Recalculating

I've been wanting to post an update on the 30 day challenges I set for the year back in January. But blogging has fallen by the wayside in the last few months. Things have come up that have been given precident. Things like broken elbows, for instance. :-)

Each month I've tried to concentrate on the particular challenge, and though I didn't meet my goals exactly, it was still beneficial. My husband really appreciated February's encouragment Post-It notes and I noticed the exercise really influenced my words and attitude toward him. Win, win! However, I've been sensing that I need to make my goal for January my only goal for awhile. When I'm taking care of my body everything else just goes better!

The hubby has recommitted to getting up early to exercise too, so that helps me greatly. I'm still working on strengthening my knees by walking, especially while the temp's are in the 30's and 40's before dawn. It's easier on the joints and I don't get shin splints as much.

I have a tangible goal in mind too.

This.

Later in the summer Pete and I are traveling to Poland for his brother's wedding. And this is Morskie Oko, a set of glacial lakes in the Tatra Mountains along the southern border with Slovakia. It's a 2 hour hike to the top.

I've also picked up my copy of MADE TO CRAVE by Lysa TerKeurst again. I had read through it last year, but not quickly, so my attention wasn't as concentrated. I asked my mom to read through it with me this time, 4 chapters a week with a phone call to discuss it on Fridays. I needed the accountability and momentum of reading it with someone.

I've set some very attainable food goals too, though regular exercise is what I feel I need the most. BUT, by limiting my carbohydrates and choosing whole grains, piling on the fruits and veggies, reaching for a handful of almonds for a snack, and limiting my sugar, I'm hoping to shed pounds that way too.

All in all, I just want to be healthy. I want to take better care of the body the Lord has blessed me with. I want to be an example of discipline and self-control for my children.

Onward. :-)

Convalescing, Confetti, and Couture

We've been finding lots of ways to stay occupied this week.

Immediately, Natalia wanted to color--and she's been doing really well, considering she's a lefty and that arm is busy being elevated or iced. I am impressed by her steady concentration and neatness. We'll see when the novelty wears off...maybe it won't! :-)

The biggest challenge for me is keeping Adam from being too physical around Natalia and making sure he gets extra hugs and time with Mama. His latest fascination is making confetti. He seriously will sit at the table and quietly cut paper into tiny pieces for 1/2 hour. Not a peep outta' him! A lifesaver for the 4-5 o'clock hour when I'm preparing dinner and he typically is getting rammy. AND, he thinks it's fun to use the dustpan and brush to clean it up for Mama too! I think that's MARVELOUS!!!

Paper "doll" horses that were in a new coloring book from Grandma. (And I just had to join in on the fun with "Cousin Violet" from Downton Abbey! Who could resist?!?!)

And, finally...what to dress this girl in once we do need to leave our house, socialize, and return to our lives?!?!

Besides the fact that Natalia has been busy outgrowing her winter wardrobe already, and I didn't want to hack the left sleeve off of her shirts needlessly, here is what I did:

*Removed the seam attaching the left sleeve of the long-sleeved black, white, and brown T-shirts she already had to use for layering. (Will reattach later.)

*Purchased 3 teen XS short-sleeved T's on sale and made them into tunic tops. Rooted through my buttom and fabric stash for embellishments.

*Took in the underarm seams on 2 tank tops I had that didn't fit right to make 2 more tunic tops.

*Purchased a pair of navy leggings and a pair of dark blue jeggings also on sale. She already had brown and black leggings. (She typically wears jeans everyday, but buttons, zippers, and such are currently problematic, and all her shirts are suddenly getting shorter on her. Major growth spurts in this household.)

*Nothing wasted expense, and she now has a spring/summer warddrobe!

Oh, and I had an extra Youth T-shirt and black puffy paint on hand, so I copied one of the pictures out of her new horse coloring book, and voila! (She was wearing her favorite horse shirt when she arrived in the ER, and they had to cut the full length of the arm.)

The Post That Got Hijacked...

...by more urgent matters. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is what I wrote last Saturday, February 18th, intending to post later that evening:

My blog has been rather silent of late, for a variety of reasons. Number one, blogging is not a priority right now. No offense to you, my faithful readers and friends, but life has been full and I've had some opportunities in the last months that were given precident over blogging. BUT, I am hoping to pick things up again soon. I've got a writing itch to scratch. :-)

This past week, on the 15th, I took Natalia to her 6 month cardiology check-up.

