Treasures Unseen

A Letter to the Mean Mommy~ repost

2012-01-21T17:15:00.001-05:00

A Post from the Past
Originally posted on December 8, 2007

In the midst of stress and frustration, God has sent exactly what I needed to hear. In the following letter that I received this morning through an email from Homeschooling Today, the words that my heart was crying out (but my head would not let them through) were made real. When I sat down for a break to read this email I could not believe that it came today. It has been a busy week and many things are behind, this evening is busy as well and I really want to get caught up to put my greatest effort into school before Christmas. This morning everything I needed to do seemed overwhelming I am glad I was able to put it into perspective before mean mommy stayed too long at my house. You see, I know I am not alone because the person that wrote this poured her heart out to help someone else. To the author I send thanks and gratitude for her honesty.

A Letter: To Whom It May Concern

by Kara Murphy

Dear Mean Mommy,
I am writing, once again, to protest your visit to our house yesterday. I would have thought that my last litany of complaints would have given you pause before you returned, but no. You seem to come and go at will. Well, I have had enough.First, you never give me any warning that you are coming. If I knew you were coming, I would be able to prepare for you as I do all my other guests. Why must you always arrive when the house is in such disrepair? In general, we do a fair job of keeping things picked up, but without fail, when the house is at its messiest, you show up. Not only that, but you time your arrivals when I feel my worst. Your last visit was after a sleepless night with our newborn. Before that, it was during a stressful time when the bills were late. No one should feel free to visit at tax time, especially when I have put off important record-keeping until the last minute. I suppose you would not think twice of arriving at our door immediately after we have just had back-to-back company. These are not the times to make unannounced appearances at our house!

Even if we were aware of when you were coming, I would still not appreciate your attitude. Must you whisper those words to me all day long? You can’t do this. You are failing. Another woman would do a better job than you. What are you doing to your children? It isn’t enough that you pick on me, but must you also be so grumpy toward my children? All day long, you nag and complain about them. Do this. Do that. Hurry up. Get back to your work. You are a broken record and you need to be replaced! Don’t you realize that children are not finished products, yet? They are adults-in-training, but they’re not there yet. And must you be so impatient with them? Sometimes, you are like a steamroller, plowing through the house. I would hate to get in your way! You are running us all over.But the worst of it is your appearance…you look so much like me, my children may not realize the difference between us. They might actually think that you are me! I have had to apologize repeatedly for your troublesome ways.This is it. Your reign of terror must stop. Please leave and never return.And should you be tempted to come back, just remember that I am onto your tricks. Your wiles will not fool me any longer. I am going to fight to keep you away. And I know the best way to do that, too. God’s word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Him. —Psalm 119:11

First, I have determined in everything, to give thanks seeing that this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) I will rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) for I am learning, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11, 13) When those doubts begin to creep in I will be confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)If you could just stop blustering and ordering everyone around long enough you might see an eternal perspective. You would realize that there is so much more to life in Christ than the day-in-and-day-out ups and downs. Step back for a moment from the immediate stressors. Why, there isn’t a hair that falls from my head that the Father is unaware of. He cares for birds and flowers in the field. How much more does He care for me and my family? (Matthew 6:25ff) Not only that, but He is working every circumstance in my life for my good and for the good of my children who love Him. (Romans 8:28)Since I know that I must be sober, to love my husband, to love my children (Titus 2:4), I will be gentle among my little flock, even as a nursing mother cherishes her children: So being affectionately desirous of them, I will be willing to have imparted unto them, not the gospel of God only, but also my own soul, because they are dear unto me…even when I must labor night and day. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9a) And most of all I will remember that charity—an antiquated term for our word love—suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity—or love—never faileth. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
If I have to, I will get really radical. When you show up, I intend to meet you at the door intent on bodily harm. For I see who you really are. You are the old (wo)man that Scripture speaks of so clearly. But I know this, that my old woman is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth I should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6) I will likewise reckon myself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So I will let not sin therefore reign in my mortal body, that I should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield my members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield myself unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and my members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:11-13)

Because I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Prepared to do battle,
A Loving Mama

Homeschool Planners

2012-01-21T12:47:00.002-05:00

Homeschool planning, sometimes it is my favorite part of the homeschool adventure.How many planners have I tried? I will not embarrass myself by sharing that. :)

This past year I tried the beautiful Well Planned Day. It was the first booth that I walked by at last year's convention. The young, eager salesmen wanted to talk to someone. It was a fine looking planner that, if I am correct, was written by a homeschool mom. So I bought one, with the matching binder.I wanted so bad to love this planner. From the start the binder was just too bulky and was made of a cloth like binding. Meaning, I was OCD about it staying white. I sold it while it still looked new. :/

Well, as much as I loved the design. I just could not get in sync with the planner. I am sure many mom's love it.So, what do I do for planning?I am totally eclectic.Here I will share links to the site I use for my forms. I make my own binder.First one: Donna Young

Honestly, she has a gold mine here and it is all free!

My other go to place for planning is: The Homeschool Mom

And if you are homeschooling high-schooler and the word "transcript" sends you into an emotional break down, check out this link: (IT'S FREE!)

While using these forms I just create my own binder. I love the cute notebooking covers at this site.This is a beautiful planner that you make YOUR OWN. There are list, menu planning (that is another blog post) and everything you would need and they are too cute! (Did I mention cute yet?) Access to the site last one year. You can download these to your computer and use as long as you like. There are also many freebies here too!

So, go have fun and make for yourself a planner that is all your own and WORKS for your family and your school!
Blessings,Melanie

Lunch Break~ Mini Deep Dish Pizza

2012-01-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

What's for lunch? That question usually comes before I am ready to answer and fix it! I love, love, love fast and easy lunch. However, I don't like to settle for processed food if I can help it. The down side of this tasty treat are the canned biscuits. But, it was a hit!

Here we go:Mini Deep Dish Pizza

Enough Can Biscuits to feed your family. (We use a full 12 serving muffin tin.)
1 packet of Turkey Pepperoni
Pizza Sauce
Your choice of shredded cheese
Other pizza fillings you like. (Next time we are going to do black olives)
Italian Seasoning {optional}
Cooking Spray

I start by spraying the muffin tin, then patting out the biscuit dough while incorporating the Italian seasoning. Then press it into the pan. Add a dollop of pizza sauce and other fillings (olives, sausage, veggies). Then top with cheese and pepperoni.

Bake at 450 until the edges are brown and the top is bubbly. I baked them in my new convection oven that the kiddos picked out . You just wouldn't believe how often I use it. {we are trying to get rid of the microwave} It has also come in handy when the big oven is baking and I need to bake something else.

Here they are! They were a huge hit here!

{Photo credit : my daughter, Jessie}

What's Cooking {Crock Pot Cooking} Today~Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe

2012-01-04T12:23:00.002-05:00

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe
from SparkRecipes

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

*2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts *1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing mix * 1/4 cup water * 1 8oz pkg low fat cream cheese *1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup *3 cups cooked white, long grain rice

Directions

*1. Place chicken in crock pot
*2. Mix together Italian dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
*3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours.
*4. Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl.
*5. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot to plate.
*6. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom.
*7. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken.
*8. Cook on LOW until heated through.
*Serve with rice or noodles.

**You may add skim or low fat milk in very small quantities to thin the sauce a little. It does not significantly affect the nutritional value if you use up to 2 tablespoons**

Makes 6 servings. Approximately 2/3 cup mixture with 1/2 cup rice.

This recipe can be made with FAT FREE cream cheese and it saves about 6 grams of fat. However, I feel that the dish benefits from the flavor of the low fat over the fat free.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ORANGECOWCAT.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 368.7

Total Fat: 10.3 g

Cholesterol: 115.5 mg

Sodium: 737.4 mg

Total Carbs: 24.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g

Protein: 41.7 g

Gentleness Challenge.

2012-01-04T11:31:00.000-05:00

This is a highly important aspect to mothering. Gentleness. As a homeschooling mom I can get so busy and stressed about everything from laundry to phonics and attitudes and character.....the list goes on...that I become one unpleasant mom. You know what that does? That totally tears down the very thing I am trying to build.

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. Proverbs 14:1

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. Proverbs 15:1-2

"Let’s focus this January on dealing gently with our children. Touch them gently, use their names gently, use your words gently, slow down and be loving, kind, and gracious." from Women Living Well.

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson is the basis of this study. If you would love to be a more gentle, gracious, patient mom (who doesn't) then check this out.

The Gentleness Challenge

Here is a direct link to the book:

Many blessings to you!

Confession Time

2012-01-03T13:16:00.003-05:00

I am not a morning person. I have never, ever been one. I want to be really bad. I imagine all of the wonderful things I could do if I just got up earlier. It's a beautiful vision: Me all dressed and smiling with a nice warm breakfast to greet my kiddos after I have done my bible study and exercise and I have gone over the days to-do list and I am ready and in charge.

Then.....the alarm goes off. It is still dark. It is cold. The precious 3 year-old is snuggled in under my arm and all is right with the world (and I get nauseated just getting up before the sun) and my bed is warm and the house is quiet. I start the morning by failing. Failing to do what I have needed to do for years. I promise this has been going on for years. I clearly remember my mom waking me to the song "Oh, what a beautiful moring..." and me feeling like I was going to relive the scene from the Exorcist (you know, where her head spins and she pukes) And ever since I left the workforce when my 2nd born was one I remember those mornings of finally being able to sleep in and not having to drag the kids to my mom's house at 7:00 in the morning. It was heaven. Now, getting up early may not be for everybody. But, I have this grand illusion that if I got up and accomplished those things listed above then my life would run smoother. I just have to see if that is the case.

So, as all of you bloggers know. The blogosphere is full of wonderful, godly women who help us all be better at what we do. I stumbled upon (divine intervention?) a challenge. It is called :

Hello Mornings

There is a free ebook. Today is the last day to register. It is free. It looks like a fun way to tackle a hard thing.
I really want to try to change the way things are going here at home. I think this may be the key to being more productive and successful in some things I am trying to do. I know it will teach the children a better example. I am just a night owl who is wanting to see how the other side lives. ( I stand in awe at all of you morning glory types) :)

Wish me luck!

"prod yourself, kick yourself, it is the only way!" The Disciplined Life by Richard Taylor.

How to get your 12 year old man child...

2012-01-02T14:48:00.001-05:00

...to enjoy working through the Body Book.

Allow him to color it like a swamp thing and call it by his oldest sister's name. ;)

In all truthfulness, I was so excited to do this book. Earlier in our year I happily introduced it to him and boy was I in for a downer. The man-boy was not too happy about cut and paste. So after dwelling on it over the holidays I decided to not give up. I also relaxed and agreed that he could be as creative with it as he wished. He still thinks it is goofy. I still believe it is a neat way to learn about our body. Let's face it, Apologia science books will come to him soon enough.

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:)

2012-01-02T11:57:00.001-05:00

What a way to get our school started back. PJ's, fuzzy socks, fleece wrap. ;)

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Messy Blog

2011-12-23T21:44:00.001-05:00

Please excuse this messy blog. I'm in the middle of changing the layout and hit some snags that I just don't have time to clean up right now.

Merry Christmas!!

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The Vowel Song, with flair :)

2011-12-14T10:23:00.001-05:00

I had asked Jenna to sing the vowel song for me. You never know what you will get from little Puddleduck (as her daddy calls her) She gave me this rendition: :)

Can I just say....

2011-12-04T10:43:00.000-05:00

....that this is the first time in weeks I have even come to my blog. I miss blogging and I hope I get inspired to blog real soon.

How is your holiday planning?
How is your homeschool?

