Depression

There seem to be as many types of depression as there are causes for it.   After noticing that certain factors brought on depression in me, I was determined to find out what I could do about it.


I had an episode a couple weeks ago that lasted the whole day.  I was crying for no reason and very irritable.  I felt like there was a constant dark cloud over me, just like those depression commercials.  I could feel the tension in my body and spirit.  I was constantly praying the whole day.  I just wanted it to go away.


I talked to one of the pastor's wives on the phone about it.  She said that it's normal, and that a lot of people get depressed.  She also said not to fight it, but just let it run its course.  I thought that was interesting.  I was trying to fight it.  I didn't want to feel that way.  But that was just it.  It was a feeling, and it didn't seem like I could change the way I felt.  I felt hopeless, even though I knew I had hope.


I knew God's truth and held on to His promises.  I didn't have any unconfessed sin in my life.  There was no tragedy or problem in my life that would have caused me to feel so distraught. And yet, I felt distraught.


And so, my research began.  


I've been pregnant four times, get my period and ovulate on a regular basis and I'm presently nursing.  So I know my hormones can get out of wack. That's a factor.  


I also noticed that when the sun hadn't been out for a long period, I felt really gloomy.  That's another factor.


I can't account for all the other times I've felt depressed as it doesn't happen very often,maybe once every 3 months.  But as far as this last episode is concerned, it seemed to be a combination of the sun not being out for about four days, and good old PMS.



So I think I have what is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, complete with its appropriate acronym - SAD. :)  When the sun is not out for a number of days, and the hormones line themselves up just right, I get SAD.


There were three supplements that claimed to help: vitamin D3, vitamin B12 and omega 3.  I asked a homeopathic doctor what he thought would be my best bet.  He said the vitamin D3 would help for the sun-related issue.  The B12 would be good simply for energy and motivation.  The omega 3 was good for me, period.  However, he said to try to get it in its purest form, because the more processed the omega 3 supplement is, the less effective it can be.


So...... I've been taking vitamin D3 (5,000 UI) once a day after breakfast and vitamin B12 (500mcg) once a day after lunch.  I haven't done the omega 3 for now.  It's pretty pricey to get the good kind.  So far, so good for me.  I've felt more energy, and the depressed feeling hasn't come back.  Of course for me, time will tell.  I don't actually get depressed that often, so we'll just have to wait a few months to see what happens. :)


Other practical factors that can help curtail depression are exercise, drinking adequate amounts of water and eating healthy foods.  I do take a regular multivitamin food supplement already, and exercise 3 to 4 times a week on the treadmill for 30 minutes.  I could definitely do better when it comes to drinking water and eating healthy.  Christmas this year has produced quite a bit of chocolate in our household. :)


Well, there you have it.  Hope this information proves useful to you or someone you know.

Ribs

I received this recipe from a dear family friend.  I tried it out a couple nights ago and oh...... it was good! :)


What I loved about this recipe was that it was so easy and the ribs came out teeeeendddderrrrr. 


So hear it is.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Take a rack of ribs, or in our case, 7 small slabs of country ribs.  Rub in some bbq sauce into the meat. Wrap the meat with foil, put in a baking pan or roasting pan and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Bump the heat down to 300 degrees and bake for another 2 1/2 hours.  Take the ribs out of the foil, dumping the grease.  Cover in more bbq sauce.  Place it back in the oven and turn off the heat.  Let it sit for another 10 minutes in the oven.  Serve and enjoy!

Comfort Idols

We all have them. Shopping, eating, TV, internet surfing, sports, facebook (gasp) - the list goes on.  Things that we go to for comfort.  The comfort idols.  I'm tired; I going to binge on chocolate. He hurt my feelings; I'm going shopping. The kids are crazy today; I'm going to plug my face into the computer.


What inevitably happens when we're done with the comfort idol is, it doesn't satisfy.  Oh sure, maybe for that 5 minute sugar high from the chocolate, life seems dandy, but then what?  Back to reality and to feeling the way I did 10 minutes ago.  The problem that I ran away from is still there.


I'm preaching to myself, by the way. 


I was reading Isaiah 55.  In verse 2, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?"  Yeah. Why do I do that? 


Verse 6 says, "Seek the Lord." That's right.  The Creator of Life has answers to life. Well, who knew? ;)  At the end of the day, Jesus is all I need.  When faced with the temptation to run to my comfort idol, I can either give in to the temporary satisfaction and subsequent consequences, or I can run to my God for comfort and rest and fulfillment and satisfaction and answers, with no side effects.


Run to Him. Talk to Him. Rest in Him. 


Find comfort in Him.  The idols won't satisfy.

10 10

On days like this where I feel like I'm fighting off sickness, I get antsy at both the thought of needing to rest and needing to get things done.  This is where my "10 10" comes in.


I focus on one project, say washing the dishes, and give 10 minutes to it.  I even set my timer for it. Then, when the timer goes off, I take 10 minutes to relax - read, sit, nap, surf or whatever. Then, I go back to the 10 minutes of washing the dishes until it's done.  Granted, it takes me a long time to finish whatever project I'm on, but eventually it gets done.  Which, in my case, is better than just staring at it. :)


This also works for when I just feel overwhelmed. Eventually what ends up happening is that the 10 10 turns into 15 10 (15 minutes work, 10 minutes rest), or even 30 10. 


Do you have a 10 10 that you do to help get things done little by little?

Homeschooling!

A dear friend recently mentioned that there was a resource website for those doing the Five in a Row curriculum.  I've done it for the past week and it is wonderful!  My boys are really into it.  The nice thing about it is that once you've done all the activities on the website for a particular book, you can then gather all the crafts and projects and turn it into a lapbook. If you're not familiar with it you need to check it out!  Go to www.homeschoolshare.com. Everything is free and oh so detailed!  I'm thinking you could get about a month's worth of lessons from one book alone if you followed all the topics that could spark your child's interest.

If you know of someone who could use this info, pass it on! :)

Cleaning and my baby girl

In the eyes of a cute 2 year old little girl, there are few things more kissable than a freshly polished, streak-free, glass door, window, oven or mirror. :)

LL:  The messy signs of life in my house are much more cherished than a lifeless, spotless house. 

Thank You, Lord.

Surprise!

My husband told our children that he had a surprise for them this Friday.  We're getting some fish which will be the first pet they've ever had.  They're really excited and keep trying to guess what the surprise is.  My oldest son came to me this morning and declared, "Mommy, I'm so excited for Daddy's surprise this Friday! I think it's a brother and sister."

Ha.  That WOULD be a surprise.

Lesson Learned: Children can be so hilarious and dead serious at the same time.

Introduction

The thought of a blog has excited me for quite some time. 

As I've thought about all that God has taught me as a stay-at-home wife and homeschooling mother of four children, many, many lessons have been learned.  Some are practical and simple, like how to clean efficiently (www.flylady.net). Some take a lifetime to learn, like how sin is a waste of time, a waste of life, and that it's effects on those around us have real consequences.

So here we are.  I have an unsatiable desire to learn, and I thought I'd share whatever it is I do learn here.  I pray it is a blessing to others as well.