I'm Sonja and I am a Stay-at-Home Mom Managing a Small Business, a Family, and Lupus. This is How I Stay Grounded.
After a short conversation with my husband this morning, I realized what I believe to have been a missed opportunity: the opportunity to give God the glory for what our country is experiencing.
Why are there no laying of hands by the evangelical pastors or praying and fasting in front of the White House- without ceasing? Why haven’t we seen ANY representation from our Christian leaders while the president is going through this illness aside from the occasional social media video?
Was their presence in the White House (pre-Covid) merely a photo op?
It seems that the only time we see or hear of Christianity is when it benefits either the president or the pastors. When evangelicals wanted to choose judges – they were there. When evangelical pastors wanted a part of the stimulus package – we saw them. When they wanted to get to choose a Supreme Court Justice – we saw them. But where are they now?
Our country is going through a pandemic that is responsible for almost a quarter of million deaths in the United States, a recession, high unemployment numbers and an infected and irrational president. We have the largest racial divide this country has seen in half a century and climate changes, which are ravaging every side of this country.
We’re so used to depending on our nation’s intelligence and top scientists to help lead us out of most of these emergencies, but this is above us now. Our “ship” seems rudderless. We don’t know who to trust in our government, the media, or even our neighbors. So this would’ve have been the best time to hear God’s holy word on the largest platform in the world. Can you imagine if they had put God first?
We need prayer. We need to call on Him as a collective – for guidance, comfort and peace. It is our duty as Christians to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” ~ (2 Timothy 2:15) Now is not the time to be silent.
Let’s also give God the glory right now for bringing us out of this. Let’s praise Him right where we are for giving us another day to get it right. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Pray for one another and pray that our country can heal and that no more lives will be lost as a result of ego, incompetence, or irrationality. We need to pray for our pastors, our politicians, our neighbors and our planet.
It’s not too late to get it right. Even if they don’t show up, we should.
I have been struggling to find the perfect fit when it comes to finding part-time, work from home employment. For me, it is much easier to find employment in a brick and mortar business and just as easy to find part time, but looking for a flexible, permanent, part-time, work-from-home job – has not proven an easy task for me.
I need flexibility because I invest so much of my time into my children and their activities. In addition, I have to make accommodations due to my disability. I can’t lift heavy things or sit/stand for long periods. I also cannot be outside in extreme weather- so yeah – my opportunities are limited.
I have continued to focus on growing my own business during my job search however, by making jewelry, painting, and writing. It can be so disheartening when the money just doesn’t come in fast enough. I try not to get discouraged, because I still get a pension check and of course, my husband – but it’s nothing like working to get what you want. Sometimes, I break down and allow myself to cry but then I pick myself right back up and pray and work as hard as I can. I am researching new ways to “enlarge my territory” and finding new networking opportunities to increase the traffic to my store, Lfieldscreations.etsy.com.
My husband, having seen me trying as hard as I could for additional employment and working hard every day to create items for my store, did something I was not expecting. It happened on the day where I was about to break down again but instead prayed and asked the Lord for guidance because I wanted to make sure that what I was doing was what God wanted me to do. Then, I received an email copy from my husband:
It was letting me know that “my” Cricut Maker was on the way! I cried like a baby! I mean – ugly cried. To have someone believe in me and support me in the ways that he has shown me – setting up both my business and crafting offices, installing a landline, and now buying a Cricut! I am so grateful and excited! This is confirmation for me. I have been watching Youtube videos and writing notes preparing myself for the day that I could afford it. I wanted to be ready to go whenever I got it. My friend Sarah and I talked about it all the time about what we would do when one of us got one…and now I do. I can’t wait to start our craft days.
God is so good and His goodness knows no limits. I give Him all the glory. Love yall.
I ask for the Lord to use me daily -to be a light for others to see His goodness. I also ask for the Lord to bless my creativity. My heart is always in the right place, just not my head and for that reason, I have made a very costly error in not moving when the Spirit tells me to move.
A year ago, I was blessed with an idea that could make a huge impact in the world. I only told my husband about it because I didn’t want anyone else to steal the idea. I worked on it for about a week, but allowed my finances to be an excuse to not continue. I looked for patents – none were found – not even pending. I knew that I would have to hire an attorney and then pay for the patents. The costs seemed to keep piling up, so to add another bill was just not a smart thing to do (flesh talking). But God gave me that idea, right? I knew the Lord wouldn’t bring me that far and leave me. So, I did the easy parts; bought the supplies, created a journal to document the ideas over time and I even tried to make it myself. Then, I put it all in a drawer and left it alone.