Let me know, {if anyone still reads this...:)))

Kitty Love

2011-10-20T15:31:00.002-04:00

My daughter, Jessie, has become a very good photographer. Here is a photo she did today. It's Janie and her love, Sam the kitty.

Well said!

2011-10-17T18:19:00.000-04:00

"We were not afraid of public school. We did not feel we could give our children a better education, it had nothing to do with that at all. It all had to do with the fact that we felt like our children could grow up, and spend their days in our home, and end up in a better place than if they went off to school during the most important years of their life. And we have actually found that to be the case." Chris Davis, Homeschool Pioneer

A Break

2011-09-27T21:17:00.001-04:00

So, as you can see this blog has been a pretty lonesome place for the past few weeks. I'm very determined to iron out some problems I'm having with time management in my own life. Having the thoughts in the back of my mind about not blogging bother me. So, I am just gonna take an official break.

Hopefully, real soon, I will be back to blogging something worth reading. :)

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True Christian Motherhood- An eBook

2011-09-12T14:50:00.000-04:00

I have been a long time reader of Mrs. June Fuentes at "A Wise Women Builds Her Home." She has just released her eBook entitled "True Christian Motherhood." I am so excited to get to download it instantly and begin reading it! (love instant!)

I have looked over the table of contents and as soon as I have time will begin reading the chapters. I am sure it will be a blessing. I will try to leave some notes here of my thoughts as I work my way through it.

Want to get yours? Click the link below the picture.

Click here to view more details

On The Nightstand

2011-09-06T13:30:00.001-04:00

In my spare time ;) here is what I am reading {that has nothing to do with homeschool...well sort of}

One Thousand Gifts-Ann Voskamp (for the 5th or 6th time)
My Utmost for His Highest-Oswald Chambers
The Pursuit of God- A.W. Tozer

What are you reading?

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The Battle I Want To Win

2011-08-29T12:24:00.002-04:00

The battle I want to win is the one that I fight every day in my own mind. The one where I am fretting with
furrowed brow, tense in my shoulders and my stomach in knots. The battle that just will not let me relax. Why is that? I have all I could ask for. My children woke up healthy this morning. My husband is working, he still has a job. Another day has dawned, fresh with a beautiful sunrise. Autumn breezes are teasing me. The little one sings songs to Jesus at the top of her lungs. I AM BLESSED. {Why do I stress?} All I can figure is the enemy is trying to steal my joy through my own imagined fears and I strap the saddle on and let him ride me until I am weak and angry.

This makes me tired. And yet, I really can't figure out why I can't let it go. The only thing I can pinpoint is that I am not praying as much as I am fretting. Yesterday we sang "Living By Faith"

It goes like this:

" I care not today what the morrow may bring, if shadows or sunshine or rain. The Lord I know ruleth over everything and all of my worry is vain."

We all, the entire congregation, sang it like there was no tomorrow.

What a hypocrite. I can sing it. I just can't live it.

I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain,
The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,
And all of my worries are vain.

Refrain

Living by faith in Jesus above,
Trusting, confiding in His great love;
From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.

Though tempests may blow

and the storm clouds arise,

Obscuring the brightness of life,

I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies—

The Master looks on at the strife.

Refrain

I know that He safely will carry me through,

No matter what evils betide;

Why should I then care though the tempest may blow,

If Jesus walks close to my side.

Refrain

Our Lord will return for His loved ones some day,
Our troubles will then all be o’er;
The Master so gently will lead us away,
Beyond that blest heavenly shore.

Refrain

I have had sweet reprieves from this and it was most often when I was actively counting my gifts.

Today, I will purpose to fight. When the enemy tries to steal my joy I will count. When he causes me to load my back with the weight of fear, I will remind him that I serve the one who knows my future. I can trust Jesus.

Counting

- Those sweet souls who call me Mom and wake me with kisses

- The Lord who, although He knew me, still died for me

- The man who loves me with his whole heart and never loses faith in me

- that I have come far enough to know I don't have to believe the lies of the enemy

-sweet autumn breezes

-helpful older children when I wake with a sick headache

-faithful friends

- mercy, new every morning

-I still love homeschooling

- www :)

- I am stronger when I pray

- "I love you mom" whispered in the middle of the night by that sweet 2 year old

-little girls swinging

- young lady of mine, learning to drive (really?)

-sweet young man who rubs my aching head

-wonderful cup of coffee hand crafted by that sweet young lady and brought to me with a kiss (in this mug) :)

Ahh...I feel better already!

Oh, one more.....the music on Ann's blog........

Sprucing up the Blog

2011-08-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

In great anticipation for the lovely change of weather we hopefully experience real soon in the south, I have revamped the blog. I hope you find it pleasing to look at. Many thanks to my lovely daughter Jessie for making the wonderful header to match the new layout.

Week 1 Rome to the Reformation & Beginning 1st

2011-08-25T22:07:00.003-04:00

So the happy day! The day finally arrived when we got to start our new books! So, here is a little re-cap of how the week went.

As you can see the girls had their picture made with the subject of our first couple of history lessons. We live near Rome (not Italy) and our Rome has a little statue of Romulus and Remus. My son, the one who is studying RtR, would not have his picture made with that "gross" statue! (his words) :)

Really, I don't have a lot to share about our first week. We just picked up the books and went with it. I did add in the "Story of the World" on CD where I could. I love the format of MFW and they just make it easy to pick up and go.

Now, on to 1st grade!

Little Jenna is just the most excited little girl about her new books and she thought we were never going to start. Finally we did and although I had kind of got freaky about not having a grid (I did wind up with a very nice grid, btw) It is going well and I am WRITING IN THE TEACHER'S MANUAL! *GASP*
Yes, I am making myself notes about read-aloud books and other things that I am afraid I will forget. I use the grid and make notes. I am most afraid of forgetting something to do with math. I ran across a site just full of ideas Mama Jenn (if you have not been there and you are using MFW check it out!) I LOVED the Calendar Notebook idea and quickly made one for Jenna. I put our Number of the day sheets and 100 chart in it also.Very cool!

One more thing we did a little different was the base ten sticks. The idea of trying to glue beans on a stick just made me shiver with dread. My Jenna is a girly-girl and someone on the MFW boards had said they used stickers instead of beans ( I think it was Crystal). I knew for Jenna that stickers would be a lot more attractive than beans, then the idea of some bling instead of beans hit me!!! So , here is Jenna's base ten stick in the works.

I found these jewels in the craft section of Walmart.

She loves it already!

For the scroll, instead of making one I purchased one from Miller Pad and Paper. It is working out great!

So, we are off to a great start!

I have worked hard tweaking our schedule and it paid off this week. We were in revival meetings nightly with my husband preaching and we did all of our school, kept the house clean and had 3 healthy, home-cooked meals a day! Now I feel like I have accomplished something!!! What a great feeling! Thanks in no small part to the ease of use this curriculum offers. What a blessing from God!

A few more snap shots:

Little Janie is always by our side!

He did not want his picture made....shhh... don't tell him!

She works so hard!

Playing while we read :)

So what is missing??

She is! My Jessie! She is in high-school you know and that means that she is working in her own space for the biggest part of the day and I MISS HER being in the books with me. Always an eager one to learn, especially when it comes to history! So, I am still trying to adjust to this and she is beginning 10th grade!(doing WHL) I know that she has to have quiet to do all of that studying and writing, but sometimes I just want them all around the table. So, I may just start a family read-aloud and use an awesome Lamplighter book! You just never know what I will come up with!

Happy Homeschooling!

{this post is linked to Homeschool Highlights in MFW at 2 Ladybugs & a Lizard}

Jenna Reads!

2011-08-17T12:06:00.001-04:00

I meant to do this sooner.....
You know how that goes. :)

Here is little Jenna reading the last couple of readers in the MFW K program. I have totally loved, loved, loved that reading program! We will begin 1st grade tomorrow, Lord willing.

Here is the reader "Sam & Ann"

Here she is reading "Jack"

I am praying that she continues to learn to read as easily and smoothly in the 1st grade as she as in K.

Happy Homeschooling!

Yippee! {I found a bargain!}

2011-08-13T09:49:00.001-04:00

Last night, after revival meeting, the Pastor wanted to take our family to eat. We went to Cracker Barrel. Look what I found on the 40% off table!
Fandex! Who doesn't love those things? I got Fifty States and Presidents for 5 dollars and some change for each one. It's crazy how excited I get over educational finds!
So, run down to your nearest Cracker Barrel and see if you can grab some!

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Counting It All Joy

2011-08-12T12:56:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share a little thought. This week, as Facebook is full of moms who are proclaiming joy over the kiddos going off to school, I count it all a joy that mine are blissfully around my table for all three meals. They are under my feet, making messes, laughing, playing and learning. I still get as excited as I did at first when our new books arrive. I get weary of NOT getting enough done in the day, but never weary of the home-educating lifestyle. So, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, all here together. {we do not eat like this every morning} Eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, cantaloupe and fig preserves! Oh my!

Janie doesn't always wear her big sisters clothes {backwards} :)

I joke that by the time I am good at homeschooling the kids will be grown. :) Now, my Jessie will say, "Good! you can then help me with mine!" Would that not be the biggest blessing? I am so thankful for where God has lead our family. I can't imagine living it any other way!

2011-2012 Curriculum for our Homeschool

2011-08-02T17:21:00.002-04:00

What is the MOST exciting time for me as a homeschooling mom? That is an easy question! PLANNING the new year. Getting new books makes for lots of excitement around here. I am pleased as puddin' to announce that we are still just as happy with My Father's World as we were this time last year! It is ABSOLUTELY what I have been looking for. It still amazes me that I passed the MFW booth for 10 years before I tried it! I just know that was God's timing! He just had to take me through all that other stuff so I would know beyond any doubt where I needed to be.

This year we will be doing:

MFW 1st grade

Jenna is rip-roaring-ready. I have poured over the TM for a few weeks trying to decide if I need the grid like the one I did with the kindergarten program. You know, the more I look over it the more I am confident that I can do this without having to reinvent the wheel. I LOVE the grid layout, but I just do not have the time to do all of that typing right now. To help me come to that conclusion I just took a composition book and began listing each day on one page. I started with Math, then listed the LA and so on. Here is a shot.

I plan to use that format just so that I am not missing anything. I may switch to post-it notes in the TM......oh how I wish I could just make myself write all in it! :)) Do you write in your teachers manual?
Okay, so that notebook is a little low tech for this tech-y girl, but it helped me wrap my head around what all I wanted to cover. Had I the extra time, I would make my own beautifully organized grid.......maybe later. :)
As for the content of the program, I am just super excited! I have been spending some reading time on the MFW forums looking over all of the ideas there from those who have gone before me.

Next in the line is Rome to Reformation

Look at all of those cool books!! Yes, I know that we did ECC last year and that I have apparently skipped Creation, but we studied creation with another curriculum and so the decision was made to put my 6th grader in Rome to Ref so that he would be ready for the high school without having to skip any more of the MFW cycle.

And for high school!

My second year of that! Oh boy, did my Jessie love her AHL!! She did the homeschool "box day" happy dance when her WHL arrived. The books are lovely!! I have totally loved having the lesson plan book. She absolutely loved it too. She loves check-off boxes. I love the grading helps. Ah, bliss!

So, last years MFW post "Getting Organized" was wildly popular (for this blog anyway). It still receives several hits a day and I am so glad. I would like to say that all of the organizational things you saw in that post worked so well that we are continuing along those same lines. I still love the binders and will be going to Staples soon for more. We still love the map on the table.

For other subjects:
Math~my oldest two are using Math -U- See. I am trying to follow the MFW recommendations for 1st grade math. I say trying because I have been so tempted to buy her a math book!

My high-schooler is using Rosetta Stone French and loving it!

We like the Queen Language Lessons in place of Emma Serl Language Lesson books.

