Year End Recap -- Change was in the Air

2016 is already a memory.  I can hardly believe it.  This blog has evolved from a chronicle of life in a house with kids at home to a blog designed to keep family and friends up to date as our family has grown and spread its wings!  2016 seemed to personify this evolution in a way I could never have anticipated at the beginning of the year. 


The complexity of a maintaining a family blog when everyone in the family is now an adult is a delicate dance between sharing news and progress and protecting the privacy of the family members...fewer pictures, fewer funny anecdotes which might embarrass, but still trying to sharing important events.


Last things first.  Christmas came off without a hitch and everyone had a terrific time.  Santa did a terrific job of picking gifts for the kids and  I managed to meet my goal of making hand made gifts for friends and family (on time - which means packages got mailed early, not at the 11th hour).  Christmas cards were mailed in middle December (!), all of the presents were wrapped by the 23rd, and I managed to pull off Christmas breakfast for the kids and some friends and Christmas dinner (for 11!).  I was actually pretty impressed with myself.


Superman went from working locally in the beginning of the year to working overseas by mid-summer...this time, however, he's not a contractor, he's an employee of a multinational corporation.  For us, that simply means that his doesn't find a new job every year and, as long as he likes this company, he can move within the company.  His current assignment runs through August 2018, so we know where he'll be until then.  Superman loves his job and this is old hat to the rest of the family, so while it is not your typical set up, it works for us.


Charming has been running, and running, and running...and when he's not running, he's plotting and planning a move to the west side of the state for sometime this spring.  After being at the same company for five years, he's looking to make a change both professionally and geographically.  Truthfully, I can't decide what to hope for:  Should I hope he finds a fantastic job here in town or should I hope he finds a fabulous job on the west side?  So, I just hope he finds something he likes and have faith it will be the right next step for him.


In December, Valiant moved out and into a place with his girlfriend, taking over the reigns of his life.  It is so exciting watching him make his way out of the family home.  He's bought a truck and sold the same truck (all in 2016) and he bought himself a project car which is his 2017 project.  (That car, he left behind our fence...not exactly room for a project car in apartment parking!)   Valiant's life has moved beyond the family home...now it is consumed by his relationship, his job, his apartment, and his project car.  His girlfriend and her family are lovely...they joined us for Christmas dinner and it was a blast.  We figure any girl who can just roll with the weirdness that is the Nagle5 is a good girl to have around.


Buttercup is halfway through her senior year in high school...and is also well into her second year at the local junior college through the Running Start program.  She has been throwing javelin for her high school and is looking forward to doing it for one more season.  Her favorite class is ceramics and this spring she's decided to master throwing on the wheel.


And then there is me...with the kids almost all grown up, you'd think I'd have plenty of free time, but with Superman overseas and both boys moved out and Buttercup busy with two schools and a job, the house maintenance and pet maintenance is left for me.  (Pro tip:  don't let your second son move out of the family home until spring, otherwise you're the one left doing the shoveling when it snows...just saying!)  So, when I'm not shoveling, cleaning, worrying about cars, or heading to the gym, I'm sewing or embroidering.  In addition to helping out my friend at Piping and Pleats, this fall I really dug in and learned all about the embroidery side of my sewing machine and it made me love my machine even more.  If you want to follow my sewing adventures, I've started a separate blog:  www.seamsbyerin.com to chronicle my journey.   In addition to sharing many of my fall sewing projects (now that the recipients have opened their gifts), I've committed 2017 to be the year I sew clothes I actually WANT to wear.


So, time keeps marching on and, while the story is ever changing, it continues.  Coming up next:  The Nagle5 (plus 1 - the girlfriend!) will be together again when Superman comes home on leave this spring and we will be heading to California and, before you know it, June will be here and Buttercup will be graduating from high school. 


In the meantime, the frigid temperatures are supposed to give way to snow tomorrow night, so I'll be back manning the shovel!


