Autumn here has fallen on our laps, seemingly out of nowhere. It is one of my favorite seasons, but it seemed to sneak up on us this year. Probably because of the extended baseball season, followed up by trying to squeeze all our summer wish list activities into one month. That probably sounds like too much, right? So, how does a family enjoy this wonderful season but not overdo it? This fall we decided to do sports in a low key way. No hectic schedules, no sport or team that was going to eat away at our few precious hours. This isn't how we usually operate, but it has been the norm for the last 2 years. We are a sports-loving family but we also seem to be busier in the fall with just life. So this fall, the youngest wanted to play soccer and the oldest wanted to focus on tennis. Tennis you say? I'm ALL about my tennis! How could I ever say no to that request? Soccer was only a two day a week commitment, for an hour at a time, during the week with no weekend games. Perfect! Tennis was a bit more varied but it averaged a day a week on mainly days we chose. There were also opportunities for weekend events, and we did participate in one family round robin. This "event" was my son's first competitive foray in tennis and I think he did pretty well. This less stress, less commitment usually only lasts a season, but for us it might carry over into the early winter, when baseball practices pick back up. The older one will be in his last year of Little League and the younger one in his second year of Minor B. Hopefully it will be a memorable season. Josh is already concerned that he will be missing out on tennis during the spring, but I feel like he's getting ahead of himself. I am happy, though, that he is so fond of the sport I love. I never wanted to push him to play, but was thrilled to share what I know, as well as introduce him to others who can also help him develop as a player. If you live in the Williamsport area, check out the Central PA Tennis Club. The pros there are awesome and the staff is very friendly. They have plenty of things for players of all ages and levels to try their hand at, like the family doubles we participated in last weekend. But I digress...the schedule between these sports was pretty laid back for the most part. Spring is so the opposite! We have a hard time finding time to breathe in the spring with sports. I usually have to pencil it in.
Since we went on vacation in Florida late in September, I was tricked into thinking that summer wasn't over. But after we came back, fall was staring us right in the face. So many things to do before the weather changes. School is now in full swing and it seems like weekends are full of activities. One activity I'm looking forward to is camping next weekend. It will be our only trip since July, since the truck "lost its mind" in August and derailed our trip to Cook Forest. Fall camping is the best though, so I am excited to go and enjoy the last hurrah of the camping season. Around here, camping usually ends by November, when pipes might freeze up on your rig if the weather decides to throw you some sass. Campfires are much more pleasant without the heat of summer though and walks through the woods are even better when the leaves are changing. Alas, the summer has sighed and let go of the sun, turning our lights out even earlier. Laughter can still be heard and tales can be told even better in the dark, under the glorious glow of moonlight. We will relish this last foray into the woods in our RV. Life will go on afterwards and more holidays will be spent with friends and family in the near future. I am going to enjoy fall to the very last drop of dew, to the last walk on a cool autumn day, to everything outdoors and indoors that one can only truly enjoy this time of year. Friends, winter may be coming but I am going to defend fall for all it's worth. Luckily, we have time to stop and smell the mushrooms.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Enduring my "career gap"
Today I was feeding my travel bug by listening to one of my latest podcast finds when I came across a term, "career gap". This caught my eye because I guess one would say my life the last 12 years, almost, would probably be defined this way. Yes, since having my first child I have been staying home and raising my boys, and educating them in the process. This is usually called being a "stay-at-home mom". I guess I think of it as a career choice, although I tinker with the idea of finding a career that I can do from home, like writing of some sort. Many see this as not having a job. It is far from that. I do quite a bit, only I don't get paid to do any of it. Homeschooling is quite a job, home educating our kids being very demanding on our time. I spend many hours just researching things like curriculum, which isn't the same for the two boys. One is now a 6th grader, or will be when we start. The younger one is going to be a first grader, although I am toying with the idea of making him a 2nd grader, since much of his curriculum is more advanced. In any case, I spend a lot of time trying to find curriculum that works with my kids' different styles of learning, fulfills the requirements of our state and district, as well as one that is fun and interesting for them. Not always an easy thing. Aside from this task, the actual day to day of schooling takes a lot of planning and time to execute. It isn't just a 180 day job, or a 9 to 5 type of job. On top of this, I help out with our local co-op group by co-coordinating our activities and classes for fall and spring sessions. This has proven to be much more time consuming than I imagined it would be. Again, this is not a paid position, but involves much research and administrative duties, in addition to leading the group during our 8 week sessions. There are endless emails, pleas for volunteers to teach classes, organizing, and just constant contact with members of the group. While I do enjoy this, I find that it really takes away the time I need for homeschooling my own kids and they are not always happy that I have to take time away to do these tasks. Yes, this is my career gap. I so wish I was busier!
