Eating Healthy: Who Do You Listen To?

There are so many opinions and studies and articles out there on how to eat healthy. So many in fact, that I'm pretty sure you could eat absolutely whatever you want and find an argument to back up each thing in your diet. At the same time, there will be someone to discredit every single thing in your diet, too. I've heard it said that fruit is bad because it has sugar in it, and of course there's the recent declaration of congress: pizza is a vegetable. Huh?!

When we stepped off the plane in South Africa in 2005, I lost 10 pounds in a week! I wasn't dieting, exercising, or eating anything specific...we had eggs and toast for breakfast, we grilled out with friends (or braii for my Afrikaans friends), we even went out for pizza. But their food is so fresh! When you buy milk or bread there, you have to consume it fast, because it doesn't last long. Their food just isn't chock full of a million preservatives. And packaged, processed foods are much harder to come by. If you want rice, you buy rice. They don't have half an aisle dedicated to 50 different kids of rice: minute rice, flavored rice, cheesy rice...it's just a bag of rice! 

When we came back to the states for good in 2008, I went to Walmart with my sister to buy new toiletries. When I looked at all the options for a tube of toothpaste, I was so overwhelmed I began to cry. I handed my sister my basket and my list and asked her to fill it with whatever she used. 

The amount of choices we have in our grocery stores is incredible, and a little scary. Combine that with the number of diets available to us, and it's a miracle our brains haven't shut down trying to make sense of the right choice. 

I've always landed somewhere in the middle. I try to stay away from overly processed foods and I buy our ready-made foods from Trader Joe's to avoid the worst of the preservatives and food additives. I give my kids fruit and vegetables and water to drink. I also give them dairy, meat, bread, and dessert. And like most families, we eat out here and here, including fast food when it's convenient. I've considered us to be pretty balanced.

But now I'm convinced that we can do better...

I have a lot of neck problems, one of them most likely being rheumatoid arthritis. This is not regular arthritis caused by overuse and age, it is an auto-immune disease. When I have pain, I have to take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, or even a dose of steroids when it gets really bad. And since most of the time I have pain, I end up taking a lot of ibuprofen, and that scares me. 

Chris has been asking me for a while to try an anti-inflammatory diet. But I've never given it a shot because, well...I just don't diet. I love eating, I love food, and I want freedom in what I eat. But last month I consumed so much ibuprofen I decided it was necessary. 

I was taking prescription strength doses about 3 or 4 times a week. Then it got really bad and I was having to take it daily. Now, two weeks in eating an anti-inflammatory diet and I've only had to take one dose in the entire two weeks. Not bad!!

Not only that, but one of my kids really struggles with constipation normally, and this diet is helping her tremendously!

So what is it? I started on Pinterest, curious to see if there were recipes and information there, and I found a lot of good stuff. There are certain foods that cause inflammation, certain foods that fight it, and the rest have nothing to do with it. 

I avoid (or seriously limit) the foods that cause inflammation: fried foods, fatty meats, gluten, dairy, and a few others. Then I eat everything else, but try to be very intentional about adding foods into my diet that reduce inflammation: berries, turmeric, avocado, cinnamon, kale, oats, almonds and other nuts, and foods packed with omega-3s such as salmon, chia seeds, flax meal, quinoa, etc. 

I will try to post recipes on here from time to time, but what I really want to do is share my weekly meal plan with you each Sunday. I'm a little scared to commit to a weekly anything with camp starting today, but it's something I have to do for my family every week anyway, regardless of whether or not I share it here. So hopefully this will help me stay committed in this crazy busy season!

(Disclaimer: typically in summer we eat every meal in the dining hall because, well it's free and I don't have to cook or do dishes! But it is a camp menu, and while our dining hall always has some healthier options, it usually has some very non-healthy options, too, when feeding 700 kids at once. I have decided to only eat dinner in the dining hall this summer, which is usually the healthiest meal there, and make breakfast and lunch at home. However, I will still put dinners on my meal plan for ideas for you!)

Here's this week. Hope you get some inspiration! Feel free to share this post on Facebook, Pinterest, IG, and Twitter. 

