The Adventure

The day was planned.  Whatever you want to do, Daddy, was the invitation.  It is Father's Day, so let's do what Daddy wants, right?

A little background information:  My husband and I are perfect for each other.  Perfect opposites in a lot of things.  Adventure seeking, being one of them.  I'm just not...  seeking adventure.  I like safe.  I like home.  I like routine.  Normal.  And if you know D, you know that he LOVES adventure, roller coasters, the unknown, flying by the seat of his pants...  Yep, opposites!

So, I'm called to be HIS helper and to adjust to him, so I pray A LOT!
 
Daniel started planning this canoeing adventure last year.  He bought a canoe.  Oh, I was irritated!  If he buys a canoe, then we might have to go canoeing.  How can I go canoeing?  We don't have enough canoes for everyone.  How can I take a new baby, a little girl and everyone else canoeing?  What if the boat tips?  What if someone needs me and I can't get to them?  Of course, I never expressed these feeling out loud.  That would sound like I was afraid.  I prefer, responsible, cautious, prudent...  These words sound so much holier than FEAR.

So back to plan to honor my dear husband on his day.  He wants adventure.  I WILL smile.  I WILL keep my doubts to myself.  I WILL trust that God is big enough to handle this.  We went to Walmart to pick up a few things and we picked up a couple life jackets for the boys.  Faith doesn't equal foolishness.

The day came.  We were ready!  We were on our way!  It seemed a struggle.  Why would the devil care about a silly day at the lake?  Flat tire on the trailer.  Fix it in Rose City at the hardware. On our way again!  Unload the trailer.  Fishing poles, 2 canoes, 2 kayaks, food...  We are set!

Father's Day Beauty

Canoes in the water.  Kayaks in the water.  Ryan and Rose in the kayaks.  Kathryn, Gabriel and Anya in one canoe.  Daddy, Mama, Elijah, Bella and Lukasz in the other.  How am I going to paddle AND watch that baby like a hawk?  How is Lukasz going to hold Elijah still?  What if he stands up?  Falls out?  Of course, I don't say these things.  That would sound like I was afraid.  I prefer, responsible, cautious, prudent perhaps...  Definitely much holier than...  FEAR.

But my son, the one that is my barometer.  The one that is too immature to mask his true feelings, is wrestling with his baby brother.  "You HAVE to sit, Elijah!  Daddy, he's moving!"  Eli is fussing.  "Let me GO!"  He seems to say.  "I know that I am missing this adventure, sitting still.  I can't see the water.  I can't touch the water.  I want to experience it all, my first time in a canoe."  Of course, I'm in front.  I am trying to see, to help, but I can't without tipping the canoe.  And there is seaweed down there.  I cannot see the bottom.  Tipping the canoe is NOT an option.  So, I sit still.  I adjust my weight.

Daddy steps in, "Lukasz, let him go.  He'll be alright.  He'll be fine."  Really, I think.  Let a baby wander, explore in this little boat.  "Okay... but I don't know..."  Prudent, maybe...  Cautious...  Nah, just fear...

Lukasz still fussing.  Now Eli is rocking the boat.  His excitement.  One side to the other.  On his tippy toes trying to reach that water spraying up.  He's reaching it!  I peak at his sweet face, the joy of water on his hand, in his face.  I wish I could capture his look of sheer exhilaration on this little man's face...

Lukasz still fussing.  "I want to go back.  He's rocking the boat.  I don't like canoeing.  I'm never going again."

Now, I step in.  "Lukasz, what are you afraid of?"  Does he know I'm talking to me?  "Let's say he falls in.  He has a life jacket on.  He'll float.  No fish are going to bite him or eat him.  Daddy will grab him.  He might be more careful next time.
It's O K A Y..."

Calm...  Peace...  I start to notice the trees, the spray of the water on the canoe, the stillness, the BIG large mouth bass we floated over, the tree fallen, the island...

The other side of the lake...  The other children...  They are caught.  The wind pushing them.  Inexperience.  Youth.  They can't stop going in circles.  I'm laughing a little.  Letting go of control.  God's got them.  They have to learn that.  We paddle away.  Hand Ryan a tow rope and say, "Bring em back."  We head to the beach.  Don't look back.

