Life is ENERGY and it takes WORK

I promised you I would share my experience with Energy Work, or energy medicine. I like to keep my promises. Here we go!

Over five years ago I was introduced to Flowtrician, my first dose of energy work. My daughter was miserable, crying, in pain, no one was sleeping and I was desperate for help. In our desperation and humility we often find the best vehicle for positive change. I prayed every day for help, for solutions, for clarity of mind, and for this tiny human being to find relief. My heart and head were wide open to guidance because I was at a loss for solutions.
At women's book group one evening I mentioned my exhaustion to a friend who I adore and respect deeply. She explained her sister in Colorado practices a form of energy work called Flowtrician that could help L. This sister could remotely help L find some emotional and physical relief.

WHAAAAT? Really?

This was brand new and sounded wacky but coming from this source, one of the most meek, humble and faith filled women I have ever known in my life I opened myself up to this possibility.

I set up our first appointment and answered the phone very curious to see what would happen. This stranger who would remotely energetically work on my newborn baby was a relative of a trusted friend, a member of my church, and .... nope, that's it. That's all I knew. Oh and she had been trained in something called Flowtrician. That's it.

As she talked to me about it I understood that I would hold my newborn in my arms while being on the phone and if needed answer questions. That's it.

Then I witnessed what looked like a miracle. My squirming, grumpy, tense baby relaxed in my arms and over a few minutes of silence settled into her own body and FELL ASLEEP! My husband and I had struggled to get her to sleep every single day of the her life. Holding her, rocking her, nursing her, singing to her, swinging her. This sudden relaxation and rest in what had been a tormented body would not be a coincidence and certainly not the result of the placebo effect. I myself was not relaxed or restful. I was a hot mess from all the stress of no sleep, nursing, diet, and family unbalance. My baby, however, was showing me the possibilities of Energy Medicine.

We worked with this practitioner a couple more times and I felt deeply grateful for the positive change we had seen in baby L. She and her sister have a cherished space in my heart for teaching me.

Fast forward a year and a half and the same baby girl stopped walking and was diagnosed with juvenile idiomatic polyarticular arthritis, also known as rheumatoid arthritis. Again, my heart and mind opened up to any and all solutions because I am a result driven mama who had no idea what to do. Do you all notice a *cough, pride* cycle in my life and learning. ;)

Yet again, God answered my deep yearning and prayers by sending me direction. Another friend who I respect and admire with all my heart briefly mentioned that her friend did a kind of work that might help. Enter Chelsea Porter. This woman has become one of my earth-side guardian angels and I thank the Lord for giving her gifts and then bringing her into my life. She has become a dear friend and a vehicle for healing in our family and gives us ongoing support. My experiences with Chelsea have been so profoundly personal and spiritual that I keep the details mostly to myself. 

Both Chelsea and I openly admit that Jesus Christ is the real source of all healing and the giver of all our talents in life. I thank God for sending the gift of healing in many forms to bless and benefit all His children. I praise Him for leading me to the forms of healing my family has needed on our journey, in the form of healing foods, plants, music, books, relationships, experiences, and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. 

Please read more HERE about the work Chelsea does and her superior explanations on:
1) what is energy work
2) how energy moves
3) how it relates to the gospel of the Master Healer


Since my introduction to both of these Energy Healers I have met many more! They have been male and female, older and younger, religious and not so much, but all of them are spiritual. There are many names for this work, modalities and ways people frame the way they move energy. Reiki, Total Body Modification, Emotional Freedom Technique, The Body Code, Energetic Well Being Process, and more.

Prayer moves energy.
A clean diet moves out bad energy.
Hypnosis and meditation change our energy and invite healing.
Essential oils diffused change the energy in a room.

All things are energy. Energy medicine is one way to move it and I sincerely thank God for putting the right people and resources in our path so we could live the abundant, healing, forward-moving life we enjoy now.

Parable of the Pokemon

Once upon a time there was a 7 year old boy who LOVED Pokemon. Admittedly, he was obsessed for a time. His homeschooling mama didn't know or care much about Pokemon but knew her boy loved the stories, battles, creatures, and especially all their unique powers. He read chapter books about Pokemon, he watched the Pokemon show, he play with Pokemon figurines, he read reference guides and cookbooks about Pokemon, and he even slept on a Pikachu pillow. Every single day involved conversations about Pokemon characters and their powers. Like I said, obsessed.

