I know you are all wondering

Now I know you are all wondering. How are your kids doing on it?

Let me start with its a battle but one that wont last too long. For the most part the two older kids do just fine with it. Its my youngest who is VERY stubborn. She just doesn't like anything that isn't familiar. Now don't worry. My kids are not being starved. They get all the calcium, protein and vitamins they need.

We do rice milk now which they don't seem to mind. It was easier than almond milk. They love the smoothies I make. It's almost like a treat to them! Thank you for Costco and their cheaper frozen fruits. I recommend getting frozen pineapple, frozen strawberries and frozen blueberries from them. For a family of 5 on a budget it sure helps.

Another thing you are wondering is "Does it cost more?" After going over all the receipts and dividing it out among the weeks. Not really. Some weeks are less than others and so it equals out to be how much we have spent anyways. We use everything we have. We don't have things laying around that sit in the pantry for weeks. Everything gets used up. I haven't wasted much food which is good.

The best part is you use things you would never have thought to use. All perfectly healthy.

WinCo has the best bulk food. That certainly helps with our budget too!

One more thing to help those who are wondering. My skin complexion seems to be getting better. Clearing up. But I will keep you posted on that one.

Thats all for now. Sorry its a bit scatterbrained.

Making Changes

Recently we decided to make some changes in our health. My husband and I have been up and down with weight and on and off with aches and pains. So we said enough is enough and decided to go Plant based whole foods. Yes thats right. No meat or dairy. "Isn't that vegan though?" Yes but no. Let me explain. Yes its basically vegan but even on a vegan diet you still can eat processed foods. We are getting away from all the processed foods in our culture. So with the help of a friend we are embarking on a whole new way of life. Frankly we are excited about it. We are on our 3rd week of this new lifestyle and let me say I may never go back. Yes my husband has lost 14 pounds and I am down 7 but its more than just losing weight. I have had some pretty bad hand pains for a while now and the doctors have no idea what it was. But their solutions were take ibuprofen. Most of my friends know that I HATE taking pills. I don't like the idea of depending on pills the rest of my life. Since being on this my pains have been lessening by the day. I can zip my kids coats without issues. I can button of shirts or pants and I don't feel like someone is pulling my hands with strings. Now being 3 weeks into it I have the desire to start doing research of my own. I want people with pains and other health issues to really adopt this lifestyle because I know it will help. The food is amazing. Most people ask me "Well what can you even eat?" I being telling them and they never realized how much food there is out there that isn't meat or cheese=) So I think I will start blogging about our journey down this path in hopes someone out there might benefit from it. I don't have all the answers but I have a friend who does have more than I do! Visit her blog at www.lifeunlabeled.com

New Home, New Adventures

Well we are settled in at our new home in Kuna, Idaho. We love it here so far. We have been able to visit the zoo, aquarium, and discovery center. Its a stay at home mom's/home schooling mom's dream!!! Homeschooling you ask? Yes, we have decided this is the route we are going to take in education for our children. I could explain all the reasons why but no need. I am nervous but excited and encouraged by all the programs and things they have these days to do it. I know The Lord is going to help me through this process. I will start pre school with Sam this fall. He has already learned so much so I know its going to be easy. He loves to learn. I know I will have my share of frustrations and days I want to run out the door screaming but it will all be ok. Well I would blog more but time to put kids to bed!

Moving

So we say goodbye to our first house ever. It was a great experience but God has different plans for us. Packing up and moving to Boise in August. Its scary but exciting. Although we have only been in this house for 2 years, it was 2 years of a great learning and growing experience. We are thankful with in 2 days of being on the market we got a full price offer. I hope the next owner takes good care of it and loves it like we did. We will miss our great neighbors and hope to find new ones.

He is my strength when I am weak

Growing up you sing the song in church Jesus Loves Me. Jesus Loves me this I know For the bible tells me so Little ones to Him belong They are weak and He is strong That last line is finally making sense to me. In my weakest points in life is where I have to rely on the Lord's strength to get me through the day. He has also given me a wonderful husband who is also there during my weak times. My pastor once said "When you think you are strongest, that's when you can be the weakest" meaning to be on guard always because even though we think we are strong in the Lord we tend to let our guard down and thats when the enemy attacks us the hardest. Like Job in the bible. I belong to Jesus. Therefore I can be strong when I am weak because Yes Jesus Loves me!!!

Hats

I love to crochet. Here are some things I have done.

Life is Crazy

Well 3 kids is proving to be crazy! But each day is a new day. A gift that I am learning to appreciate. Sam is 3 now. Avery will be 2 in October and Elizabeth(we call her Libby) will be 3 months on Thursday. Where did the time go?! When you become a mom you really learn what it is to be selfless. I fight my selfishness every single day. When I succeed with that I find the joy in it. How much my kids are behaving better or we have just overall had a fun day. Sure the dishes might still be dirty and toys everywhere but that just means I have been so busy playing with the kids than worrying about that stuff. Luckily I have a husband who understands. I have also learned you can love 3 different children all the same. Each one has something so unique that just puts joy in my heart. The Lord has truly blessed me with 3 amazing kids. I am so blessed I am able to stay at home with them. Time goes by so fast. I need to cherish every moment. My mom always tells me "Dishes can wait, your children will not." I am glad when I get that text message because it reminds me of what is important. Thanks mom!