Tree of Life Mothering

It’s been over two months now since I went not just gluten free, but grain free. I did it back at the beginning of 2013, for about three weeks, and now I’ve done it again, since Oct. 26. I haven’t seen any weight loss. That’s why I did it. I don’t have any aches or pains or digestive issues. I’m bummed that the weight hasn’t come off, but maybe I am doing “internal healing,” as some people have suggested. The two benefits I see already are that I can eat much less to feel full (as long as I stick to my ketogenic diet) and that I don’t experience the nasty cycle of craving sugar and carbs, such as bread, then eating it, then having high blood sugar, and then hitting the low blood sugar blues. I got through Christmas with my high fat fudge. I can only eat a few pieces and then I feel full, which is something I can never do with mainstream fudge or any mainstream sweet treat.

I’m still learning a lot about the benefits of being gluten free and grain free. I listened to some of the sessions of The Gluten Summit in November, but I didn’t catch all of them. I was sooo happy to hear from the organizer, Dr. Tom O’Bryan, that he’s keeping some of the sessions up for free on his web site. Click the titles below to watch. He’s also doing a free webinar next week called “Now That You Know, Where Do You Go?”

Watch the video and listen to the sessions as your homework to prepare for this informative, life-changing webinar. I think

WHEN: Thursday, January 9 – Sunday, January 12

WHERE: We’ll announce the FREE link as we get closer to the dates!

To get the most from this free webinar…

I’m giving you some homework to do!

In the webinar I’m going to assume you’ve done your homework so we can go directly into more technical information. Nothing like this has been done before, so if you take the time I promise you will not be disappointed!

I’m asking you to do 6 things in the next few weeks. Get one or two done before your busy holiday season kicks in and the rest will follow!

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 1

Watch this entertaining and informative video (5 minutes, 28 seconds) about gut microbes from National Public Radio (NPR). This is a CRITICAL concept if you want to understand how to move toward optimum health.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS 2-6

Because these 5 interviews from The Gluten Summit are particularly relevant to the discussion we will have in the webinar, I’m making them available online again for FREE!

“Properly Testing for Gluten Sensitivity and

Why Current Methods Fail”

Dr. Aristo Vojdani, PhD, MSc, MT, CEO, ImmunoScience Laboratories

LISTEN NOW!

“Eliminating Gluten as the 1st Step in

Preventing Brain Conditions”

David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM, Board-Certified Neurologist, Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and Associate Professor at the University of Miami School of Medicine

LISTEN NOW!

“Before Marsh III: Why the Early Stages of

Celiac Disease Must Be Taken Seriously”

Michael Marsh, MD, DSC, FRCP, World Renowned Celiac Disease Researcher

LISTEN NOW!

“The Reality of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and

its Many Manifestations”

Umberto Volta, MD

LISTEN NOW!

“Are You Developing an Autoimmune Disease

Years Before Symptoms?”

Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, MD, FRCP

LISTEN NOW!

Happy New Year! We spent New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at Grandma’s house for a sleepover. It’s our New Year’s tradition to sleepover and play games with Grandma and Grandpa, while the little kids play with Grandma’s collection of toys, the dangerous, skinny Fisher Price Little People that I grew up with in the 70s. Anyway, we played Bohnanza, Anomia, Bananagrams, Scrabble Apple, and Pear Pairs. I didn’t get my personal best of 125 points in one round of Scrabble Apple like I did with my nieces and daughter and dh on Thanksgiving Day, but it was still fun. All of the latter three games I mentioned are word building games, and they are a ton funner than Scrabble because everyone can play at once. I don’t think I will ever go back to Scrabble much, I like these word games so much better.

I went visiting teaching a few days ago (yes, I am a procrastinator, did it after Christmas) and we started talking about China for some reason. One of my brothers lived there for three years with his wife and children. I found this video today of Elder Oaks speaking about the LDS Church’s new web site Mormons and China. If you ever had any questions about Mormons in China, now you can get them answered. I’m sure these questions have not been on the top of any one’s burning-to-know list, but the answers are interesting, nonetheless. 

Dear husband has had extreme tooth pain lately. He finally got in to the dentist today. The dentist confirmed what dh suspected, which is that he “needs a root canal.”