High school science is Apologia, we love the text-book on CD. We put it on the iPod classic. :) We buy supply kits from CBD. It is from Nature's Workshop There is just no way I'd try to pull all of that stuff together on my own!

I am sure I am forgetting something.

All we need now is just to dive in and get going. I really hope I can blog more of the journey of our homeschool this year. I would love to do weekly updates {I know, I am a big dreamer ;) } Many blessing to you all. I am looking forward to seeing who joins the Blogroll and getting to see how your school is going too! Click on the button below to go to Lainie's site and join up.

The Pig Farmer

2011-08-01T10:57:00.000-04:00

A quiet morning with my oldest. Something we rarely have. I went with her on her morning chores. It is kind of funny, her morning chore. You see, my opera-loving,viola-playing,camera clutching, book-loving 15 year-old daughter is a pig farmer. The daughter who hoards Germ-X goes through muck and mire every morning before breakfast to feed "her babies."

She can drive that gator!

After a few "oops" (poor gutter spout) she is a pro!

Peaceful, no wonder sweet hubby loves to stay out here.

Oh, I have not the words to describe what this scene did for me. There are not enough nerve pills in the world to do for me what watching that hen with her babies did. (you cant see them in the tall grass). Why do I not visit this place more often?

Yum, steak......in a few months.

She just talks to them. :)

Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls

Why does she wash out their water pan? I have no idea. She is kind of mirroring GRACE. God does the same thing for us. We do just what the pigs do. Then every morning she comes and gives them fresh water. Then every morning His mercies are new. Lamentations 3:22-23

Then on my way back in Mr. Rooster makes my day. I love country life. I will admit I don't take the time to enjoy it like I should. It would do me good.

Deadly Disclosures by Julie Cave - A Book Review

2011-07-01T14:27:00.001-04:00

Well, I am not a professional book reviewer and this will not be a long review.

Every once in a while I get to wanting something to read in the fiction department. I normally go for factual reading on nutrition, homeschooling, spiritual matters...that sort of stuff. So, every once in a blue moon I need to just get lost in a story. I am a hard sell when it comes to what I call 'brain fluff". It can't be too fluffy, or too predictable. Bored is where I found myself when it came to reading some of the leading Christian fiction writers.

As I was catching up on facebook one day I read where Ken Ham was promoting the writer Julie Cave and her Dinah Harris Mysteries series.

I quickly jumped over to Amazon and grabbed up the first in the series. Two days after it arrived I read the last page and order the second.

What I enjoyed most was the accurate story line of conflict of a Christians battle with Creationism verses Humanism and evolution. The facts presented were intriguing and the story was well written. My teenage daughter also devoured the book in no time and enjoyed it as well.

I have also finished the second book.

It was just as well written and so far is my favorite one of the series. It deals with the subject of eugenics. So as you can see, to call these "brain fluff" my not be fitting.

I highly recommend these books! I think they would serve well for any high-school student also and would fit well in your curriculum for teaching your teens to understand these very current topics from a Christian viewpoint.

Time to Do Things Differently

2011-06-30T14:30:00.002-04:00

We have a schedule.

This week was to include homeschool in the morning and VBS in the evening.

I'm cooking for VBS. Last night we did 450 mini corn dogs. Served the children in shifts. Enjoyed the fellowship. Became really tired.

The schedule....oh yes....I forgot. We have been so tired, we {Mom}have been so tired in the mornings.

The mornings have moved slow, but good.

I have not minded the schedule very well.

We have read library books, played board games. Mom has laughed {does Mom do this enough?}

Today I have decorated a "hip hipster bag" won at the Library Summer Reading Program.

While saying in my mind, "I don't have time for this."
While thinking, at the same time, "When will I have time for this?"
When? When they are big and don't care about mom helping with an iron on?
What am I waiting for?
I know, for the schedule to run like clock work, then I will be successful.
Really? I've been grasping at that for many moons and it don't feel good anymore.

"Mommy, can you paint my fingers?"

My usual response.....Not right now I have to______(fill in the blank with any task that really doesn't matter)

I painted 20 little toenails and 20 little fingernails.

(wait...what was on the schedule?)

We washed Jake. {cute little new puppy who had too many fleas} Cowboy has been asking for a week.

So I had to get this tired to slow down enough to see that those who are most important need time with me. Not just clean clothes, although important, the bodies in those clothes need hugs and smiles and I've been stingy with those because I have a schedule.

Now look, I am not bashing a schedule. We all need some order and there are things that have to be done. But as I played that game of Trouble and decorated that bag I realized that I had not done those things in a very, very long time.

Here was the reward, Little Jenna says, "Thanks Mom, that means so much to me." You don't know how profound those little words were.

Then to top it all off, Ann had this amazing blog post today.

Yes, I think I understand. Thank you Lord, for the time to learn this. That today I will live with one less regret.

Now, we will swim. Then the little ones will nap { I will rock that little Janie, singing her favorite "Rock-a-bye Baby" and I will enjoy every minute of it! }

We will go and try to reach out to the little children in our community that have been so sweet
{and hungry :)}

Yes, this week has been different.
Am I stressed? Not one bit.
Is that unusual? Oh yeah!

{A big thanks to Jessie, for the always wonderful pictures & coffee}

Yummy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bake {Thank you Shaping Little Souls}

2011-06-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

Thank you dear Jessie for the lovely picture.

This is just too good. I found this while visiting this lovely blog : Shaping Little Souls

I didn't have Quick oats so I used Old Fashioned Oats and adjusted the recipe. The entire pan was gone in a flash, it was our dinner that day. *blush*

Here is the original recipe:

3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix all ingredients together. Spread into 9x13 greased pan.
Bake 350 for 20-25 mins. If you like a little crunchy top cook for a few minutes longer.
Serve warm with milk poured over top or dry like a breakfast bar.

I used 2 cups of Old Fashioned Oats and we did pour just a tad of milk over it. So good! And so easy and a nice change to just a bowl of oatmeal.

Did you know...

2011-06-30T13:18:00.001-04:00

that you can set your blog to be read on mobile devices? Finally! I may be the last to know, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Now, I can read all of your lovely blogger blogs on my beloved iPhone.

Yay! (it's all in the little things) :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

If I ignore it, it will go away....

2011-06-26T16:25:00.000-04:00

Well, I don't want my blog to go away, but I have been ignoring it for some time. Disappointments, failures, busyness, loss of motivation...you name it. I have been there.

First, let me just say something about my 100 Days of Health. Lesson learned was that health is to be reached for every day and when you are as overweight as I am 100 days is not going to be the fix all. I knew that and yet, I waited for something magical to happen. In a way I guess it did. I am still plugging along. Not as dedicated as I was at hitting 10,000 steps, but still not just giving up. I am not stopping. I have decided that if I have days where I feel this bad at 41, then what will it feel like when I am 51 and still in the midst of homeschooling? That is enough to press on, however long it takes. I will try to give sporadic updates about weight loss and what I am doing. (I do want to do a post that compares my Fitbit to the BodyBugg that I tried and sent back. If you are wondering....go with the cheaper fitbit....it is much BETTER!)

We are still schooling, it is very hot here and other than swimming and doing barn chores, in the summer no one wants go out side. We LOVE spend our days out in the spring and fall. So, we school. This year however, I am getting very ready to just have a few weeks in a row to not have to do it! I am still loving MFW and trying to sell everything I own to afford the purchase of MFW World History and Rome to Reformation. :) My honey says that I really need a new washer ( my old, deep one broke and my brother gave me one for free. The problem is it is a really small washer. I mean really, really small. Small as in, wash 3 loads for what I could do in my old one in one load) I told him I really can handle washing clothes all day...just please give me new books!

Next week we have VBS. Then the kids are looking forward to spending a week in my parent's new lake house. Then after that Greg is on vacation. ( that is a whole different story....we are just still thankful that he has a paid vacation coming)

Well, enough rambling. I have to get ready for night service. I am trying to find my focus again. If I cross your mind, say a prayer for me!

Day 83-86 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-05-21T22:11:00.000-04:00

One day......

I will have more time for this blog......

{So thankful for the time I have :)}

Okay, so this has been a week of refocus. It has felt good. I am not where I thought/wanted to be as far as weight goes, but I am lighter and think that by the time I count down to 100 I will be able to say that I lost somewhere between 15-20 pounds. (20 being very ambitious)

Today I racked up almost 11,000 steps without meeting with Leslie Sansone. I wore that clothesline out! 11,000 steps worth of house work? You probably think I live in a dump.....no, just a house with 6 people (that includes a 2 year old....they count as five people right?) and a homeschool.

I would like to write more but it is late and I am tired. So, I will go. Have a blessed Sunday!

Day 81 & 82 of 100 Days of Health

2011-05-18T15:09:00.000-04:00

I'm just so thankful! "For what?", you may ask. I am thankful that I started this crazy 100 day thing and blogged about it. Had it not been for this accountability then I would be off on the other side of this yo-yo where the scale starts to move in the wrong direction and I go for months without the thought of food journaling or exercising.

So, as you have read, I have had some trouble with getting refocused in the last few weeks. Who would have seen it coming? Nevertheless, it did and I swayed and faltered but I have not quit. Yesterday, what I will call Day 81, was the day I just jumped right back into daily exercise. (I must do this to get anywhere near 10,000 steps) I got real close and at the end of the day, after a 5 mile walk I had 9500 steps. The biggest thing that I need to change right now is to get this exercise stuff done first thing in the day. That would almost guarantee that I would make my goal every day. HOWEVER, you dear readers, who for whatever reason read this madness on a regular basis, will recall that I am NOT a morning person. It is time to suck it up and just do it! Just get up early and get it on! Oh, how I am trying!! :) Today I did not get up early, but first thing (while everyone was dressing and having breakfast) I did a 4 mile walk. YAY ME!! Can I just say it again? YAY!!!!

Also, I am going to be really focusing on my diet and making wise choices.

Today, so far here is what I have consumed. {note: we are in need of a grocery store run}

Breakfast: 1 C Multigrain Cheerios

1 C Skim Milk

Total Calories {196} Can you believe that? :)

After my 4 mile I was hungry so for a snack I repeated breakfast. {196 kcal}

Getting creative I decided to cook a pound of dry beans in the pressure cooker.

I chose Great Northerns (is it not crazy how cheap you can get beans?)

I pressured for 1 hour:

1 lb Great Northern beans

1 C brown rice

1 TBS garlic powder

Some season-all

I love beans, my family does not share my love of them. Cowboy and I enjoyed a lunch of beans and rice.

1 Cup {225 kcal} and this is worth mentioning NO FAT and 10 grams of fiber!

YUM!

So here it is 3:00 pm and I stand at 7000 steps. I intend of making that 10,000 today!

{P.S. Here is how I did the four miles. It was a lot of fun and different. And I burned 580 kcal while doing it!}

O_O

2011-05-13T13:13:00.000-04:00

This morning at 12:00 am the alarm on my phone went off. I was startled and grabbed it up to see what was going on. It said "100th DAY!" ..........ugh......

Really? Already? What has happened to me the last 3 weeks?

I did not intend to stall. I have been pressing on and just not had time to blog. Anyway, I am sorely disappointed. I never intended to have a break in these 100 days. Nevertheless, I am going to finish what I started. So, Lord willing, tonight I will report on my steps and calories.

In all honesty, I have said it many times. I am a one-track girl. I have been extremely focused on our homeschool. I have been convicted by letting things slip. I have had too many nights full of guilt or disappointment over things undone. I have reevaluated my priorities. I have refocused on what it is that I am doing here. I have mentally listed the things I that I can no longer allow myself to let go undone. There are books I read to Jessie that I want to read to Jenna. There are nature walks that I long to take with them all. There are nature notebooks that remain blank that haunt me because I bought them years ago. I have right before my eyes the proof that children grow up.....fast. I want to live these days fully. I want to not look back after these wonderful years of preschoolers and sippy cups and wonder why I did not redeem the time. I desperately want to be a good steward over what God has blessed me with.

