I’ve written lots of encouragement 🙂 here for staying on the GAPS diet and doing everything "just right" (I’m a first born–a rule follower–a perfectionist). Today, I’m writing about how to let the perfection go when you can’t do everything "just right."
This is our second night with 4 precious new children in our home. They are foster placements, we pray, maybe, adoptive placements in the future, but it’s not in our hands. We have four kids of our own, and these kiddos are ages 3 and under. It’s been a little crazy around here the last 2 days. 🙂 Things are not normal, and that’s ok. This is the season that God’s brought us to. This is what we prayed for. And now we’re here. 🙂
I’m thankful that I planned ahead with my 3 Months, No Shopping. I’m stocked up on most things. I had to break it though, and go shopping for the unexpected things. I didn’t know we’d need diapers, and bibs, and a bunk bed, and baby toys. 🙂 I bought (well, my mom picked up & I paid her back) bananas and some pure organic hot dogs for the kids–we want to ease the newbies into our way of eating with some kid friendly, but safe foods.
I even bought baby formula. GASP! Me? Yes. With Farm Princess, I made a raw milk homemade formula (she did FABULOUS on it–her spitty/vomiting days were over once we got her on that and she grew like crazy!). My ideal way of feeding an adopted baby (after trying breastfeeding, of course, which I tried with Farm Princess) involves that very same formula, or maybe the homemade liver based formula or homemade goat’s milk formula…but these aren’t my kids. They’re foster kids. I can’t do whatever I want/can’t do things my ideal way…So yes, several times per day, you will now see my husband or I shaking up a bottle of Similac….our ideals have to go in this situation…
In a normal week, I would have made whole chicken tonight, and I’d have stock going overnight in my crockpot. Not tonight. 🙂 I had zero dinner plans. Didn’t even think about it. Like, totally. forgot. and didn’t defrost anything. Our pastor and his wife, bless them, came over and offered to bring us a couple of rotisserrie chickens, some veggies & salad. AWESOME! Did I make stock out of the bones? Not tonight. Nope. I’m exhausted. My mom even did all of the dishes, kitchen clean up and laundry tonight. And I’m exhausted!!
People from our church have offered to bring us meals. That is amazing. We are BLESSED with a very involved church. People are in each other’s lives, and that’s a good thing! Friends just dropping by (like tonight) because we were on their mind and they wanted to come pray with us). We LOVE IT! So, people are bringing meals–do I expect people to cook GAPS style? Oh goodness. That would be overwhelming to people! So no, this is what I mean–ideals go out the window. We know what impacts our family the most–wheat, corn, sugar, and nuts (2 of us have nut allergies). And that, frankly, is overwhelming enough to lots of people! So–that’s all I said. Will we eat potatoes? With gratefulness. Rice? With joy. We’ll be ok. We’re not going to die. 😉 Today, anyways. 😉 We know that when life calms down a bit (when these kiddos are adjusted and know the routines here and the days are a little less chaotic), we can ease into eating our "ideal" way again….but for now…I can barely go to the bathroom alone (the almost 2 year old does not like me leaving her side, ever.), I’m not sure how I’ll be finding the time to soak and dehydrate seeds, make yogurt, etc…So….will we eat unsoaked seeds? For a season. And buy yogurt? For a season. And that’s ok……Life is happening, and this is the GOOD LIFE, let me tell you!
So there’s my encouragement…eat as healthy as you can where you’re at–in your season. When my boys were 3, 2, and 1, I heard of gluten free, but it seemed overwhelming. GAPS would have been way out of my league in those days. We’re there again. As of tomorrow (there’s a b-day tomorrow), the ages in our home will be 9, 8, 7, 3, 3, 3, 22 months & 6 months. Crazy? Yes. Wonderful? Absolutely. Eat with the seasons: it has double meaning. I’m eating in season, what about you? 🙂
This post was shared at Monday Mania
All I can say is WOW! Eight kids under 10. Four of which are new to the family and possibly only for a short time! You deserve a cooked meal from your church!
Such big changes & blessings, but it sounds like you are taking it all in stride. Praying for you all. Bless you for this post; I needed it! Thanks!
You’re amazing. I’ll be praying for all of you as you ease into your new family dynamic.
your post is a prayer. i got chills reading it. bless you and your entire family for the good works and for reminding us to be flexible.
Brenda –
I am so blessed to know you through this blog! I get so discouraged at times and worried when things are not going the way I planned or hoped for…
Thank you for this reminder that God will get us through and, yes, we will survive – whether in this world or the next.
I really appreciate you and God in you!
Wow! You really have a house full now!
My husband and I are going to be starting fostering classes soon. What an adventure it will be. We’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but my health wouldn’t allow it, now I’m getting better, and we think it’s time to open our home to a child in need. Hubby is scared to death. He wants it, but he’s so afraid he won’t be a good parent. (oh, he couldn’t be anything but! He is such a good man.) I have a healthy fear, after all, we have no children, but I know I have a lot of love to give, and want to help a child….or two. : )
Good luck! You have a great attitude. And a lot of love. I hope things go as smoothly as they possibly can.
wendy
What a great attitude; I love your heart in this post. I’m a GAPS mama, although detouring through SBP right now. Congratulations on the new “members” of the household; all I can think to say is “thanks” for being the hands and feet, and I pray all the best for you and your family.
Wow! I stumbled upon this while looking for turkey recipes! Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve wanted to do GAPS for a while (my 4 children are all sensitive to at least dairy and one of them is sensitive to MANY things). My poor dh has a hard time with the chaos of a diet without those things. I haven’t even told him about GAPS yet, as I think he would be OVERLY overwhelmed. It stresses me out, so I appreciate this post and your family will be in my prayers!
Hi! I am a new subscriber to your blog and new to the GAPS diet. Your blog is a delight!
I am also the mother of six, 1 home grown and five adopted. Two of my children were adopted from Vietnam and our youngest 3 were foster adopted here in the state of NM.
How did your placement turn out? Are things going well for you all?
Reading this post made me remember all the crazy chaos of the days immediately following a foster placement.