Lukasz about kisses the ground when we are back on land.  The land lubber.  :)  I smile.  Breathe.  Thank you, Lord, for this.

Here they come.  Rose and Kathryn paddling the canoe.  Counting strokes.  Working together.  Slow progress.  Gabriel in the center, giving directions.  Ryan towing Anya, in her glory, my adventure girl!  Thank you, Jesus, for this.

Later in the day, "Hey Anya!  Let's go for a kayak ride, just you and I!  It'll be fun!"  And it was!

In His Grip,
Laura

If you have not read "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann VosKamp, seriously...  The Lord has used this author's journey into thanksgiving to "undo" me.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Our Adventures In Lacto Fermenting EVERYTHING

Beet & Carrot Salad

I'll be the first to admit, that I'm a perfectionist.  Sometimes, I'm even a purist, meaning...  I'm just not going to do it, if I can't do it "right".  My idea of right is my "right".  My right is formed by the books I've read, the people I've talked to and the direction of the Holy Spirit and my husband.  


We have had an abundance of fresh produce this summer and let's be honest.  We can only eat so many fresh tomatoes.  I will deny writing this come mid February.  

In my quest to put up food for the winter AND maintain the healthfulness of fresh food, I've stumbled across lacto fermentation.  It's the exact same principle as making traditional sauerkraut.  Chop up all your veggies, say in corn salsa, put it in a jar, add salt and/or whey and cap it up.  Watch the chemistry.  Within 12 hours, major biological activity.  Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles...  In about 3 - 7 days, it is ready for cold storage. The whole process is amazing to me and very nourishing and fulfilling.

Don't bother looking into FDA or USDA approval.  But then, the more I know about those two governmental agencies, the more I disregard their "wisdom".  For more info on that, read Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey M Smith and Folks, This Ain't Normal by Joel Salatin.  

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'   Ronald Reagan  40th president of US (1911 - 2004)

I look at more traditional wisdom from the "old world" rather than modern day researchers and government reports.  That means we eat real butter, drink raw milk, avoid immunizations and sometimes eat with dirt on our hands.  AND we lacto ferment. 

This year, we've fermented beets, cucumbers, cabbage, tomato sauce, corn salsa and hot peppers.  Today, we'll be doing cortido (Latin American Sauerkraut) aka hot sauerkraut.  Some of them have turned out fabulous.  My boys love the hot peppers.  I put lemon in my beets and they now have an overwhelmingly lemony flavor.  I usually LOVE lemons, but not in that, not so much.  Cucumbers are a delicate fruit.  Too much fermentation and the lactic acid eats up the insides, turning them to mush.  Not so appetizing.  

But, the joy is in the journey, right?  The trials and mistakes teach us and give us wisdom. 

A word about the perfectionist thing...  We're all on this journey together.  We learn from one another and challenge one another.  

Because Jesus is my Lord, I desire my whole life to be a reflection of Him and my body to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12).  Because of that, I am on a journey to improve my health.  I'm on this journey to grow strong, healthy children.  It is important!

10 years ago, I was standing in the kitchen at the doctor's office I worked at eating a row of Oreos.  5 years ago, I was spending $4 a box on Kashi cereal because it was labeled Organic.  2 years ago, we put in a garden.  1 year ago, we starting avoiding all things processed except for Mrs Braggs products.  This year, we started lacto fermenting AND I had a bowl of Breyer's Neopolitan ice cream last night.  It's not about perfectionism.  

Please don't worry if you just ate a Swiss Cake Roll or haven't planted a garden.  Visit our local farmer's market and pick up some locally grown, organic produce.  Stop at that road side stand.  Spend a little more on food and less on entertainment.  Just be on the journey of seeking and following Christ and allow Him to lead you.  It's an amazing ride!

In His Grip,
Daniel and Laura

In The Waiting...

Joyful Mama!

Expectant big sister!