Happy 2017!

It Really Is Enough...

Over the past few years, I've watched as my children chart their adult courses, trying to determine what they'll want their adult lives to look like.  It's fascinating.  One dreams of wealth and one secretly dreams of writing the "Great American Novel"...pretty typical stuff.  But one of my kids wonders why modest dreams are discouraged.  Why is it that we can't aim to have a job that allows us to provide well enough?  Are dreams only worth pursuing if they're flashy?  Do we really have to "go big or go home"?


This blog post by A Life In Progress is bouncing around FB right now and this blogger tackles the same issue, far more eloquently than I. "What if I all I want is a small, slow, simple life? What if I am most happy in the space of in between. Where calm lives. What if I am mediocre and choose to be at peace with that?  But what if I just don’t have it in me. What if all the striving for excellence leaves me sad, worn out, depleted. Drained of joy. Am I simply not enough?" Interestingly, the comments on the post are as powerful as the post itself.  She is not alone.  There are a lot of us asking the same questions about life. 


It seems to me that we need to start asking ourselves what definition of excellence we're using?  What definition of successful are we measuring ourselves against?  What value judgment are we placing the adjectives we use to define our lives?  Why are words such as "small", "simple", "plain", and "humble" deemed negative?  When we flip a coin, one side is not inherently better than the other, so why are we judging our lives in such a manner? 


I have loved being a stay-at-home mom.  Seriously.  I love this simple, unexciting-to-many life.  I don't dream of huge purchases (although the carpet is pretty bad!) or a lavish lifestyle.  I can't even imagine myself living that way.  I love my old car, it does the job for me.  I love CrossFit, even though I suck at it.  I love sewing, even though I still haven't made my own wardrobe.  I love having all these animals (four dogs, two cats, three birds, and one hamster, at last count!), even though it feels chaotic at times.  I love having time for my family and friends (although my sister and I really need to live in the same time zone!) and for learning new things and making friends where I live and being part of the community.   I especially love my family, even though they're crazy making at times.  I love myself, even though I'm not young or beautiful or skinny or cellulite-free.    


Before I lived this life, I was a secretary.  I loved that job, too...I love being behind the scenes, helping everyone stay on track.  I never wanted to be the Big Boss...I just liked making the Big Boss's life easier.  I've always been this way, as far back as I can remember.  I liked working at McDonald's when I was 16, I liked being a receptionist when I was 17, I liked being a hostess at a restaurant when I was 19, and I liked being a dispatcher for small company when I was 22.  I like When I was a very little girl, I wanted to be a nurse, never a doctor, because doctor's rushed in and rushed out, while nurses stayed to take care of the patients.  I've always wanted to be the caretaker.  It's just who I am and it is good. 


When I remember I like who I am, and ignore the messages of "not enough" the world sends, life falls into place.  My family is happy, my household hums, my spirit sings, and I have joy and friendship to share.  


So, as I counsel my child who is going to be rich, I say, "May I have a small guest house on your estate?".   


When I talk with the one who is secretly dreams of writing something that will be received with worldwide acclaim, I say, "Keep writing...you've always loved it."   


And, as I counsel a child who wonders if modest is enough, I have to say, "Yes, it really is enough".  


We need the modest and we need the flashy.  We need the quiet and we need the loud.  We need the chaos and we need the calm.  And we need everything in between.  There is a place for each of us, if we're brave enough to fight for it.

Neglected, but not forgotten...

My blog has been neglected for the past two years (at least!), while I got on with navigating this thing called life.  Before my eyes, my children went from children to adults (almost completely) and what they wanted and, importantly, needed from me changed drastically.  There were growing pains for us all.  Here's the thing:  I've loved being a stay-at-home mom.  I know not everyone does and that's okay, but for me, I've loved it.  I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be and where I wanted to be.   I never resented the opportunity costs associated with staying home. 