Some time later, my husband asked what I was going to do with my idea. I told him that I needed help with drawing. He told me to try it on my own. He told me to add the free apps to help me with drawing. So I tried. I worked on it for another week or so, then lost interest.
I always kept in the back of my head, thinking…”I need to work on that” but then, I didn’t for one reason or another -“It’s too expensive,” “I don’t have time,” and “It’s no longer needed.”
Late last night, I opened my facebook page and what was staring at me in my face? The idea the Lord gave to me. Except, it didn’t have my name on it…deservedly so. It was on a major news website. I couldn’t even be upset. I could not even cry. It was my own fault. The Lord supplied my needs according to my faith, but as it said in James 2:14-26, “Faith without works is dead.” He handed me bread to eat because I was hungry, but I didn’t eat because I was too lazy to lift my hand to my mouth.
I can only pray that I do better when given another opportunity.
I decided to write about it today because I believe it’s important to share my trials just as I share my testimonies and so others dont make the same mistake. Keep the faith, keep praying and keep going- don’t quit.
When I feel like my physical is completely derailing – weight gain, inflammation, and pain from lupus – I know that is time re-think my dietary needs. For just over a year or so, I have tried out the Auto Immune Protocol (AIP) diet to try and ascertain my lupus triggers. It could be weather, mental or physical stress or what I’m eating or any combination of the above.
I have tried many different diets, but the most successful one thus far is the AIP diet. It’s the most restrictive but a life changer nonetheless. I found out that my biggest trigger is sugar, so I try to avoid it as much as possible when I’m on the AIP diet. The only sugars that I consume during this time are natural sugars in fruits, in which two fruit servings are allowed per day. That seems odd, but it works but I am able to eat as many vegetables (not including nightshades) as I want.
So, the way it works is that you eliminate foods and then slowly reintroduce them into your diet after a set amount of time to find out what you’re sensitive to or what your triggers are. For me, I was successful for twenty-one days straight my first time. I read somewhere that if you do something for that long, it becomes a habit. Well, it was a habit until the holiday came around and I was expected to bake cakes and rolls and when I ate some of the cake, I felt sick. I had migraines and felt nauseous. I hadn’t felt like that in a long time before that, so I knew it had to be the cake. But, if you fall off one day, just start over the next meal.
Here is a copy of the list I located of which foods to enjoy and those to avoid :
There are tons of lists, books and recipes on the internet, though this was the easiest list to understand. I’ve also joined several groups on Facebook which promote AIP diets for those with Chronic Illnesses. I would advise anyone trying it for the first time, to read as much about it as possible and speak with your doctor before trying it.
I’m on my Day #4 this time. I just ate a huge salad with lettuce, cranberries, and baked chicken and I can eat as much as I want…as long as it’s on the list. I can’t guarantee that you will lose weight and feel wonderful, but I have every time that I’ve been on it.
Well, good luck and I’m hoping this helps someone. 
As you probably know already, I’m a stay-at-home mom. That means when spring break for the kids rolls around – my mommy duties increase dramatically. There is no break for me. There are more meals to make, clothes and dishes to wash and my “me” time is eliminated entirely.
I thought that at least this time around would be different. My son isn’t home and it’s just me, my husband and my five year old daughter. HOWEVER… on day one of spring break, my daughter complained of an earache. So, I of course decided to try some home remedies and prayer because I was not trying to sit in anybody’s hospital for nine hours. I tried the essential oils on cotton I found on Pinterest. I tried the neck massage I found on YouTube. I even tried the steamy bath water. It worked…for one night. But then, the next morning, my baby girl woke up with her eyes stuck together. Now mind you, the school had been sending paperwork about children having pink eye in school since September but so far, it hadn’t affected my daughter…that is, until this week – spring break.
So, off to the doctor’s office we went. Turns out, she had a double ear infection and two pink eyes…(because one just won’t do for a princess.) She couldn’t see or hear me. Poor thing – although, I’m not sure which of us to whom I’m referring. We received her prescriptions, came home and started to work on her right away.
Today, she’s much better. Her hearing isn’t back 100% yet, but at least she doesn’t have crusty eyes. Spring break is almost over and I haven’t gotten much work done nor have I had any time to myself, but my daughter is feeling better. That’s really what matters to me. It should also be noted that she isn’t in school to pass along the germ that she’d received from that petri dish they call kindergarten either, so maybe the cycle is broken. Perhaps my daughter saved the school from shutting down entirely due to a pink eye epidemic (my words). Maybe, just maybe she saved other parents from having to take off work and take their children out of school to care for them for a few days. 
