Embarking

Wow, it has been a long time.

I keep meaning to write a post, as this or that important life event comes along and demands to be recorded or shared…but then something else always comes along and prevents the writing.

Like a new baby, a new diet, an education decision, a new editing project, a christening, a family visit.  Life has been busy.

But I fully intend to keep up now, for a few reasons.  Firstly, we are embarking on a new diet that is very important to our family…the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet.   For some time now, we have been on a gluten-free, mostly whole foods, mostly organic and local diet.  (I address this at length in another post.)  But this past week, we have taken the plunge even further into GAPS.  What does this mean for us?  It means not only no gluten, but no grains at all; no sugar; no potatoes, sweet potatoes, artificial sweeteners, soy, hydrogenated oils, and the list goes on and on.  It has been an overwhelming step, and one long and carefully considered and studied; but the results of the diet when used with children with issues similar to Little Guy’s (SPD and multiple developmental delays, digestive issues, food sensitivities) are so overwhelmingly positive that it seemed wrong NOT to give it a try.  Plus, Hubby could use some weight loss for work, and I could use some help losing my baby weight from Baby #2, and with the hormonal imbalances I’ve been noticing since then.  So we can all benefit.  This past week marked our official start.  Tuesday, I cleansed the house of all GAPS-prohibited items.  All flours (including all remainders of my expensive gluten-free flours!) went in the trash.  Anything with sugar, ditto.  We had spent the week before using up all prohibited vegetables, rice, and a few other pantry items, so really the cleanse was not as difficult as it could have been.  And Wednesday was our first day on the diet.  So far, it has been going well; everyone seems to have found at least a few things that really work for them, and while I have been cooking/culturing/baking pretty much round the clock, it has been an overall positive experience.

So my plan (assuming I can manage my time well) is to record our GAPS journey here, complete with (hopefully) weekly menu plans.  I always enjoy reading the menu plans that others post, for inspiration and ideas; and hope to provide the same.

Oh yes…Baby #2.  I suppose that in my catch-up/new beginnings post, she really does deserve at least a paragraph to herself.  🙂  Baby V was born March 17th, after a hard, fast, completely natural labor.  (And by fast, I mean FAST….my contractions started at eight p.m., and she was born at 11:55!) She is now four and a half months old, and is just the happiest, calmest baby I have ever met.  She loves everybody, especially her big brother; she adores hearing her daddy sing; she gives me the most beautiful smiles in the morning when she wakes up….and she really, really, really loves to nurse. I can’t go anywhere without getting comments on what a plump little girl she is.  She is truly the light of our lives, and we can already hardly imagine our household without her.  (Plus, I am getting more reading done while nursing her than I’ve been able to in a long time.  Nothing liked hours of forced immobility to help with much-needed reading time!)

Which brings me to Goal #2 for this blog: to keep all my dear family and friends updated on Baby V’s development and accomplishments.

And Goal #3 has to do with our next important life change.  This coming Monday will mark our official first day of homeschool kindergarten.  This has been a long and labored decision…well, series of decisions, actually.  With the various things Little Guy has going on, we have known for quite a while that public school was not going to be the best fit for him; and when we moved to this area and learned about the local school systems and their less-than-ideal accommodation for children with learning differences, there was absolutely no doubt in our minds: we were going to homeschool.  That decision made, I had to move on to choosing a type of curriculum that would work best for him, both bringing out his abilities in a nurturing manner, and helping him with his delays.  After much careful consideration, I decided on a primarily Waldorf-based approach, with some Charlotte Mason philosophy mixed in.  Going from there, and moving slowly with lots of study, phone calls, and careful comparison, I ended up choosing Oak Meadow’s kindergarten curriculum.  It is a holistic, Waldorf-inspired, child-centric, delayed academics, activity-based approach…which I think will be PERFECT for Little Guy.  It will help him with his delayed motor skills, and play on his storytelling, story-loving strengths.  I have been working through the (very inspiring!) teacher materials, and am all ready to start with him this Monday morning.  We will be supplementing the curriculum with Charlotte Mason based reading, narration, and nature study; the Explode the Code phonics series (Oak Meadow doesn’t start reading in kindergarten, but Little Guy is ready to move in that direction); and Straight Talk II, a home-based speech t herapy program.  We are so very excited!  I am planning to give weekly updates on our homeschooling activities and progress.

I had intended to write more, but again, life intervenes.  Hubby and Little Guy are home from their trip to the local Circus Museum; Baby V is up from her nap and happily squealing on my bed; and I need to start on dinner.   Till next time…