My Blog Moved Back

Sorry for the change again! We got our computer cleaned and fixed and wordpress works great once again. So--since Wordpress really is the top blog, I am going back to my:

http://wildflowerdays.wordpress.com/

Thank you!
Rachel

Pics

Dad showing them how it's done.

Bomani doing it like dad. :)

Hanging out in the kitchen in case she throws up. Poor dear. You get desperate.

Hazel's turn.

A Week

Sunday night Hazel started with this violent stomach virus that has been in the area.

Tuesday evening the rest of us did.

This week has been...a week.

Let's keep the long, gory story short. :)

#1. I haven't been that sick since the time in the village when dad and mom and my bros came to visit us. Most of us came down with something intense and terrible. I was pregnant with the twins, didn't know they were twins, and had vomiting and diarrhea until I was completely depleted. Suffice it to say that I am still surprised I didn't lose the girls. So in other words, this virus hit us pretty hard, and was a bit of a shock. :)

#2. It's difficult to have twins be sick at the same time. And a slightly older toddler. Sometimes they were all crying, one was vomiting, and not enough parents to go around.

#3. While I am utterly weary of changing diapers so full and running over that you need to bathe the kids and do laundry almost constantly, I would rather have that than a sudden fountain of vomiting somewhere like a carpet...or anywhere, actually.

#4. You thought that was TMI? I'll spare you the rest. :)

 So...let's just say the week has been long, difficult, and I am now ready to start living. :) Unfortunately, this virus doesn't come and go very quickly. The girls are still having fevers and diarrhea. Craig and I are still struggling with our stomachs feeling nasty, hurting, etc. So...prayers are welcome.

Guess what?! Bomani, Daisy and Hazel have a Miller cousin!!!!!!!!! Alex Logan born last night. :) Can't wait to see him! I hear he's blond haired and blue eyed.

Blessings on the weekend!

November twelve, two thousand twelve.

That, above, was a day to be remembered. Or forgotten! :)

We arrived home from CO last night around 9:30. For some reason, the 7-8 hours home seemed to last forever. Maybe partly because they stretched into more than 9 hours. The kids were a bit more fussy, but some people would kick me if I called that fussy. :) They are angels with all our traveling.

We were so happy to be home! And so hopeful that we won't need to travel again for a long time. I did tell Craig that probably in about three weeks we'll feel like going somewhere again. :) But for now, just give me home!

We weren't home long before Hazel started throwing up. Now, except for a short stage while the girls were still nursing, my kids almost never throw up. So this was weird. And scary. She threw up every five minutes or so, out of her mouth and nose, which scared her badly because she couldn't breathe. Then she had diarrhea. I was slightly terrified. That leads to dehydration fast. She threw up milk. She threw up water. How do you hydrate a child like that?

Finally around 11:30, Craig came to bed (he had been taking a shift with her) and said she was settling down. So we would have gotten a half decent night if it wouldn't have been for Bomani who fell asleep at 7:00 or so on the road and slept on into the night. So around 3:00 am he was awake! He finally fell asleep on our bed and thus the night ended. :)

In the morning, Hazel wanted a bottle. So, being rather inexperienced with stomach flues, I let her drink. About three seconds after she was done, it all came forth in a gush of milky whiteness. Panic. More laundry to do. (My hall was lined with piles from the travels.) I put the blanket, her sleeper, etc. into the washer and poured Basic H in. I'm using that right now for laundry soap as my life has been too wild to make my homemade stuff. Alas, in my eagerness to eradicate all signs of vomit, I poured too much in and my H E washer stopped and told me, SUDS. Okay, so now what? I ran rinse after rinse cycle through, and it just kept on stopping toward the end, telling me, SUDS. And thus my morning progressed, without my laundry progressing. And I needed clean clothes for Hazel.

