Cabbage Leaves

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently suffered from Mastitis. My goal was to make it through nursing without getting Mastitis and since I only planned on nursing a year, I thought that I had lucked out. Well, turns out I didn't! Fever, chills, aching body, vomiting, swollen breast, clogged ducts, painful letdown, even itching=MASTITIS!

Let me start by saying that Josiah has not been nursing well. 1. he never completely drains me, and 2. a pump never drains me. That means CLOGGED MILK DUCTS! Andrew and I had gone away for the weekend and I started out clogged and ended even more clogged, painfully clogged. By Tuesday Mastitis had rolled it's way in and I was miserable. However, it seemed that no matter how much I pumped, or nursed, or painfully massaged, or compressed that NOTHING would clear me out. My supply dropped tremendously and I had to start nursing and then finishing Josiah with a bottle so that he wouldn't be starving all day/night (which we discovered was why he's been so fussy lately, he's just starving because I can't fill him up!). So I turned to what seemed to be my last hope before death....cabbage leaves! Let me tell you what...20 minutes of cabbage leaves sitting in my bra was the best remedy I've ever had for anything EVER! After only one session my ducts were 90% softer (and trust me when I say that I thought maybe I had an abscess or maybe even breast cancer because my lumps were so big)! It maybe smelly, but that cabbage is gooooood stuff!

Unfortunately since my supply has dropped and I had only planned on nursing for a year anyway, I have decided rather than going through all the trouble of trying to up my supply again to just opt for the formula. I am rather tired of pumping anyway and I wouldn't want to up my supply only to have to decrease it in another month or two. Why go through all the trouble when he's not interested in nursing anyway?? I've been using Baby's Only Organic Formula and it seems to work well for him. He's so calm when he drinks it (a big difference from when he nurses) plus it will help him sleep better at night. For you other mom's out there that are planning on nursing, keep it up as long as you can! It's FREE, easy, and so good for the babe!

So I know it may seem weird, but if you are nursing and you even have a hint of a clogged duct, bring on the cabbage!

Housekeeping 101

This was my first week at my part time Housecleaning/part time Stay-At-Home-Mom arrangement. It started off well but by Tuesday I woke up with Mastitis and had to rearrange my schedule so I could be home to get better (I guess one of the new advantages of this job is that I can easily rearrange my schedule and not lose any money for the week, unlike my last job where I had one sick day a month, which was typically used on Josiah, and then after that it was no pay). Josiah also had his first week out of day care, which has actually been a horrid mess because 1. he was getting over a virus, 2. he's teething which means 3. not sleeping, eating, or playing well. The not eating well part is not going very well for me since I desperately need him to nurse so I can get rid of this Mastitis!

There are many things that I have learned about housecleaning this week that I thought I would share. This in now way what-so-ever has ANYTHING to do with the families/homes that I clean for, because lets face it we all have messy homes that need cleaning and we all have battles in keeping our homes neat and tidy. These are just a few things I have learned:

1. Sit criss-cross applesauce (there's my teacher role coming out!) on bumpy tile floors when scrubbing, otherwise your knees will throb!

2. A little goes a LONG way!
*There were times this week that I definitely over-did spraying down showers, sinks, counters and toilets and I had to do a lot more rinsing than necessary.

3. Feather dusters are GREAT for maintaining a dust free home!
*A good dusting polish is a great start for deep cleaning, but to maintain an already neat home a feather duster works really well. I am thinking about getting one myself! We use Swiffer dusters in our home and we go through them so fast that it just seems like a waste of money.

4. Hair in the showers/tubs will ALWAYS put up a fight!
*I just can't figure out how to make cleaning a shower/tub faster when I have to battle hair that sticks to everything! Do I take a vacuum to it for a pre-cleaning sweep? Do I do a wet paper towel wipe down? Or do I start with a general rinsing with water (but then how do I rinse the top halves of the shower when the shower head doesn't move??) It's something I will have to experiment with.

5. To mop or not to mop?
*I am so unsure about the use of mops these days, with all of the germs that get stuck to the sponge I just don't know how clean the floor can REALLY get!? So I've decided that a good ol' fashion scrubbing on your hands and knees with a bucket and a rag is one of the best methods for deep cleaning. A mop that has a removable head and can be cleaned post-use is good for maintaining a clean floor (especially those bumpy tile floors that I referred to earlier!).

6. Eco-Friendly products are great but not everyone likes them.
*In my home I use Green Works products, Norwex products, and some of of my own homemade water/vinegar solution for cleaning my home. However, some people really would prefer to use the "regular" cleaning products simply for peace of mind. 1. because they smell better, and 2. they feel that they actually clean better. So for peace of mind I am willing to use their products because it's their home and know I wouldn't want someone coming into my home and cleaning it with whatever they wanted to use. But, there are some products that I actually enjoyed using this week that are not so Eco-friendly. Like Scrubbing Bubbles is awesome! It smells wonderful and all you do is spray and wipe (so great for showers and tubs!). I also really like Arm N Hammer Multi-Purpose Solution with Febreze. I filled a bucket with water and about a 1/4 cup of this solution and used in on the outside of tubs, floors, bathroom cabinets, and outside of toilets. It was really easy and left rooms smelling really nice. I may take a try at the Arm N Hammer Solution for the floors in my apartment, but not sure if I'll go out of my way to get Scrubbing Bubbles.