It seems like only yesterday, but alas...  Elijah is a month old already.  It seems like just yesterday, we were busying ourselves with gardens & chickens, trying to keep our mind (well, my mind anyways) on the simple realization that at any moment I was going to go into labor.  We experienced an amazing pregnancy.  I had back pain for a total of 3 days my whole pregnancy.  Blue Bonnett Liquid Cal Mag solved the leg cramping, screaming, jumping out of bed in the middle of the night problem.  I kept active and limber by weeding and planting our garden.  (The kids helped a ton!!!)  At my doctor's appointment when I was 39 weeks pregnant and it was 95 degrees out, I was as happy as a clam and all smiles.  I LOVE being pregnant!  And I LOVED this pregnancy.  On my due date, I was sure I was going to the hospital.  Instead, our well pump quit working.  "Well, I can't go into labor if I can't take a shower," I told myself indignantly.  Night would come and I prayed that I'd wait til morning.  "I'm just too tired!", I'd tell my Lord.  Days crept on.  The heat wave crept on.  I thanked the Lord for our air conditioner and for my hard working husband who set up a watering system so that our garden wouldn't die for lack of rain.  Friends called or emailed.  I started telling people immediately when I called them, that no, I was not in labor and yes, I was fine.  But I was growing restless.  I was enjoying getting the last minute things done, but I was ready to hold my baby in my arms.  D and I got so restless, that we finally prayed and said, "Yes, Lord, we can go into labor in the middle of the night."  Isn't it funny how in our prayers, we can say Lord, right before we direct GOD how to handle our situation.  Kind of an oxymoron. 

Daddy & his boy...  Kind of look alike, aye?

The day finally came when I awoke and I hoped that the contractions were real.  We went to our scheduled appointment.  Yup, we're on our way to the hospital.  This is my 8th baby.  We're in a hurry to get to the hospital these days.  God has His own way of doing things.  We didn't need to be in a hurry to get to the hospital.  I felt like a watched pot.  The nurse was a sweet heart.  We were all just expecting a little quicker labor.  But, God has His own way of doing things and this time around, He wanted me to relax and wait on Him.  I wish I could have seen the lesson while I was in the middle of it, but life is rarely that way.  Hind sight is 20/20 most times.  By the time labor was intense, I was just tired and hungry.  (no food during labor...  stupidest hospital policy EVER)  I'd been in the hospital for 10 hours and I wanted to be done.  I gave up.  I looked at my dear husband and cried.  "I am tired.  I am starving.  I can't do this.  I want drugs!"  Now, in the midst of the pain and exhaustion, I looked to my husband to sympathize and take it away.  Instead, he responded quite differently.  He reminded me how close we were to holding our baby.  He asked me to wait 8 minutes before getting drugs.  He recognized the signs of transition.  He took action and notified the nurse who called the doctor.  AND a short time later, at 11:37 p.m. on July 3rd, I was holding our newest blessing, Elijah John Czeslaw. 

Elijah at the beach!

When my strength had run out, when my eyes were fixed on my pain, when I could not think clearly, my husband came to my rescue.  He gave me his courage.  He gave me his strength.  He pointed me to the blessing that God had for us at the end of the road.  He was and is my hero.

Looking back, I am amazed at God's great mercy and grace on me.  God kept me strong during my pregnancy.  He protected this baby and knit him together, one cell at a time.  He allowed me to see and learn through this pregnancy and labor His great love for me and also that He really does know best, that He's got it all under control.  I can tell Him what I want, but I really can trust His will for me.  He just loves me that much. 

My new favorite verse is

Mark 5:36  Be not afraid.  Only Believe. 

Jesus said this right before he raise Jairus' daughter from the dead. 
How much of our lives can we apply that scripture to???
Every day.  All day.  In every situation.

Be blessed!
Daniel & Laura

I'm in LOVE!

Smoothies, Kefir & Loads of Energy

In recent years, I have been a huge advocate of eating a big breakfast.  Somewhere I read how important it was.  A diagnoses of hypoglycemia, ions ago, added to my need to have protein often.  I would insist my dear hubby eat his 3 eggs & big bowl of oatmeal before he went to work.  Or I'd take it personally and worry about him when he didn't.   I insisted and then drank my cups of coffee and tried to produce the energy it took to motivate my 6 children to get going in their day.  It was not working! 
The past month or so, I heard that a light breakfast may be better, that our bodies do not digest protein well early in the day.  Now, admittedly, I didn't check into this.  I just wanted to experiment.  Would a smoothie for breakfast be better for us?  Would we have more energy, feel better, make mornings a little easier?  With the blessing from Daniel, we started our smoothie adventure.  We started out with yogurt, juice, fruit...  You know, the typical "smoothie recipe" sweetness.  Although delicious, very expensive for our family of 9.  Today, our smoothie consisted of homemade kefir, kombucha, carrots, bananas, frozen berries, fresh rhubarb, 1/2 lemon (peel & all), fennel seed, flax seed, chia seed and our homemade green smoothie mix consisting of things like alfalfa, oat straw, dandelion root, cayenne pepper, etc.  Although not in any recipe book, it was fabulous.  We've thrown in beets, celery, cabbage, apples, pear sauce...  Just about everything we could think of.