Finally the door unlocked and I took my now very clean blankets, etc. out. To make a long story short, it is now 5:00, Craig will be home soon. Daisy and Hazel are taking their second nap. Bomani is sitting beside me, resting his dear, little head on my shoulder. My kitchen is clean. An enormous pile of dishes washed. My fifth or sixth load of laundry is washing. Hazel ate a bit of bread and drank some milk. She grinned her mischievous grin and played. I think we're out of the woods. But it was scary there for a while. After her first nap she woke up so lethargic. I knew she needed fluid, and had fixed some water with sugar and salt in it. She refused to drink! So for an hour or so, I used a syringe and squirted the electrolyte stuff into her mouth. It was a fight! But then she started feeling better...

All in all, I am so glad it's this evening!

Does anyone have tips for me? I am one of these women who get depressed when the house is a mess. If my dishes are washed and my house is straightened up, I relax visibly. I sit down, breathe in the joy, and love life.

I have three toddlers. My house is usually turned inside out. Toys scattered, even though I keep half of them hidden away. Kitchen utensils, containers, and baggies strewn about, as those are some of their favorites. Blankets here and there. Upstairs, a mess. That is so not me! I am not a super good housekeeper, but I have noticed that if the basic clean-up is not happening, it's a challenge for me to relax and enjoy life. How do you manage this season, ladies?

One of my happy moments today...when Bomani was rinsing dishes for me, I taught him how to put the bowls in the slots in the drainer. We were both pleased as punch. :)

Another happy moment...he was being naughty and so I snapped his hand. He said, “tooop!” (stop) I couldn't help but laugh. :)

Sigh...I am so going to sleep tonight. (I hope)

11-13

Another morning. And Hazel still sick. She vomited again this morning. She keeps having diarrhea. I keep squirting fluid into her mouth. She pinches her mouth shut. /:) And I'm worried. I know there is a wild, nasty stomach virus around. And in a huge Menno community, with a huge Menno funeral, it spreads like wildfire. And my littlest little girl got it.

I'm in contact with my health center...see what they conclude. My little girl doesn't weigh enough to suffer this. My twins are like birds...eat a little here and a little there, and then would rather play! I can see them as teenagers, delightedly racing off to a party, too happy and excited to eat dinner. :)

Speaking of twins, at Teresa's wedding, we were milling around in the back before it started, and I noticed identical twin girls...teenagers, looking very interestedly at me as I sat holding my girls. I smiled at them and they came over and we chatted a bit. They nearly freaked me out! They both stood there, looked at my twins, then together they pointed at Daisy and said, “she's older”! I said, “Yes!” Becky asked them, “How did you know?” And together they answered, “It's a twin thing...” :)

I had fun watching them that day. They were best of friends. It thoroughly delighted me. :)

It's cold around here. Our floor heat is the best thing about this house, and there are lots of nice things about this house! It can be chilly upstairs, and you walk down the stairs and this cozy, gentle warmth just wraps around you. The furniture is warm. The concrete floor is warm. The carpet is warm. I love it!

And...the only electricity it takes is a tiny amount to run the little pump that circulates the water! Yeah for small bills!

Not that our bill is small. But that's because we take long, hot showers and baths. And my dryer is my maid on some days. But just imagine how large the bill would be if we would use only electric or gas heat! :)

Teresa's wedding was so awesome. I drank in the worship times, the music, the singing. Rick had the sermon. He along with Val and a few others from IGo made a quick trip to CO for the funeral and wedding. It made me really miss Thailand and the people there. Renita, did you see my little girls on the live feed? :) I should have found the camera and went up to it and chatted with you. :)

The kids did surprisingly well at the wedding. It began around 1:00 and ended around 7:00 or 8:00 or so. It was a beautiful wedding, full of glory for God.

***********************************************************

It's evening. We decided to have a "date" of sorts here at Craig's parents' house, after I return from my town run. I left Daisy at Larrys. I picked her up to hear that she had been throwing up. Oh no.

