Bear with me as I try to give you a brief update with months 2 (possessions) and 3 (waste) before diving into month 4 (food).
Month 2 - Possessions
This month we were to recognize how much stuff/junk we have in our house that we don't need but others do. Our "task" was to pick 7 items per day to give away. We decided to make it a little tougher - Andy and I each had to give away 7 items per day and the girls each had to give away 1 item per day. That equates to 196 items for me... 196 items for Andy... and 28 items each for the girls. So we started plunging into our closets. By day 10 I was able to collect 196 items. By day 10 Andy collected 196 items. God was pleased - but wanted more. We kept going. It is amazing how much stuff we have and could easily do without. I am not a hoarder... I LOVE getting rid of stuff - yet, I had/have way too much. For us, this month is simply an awareness that we have too much while others have too little. It has also made us more aware of when we use the word "need" versus "want". This was a difficult month for the girls. They started off with a lot of complaining... but they finished well. By the end of the month I didn't even have to ask them to pick out their item to donate - they just did it (with a smile on their face). I have loved how this month has impacted them the most... and the impact still remains. They are much more willing to donate stuff... and through the ministry that the Lord has put on our hearts to start (more about that later), they love the impact those items have on others.
Month 3 - Waste
We decided to not make this a "month" but rather start the process of changing the way we live with how we handle "waste" in mind. Let me give you some examples of what we have changed..
- We have added another vegetable garden in our back yard (now we have 3 boxes). We have spinach, onions, tomatoes, chard, cucumbers, herbs, yellow peppers, beets, carrots, radishes, and more.
- We have picked up FREE Starbucks coffee grinds for our soil.
- We purchased a rain bucket to collect rain water to use on our vegetable and flower gardens.
- 90% of the flowers we purchased this Spring for our yard are perennials rather then annuals.
- We planted an apple tree (to represent the seeds we planted into Marina while she was here... allowing us to have the constant reminder to pray for her as well as giving our little ones some closure.) And to bear Fuji apples one day.
- We save our water we use to boil eggs in and water our plants with it - adding to the minerals they need.
- We use cloth napkins and no longer purchase paper ones.
- We don't use paper plates or disposable cups anymore.
- We rarely purchase individually wrapped packages anymore but rather purchase larger containers and divide it into smaller washable/reusable containers. For example - no more individual apple sauce containers... or cheese slices or bags of shredded cheese (buy blocks of cheese for a lot less packaging)... buy in bulk to save on packaging waste!
- I use my reusable grocer bags routinely...and even purchased reusable vegetable bags. Now I don't have 6 plastic bags full of apples, oranges, green beans, etc to throw away when I get home.
- I am aware of the water flow I am using in the kitchen sink when I am cooking or cleaning.
- I tried washing my hair every other day in order to save water and shampoo (less use means less packaging in the recycle bin)... but I only made that happen for about 3 weeks. This mamma likes freshly washed hair!
- We always turn the water off while brushing our teeth rather then letting it run... as well as when we wash our hands.
- We buy local as often as we can. In fact, we have found a farmers market east of Dallas that we can't wait to go to next Saturday. And we are looking forward to our family outing picking blueberries and strawberries. If we can shop locally, that is our first priority - even if it costs a little extra.
- We also frequently buy organic. Yes, I know that with a little vinegar and water you can wash off the pesticides that are on the outside of your fruits and vegetables... but how does that help the earth? And a ton of the pesticides don't just hang onto the outside of our food but penetrate in. Yuck! When I look at the price tags I find myself struggling with this decision so I am not 100% there yet... but working on it! :) It is worth it for our bodies, for our earth, and to support our local markets.
The list could go on and on. Just keeping waste in the back of your mind will help you to make so many better decisions that will help both the environment as well as your pocketbook.
Month 4 - Food
Food... oh sweet yummy food. Chocolate food...sugary food... cheesy food. Do you remember our spending month? We had to give up Domino's, concrete mixers from Culvers, Mexican food from any restaurant. This month has been an extension of that. Not only did we have to give up eating this stuff out, this month we couldn't eat it at all! Let me begin by telling you what we could eat...our "7" items.
