Bread, Carbs, Cookies and all things Filling

Another top favorite food of choice, which is on the BAN list-- BREAD!  Seriously, I thought, do these people not know scripture? I know man cannot live on bread alone, but Jesus is the bread of life, communion, manna in the OT, I thought-- they don't get it! Eating bread is SCRIPTURAL!  Okay, Okay, so there is also a lot of the NT also warns against the yeast of the pharisees etc, and the whole practice of the Passover in the OT involved eating unleavened bread... so I guess I can't scripturalize my diet ban away. 

Again, as you might imagine, it's a tough one for me.  I was made fun of by my best friend for sometimes snacking on a hot dog bun. Strange, I know... but it was the only white bread my family kept in the house.

In these stipulations one major thing to avoid is YEAST- what seems to be infiltrating my body and kicking my digestive system in the face.  So, I've come up with occasionally making whole wheat flat bread.  Whole wheat they say is much better than white flour, because it's more complex and doesn't break down as quickly into sugar--- which is what the yeasties delight in.

I'm learning a lot about food in the process, and am just flabbergasted at all things which contain yeast & white flour.  Bye bye pasta dishes, sayonara pastries, cereals, buns, and sigh.... cookies. 

I really do love bread!! My first job was at a bakery.  Good thing I don't have that job any more, those broken cookies and the smell of fresh baked bread would send me into a temptation of a carb eating frenzy.

Do I do this perfectly?  Man, sometimes I try really hard, but in a season of hot dogs & burgers eating the meat plain it sure has been hard to say no to those buns.  I try to give in only on occasion and feel much less guilty when I can have a whole wheat bun.  Whole wheat pasta is available at stores, but the guilty pleasure of spirals of fury our version of Mac&Cheese hasn't been kicked to the curb quite yet.

MiiiiiiiiiiiiiiILK

My mom grew up on a dairy farm and my father was also raised on a quaint little farm in central IL.  This means I have milk in my bones.  Wait, I have calcium in my bones, but I think its entirely from all the milk I drank.

And I drank a lot of milk.
Breakfast. check
Lunch. check
Dinner. check  
Late Night Snack (Ice cream!!) double check

My family didn't just 'pick up a gallon' at the store. We picked up 3 or 4.  I have gotten my husband in the lovely habit of the need for milk as well.  However, we graduated up a class from 2 % drinkers to WHOLE.  It's so good you never want to go back.

However, dietary guidelines for my health concern suggest no dairy products. REALLY? no dairy? Between my normal breakfast cereal (also outlawed) with milk, chocolate mixed drinks, cottage cheese, yogurts, etc... this is going to be a hard one to kick.  I don't mind Soy or Almond, but man, the stuff from the udder sure is better!

In fact, I don't think I'm giving this one up!  I'll minimize my milk, and maybe go organic to get rid of lots of those pesky antibiotics, but NO MILK? Come on!

Fruit Please :(

So I've had some health problems and the 'diet' prescribed is a little insane.  Perhaps they're right that these foods are causing my craziness because the ones they list are pretty much EVERYTHING I LOVE TO EAT.

So, rather than eating these tasty edibles, I'm just going to have a lovely little 'ode' to them.  That way I can partake in their juicy delights without putting them on my taste buds and swallowing a load of guilt.

Today the first 'ode' is to Fruit!

FRUIT---all that is good and right in the world
tempter of woman from the beginning of time
seeded and filled with sugar you delight the mouth
refreshing thirst on a cool day
munching, crunching, colorful bunching
you bring a delight to the eye with your rainbow of colors
strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and apple
you'll forever remain my friends though estranged
no bananas for breakfast
I must end this madness
but I must say goodbye for today, for today,
yes I must say goodbye for today


(except that I am still thinking I'm going to eat a banana, I figure I'll wean myself off slowly?)

Winnie-the-Pooh- wooh!

In case you haven't noticed it appears my blog is commonly a critique on children's books.  I suppose it can't be helped considering I am a nanny who lives without tv and is in the country, and limited in any traveling. It's true. I <3 books!

As any mom/ dad or day care provider quickly learns, there are good children's books and there are bad children's books.  Not bad, R-rated, books like the recent hit (go the *bleep* asleep book), but the poorly written/illustrated/how did this get published books that leave you falling asleep or wishing you had!

However, Winnie-the-Pooh is not one of those books.  Master D and I have been chewing on these pages for quite some time.  Earlier in the year we dined on the classic beginning "Winnie-the-Pooh" with its complete tales and poems and are now onto "The House At Pooh Corner".  Next in line are "When We Were Very Young" and "Now We Are Six" A.A. Miline's compilation of poems, which we may/may not get to, considering I have a mere two months left of this nanny gig.  As you probably know Winnie-the-Pooh is full of delightful characters, oddities, and diddies that are sure to delight both child and parent.  If you don't have time for reading this one, apparently the spoken book on tape, cd, mp3, whatsnext file is a joy to listen to says my sister & brother-in-law (proud parents of 3 children 5 & under). 

And if you haven't the time to read them all before the release of the upcoming movie this Friday, don't worry, as I always say, "watch the movie first and then read the book!"  Because who ever says, "the movie was better?!" No one! So that way you enjoy the movie for what it's worth and then dive into the deliciously written detailed book and you can't complain about either!