So here's my housekeeping question for you: what is the most efficient way to clean a bathroom in under 20 minutes?

My Thursday Thought: The Power of Prayer

My husband and I have been part of a small group at our church for 2 1/2 years now. We have learned so much from this community that I thought I would share some of the things God has been teaching us lately about THE POWER OR PRAYER.

I started praying when I came to Christ as a child and was deeply involved in my church. But prayer wasn't something that I saw as a tool to use all the time but more in times of distress or when we needed to say a blessing before we ate. Most of my prayers were short, sweet, to the point, and sometimes there were even moments of pleading with God telling him what I wanted or else who knows what I might do. But now, my idea of prayer has really changed. In our small group we've been practicing the following:

1. Taking time to sit in silence and wait on God and listen to what he is telling us to pray for.
2. Share with one another what we think God is saying to us.
3. Be bold in not only asking for prayer but praying for others in our group.
4. Laying hands on one another when praying.
5. Praying in command for healing and against Satan.

This was all very new to me when I joined the Vineyard church but I have seen some amazing things happen when people really take the time to pray with the help of the Holy Spirit. I've witnessed healing, seen spiritual freedom, and even felt the presence of the Holy Spirit upon me.

The other day I was shopping around Barnes and Noble and decided to pick up the book The Power of a Praying Wife. I'm not too far into it, but I was in need of a good devotional and since I've seen the power of prayer at work in our small group I thought "why not give praying for my family a try and see what happens." I can already see God showing up and encouraging not only my husband but also ME! Andrew and I spent some time praying for our family the other night as a couple and a lot of burdens were lifted off of both of our shoulders. For the first time in a while we actually felt like we agreed on some things....like how to handle some of our financial difficulties, how we both were really struggling with some of the sacrifices we have to make as parents, and how neither of us had been communicating well. I am so thankful to have a husband that is growing and learning with me, especially when we are facing some struggles as parents.

26 Hours

I just spent a good 26 hours of my weekend away from my little Bubby. He stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's while Andrew and I headed out to a hotel for the night. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Des Moines by Jordan Creek. It's the same hotel we stayed at for our honeymoon. It was a super nice hotel with a jacuzzi tub, queen size bed, and 3 TV's in our room (we only had 2 going at the same time). I was a little disappointed with the fact that after we checked into our room we went upstairs to find them cleaning our room, so it was to the lobby for another 15 minutes to wait till they were actually ready for us. Other than that, it was a nice place.

Andrew and I started our weekend by eating at the Jordan Creek food court. I had the amazingly delicious, best Chinese food I've ever had, Famous Wok. I absolutely LOVE their orange chicken! Then we shopped for a bit, spent some money we didn't need to, and then headed to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. We've seen it once already but Andrew and I are big movie people and we are the type to see movies multiple times and then buy them when they come out and then only watch them on occasion. We have so many movies that it literally takes me a half hour to decide on a movie to watch because when I think I've picked a movie I play the entire thing in my head and then think to myself that I don't really need to watch it if I can watch the entire movie in my head in a matter of minutes.

So...anyways, back to our weekend....

After the movie we headed to On The Boarder for some Mexican food. I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD! Well, mostly I like fajitas, and chips and salsa, and sour cream, and big margaritas. So I had quite a bit of all of that. The margarita definitely got to my head and I started laughing hysterically at everything. I remember looking out the window and commenting numerous times on how nice some old lady's hair was and then laughing really hard. I also freaked myself out when I saw my reflection in the window on the back of some guy's head. It's probably one of those moments when you had to be there.

Even though the hotel was nice and I was super relaxed after sitting in the jacuzzi for an hour, I still didn't fall asleep until after midnight. One of the rather unfortunate parts of being a nursing mother is that a breast pump just never completely empties you and then you end up getting really full and clogged up. I was so uncomfortable at midnight that I had to get up and pump and even that didn't get all the milk out. Then I decided to use some warm wash clothes as compresses to relieve the pain and that didn't help either. It doesn't help that Josiah really isn't interested in nursing anymore. I feel more like a sippy cup for him to snack on even though I only nurse him every 3-4 hours. I think it may be time to stop nursing, switch to formula for the next couple months and just do a bottle/sippy cup. My goal was to nurse till he was a year old but I can't keep feeling all clogged up, heck I don't want to end up getting mastitis! It will be a really hard transition for me, but at the same time I really need some relief from all of the clogged ducts and frustration whenever I nurse him.