You may remember what a hard time we went through last spring when she was prescribed the first medication we have ever needed to give her for her heart. The two months she was on it were extremely trying...for all of us. (If your memory needs refreshed, here's the link to that post. And if you're not sure what was wrong with her heart in the first place, here's our story.)

Well, needless to say, I asked for prayer for our appointment last week like a desperate woman. Because I felt desperate.

I was desperate for God to change my attitude. The most recent appointment last summer hadn't gone well, my daughter's strong will raising it's ugly head to the point that she refused to let them touch her. Except for the technician who does the ECHO. She gives lollipops and lets you watch a movie.

Was that appointment humbling? Oh yeah. Embarassing? Incredibly! Why? Because my pride was hurt. My daughter's behavior was a reflection on me, and I didn't feel it was justified. I felt like all my efforts to train her to respect authority, follow directions, and be respectful were for nothing. Because I like to see results. Because I like to believe I have some semblance of control over my children. Because I'm delusional like that. I sensed the frustration of those trying to do their job, even though they were being extremely patient, understanding, and creative. And at some point the realization that there was nothing more I could do to get her to comply...well, it just took the wind out of my sails. And though I didn't express it outwardly, I could feel the ugliness rising up inside--where I was throwing a hot and sweaty tantrum.

*sigh*

So you see, I NEEDED prayer.

Most of all though, I had to confess to the Lord that I wanted to change my daughter. And as I prayed last week for God to help me have the right attitude, I really felt he took away the dread and worry, and I knew that regardless of how the appointment went, he would be my strength.

And he was. And the appointment was horrible. But God gave me patience, tenderness, firmness, and wisdom at just the right moments. I was emotionally drained afterwards but I wasn't despairing.

Medical update:
The leaking/spurting from the incision sites (not the valves) has increased slightly from our appointment 6 mos. ago, which had increased since the visit before that. We're still in the mild range, but it's now mild+ and that means we go back in late July and likely she'll try a different medication for the same issue. And that appointment really needs to go well so they get as accurate information as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So...for those of you who are on facebook, you know Natalia broke her elbow just before bedtime this past Saturday night. We just needed more medical drama in our lives, right?

Long story short: our local hospital has a limited pediatric unit, and though they did the initial x-ray and diagnosis, with Natalia's heart condition and the required anesthesia and surgery to put a pin in her elbow, Pete and Natalia got a midnight ambulance transport to Penn State Hershey Medical.

She had surgery at 7:30am Sunday morning, and I relieved Pete so he could go home shortly before lunch. That afternoon the swelling went down some, she transitioned from the morphine to the Tylenol w/codeine, and began to regain her appetite. I was prepared to spend the night but around 9pm I was wheeling her out the door! Finding a pharmacy that was open was a challenge, but once again God took care of us and within 15 minutes that problem was solved and we knew where to go. (There is only one pharmacy in Lancaster County that is 24 hour!!! And it's relatively closeby.)

By 11pm Sunday we were home, she was tucked in her own bed, and we could finally catch up on some sleep. Pete had gotten 2 (interrupted) hours + a 2 hour nap, and I had slept 3 hours in 40 hours.

God was so faithful to provide for us through it all:
*Natalia was calm on the way to the hospital.
*It was a clean and common break.
*She cooperated for the x-ray.
*She wasn't frightened by the ambulance ride--thought it was pretty cool!
*Surgery went well.
*Pete and I knew the drill regarding the pediatric wing--it didn't feel as daunting as it did when she was an infant needing heart surgery. (Of course this wasn't nearly as serious a situation, but both Pete and I felt more confident in our surroundings and in being Natalia's advocate.)
*Mom and Dad were closeby and ready to help with Adam, transporting cars, etc.
*Peace.
*Pete was willing to take her to the ER and navigate the subsequent medical stuff, and I could concentrate on the recovery part.
*It was a holiday weekend, so both Pete and Natalia had off Monday--and Natalia has an early dismiss scheduled for Friday, so she isn't missing as much.
*Our sofa bed loveseat in the living has been such an easy way for Natalia to convalesce this week.
*She's been a mostly happy patient, not in pain too much, and easy to keep entertained.
*Special visitors, cards, and activities/gifts to make it a fun week while she missing her classmates and teachers.
*Seeing a friend from church in the hospital parking lot as I was getting ready to take Natalia home.
...and so many more reminders that we were not alone, that God was caring for us and supplying for our needs.

Thank you all for your prayers and kindness!