Passion and obsession can be a fabulous tool in a home school. This wise (cough..... winging it) homeschooling mama decided to capitalize on her son's obsession and used Pokemon in her lessons (if that's what you want to call what we do around here).


Okay, enough with the third person narrative. It's late, I'm tired. 'Nuff said.

Pokemon became the subject of math, reading, artwork, and writing. So. Much. Pokemon.

"If Ash's team of 8 Pokemon battle against Team Rocket's 9 Pokemon, how many Pokemon are battling all together?" 
"Let's write a story about Pokemon that you make up!" You get the idea. 

I was so fed up with Pokemon and wanted to never hear that word again. One morning, we are working together to write a story and I started to really listen to my son's excitement. I asked a lot of questions about these useless, nonsensical characters and why does my boy really love them. Then - BOOM, like I lightening bolt I finally see it. I finally see the beauty of Pokemon. Here's why. 

S explains to me that all Pokemon experience evolutions, which is what happens when they transform from a simple, less powerful form to a more powerful form. Charmander evolves into Charmillian who involves into Charizard and has the potential to become Mega Charizard. 

"So how do they evolve, Stu? Not all of them evolve at the same time, right?"

No. First they have to develop trust with their trainers into order to evolve into a more powerful Pokemon. They can also evolve by conquering bad guys. However, some Pokemon never evolve. When they do evolve they might gain new types of powers (fire, water, etc) or retain previous types of power that are just more powerful.


My mind started to see how this applies to life, because that's what I do. Everything I learn I ask, "what does this have to do with my real life?" My mind began to spin! 

We are like Pokemon!!

We human beings are like Pokemon and our life on Earth is like our time to experience evolutions. We start out like little Charmander - a little person with a few powers and a growing relationship with our trainers. Our parents, teachers, mentors and most of all God are our trainers. We evolve through life too. We may gain different spiritual, physical, or mental gifts through trust in God. Through the same process we may become more powerful in the talents we already have. We also become more powerful by conquering bad guys, or our own personal demons in life. Some of us never evolve past our most simple self. Why? Perhaps because of lack of faith, trust, and bravery in life?



I can honestly say that I loved learning about Pokemon that day from S. We talked and talked and fell in love all over again, through The Parable of Pokemon. Kids and their imaginations have so much to teach us about life!

Take that, childhood arthritis!

It's been a long road to help our little L get to this place, yet I'm so grateful to report she is doing well and has been for so long. Although I haven't written in years, these little (and big) successes deserve to be documented.

First her blood work showed her body was responding positively to the emotional, detoxifying, pharmacological and dietary treatments. The inflammation markers in her blood came down, even during a double ear infection last year. Her limbs shrunk and she moved with more ease.

The hike when she first showed difficulty walking.

She has been seen by a beloved chiropractor (Maimonides Chiropractics) regularly since she was a newborn. It started with cranial-sacral therapy to help her sleep and nurse as a tiny baby. Our chiropractor did her work on L's skull while I nursed her. I could feel her jaw shift and settle into a more comfortable place while she sucked. It was phenomenal! The point is that our chiropractor, Dr Erica, has seen L through a lot since birth. When L was about 3, around 2 years ago, we went in for more help. Instead of a list of things needing help, L just got a simple adjustment. I nearly cried when Dr Erica said, "This girl has turned a corner." And indeed, she had.

Over time her disposition changed from grumpy and touchy to happy. She was more content and at peace, at least in part because she was not in pain all the time. I might be grumpy too if my body hurt all the time.

Once the pain and inflammation were under control we discovered we have a monkey daughter. She loves to climb and is quite the acrobat. We attended a birthday party at My Gym where the kids play physical games and tumble around. She was in heaven! A staff member led them in a game where they run in a large circle, one child at a time. During her turn, while she ran around the circle, they all chanted her name. Again, I teared up and remembered with gratitude that the days of no walking or limping were behind us. She limped for over a year and that was no more.

People at church commented at how wonderful it is to see her walking better because they had noticed that she used to walk with a limp. Once again, this mama almost cried. Sigh. I feel so grateful that others see her progress and joy.


