me.
I got a yummy opportunity from MyBlogSpark to sample the new Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters. Granola bars are a staple school lunches and a healthy, easily transportable snack so I looked forward to checking these out.
I received a pack each of the Roasted Cashew, Honey Roasted Peanut, Roasted Almond and Nut Lovers. These are a different take on granola and granola bars. They are little bite-sized chunks of granola. My younger kids can make a mess of granola bars apart and regular granola can be messy so this was a neat way to try to eat them.
These clusters are easily transportable for lunches and on the go snacks. You can break up the bag and put a few into baggies for a fast and easy snack. Each 5 oz. bag contains about 4 1/2 servings at 150 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving. We loved all the flavors and couldn’t pick a favorite.
Thank you to Nature Valley and My Blog Spark for this opportunity!
I’ve found it impossible to motivate myself to blog the past few weeks. I have been busy preparing myself for doing the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) with Nicolas (and myself, since I have one of the *other* symptoms). The past few days have been spent in the kitchen making ketchup, jam, cookies, soup, meatballs, and chicken nuggets. What has always tripped me up before was the lack of preparation. It’s important that I keep a few things “ready to go” at all times, especially on the weekends when my schedule gets unpredictable.
I’m worried that Nic will get a diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s. I have to at least give this my best shot and see if it helps the GI/gut issues. We also are in the process of implementing his program for his newly diagnosed SEVERE sensory processing disorder. So, things are busy and the laundry is piling up!
Marya is a proud wife, mom of four kiddos, a homeschooler and mom blogger. She lives in the north Tampa Bay area and when she's not shlepping her kids around, she spends way too much time on the computer!
Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows how much I miss the north. But for reasons I struggle with, God has me planted in Florida for the past 15 years. For a long time we were unable to even take a vacation out of state but I have been blessed in the past couple of years to visit the mountains that I love so much.
CSAHM has a 
I have lived in Tampa since 1994 and have never acclimated to the weather. I love cool weather, gray skies and leather. I’m tanned and dress the Florida mom part but I have a Northern soul. October was my favorite time of year and I lived for the changing of the leaves. We had a teaser of a cold front a week ago and now another week of 90’s/70s is staring me in the face. I thought looking up fall photos of the Catskills and the Smoky Mountains would help but it makes me nuts. Starbucks is now serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes but it seems sacriligious to have one while dressed in my capris and sweating my way out to the car.
I got a yummy opportunity from 