In the words of A.A. Miline himself, in the voice of Pooh,


... 3 Cheers for Pooh! (For who?), For Pooh- 3 Cheers for Bear! (For where?) For Bear-- 3 Chears for the wonderful Winnie-the-Pooh! (Just tell me, Somebody-- WHAT DID HE DO?)

Milestones

In my OT readings I just finished up Deuteronomy and am now onto the conquests of Joshua. Moses, their fearless and wise leader has just died and Joshua is now in command.  After 40 years of rebellion & walking in the wilderness, with manna as their main dish with a large side of grumbling and complaining, its finally time for the people to take the land God promised them.  On the way over the Jordan (crossing over dry ground as God parts the waters for His people yet again) 12 leaders, one from each tribe, are told to pick up a stone. This is in obedience from the command the Lord told Moses (Deut 27) and the He kindly gave instructions and reminded them again when it was time (Joshua 4).

Now it says they carried them over their shoulder, so I am thinking it's probably something a little bigger than whats currently in your driveway.  They are then to place it in a pile  in the promise land.  Pile em up, so that when their kids say, "Um, mom, dad, why is there a mound of rocks there? and can I climb them?" They can say, "Well, boys & girls, your grandma & grandpa were disobedient to God and didn't believe He could do what He said, so they had to walk around for 40 years in a wasteland. After all of that generation died, God allowed us, their children to inherit the promise land.  So don't forget God's commands, His power, and that He will do what He promises!  He is in control of everything, even that river, so that when we came into the land we walked through it with the Ark of the Covenant (God's presence) on dry ground! ...And no, you can't climb the hill of stones."


Some of you might have sang the old hymn "Come Thou Fount", I'm pretty sure we sang it at my wedding.  Anyway, one verse has a strange phrase, which I have grown to love, "Here I raise my Ebenezer", which is a Hebrew word for "Stone of Help".  Samuel knew his history and knew the importance of remembering what God had done.  He dubbed the stone "Ebenezer" after capturing back the ark of the covenant from the Philistines.  This takes place just 4 miles south of the same place they originally celebrated God's provision.  Ebenezer is a word now used to describe something that reminds of God's love, presence & help.

I just celebrated my first milestone of 1 year of marriage!  I too can look back at God's faithfulness, my grumbling, and say God is faithful! :)  I am trusting in His promises that His grace and power are enough for the road ahead and man am I grateful for my husband who is an Ebenezer to me as well.  Thanks for sharing this journey with me sweetheart!

I hope your in the mood for a little African safari. 

Some Ants Toot- and thanks to my Editor

Wow. How have I gone over a year without watching the promise-to-make-you-giggle-age-old-tried-and-true-tested-strong-bad-emails?!
I know, I know, the 'immature', 'pointless', and 'dated graphics', with sometimes 'rude' behaviors may not bring a smile to everyone's face. But, wow.  This episode really makes my day.

"Some ants toot. Tee Hee."  It's really pretty priceless.  My husband pretty much serves as my white-out-editor like SB.  I really shouldn't write anything without his skills or my sentences/ paragraphs turn 'pauline' and go on, and on, and on.  Luckily, my hubby also has the ability to make sense of my nonsense in other ways too, like recognizing my many mispellings misspellings.  Thanks toots!

Speaking of Ants... they are crawling everywhere in this country home.  While writing this I've seen at least 3 crawl across the desk... either that, or one little guy is doing laps. Nope, there is more than one, I just spotted two at once.

What's your favorite SB email?

Treasure Island

Last month we finished up our second fiction book Treasure Island.  It went much faster than Robin Hood!  In all it was fairly enjoyable.  I suppose what impresses me more is the influence the book had on starting pirate trends-- such as the one-eyed pirate, the one-legged pirate, the parrot on the shoulder, and even the character of Long John Silver.

Cook & Pirate

Turned Chain-Food Store

Before reading the book, I had no idea that Long John Silver character was a 'bad guy'.  For some reason the fact that he was a pirate never clued me in to the murky moral substance of the man. It's interesting how we've turned something so clearly abhorrent (stealing, looting, deception, drunkenness, etc.) into a cute children's dress up play game. 

And of course, while I laughingly sang the "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" song with the rest of Veggie Tales fans, I wasn't (and am still not) concerned that the silliness of the song was sanctioning piracy.  Interestingly, the song turned to children's movie... but I haven't seen it, so will leave the critique for the movie critics!

I suppose the concept of pirates is one of a longing for adventure and treasure on the great open seas.  Something most of us know very little to nothing about and so it's appealing.  What I do appreciate about the real book Treasure Island is that it does not celebrate this occupation.  Long John is certainly no hero, but really a man to be pitied.  While his personality was likable, it was clear that his moral character was despicable, and that two-facedness about him made him even more so.

This is a good 'coming of age' book which could offer quite a bit of dialogue about loyalty, obedience, and courage.  It is most likely suited for the 8-13 year old who is beginning to understand the complexities of life.

Interestingly, the next book Master D and I picked up to read through during his 'play times' is The Magicians Nephew, the first of C.S. Lewis Chronicles Series mentions Treasure Island within its first few pages.  The Magician's Nephew, which was written last, is actually the prequel to The Lion & the Witch & The Wardrobe.  I am excited to savor Lewis's children's novels as I did not read them as a child.  Although, I have said he is my favorite author, I have mainly read his non fiction work.

What is your favorite Lewis book?