I may be making light of this, but I find that people don't often see me as having a job. I chose to stay home with my kids, but it was really a joint decision made with my husband. It is more challenging to live on just one income, as you would expect. If I had a job that paid me money, things would not be as tight, but I would probably have to find child care in summer and those hours I would not be home. That costs money and sometimes it can cost the near entirety of the extra money that one makes. So is it worth it? I don't know really. I haven't experienced the working mother side of things, but I am sure it has its challenges. Some who work full time say that they wish they had the luxury of staying home. Well, let me tell you, it isn't really a luxury. Sure, I like that we can manage it, but it is something you have to work at. We have to budget more and watch what we spend more. We don't buy our vehicles new. We don't use our credit cards very often. We pay off our debts and try not to have extra expenses. It isn't an easy task. Sure, a new car or truck would be nice once and a while, but we have found decent vehicles with research. We still travel when we can, which we do partly in our RV, which we also bought used. The key is to buy the best used things you can afford. Don't buy really old used that is not in good shape, or even newer used that is not in good condition. Make smart decisions and try to be frugal. That is the key to being able to stay at home. It isn't so much a luxury as it is smart decision making. We chose to homeschool our kids because we thought it was the best decision for us and for them. It isn't always easy but I think it was the right decision. So this "career gap" will hopefully last a while yet for me, unless I do manage to find a job I can do from home. Do you have a career gap? How do you deal with questions from others about it? I am often asked how long I plan to do this. Well, hopefully for another 12 years, since my youngest is just now starting 1st grade. I don't want to judge those who choose not to do it, just as I don't feel others should judge those of us who do. Homeschooling is a wonderful experience. Watching your kids learn and grow is something more people should do. I am grateful we get to do this. We are lucky and blessed to be on this journey together as a family, career gap and all.
I may be making light of this, but I find that people don't often see me as having a job. I chose to stay home with my kids, but it was really a joint decision made with my husband. It is more challenging to live on just one income, as you would expect. If I had a job that paid me money, things would not be as tight, but I would probably have to find child care in summer and those hours I would not be home. That costs money and sometimes it can cost the near entirety of the extra money that one makes. So is it worth it? I don't know really. I haven't experienced the working mother side of things, but I am sure it has its challenges. Some who work full time say that they wish they had the luxury of staying home. Well, let me tell you, it isn't really a luxury. Sure, I like that we can manage it, but it is something you have to work at. We have to budget more and watch what we spend more. We don't buy our vehicles new. We don't use our credit cards very often. We pay off our debts and try not to have extra expenses. It isn't an easy task. Sure, a new car or truck would be nice once and a while, but we have found decent vehicles with research. We still travel when we can, which we do partly in our RV, which we also bought used. The key is to buy the best used things you can afford. Don't buy really old used that is not in good shape, or even newer used that is not in good condition. Make smart decisions and try to be frugal. That is the key to being able to stay at home. It isn't so much a luxury as it is smart decision making. We chose to homeschool our kids because we thought it was the best decision for us and for them. It isn't always easy but I think it was the right decision. So this "career gap" will hopefully last a while yet for me, unless I do manage to find a job I can do from home. Do you have a career gap? How do you deal with questions from others about it? I am often asked how long I plan to do this. Well, hopefully for another 12 years, since my youngest is just now starting 1st grade. I don't want to judge those who choose not to do it, just as I don't feel others should judge those of us who do. Homeschooling is a wonderful experience. Watching your kids learn and grow is something more people should do. I am grateful we get to do this. We are lucky and blessed to be on this journey together as a family, career gap and all.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Year in the Books
Well, we finished our school year up the week before Memorial Day. Should we say our year is in the books or our books have checked out for the year? Either way, we are finished. We accomplished quite a bit, yet I always feel like we didn't do enough. I should not feel that way. Maybe all homeschool moms feel that way. The kids in school get certificates and awards for the work they put in, but our kids have memories and workbooks, and stacks upon stacks of material they read sitting on our shelves. No one gives them an award most of the time. Do you think our children feel jipped or that they are missing out? Likely, they are too busy enjoying their summer to even think about it most of the time, but us mothers sit and wonder if there isn't a way we could recognize our children for their accomplishments. Granted, some participate in things where this can happen. I give my children the award for attendance. They did not miss a day the whole year. I give my youngest an award for learning to read this year. He did an amazing job and I am so proud of him. My oldest wrote his first research paper and I think he did great. Sure, things could be improved, but who can honestly say that they can't improve in some area of their lives? I know I can improve in many ways.