Change is inevitable and unavoidable and, if I'm honest, to be desired.  After all, if I've done my job correctly, my children will be independent, capable individuals who will not need me to wait in the wings, managing their lives from the shadows.  And, if the past few years have been any indication, I've done a terrific job.  My children are fascinating individuals, each charting a different path, as they wind their way toward adulthood.  I couldn't be more proud of them for bravely charting their courses (and I'm pretty proud of myself for letting go of the reins so they could!).  They've taught me so much...I continue to be transformed by the privilege of raising them.


A quick recap of the kids, and then they won't be here much (adult privacy and all that!):  Charming has been living out of the house for almost 6 years and will be 25 next month.  He's a terrific person who is teaching himself piano and programming in his free time...oh, and he's getting ready to run his first half-marathon.  Valiant is going to be 20 next month and is a Junior at EWU with a goal to finish with two degrees (one in Mechanical Engineering and one in Physics)...yeah, he didn't get that from me.  When he's not at school or work, he's contemplating Descarte or religion and is active in his church.  Buttercup will be 17 in two months...she's attending both the local junior college (through Running Start) and our local high school, where she throws javelin and does all sorts of creative things with pottery.  When she's not at school or work, she can be found tooling around in her little truck, most likely headed to or from one gym or another, or headed off to a sporting event.  (Oh, yeah, she's pretty darned pleased by the Carolina Panthers right now...she's a fan.)


So, back to my blog...now that you know where I've been, I hope you'll forgive my absence.  I have been doing so much, I'm eager to get back to sharing it with you.  Random thoughts, sewing projects (I'm pretty proud of my progress!), my CrossFit fails (a shoulder injury a few years ago seriously derailed me...still no pull-up, darn it!!), mostly grain-free recipes (Amish Baked Oatmeal is still a morning favorite--haven't given up oats entirely!), DIY, and anything else that occurs to my blogging mind.


Anyway, to the people who asked (last year!) where I got the wheels for my New Craft Table, my husband just found them at Home Depot.  They're nothing special, you could use any that will support the weight of your table.


That's it for now...have a great day!

Food for Thought

"Very well, then, let us live while we live, and enjoy to the fullest whatever of adventure or pleasure each new day brings, since any day may be our last, and we shall be dead for a considerable while."
                                                           
                                                                                    -Jefferson Turck
                                                                                                The Lost Continent by
                                                                                                Edgar Rice Burroughs

Think Two Years Doesn't Make Much of a Difference?

Have you noticed how, as you've gotten older, time sees to fly at a pace even faster than you remember it going by?  Have you put off things for a few months until you realize its been two years?  Let me give you an example:  You say to yourself, "Maybe I should clean out my closet.  There are some things I haven't worn in a few months."  Still, it isn't high on your priorities and so you put it off.  One thing leads to another and you end up with clothes in your closet you haven't worn in ten years.  On the one hand, it is no big deal.  On the other hand, how many things like this happen in our lives?  We're going to start eating better, we're going to start working out regularly, we're going to read more books, watch less television.  We're going to tackle "that" room or our finances, we're going to write this letter or call that person, and we don't quite get around to it.  After all, life is busy...and it really is.  So, we think we'll do it next week...next month...next year.  Before we know it, a few years have gone by and, since there is no such thing as "staying the same", we're actually falling behind in our own lives.
Think it doesn't matter?  Think two years doesn't make a difference?  I can show you just what a difference a few years can make.

Here is what our two younger kids looked like when Superman began contracting overseas in January 2010.

Here is what they looked like when he headed back to work this month (January 2012), exactly two years later.

Valiant has lost that "little boy" look and has gone from being substantially shorter than Superman to actually being taller than Superman.  Buttercup has transition from a little girl to a young lady and has grown at least five inches, too.  Time has marched on...and measuring the changes in our children help us mark its passage more clearly than anything else I can imagine.