Early on in this journey we attended a few Arthritis Foundation events to connect with other families and gain knowledge. I thought, maybe this could be an empathetic community from which we could learn from veterans. I learned many valuable nuggets but it was not the experience I expected. At one of the first events, a mother attended and her daughter was in a wheelchair. At that point, L was on methotrexate (a chemo drug) to alleviate the inflammation. This mom told me pessimistically, "When that stops working they will put your daughter on X drug. When that stops working they will put her on a different class of drug, Y. When that stops working the next drug is Z, which is extremely painful to administer." This was not comforting. I had to use my "Bubble of Peace" to tell myself that is their experience and that does not mean it will be ours. When I asked the presenting doctors and researchers about treatments outside of pharmaceuticals, they had nothing for me. It felt like I had read more about diet or lifestyle changes and their effect on autoimmune disease than they had. That may not be true but they could not tell me anything that I couldn't read on my own, so I stopped attending.



L had been selected as a Spotlight Patient at a Arthritis Foundation Fundraiser. We were going to do it to help raise funds and share our story very early on in treatment. We moved forward wit this plan Then something absolutely fascinating happened. During a session of energy medicine (more on that later, I promise), the therapist spoke with me about the value of letting go of the label and identity of "having JRA". She explained that this identity and strong link to this community of unhealthy people was holding L back from seeing herself as a healthy person. She was only 2 and a half year old, mind you.  So, the therapist helped us work on letting go of this identity and label. Within a couple weeks the Arthritis Foundation event was canceled and we haven't worked with them since. I fully acknowledge that this was no coincidence. As L and I made positive changes in ourselves, things moved into their proper place around us. I believe God made it easier for us to move forward in a positive direction by having this event canceled and I didn't have to confront it myself. Each person's journey is their own to live, and so we focused on Team Ondricek and no one else's story.


Whoa... Phew.... that was a long tangent. Thanks for sticking with me. You are patient. Gracias.

I'm grateful to document these little moments along the journey and thankful for progress, even if the road is messy and crooked. Thank God for progress.

Three year sabbatical

Aaaaand I'm back.

Can you believe it? I last posted on this blog three years ago, almost to the exact day. THREE YEARS! Life has a way of becoming a run away train and I was no longer the conductor driving. Three years of following something or someone elses's lead has helped me flow with the guidance of the Divine hand in my life yet it has created space for me to come back to the driver's seat as well. Allow me to explain.

Three years ago I was in the throes of juvenile autoimmunity hell. Our daughter Elsa had been diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when she was 22 months old, after she had completely stopped walking. Her physical pain and emotional anxiety overrode everything else in the house and I jumped into problem solving mode. These three years have been both a black hole of never-ending problem solving and deep light-giving learning. At times I feel anxiety and PTSD swelling up inside at the thought that our baby G is now the same age Elsa was when she stopped walking. So much has transpired in a short period of time that feels like an eternity behind us. I thank God for carrying us all through the darkest years of parenting thus far, and for putting the right people and services in our path. He took the wheel these last 3 years and I lost myself in the service of my daughter.

Yes, she's wearing make-up. A rare treat from her older cousin. 

Our baby G

Facing a illness that could possibly leave our daughter crippled and in pain every day, I did my best to put my ego and fears aside. 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." I battled between fear and love/power. The fear took over when I felt like I was the only one responsible for making things right in her world. If I ever felt alone in solving this medical enigma then I would collapse. I found a lot of strength and comfort in these verses: 

 Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion [or Team Ondricek]; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God. (Doctrine & Covenants 101:16)

 He that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that abaseth himself shall be exalted. (Doctrine and Covenants 101:42) [translation - don't get prideful, thinking you can fix this Amanda...]

 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)

And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. (Mosiah 4:27)

As I diligently spent a lot of time researching and learning about autoimmunity, holistic healing, emotional healing, whole food diets, cooking, advocating and personal revelation some order returned to our lives. This journey has not only been about L's healing, but also our entire family's healing. 

We give thanks to God in Heaven that she is doing well and rarely experiences physical pain. She has no permanent joint damage and very little inflammation. We manage the autoimmune condition through diet, energy medicine (more on that later), supplements and one biologic drug.

Now that the run away train has slowed down a bit the new year brings with it big goals to write and CREATE more often. All the kids are home this year for home school and writing on this blog will help school me as well. 

Welcome back --- to you, to me, our health, and to a year of more writing. :) 

Christmas is not over

It's still Christmas time at our home. Today my kids wanted to make Christmas crafts and reenact the shepherds seeking after the baby Jesus. Why not? It's still Christmas time over here.  