I picked Bomani up at Loyals. We came to join Craig and Hazel here at dads house. We were the only ones here. I sat on the couch, holding Daisy. Bomani came over to me, with a little chuckle and a smile. He leaned toward me and emptied the contents of his stomach into the air in a blast of force. I yelled for Craig. He came quickly, nabbed Bomani, and dashed for the bathroom. As they reached the doorway, Bomani threw up again. Craig slipped in the vomit, and they both crashed to the floor, bringing the shower curtain with them.

Hazel is barely recovered. Daisy is sick. Bomani is sick. I am sick. Craig is not feeling well either.

Please pray for us.

To Sit or Not to Sit

Hello blog reading friends! Today I have a question for you. I am seriously interested in your opinions, beliefs, convictions, questions, and answers. So please comment! Or let me know and you can write a guest post on the matter! Here goes...

I see two basic ways to bring up children who go to church. Two basic ways, with many variations between.

Some train their children very carefully from babyhood up, to sit quietly in church. They discipline them if they become unruly or noisy. They teach them that it is very important to sit still, maybe playing with a toy, maybe not—but they must sit quietly two or more hours a week, at church.

The church where we attended a wedding on Saturday had a nursery full of toys. My kids went wild with delight in there. From what I could read here and there, this nursery is manned by childcare helpers on Sundays. You drop your child off, enter the sanctuary, actually listen to the sermon, actually sing the songs, actually pray through an entire prayer. All the while, your little kids are being taken care of quite well—even with a snack.

Those are two opposite extremes. There are some of us in the middle who try to sit in church with our kids, it works for about an hour, and the rest of the time we spend in the nursery or in the back where most people don't see that we aren't actually changing a diaper or giving a bottle. We're exhausted and allowing our twin girls to run around.

So! What do you believe? What have been your experiences? With your kids? With yourself, as a child? What are your memories?

And a few more questions...do you find it easy to love God's Word? Do you find yourself thrilling to it when you hear it, hanging on every syllable, looking forward with great anticipation to the next sermon? Did you grow up like that? As a child, how did your parents make church and God's Word desirable, exciting, wonderful to you?

I going to guess at the beliefs of the first paragraph people.

Teaching your child to sit still in church will grow in them a respect for God's Word and His people. It will prepare them for a lifetime of church. It's good discipline for them. Even as a young child, they can be bathed in God's Word and start hearing and learning from it.

I am going to guess at the beliefs of the second paragraph people.

Waiting until your child is old enough to understand and appreciate devotions and sermons that are almost without fail, geared toward adults will protect them from growing up with a distaste for God's Word. It will keep them from an early decision that the Bible and church are boring, and something to be endured. It will keep them from a negative feeling about church.

I am now going to guess that there are a few “sins” that paragraph one people need to fight.

It would be easy to find yourself training your kids carefully to sit quietly in church because you know that most people look upon that in awe and with respect.

And the second paragraph people?

It would be easy to allow others to take care of your kids because...well, let's just say, as a mother of three toddlers, that sometimes I deeply enjoy being “lazy”. :)

Craig read a quote to me the other day, that went something like this:

It is a sin to bore a child with the Word of God.

Howard Hendricks

What are your thoughts? Beliefs? Convictions? Questions? Answers? Experiences?

Craig Leon Has a Blog!

And it's way cooler than mine. Check it out!


http://www.allaboutmissions.com

I don't bake often, but he loves it when I do!

Bittersweet, dark chocolate cheesecake...

On our way to CO, we stopped at a tea shop. The children loved the kids corner! Scary...

The owner brewed different teas for us so we could choose what we wanted to buy. She sells loose leaf teas.

We purchased an exceptional black tea blend as well as an intense green tea!

We spent some time at a park...

My puffs.

Colorado ~ Beauty ~ Pain

I'm sitting in Bruce & Beth's living room, looking out over the amazing, majestic mountains...the beauty enough to make your heart ache. We came for cousin Teresa's wedding on Saturday.

On Tuesday her fiance's mother was killed in a traffic accident. The shock and pain are difficult to fathom.