In my years of being a holistic natural crunchy mama I have heard bad things about root canals. I pointed him to YouTube and pulled up some videos for him to watch. We are exploring our options and will be doing something other than a root canal. I would love to hear from any of you out there. What did you do in place of a root canal?

Maurice W. Harker, LPC

Is it time to develop a strong habit of a daily family devotional? Learn how to do it in the video above with Diann Jeppson!

Yikes, I can’t believe that my own flesh-and-blood nephew is old enough to get married! I graduated from BYU the same day as his dad, and his mom was very pregnant with nephew on that day. Then a month later, nephew was born. How excited I was to see him! I went over the very day he was born to hold him. I remember babysitting him when he was a toddler. He was a fan of Barney and a diaper and sandals were his favorite apparel. I am so happy that he and his beautiful bride got married in the temple two days ago and are embarking on an eternal journey together! Weddings are such happy days! This is only the beginning of many weddings for my parents’ grandchildren! Although, I hope that the next one won’t be for at least two or three more years, after some missions are over and a bit, if not, all of college.

They are so sweet together! Congratulations Brother and Sister Sudweeks!

Here’s my brother, below, with his beautiful family, minus one son, who is on a mission in Belgium. I love the bright red and blue colors that the bride chose.

It was such a beautiful, wintry, clear day at the Draper Temple.

I was actually more comfortable waiting for the bride and groom to come out of this temple then at my niece’s at the Salt Lake Temple in the sweltering July heat last summer! Below, pictured are my sister, and her husband, talking to my parents while niece patiently waits.

Cuteness!

My daughter did her cousin’s hair. I love the bow!

Here’s daughter, with her new scarf, a Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa. We heard a lot of commentary, fashion and otherwise, relating to energy types, from daughter throughout the day. “Cousin Sarah is Type 4,” “Aunt Claudia’s stepmom is Type 1,” “Taylor is Type 1,2….” and on and on. She is really getting into the Carol Tuttle energy types.  So much so that I find myself asking for a “no typing zone” breather of time by the end of the day! Which goes to show my own Type 4ness, I am told.

Baby niece staying warm! I love the pink fringe on the blanket!

Here’s my other sister and some of her kids! So cute!

The cake!

Cousins!

The groom can really cut a rug! This picture really shows my nephew’s personality!

More cousins! My daughter, on the left, refused to wear a dress. At least we got her to wear a skirt to the reception.

My niece talking to her aunt, my sister. Baby niece looks a lot warmer now!

Here are some of my nieces and nephews with my daughter, with a picture of the groom’s brother, another nephew, who is on a mission. Weddings are such happy days. I am looking forward to being at the weddings of all of these youngsters, but may it be not for another three years or so! Please take your time kids!

Ramblings from Christmas this year:

• we enjoyed my daughter’s last ballet recital before she goes to college. I liked the music for her two numbers. Fortunately, it wasn’t “Radioactive,” which was the music for another class’s number. It was weird to see ballerinas in bright neon green tutus dancing prettily to that raucous noise which I don’t really call music! Somebody please tell me what that music has to do with Christmas!

• I had several Scrooge moments! The worst came when I was doing Santa workshop duty and almost missed my connection buying a used Kindle from a guy I found on ksl.com. My phone, with the directions contained therein, died on me right before I got to the right place! And the charger cord was not compatible! At least it wasn’t snowing, and the guy waited for me so I finally met up with him and got the asked-for Santa gift! Below is my son’s expression as he opened it, so that made it worth it!

• every year I swear I will make next year better: have the gifts wrapped all before Christmas Eve, start buying in July, donate money to poor people, take gift baskets to widows, have all the food made by Christmas Eve morning, have the kids give thoughtful, homemade gifts to each other, etc. Maybe I need to make these things part of my Eternal Warriors/ Mothers Who Know goals starting in June. Or maybe just give up on them?

• I finally figured out how to display my Christmas cards that I have collected over 20 years of marriage. Yes, I am a Type 2, sentimental packrat who doesn’t like to throw away Christmas cards. Here’s my idea that I hope is worthy of Pinerest: get your 12 year old to string up yarn around the perimeter of your living room, attaching with green painter’s tape, and then you just hang the cards on the yarn along the fold. Easy and cheap and very festive looking! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before!