You want WHAT for Mother's Day?!

A friend of mine and incredible writer/blogger wrote this perfect blog post a couple months back that I can totally relate with. I loved it then, but today I found myself thinking of it again as I remember a certain Mother's Day before I was a mom:

It was the year before Harper was born, and one of my friends, a mother of 3 very young children, asked for a night away for Mother's Day. I remember thinking how sad that she would want time away from her kids on Mother's Day. I would want to be with my kids on that special day, lavished with hugs and kisses and homemade cards and breakfast in bed with cuddles from my cuties. Because in my inexperienced mind, that's what Mother's Day looked like. How could anyone want to pass up such a perfect day?

When my first Mother's Day was approaching, I was so excited! I had dreamt about being a mom and finally I was getting to experience this beautiful holiday for the first time. But to be honest, it felt more like Groundhog Day than Mother's Day. It felt just like the day before...because my 4 month old had no idea it was a special day for me, and my husband had recently been in a mountain biking accident and was laid up on the couch with pain medicine, unable to do much of anything. He did his best, having friends make and deliver breakfast and a gift for me. But my baby needed to nurse in the night, and she woke up early, and the dogs needed to be fed, and the dishes had to be done, and my injured husband was in a lot of pain and needed a lot of help throughout the day. 

It wasn't that it was an exceptionally bad day, it's that it was just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. I have no idea now, looking back, why in the world I expected a 4 month old to be any different on that day. And now 5 years later, realizing that only now does Harper really get it and get excited about celebrating mommy!

Since then I have received some really nice gifts from my husband and a few adorable homemade cards on this special day. I've also been nursing or pregnant, changed diapers, cleaned up spills and messes, and gone grocery shopping on this day, too. Because I have 3 kids aged 5 and under.

This year, when Chris asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day, I said sleep. Foster has been a challenge at night, and he is just starting to sleep through the night again. Kinley has been waking up in the middle of the night with a bad dream a couple nights a week. And without fail, if by some miracle all 3 of my kids sleep silently through the night, one of our pets wakes me up. Two nights ago, it was our cat...jumping on my feet and lightly biting my toes, wanting to be let outside to go chase tiny nocturnal animals. 

I knew Chris was planning something, although my expectations were pretty low since he just had surgery two days ago. (THE surgery, so no more red headed babies from us by the way...it's ok, take a minute to mourn before you read on if need be...) He had me pack up the girls and take them to Nana's house for a sleep over, and a sitter was on her way to watch Foster so that we could go out for dinner. After a nice dinner, just the two of us, Chris took me to watch the sunset at the Prescott Resort. It sits on top of a big hill, overlooking the gorgeous Prescott scenery with a beautiful view of the sunset over Thumb Butte. Then he handed me my gift, a room key just for me! He had my clothes packed and a bottle of wine, my favorite snacks, and a box of yummy chocolates waiting for me in my room. He even used money he'd saved to pay for it, so I wouldn't be worried about how much it was costing us.

So here I sit, hypocritically enjoying THE best Mother's Day gift I have ever received: alone time and a night of uninterrupted, blissfully quiet, comfy SLEEP! I'm sitting in this giant, soft hotel bed, after finishing an omelette of my choice delivered straight to my room, drinking coffee and blogging without a single distraction. 

Now I get it! Wanting some time for yourself doesn't make you a bad mom, you want time for yourself because you're such a great mom! Because as moms, we wake up easily, we comfort our crying kids no matter what day it is, we style hair, we clean clothes, we throw parties, we cook and clean and do. We wipe butts, we clean toilets, we collect boogers in tissues, we often eat cold meals, we sometimes entertain little ones even while going to the bathroom. We sacrifice and love and give and serve. Some days are hard and there are plenty of days where I just want to run into my room and lock the door and hide under my pillow. We are far from perfect, but we are also pretty awesome! And that friend of mine I so unfairly judged years ago, let me tell you, she's one of the best moms I know! 

Enjoy today, whether your kids are old enough to pamper you and appreciate you and tell you how much they love you, or if your kids are much older and live far away and you feel a bit lonely today, or if your kids are tiny, incredibly needy, and follow you into the bathroom today. If at all possible, take a minute, or an hour, or whatever you can, for yourself. 