We came a day early and attended the viewing last evening. Today Craig is at the funeral. Tomorrow is the wedding.

I don't understand it. But I will keep believing my Father. However, I am not in the shoes of the family. I pray for them.

Peace.

Oatmeal! (All over)

My delightful helper.

They are crazy about citrus. Oranges, lemons, grapefruit...

We are now in the "I want to do it myself with a spoon!" era... (and I thought it couldn't get messier?..)

I found the most darling caps online--came straight from China. :)

My Hazel.

This is weird, mommy!

Have a blessed week!

A Crazy Life (makes a crazy wife)

That was lame. :) But true.

Life has been insanely wild. I. Am. So. Tired. The kind of tired that won't go away without months of pure sleep. :) And doing nothing.

First we went to dad's wedding.

Stayed home a week-end.

Went to TX the next week-end.

Grandpa (Miller) died that Sunday. We came home to plans for much extended family, funeral, and auction.

Many virus' were going around.

We all got sick. Ish.

With help of tonic and elderberry and herbs, we are fighting it.

This week-end we are going to Colorado for cousin's wedding.

After that, I am going to sit down and do nothing and go nowhere for 10 - 20 years.

Maybe.

Not.

Lata.

Account of the Week

10-22-2012

It's nap time. :) The kids are in bed...or at least confined in their tiny room. Bomani is fast asleep, but the girls are hanging out rather wildly in there. Since they all sleep on one twin bed foam mattress on the floor, they can race about in the room until they fall asleep. The girls often end up on the floor instead of the mattress. :)

This morning I decided to take the time out of my work when the kids need it. The result? Happy kids, happy mom, but lunch time and the kitchen is in utter chaos with salsa partially made and the kids' breakfast remains still on the table. Yes, lunch was made. Curry with rice and toppings, but unfortunately, I was feeling too pinchy to buy more curry powder when I ran out, so the two lbs of curry meat had about 1 tsp. of curry powder in it. :)

All that to say that...if I take the time out to look after the kids' needs, including training and discipline, I get very little otherwise accomplished. I forgot I had dresses in the washer. I forgot I was going to put another load of laundry through. But I spent time with Bomani before the girls woke up, hung out with them after they woke up, and tended to their runny noses, cries, and naughtiness the rest of the morning.

I know...a lot of you are saying, “yes—that's how life is!” But some days, for me, it's not. I put my house and my work first. I get lunch made, lacto-ferment my cucumbers, do my laundry, and have the dishes done by lunchtime. But the kids suffer.

Is there no perfect answer?

No. :)

Okay, got that off my heart. :)

Last week...let's see, what was last week like? Oh yes—most of the week I felt so far behind in everything that I thought maybe I was ahead. (lame joke) I was utterly exhausted. I stopped taking tonic because I was tired of it and we were running out. I made more, but it takes two weeks to completely become the end product. By Friday, I was so tired it felt like my neck would not hold my head up anymore. Alisha came to my rescue by putting away an amazing amount of work for that afternoon. Friday evening was the ladies prayer partner banquet, something I look forward to all year. It's always so beautiful, it simply feeds my soul. But I was so tired, and I wore such high heels, that I could hardly wait for it to end so that I could go home, take tonic, and go to bed. My throat hurt. I knew I was getting sick.

I left early, took tonic, and went to bed. After a long, good night of sleep, I woke up tired. I woke up sick. I rested a lot that day. And every hour or two, I took the dreaded tonic, even though it wasn't fully fermented. By the next morning, I was 70% better, and by Sunday evening, I felt very good. Today I am fine! This—by the way—is another advertisement for the Flu Buster Tonic I am so happy with. Yes, it's so awful to take that I nearly gag. Yes, my tongue is sore from the large concentration of hot pepper, combined with vinegar. But I can tell you in all honesty, that when I have that feeling—the achy throat, achy skin, and achy bones—I know I'm getting sick—really sick. For days. And maybe after a week I'll be recovering.

