It is definitely time for some writing therapy.  Warning:  You may find these series of posts very boring, but it's my blog and I'll write if I want to. HA HA!!
My physical world has been turned upside down the past 8-10 months.  Despite moving to the homestead, realizing it wasn't working, then moving back to where we started, I've been going through some big health challenges.  I would write it off as stress, which I was under a bit more, but deep down I knew something was not right.  After years of thyroid troubles, I had become overwhelmed with the symptoms that goes along with this condition.  I was having stages of extreme overactive thyroid hormone levels followed by stages of extreme underactive levels.  I honestly, at times, felt like I was going a little crazy, maybe bi-polar or something.  I knew I had to seek help because I wasn't getting it with my current doctor.  My sister, who also has thyroid issues, found a really good place near Nashville that specializes in hormone and thyroid problems, so I made my appointment and waited not so patiently for two and a half months.
So at my appointment, I was immediately impressed.  I am a researcher and not that I know more than doctors, but if given a condition that affects me or my family, I pretty much find out a ton of research and learn all I can.  So I could tell she knew her thyroid stuff.  *big sigh of relief* So she gave me some new information and resources, started me on a few supplements, and did some bloodwork.  She mentioned that my symptoms were pointing to a condition called Hashimotos thyroiditis, which is basically an autoimmune condition.  She recommended that I start a gluten free diet to see if my symptoms would improve and to get the ball rolling in case my tests confirmed her thoughts.
So after a weekend of really living it up in the eating world, one last gluten sabbatical, I started eating gluten free.  I know God is helping me in a supernatural way in this because despite a couple of temptations(which I didn't give into), it has been pretty easy.  Thank you Lord!! I have attempted doing this before for health reasons but gave up very quickly.  I am on day 18 and so far have not purposefully glutened my body.  And I say purposefully because a lot of times foods that are naturally gluten free may contain hidden traces of gluten from cross contamination. 
Last week, I was feeling so yucky.  Like in the pits yucky.  My thyroid had swung into overdrive and it was really difficult to cope with the anxiety and heart racing.  I received a call from the doctor's office that my labs were back and that in fact, I do have Hashimotos.  My antibody levels were very high.  I also was extremely low in Vitamin D and progesterone levels.  So, I am now waiting on a mail order Rx for my new thyroid medication and progesterone cream that will help with my moods.  My husband is probably saying "hallelujer!!"
So the Sunday before my confirmation of this, I was prayed for at church.  I had a great Holy Spirit experience and felt super peaceful that I am on the road to recovery.  I have been prayed for with my thyroid MANY times, and while I know the Spirit was present, something in me wouldn't receive it.  This time it was all about Him and I TRUST that whatever road to healing I need to be on, that's where He is taking me.  No putting God in a box this time, just an open heart and open mind to receive.  It is finished, He has done it. :)
So now I am rejoicing in the fact that I have hope and understanding of why my body has been under literal attack for so many years.  I am letting go of all the harsh feelings I've put on myself because I couldn't figure out what was "wrong" with me, I just wanted to feel good and enjoy this beautiful life.  I have gone from feeling hate towards my thyroid, to learning to be gentle with it, as weird as that may sound.  It is not the 'norm" to eat gluten free and live a different lifestyle, but if I want to feel better, I have to be obedient in these things.  Just like God has shown me with Noah, the physical body may have flaws, but the spirit man has no flaws and can show us the way to live our best life here on Earth despite the "imperfections".  As I've said before, miracles come in many forms.  Would I LOVE to wave a magic wand, or lay a magic hand, and fix every.single.thing, to say no would be lying. BUT! I know God is love and TRUST Him to show me where those personal miracles are for my life and for my family as well, outside of the box if I need to, the strength of Christ in me knows no limits. 
So because I just love to write, I am going to do a little diary about my journey with Hashimotos.  My friend, Audrey, has an awesome blog about nutrition and weight loss and is starting to log her food intake.  I have been writing my food intake down since I began in a journal, but what a great idea to share here.  If only for myself and accountability, that is okay, but if I can help someone else, all the better.  I am not perfect at it, but I am trusting that this road is MY road to recovery.  I actually am embracing my imperfections as learning curves, because if I fight them, I only give up and condemn the process of growth.  So if this bores your socks off, I understand, but if you are intrigued at how in the world I am doing with my journey, I hope I can inspire you to stay on your path and receive from THE source of life, in each and every moment.     

Homeschool Fun School Update

We've had fun the past couple weeks.  Two weeks ago we took a little spontaneous vacation to the Smokey Mountains.  We had a blast!   This is a picture from our hike to a beautiful waterfall. 