The results have been astounding!  I am 32 weeks pregnant and most days do not feel the need to take a nap.  If I go to bed at a decent hour, I am up by 6:30 am without a problem.  The kids seem to have a lot more energy, but not the nervous, distracted kind, just good, productive energy.  Daniel & Ryan take an extra one for their afternoon snack while at work.  Every one has good, healthy bowels, making for a healthier family.  I am amazed!  I am elated!  I am so thankful to the Lord for answering our prayers and changing the way we eat a little bit at a time!  He's always teaching and showing us the way, if I'll stay alert and pay attention.

A little warning:  A smoothie like the one we had this morning could keep you in the bathroom 1/2 the day if you were not used to eating this way to begin with.  The kefir, kombucha, lemon & "greens" are all detoxifiers in one form or another and a little can go a long way.  For me, I watch how I feel and I make sure I drink lots of herbal tea and water to make sure I'm flushin' the junk out.  If I were to feel nauseated or really run down, I would back off on how big a glass of smoothie I drank.

Kefir Grains

A note about homemade kefir:  There is nothing easier!  Fill a quart size canning jar with milk.  Put in about 1 T kefir grains.  Cover with some sort of breathable material.  I use coffee filters.  Attach with rubber band.  Let it sit out on your counter for 12 - 24 hours, shaking occasionally.  Pour the finished kefir into a bowl and "fish" out the grains with your clean hands.  Put them in another jar and start all over again.  I will never make yogurt again!  It is amazing stuff, full of good bacteria to heal & strengthen your immune system.  http://www.kefir.net/  and Dom's About Kefir both have a lot of good information about it.  I must state that the kefir that we would pay $4 for a small jug in the store tastes much better, but is full of garbage and NOT the same.  That's why we put it in our smoothies.  Although, several of our children and dear hubby love it plain.  Maybe when I'm not pregnant. 

Note about green smoothie mix and herbs:  I absolutely love  for all their information on herbs, their uses, cautions, remedies for every day maladies & very high quality herbs, teas & great books, too!

We still have our eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, omelets, and other yummy breakfast foods.  We just have them for at lunch or dinner time, which makes for happy campers around here.  They love their pancakes and eggs.  Gabriel would eat a whole pan of oatmeal if I let him!

Maybe next time, I'll write about all our latest gardening activities and small farming adventures.  6 days and counting until we pick up our baby chicks, all 277 of them.  Praise the Lord!

In The Name of Jesus, the Author & Finisher of our Faith,
Daniel & Laura

Get Dirty!

I've been watching my kids play in their sandbox. It is their favorite place to play these days. It used to be just an ordinary play area until Mom added WATER. Last year, I would not allow them to put too much water in there. "Too dirty!", I would shout. This year,I say "We'll just take a bath before lunch time." Now, they have full access to their own hose. They've made rivers, lakes, mountains, caves & canyons. They've gotten their boats to float down stream. And they've gotten DIRTY!!!

When we garden, we do not wear gloves. It is very calming to go into the garden & just start pulling weeds. It is monotonous. It takes no thought. There is instant progress. And I'm getting DIRTY!