This week, I attended the CHAP Homeschool Convention in Lancaster. It was a nice getaway for the hubs and I. We only stayed overnight and came back the next day, but we got a lot accomplished I think. This year, we plan to try something different for our youngest. Since he seems to like doing work independently, we thought he'd like ACE. This is a program that is self-guided, for the most part. He won't be doing all the courses available, just 3, but I am adding All About Reading, Horizons Math, and an Astronomy course to his agenda. He is currently almost halfway through Level 3 of All About Reading and I got the 4th and final level for him to do next school year, after he's finished with level 3. The astronomy course looked pretty cool. We came across it in our perusing of vendors. I heard, "Do you want to sign up to win a free telescope?", to which I replied, "What do I have to do if I do?" I admit to always looking for the hook from others. I don't think most things are offered because they want me to get a deal, but rather so they can put me on their mailing list and pester me for the rest of my days. Reluctantly, we stopped and I did sign up, right under someone else whose name I recognized. I haven't seen said person for at least a year and hoped I would run into her, but sadly didn't. Hopefully soon though, as I found out from another that their family has moved back to our area. Good to know! Anyway, we stopped and after I signed up (sadly, I didn't win), I listened to what they had to say about their homeschool astronomy program, which is done via a computer. They have 3 levels, 2 of which we ended up purchasing, one for elementary and the other for junior high, which he recommended we use for our 6th grader. It will be interesting to see how the boys like it. I was impressed with what I saw and happy to find something different. We've done a lot of biology so far, mainly because that has been their interest, but I wanted something new this year. I had found a chemistry by MasterBooks that I had planned on purchasing, but decided to try that next year after coming across this. I also purchased math for both of them, Horizons for the younger and Teaching Textbooks for the older, level 7. Don't tell him but next year gets a bit tougher. Looks like the next level is pre-algebra! Things are getting real up in here! I did not purchase history or reading for the older, but I did sneak into the Sonlight arena and spy on the curriculum I plan to use. This year we want to do the second half of American History. Thankfully, the people there didn't "attack" me. They handed me a catalog and let me look at things in peace, but came back to ask if I had any questions later, which I did. I like this hands off approach. I don't like feeling pressured, especially when looking at pricey curriculum. We came, we saw, we walked away, breathing a sigh of relief. Yes, that is the introvert in me I guess. I talk when I feel like it, but hate being badgered. I did manage to get a vocabulary book with tests for him. We enjoyed that this year, Wordly Wise 3000.
Along the way, we stopped and looked at different displays. One I see there each year is a vendor that sells natural soaps and other similar products. According to the woman at the booth, they originally started out by doing experiments and projects with their homeschool. Over time, it has become a successful business, even though all of her kids are grown and no longer in school. I believe it is Virginia Soaps & Scents. We bought one bar of soap (they have a ton of different ones to choose from), a stain remover bar, a natural bug spray, and a deodorant bar of Himalayan Salt. Trust me, I got off easy because I love this kind of stuff but tried to keep purchases to a minimum. I saw that I can find them online so may be purchasing again from them in the near future. Another vendor we "found", and I say it that way because we passed him and he asked us if he could give us his pitch in 30 seconds, to which I said, "Can you?" This of course made him say, "May I?" (always the grammar police I am!), and let him try. I do not think he actually did only take 30 seconds, which I told him afterwards, but he said it was because I asked questions. The curriculum was a Bible based program that is called Cat and Dog Theology and is meant to make our children better followers of God. It did look intriguing, and although we didn't commit to buying it that day, we are still thinking about possibly getting it. Look it up if you are curious, but we think our kids could benefit from this program, making them want to be better people, listen more to us, want to help others more readily, etc. It was intriguing, although we weren't thrilled with it's price, esp. when they have separate programs for the different age groups our boys happen to be in.