It's check-out time now, which means it's time to see my kids now. And I can't wait to see them, squeeze them, and even feed them! I can't wait to hug my husband and thank him and tell him how refreshed I feel. And I'm excited to see my mom, bring her some lunch, give her the gift my sisters and I got for her, and tell her how grateful I am for all her sacrifice, love, and selflessness. 

To all of my friends and family who have mentored me, influenced me, inspired me, comforted me, or had any part in helping me to be the mother I am today, thank you. Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there. And to those of you who got a little baby poop on your finger today, you know who you are, happy Mother's Day. You're amazing!

Meeting Julie

Imagine standing at the terminal in the airport, waiting to pick up your mom from her flight, but you don't really know what she looks like.

Pandora put out this ad several weeks ago of these kids who are blindfolded, and they have to figure out from a line of moms which one belongs to them. It's a simple task for them, each kid making quick work of finding their beloved mommy. When I think of my own mom, there are so many features that are so recognizable and distinguishable that I have no doubt I could find her in a crowd of women just by touching her face...her short, soft, wavy hair...her perfectly sized nose...her ears, never without a pair of earrings...her small chin.

It was very weird for Chris to stand there, looking through a sea of faces pouring out of the terminal, searching for a face he's only seen in 2 or 3 pictures. It was weirder still to finally see her after realizing he had given her a friendly nod, then looked over her head to keep searching faces.

But there she was, walking straight towards our easily recognizable family of five. Julie was here! And before we knew it she had Chris in her arms.

All he's ever had was the knowledge that his red hair came from his mother, and a name. Julie Batey. We've said that name so many times, wondering if he would ever find her, wondering what would happen if he did.

Well here we are! And she's great! Can you see the resemblance?

She's a kind woman with a thick Tennessee drawl that takes me straight back to the south when she talks. She's an awesome grandmother, loving and spoiling her grand kids back home whenever she can, which she immediately began on our three the moment she laid eyes on them. She's a fighter, having lived through 2 liver transplants and a kidney transplant 14 years ago.

Our weekend with Julie was so special: We took the kids to the splash pad. We ate donuts and ice cream and burgers and fries. She took the girls shopping, letting each of them pick out a new dress. She sat with Chris, looking through his childhood scrapbook his mom made him before she died. She showed him pictures of strangers that are his brother, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and she told lots of stories to make them feel a little more familiar in our minds. We had a picnic in the park and walked down to the lake. She bonded with my mom, and the two nanas were instant friends. We called her 'New Nana' so the girls would know which one we were talking about, and I think the name may have stuck! (No, we will not call my mom 'Old Nana', I know better than that!)

And we learned that she quit smoking for him. This is a big deal...Chris was raised in a family of smokers. He watched his beloved Aunt Pat suffer through lung cancer twice, only to die from it at far too young an age. His mom followed suit, dying from the same cancer 5 years ago. After his sister visited in March, Dayna went home and told Julie that she had to quit smoking for his hatred of it. And she did...just like that. She hasn't picked up another one since!

It's hard to hear a stranger say 'I love you' and just believe it. But giving up such a gripping addiction without a second thought speaks louder than any of the words they've spoken so far.

On the night she arrived, which happened to be Chris' birthday, she told us that every year on that day she would go to the park alone before work and think of him. Can you imagine? Remembering and longing and hoping for him. Having a piece of your heart out there in the world somewhere, not knowing if you'll ever get it back...

Then, 36 years later, she gets to look into his eyes, hug him, and see that he's okay. 

Julie really wanted to get Chris a birthday present. She wanted him to get something really good and fun, for all the birthdays she missed. But he was hesitant, worrying that the family back in Nashville would think he was trying to take advantage. Not the least of them, a brother who didn't even know Chris existed until just 3 months ago. But Julie lovingly insisted, and eventually Chris accepted. On Monday the three of us went shopping for a ukulele on our way to the airport. (This was one of my favorite parts, since those of you who have read for a while know that I think birthdays...especially my kids' birthdays...are the best!) 