That dirt, if it has not been "fertilized" with chemicals, is full of billions of bacteria, GOOD bacteria. That good bacteria is so important for our health, for our immune systems. There are numerous articles on the link between colon health and overall health. Here are two that I have found to be very helpful to us. The Case For Healthy Bowels & Bacteria, The Soil, The Gut & Detoxification. (Do not substitute this for medical advice from a professional. I am just a mom with a few opinions & real life experience)

There are a few things that we, as a family, avoid like the plague. "City water" is treated with chlorine. Chlorine kills bacteria. All bacteria. The good, the bad, the ugly. Antibiotics kill bacteria. Not all bacteria, but they cannot tell the difference between good & bad. Ever eaten TONS of yogurt while you on are an antibiotic to try to prevent a yeast infection? Yeast infections are caused by too much yeast, not enough good bacteria to "eat" the yeast. Antibacterial soaps & hand sanitizer not only kill the surface bacteria but also enter the body & kill the good bacteria. All these things, when used on a regular basis are actually doing MUCH more harm than good.

I implore you to do some research & see if what I say is true.

So, the next time your kiddos want to run in the mud. Let them. Get in there with them. GET DIRTY, Mom! Make a mud hole for them to create in. Build a garden. Who cares about having to give them another bath? The joy on their faces is SO worth it!

Why Am I A Health Nut?

There was a time...
When Kraft Mac & Cheese & hot dogs was my favorite dinner...
When Lucky Charms & Honey Nut Cheerios graced my cupboard...
When I could be caught eating a whole row of Oreos (man, were they good!)

Then, one day, a seed was planted by a Dr that I worked with. He was a health nut! He saw me eating those fabulous oreos and commented on how gross they were. I looked at him in horror! "Gross! These things are AWESOME!!!" Then he informed me that they were loaded with Trans Fats. Deer in head lights look... What are trans fats? These nasty man made things that your body can't get rid of. Huh! I had NO clue! And I continued to eat my oreos...

That seed that Dr P planted started to grow. I became a little more interested in eating better. A little less likely to feed my kids white bread with Jif peanut butter...

Then Lukasz was born. When he was 18 months old, we figured out that his nightly screaming sessions and "loose" stools were because he was lactose intolerant, not something he would grow out of. So, we switched his milk. Then he got eczema. We love our pediatrician, but his solution was put this steriod cream on him a couple times a day, bathe him less, etc... But, WHY does he have eczema?

Our journey continued from there, researching common causes of eczema... wheat sensitivities... eliminate wheat... Okay, "everything" that we ate had wheat in it... no cereal & no bread... We slowly eliminated those things. Lukasz's eczema disappeared!

Then, Daniel was allergy tested. There goes the soy. Soy byproducts are in many processed foods... tuna, bread, crackers... More label checking... bye, bye soy...

During my research, I came across many articles warning against corn syrup. I approached Daniel about eliminating corn syrup as well. After a while, he agreed to throw out the corn syrup. Corn syrup is in EVERYTHING!!! Unless you do not eat processed foods.

A few months ago, No Greater Joy ran an article about GM foods. It opened my eyes to even more truth concerning the food we eat. I ordered the book, Seeds of Deception, and was absolutely floored by the deceit and corruption of the FDA.
Now, we are working diligently to eat all organic and grow our own food from heirloom seeds. I'll post some pictures of our garden soon.

We are seeing a little more of the picture every day. Again, the question is, why am I a health nut? Soy is a GM food. Most corn products are GM foods. In a recent study, one group of hamsters were given GM soy, the other non- GM soy. In the 3rd generation, the hamster family that was fed GM soy was completely infertile! Why does this matter?

My daily prayer, my purpose in life is to train my children to be warriors for Christ, to be God's army, so that they can train their children to be warriors for Christ, so that they can train their chil..................
Oh wait... there may not be a 3rd generation in the Zarzycki family army if we don't make changes and teach our children why these changes are NECESSARY for the cause of Christ.

I'm not a health nut. I'm a warrior for Christ who does not want ANYTHING to stop her family from giving God all the glory and honor that is due HIM!

Now, I'll go back to the beginning. We're a real family. We have ice cream every once in awhile. We were at a birthday party today. We had cake & ice cream. But, as a rule, we do not eat processed food & avoid those things we know are harmful to us and our family.

We have made these changes in our eating lifestyle over the course of 9 years. In the last 3 years, we have made a more diligent, consistent effort to change.

In His Grip,
Laura

I HIGHLY recommend www.mercola.com for information on a healthy lifestyle.
The book Nourishing Traditions has been a huge help to me in determining what is healthy and what isn't to eat. It is more like an encyclopedia than a cook book!