Goals for 2012

I am totally stealing this idea from my friend Briana:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She writes:
I really enjoy setting goals, especially since becoming a mom. I think because the task of parenting is so incredibly daunting to me most days, and the goal of parenting often seems intangible, difficult to measure and impossible to obtain, I nearly crave goals that are otherwise.

So, at the start of each year, I take stock. As I consider the present circumstances, I anticipate the future possibilities as best I can given all things remain the same (which, of course, we all know they do not!)

To me, 30 days seems more doable than 365...I'm hoping that some of the things I attempt in the following 30 day challenges may just "stick" and last beyond 30 days, maybe even 365 days. We'll see!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, thanks to Bri's post (with a shout out to her hubby because it was his idea) I did alittle brainstorming and came up with this:

JANUARY: 30 mins. cardio, 3 days a week; 15 mins. toning/flexiblity the other 4 days

FEBRUARY: affirm/encourage my husband daily

MARCH: write a note of encouragement to someone each day

APRIL: memorize a verse of Scripture daily

MAY: fast from sweets

JUNE: spend 15 minutes daily improving a space in my home or yard

JULY: make raw fruits and vegetables 50% of what I consume every day

AUGUST: select something daily to donate or give away

SEPTEMBER: spend 15 mins. doing something "creative" each day

OCTOBER: affirm/encourage my children every day

NOVEMBER: repeat a 30 day challenge

DECEMBER: write down what I'm thankful for each day

Why We Do What We Do--Part 2

This post will explain why we've chosen to raise pastured poultry, and to have our birds processed by hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joel Salatin's book, PASTURED POULTRY PROFITS, does a great job of illustrating not only the practical steps to take when raising your own poultry, but also the health benefits and reasons for chosing a process that breaks the mold of bigger, faster, cheaper. He outlines a farming practice that models respect for the animal, respect for the Earth God has created, and quite frankly, a lot of good common sense.

LIVING ENVIRONMENT:
We built portable pens, like the one pictured below, according to the design that Salatin describes in his book. These 10' x 12' x 2' floorless structures are framed with lumber, enclosed with chicken wire and metal sheeting to allow for both sunshine and protection/shade, with an access door that flips open on top. Pete and my uncle fashioned a customized dolly to allow one person to move the cage, whereas before it took two people because of its weight and size. Some people use tractors , but because we raise our birds on our Amish neighbor's farm, a dolly was necessary.
Moved daily to a fresh section of pasture, these birds receive fresh air, exercise, sunshine, and all the genetically modified organism-free (GMO-Free) grain they want. We also want our birds to eat as much salad (green material) as their full genetic potential will allow. And knowing that chickens won't venture far for food if they don't have to, we ensure they have a nice saladbar at their fingertips, er, feet 24/7.

How is pastured poultry different from free range chickens? Well, chicken labeled "free range" means that they had some access to the outdoors during their life. That sounds kinder and gentler, but it only means that the animal had the option of going outside--there's no guarantee that it actually did. A chicken could still be raised in a confinement house with around 10,ooo others, with one door open to the outside that it may or may not use, and still be labeled "free range".

Even smaller chicken houses that provide greater access to the pasture aren't as effective as portable pens, because, if the structure is stationary, the birds eat/scratch up the area around it and venture no further. Eventually, their supplemental grain is closer and laziness wins the day.

A portable pen also provides a growing environment with the least amount of fecal contamination possible. The birds are not sitting in their own mess day after day (which burns their skin), they don't have to continually breathe in the fecal dust generated in a confinement house setting with even the best fans and bedding set-up, AND the light, even spread of droppings over the pasture actually fertilizes and promotes it's health.

The industry says Cornish Cross broilers cannot be raised without artificial vitamin packs and antibiotics. They are right, if the birds are raised in a confinement house setting. Disease is much harder to contain, therefore the entire house receives preventative antibiotics. We do not give our chickens any medication in their feed or otherwise. The sick ones are naturally eliminated.

HOW THEY ARE PROCESSED:
When it comes to processing meat birds, the traditional mass production method is done by machines. Even with the best technology, this approach breaks open the intestines and pours fecal material all over the carcass, inside the body cavity, thereby contaminating the birds. This is why mass processed birds receive as many as 40 chlorine baths.

Processing is an inherently filthy thing, but the larger, faster, and more automatic the system, the more filthy it is.

Our birds are killed and processed individually by hand at a local butcher shop. Our butcher says you can tell alot about the quality of an animal's life when you are processing it, and he has been very affirming of our practices. To which we turned around and quickly thanked him for still providing the service he does!