So, with that in mind. I will leave this computer now. My "plan" is to continue the health post tonight. I pray that I get better at doing all things well in my life..... all at the same time. :)

Blessings,

Day 80 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-05-04T13:02:00.000-04:00

No I am not MIA~

I am here trying to get refocused.

First I will admit that without the tracking of my steps it is very easy for me to get lazy.

I have received my new fitbit and today we are tracking away.

Thanks for checking in and I hope that in some small way these post help someone else. The main way it is helping me is by causing me to press on to the finish line, instead of letting setbacks become total detours that undo all of good that I have done for my health.

This journey will not end when the 100 days ends. For me, this will be a long journey, but I fully look forward to reaching my goal of being in a healthy weight range with a healthy BMI.

Today I am trying to get in steps by doing 1 mile mini walks throughout the day.

And, I want to share this timely email I received from Sparkpeople today.

Another Fitness Myth Debunked
Somewhere along your journey to fitness, whether in the gym, reading the latest books, or talking with your friends, you'll hear a lot of advice about exercise--not all of which is true.

Fitness Myth If you can't exercise hard and often, there's really no point.

TruthEven moderate activity is shown to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don't have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try splitting it up into 10-minute segments instead. Everyone can find 10 minutes to spare sometime during the day! There are simple things you can do to increase your activity without having to go to the gym: take the stairs instead of the elevator, jump rope or do body weight exercises (push ups, crunches) at commercial breaks, take a short walk after lunch. Remember that any exercise is better than none!

Exercise Extra: Clip on a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps daily, which equals about 5 miles.

So, here's to health and getting refocused! (Which is really, really hard because all I can think about is the HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE I will be attending this weekend! :D)

Okay, an update.

2011-04-30T17:31:00.000-04:00

I'm so sorry I haven't update in so long. As you may remember we took a break from blogging for our revival. Then as I was gearing up earlier this week to update, those terrible storms came in and changed the lives of a lot of people. I just felt very trivial thinking about a "health habit" when so many people were hurting.

I can't decide if I want to just jump back and pick up where I left off or start at day 80 in the morning. I had intended to keep going. But, now I feel kind of out of touch with the whole thing. The last two weeks have just been hectic, although I am not complaining.

Also, during those last two weeks I washed and dried my trusty fitbit!! Although, again, I just can't get that excited over such a small loss. I have replaced it and life goes on. That is a blessing.

Pray for my friend.

Count your blessings.

Have a blessed weekend.

A Recital

2011-04-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

This morning we hosted the recital for my daughter. It was a lovely time! Here is a clip of Jessie playing her pieces ,accompanied by her teacher.

Filling Your Home with Beauty

2011-04-25T20:43:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late at this, but if you hurry you can still catch the deal on this beautiful cross.

The good people at Dayspring and (in)courage.me gave a wonderful opportunity to receive (free) a beautiful product in return I just had to give an honest review and link it up.

Lately I have been on the hunt to fill my home with scripture and inspirational pieces that are beautiful. When the box arrived and inside was this beautiful cross I knew just where to place it. It is a great size and has my buzz words of late on it: GRACE, THANKFUL, FAMILY, BLESSED, HARMONY, HOME......

So, go on over to Dayspring and get this while you can save money on it. Fill your home with beauty! This is really nice and I am sure that their other products are just as well. Browsing through their store site has given me great ideas for the gifts I need to buy throughout the year. :)

Day 73, 74 and a word about days 75-79 of 100 Days of Health

2011-04-18T10:21:00.000-04:00

I am happy to report that I am feeling myself come out of the pit of "this just ain't working" to "I can do this!"

Dear readers, I can tell you that without the blog holding me accountable I would have surely quit by now. It is my pattern: first comes all out excitement...you know, that "I gonna change the world" feeling, then the new wears off, it is harder than anticipated and boom.....failure. But, because I have a few readers who leave kind remarks and little encouraging notes I am able to refocus and finish.

This week our church will be in Revival. It is a week long, nightly revival and for that reason I will not blog until the end of the week. There is just too much to do to worry about getting a post up. We will continue our school this week also, so the days are full. Pray that the church will be revived and that some lost wandering soul will come to know Jesus.

My goal is to not get on the scale until the end of the week. I don't need anything to get me agitated like that piece of glass and metal can. I just want to come through this week taking care of business and keeping my mind on Christ.

Have a blessed week!

{Here is a link to the first post that tells about this 100 days, just in case you missed it! 100 Days of Health
You can click on the Labels "100 Days of Health" and "Weight Loss" to get to the post that are focused on this health habit.}

day 71 & 72 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-04-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

72 days.....

When I started this 100 days where did I see myself being at day 72? Oh, I always have the pie-in-the-sky ideas. I am sure that I thought I'd would at least be 30 pounds lighter and running marathons by now. Well, maybe that is a stretch, but I did see myself a little bit different from where I have been. The sickness of last week really set me back more than I expected. I have also dealt with the scale not moving like I was sure it would. Okay, I am not whining.. I am just typing as the words come. So, what does one do when the motivation has fizzled? There is really only two choices. {As dear hubby reminded me this morning during a much needed heart to heart} I can just quit because my body has not acted like I thought it should or I can keep on. It is that simple. Logically, I know that I must keep on. Poor-pitiful me wants to cry about how long she has not had a Grande White Chocolate Mocha {I'm sorry, I can't stand the "skinny" drinks at Starbucks...I'm spoiled) I also am perfectly happy saving those calorie splurges for every so often and not three times a week. It is just when you get down you see all of the negative.

I have a choice. Not really, I don't. It is not a choice to be healthy, it is a must. I MUST continue on this journey no matter how unmotivated I feel. I MUST press on. There are too many reasons not to. The first one being that today God has blessed me with the health and strength to move, the brain to think through meal planning and learning healthy ways, the support of family who love me. I don't want to live disappointed in myself for failing, yet again.

I told you before that I am a "one-track mind" person. Well, lately my mind is just on school. The yearly homeschool convention {aka Homeschool Mommy heaven on earth} is coming up. I am so into getting ready for that and plugging away at our lessons. I am learning to focus on all of these and do all of these things well every day. I want to cook healthy meals, exercise, get all of our lessons in and keep the house clean and running......WHEW! No wonder I am ready for the conference! It is a the shot in the arm I need right now.

So, it is late. I got my 10000 steps in by cleaning and doing laundry. We have revival all week next week and I can't stand going into that with dirty laundry and a messy house. I actually work better under pressure....go figure! We did have a lovely morning fishing with some of our church family and the kids had a little egg hunt.

Sweet!

Cowboy caught a turtle!

Me and my dear Jessie...I just love her!

Day 70 of 100 Days of Health

2011-04-15T09:24:00.000-04:00

Day 70 was a day of trying new things in the kitchen. The last thing you want to do is get stuck in a rut with only a few choices of "healthy" meals that you like. My kids love to experiment with food so that helps out greatly.

Today we started with a lightened up version of French Toast that used Egg Beaters instead of eggs. I found it on the Spark Recipe site. They really liked it, kids like anything with a little powered sugar on it.

For lunch we tried a recipe from a Weight Watcher's cookbook that Jess and I have been going through for the last couple of weeks. It was WONDERFUL and pretty!

I changed it only a little.

Here we go, making a small mess.....I am a messy cook.

We used

French Bread, cut in 1/2 inch slices
Deli sliced Mozzarella Cheese
tomatoes
Baby Spinach
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1 T. Olive Oil
1T. Red Wine Vinegar

So you mix the salt, pepper, oregano, oil and vingear together and brush it onto the bread.
Layer the cheese, tomato and spinach and then place a heavy object on top. Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip, weight and cook the other side.

It was wonderful and fun!

I got my steps in (YAY!!!) 10,120 to be exact!

Have a great day!

Day 69 of 100 Day's of Health Habit

2011-04-13T22:25:00.000-04:00

Okay, here I am and i'm in a rush....again.

Today has been a day of getting back in the groove after an illness of a few days left me trying to get it all together this week. Yesterday I felt great, we were just very busy. So, thankfully, today has been more like "normal"...whatever that it...

A few days of not exercising will make one lazy......very fast. It was hard making myself carve out the time to focus for 45 minutes just on getting some steps in and my heart rate up. It was also a little bit harder than I expected it to be.

I am still a little disappointed at the total weight loss, but I am fervently trying to focus on my main goal and that was just to be consistent and create healthier lifestyle. I know that I am still losing faster than I ever did on Weight Watchers. I guess I figured that for all of my sweating I should be getting a huge payoff.....you know, a 2 pound weight loss every week! :) I can honestly say that I have never been this consistent to physical activity. And if that crazy bout of ill health had not sidelined be last week I would have a huge record to be proud of. But, you just go on. I am not going to dwell on last week and what I did not do. I am going forward and being more thankful for the health that I do have.

Today is almost a success with 9,500 steps....

Health??

2011-04-11T22:12:00.001-04:00

No, I haven't fell off the face of the earth or the health habit bandwagon. I got sick. Then, as all homeschool moms know, I got behind. That, my friend, equals stress. Today I finally feel better with some energy. We hit the ground running! I hope to resume my heath post tomorrow!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 63 & 64 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-04-07T21:14:00.001-04:00

Where do I start without sounding like I am whiny?

Day 63 had a great and promising start. We parked in town and walked to a friends house, had a great day and walked back. Then suddenly, without warning what I think is a nasty UTI hit me hard. All night and all day has just been yuck and nausea....

This is life. Setbacks happen. I really missed my workout and the energy to do them. I did notice that the last one I did felt like I was having to force myself through every moment. I felt just like I was lifting my legs through quicksand. Now I understand why.

In other news, we are still schooling and will continue throughout the summer months. That is just how we like to do it. Little Jenna is doing so good with her reading. I am enjoying teaching her more, I am sure this has something to do with 11 years of homeschooling under my belt. She loves books. We went to the library yesterday and she got all the books she could carry. Little Janie is just as taken with books and pushes a buggy full of them all over the house.

I must also say a little thanksgiving for the oldest two who are just like the men who held up the arms of Moses. They keep everything going and are so careful about me and how I feel. So precious. This homeschool lifestyle has blessings so much beyond academics. These relationships and this time together, I have no words to describe my gratitude for what God has worked in our home.

See, now that is something to be proud of!

Day 61 & 62 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-04-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

I feel so out of touch with this blog....like I just can't keep up. I have been so focused on school and just keeping up with the house work and this health habit that actually blogging about it just get pushed to the back burner. There are also other things that I ponder on that I would like to write about...but between all the other things going on I just haven't gotten around to it. On a positive note: I have been spending a fair amount of time clearing out my homeschool items and selling some on eBay. I have a good little fund to take to my WONDERFULLY, EXCITING homeschool convention that is coming up real soon!!!! *happy dance* It truly is the most wonderful event and I just look forward to it every year. If you just need some encouragement and a shot in the arm then you could ask for nothing better!

Back to the health habit. Well, I don't do well with normal routine and waiting, so these last couple of weeks have been rather dull. That could have been helped along with that little plateau (that I am not so sure I have broke). It's the second half of a double-headed ball game......long....:) Day 62. Have I really been doing this for 62 days? I am surprised at myself.

I could write more. I have a couple of new things that I have found I like to eat. Also, I have some thoughts on just how many calories you should eat to lose weight. But, right now I have a cute little blonde headed girlie that is asking to go "night night on my shoulder"

I can't tell you my steps because the fitbit is on the charger!