My child is a hero.
So I guess it has been a pretty good spring break after all.
I was having the conversation at the studio the other day with some of the dance parents about how our kids love to hug each other. Whenever they see each other, it’s like they haven’t seen each other in years. They can’t stop hugging, holding hands and giggling but they’ve only known each other for a few months. One parent told me that hugging isn’t even allowed at her daughter’s school – because touching others is not permitted.
It hit me and the other parents simultaneously. Why can’t adults do the same thing? Why can’t we just go up to people who look interesting and ask them to be our friends? Our kids do it all the time and it works. We have so many hang ups and prejudices and misconceptions about people we don’t even know. I’m sure we’ve missed out on so many possible friendships by being afraid of the unknown. When did that end? 
My daughter entered preschool two years ago and met the most amazing little girl. They are “besties” to this day. Although they now go to separate schools, they keep in touch by phone, Facetime, with play dates and Girl Scouts. The friendship is so pure and innocent.
I was also blessed with a friend because by our daughters becoming so close, her mom and I have established an amazing friendship. They’re part of our family. I don’t believe I would have met her otherwise, which is sad. However, I’m thankful to know her and her family. 
So now, I plan to be more open to speaking with people in the airport, at the grocery store or at my daughter’s activities because I never know what type of interesting people I may be missing out on. Now, my quest for you today is to go out and make a new friend.
The world needs more love.
First things first. I recently became an Amazon Affiliate because my husband and I buy something from Amazon at least once a week and I figured – I might as well get paid. I don’t really get out much to shop unless it’s for groceries so, I do most of my shopping via Amazon. It’s so much easier to point and click and receive what I ordered in two days than it is to find a parking spot at the local mall.
Anyway, I was in Target last week looking for t-shirts for my daughter. They only have miniature bras now for little girls. My daughter is five so…no. I opened up my trusty dusty laptop and headed to Amazon. I was initially going to purchase some Hanes tanks for girls as usual, but then ran across some great reviews for Feathers . 
I had NEVER heard of Feathers camis for girls, but decided to try them. (Amazon Prime provides a great return policy.) I received them two days later as guaranteed and let me tell you… They are amazing! My daughter has a long torso and they fit her to a “t.” (See what I did there?) I bought the butterfly printed ones and the plain whites. They are super soft – my daughter calls them “snuggly.” I’m hooked. So, if you’re shopping around for little girls camisoles – just check out Feathers.
I’d take a pic of her in her cami – but that’s weird, so no. LOL
Lupus has a way of masking itself as other ailments. In the past, I’ve had to go to opthamologists because I briefly lost sight in my eyes. They said it was swelling, gave me some medicine and told me to come back in a few days. When I lost hearing in both my ears, the audiologist said it was swelling in my ears, gave me some medicine and told me to come back in a few days. Once, my heart felt as if it was going to explode. It felt like it was too big for my chest (only way to define the pain). The emergency room physician said the tests determined that my heart was fine, the EKG didn’t show anything but gave me some Dilaudid and sent me home. It was if I’d made it up in my head, but I didn’t. So, now I just don’t go to the doctor whenever something happens. I figure it’s probably Lupus.
A couple of days ago, I started to get some swelling in my left foot. I took a couple of Extra Strength Tylenol. I figured it would just go away. It didn’t. As a matter of fact, the pain began to travel up my left side and rested in my lower pelvic area. That’s when the pain sat me down. Yesterday, I woke up and the pain was in the left side of my chest, near my heart (again). I never assume it’s a heart attack anymore, but always assume it’s Lupus.
I get tired of doctors watching me having total body spasms or pains that are out of reach inside my body and them saying that they don’t understand why it’s happening and would rather just give me prescriptions for pain, and inflammation and also muscle relaxers just to get me out of their faces. I get it. This is why I don’t go whenever I feel bad. I just take my medicines and rest. There’s really nothing else they can do. There’s no cure.
The only drawback to taking those meds is that they are so strong, I am unable to take care of myself or anyone else. I can’t do any work because it’s hard to string two thoughts together. I don’t like the high. I don’t get how people want to feel like that. It feels like an out of body experience – like things are happening around you and you can’t do anything about it.
Well, I’m writing this blog as I am coming out of the high from this last round of drugs. Some of the pain is still there, but I can function better now. I’m still a little dizzy, able to write, but not much else. I won’t push it.
Lupus sucks. Please pray for a cure.
lavender fields creations 