The girls had a really hard time the night before she left. After tucking them in, both girls started to cry and ask for New Nana. She came in and hugged them both again, promising them their own days when Nana would call them: Harper on Fridays, Kinley on Tuesdays. This cheered them up and put a huge smile on my face. It's hard having most of your family live so far away. It's a lot harder with kids. Knowing she will call weekly to talk to them makes it all easier. 

It was a great weekend asking questions, telling stories, and making memories. It feels like such a gift...meeting her and Dayna, and finding more family to enjoy.

To all of our family, those we've just found and those who have always been: we love you, we are grateful for you, and our lives are richer because of you.

Today is the Day

Today is the day my husband meets his biological mother.  

Today is the day my kids meet their new Nana. 

Today is the day my best friend was born! 

To Chris:

Happy birthday babe! I'm so excited for today! I love celebrating you and making you feel special, and I love that you get to meet your mom today! I know you have a million things going through your mind today. Your stomach is twisted in a few knots and the anticipation is intense. Although we've talked about this a thousand times since finding her, you're no closer to having the words for all the things you're feeling. But I know you're wondering what she will think of you, us, our kids, our life...

Can I just say how very lucky she is? 

You are strong. 

You are brave. 

You are adventurous. 

You are a leader. 

You are responsible. 

You are generous. 

You are loyal. 

You are influential. 

You are everything a mother could want in a son. 

Your children adore you, and I am so in love with you! We've been to 45 states together, 7 countries together, we've performed on stage together, we've touched lion cubs together, we've bought a house together, we've prayed together, we've done ministry together...

...we've skiied, hiked, swam in 3 oceans, camped, white-water rafted, flown, driven, rode on a train, cruised in a tour bus, gone on safari, slept in a township, stood under the Eifel Tower, been to the top of the Empire State Building, sat in Times Square on New Year's Eve, stood on stage with Jay Leno, got lost in Boston, sipped maple syrup in Vermont, ate waffles in Belgium, and rode 4-wheelers on the dunes in Namibia together...

Plus we've had 3 of the cutest, sweetest, craziest, smartest, most adorable kids on the planet. 

She may not know you yet, but she will be so proud of you. I know this like I know the sun will rise and set. Because you are amazing. You are inspiring. You are committed to God's calling on your life, even when it's hard. You take care of us. You make your daughters feel beautiful and special. You hug your son and tell him you love him. You admire me and value me. 

And I love you. Enjoy today, every bit of it. 

Happy birthday to my favorite person. You're getting old, but I don't mind...ha!

PS...Remember that time we were camping in South Africa and those 2 ostriches walked terrifyingly close to us through our campsite and the warthogs snuck into our food stash and ate our papayas while we went into the game park? Seriously...what a fun life!

It's Time to Meet His Mother

(If you are new to this story of my husband's adoption, you may want to start here, and read here and here)

I've said many times how special birthdays are to me. Before I had children, it was a time to celebrate and make a fuss over the people I love. Then I had Harper, and her birthday was even more than that...it was the day I met her, the day I first laid eyes on her, the day I held her for the first time, the day she took her very first breath.

The three days I met my beautiful children for the first time are etched in my heart forever. 

Ask any mom, and I'm sure she can recount every detail of the days her babies were born. 

But our babies don't remember any of it. They don't remember a moment when they met their mother, their mother has simply always been. 

This Friday, May 1st, is Chris' birthday. And on his birthday, he will meet his mother, again. But this time he will be able to remember every detail, to greet her and search her face for traces of himself. 

When we were trying to decide a time for her to come out and meet all of us, I couldn't think of a better day for it to happen than his birthday. When we first started communicating with J, she shared with me these words: 

I have to admit, when I read that I got teary-eyed. To know that on his birthday, every year, she thought of him with a mother's longing. And then to realize, of course she did. She wasn't able to take care of him then, so she made the only decision she could. But that doesn't mean she forgot him or didn't care. She is a mother, after all. 

I am beyond excited to witness this reunion. Just as children love to hear their mom tell the story of the day they were born, I can't wait to hear their story, a story they both share but only one of them knows how to tell...another puzzle piece that he will be able to fit into his life.