Consistency.....I am counting on you!!

Day??? I've lost count (58,59 & 60)

2011-04-03T21:10:00.000-04:00

I have not actually lost count. Boy, have we been busy!!!

Fun,fun stuff. Every day I'd think about blogging as my head hit the pillow.

So, the last three days I have got in 29,905 steps!

The calorie count hit a little snag at a homeschool event we had. Tables full of finger food. How in the world to count those calories? I had some fruit and veggies, that was good. I had only consumed 370 calories before we arrived and I did a workout that burned 580 calories. Surely, it was not a meal to ruin any day...just very hard to count. Those pralines could have sent me over the edge! (Thanks Mrs. Catherine!)

I also look forward to blogging about something other than health. :)

But for now I'm going to bed!

This is what happens when you have a Sneaky Daughter

2011-04-01T19:49:00.001-04:00

Oh dearest Mother of mine,

Do you remember when today in my utter shame and despair I told you I had no April Fools pranks to play upon anyone?

Well,you just had happened to still be logged into your Google home page and I most happily decided that your lovely blog needed a little April Fooling. Do you love being the target of my shear genius?

I'm sure you do!

Now all that if left is to think of what else to do. Shall I totally change your blog? Spam your dear followers....Hello dear followers! I'm Melanie's genius child! Nice to meet you! XD Ahem,of course that would be most unpleasant and might take quiet some time. So I shall not. And now I will diminish into....Photoshop,where I shall be known as....not Galadriel,but Jessie.

My... precioussssss

Bye!

<- Actually,it should be Jessie. Because that is not my name. But...Oh well!

Day 57 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-31T21:51:00.000-04:00

Blessed with another day! Blogging about it on time, too!

Today was great, full of things that consume a homeschool momma's day. Inevitably, at the evening while checking my steps, I knew.....5 miles. I just about cried. I did not want to do 5 miles. I did not want to do any miles. I wanted to sit and chat and read email and read a book. I wanted to go to bed early.

Enough whining!

I am blessed with health and strength. I am redeemed {that is most important}. I want to live my best to do my best {which is nothing} for HIM. I am thankful. I had to change my outlook. I did my five miles and I am glad of it.

I have lived defeated in this area of my life for so long. I have done everything but take the time to take care of this body that loves the man sleeping in this house right now. This one body that loves these four precious souls who watch me sweat. I was proud of the excuses that I had to do laundry and cook, they were very legitimate. But, they were keeping me bound. The little small place in my heart that was sad, ashamed and felt hopeless because of the way I had treated this body. No one means to get to being 100 pounds overweight. I did not set out to see just how obese I could get. Little by little, the "I'll start Monday" turned into a decade of Mondays. This journey is a fragile one. You may read this and think that I have it all together. I fight it every day. The only difference between then and now is I am winning small little victories every day that are turning into weeks of health......I pray they turn into years of health.

Day 56 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-31T10:56:00.000-04:00

Get ready, this is just kind of sad and funny. Day 56 was a non-exercise kind of day because on day 55 I decided to try to out jump-rope my dear sweet hubby. He was surprised at how well I could do it. I was shocked at how the front of my legs felt the next day. The right leg in particular let me know right fast that power walking was not going to happen.

Since this is the morning of the 57th day I can say that it feels some better and I am going to try to get my steps in over the course of the day.

Hope your day is wonderfully blessed!

Day 54 & 55 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-29T21:05:00.000-04:00

Another post with two days! Well, our DSL was down for 24 hours. (Thank you Lord for my iPhone) Although., I could have blogged with my phone I just didn't. I thought I'd wait and just do it today.

Also, this is not going to be a long post. Just a summary to say I am on track and being consistent. What an accomplishment for me. Also, I think that plateau may have been helped along with a faulty scale. My husband said he got on in and got a 5 pound difference in his reading within the same 2 minutes. So, I got rid of it and got this one. Amazing, it says the same thing no matter how many times you get on it. OR with what foot you step up first. I don't know why I put up with that crazy scale for so long!

Day 53 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-27T21:43:00.000-04:00

Have I said before that Sundays are hard when it comes to getting in many steps.

Today we went to lunch Sweet Hubby's parents and that took forever! We love that place enough to wait. I had broiled fish, broccoli (can you believe that I actually crave that stuff now and NO cheese or butter was on it?) a salad bowl full of veggies with the dressing on the side.

As far as calories go, I did great.
Steps? Well that is another story. We came home then left again to do a visitation with a shut-in. Then tonight it was either do lesson plans so that we can jump right back into school or workout. I had to do lesson plans.....I will try to get some extra activity in tomorrow (Whew...that was fun, I had to get up and do the twist with Jess and Janie) :)))) (Thanks Mimi) ;)

Hope your week is excellent!

Day 52 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

Here I am on the 2nd half of the 100 days. Wow, who would have thought it? Aside from griping about a plateau I want to focus on the good things that have come from this last 50 days. Today Sweet Hubby and I went to the hospital.

First oddity from Melanie: "Park here, yes this is good, we can walk a long way."

Second: "No! Not the elevator! Where are the steps? (notice, I never knew where the steps were and I have gave birth in that place more than once.)

Third: While going up several flights of stairs...I......RAN......gingerly.....not panting for dear life. Oh, that just felt good.

So scale, today you have not bothered me. (Just please move downward again!)

Steps today:11098

Calories tracked and in range.

Day 50 & 51 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-25T22:54:00.002-04:00

Alright, so I will not make any more promises about blogging on time. :)

This week we have been on "work-yourself-to-death-cation" instead of vacation. The days have been full and long. I love having the buzz around here but our routine is out the window. That will make Monday morning hard.

Okay, on to the subject. Really, there is little to say. A plateau is an ugly place. A place of learning.......patience......heaven help me....I really like instant. ☺

The workouts are getting easier however, and that means my fitness level is increasing. A good thing.

Part of this health kick is healthy eating and I have a couple of recipes to share.

The first one is a good way to change up breakfast.

Broccoli Quiche Cups

So, Greg walks by the stove and says "You made broccoli cakes!" with a pitiful expression on his face.

No, he did not try one. I really like them. You will love the calorie count.

Here is the recipe

Preheat oven to 350

1 10 oz package of frozen broccoli

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup Kraft Four Cheese shredded 2%

1 cup Egg Beaters

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

Shake in some paprika

Steam broccoli, pepper and onion.

Stir together Egg Beaters, cheese, flour and veggies, paprika.

Spray muffin tin. Spoon mixture into cups. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Each cup has about 57 calories, I had 3 for breakfast and that is still low calorie.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 56.8

Total Fat: 1.8 g
Cholesterol: 5.0 mg
Sodium: 144.1 mg
Total Carbs: 4.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 5.2 g

Next is a beautiful, delicious salad.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

corn- 1 cup of frozen or fresh kernels

sour cream, light- 3 TBS

salsa 1/2 C

avocado 1 whole, peeled and diced

1/2 Cup fresh, chopped Cilantro

6 cups Romaine lettuce

1 Cup Low Fat Feta Cheese, crumbled

Apple Cider Vinegar 1 TBS

Grape tomatoes, halved

Mix salsa, sour cream, apple cider vinegar. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and toss to coat.

Serve with baked tortilla chips. Use 1/4 cup of Feta for each serving.

Serving Size: 1 cups of bean mixture and 1 1/2 Cup of lettuce. Serve with chips (like baked tortilla)

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 277.0

Total Fat: 10.3 g
Cholesterol: 8.7 mg
Sodium: 853.5 mg
Total Carbs: 35.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 10.4 g
Protein: 13.2 g

This is so good! Give it a try.

So Yesterday (Day 50) 9987 Steps:(
Today (Day 51) 10,800 I made up for yesterday! :)
Calories all tracked and in range.

Day 49 of 100 days of Health Habit

2011-03-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

*in my best infomercial announcers voice*

It's 100 Days of Health!!! Just what you need!! You will experience everything there is to experience in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle! You will get 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, 122 ounces of water and 5672 trips to the restroom. You will get sweat, lots of it and you will try your hand at tasty, new, exciting, healthy recipes that are filled with those strange looking veggies at the market that you have know idea what they are. BUT WAIT! If you keep following you will also get what every woman in pursuit of a smaller waistline wants a PLATEAU! Yes! You heard that right!........

Okay, you can stop imagining me screaming like an infomercial and I will try to refrain from sarcasm.

I think I have lost sight of my original goal of just being consistent. Because I have come to expect a 2 pound per week weight loss. The spreadsheet on my computer says it should be (don't laugh). I have become very frustrated over the same number that has been greeting me between my feet.

So, let me stop here and refocus with a few questions. Yes, I will talk to myself, and answer myself here on the blog...just humor me.

1. My goal was consistency. Have I been? YES! more than ever.

2. Do I feel better? Oh, yes. So many things are better. Especially sleep. And my energy level is great!

3. Has my attitude toward exercise changed? It is a 360 degree change. Tonight at 10:00 pm I said "I'm going to workout.......(hold your breath) because it makes me feel better!

4. Have I learned to make healthy changes? Absolutely. I don't even miss Blue Plate Mayo (that is big, people)

See, this is good. But what in the world is going on with my weight? Well, I just don't know. I am studying it out. There is this weird thing about "starvation mode" In which the fact that I am burning 2800-3000 calories a day and only taking in 1500 is maybe not a good thing. That sounds so messed up to me! It goes against everything I have ever known about what a diet is suppose to do. However, I have NEVER, EVER, EVER worked out like I have been doing the last 49 days. I am burning more energy. Weight Watchers always said you could eat the exercise points that you earned. I just don't know. The verdict is still out on whether I buy it or not. I did adjust my Sparkpeople range to include my activity level. It did change my calorie range from 1220-1550 to 1350-1770. How crazy this all sounds. All I know is that I do not like a plateau. Period. I NEED, CRAVE, WANT instant gratification.

Oh, let me just say. Yes, I have been unhappy. But, in the big scheme of things. I am so thankful. I know I am so blessed. Please don't think I am all wrapped up in myself. I know that just to be able to exercise and serve my family and walk this journey is a gift. I am thankful!

Steps:11117

Calores tracked and in range

Day 47 & 48 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-22T23:00:00.000-04:00

Goodness.....now I am getting so bad that I am having to combine the days! Sorry about that. We are having a "stay-cation" this week and those seem to be busier than normal life!

Yesterday (Day 47) started out very good. I got up and worked out early! Can you believe it? I did. Then we went to the mall (that is not normal for me). Janie, the 2 year old has been begging to get her ears pierced since her big sister Jenna wears earrings. I need to get some pictures of that on here.....Anyway, it was a great day and I crawled into bed without even thinking that I would need to question how many steps I made. Surely I had surpassed my daily goal? Imagine my shock when just before turning out the lamp I gaze in wide-eyed wonder at the little Fitbit that is telling me I am about 1000 steps short for the day!!!! I was shocked. Needless to say I did not get out of bed and do 1000 steps. Oh well, no more assumptions for me. Calories were all good, even with a trip to Starbucks (oh yeah...that was good!)

Now on to day 48. Wow, I am so tired just typing this. Last week we were very busy and I did not keep up my routine of 2 loads of laundry a day. Well, that spells disaster at this house. Today I have done 10 loads. I hung 5 loads out on the line (that is so awesome!) and did the others inside. Just a moment ago I was shocked to see that I have 9500 steps and have not even done a walking workout! Just taking away a little modern convenience and I increased my activity level greatly! Think about that in your life. We all have so many things that help our lives so much but they cause us to be so sedentary. Ummmm....is that really helping us? Just look at the obesity problem in this country.

So, I have a few more things to do and that will easily put me over 10000 steps for the day.

