Mission update

I'd like to track any progress our family has made in the last few months in our attempt to lead a healthier life; spirit, soul, and body. Here is a quick run down of our areas of development:

Eating: Home cooked meals are occurring much more frequently due to my staying home instead of working. I've been eager to try new recipes and include a variety of ingredients. With the fall, it has brought out a desire for more soups, roasted vegetables and more meat. We have been going to the farmer's market where we purchased grass-fed beef and lamb. Our garden has responded fabulously to the rain, so more vegetables are sitting in our backyard awaiting their recipe. Overall rating: 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being outstanding); we could stand to eat out a little less than we have been.

Stress: Given the high rate of stress we have been under, things are going much better. Russ is able to focus on school, I focus on the needs of the kids and household. Afternoons are full of homework and dinner prep, and the kids' activities are extremely limited. Weekends are spent in relaxation and not on the soccer field (a nice reprieve). Overall rating: 9; handling things better than a month ago.

Health: The overall health of family has been good. We did have a bout with an intestinal parasite in our girls (caused by close quarters at school and undisciplined hand washing). Russ and I have been going to acupuncture to work on some chronic pain we both had, and have experienced over a month pain free. (What a welcome relief!) There's been some other great benefits to our treatment as well, but I'm a shy girl and wont tell you! We have not been exercising the way we'd like to, so weight loss has been nill. Overall rating: 6; still feel tired and crave caffeine plus I've got a head cold right now, winter weight gain has begun as well.

Daily Habits: Bedtime routine has officially been conquered! With two kids in the reading age, and another preschooler, Bedtime stories are at a critical point. Last month we read Narnia as a group, now we're on to Mouse and the Motorcycle. We follow it with the big kids reading out loud and a short story to the little one. This process takes a good hour to complete, but when done right, they fall asleep instantly. (Oldest daughter had a problem falling asleep, but now with brushing her long mane while she reads to me, followed by a lavender lotion back massage, she's dropping off to sleep pronto.) Overall rating: 8; some times we run late, and it's cut short or skipped.

Organization: We have made huge strides in the home organization department. The garage was cleared out and is staying clean, the game room got an overhaul and is now a dedicated kids artist studio, and one cabinet at a time is getting in order throughout the house. The best part is that we are moving into the maintenance phase of organization. Things are not slowly regressing as they tend to do- we are on top of it! Yeah! Overall rating: 9; everything could stand to be a little better, but ship-shape for my lax standards.

Spirituality: I hate to measure this in terms of tasks, because that rarely translates into a strong spiritual life. But, Russ has conquered a inner battle with school and is doing better than ever thanks to a change in spiritual thinking. We are experiencing a peace beyond understanding, and that is no doubt in relation to the prayers from our friends and family during this time. I would like to take more time to do a bible study, and less time focusing on daily tasks. Overall rating: 7; not quite where we'd like to be, but still mindful of the movements of God in our lives.

Soul: I have taken up a new hobby of reading. I never enjoyed reading much, but now, the library is our big friend (especially after I paid off that gargantuan late fee). I enjoy reading books on food and ecology, the dreams of our farm are cropping up again, and who knows, maybe we can carve a way in our path to get there. The point is: We are all dreaming, we are thinking beyond our current circumstances to a life down the road. It's motivating and exciting. The best part: today still looks good- it isn't just the future when we will be blessed. Overall rating: 9; we can't complain- life is good.