Being Santa is a lonely job! I was stuffing the stockings at 1 AM and dh was up wrapping presents. I have learned it’s best not to wrap presents with him around. He has his way of wrapping and doesn’t like my way. So I stuffed the stockings (a major project as I had to apportion equally all the goodies into Ziploc bags for each person) and I was so tired and lonely. I was getting tired of the radio music. I started checking Facebook on my phone and found this cute video from my friend Kaisie that brightened my spirits. Thank you Kaisie!

What’s a parent to do when asked about Santa Claus by a child?

I don’t believe in lying. I also want to encourage a belief in goodness and delight in unseen, unknown forces that work together for our good. Santa Claus represents that to me. So when asked, you can say that you are Santa’s helper. Recently I told one of my children when asked if Santa is real, “There’s really not a Santa Claus who lives at the North Pole. But the spirit of giving without being noticed or getting credit is real, and that’s what we call Santa Claus.”

Every child and parent can get in on the act of anonymous giving for parents, siblings, friends, relatives, neighbors and even enemies. This spirit of anonymous giving, the spirit of Santa Claus, comes from Saint Nicholas, a real person who followed the example of Jesus, also a real person. Jesus, most of all, exemplified this spirit of anonymous, selfless giving.

(Here’s a picture from our ward Christmas party of my daughter and my baby, terrified of Santa. Poor baby!)

I love the way Tim Slover, a playwright, explains the story of Santa Claus. He has such charming explanations of how Santa does his work and how children can help in Santa’s work by becoming helpers after they know “the secret ” and become “signatories to the pact.” He creatively weaves a story of how all the elements of Christmas (the Christ Child, Santa, reindeer, Rudolph, elves, parents who act in Santa’s behalf) fit together to make a meaningful, spiritual holiday. It’s a holiday about giving and creating a better universe. This story is called The Christmas Chronicles. I’ve encountered different versions of the story of Santa Claus, and this is the best! It will leave you with a song in your heart and a spring in your step, and a belief in Santa, as defined as the “the spirit of anonymous giving.” The story has so many fascinating elements from folk tales and history that you could easily spend a homeschooling month or more studying them.

Here’s what Classical 89, the radio station that helped Tim produce the story, says about the Christmas Chronicles, “The series originates in accounts of the astonishing life and activities of Santa, recalled and told by the author, Tim Slover, to his children. Richard Johnstone is the other primary performer. It all started with a strictly scientific answer to a child’s classic question: ‘How does Santa deliver all those toys all over the world in just one night?’ That’s the query that unlocked the grand adventure to keep the magic in, and the cynicism of the world at bay.”

You can listen below to each episode in audio form (FREE!) through December, or get the book newly published by Random House.

Listen here http://classical89.org/programs/christmaschronicles/

You can purchase the audio CD, mp3 download, or hardcover book here http://classical89.org/programs/christmaschronicles/purchase/

Sounds like a great last-minute Christmas gift for a whole family of relatives or that hard-to-buy-for person!

I have this “eggnog” as a smoothie for breakfast every morning and love it! It is high fat, low carb. It’s satisfying and nourishing! On really cold mornings I warm it up on the lowest setting on my stove for it be extra satisfying! Don’t let it cook too long or the egg whites will start cooking!

Mix in blender or with a fork in a saucepan on lowest setting:

1 can coconut milk, unsweetened, organic (make sure it is unsweetened)

(for people allergic to coconut like my teenage son, here is a real milk eggnog recipe from Heather of mommypotamus.com fame here.)

2 eggs

dash each of nutmeg and cinnamon

stevia to taste, I use two dropperfuls of liquid stevia

1 tsp vanilla

Can serve two or you can drink it all yourself! I look forward to having this all winter. It’s such a lovely way to greet cold mornings! Drink lots of this through Christmas time and your sugar cravings will be minimized!

What can you do to put Christ into your Christmas? What can you do to soften your heart and make room for something that God has been nudging you to do?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!