But it didn't happen. I fought these virus' for about two weeks. But I did not get sick—no more than Saturday. One day. And even then, it was only the introduction to the virus. The tonic beat it. I am so grateful. I deeply dread every winter in America...but to have something that makes this much of a difference...I'm thrilled.

Well, I just heard Daisy hum her tune that means she is going to sleep. :) It's the same tune every time. So I'm going to sleep too. :)

Lata.

10-23

The wild part of the morning is over. :) Or I should say, this is the part between the two wild parts. In other words, the girls are sleeping. :) They are so busy. My house is constantly in a state of chaos. But right now, the downstairs is cleaned up, the dishes are washed, and the lunch is chopped and ready to stir-fry. And I can relax...

Highlights of the week:

When Daisy “shook” her finger at me and said “no”!

Hazel now says “thank you” nearly every time you give her something, or when she gives you something.

Bomani, last night as we were doing our “before sleep reading”, looking at a book Craig has from the library on barefoot running. He looked at the man on the cover, and said, “Ouch. 'ticker.” (sticker)

The girls getting up from their night, all sleepy-eyed, staggering around, with their hair flying all over. Hazel usually brings her blanket to me for a cuddle. Daisy starts right out on her own to find something to do.

There are a few snippets. :) These kids can fight! Yesterday Daisy was chasing Bomani with a spoon, hitting him. It looked so funny, I was dying with laughter while Craig was catching her. Daisy has this habit right now of bopping the others on the head. Yesterday they were outside and I heard her crying. This time it was Hazel, returning the favor! This is what it feels like, girl. :) I try to let them work things out on their own sometimes. But you can't always do that. :)

Lata!

Pictures

Arlene's baby shower.

Gotta love that. :)

These were our toys...we played for hours with this very fisherprice set! Bomani loves it.

Early morning tea with dad.

The Family

After my own heart...we can devour popcorn.

Now sitting up to the table!

Daisy

Hazel

They are all about the spoons and containers these days.

Took Bomani to the Partridge park the other day. :)

Update on Super Tonic

That was one recipe. :) I found that Karen's recipe is a little different, and remarkably less potent. Note that Karen's tonic is about as potent a tonic as I'd like to take. :) So this is how she (and I) do it:

1 cup each of:
onion
horseradish
ginger
jalapino peppers
garlic

Put into blender with plenty of apple cider vinegar. Blend until chopped. Pour into a gallon glass jar. Fill with apple cider vinegar. Set for 2 weeks, shaking every day. I open the lid every day too because pressure builds up inside. After that, strain and bottle it. Take a teaspoon or tablespoon in plenty of water if you feel the flu coming on. You can take it every hour. It works!

Because of the kind of cook that I am, I did not measure anything--I guessed. :) It won't kill us! And I didn't use as much apple cider vinegar because it's so expensive! You want the raw stuff with the mother in it, as they call it. Weird, I know. :)

Okay lata.

A Video Clip

Pictures of the Past Week

Our kids are slightly strange...well, maybe I should say, our kids' parents are slightly strange...

My Bomani is getting so big!

I love watching my toddlers play.

Annabelle

Ahhh...I got two prize squashes!

On the road!

Set up for wedding.

The groom! Happens to be my dad.

Setting up the sound system.

Bridal table was so lovely!

Very helpful as always.

Can you tell who was taking this picture? :) I like him.

On one of my rounds to see what my kids were getting into, I found that they were "getting into" boxes. :)

Folding programs.

Chilling with dad in an empty room before the ceremony.

My little Hazel was veery tired...

Grandpas were at our table!

This morning...Hazel peeking at Craig.

So glad to have my happy Hazel back!

I'm teaching Bomani to make the eggs. That way I can get up to a breakfast all ready! Hhhh.

The girls in their out-door get-up. Bomani wore these at night in the village...when it was very cold in our house!

Slight visibility problem? :)