Today the doctor told us that T's adenoid has shrunk to almost normal size (stage 5 down to stage 1/2). Fortunately, his surgery got postponed and we were able to continue with alternate methods of healing. We've been on a fairly strict diet (GAPS, for those familiar), been using bees wax (which supposedly has some sort of healing power to the nose area), been enjoying fresh air and exercise, and most importantly been praying for healing and wisdom in how to treat T. We're very thankful for T's improvement and are encouraged to continue with his "treatment"!

I'm curious - How do you explain to a small child the difference between "the computer" and "the internet"? My children seem to think that just because we have the computer that we can magically get things off the internet. (Their grandparents don't have internet access at their house.)

I'm thinking it's like trying to explain that just because you have a checkbook or credit card doesn't mean that you have money to buy something. Some abstract concepts are just going to have to wait, I guess.

Happy April to everyone! We're getting ready for a birthday party tomorrow. My big girl just turned 4. Where does the time go??

Not much going on around here. Here are some random notes on our current life:

Thankfully, we seem to be over the latest round of colds - knock on wood!

This week we expect temps just above freezing, with occasional snow. Needless to say, we're all ready for Spring. We have several tomato and pepper plants growing on the window sills and are about to plant some squash and eggplant soon. After repeatedly expressing concern over our grocery bill, my hubby has given me permission to dig up the whole side yard to extend my garden. (Well, I have to leave a walkway.) He even offered to help! :) Last year we only produced enough veges to eat fresh. Perhaps we will have something to can this year?? One can hope!

I bought some seeds for spaghetti squash. I've heard this is good, but I've never tried it. We're not eating grains right now, so I thought this might be a nice substitute. Does anyone have experience growing or cooking this? Any tips?

Baby D is now sitting by himself and is getting ready to take off crawling any day. I'm trying to remember to savor every baby moment. They grow up so fast!! Now, if I can just convince T&K that they need to keep small toys and paper off the floor . . . .

Homeschool Kindergarten is going fairly well, considering the teacher. :) T is learning to read and write in both Czech and English, math, and geography (because he and Daddy just love looking at maps). On paper it doesn't sound like it should take much of our day, but somehow it manages to take all morning just to finish the English part. Hmmmm . . . . . oh yeah, we have Baby D to distract us. We're also big fans of "breaks" between activities.

Little K insists on having her "learning time" too, but she just doesn't have the maturity to do actual "school work". I try to provide her with coloring pages, worksheets and small projects so that she doesn't feel left out. Next month she'll turn 4! Not so little any more. :(

Robert and I are fine. We're trying to keep up with our three active little ones, which is a full-time job. Robert says that he goes to work to rest! :) We were commenting last week about how fast this year is moving. Already March is almost over. Did someone hit fast forward on the clock??

Our GAPS diet is going fairly well. The children and I are on this to hopefully flush out and maybe even eliminate some food sensitivities and who knows what else. This diet focuses on healing the gut, and it removes all grains, refined sugar, and processed foods. The resulting menu is very labor intensive/time consuming, but I'm doing a little better about planning ahead and cooking in bulk. (Unfortunately, my almost-6-year-old eats like a horse, so "bulk" is getting expensive. I dread to see our grocery bill in 10 years!) Fermented foods are also an important part of the diet, so I'm delving into the world of homemade sauerkraut and yogurt.

And if you're wondering what Robert is eating these days . . . . . his old standby, "bread and cheese." Thankfully it's his favorite food, so I always have it available in case he doesn't like what's on the menu! (Yes, "bread and cheese" is one food, according to my husband.)

I wish you all a Happy Easter and look forward to reading your updates soon!


UPDATE: New pictures posted at right. Enjoy!

Hello, everyone!

We have just been told that our 5.5-year-old son needs to have his adenoids removed. His tonsils are apparently fine, but the doctor says that his adenoids are blocking his ear canals. It is affecting his hearing, and thus, speaking. She says that he does not have an infection in his ears, and he never complains of ear aches. He does, however, constantly have copious amounts of junk coming out of his nose. (Sorry if that's TMI.)

When I was 5, my tonsils and adenoids were removed. To this day, I still have all sorts of ear problems, including constant fluid in my middle or inner ear, accompanied by two different tones of ringing. Needless to say, I'm not convinced that adenoid removal is the answer to the problem. It seems like a temporary band-aid.

I have read that diet and probiotics can heal the ears, adenoids, etc., but I'm wondering if anyone has had success with this method. Will diet and probiotics really cause the adenoids to
reduce in size? And if so, how long does it take? My husband hasn't really bought into the idea that diet can heal. He tends to believe whatever mainstream doctors say. I'm hoping I can find some solution other than surgery. Any help/information is appreciated!

In other news, we have recovered from the flu. Except that hubby is sick AGAIN - with flu or cold, I'm not sure. This is the man who never used to get sick. Not sure what's going on around here! :(

We went to see the Czech grandparents last weekend. Ate the Christmas cookies. Yum. Now we're officially on our "healthy" diet. Hopefully we'll all be well soon!

Wonder of wonders, today my 6 1/2 month old son finally decided that he wanted to roll over. Perhaps this isn't all that late based on an average of babies, but his older siblings rolled at 3-4 months. Baby D has had no developmental reason not to roll over - he is balanced and has a strong back. He just didn't *want* to roll over. His doctor said, "Maybe he's just a little lazy?" (Hopefully this will not translate to behavior in teen years.) Personally, I think he's a bit laid-back, and until today there was nowhere he particularly wanted to go. I'll let y'all decide which side of the family he inherited that from. :)

We've been battling the flu around here. Yikes! That's a rough bug to fight. We all had it, but I think we are about 80-90% well now. Yeah! As a side note, warm garlic oil works GREAT on earaches.

Hope you're all having a good week. We hope to go to Babicka's house soon. Had to postpone the originally scheduled trip due to the flu, and my little ones are anxious to see their Czech grandparents after our return from the States. I'm anticipating left-over Czech Christmas cookies that Babicka always saves for us in the freezer. :)