Fun in the sun

I am quite happy that I will not be eating fish tomorrow for breakfast.  For most days in July I have eaten fish and red onions along with spinach and other vegetables.  I have enjoyed it but it's time for a change.  I always give Isaac a bite of the fish and he always thanks me.  I have now followed the auto-immune protocol for three months so I have decided to start reintroducing foods.  I start back on oats tomorrow and I am looking forward to a bowl of oatmeal in the morning.  For the last four weeks I decided to cut out almost all fruit (I still ate lemon on my fish and pumpkin and coconut in my soup) as well as natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, and coconut sugar.  No one recommended this and perhaps it was a bad idea but I just wanted to see if my body would react at all to having a lot less sugar.  The jury is still out.  The inflammation and stiffness is mild but I can't tell if it changed from June to July.  Actually, with less inflammation, I often feel a little more pain/discomfort.  Tomorrow I start back on fruit as I wouldn't enjoy my unsweetened oatmeal without blueberries and an apple.  I'm excited!

Just to remind me when I'm old and I don't believe I did this for three months, the auto-immune protocol that I followed: no grains (rice, corn, wheat, oats, etc), no dairy, no legumes (black beans, chickpeas, lentils, soy, peanuts), no processed sugars, no additives, no nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers), no eggs, no nuts and seeds, no seed oils, no coffee, no pepper.  I've enjoyed most of my meals - they improved since I started.  This was one blessing of Covid as I was home but preparing the food definitely takes time away from other things and people so I'm hopeful that the reintroductions of some foods goes well.

Playing in the rain

I found out today that I will be able to see my rheumatologist this month.  I am hoping he can give me a little more information about arthritis and covid-risks.  I'm not sure if he would give me any cortisone as the inflammation is minimal. 

Pizza night

Not only have Graham and I joined Facebook, we are about to become the owners of a smartphone.  We are heading out of town for a week to a cottage/cabin where there is no wifi so this is the answer.  We have owned a cheap cell phone that stays in the van for emergencies and we have had iPods.

I think this is the first year that I haven't thought about what July 31st has meant to me until 10:32 PM.  I only remembered because I just texted my friend who moved into her home July 31, 2012.  I was hoping to visit her that day but instead Josiah was intubated and we went to SickKids.  Lily-Anna was also dedicated to God on this date in 2016.  Now I can add to that today's adventure: the first day with our new hammock and stand.  Graham's parents blessed us with this.  We all had a good time - reading together and the kids also played pirates.

Speaking of reading, this month we read aloud Danny the Champion of the World (a favourite book that my mom read to her classes) and Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl.  I have also read the three books in the Bat series to Kohen (by Alana K. Arnold) and I am in the middle of reading The Railway Children to Isaac.  We are also listening to Farmer Boy on audio during some meals.  Our breakfasts are usually accompanied by an Adventures in Odyssey episode - I love them.  Tomorrow morning we will get to listen to the third and final part of a mystery one.

PJs, messy hair, and Bible time with Daddy

We have done some puzzles and played Clue and Rummykub.  Graham and the boys have been biking (Isaac was blessed with his cousin's old bike which meant that Kohen was blessed with the same cousin's old old bike that Isaac had been using.)  Playing with the hose and kiddie pool in the backyard is always high on the kids' list, as is yelling and screaming at each other.  Isaac has also made up Faulkner Ball which is similar to Soccer Baseball.

A highlight of this month was Vacation Bible School (online).  This was Lily-Anna's first VBS.  Our children's pastor and all the volunteers did an amazing job.  We had been given bags with all the supplies they needed for the crafts.  Last year I figured that I would be helping out this year as all of my kids would be there - I was right, I just wasn't expecting that I would be helping from home.  It was a lot of fun singing the great songs together and watching the lessons, etc.  It was nice to be able to do it with them and be part of it.