The Guy wanted these foam Christmas trees so much that he bought them with his own money last night. He was so excited to decorate them that I had them at the table this morning when they got up. This was our pre-breakfast activity. 

 I bought alphabet stamps and they are already helping the kids learn their letters and spell their names a bit better.

The creating just kept going. They each made 3-4 creations before breakfast. 

Later this afternoon S wanted to dress up as a shepherd and go visit Jesus. But he needed sheep. L and I volunteered. We discussed how the shepherd is trusted to lead the sheep to clean food & water and to protect them. He led us to the opened ladder saying it was the stable. My favorite part was hearing L repeatedly bleep and baa like a lamb. 

Merry belated Christmas! 

HE is still the Gift. 

Every day of the year. 

#ShareTheGift

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis journey

Our world has recently been turned upside down, but not so suddenly as it may appear. The Lord had prepared me for what was coming and in many small ways I was prepared and saw it afar off. This long online saga will serve as both a place to share our story as well as record it for ourselves.

I. Diagnosis and Research

At the end of August our baby girl L was diagnosed with juvenile rhuematoid arthritis (JRA). The most recent name for this autoimmune disease is JIA, juvenile  idiomatic arthritis. Idiomatic is just a fancy word for "we don't know what causes it..." It started with a constant limp on her right leg at the end of July. After a physical exam, x-rays, lab tests, and discussing family history L was diagnosed with JRA. Arthritis simply means inflammation of the joints. This form of arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means it is the result of the body's immune system erroneously attacking the body's own tissue as if it were a foreign body, resulting in constant inflammation, pain and possibly joint deterioration if the inflammation continues unchecked.

We met a pediatric rheumatologist and a ophthalmologist to determine how widespread the inflammation was. The rheumatologist determined that only two joints were swollen, her right knee and left thumb, although her inflammation markers were systemically high.

L's lovable legs

L's thumbs, and yes, she does regularly ask me to paint her nails. My diva. 

Because she is a child (not even 2 years old yet at the time of diagnosis) one of the concerns is how this effects her growth. So much inflammation and blood flow around the joints allows the growth plate at her right knee to grow faster than the growth plate on her left leg, possibly resulting in permanent imbalance. (Five months after the diagnosis, that is exactly what has happened. Her right leg is now about a cm longer.)To avoid this the inflammation must be reduced as soon as possible. The recommended treatment was to put her under general anesthesia and inject steroid shots into her two joints. This was recommended to be done every year for the next 4 years. I never felt peace about this recommendation and asked if we could wait until I got a second opinion.

We waited, I applied many of the healing methods I know and tried to reduce the inflammation without many drug interventions. We eat a lot of anti-inflammatory foods, applied homemade turmeric pastes to her knees (which helped; she frequently asked for them), upped her cod liver oil supplements and probiotics, gave her infant ibuprofen, later replaced it with meloxicam, juiced a lot of fresh vegetable juices that reduce inflammation, did energy work, removed nightshades foods, lots of physical therapy, etc.... We tried a lot. She returned to her chiropractor who offered invaluable insights and still aids in L's general well-being. We prayed and received Priesthood blessings. I asked my sister (who also has RA as an adult), my anesthesiologist friend, my adult neighbor who was diagnosed with JRA, I collected everything I could about this condition. I read "Raising a Child with Arthritis" and "Clean." I attended an online Autoimmunce Summit, a week-long set of interviews with doctors, researchers, healers, and recoverees. I preordered a copy of "The Autoimmune Solution" by Dr. Amy Myers. We even attended a conference of the Arthritis Foundation's local chapter (The Family Rheum) where doctors, researchers and families educated and encouraged. I've been ravenous about collecting information.

In my research I found this:
"It’s really frustrating to me that so many people’s Rheumatoid Arthritis is caused by food allergies and a leaky gut, yet no rheumatoligist that I’ve met nor the Arthritis Foundation will admit this.  I have read in many books of the link between leaky gut syndrome and autoimmune diseases but I will only quote from one,  Fasting and Eating for Health by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.:

'It has been shown in scientific studies that many people with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases have increased intestinal tract permeability. Because of genetic or other insults to the digestive system earlier in life, autoimmune disease sufferers have an abnormality of the digestive tract that allows incompletely digested foodstuffs to pass through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream.

