ADHD & Autism Cookbook

Heard great things about this cookbook and thought I should post this, because there are unfortunately so many children that are diagnosed with ADHD and Autism today... and many that are allergic to gluten and casein (milk products).

"You're child does not have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)...

he has NDD (Nutrition Deficit Disorder)."

-Dr. Sears

Not a Village..

"It takes a FAMILY to raise a child.... NOT a village."

-Annonymous

The Invisible Reality

"We must LIVE and MOVE in the INVISIBLE REALITY of God"

..is what Patricia Cranford said at our CBS (Community Bible Study) meeting yesterday.

I love this because it takes me out of myself, my own understanding and my own knowledge..and fixes my eyes and my mind on God's reality..not mine.

It is SO possible for us to live in His reality daily.. as long as we bring Jesus with us wherever we go... and we are communicating with God through prayer throughout the day.

His reality is so much better than our reality.

I desire to HEAR HIM when I need direction and encouragement.. to SEE HIM orchestrating my day and my life... and ALLOW HIM to mold me and change me into the person He wants me to be on a daily and moment-by-moment basis.

A Twenty Year Process

Lately, I have been very discouraged with my parenting/discipline skills.. and wishing that my kids would just be robots and listen to AND obey everything I say... We all know THAT is not realistic.. This excerpt from Dr. James Dobson's book "The New Strong-Willed Child" gave me perspective, encouragement and hope...

"The purpose of parental discipline is not to produce obedient little robots who can sit with their hands folded in the parlor thinking patriotic and noble thoughts! Even if we could pull that off, it wouldn't be wise to try.

The objective, as I see it, is to take the raw material our babies arrive with on this earth and gradually mold it, shaping them into mature, responsible, God-fearing adults. It is a twenty -year process that involves progress, setbacks, successes, and failures. When the child turns thirteen, you'll swear for a time that he's missed everything you thought you had taught- manners, kindness, grace, and style. But then maturity begins to take over, and the little green shoots from former plantings start to emerge. It is one of the richest experiences in life to watch that blossoming at the latter end of childhood."

Peanut Butter Substitute

My children used to LOVE peanut butter, until they became allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts! They so missed their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches & apples dipped in peanut butter. Just recently, however, I discovered sunflower seed butter at Trader Joe's. It looks like peanut butter and tastes very similar to peanut butter, especially if you add a little honey. The health benefits are great too. Sunflower seed are high in fiber, protein, B vitamins, zinc, and vitamin E to name a few.

Bon Appetit!

Freedom from Disapproval

Women are faced with so much pressure to be perfect: the perfect girl, the perfect friend, the perfect wife, the perfect mom, which is so unrealistic. However, a lot of women feel like failures because they are not perfect in every area of their lives. Joyce Meyer speaks about the main thing to focus on is God's love and loyalty. Here is an excerpt from her book, Power Thoughts.

Do you have an out-of-balance need for approval? Is there anyone you are allowing to control you due to fear?

I actually believe it is possible to be so afraid people will disapprove of us--what we say, what we do, what we think, how we look, what we value, or the choices we make--that we become addicted to approval. "Approval addiction" happens when people need the approval of others so much that they are miserable anytime they feel they don't have it. They even make certain decisions to gain approval rather than to follow their hearts, or to obey what they believe to be God's will for their lives.

The truth we must believe to overcome fear is that God is with us. We can easily feel afraid if we think about the future and all the things that are unknown to us. We can look at it two ways. We can either be negative and fearful, or we can be excited about being part of God's mystery, knowing He knows exactly what's going to happen and is right there with us, helping us and directing us.

We may not know what to do in a tense situation, but God does...and He has already planned our deliverance, so all we need to do is keep going forward.

"For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!

Romans 8:15

A Gentle Answer..

(From "Proverbs for Parenting" by Charisse Williams)

Proverb 15:1 ~ "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger."

Thought:
"It is so important to remember that it is not only what I say to my children, but how I say it. When my words are gentle yet firm, they can respond out of a desire to please. When they are harsh, their response is all confused with self preservation, blame, hurt and a desire to either withdraw from me or lash out at me. They can hear and receive my correction better when it is gentle but firm."

Challenge:
"Think before I speak every time I have something to correct, so that I may not have harsh words fly out and can replace them with a loving, gentle yet firm correction."

Prayer:
"Lord, this is the way You correct me, please help me to be characterized by gentleness, not harshness, as I grow up in You. Lord, protect my children from developing a reservoir of wrath and anger because of my harsh words."

Loving Thy Neighbor

On Sunday, I was made aware of a special organization called Nightlight. They focus on the issues of human trafficking and exploitation in Bangkok, Thailand. Nightlight gives women hope by providing a healthier alternative to making money, designing and creating jewelry. "NightLight employees are given the opportunity to receive scholarships for continuing education. Their children are born into a safe haven where the risk of exploitation and abuse is greatly reduced."

This was an encouragement to me because this organization is an example of God's love in action.
If you'd like to support or learn more about this organization, read more on their website, Nightlight.

Complete..

Below is an excerpt from "The One Year Women of the Bible" by Dianne Neal Mathews:

God designed women to bring a special kind of beauty to the world. We are created in God's image, and we testify to his glory in a unique way as we embrace feminine traits of nurturing, sensitivity, compassion, and creativity. We are also fashioned to have a close relationship with our Creator. Until we know him personally, we are missing the vital piece that completes us, no matter how full our lives may seem. Even if we look as beautiful as a Monet painting, without a relationship with our Creator we have an empty space near the center of our being, right where our heart is.

"You will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Ephesians 3:19

I pray this prayer over you (and me) this year... that we will be made COMPLETE by the fullness of life that our loving and faithful Lord pours down on us daily.