It rained on us half way to the top, but we made it with all three babes in tow without hardly any whining. :)

Fun school is still holding up to it's name.  We are still learning a lot about bees.  They are AMAZING little insects and I have learned so much too (like how the female bee is pretty much the backbone of the bee hive, doing all the work. lol).  Noah is doing amazing, he is super smart and eager to learn.  I love this season of life with him.  We made a craft out of bees, it is so neat!  We will work on a flower pot with egg shell flowers for the bee to eat nectar out of next week.
Noah is still doing really good in math.  We have done addition and subtraction and he just "gets" a lot of it without me even explaining it.  :)    We use beans and flash cards along with some pages from our curriculum books. 
I read a lot to them, I know that is a big part of learning right now.  I also love to read so it's fun for me too.  We've been going to the library every other week and checking out books, movies, and cd's.  They are really enjoying that and Ava thinks she owns the library and gets really mad at Mama when I don't let her run wild.  It reminds me so much of Noah.  When he was little, I braved the library a couple of times and decided it was too stressful.  And now I'm in there with 3 little ones and making it happen.  I put Ava in a stroller today, she wasn't too happy about that, but it made it easier for me to keep up with them. 
I also joined a homeschool group that will start meeting next week.  I went to a Mom's night this week and met all the other Moms and painted a really neat canvas.  I had a good time and look forward to taking the kids on Mondays to learn and play with the other kids and Moms.  It's really awesome because they meet literally less than a mile from our house.
So after a month of educating at home, we've had lots of fun and I'm learning a lot along the way.  Life is learning and embracing the moments to soak it all in. 

Homeschool Fun School Day 3

Today we ate breakfast and got started on fun school right away.  We woke up later than usual today so Ava wasn't ready for her nap. I sat her in her high chair while we read "The Greedy Bee" again.  She wanted the book so I had to stop mid-book to let her down because she was fussing so loud.  lol  So she went out on the deck and played.  The boys were very attentive during the book again.  Today I had Noah to narrate the book himself as he looked at the pictures.  Here is his version:
The Very Greedy Bee

narrated by Noah Seyer

The very greedy bee was eating the nectar from the blue flower. He was being very greedy and not sharing the nectar.

The very greedy bee took the ladybug's flower and he wouldn't share or let her rest on the leaf.

The very greedy bee found a lot of flower. Big flowers. He was excited. He said, "The flowers are all mine, and I can't tell anyone."

The greedy bee is jumping on the flowers and falling asleep. He got fatter and fatter and fatter. He fell asleep on the pink flower and snored.

He woke up and he couldn't fly because he was roly poly. He bumped when he tried to fly.

"I'm scared" said the greedy bee because there was a monster.

It wasn't a monster, it was fireflies! "Follow us" they said, and they helped him go home.

He was tired and he heard the waves from the water. He said, "I'm almost home." "But how do I get across?" he said. The tiny ants will help with a big leaf. "Get on" they said.

The greedy bee said, "I'm home!". The other bees said "where have you been?"

He was going to share all his honey.

The end.
 
 
We did a few more questions about things going on in the book and the lesson of the story.  Eli said "eat honey" was the lesson. lol  Noah said, "be nice and share."  Hopefully that lesson will speak to him when he is being greedy with his toys.  
 
By this time Ava was ready for her nap, so I gave Noah an activity page on "B" and Eli colored pictures that start with the letter "B".  He actually remembered that glove didn't start with "b" from yesterday!  
 
They took about a 15 minute break to play and watch "Word World" on la la la la, doink, PBS Kids.  
 
We came back to the table and read a little poem about fireflies.  We talked about how awesome it is that God gave us such a cool bug to enjoy.  Eli said "God gave them to bees because they get lost."  He is paying attention, yay!! 
 
We got out some dried beans to do math today.  Eli was launching beans all over the kitchen, so his lesson was to count how many beans he picked up off the floor.  Noah did awesome with his addition today.  He probably did about 15 sets of adding beans using the beans as spots on the puppies.  I think he really likes Math, he was super excited today about adding. :)
 
We did our Bible lesson today and they made sure to pay real close attention today.  Noah remembered from yesterday that God made the planets, hills, stars, and moon.  Eli remembered the moon and stars too.  Today we learned that next the Earth looked brown and bare so God made the trees and plants.  We talked about the fruits on the trees and bushes.  Eli said God made the blueberries all on his own. :)  Noah said he wanted some blueberries, so that made me remember there is a you-pick blueberry farm super close to us that we will have to visit soon.  They have the BEST blueberries and it will be a definite fun school adventure!
 
Today was fun.  I'm learning how to balance both boys and teach Eli at his level, even though he's more interested in being the class clown. lol  Marshmallows are working as bribery for him to listen when he gets rowdy.  He likes to pretend he doesn't know something as a game, so teaching him is going to be a whole new experience.  Noah is the ideal student, he is really excited to learn, listens very well, and tries his best with what assignment he is given.  I like having both of their personalities to teach, it keeps it interesting and fun.  I'm actually very proud of Eli for his interest in what we are learning and what he is retaining, he just needs to express his inner comedian quite often.  So this week was a great start to our year of homeschool.  I am going to try to post as much as I can in the future, but it may be weekly instead of daily.  I need to use Ava's nap time very wisely to keep up with all my Mama duties. :)  Have a great weekend!