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Chicken
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Whole wheat bread
- And for emergency situations (i.e. when we didn't consume enough protein that day) - protein powder
We can also have salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
You may look at that list and think - piece of cake. Now look at that list again and think about it in terms of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 28 straight days. No yummy dressings, no marinades, no dairy which means no cheese, no sugar other then the natural sugar in fruits. Does it still look easy?
Then on top of that, try going out to eat (not going to happen except for Jason's Deli for a salad bar)... or try getting together with your home group for a social or attending a birthday party. Yes, we had to take our own food wherever we went.
It has been a challenging month and a wonderful month. We are excited to see it end (tomorrow is our last day... whoo hoo) but not so that we can go back to the way we ate before - but rather to add some things to our menu. We ate chicken but not that often. We have lost the taste for meat... and would like to eat it minimally when we are done with food month. We love the fact that we haven't eaten anything out of our pantry (where all the processed foods hang out) and would like to keep that up for the most part. However, we look forward to being able to add brown rice, couscous, or even a marinade made from ketchup or dijon mustard to our menu. We look forward to having a glass of wine or a cold beer on a hot day. We look forward to having ice cream with the girls on Tuesday nights for Baskin Robbins Family Night. It has made us so much more aware of what ingredients go into our foods. We want to continue eating pico and guacamole but want to figure out how we can deliver it to our mouths in a healthier way. Next on our project list - making home made whole wheat tortillas and then baking them to a chip. It is becoming more and more about making what we can so that we actually know what we are eating.
When we started this month, we were calling it a "food fast." We have discovered that fast is the wrong word for what we were experiencing. It has been more of a "food discipline." A fast draws you in to a closer intimate place with God - with a purpose. Have we drawn closer to God - absolutely! Have we had any divine revelations - possibly. When we first started the month we found ourselves weighing in 2x per day. Hmmm... that sounds more like a diet then a spiritual journey. After about 10 days we realized we weren't an inch closer to our Savior through this process. So, we put the scale away and started spending time with God each evening after we put the girls to bed. Now it became a much richer experience. It was during these times that Andy and I realized that this wasn't a "fast." Instead it was an exercise of discipline. We did something we felt we were being led to do... something that I never thought I could do in a million years. And in all honesty, I couldn't... but with the power and grace of the Holy Spirit I could... and did. We also recognized that we would like to participate in a purposeful fast at some point - when we feel led to do so. We look forward to what that means for us individually and together - especially now that we understand the discipline that goes into it now.
How have the girls responded? They are so on board with this 7 month journey that it tickles me. They get it... they understand what we are doing and don't complain about it at all. They are not participating fully this month - they still ate turkey sandwiches for lunch and cereal/oatmeal for breakfast but they ate what we ate for dinner. Which consisted of a lot of veggies and fruit. Even if they didn't like it - they ate it. I am so proud of them... just incredibly proud... my heart is so full! They tasted our green smoothies - drank our veggie juices - ate our pico stuffed mushrooms and lots of grilled vegetables. We were able to have wonderful conversations about our bodies and how God wants us to treat them as His temples. My girls are now constantly asking if something is a "processed food." Once again - I get all giddy to see how the Lord is working through them during this journey.
A couple final thoughts -
- It has been wonderful to see that the months we have already experienced continue to impact us. Because of spending month in February, we were not "able" to eat at any restaurants... including fast food. It is now the end of May and I still haven't eaten at a fast food restaurant!!! And better yet, Milana still hasn't either (other then an ice cream the other night while we were at a church meeting) - and Marbella has only 2x - once with Grammy and once I took her some McDonalds for lunch as a treat (I took my own salad). It is kind of like someone who quits smoking while she is pregnant... why would you start back smoking after having stopped for 9 months. If we went without fast food for an entire month, why would we start back. If we have gone without dairy, sugar, and processed foods for a month, why we would go back to the way we once ate?
- Andy became the cook in our house during this month. He deserves credit for his creativity this month and research at finding new recipes and ways for us to continue this journey well beyond May 28th. Thank you honey!!!
Next month - Clothing! Hmmm - what 7 items of clothing will I be wearing next month??? Will post more on that soon (hopefully :)) as well as more information regarding the new ministry!
Love, Karin