THEIR DIET:
We all know that green material (salad) is high in vitamins and minerals, but low in energy. It is good for us because of the chlorophyll, the vitamins, the minerals, and the fiber, but it doesn’t fill us up for long. In comparison, grains and especially corn, are high in energy but low in vitamins and minerals. When animals are fed a high energy, low vitamin/mineral diet, they tend to have more saturated fat (cholesterol) in their meat, milk or eggs. When these same animals consume a large percentage of green material, the saturated fat of their animal proteins diminishes.

If you have a cholesterol problem, your doctor will tell you to decrease your intake of animal proteins, exercise to metabolize excess calories, eat more “salad”, and reduce stress in your life. Current mainline livestock agriculture ensures the very elements that encourage saturated fat: high calorie/low vitamin-mineral rations, sedentary lifestyle, physical and emotional stress. Whereas, the yellow fat found in pastured poultry (and grass-fed beef), and extremely orange egg yolks in pastured layer hens, reflect high levels of chlorophyll in the diet and low levels of saturated fat. And that means good things for our bodies as well!

There really is truth in the saying that, "you are what you eat."

The food in this country is shipped hundreds of miles (if not more) until it reaches our grocery store shelves, where it then sits for another week or so until it goes on sale to make room for the next truckload of stock. For us, there is just something great about eating a flavorful, juicy piece of chicken that you know is so fresh it was running around the pasture that morning!

Why We Do What We Do--Part 1

We are not purists, here at the Winkler household.

When it comes to food sources and products we use, our efforts to go green and natural have happened very gradually over the last 5 years. Slowly but surely, change has come, and hopefully we've maintained a healthy attitude of balance throughout.

Before all of this began, I confess that when I heard the word "organic" I immediately thought "food snob", and mentally dismissed the issue with a "what's the big deal anyway". My husband was the first to look into the matter, and when he said he'd like to find a source for hormone-free beef I just went along with it.

Later, we began watching documentaries and films like SUPER-SIZE ME, FOOD INC., and THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO, reading books like PASTURED POULTRY PROFITS, and THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA, and asking questions of our farmer friends.

We learned what certain labels on our food meant, and which claims were misleading. (For example: "Hormone-Free" really only applies to beef, because, by law, poultry and pigs are not allowed to receive hormones. So when you see this claim on a package of chicken, it means absolutely nothing.)

We learned about the digestive systems of animals, the importance of "salad" in their diet, the value of certain grains, and just as important if not moreso, the way the animals are processed.

Along with all of this information, we have been conscious of the natural tendency we all have to drift to extremes. To fear, disallusionment, obsessiveness, and self-suffiency. "Self-sufficiency?" you ask. Yes. Because when we are dependant solely on ourselves for our health and well-being, we will be frustrated. Being wise stewards of our physical bodies needs to flow out of trust in our True Sustainer. Even the most healthy body is still a finite body that will fail. But, neither is that an excuse to toss the issue aside, as if the physical condition of our body and what we choose to put into it isn't also a spiritual issue.

This article, CAN NATURAL LIVING BECOME AN IDOL, addresses what TRULY is most important if you too are pursuing this kind of lifestyle. My husband and I have been conscious that our children are taking their cues from us. So how we talk about certain foods will be repeated. The challenge is to use words that truthfully and adequately explain why some foods are better for our bodies, without giving our children "ammunition" to (knowingly or unknowingly) blast others who choose differently. We want them to appreciate natural, healthy foods without a superiority complex. (We want this for ourselves!)

Things we've wrestled with:
1. When given the opportunity to host or provide a meal for someone, are we tempted to keep our "good" meat for ourselves, or do we wish to bless our friends with our best?
2. When discussing our food choices with others, do we model humility, or do we hinder fellowship because we are consciously or unconsciously forcing our views on them?
3. Are we tempted to buy "organic" at the expense of our budget? Are we tithing regularly and giving generously to those in need, or have we elevated our food budget beyond what it should be?
4. When eating a meal that someone else has provided, do we model thankfulness and tact, or do we turn up our nose and slight them by refusing what they've prepared?
5. Are we prone to fear? Has "healthy food" become our highest goal and gospel?

Some of you will read these posts and struggle with frustration, because you desire to make changes, but for whatever reason you cannot. For others, it's TOO MUCH INFORMATION--and not knowing feels better. I understand. I've been in all of these positions.

I urge you to press on. To continue to trust in God's provision, in all seasons. To be content where He has you. Natural Living will look different for all of us. We have varying bank accounts, geographical demographics, possibilities and priorities, but I hope these posts inform and encourage you.