We had a treat tonight and ordered Pizza Hut. This is rare because it is just expensive. What did I have? The Veggie Lovers pizza was awesome and only 180 calories a slice! The trick to lifestyle change is not feeling deprived. Just little changes. I did not miss the Meat Lovers or the heartburn that accompanied it!

Almost half way there!

Day 46 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-20T22:59:00.000-04:00

It's been a great day! Just finished working out (still getting them in late). I added in some strength training.

It was pretty good. I just cant do the floor exercises due to that nasty tenderness I have had since my epidurals. (Why do you never hear about that) Anyway, I can do the ab work on a ball.

So, I'll tell you the scale was moving great until the last few days (about 10) and I am really getting anxious about it. One positive thing I am doing to combat the scale monster is taking measurements. I use to try to do that with a regular tape measure (used for sewing) but this one is so much easier and you don't have to do the unthinkable and ask for someone to help measure you. :)

Another day down and I am happy with myself (take that you mean scale). Time for bed. Vacation (stay-cation) next week. Going to eBay some stuff, work in the yard and Lord willing, just enjoy my family.

Steps: 10105
Calories tracked and in range.

Day 45 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-20T15:06:00.000-04:00

Wow, I am getting bad at blogging these things late! Last night Janie feel asleep on me (I just love it) and I could not blog with one hand so....here I am a little late.

Yesterday was day 45. Nothing major, just still counting consistency as a worthy goal. If I ever was gonna fail it would have been easy in this last week. I have just been out of sorts and after a sweet talk with my honey (he IS the BEST) I am getting out of that rut. But hey, I have come through it, which is major for me. I used to get in the pit and waller (that is southern slang for wallow) in it for a while.

So, have a beautiful day and I will try to get day 46 post before it ends. :)

Steps on day 45: 10445

Calories tracked and in range!

Day 44 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-18T23:21:00.000-04:00

I guess you could say that some people never learn, or that old habits die hard, but it is 11:17 pm and I just finished my workout. Oh well, at least I had the drive to do it. I got a lot done today. I completely decluttered the school room which is also home to all of the little girls toys and houses some of my kitchen overflow! Wow, that felt good and although I was on my feet all day at 10:30 I did not have all of my steps in. But, working out in a clean room felt so good!

Here is to good habits and learning to form new ones!

Steps: 10001 :)

Calories tracked and in range.

Day 43 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-17T22:35:00.001-04:00

I've been honest from the start and I'm not going to quit being honest now. Today was full of frustration. I don't know exactly what is fueling the feelings but I know they are there. I am feeling very smothered by some clutter (what homeschool mom doesn't at some point?) and trying to plan for a "stay-cation" next week. I want to get so much done and yet I feel like I'm just going in circles! Tonight I sat down at 7:00 to just list a few items on eBay. When I looked at the clock it was after 10:00. It brought back to memory a note the teacher wrote on one of my elementary report cards, "Melanie does not use her time wisely." That has stuck with me all these years and today I am feeling it all over again! The kids were all still awake, running amuck and I looked down to see how many steps I had in...,6000. So at 10:30 I'm looking at needing to do at least a four mile walk! I just couldn't! I've gone all I can. I must learn to get my workout in early. That is my struggle for the most part, nothing more than procrastination.

So, I'm going to bed. I will learn from this day. I am learning always. Not giving up!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 42 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

Day 42! My goodness I am shocking my own self. I am by no means thinking that I have it all wrapped up, but I am starting to really see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a lot of weight to lose and that in itself makes it hard to stay focused. This little challenge has just worked wonders for me. Why I was never able to set small goals just makes me wonder....

But, I am not looking back. I like this journey.

Have a great night!

Steps: 10025

calories tracked and stayed in my range!

Day 41 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

Praise the Lord, I am feeling like my old self again and getting through that 4 mile workout was a lot easier today than it was yesterday!

Today was a busy day. What do you think would be the hardest part of this lifestyle change on busy days? Well, that would be keeping track of calories. This is the most important part for me. I know that I am burning calories, but if you just have a bite here and one there then it is very hard to keep up with how many calories you have consumed. A good rule to follow is one I learned at Weight Watchers: "If you bite it, write it!" I could not agree more. Keeping track of every thing is key. I do my tracking with the Sparkpeople app on my iPhone. If you are trying to get healthy and are not tracking your intake give it a try. I think you will find that you will be more successful.

Steps: 10364

Calories all tracked and in range.

Day 40 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-15T11:42:00.001-04:00

Can I tell you how many times I've heard that exercise all through the day is as good as one long block of activity? I never really thought that could be true. I always thought that I had to have at least an hour of hard sweating to burn the most calories.

Then comes the Fitbit. Every day it tells you, based on age, weight and activity, how many calories you should have burned. On day 40 I was still trying to recover from day 39. It was all I could do to get the steps in. At 7:00 pm I only had 2000! I almost cried! So after I drug myself through a five mile walk I went to the computer to check my numbers. I begin to compare the days where I am intentional about getting steps in every hour versus when I sit most of the day (schooling) and then do a big workout. In both days I get in the same amount of steps, however, I burn more calories overall when I do little spurts of activity through the day. So I said all this to say DON'T be defeated in your attempt to lose weight if you can't do an hour workout every day or go to the gym. Fifteen minutes at a time, several times a day will do the same, if not more!

Sorry to post this late... Life gets so full sometimes.

Steps:10023
Calories tracked and in range.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 39 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-13T20:11:00.001-04:00

I almost could not bring myself to put the 100 Days of Health picture on this post. Today has not been full of health!

As I opened my eyes this morning my first thought was, "What in the world is wrong with my stomach?"

I felt like I was going to just collapse if I had to walk any farther than my bathroom!

My poor sweet hubby, the preacher, had to spend the morning getting two little girls ready for church. I know the Lord gave him grace when he got to church. :)

I have just stayed in the bed all day. I feel useless.....I really miss active....

Truly, inactivity breeds more of the same. Just lying around makes me feel so heavy and tired.

I pray that this is only a 24 hour thing and that bright and early I will feel good as new. A mommy has too much to do to be down!

I am surprised that I even logged 400 steps (no, I never take the FitBit off)

Calories: I don't want to think about anything to do with food. :/

Day 38 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-12T19:32:00.002-05:00

Can you say TIRED??

That is what I am and we lose an hour tonight!

So, no long post tonight. Just going to say I am 25 steps away from 10,000. Picture me, standing by my bed, marching in place....counting those last 25 steps before hopping between the sheets!

Goodnight!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 37 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-12T07:05:00.001-05:00

Day 37?

Well, I've been nothing but honest and I'm not gonna stop now. Day 37 was one full day. A great day, a day spent enjoying life. But, by the time I had a moment to where I could spend and hour working out is was almost midnight! Remember, I do have four kids and two of those brought home their buddies. Which was just awesome for them!

How could I have worked in my steps earlier in the day? I should have gotten up earlier, before everyone else. So, today that is what I will be doing, because it is going to be busy too.

Learning to stay focused. Pick it back up when I've had an off day. Not say: "Well, I couldn't workout today so I might as well just forget it this weekend, and while I'm at it I'm gonna eat whatever I want." That was old me talking. Hopefully, I'm getting rid of that mentality for good!

So, here's to today and not dwelling on yesterday!

By the way, I said I was busy and I was, but you want to know just how many (or few) steps I had in? Just 3,400!!! Just proof that busy is not active enough! But, boy that was good coffee!!

All calories tracked and in range!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 36 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-10T23:04:00.001-05:00

Day 36 and I almost forgot to blog it! Isn't that great? This lifestyle is becoming so much of a normal routine that I forget it is a challenge.

You know yesterday I said that I was having trouble getting lean proteins? Well, today I completely grossed my kiddos out with my protein packed lunch. Tuna and cottage cheese! It taste better than it sounds and was filling! They were having no part of it. :)

Steps: 10100
All food tracked and in range.

Good night!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 35 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-09T22:23:00.000-05:00

Today I want to talk a little about the whole calorie in\ calorie out subject and the fuss about if it works or not. I am not a professional dietitian, although I have done enough diets in the last 15 years that I should hold some sort of degree. So, I am just speaking from the knowledge of trial and error and the research I have done. Do I think that all calories are created equal? No, I don't! I do not think that you can eat 1200 calories of 100 calorie pack Oreo's and lose as much weight as you would if that 1200 calories came from lean meats, fruits and veggies. The latest hoopla with Weight Watchers is the notion that all fruit is free and that is just not true. They are trying to get you to eat more fruit, but not in excess. That is the point, you can not eat in excess, I don't care what food it is. Pick a banana and not count the calories as opposed to eating that same 100 calories of some packaged diet food. But if you eat all of your points and then two bushels of bananas and expect to drop weight you will be disappointed. That is what I am learning: make better choices. Pick food that is as close to what God made it to be. That would be the best way to eat. Oh, how hard that is! I can remember when the whole craziness of "STOP THE INSANITY" bald lady came
out?

She was screaming all over the TV and what she was saying sounded great! Eat all you want as long as it is fat free."Fat makes you fat!!!" she yelled! Let me tell you how many fat free hostess cupcakes I ate....and how much weight did I lose? NONE! Not one pound! I think I gained weight! What about when Oprah told everyone about eating a whole pound of bacon because it has no carbs....but every so often go pee on a stick so you make sure your body is not getting into ketosis. Remember that one?

So, calories in \ calories out, it will work if you are sensible and eat a balanced diet. Every day that I finish tracking my food I get a chart on the screen that tells me the ratio of my food intake. Right now I am struggling to get more lean protein. I know this and I can work on it. Balance and common sense. Eat right and exercise. It is so simple that it is boring and most people don't want to do boring. They want the crazy lady screaming some new thing! That kind of thinking has kept me on this yo-yo for far too long.

In the end it is learning to be patient and just do the work. There is no quick fix. Slow and steady is going to win this race!

Steps: 10,175

calories tracked and in range!

Day 34 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-08T22:12:00.002-05:00

It took me forever to plan my grocery list tonight. One key to me being successful is having plenty of healthy food choices. I browsed Spark Recipes and my Weight Watchers cookbooks all day! I'm not going to cook separate meals for me, so it's important that our meals please everyone. My family has been great about trying all the new things and don't seem to notice when I lighten up our old favorites.

Planning is crucial in trying to eat healthy! So, now that the cabinets are stocked I am sure all of that thinking was worth it. Plus, going to the grocery store gets in a lot of steps!

So, another day down. It's been good!

Steps: 10251
Calories tracked and in range!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 33 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-07T21:55:00.001-05:00

It's a milestone!! 1/3 of the way to 100!!

Has it been easy? Some days have been. Some days have been hard and I fought myself every 10,000 steps of the way. I was thinking just this morning how energetic I felt. It was almost crazy I felt so good. :)

So, you know that my sweet hubby took control of the scale. Well, after I proved that I could play nice he allowed me to have it. I am not so dependent upon it as before. I know that I am doing the work. I've learned the patterns of my body. I've learned to just do what I set out to do: to be consistent and follow my plan, which is simple. I've learned that I can do more and that I am not a lost cause.

This is the icing on the cake (that's probably not the best way to put it) I have lost 8.1 pounds in the first half of this 100 days. Basically 2 pounds a week. Consistently. That is a first!!

So, if this is helping no one else it is helping me. Keeping this journal of the journey has been key to staying focused.

Have a great night!

10,000 steps (and I'm done for today)
Calories tracked and in range.

Melanie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sweet Peace. Sweet Love.