Over all it was a really good weekend, one of the best times away I've had so far. I was really in need of a break after Josiah being sick for 3 days. And now that I'm home I'm grumpy and back to being frustrated. I don't really know why I'm frustrated, maybe just upset that such a nice break had to end so soon. Tonight is also the first night that I am pushing Josiah through the night without a nursing session. It's really the only time that he ever nurses well and I will miss it, even though I desperately need to some better sleep at night and so does he!

Sickly Bubby

My little Bubby is sickly this week. It was our last week at day care and as a going away gift they gave Josiah a horrible, miserable stomach virus. He came home Tuesday with a temp of 101.2 and by the next morning it had gone up to 102.2. We headed to the doctor thinking it was an ear infection, given his past with ear infections, but his ears were fine. The doctor said (might I add without telling me that he had a virus) "he's going to be sick for a while." I responded "well can you tell me what's actually wrong with him then?" The doctor said it was a virus and that it would last a few days. I almost wish it had been an ear infection because then at least there was something I could do for him to get rid of this illness. So we were sent home to endure this awful virus and high fever.

Josiah took a good nap yesterday afternoon (a whole 2 1/2 hours!) but that was after I laid with him in my bed and pat him to sleep. He refused to eat dinner and by bed time his temp was 103! Wowza was I freaked out. I gave him some Tylenol and rocked him to sleep. This morning his temp was still 103 and he started vomiting. I had to stop all food and only nurse him and have him sip on Pedialite. He seems to be doing a little better after having some Tylenol and a really big diaper (he actually crawled around and played for a bit) but now that the Tylenol is wearing off his temp is shooting back up and he's fussy again. If he's not better by tomorrow he's going back to the doctor to see what's going on. Hopefully he gets better soon, not only for his sake but for mommy and daddy. This weekend we were going to send Josiah to grandma and grandpas so we could have a weekend away but we aren't sure if that will happen if he's not better. We'll keep praying for good health!!

Side Note: I don't like the new scanning thermometers at the doctor's office. I had taken an underarm temp and got 101.2 (without the added degree) and Josiah's temp only came up as 100.3 at the doctor. It was even higher when we got home after the doctor so I know that wasn't right. We use the same scanners at the day care and you can never get the same temp twice.

My Thursday Thought: The Adultress Woman

John 8

² At dawn he [Jesus] appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

I think what I love so much about this story is the fact that Jesus calls out everyone else that is judging the adulteress woman. How many times a day do I look at someone and think to myself how much better I am than them? To be honest, a lot. And vice versa, there are times when I think I am a horrible person and I will never be as good as other Christians. I see people who have such a strong relationship with the Lord and are blessed with so many gifts that sometimes I feel as though God has forgotten about me. But then I look at how Jesus shows love to this woman and says "neither do I condemn you," and I remember that God says the same thing to me. I am not condemned! What a great reminder for me on days when I am impatient, rude, prideful, and angry towards the world.

My Thursday Thought: Definitely Late

Here I am...only the 2nd week after committing to write and I am already late, way late. My excuse isn't that I forgot (because really I didn't) but just the stress of getting ready for my sister's huge wedding weekend and planning my cleaning schedule for next week.

One thing I have learned about myself these past few weeks is that so often I anticipate the future. I worry SO MUCH and make SO MANY long term goals that are WAY far from now that I get myself all stressed out and worked up. For instance, in my mind I have my whole ideal life planned. Andrew and I will live in a nice acreage right outside of Story City and Andrew will run his own coffeeshop here in town. I would stay at home with our kids and home school and I would be very involved in church (helping out with kids worship, being a small group leader, and maybe even helping to lead worship). On top of that Andrew and I would be very healthy and eat well, plus have enough money to go on a nice vacation every year. Now, who doesn't dream about having the perfect house, perfect job, and perfect family? I'm sure everyone does, but for me these were serious goals, and they weren't goals that I had for 5-10 years down the road, but more like 1-2 years! Obviously that is not realistic! I was stressing myself out over something I had no control over and I was worrying so much about the future that I had no joy in anything that was happening now.

Andrew helped to put things in perspective for me. It's okay to have hopes and dreams for the future and pray for those things, but I'll never get there if I don't have faith in God or even set short term goals for my life. And I definitely won't enjoy getting there if I don't have joy in what the Lord is giving me now. So, I've been reflecting on James 4. It says:

Submit Yourselves to God

¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴ You adulterous people,^[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us^[b]? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”^[c]

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

I've also been trying to work in some time in the Word every day. I've been setting my alarm for 5:45 a.m. so that I have time to shower and then spend 15-20 minutes reading before Josiah gets up. It went pretty well this last week, although I did miss my alarm a couple mornings and ended up not having the time I wanted to read. But I have noticed a difference since I started this. I have been more patient with Josiah and the kids at work when I DO get up and read and for some reason I've been able to get myself mostly ready for the day before Josiah even gets up which makes the morning a lot less stressful. I guess that time is really doing some good! My hope for this week is to continue to get up and read, be patient and joyful, and not even worry about making goals but rather focus on the changes that God is currently making in my life!