So that's it in a nutshell. We had a short but productive trip and I look forward to next school year. Our summer has officially started and next weekend we go on our first planned camping trip. It is close to home but it gets us "away" and staying in our RV for a weekend with friends. Next month, we have reservations in Watkins Glen, NY and in August we will travel to Cook Forest. Hopefully there will be other trips in between baseball tournaments. Happy summer friends. May all your summer dreams come true!
This week, I attended the CHAP Homeschool Convention in Lancaster. It was a nice getaway for the hubs and I. We only stayed overnight and came back the next day, but we got a lot accomplished I think. This year, we plan to try something different for our youngest. Since he seems to like doing work independently, we thought he'd like ACE. This is a program that is self-guided, for the most part. He won't be doing all the courses available, just 3, but I am adding All About Reading, Horizons Math, and an Astronomy course to his agenda. He is currently almost halfway through Level 3 of All About Reading and I got the 4th and final level for him to do next school year, after he's finished with level 3. The astronomy course looked pretty cool. We came across it in our perusing of vendors. I heard, "Do you want to sign up to win a free telescope?", to which I replied, "What do I have to do if I do?" I admit to always looking for the hook from others. I don't think most things are offered because they want me to get a deal, but rather so they can put me on their mailing list and pester me for the rest of my days. Reluctantly, we stopped and I did sign up, right under someone else whose name I recognized. I haven't seen said person for at least a year and hoped I would run into her, but sadly didn't. Hopefully soon though, as I found out from another that their family has moved back to our area. Good to know! Anyway, we stopped and after I signed up (sadly, I didn't win), I listened to what they had to say about their homeschool astronomy program, which is done via a computer. They have 3 levels, 2 of which we ended up purchasing, one for elementary and the other for junior high, which he recommended we use for our 6th grader. It will be interesting to see how the boys like it. I was impressed with what I saw and happy to find something different. We've done a lot of biology so far, mainly because that has been their interest, but I wanted something new this year. I had found a chemistry by MasterBooks that I had planned on purchasing, but decided to try that next year after coming across this. I also purchased math for both of them, Horizons for the younger and Teaching Textbooks for the older, level 7. Don't tell him but next year gets a bit tougher. Looks like the next level is pre-algebra! Things are getting real up in here! I did not purchase history or reading for the older, but I did sneak into the Sonlight arena and spy on the curriculum I plan to use. This year we want to do the second half of American History. Thankfully, the people there didn't "attack" me. They handed me a catalog and let me look at things in peace, but came back to ask if I had any questions later, which I did. I like this hands off approach. I don't like feeling pressured, especially when looking at pricey curriculum. We came, we saw, we walked away, breathing a sigh of relief. Yes, that is the introvert in me I guess. I talk when I feel like it, but hate being badgered. I did manage to get a vocabulary book with tests for him. We enjoyed that this year, Wordly Wise 3000.