As a mom, I am so happy that J gets to see her boy on his birthday after all these years. 36 years from the day she last saw him. 

I'm not expecting Friday to be magical. If anything, it will probably be a bit awkward and uncomfortable at first. But it will be special.  And it's just the beginning. 

From Sickness to Sunshine: Our last 13 Days

Two weeks ago, Foster woke up from his nap with puke everywhere. As far as common illnesses go with little ones, stomach viruses are the worst in my opinion. Especially when it makes its way through all three kids and manages to knock me down, too. 

Ugh. It was a rough week battling this bug. It wasn't your typical 24 hour virus, it lingered. Chris was working, and I was cleaning up after 3 sick kids while running a fever and not eating much. This led to a few melt downs where, I admit, I had to hide away in my room to shed some tears and pretty much lose my mind out of the sight of my poor, aching little ones. 

I was nursing Foster in the night to both comfort him and keep him hydrated, interrupting some much needed sleep. 

One day I just had to get out of the house. I loaded up the kids in their pjs, puke buckets in hand, and went for a drive. It seemed like a great idea, and for the most part it did a fine job restoring a small ounce of my sanity. Until, that is, I picked a windy road where my 5 year old, one prone to car sickness on a healthy day, had to use her bucket...oops. 

Then Thursday morning came: fevers gone, faces smiling, siblings bickering...ahhhh, back to normal. 

After disinfecting my house, washing every piece of clothing: every sheet and pillow case and stuffed animal, and mopping every moppable surface, we packed up the car and hit the road! 

Chris was already in California for a work conference, so I took the kids to visit our best friends in Orange County. Perhaps driving 7 hours with 3 kids 5 and under after the exhausting week I had was a bit over zealous. But all in all the trip went well, aside from Harper getting the nosebleed from hell while driving down the 10. (That was a 25 minute delay that was not anticipated).

The kids played together, we went to the beach, we had milkshakes on the pier, Foster ate sand, we all ate Chic-fil-a, we went to several McDougall family functions (we claimed them as our California family a long time ago and they accepted us graciously!), and we worked on negotiations for the arranged marriage of our second children. Brennan & Kinley McDougall...it just sounds good, doesn't it?

It was a good little getaway. Chris joined us on Saturday after his conference was over and today he's driving us home. We're all together, we're all healthy, and we're all refreshed from these few days in sunny California. 

Summer is Coming

Everyone counts down the days till summer. Till sunshine, beaches, vacations, family time, relaxation...

It's a little different for us. When you work at a youth camp, you still count down the days for sure, but for different reasons. It's our busy season. Actually, busy doesn't even begin to describe it...with over 7,000 people coming to camp this summer, it's our insane season. 

With it comes a mixture of excitement and stress. Our quiet camp slowly starts to buzz and sizzle with preparations, new staff, and so much anticipation...

...so much opportunity. Lives are truly changed here, and we are so fortunate to be a part of it. Hundreds of kids find Jesus here! And for those of you who don't share our faith, know that thousands of kids are immersed in the beautiful outdoors with no cell phones, video games, iPods, you name it. And they play...they play hard. 

For some of them, camp is a refuge. A week away from the chaos their homes may offer. A safe place to talk to grown ups they trust. 

Camp is awesome! 

Swimming, paintball, kayaking, mountain biking, rock walls and zip lines, basketball, games you've never heard of, obstacle courses, high ropes challenges...wishing you were 12 again?

(And yes, these pictures are from our camp...)

My kids love it. They aren't old enough to be campers yet, and they actually have no idea what paintball even is. But they love riding around on golf carts, playing with our summer staff, going to sessions and dancing to the music, and picking which of their two pools they want to swim in. They love the excitement. 

The only downside is how much we all miss Chris. He works super long days and his schedule is crazy. He works so hard to make the experience our campers have the very best possible. 

We miss him, but we're proud of him, too. With the days counting down, we're making the most of these last few weekends together. We're visiting friends, meeting Chris' mom (more on that soon!), camping, and whatever else we can think of. So for those of you on IG and Facebook, consider yourselves warned...the pics will be flowing!!