Still think you can afford to let years past without making progress in your life?  I beg to differ.  Your life is happening right now.  Make sure you're participating fully.

We've turned our lives upside down...

Almost six years ago, Superman and I left Southern California in an effort to transform our lives.  Looking back over the past five and a half years, I'd say we've done just that. 

With this journey has come quite a few surprises, though.  Five years ago, I committed to learn to cook from scratch.  I through (oops!) threw myself into it.  I got good enough that I could purge the vast majority of processed foods from our diet.  I actually became quite good at home-made bread, all kinds of baked goods, and could hold my own planning dinners around the vegetables from our own garden.  Sounds good, right? 

Well, it wasn't.  Despite purging the processed foods, using whole grains, and serving my family home-made meals rich in vegetables, we were struggling to maintain healthy weights.  Our energy was erratic.  Our sleep wasn't restorative.  Frankly, we weren't thriving the way I, as the mother, wanted us to.   But I was out of options...I didn't know where to turn next.  So, I did what ever self-respecting blogger does...I searched the blogosphere for help.


I started reading more and more about food...First, I found Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon introduced me to a new way of looking at food and health, but I wasn't a devotee...it didn't quite feel right.  Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot that I still apply, but it just didn't fit.  I was using "good fats" and I was trying to make sure we had clean food whenever I could.  Nothing really changed.  We were still bordering on chubby.  We joined Gold's Gym and kept at it.  Nothing really changed.  I didn't want to raise chubby children...I felt like I was failing.

I kept reading.  Eventually, I came across Mark's Daily Apple...a blog by Mark Sisson, the author of the Primal Blueprint.   I was so confused.  Primal living?   What was primal living?  Could this really be the answer I was looking for?  I kept reading and found myself even more perplexed.  The Paleo Solution:  The Original Human Diet?  Going paleo?  What had I stumbled upon?  I kept reading...

That was in February and since then, we've turned our lives upside down.  We've given up all grains...all of them.  Even the kids have jumped on board.  So, all those recipes I spent these past five years learning?  I can't use them.  Whole grain vs. all-purpose? Irrelevant.  Corn, Quinoa, Rye, Barley, Oats?  None.   Fusilli or spaghetti?  No, thanks.  Dairy is pretty much gone, but we still have cheese.

So, what do we eat?  Meat, Eggs, Fat (Coconut Oil, Ghee, Avocados), Vegetables and Fruit.  In February, we bought a Blendtec blender...we have a lot of smoothies...  We eat a lot of stuff that we've been told would make us fat and yet, we're not pushing chubby anymore.  In fact, I'm thinner than I've been in forever.  Buttercup is no longer complaining about her 12-year old body, and Valiant is quite trim.  My skin has cleared up.  My hair looks better.  Oh, and I'm sleeping really well.  (Hey, a good night's sleep is priceless!)

My results seemed almost miraculous...too easy to be true.  No counting calories, no crazy workouts (in fact, we barely went to the gym until three weeks ago, but that is another post), no weird food combinations.  We just gave up all grains and upped our protein intake and the weight came off.

I was so jazzed, I told my friends.  Two of them decided that they'd give it a try.  I like to think my results were visible, but I know my enthusiasm and energy was persuasive.   One friend has lost seven pounds in roughly a month (with no exercise) and another friend has lost four pounds in her first week.

All of this sounded so crazy to me, I didn't even know how to blog about it.  It seemed too much like a trick, like magic.  it is not...it is just a new/old way of looking at the way we fuel our bodies.   It might not be right for you, but I'm convinced that for my family, this is the answer we've been looking for.  The war I've been waging with my body is over, and it won.  I'm giving it the fuel it wants and it is rewarding me by giving me the shape I want...at 47!  35 years of body war over in three months.

Now we'll be sharing new kinds of recipes...sharing the successes and failures...especially sharing what works with kids, too.  We're looking at food in a whole new way...definitely turning our lives upside down.  I hope you'll come along for the ride.