Proteins in food are the chief culprits that can excite an abnormal immune response. A protein is typically made up of thousands of amino acids linked together. The digestive enzymes cleave the bonds between the amino acids during digestion, allowing the individual amino acids to pass through the wall of the digestive tract. When isolated amino acids enter the bloodstream, they do not excite an abnormal immune response. During the process of digesting a protein however, if a piece of partially broken-down protein, known as a peptide, is able to pass through the the digestive tract wall by mistake, this peptide can and will excite the immune system to react against it.

The peptide, containing perhaps a hundred amino acids, is now recognized not as a nutrient like an individual amino acid, but rather as a foreign substance that needs to be attacked and removed. Thus, the immune system produces an antibody to this antigen, and an antigen-antibody complex is formed.

These complexes are present in the blood in increased quantities in individuals with autoimmune illnesses. [because a leaky gut is usually present, allowing more incompletely digested proteins through into the blood] When these complexes are not effectively cleared from the bloodstream, they can become lodged in various tissues, where they cause inflammation.

In rheumatoid arthritis, for example, these complexes are deposited in the joints, and redness, swelling, stiffness, and pain develop, followed by destruction of the joint as the inflammation continues. The amount of immune complexes deposited in the joints corresponds to the severity of the arthritic symptoms.' -Joel Fuhrman, M.D.'

(source)

Doesn't he explain it so much better than me? Not to mention he clarifies the missing link that mainstream medicine is ignoring: the WHY and HOW. This research and link between leaky gut and autoimmune diseases should help remove this title "idiomatic". It is frustrating to me as well that the rhuematologist and everyone at the Arthritis Foundation meeting neglected to even mention this to all the parents present, searching for ways to help their children. I asked parents if they had tried anything else other than heavy drugs to help their children. I did not find one, but then again I didn't talk to everyone there.

II. How were we prepared for this?

So, why do I claim to have been prepared in advance? She was a colicky baby. She has had digestive disturbances off and on her whole life. Her behavior changes with certain allergen foods. Long before her diagnosis I looked into healing her gut. I attended the Food Revolution Network's online educational summit, I've read many books and articles on healing and nutrition and I learned about the GAPS protocol. It comes from a book called Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Healing for Austism, ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysplaxia, Depression, Schizophrenia by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride. It is the protocol that has aided an acquaintance defeat her Lupus (another autoimmune disease) and my sister come really far in her RA. My sister is currently on no medication, which is such a miracle considering her original prognosis of living in a wheelchair at such a young age! I read this book and was prepared to give this healing diet a try in my whole family before L even received her JRA diagnosis. I had Jared's support to try it from April to August of 2014. We were doing really well for about a month, and then my own food addictions got in the way and I fell off the train. I was really disappointed in my lack of discipline and own personal challenges getting in the way of helping my children. But I feel much more prepared to live a healing diet now then ever before because of all I've read and experimented with before she even received this diagnosis.
Not only did these recent events prepare me for this, but when I was 19 I began learning about my own digestive issues and experimenting with healing through diet. Four years ago my mother-in-law's battle with cancer encouraged me to research more and continue experimenting with eliminating dairy, using fermented foods, making bone broth, and attending more educational classes in the community.

III. Recent Improvements

Two months ago I took L to a holistic M.D. who was a pediatrician before she switched over to functional medicine. I wanted a second opinion on how to deal with JRA. Ideally I wanted to know how to heal her leaky gut, her diet deficiencies, allergens and common stressors. This new doctor, Margaret Gennaro, explains on her site "how the body works." Her explanation falls exactly in line with the general conclusions I have come to over my 5 years of personal experience and research: It all comes down to toxins and the body's ability to eliminate them. However, she has a better explanation too:

"I compare your body to a bathtub. The size of the bathtub is your genetics and other hereditary/acquired tendencies called miasms. If your ancestors have had certain health issues or toxic exposures or genetic glitches, your bathtub will be smaller. (There is evidence that genes are affected by the environment in the science known as Epigenetics.)

The 3 faucets coming into the bathtub are:

1. The foods that you eat


2. The environment you are exposed to i.e. toxins (chemicals and heavy metals), infectious agents, electromagnetic frequencies, vaccinations (in those susceptible), environmental factors such as pollen, dust, animals, etc)


3. Emotional traumas, issues and stress, personal and transgenerational

The drain in the bathtub is composed of:

1. Intestines, liver and kidneys


2. Immune system, lymph system, sweat glands, menstrual blood, acid-alkaline balance, hormones, vitamin/mineral/amino acid/antioxidant/nutrient balance, proper sleep, structural integrity


3. Mental, emotional and spiritual healing, a positive attitude and support from loved ones.

If the drain is plugged up and the faucets are going strong (or one gets turned on more than usual), then the “water” in the bathtub will overflow. This causes you to experience symptoms. These symptoms can be anything from a runny nose to cancer. 