2011-03-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

I don't know how we got here. I sit and ponder on it. Two people grown into mature love for one another yet still giddy with like-new love. How do some grow bitter and apart? And yet I love him more deeply than ever and I feel it. He loves me too, all of me. Forty-something, after four babies, flighty, sometimes moody, messy-housed, "honey your laundry is in the dryer," me. There is a deep respect that was not demanded. It was carefully nurtured and tended, guarded fiercely. I can't write a book and tell others how to do it. THE BOOK, told us. I don't know why He chose to bless the two of us with this gift. We just trusted that if we did it His way that we could be happy. Together. Joined. We are two, yet one. Were there rough times? Oh, those first few years....wow.... so glad God worked on those stubborn, self-centered ways. I think on those days fondly, I live in these days gladly. That is my Multitudes on Monday. So humbly thankful for this gift that has built this home and four little blessings. I pray and beg God to be forming someone for them who will make them feel as loved and secure as Sweet Hubby makes me.

and counting.....

252 a clean house

253 the sunrise

254 washing machine humming

255 How his "I love you " still makes my heart skip

256 homeschool

257 morning bird singing

258 Rooster crowing

259 the feeling of home

260 church family

261 peace

262 grace, again

Day 32 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-07T07:47:00.001-05:00

Well, Sundays are always busy and after the one I had yesterday you will see why I am posting day 32 (Sunday) on Monday.

We went to church, then to Red Lobster, {Met my Mom & Dad there}, then we decided to go to Sams with my parents {because I don't have a card and they do.} Then we came back home for just a few minutes, then back to church. Then home again and of course I had to exercise because I only had in 3500 steps even after all of that running. And at the end of it all still fell 400 steps short of 10,000.

You might be wondering what I had at Red Lobster that did not just blow the deal. Here it is:

Cedar Plank Salmon.....oh my! I did not have rice, instead I just had two servings of broccoli. Of course, I did have the Cheddar Bay Biscuits...two of them. That came in at around 800 calories. A lot more than I usually have at one meal. But, it is still workable and by the time you eat all of that who is still hungry? For supper I had a bowl of Kashi. We do not eat out a lot anymore for a lot of reasons, but even trying to lose weight you have to remain flexible. I could have went and had the 1000 calories meal (excluding salad and bread that would have been another 500-600) and been miserable afterward. Honestly, I did not even miss that feeling or the old entrées I used to order. Finish that meal off with coffee and the desert menu does not even phase me! It may seem trivial to some, but the feeling of empowerment I get at staying on my plan is what propels me to continue. I have been powerless for so long.

The good thing about late night exercise is you know that you are burning off some of that Cheddar Bay Biscuit! ☺ My workout last night burned 417 calories. YAY! I can't stress enough what the tools that I have do for my goals. I does not have to be a guessing game. You do not need spend a lot of money, grab a five dollar pedometer, if the Fitbit is too much. Timex makes some pretty good beginner Heart Rate Monitors for under forty dollars. The web is full of calorie information. While searching for nutrition info on Red Lobster I even ran across a site that told me how much exercise I'd have to do to burn off the any particular meal that was listed! Use whatever tool you need to make this a challenge and not a drudgery. It is like a game to me now and I like winning! One cool app is My Fitness Pal. (now I love and use Sparkpeople app, but I was browsing apps when I found this) The neat thing it does is at the end of the day, after you journal your food and exercise it will give you a summary that says something like this: "If every day was like this one in 5 weeks you would weigh ###." How is that for encouragement? I love it!

On a note of calorie, I used to cringe when someone would tell me to count calories! I think that is why I loved Weight Watchers for so long. It was a nice camouflage to counting calories. Those points were a nice way to trick my brain. Now, I much prefer counting the calories, because I don't have to find the fiber and fat and now with the new PointsPlus, the carbs.

Okay, enough about that. It's time to get up from this computer!

Steps: 9649 :(

Calories tracked and in range ☻

Later tonight I will do post day 33 and tell you what the scale has said about this 1st part of my 100 days!

Have a beautiful day!

Day 31 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-05T21:44:00.001-05:00

Well, what a day. I have cleaned and mopped and done laundry and cleaned rooms and exercised. I am ready for bed. As a matter of fact I am in the bed and just realized I didn't blog. So before this audio book lulls me to sleep I will hurry and tap out a post.

Steps today: 10710
Calories all tracked and in range.

Good night and have a blessed Lord's day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 30 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-04T21:44:00.000-05:00

Guess what! For the first time in my life I think I am wearing the soles thin on a nice pair of Sauconys (those are the MOST comfortable pair of shoes I have ever put on) that my mom bought me a few months ago! Trust me, I have never worn out a running shoe.

It is really amazing how I feel. More energetic, alert and happy. I can tell you that I used to have days where I felt like a big sloth. It was a chore to do anything. Now there is a spring in my step......I'm amazed. I am thankful. I am excited! On day 33, 1/3 of the way to 100, I will tell you exactly how much weight I have lost. That was not my goal to start this, (remember, my goal was just to be consistent)but I am coming to believe that this lifestyle of eating right, tracking intake and being active will actually result in weight loss. Believe me when I say I had lost all hope that this could work for me. I have lost weight, many times. I have never exercised everyday for 30 days, NEVER!

Steps today: 10883
calories tracked and in range.

{And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Col.3:23}

Day 29 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-03T20:58:00.001-05:00

Here we are at the end of day 29. In the last 29 days I have read many articles on the subject of weight loss. One thing that I never knew about was BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate, which is the number of calories it takes for your body just to function. Then you can add into the equation how active you are and see about how many calories you will burn in one day. Then you can see how many calories you need to take in to meet your weight loss goal. One pound of fat is 3500 calories. If you want to lose one pound per week then you will need to create a 500 calorie deficit each day. If you can add in some exercise you will only help your cause. The workout I did yesterday burned a whopping 501 calories!

So, below I put in a widget for you to use to calculate your BRM. You can find them all over the web and if you have an iPhone or iPod touch there are many apps that will do all of the calculations for you. You can adjust that number as your weight goes down.

Steps: 10078
calories tracked and in range!
Here's to health!

BMR Calculatorgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Can I just pop in here and say that when I plug my numbers in that widget the calorie recommendation I get is shocking when you consider I want to lose weight. We have been drilled that 1200 calories is a must for everyone. That does not take into account body size. That may be why some heavy dieters are always hungry and fail at losing weight.....you think?

Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone

2011-03-02T22:51:00.000-05:00

I am a song person. I love the old hymns. They have so much meaning and really speak to the soul. This old one has been on my heart all day.

Must Jesus bear the cross alone

And all the world go free?

No, there's a cross for ev'ryone,

And there's a cross for me.

The consecrated cross I'll bear

Till death shall set me free,

And then go home my crown to wear,

For there's a crown for me.

Upon the crystal pavement,

down At Jesus' pierced feet,

With joy I'll cast my golden crown

And His dear name repeat.

O precious cross!

O glorious crown!

O resurrection day!

Ye angels, from the stars come down

And bear my soul away.

Day 28 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

Day 28, almost 1/3 of the way to 100!

I am learning that calories in/calories out works. (Don't laugh, I have it in a spreadsheet complete with weight loss projections) Okay, so maybe that is over the top but I am a detail person. I am not so much into math, but they say that if you create a 1000 calorie deficit you will lose 2 pounds a week. So I am really keeping track of that!

Today was a great day with a big, sweaty workout. The Four Fast miles had me burn 500 calories! It was awesome! I also got it in earlier in the day and boy am I glad!

Steps: 10802

Calories tracked and in range.

Goodnight!

Day 27 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-03-01T22:23:00.000-05:00

Well, the headache was gone this morning. Croup was here instead. Poor Josh has strep and croup. Thank God we had medicine and I just keep praying the little ones don't get it. Croup has always done a number at our house. To top it off, I was sure that I was getting a stomach bug this evening. I quickly downed some Tummy Tune-Up and whispered another prayer.

Today has been a day that I just wanted to eat all day long! It was a struggle to stay in my calorie range. I did manage to do enough of a workout to burn an additional 380 calories. One thing I did do to try to get in little burst of activity was this: every hour or two I would go out and just walk fast around the house 5 or 6 times. That equaled out to about 1000 steps for 5 laps.

Now I want to share a recipe. I have been all over that Spark Recipes site and we have tried another new Crock Pot recipe today. It was very different from anything I have made in the past. This time I will try to remember to give you the nutrition info....Sorry about that yesterday.

So I got this off of Spark Recipes and of course I changed it somewhat.

Orange Pineapple Chicken

1 1\2 pounds of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenderloins (cut into bite size pieces)

20 oz pineapple chunks in juice

1 small can of sliced Water Chestnuts, drained

1/2 large green bell pepper, sliced from top to bottom

1/2 medium onion, sliced from top to bottom

1 1/2 t soy sauce

1/4 t ginger powder

1 clove garlic, minced

15 oz mandarin oranges, drained

Place all ingredients, except for oranges, into 4 quart slow cooker.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours

or Low for 6 hours.

The last 30 minutes put in the oranges.

I served it with brown rice.(count those calories separately) Yummy!

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving

Calories: 343.0

Total Fat: 2.2 g
Cholesterol: 98.6 mg
Sodium: 234.4 mg
Total Carbs: 37.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 40.4 g

It says 4 servings. We had a little more than that.

Enjoy!

Steps: 11282
Calories tracked and in range!

Day 26 of 100 Days of Health

2011-02-28T19:39:00.001-05:00

It was bound to happen.

I'm posting this from bed at 7:30 pm. My Cowboy has strep and I've had an awesome migraine all day. Now I think I'm getting his strep. I'm loading up on Vit. C and G.S.E and going to sleep. Lord willing tomorrow I can try to make up for lost steps tomorrow.
Today I can go no further.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Black Bean Chicken (a crock pot meal)

2011-02-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love crock-pot cooking? It is my favorite, for sure! Well, this is one awesome recipe. You have just got to try it.

I found it on Spark Recipes
They also have a great iPhone app. Check it out!

Black Bean Chicken (my version)

2 Cans of Black Bean (get the low sodium if possible)

1 16 ounce Salsa

1/2 Cup Brown Rice

1 can of Rotel

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast (I used chicken breast tenders , they were on sale)

Throw it all in and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

I cooked it on high for 5 (my chicken was thawed)

Watch it and don't let it dry out.

Fabulous!

This would be awesome in a flour tortilla, whole wheat of course, with some shredded lettuce. We had it with chips, cheese and sour cream.

Try it, you will love it! The family does not have to know that it is healthy! :)

Day 25 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-27T23:48:00.006-05:00

Let me go ahead an tell you this. I love my new habits....... six days a week. After this 100 days I will not be exercising on Sunday! Man, what is it about that Sunday afternoon nap? I never sleep hard, but on Sundays I sleep like a rock. I meld into that bed and sleep hard. So, that leaves me two choices, get up early (you know how I feel about that) and workout or do it after church. Do you see what time this post is done? Yes, almost midnight. I just barely got in those steps before the fitbit resets at midnight.

Also, lest you think I am some super woman who has just found her inner fitness guru, let me be perfectly honest about how the last few days have been. I have noticed a pattern with me. I get all gung ho at a new "project" and then I fizzle. That is me in a nutshell. With weight loss I want to see the scale move rapidly. I have worked hard and ate right! What do you mean that I have not lost 25 pounds yet? (Said to the scale)

I am learning patience. Had it not been for this challenge this would have been where I start getting slack and not tracking calories and skipping on workouts. Why? Because the new has worn off. Remember what I said about sticktoittiveness in an earlier post? With this challenge laid out for all the world (or my couple of readers) to see. It has held me accountable and I am so glad. This all began because I was sick of wasting my life overweight and unhealthy. I am mature enough to know that I am not going to lose 50 pounds in a month, but I have a hard, hard time waiting for a payoff. I really like instant gratification. However, I really like feeling like I have gained some control over those bad habits and character traits and with the Lord's help I will press on.

