I am in Colorado! Arvada/Denver at the YWAM base. What a trip it has been.....A friend and I took our almost two and almost three year old and set out on an adventure. We left Tuesday morning and came upon our first adventure with in hours. We were coming up to Chicago and missed our exit! I looked, and looked on the map but couldn't find it. So we decided that we were heading in the right direction and would surly pass it. After driving all the way through Chicago, we pulled over because we knew it wasn't right. So as we are sitting on the side of the highway looking at the map a road worker pulls over to help us. As he walks up he says I saw Indiana plates and thought you might need help. So he showed us where we were on the map. Way off course. Then he gave us a new route. The problem was, it turns out that roads we have now did not exist on our 2003 map. We had not seen the exit because it wasn't there in 03. Even the route that the man gave us in part did not exist then. So we got off at the next exit to turn around, but before doing anything else, that old map had a very close encounter with the nearest dumpster. We stopped at the first gas station we saw, and dumped that old map, and got over charged for a new one. The day continued to be off from there. The kids could not stay calm. The friend I was traveling with is pregnant, and was not feeling well. We ended up stopping four hours later than planned. With every one crying. Let me tell you, little kids do not do well away from daddy's the first time. Awake so much during the night. Ex specially that first night.
Wens. travels went much better, the kiddos were good. My friend felt better, and we had a good pace all day. We arrived about 7pm our time 5pm theirs. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones was so nice. Of course hugs all around. We were then taken to the guest house where we were going to stay. What a beautiful condo it is. We each got our own rooms and the kids got theirs too, well sorta. Lily is in the walk in closet in my room, and the other kiddo is in the laundry room. :) We had a night of relaxing.
Thursday was a bit harder. Both of us women were on a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Who says only pregnant women are entitled to be emotional, with out being labeled irrational? We went to the store and got food for our kitchen. Spent the afternoon around the condo, walked to a play area for the kids to run off some energy. Then our friend and former pastor's wife came over to hang out. They have been working at the base here on and off for years. What a great time we had. Once we got hungry we headed out to Chick-fil-A, a favorite for all of us. We then went to a huge mall and walked around. It was very cool, they had a giant sand box right in front of the mall for kids. It was like being at the beach. After getting home very late we sat up and talked. Then we decided we wanted chips and chip dip, so my friend jumped in her car to go the the nearby store. When she came home she informed me she had been robbed. Not really but after paying almost 9 dollars for one bag of chips and dip, it sure seemed like it!
Yesterday, I think has been my favorite so far. We went to a morning worship service here on the base. I was all singing, and lead by our former pastor Michael. I so miss him, and his style of worship. It was so refreshing to be there with him again. After worship we went and talked with some of the old staff that my friend knew. It was a nice relaxing morning.
After that we decided that we would take her little car and head up to the mountain peaks. YWAM also has a base up there. So up we went. Very slowly. I was the driver, the roads were very windy, with alot of switchbacks. We made it, but that poor little car was saying "I think I can, I think I can" all the way up. We took in the majestic beauty of the mountains while looking around the base. We ate lunch with them and the kids played. While we were up there it started to snow, but we had heard there was a good coffee place a little ways up the mountain yet. So yes people I am crazy! I drove us up in the snow, up, up , up a curvy road with only a guard rail to keep us from driving off, all for a good cup of coffee. (Insert my husband laughing here, because that is what he did) After all that the place was closed. So we went back down the mountain which was even scarier than going up it. Up meant that I was hugging the side of the mountain, going down meant I was on the edge, sometimes even with out a guard rail. Oh the beauty of it though. Yet there were times when looking over we saw nothing but a drop off, a very deep one at that!
Once we were down we ran to the store again to get stuff to make lazzana. Yesterday was the first day that we didn't eat out, and it was so nice. We came back and made dinner. Not long after a friend came over and we all watched a movie. Put the kids to bed late, and of course us even later. I was the last one to go to bed, as I was on the computer. A blessing for me came out of that too. A friend that I hadn't talked to in years was on facebook and chatted with me. It was so great to have him talk, he has been through so much in the last two years and cut everyone off. I love that I was able to reach out to him last night and that he responded. Thank you God!
What a good day. We have many plans for today, but I will save it for another post as I have keep you and me long enough. If I don't get going soon our day will be behind.
Well, it seems that alot of kids are sick lately, and a big problem seems to be the ears.
I have been in contact with an old friend who was about to have tubes put in her son's ears, but the doctor told her that her baby needs to have two more ear infections before doing anything. Of course no one wants their kid to have to get sick more before getting help! I wrote out a few things to naturally help her son stay free of infections. I thought that I would just re post that letter here. Hope it helps someone.
May your family be healthy!
Hi Tasha,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. There are a few things you should try for your little one. First, you should know that one of the biggest causes of ear infections in young children is food allergies. Most likely dairy. Dairy products cause a high production of mucus,(and an overproduction if a child is allergic) which can get trapped in the middle ear, causing ear infections. You might want to try taking him off dairy for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference. Also if you are giving him regular milk from the store, most of the cows that produce this milk have been given antibiotics, so your child may be taking in antibiotics through him milk. While antibiotics can be good, in your milk, not so much. Organic is best.
You should most definitely have him on a really good multi vitamin, and acidophilus. It is good bactira. The way antibiotics work they kill Bactria, but cannot tell which is good and which is bad so they kill both. Acidophilus replenishes the good Bactria that antibiotics kill. It also replenishes what the infection is killing off. You can get chewable at the health food store, or Walgreen has them for about $9. You can also get chewable immune boosters at the health food store, and I even think walmart may have them now. It will just help build up his immune system so he can fight infections.
Sugar of course is a bad thing, every tea spoon of sugar lowers your immune system for 6 hours. Take how many grams of sugar are in a serving and divide by four, that is how many tea spoons you are getting. ( A can of pop averages 40grams of sugar, that's 10 teaspoons!!)
Something else you could use in addition is garlic oil. You can make your own, (cut the top off a head of garlic, cover it with olive oil, and boil for about half and hour) or you can buy garlic gel capsules. You will poke a hole in them with a needle and squeeze the oil right into his ear, and rub it on the glands around his ear. The garlic fights infection.
Holding a very warm wet wash cloth over his ear will help with the pain, and help draw the oil into his ear. You can use this as a pain reliever even if you don't use garlic oil.
I do know that most health food stores sell drops for ear aches, I don't know how well they work though. I have a friend that tried them.
Lastly, I would highly recommend taking him to a chiropractor. You can start a child in chiro. care when they are just a few days old. Everything in your body is connected to your spine, if it is out of place you could be pinching or blocking something. (Most babies vertebra are out of place just from coming through the birth canal) But when your neck is out of place it can stop your ears from draining properly. Find one that can also adjust his ears, to open them up to fully drain. Once you get his ears drained out the infections may stop.
My sister Rachael was supposed to have tubes put in her ears but after having a chiropractor adjust her the infections stopped and it was not a problem again.
Also I do not know if you know but my Lily has had lead poisoning since she was a baby. She also was having alot of ear infections, she has a compromised immune system, colon problems, and more. Since then we have used many of the things I have suggested here. And although she has alot of challenges ahead of her she has improved tremendously. But as for her ear infections, she has only had one in about a year and a half. Which is a vast improvement, as she was having them about every 2 months.
Well I hope this helps.
Let me know if there is anything else you need.
Amber