When the body doesn’t get rid of the toxins through those usual routes or if the toxins are suppressed, the body will need to do one of two things with those toxins: 

1. Store the toxins. Examples of this are tumors (benign and even malignant), cysts, fibroids, enlargement of the organ or gland such as the prostate or thyroid, endometriosis, fat cells, excessive fluid, and “mental” illnesses.


2. Choose an alternative route out of the body. Examples are skin rashes (eczema, psoriasis, or even excessive sweating), an increase in menstrual flow or frequency, lung problems such as asthma, sinus problems/allergy symptoms, and diarrhea.

Substances that suppress the elimination of toxins (and also create more toxins coming into the bathtub because they need to be detoxified) are steroid drugs, artificial hormones, anti-inflammatory drugs, birth control pills, long-term use of bio-identical hormones, illegal/legal drugs and excessive use of antibiotics.

The goal for ultimate health is therefore to decrease the toxins coming into the body and maximize the drain." (source)

I LOVE THIS APPROACH TO MEDICINE! Love it. When L was seen by this new doctor I learned a WHOLE lot about her body. Among the contributors to the JRA we found bacterial infections, heavy metal toxicity, parasites, emotional trauma, food allergies, and miasms. Since we've created a plan with Dr Gennaro and also done more energy work I have seen noticeable improvements in many areas, but still the joint inflammation remains. The improvements over the last 2 months include increased mobility, less fear and anxiety, better sleep, more laughing and smiling, more consistent bowel movements, and overall improved affect and cooperation.

The rheumatologist put her on a chemotherapy drug (Yikes!) and said it could take up to 3 months to bring the swelling down. The was a big pill for me to swallow, figuratively speaking. But I know synthetic drugs have a time and place in recovery. Although many symptoms were clearing up (like her whiny moods, fear and miasms were cleared, her sleeping improved, morning stiffness decreased, her walking improved to a near run, her bowels hurts less, and she even tells me "mommy, my knees is getting better") some blood work showed her inflammation had actually increased. Because of this the Rheumatologist recommended adding a heavy steriod to the already heavy chemo drug. I did not feel at peace about this immediately, but eventually did feel that peace. For whatever reason, this is a temporary aid that I believe her body needs right now. Thank goodness it was only for 3 weeks! I am very encouraged with the improvements, at peace with the direction we are going, and know everything is going to work out, no matter what that might look like in the end.

IV. Where do we go from here?

From here we continue many of the same methods that have been helping, and have added Total Body Modification (TBM) with our chiropractor. I made a complete list in L's journal of all the methods we have/are trying. It is long and eclectic. I approached each method purposefully, systematically and prayerfully.

During this intense detoxification, the body is flushing out a lot of toxins, causing it to get worse before it gets better. That is both Dr. Gennaro's explanation and mine for the increased inflammation during the detox.

Although there are ups and downs during this time of healing and learning, I have great peace that everything that is supposed to happen will happen. I trust L's intuition to her own body. As long as she tells me "me getting better" I will trust that. After all this little body is hers. It was given to her for eternity and with it came challenges that I know she chose and needs in this mortal life. She is brave and strong and very selfless. This trial is helping and healing the whole family and we have her to thank for making the sacrifice for our learning and benefit. She is an angel in my life and I thank God for both sending her to us and for allowing me to learn by her side. 

favorite quotes from my Guy

I have the best job in the world, raising two of the most tender Spirits I have ever known. My kids and I really teach each other truths each day. Here are some of my favorites with the Guy the last couple months. 

"I want to tell you one of my favorite seeds to eat."

"OK"

"One of my favorite seeds to eat is watermelon seeds, that is white."

"What's Spanish in Spanish?"

"You're going to be very excited when I'm a daddy! But I need to get married first."

"What closed my door?" (when the parked car door closed)

"Gravity."

"Is gravity 'wind' in Spanish?"

"What was your favorite part of today?"

"Atlantis" (the water park)

"Was that more fun than the grocery store?"

"Yes"

"More fun than the airport?"