Steps: 10079

Calories tracked and in range!

Day 24 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-26T21:59:00.000-05:00

Oh no!

Guess what I did......

Oh, sometime around 3:00 pm I went to the closet to put up some laundry and what was hanging on my nightgown? MY FITBIT!!!

Are you laughing at me?

Well, I was so disappointed because I would not have my step number for today. It's the first day since starting my challenge that I have done that.

Well, I did hang out 2 loads of clothes and did a workout. I logged my calories and stayed in range. (actually almost did not eat enough....imagine that)

So as Scarlet would say...."Tomorrow is another day"

If the Lord blesses me to see it, I hope I remember all my gadgets that help keep me motivated!

Good night!

Oh my....Can't wait for fresh fruit!

2011-02-26T12:54:00.000-05:00

A recipe. A healthy one too! We love muffins around here, but they can pack a lot of calories. I love that has flaxseed in it.

Day 23 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-25T23:18:00.001-05:00

Some days are easier than others.

Steps: 10,000. No more. No Less. Need I say more?
Calories tracked and in range.

Read the into to this 100 Days here.

Day 22 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-24T21:13:00.000-05:00

Well you will never believe how I got in a lot of extra steps today!

Are you ready for it?

There is an 18 year story behind that clothesline. When dear hubby and I returned from our honeymoon I was shopping at the local dollar store and grabbed up a bundle of line for him to use to build my clothesline. Well, I waited. And I waited....until......

..... Once upon a time a man and woman who was very much in love was blessed to have a baby boy. That baby boy would grow into the strong, strapping young man that would one day hear the plea of his mother for a clothesline. He, being the determined young man, pressed his loving father to call a certain family member who had an unused clothesline. In no time that hard working lad had plucked the poles from the ground and was ready to make his mothers dream come true...... :))))

And that is the story of how I hung clothes and listened to roosters crow and got many chances to go OUTSIDE (which is something I sometimes never do.....for days) It was AWESOME!!!

So with all of these steps I got today I took the time to do something different tonight.

Abs.....oh my.....
But on that ball it does not hurt my back! Yay!

Of course the kiddos think that is one cool ball.
I'll admit I was scared to sit on it. But the Amazon reviewers declared that it really was anti-burst! :)

What a fun day! (except for the poison oak now on my hand....)

Steps: 11,258
Calories tracked and in range!

Day 21 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-23T22:57:00.000-05:00

21 Days!! Woohoo!!!

Can I just say that I really do feel better and already can feel a difference in myself. I really wish I had taken my measurements before I started.

Well, this has been a day. I have one child that is eat up in poison oak. After a trip to the Urgent Care and drug store, I hope that she will get some relief. And listen to this, when we came out of the doctor's office we walked (across the street) to the drug store. Normally we would not have done that. Every little step counts and at the end of the day I only had 5600 steps....even with all that running and church and grocery store.....5600. See, we really do need to incorporate more activity.

So after a 45 min. workout tonight I am at: 10,304 steps

We had fast food ( have not done that in a while) and I still stayed in my calorie range!

Goodnight!

Day 20 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

Boy, the days just fly by.

It is so hard managing time and all that I need to do as a wife, mother, homeschool mom, daughter and whatever else I may need to be. My greatest excuse for years has been time, not having enough time to exercise. In all honesty, if I tracked the time that I have blown on Facebook alone I cannot say with a clear conscience that I do not have time for health. Here I will quote from my favorite book....again....☺

"I don’t really want more time; I Just want enough time.”

“I just want time to do my one life well.”

-Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

Yes, time blurs by. I don't want to come to the end of my life and have regrets. Yes, everyone will regret something. But to have to regret a lazy life. A life lived not fully using what God blessed me with. A life lived tired and frustrated by not feeling well. A life lived with sickness brought on by bad choices. Many, many people live with disabilities and they have no choice. They press on. I have been blessed and have not lived out my life like I appreciate what God has given me. My health may leave tomorrow but at least I can say that I did what I could today to make it count. And, I don't want to over spiritualize this 100 Day thing but frankly my weight has hindered my service for God. When you get up on Sunday morning and nothing fits and your back aches from 90 extra pounds and sitting on the piano stool hurts....that does affect how I worship. I am not a vain person, I don't know the latest fashion trends. I avoid the mall at all cost. I go to Dollar General with no make-up! I just want to feel good. I want to not be ill because I hurt or my clothes feel like a tent on me. I hope that is clear here.

I want to share a site that I have found extremely helpful. For the last year I have been a paying member of Weight Watchers. I love the plan. I loved going to the meetings, but I hated leaving the house just as soon as my tired hubby came home. I know it was just one night a week, but it was hard and if I could not go then I did not do well. This time I have decided to do this on my own, for me. Not for my WW leader. This site is free and has all of the perks of WW. Perhaps more.

I am finally getting used to it and like it a lot. It has a huge recipe section and a place where you can input your own recipes and see the nutritional content of them. There are tons of health articles as well.

Well, its getting late. Perhaps my next challenge should be set bedtimes and waking times....you know this free spirit can only do so much at a time. :)

Steps: 11615
Calories tracked and in range!

Time

2011-02-22T11:30:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving makes time.

Give thanks, slow time down with all your attention,

& time multiplies.

........Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

Day 19 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Day 19....almost three weeks! I can assure you that I have never exercised every day for 3 weeks.
Tonights workout was a little interesting because of the calorie burn that my Polar F6 was reporting. I have talked a little about it taking a little more intensity to get my heart rate up. Well tonight I did a 5 mile workout using 3 and 5 pound weights. Last night I did 4 miles in 54 minutes and burned 338 calories. I was tired and did NOT put my all into the workout. I just wanted to get it over. Tonight I did 5 miles in about 1:05 minutes with weights on 2 of the miles and the burn was 652 calories for that session. Wow! The weights instantly bump the heart rate up and make it well worth the effort!
It really is exciting to see just what your body can do. The more I study on nutrition and fitness the more I stand amazed at the body that God created. I am ashamed of how I have treated it. I am thankful that I still have enough health to try and turn around the damage I may have already done.

Steps today: 10,240
Calories tracked and in range.

Now for a bath!!

Day 18 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-20T23:16:00.000-05:00

Today was a challenge.

I have never been good at keeping commitments to myself. I can't recall purposely letting down a friend or family, but I have never been good at keeping a promise to myself.

I wanted so bad to come home and go to bed and not do my steps.

I really wanted to eat a huge bowl of Brunswick stew and a big BBQ sandwich .

I did neither.

I am glad.....now.

I made a commitment to myself to prove that I can take care of me so that I can take care of my family.

Day 18 is coming to a close. One more day that I can say I was successful.

Steps:

10,394

Calories tracked and in range.

Day 17 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

Today was just beautiful. These health habit post may turn into a daily journal of more than just how well I stayed on "plan" because the healthy lifestyle is becoming more and more a way of life.

Here is a little video of how I got in my last 5000 steps today.

Yep, I am pulling those two (about 80 pounds) in that wagon! Janie would yell "Run Mommy!" Oh yeah, like I could run very far hauling that thing. After a few laps around the place they jumped out and I thought that instead of going inside that I would download some of Leslie Sansone's walking music. It is the same music that she has on her DVDs. The pace keeps you walking at a fast enough rate to keep your heart rate up. It was really nice to walk outside. iTunes has a lot to choose from. It is by far not my favorite type of beat, but it did keep me walking very fast!

Well, I am tired! I'm going to turn in with a good book on the iPhone.

Steps today: 11,095
Calories tracked and in range.

Day 16 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

Walking is man's best medicine.
Hippocrates, Greek physician (460 BC - 377 BC)

Wow, he was way ahead of the times! Can you imagine what Hippocrates would think of our lifestyle today? While counting steps one comes to learn that although she thinks she is one busy momma, she really is very, very sedentary. Even the routine of laundry, housekeeping and keeping up with 4 blessings equals out to very little movement and none of that gets the heart rate up and into aerobic activity. (unless you count the times that the little precious ones do something that causes you to run at break-neck speed)

So today was good and busy, but in the end I did a 5 mile (1:00) workout to get the steps in.

Total steps today: 11,264
Calories tracked and in range.

Want to learn more about getting fit? I found a great Podcast called Fat to Fit. Here is a link to their site where you will find various ways to subscribe. It's free. Click here: Fat to Fit

Snapshot of beautiful days

2011-02-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

Preschool fun

Beautiful books

Loving to learn

Blonde hair in the sun.

Music coming from the room.

The kitchen window

A little princess.

Ahhh.... coffee.

Sweet Jenna

His hands.

...and the look on his face when I want to photograph them.

The cook!

Her little looks.

Can I really be living this life?
It is more than I could ever have known to ask for.
Truly Treasures Unseen are made even sweeter by the little daily things.

Day 15 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-17T21:13:00.000-05:00

Moving right along.

This is really fun!

Who would have ever thought that I would have admitted that? {Mom?}

One thing that I have not been doing the last few days is early movement, and boy is it getting me. Tonight after dinner I had to go meet with Leslie and she just wore me out. I got this new 3 mile DVD and let me tell you, it was a sweat-fest!

So after that I go dripping through the house to log my activity and sync the FitBit I get the shocking news that I have only logged 7700 steps!!!

Can you say UGH?!?!?!

So, I turn right around and go back and do a very easy, fast paced two mile workout from her website.

So here I sit thinking that tomorrow I will walk early......

Steps today 10,172 (and it will be a while before I turn in)

Calories tracked and in range (despite that FedEx package that contained 3 boxes of new Archway cookies that my dear sweet man will be selling) I mean, I quit buying junk food and they start shipping it to my door!

Did I tell you that one of the boxes were Shortbread Cookies.....my all time FAVORITE? ☺

Good evening!

Day 14 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

Despite a long, busy day that turned into a longer evening my goals were met.

Two weeks! Wow. What a good feeling!

Granted, It was not fun doing three miles at 10:00 p.m.
But, Sweet hubby had a meeting out of town that has totally changed the outlook of his job and when we all got home tonight we spent some time talking about that.
It made me want to skip it all, toss my hands up and say "Forget it! I've got too much on my mind."
Well, he went to bed and I went to walk.

Perseverance- steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state,etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Philippians 4:6

Steps: 10011
Calories tracked and in range.

Good night and sweet dreams!

Day 13 of 100 Days of Health Habit

2011-02-15T20:57:00.000-05:00

Well, is it getting to be a habit yet?
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Yes, it is getting easier to "just do it" and I am glad. I want this to be a lifestyle change not just a "diet" which is usually just a temporary thing. I myself have lost and gained an untold amount of weight over the years.

So, a little insight to what has been going on. Well, feeling very good about my consistency I decided to hop on the scale and wait for it to tell me exactly how good I should feel.

IT. CRUSHED. ME.

What was I thinking weighing myself right now? I am way co-dependent on that shiny piece of metal that speaks in a numeric code.

So, my dear sweet hubby, with some encouraging words is taking control of this little problem I have.

Yep, that is my man carrying that mean thing away.

He said to me. "Your goal was 100 days of consistency....not 12, do not get back on this thing until the 100 days are over."

Well.....I can be strong. Can't I?

I feel good about what I am doing. That freaky looking number on that scale sent me back to self doubt and frustration. It is because I have no confidence whatsoever that my body will do what everyone says it should if I watch "calories in and calories out." I just don't think that I work that way....so I look for that number on the scale and it trumps whatever good, healthy things I have done. And that is just wrong!

Thanks Sweet Hubby for the help. I will try to stay off the scale {just please don't hide it. :)}

Steps today: 10,817
Calories tracked and in range.

{Read the beginning of the story here: 100 Days of Health Habit or click the label "100 Days" to see all the post}