Normalizing?!

in the hospital at 2 weeks old..so difficult!

Well, our baby is nearly 2 months old and we are finally starting to feel like life is getting back to "normal". It has been a much more difficult transition for us than we had anticipated, mainly due to two things for our little one: really poor eating and an illness which caused him to be hospitalized for 5 days when he was 2 weeks old. But God has been so faithful to us and has shown us again and again His love for us in so many ways, especially through the love and support shown to us through the body of Christ. It has been overwhelming, really. We have literally had dozens of meals lovingly made by others and folks have stepped in whenever we have had a need for childcare. My mother-in-law was also able to quickly schedule a visit and came and helped us tirelessly for 2 weeks after Matthew came home from the hospital a second time. And after 7 weeks, he finally caught on to nursing and is gaining well. Such a praise after so many hours invested into bottlefeeding and pumping and attempting to get him to nurse effectively! We have also been to numerous medical appointments to follow up on the condition that led to his infection and now more fully understand what is going on, how to keep him well and we have hope he will outgrow it in time. We are so blessed!

Making the Most of Flex

We realized in late October that we were running long on our medical and dental flexible spending account. What a blessing to have a year where we didn't need to take our children to the doctor other than for a yearly wellness check! We are blessed also with generally good health with no ongoing expenses for continual prescriptions and medical supplies. But if you know us, we hate to have money lost in an account like this just because we didn't have events which required the use of this money. After gathering and submitting all receipts we could think of we still had a bit more than $100 left.

So I read up on the qualifying expenses for this account and headed out to Target on New Year's Eve to see if I could make use of these funds. Most over-the-counter medications and vitamins are surprisingly not covered. As I was checking out I had the cashier confirm that each item was noted on the receipt as a health item. I ended up with $82 of first aid items (perfect for restocking our first aid kits), a night guard and some orthotics for my bad feet. Since I still wasn't sure if these purchases would qualify, I put the bags away in the closet and had my husband submit the receipts by fax. Then in the event it didn't go through, I could still return the merchandise since the items were not urgent needs. Thankfully these purchases did qualify under our plan so we were able to use up most of what was left in our account for the year. I know I could have gotten closer to the exact dollar amount if I would have added it up more carefully and gotten more for my money if I would have had coupons, chosen the Target brand, etc., but at that point, on the last possible purchase day, in a very busy store with three young children in tow, I was more than satisified with my effort and the outcome.

Change One Thing: Getting Proper Rest

I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by, but it has already been a month since my last change. It has been okay. I'll be completely honest and let you know I have not fully given up soda. Rather, I have cut back on the amount consumed and am still working on reducing that amount further.

For the month of August, and beyond really, I really want to focus on getting proper rest. I am a night owl by nature but that isn't really working for me in this stage of life with young kiddos who like to rise early. So many mornings, okay, almost every morning I am just getting up when they do and that is making me feel two steps behind all day long. Without rising early I don't have the jumpstart I need by getting time with the Lord in his Word and also don't have a time to mentally prepare for what lies ahead that day. The only way to begin rising early for me is going to be retiring early in the evening. (The fact that I'm writing this at 10:25 pm is a sign I haven't implemented this change yet.) To go to bed at a reasonable hour I will have to stay disciplined throughout the day to get everything done while everyone else is awake. When I was in high school our track coach was really insistent on not staying up late. He said that each hour before midnight provides better rest than the hours after midnight. While I know there is likely no scientific evidence for this, it seems to hold true in my case.

Anyone else out there working on small changes that have big impacts on your life? Let me know.

Good night!

Spinach Tortillas

I've seen a few recipes online for spinach tortillas and combined them using what I had on hand since we needed to use up a bag of spinach. They turned out well and I was glad the kids enjoyed them....it's always nice when kids will eat their veggies, in one form or another.

Zesty Spinach Tortillas
9 oz. bag fresh spinach
1/4 of an orange bell pepper (or red, yellow or green)
2 T. water
1/4 C. oil
1 T. fresh minced garlic
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. black pepper, more or less
2 1/2 C. flour (at least)

Preparation:
- In large covered skillet over medium heat wilt spinach in water, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. When spinach is almost fully wilted, add chunks of bell pepper.
- Transfer contents of skillet to blender and pulse for up to 30 seconds, until no large chunks of spinach or pepper remain.
- To blender add oil, garlic, sea salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
- Transfer to mixing bowl and add flour, adding more flour as needed to form a ball.
- Turn onto floured surface and knead for 3 minutes until soft and smooth.
- Divide into 10 relatively even balls.
- Roll out each ball into a 9-10 inch round.
- Cook each tortilla in skillet on medium heat for 3-4 minutes for first side and 2-3 minutes on second side, so a few brown spots appear. You may need some oil, depending on the pan you use.

Enjoy fresh and warm! Makes 10 medium tortillas.

We had these last night as part of deli wraps we made and also enjoyed them in the form of quesadillas today for lunch. Making these was a first for me so I've learned a few things. Next time here are some changes I'll make.
- I'll use a two burner griddle to cook them instead of dirtying 2 skillets.
- I'll roll them as thin a possible. Even though I thought they were pretty thin, when they cooked they got quite a bit thicker.
- I'll double the recipe so we have more leftovers.
- I'll use half whole wheat flour and half white flour.
- I may make some larger rounds to use as crispy pizza crusts.

Here's a cost breakdown.
spinach - $1
bell pepper - $.25
oil - $.10 - (I'm guessing on costs from here on out)
garlic - $.10
sea salt and black pepper - negligible
flour - $.25

So, for under $2.00 you have some healthy, tasty tortillas without preservatives to eat plain or with your favorite fillings.

To Y or Not to Y?

Every couple of months this debate comes back to me. Should we continue going to the YMCA or should we quit the membership? The pros and cons pretty much stay the same every time.

The Cons:
- The facility we go to is far from our home so every time we go it is sort of a big chunk of time taken out of the day.
- Often when we go Smiley misses a morning nap.
- Cost of membership could be used in other areas of our budget.
- Kids may or may not get sick more often because they are in a childcare situation for an hour and a half a few times a week.

The Pros:
- Mom gets exercise which helps her feel better and helps keep her immunities up.
- Kids see Mom and Dad modeling an active lifestyle.
- Childcare is provided and my kids are comfortable with these familiar caregivers.
- Kids are able to interact with their peers and take a break from non-stop sibling interaction. And they enjoy going.
- Mom is able to interact with other moms and have some downtime.
- Kids are able to burn off some of the boundless energy they have.

Given those pros and cons, the jury is still out. But for now we'll keep going because it seems that going to the Y is the only way this mother is going to get regular excercise. For now, I'll let the guilt of leaving my kids in childcare go and just enjoy this opportunity to be refreshed, physically and mentally.