VBS - Crazy hair and lanterns

I like planting marigolds on Josiah's grave around Canada Day or the anniversary of his death on July 6.  Every other year I have been able to find them at that late date but not this year.  I couldn't find annuals then.  Covid struck again.  I will now plan to plant flowers earlier.  I did find a couple of ground cover plants but they are less than inspiring.  I also couldn't get hanging baskets or the plants I wanted for outside our home.  Lateness doesn't pay during Covid.  I actually tried to buy Isaac shorts at Walmart yesterday and I couldn't find one pair for him.  I could find him a winter jacket if I had wanted.  Thankfully I found a pair at the Superstore. 

We are thankful to be able to get books from the library again.  I can't remember when that started but I guess it was probably June.  Thankfully they have a surprise bag of 10 picture books or early readers that I can order along with specific ones I put on hold.

We were blessed to be able to buy a used air conditioner for Lily-Anna's room so the kids stay cool.  A fan is fine for me and if it's really hot, Graham sleeps in the basement.  We were also blessed to have an afternoon in a pool!  Friends from church invited us over to use their pool while we all social distanced.  We had such a nice time.

Kohen the butler

Graham and Isaac now go to our church building each week on Sunday morning.  Every other week Graham is involved in volunteering there (making sure only the correct number of people are in the washrooms).  I watch the service with Kohen and Lily-Anna from home.

I am thankful that we now have a mask policy in place.  It makes sense to me that everyone should wear a mask when they are out and about.  I have just ordered masks for the kids.  We have a couple adult ones that we altered with a paperclip to make them works for the boys when they went to the dentist's office.

More pizza

Apparently school for the kids is supposed to start as normally as possible in September - full classes with masks.  We need to decide whether or not we will send Lily-Anna for JK.  I know she would love it and it would be lovely for her to make more friends there but with Covid I'm not sure yet.  I assume we'll send the boys but any children I send will be wearing a mask.

I would be remiss if I did not mention thanks for the many muffins, loaves and cookies as well as meals that my mother has blessed us with.  My father has also managed to fix our curtain rod that was having issues as I bought drapes that were too heavy for it. 

Enjoying the hammock

It's time to head to bed.  It's a new day tomorrow!

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Job 19:25-26
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.


Oldy but a goody: Nicole C Mullen - My Redeemer Lives

P.S. I just realized that I called last July's post Fun in the Sun but I can deal with that.

Hello Summer!

Fun in the stream

Here we are once again at the end of the month.  We were blessed with some delicious fresh-from-the-field strawberries tonight.  Yum!

Cooling off

School is over - yay!  It ended well and the boys' teachers did a fantastic job but it will be nice for all of us to have a break from that routine.  Isaac's teachers dropped off a package for him with a nice certificate and Kohen was part of a Google-meet and slideshow to celebrate the end of kindergarten.

Graham gave them each a Daddy-date on Saturday

It is a tradition in our home (thankfully Isaac told us this last year) that Graham walks the boys home on the last day of school (stopping at a store to buy slushies).  So, this year we all drove to the abandoned school on the last day, took photos, and then I drove home with Lily-Anna while Graham walked with the boys.  Part of the tradition is also that the boys want to buy something for Lily-Anna so she ended up with a chocolate bar (most of which she has forgotten in the fridge).

Last day of school

One of my favourite parts of being together more (due to Covid-19), is the read-aloud books.  We started with Pollyanna, then Helen Keller, The Secret Garden, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I also read aloud Ember's End to Isaac as it is the final book in a four-book series we have read together.  Wonderful, heroic, rabbits with swords.  I cried.  So good.  We need a new book to start.  Thankfully we are now able to take out books from the library.

Our bubble expanded to include both sets of grandparents as soon as the Premier gave the go-ahead.  It is certainly nice to be able to have hugs again and also have two additional homes to visit.

Now that summer is here, we have started a new chore schedule from Monday to Saturday.  One of the chores is to help prepare dinner.  Each child has two days when it is their turn to help with dinner.  In general, I find the kids much more content to do the jobs as they are listed on their charts.  Of course, we started the new schedule yesterday so this may be the honeymoon period.  Hopefully they will become interested in picking out the meals but that will also involve some organization on my part as we try to shop once a week.

