Random Thoughts Thursday

Well, amoxicillin, benadryl and prednisone, those are the drugs of choice needed these days. It all started with my second in command coming down with strep. We took her in, got her tested and medicated, only to then have to take four more in for testing and drugging.  That left two of us. About 5 days later, my baby came down with strep. We took her in and got her drugs. A day later, my son wakes up absolutely COVERED and swollen with hives.  I didn't know for sure what it was at first.  Many things were running through my head-hives? Scarlatina? Measles? Chicken Pox?  It was discouraging to say the least after a week of doctors, colds, coughs, pharmacists and sickness.  I took him BACK in to the doctor to find out he had an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin and got yet another prescription for prednisone and orders to give him benadryl along with it... nice. Now today, my oldest daughter is also showing signs of hives so, ceasing antibiotics and switching to benadryl is now in order.  This scenario totally reminds me of those commercials. You know, the ones that quickly state the miraculous nature of their drug and it's super-natural power to completely eradicate  your problems... only to then take the remaining 3/4 of the commercial to "quickly" and "discreetly" name off all of the side effects of taking their pill.  Yeah, not so sure death is better than having to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes... hmmmm...
Doesn't this picture just make you hurt for him?

Thankfully, today he is about 75% back to normal. Thank you, Lord!

Does anyone else have bad hair days bad enough to make you grab the shears and chop away at those stubborn waves?  Well, I sure do.  I had one of those days last Sunday. I flopped, curled, flattened, poofed, gooed and fluffled my hair... to no avail.  SO! I got out the scissors and chopped those unruly pests away.
This is the outcome.

So to have or not to have bangs-this is the question.
Any thoughts?

(My sweet cousin a.k.a. my hairdresser is going to scold me. I know it.)

picture from here

Kids love making decisions for themselves and hands on snacks.  I thought I would share some of our recent yummies!
One of our fave snacks to dress up is yogurt.  You can blend it into a shake with blueberries and strawberries or you can scoop some into a bowl and add crumbled up graham crackers for a treat that resembles cheesecake!  Greek yogurt is the best because of it's richness, but it does have more calories than regular.  Often times, I buy plain yogurt so I can add the sweetener myself!  All you need is a little honey or agave syrup, vanilla and cinnamon and you have yourself some semi-homemade scrumptious yogurt!
You can add berries, maple syrup, graham crackers, cookies, sprinkles, cereal, oats or toasted nuts to yogurt and your kids will never get tired of creating their very own snack.
Another favorite of ours is freezing chocolate milk to make some mean homemade chocolate bars!  The kids devour them!
 Another diverse snack are plain ol' brown rice cakes.  They are a bit plain on their own, but present your kids with a few bowls of toppings and spreads and they will think it is the best, most fun snack ever.  We love hummus, peanut butter, lunch meat and mustard, homemade sour cream chocolate frosting, nutella or melted cheese. Yum!
So make snack time simple, yet diverse, healthy, yet satisfying, quick yet loads fun and you will have happy, healthy children because of it.
I am beginning to feel the excitement of adventure welling up inside of me. New York!!!!  That is where my mom, sister and I will be headed come March 21st... there are still so many things I need to get planned, made and settled before we go... Hmmm, I will be working the two days before we go and the day after I get back...AGH!  Better stock the vitamins... Spending time with my mom(who is celebrating her 50th birthday!) and sister(who is 5 months pregnant!) will be so refreshing and some of the places, people and cultures we are going to encounter will make the struggle of leaving completely worth it.
My husband and I tried out Google video chat last night for the first time! Awesome!  Now I just need to get my sister-in-law Janna, my aunt Sheri and family and my husband's sister's and well, ALL distant family on it as well so we can catch up "in person".  My kids would absolutely LOVE to get to talk to their cousins online. I don't know why it has taken us this long to get into online video chatting... five kids would probably have something to do with that, though. The coolness, in style factor and having to keep up with the latest trends kind of gets put on hold when you have kids one right after another... so we're stuck in the 90's. Haha.
A lot of people might wonder why everything I do or say is laced with Jesus or my faith in God. (I sense eyerolls like Frodo's sword senses Orcs) I know that some see that as small minded or naive. Child-like faith- is it really so bad?  If we don't have some higher reason for living... why live at all?  If there is no eternity, why do anything remotely good for others, follow rules or love anyone or anything at all?  If God is not loving infinite Creator, and this life here on earth is all of the time I have to enjoy and experience, well first of all I'd be utterly depressed. Then I would decide to live what life I have solely for me and my purposes, not having a care in the world, subject to no one. I see SO many living that way, only to meet an abrupt end in life.

"The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.  “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?  “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die. “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?  If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die.  But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life.  Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.  Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?  “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.  Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?  For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Ezekiel 18:20-32

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:6-9

Is it hopelessness, selfishness or rebellion that keeps us from pursuing and seeking out God? Or is it that most just haven't heard or seen the truth?  More than not we are all constantly being fed lies and pummeled with worldly "wisdom" and believing them, not even trying to search out the truth!
God is just. He is loving. He is real... I would hope that everyone comes to realize this before they walk through death's door. 
Instead, I hear theories like, "We are all gods. We have evolved slowly over billions of years. God is more of a feeling than a person... yadda yadda yadda. The diverse amazing earth and my infinitesimally complicated body's makeup that cannot be 100% explained by scientists just... came to be here one day? " Let's face it, it all sounds a bit like a farce. Let's lay down our pride people and our desire to understand and know all and accept that we are all a product of Intelligent Design. Because if Christians are wrong, yes all of our hopes and dreams and the reason we lived will be crushed once on the other side... but we will still end up in the same place as everyone else. If the rest world is wrong in believing they have no one with whom to give account to... they will be sentenced to Hell for eternity after standing before the Maker they rejected. What do you have to lose?