Last Post This Year...I Think

Okay, so it is the third one today, but probably the last post of the year. But one never knows. It has been snowing all day and I just ran out to get the mail and now it is a bit blustery. The girls are down and shortly I will be reading on the couch with the some tea and and a big blanket.

One last tidbit for the year. After all it is Tuesday, right?

I want to encourage you to take time to dream and write down your dreams. At our house we used to use the word "goals" and occasionally still do, but the word dream is so much bigger. Goals almost feels like a list of things to do, but when I dream...that is where God works and moves.

I received a book for Christmas by Leslie Parrott called YOU MATTER MORE THAN YOU THINK. The first chapter didn't really grab my attention, but as she went on and spoke of dreams and gratitude and love and hope....I found much of what she wrote about I have been learning in my own life.

A quick blip from her book....
"In short, I discovered how I was designed to make a difference. And that difference is love. Our love is honed by our pain, enriched by our gratitude, revealed in our relationships, and expanded through our dreams."

Don't walk through life just going through the motions. God place you here for a purpose. So, please dream. Dream big. Or "dream venti" as she would say in her book.

Perhaps beginning with these three questions:

1. Where have I been?

2. Where am I now?

3. Where do I want to go?

Our Family Photo

I just took a picture of our picture. It was already in the frame and hanging on the wall. I wasn't in the mood to take it out and scan it. And no glare from the lighting so that is a bonus. This was part of our Christmas gifts for our parents this year. I was so excited to get one with us all smiling.

The past few days in pictures...

Okay, for the most part I can never just post pictures without a few words. These are a few random shots from our family gatherings as we celebrated the birth of our Christ. It is such a joy to watch life through the eyes of a child.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Boost Your Immune System

Thought I would post a few quick reminders for boosting your immune system. And then Grace wakes up with a cold... runny nose. I think she had a runny nose in September, too. I can't remember the last time Dassah had a cold. I would like to think that the diet changes we have made contribute. But one never knows. Perhaps it is simply the lack of play dates lately due to cold weather and me not wanting to venture out in subzero temperatures. Anyway, here are a few things we do at our house to boost our immune system so that it can fight off whatever bugs come our way.

*push fresh fruits and veggies, or frozen at the very least
*avoid sugar, run the other way
*drink lots of water
*consume probiotics, we get ours when we eat our yogurt or kefir(I am not great witih supplements, I like to get what I need from foods first)
*echinacea(we take it when we feel colds coming on liquid gtts added to juice or in tea
* make sure they get the rest they need and exercise
* wash hands, wash them well, keep them out of their little mouths

And pray that God would bless us with health. I know there are a lot more ideas out there(zinc, Jusice Plus, mulitvitamins, Vitamin C supplements, etc). Some we have tried, others not. If you have suggestions of what works for you, let me know.

A really great book I read last winter was called:
Boost Your Child's Immune System by Lucy Burney
I picked it up from the library. It had some good info in it. She also says that good fats, like omega 3 are important for kids. Flax seed being a good source as well as salmon.