It's been fun exploring nature.  We have a stream with large and small rocks to walk on at the bottom of our street where the kids like to play and there is a pond and forest within biking distance.  We saw two snapping turtles yesterday.  It's been nice to go there after dinner all together, though it leads to increased drama at bedtime for an overtired Lily-Anna.  Today Kohen wanted to fly a kite so we were able to do that this afternoon and after dinner while Graham and Isaac kicked the soccer ball. 

Kohen flying a kite

Both Isaac and Kohen were part of their first online piano recitals.  Isaac's piece was prerecorded and Kohen played live.  Isaac will have four lessons in the summer and he has also asked to be Kohen's teacher over the summer.

I can hear fireworks outside.  It's Canada Day tomorrow and also my cousin's birthday.  Happy Birthday Natasha!

Other enjoyments: Reading The Sensible Shoes series by Sharon Garlough Brown (I made snickerdoodles for the first time because of these books), listening to JJ Heller's podcast Instrumental, braiding Lily-Anna's hair, puzzles, new games.

Oh yes, I am still following the Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP).  The inflammation and stiffness in my joints is manageable without medication.  I am going to try to further reduce my sugar intake to see if that helps (after we eat the strawberries I didn't freeze).  In addition to snickerdoodles, I also made chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese.  I didn't try either but I was told they were great.

Tea party

Blessings,
Elizabeth

1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all that you do be done in love.

P.S. I almost forgot - I was chatting with Lily-Anna and we were remembering camping on Vancouver Island last summer (so great!).  I said we were in a tent and then I asked her what we slept in.  She confidently said, "Suitcases." 

Great big brother

Happy Birthdays!

Enjoying the sunshine

My May post is always shorter as it is Graham's birthday today.  Happy Birthday Graham!  Yesterday, my baby and my princess turned four years old.  Impossible but true.  Lily-Anna and the boys are growing too fast.  There was no birthday dinner with the extended family but Lily-Anna still had fun.  She received a lovely card in the mail with a beautiful cupcake on the front, at which point she decided that she no longer wanted a cake (it would be for Daddy) but instead wanted cupcakes just like the one in the picture.  I think they turned out well.

I have now followed the auto-immune protocol for a month.  I can't say that it is helping with the inflammation in my body but I am going to keep going a little longer at least.  For most of this month I have also been doing the intermittent fasting by only eating between 10:00am and 6:00pm, roughly.  Again, this could supposedly help my immune system but my knees are still big with fluid.  I have not-so-great days and much better days for which I am thankful.

Fun on the Orange Berg

More fun on the Berg

First bike with pedals

For the first time this week we ordered our groceries online and picked them up at the store.  This is to limit the amount of time that I need to be on my feet and it also means that I don't need to leave all the kids with Graham while he is working (which means they are doing something on a screen).  It worked out better than I expected.

Playing catch

New technique for blood pressure

During the spring after my first year of university, I was paid to help in an elementary school for a few weeks.  I believe I worked with the special ed teacher.  It was then at the age of 19 that I learned that the word 'our' is a homophone of 'hour'.  Previously, I had thought it was a homophone of 'are' and that is how I pronounced the word.  I was quite shocked that I could have mispronounced the word that long.  Well, now at the ripe old age of 42, I was amazed to discover another thing I have never learned.  The back story is that about a week ago I saw a workbook for cursive writing so I picked it up for Isaac.  He does a letter a day.  When he came to the letter 'f', I found out that I have never written the letter f correctly.  I now know that when you get to the bottom of the f you should go to the right but I loop to the left.  Yes, this is not earth-shattering news but very interesting to me.  Isaac said he likes my 'f' better so I am tempted to tell him to do it my way as I am certainly not changing now.

Graham and I just finished watching some shows so it's time to say goodnight.  No time for photos tonight or talk about Covid-19.  Thankful for health.

This game lasted a few days

Isaac helping make dinner

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Walking on the ceiling

Snow on May 11!!!

Surprise birthday treat from a dear friend

Happy Pentecost Sunday!
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Bonus: The Princess in Style

Please let me wear pants and shorts!

She loves her Irish soccer jersey!