"Yes"

"More fun than watching mommy take a nap?"

"No."

(I hear whispers of a prayer and look over at him.)

"Someone was praying."

"Yeah, who?"

"The Joker was praying to get out of the lion's den."

"I'm going to find a wife and kids." (marching out of the room)

"Where are you going to find your kids."

"I don't know. I need to find my wife first."

"Where are you going to find your wife."

"Where jet planes are."

"At the airport?"

"Yes. I'm going to find my wife at the airport."

"Where are you going to find your kids?"

"I'm going to find my baby brother  from heaven."

"That's right. That's where your babies will come from too."

"Babies are sweet. I want babies to stay little, but they have to grow up."

"Raise your hand if you love Jesus!"

(Pause church music) "Kids do you feel that? That peaceful and calm love in the house? That's the Holy Ghost. He's here in our home with us helping us feel that love."

"The Holy Ghost is a person?"

"Yes, he is, but he does not have a body, he's just a spirit. So we can't see him when he's here but we can always feel him if we pause and listen to the way we feel in our hearts."

(Hollering as he looks around the room) "Holy Ghost, where are you?"

I Love my job!

The mess of progress - our kitchen remodel

I watched them tearing a building down,

A gang of men in a busy town.

With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell,

They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,

As the men you’d hire if you had to build?”

He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!

Just common labor is all I need.

I can easily wreck in a day or two

What builders have taken a year to do.”

And I tho’t to myself as I went my way,

Which of these two roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care,

Measuring life by the rule and square?

Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,

Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,

Content with the labor of tearing down?

(source)

Our very outdated house has just been updated. Here is our journey:

The wall we tried to remove had a vent hidden inside. Yikes. So my awesome husband just moved it to the other side of the kitchen and closer to it's final destination. Yeah, he rocks....

The western cabinets are gone!

The ugly vent cover is gone! This was so therapeutic for me to throw away. 

The mister connecting the new HVAC vent on the other side of the kitchen. Did I mention he rocks my socks?

Chaos. Ugliness. The picture of progress. 

The wall (and vent) are gone!!!

Thank you, Electrician. I always wanted my basement to look like Swiss cheese. 

Installation begins.... THANK YOU to our friends at BC Builder's Supply Inc. !!

This GIANT fridge was always in the way of someone, something for weeks. And all the moving it around scraped up the floor. :( But it is awesome to have a GIANT fridge for our food. 

On the other side of our new BFF Tom is our added floor to ceiling pantry that took the place of the wall we removed. What an improvement! We have so much new storage space in the kitchen that entire shelves are empty right now. 

Removal of old counter tops. 

Out with the old.... I am bursting with excitement!

Instead of this ugly glued-on 80's panel of particleboard, we put cabinets on this side of the sink and extended the counter top....

... but we had to keep this weird wall dividing the cabinets because of this pipe wiring. 

The patched wall and new vent in the proper place. 

Our new design of kitchen came from the interior designer at Lowe's. He has his MA in Interior Design and we had a lot of fun with him. I didn't want to mess up this huge investment with my horrible indecision and lack of coordinating colors or something, so I asked him to plan a design based on our floor color and appliances. He suggested the layout, counter top color, cabinet color and door design. We approved and then picked our own sink, faucet, handles, and the new light fixture.

I am hesitant to post pictures of the new cabinets and counter tops because it is not quite done. The back splash tile is not installed yet. We're looking for the right person with the right price to do it. Any suggestions? Despite my hesitations, here is the most recent and updated kitchen:

Thank you to my Uncle Bill for installing the under-counter lighting!! This was a bonus for us; something we were not planning on doing but came together nicely. He even added a third switch on the wall so it is all in the wall. 

I love our new faucet and sink! Deeper sink, higher faucet, pull down sprayer head, and it even came with a soap dispenser pump, which I love! Simple pleasures...

You can just ignore the patchy, holey red wall in the background. That will be covered with the tile below.

Our new light fixture. Ug, the old one was cracked, disgustingly grimy, and SO 80's.

This kitchen always was lacking a pantry, but not anymore! This was the designer's idea to maximize storage without crowding out the dining room too much. 

This is the view from the living room. These cabinets are where I had been sitting and removing the painted panel in the previous picture. 

Although it is not completely finished, we are extremely pleased with the outcomes and updates. This house never had better owners than us; we are so good to her. ;) 

What what do you think of the improvements!?