Along the way, we stopped and looked at different displays. One I see there each year is a vendor that sells natural soaps and other similar products. According to the woman at the booth, they originally started out by doing experiments and projects with their homeschool. Over time, it has become a successful business, even though all of her kids are grown and no longer in school. I believe it is Virginia Soaps & Scents. We bought one bar of soap (they have a ton of different ones to choose from), a stain remover bar, a natural bug spray, and a deodorant bar of Himalayan Salt. Trust me, I got off easy because I love this kind of stuff but tried to keep purchases to a minimum. I saw that I can find them online so may be purchasing again from them in the near future. Another vendor we "found", and I say it that way because we passed him and he asked us if he could give us his pitch in 30 seconds, to which I said, "Can you?" This of course made him say, "May I?" (always the grammar police I am!), and let him try. I do not think he actually did only take 30 seconds, which I told him afterwards, but he said it was because I asked questions. The curriculum was a Bible based program that is called Cat and Dog Theology and is meant to make our children better followers of God. It did look intriguing, and although we didn't commit to buying it that day, we are still thinking about possibly getting it. Look it up if you are curious, but we think our kids could benefit from this program, making them want to be better people, listen more to us, want to help others more readily, etc. It was intriguing, although we weren't thrilled with it's price, esp. when they have separate programs for the different age groups our boys happen to be in.
So that's it in a nutshell. We had a short but productive trip and I look forward to next school year. Our summer has officially started and next weekend we go on our first planned camping trip. It is close to home but it gets us "away" and staying in our RV for a weekend with friends. Next month, we have reservations in Watkins Glen, NY and in August we will travel to Cook Forest. Hopefully there will be other trips in between baseball tournaments. Happy summer friends. May all your summer dreams come true!
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Sometimes I look back at something and wonder why things had to be that way. Thing is, it isn't necessarily because I wasn't trying hard enough. God has a plan and maybe I'm supposed to have it harder than others for a reason. Not saying that my life is more difficult than everyone else's. By no means. Just that in some areas, it isn't always or hasn't always been easy. This may be a good thing. Having to work harder makes one appreciate the results more. I can struggle, and, perhaps, inspire others who struggle. Of course, maybe this is only the beginning. I don't know what else he has in store for me yet. If I listen, maybe one day I will figure it out. Problem is sometimes I'm dense. I am often a horrible listener. Sorry, gals. I do hear you, honestly!
What I failed to mention last time is the gap between believers in Keto and those who think it is unhealthy. I have heard several doctors, like Dr. Berg and Dr. Berry, strongly support it. Others, like my doctor, would prefer I do a modified version. So, is Keto healthy? I guess it depends on who you ask. Those who have heard of it, maybe even thought of trying it, know that it can be difficult to get used to. I found that once you get over that hump, of giving up some of those things you may have loved, like bread, pizza, most fruits, it isn't that bad. I feel like I could reasonably eat like this long term. I am fat-adapted, as they say in Keto terms. That basically means that my body has successfully gone from burning carbs to burning fats. It has definitely helped me lose weight without feeling like I'm starving. Many other "diets" restrict your calorie intake. I believe I am eating healthy too. Sure, I eat more butter than I used to, but I am not eating sugar. Some studies say that eating butter, especially from grass fed cows, is good for and even essential to our overall health. I normally only have coffee for breakfast, a meat of some sort, with veggies for lunch, maybe a little cheese, and a healthy dinner that I cook for my entire family. Sometimes, depending on what I make, I will make them a side that I cannot, actually will not, eat, like noodles, rice, or potatoes. If I feel like it, I may make a side with cauliflower or zucchini for myself, but lately I've been eating mixed greens or just cucumbers. Guess what else has happened? I have a ton of energy during the day, most of the time. I exercise at least once a day and feel that I am getting stronger and fitter. I am well on my way to reaching my goal. By the way, a goal, in my mind, is something to strive for, to perhaps even surpass. Goals also change as we approach them, so my goal will likely change in the near future. I am my biggest motivator. I want to be here for my kids, do whatever I want or they want to do recreationally (within reason!), and just feel like I can do anything. Sounds lofty maybe, but I was a Marine, and nothing should get in the way of a goal like that. I had to tackle hormone issues, of course, which seemed to be the toughest adversary I'd ever faced. Beat her down without mercy! Keto did, plus my unfailing efforts exercising almost daily. For those of you who don't include weight training in your routines, you should. I do both, but I am sure it is the weight training, which for me so far has only been body resistance exercises and no actual weights, that has made the difference. I am now challenging myself to do extra push ups after my workout and am currently doing 70 something with each workout. My current goal is 100, which I feel is totally doable in the near future. Every time I do push ups, I think of my drill instructors telling me to get down and do push ups until they were tired. Makes me laugh now but back then I thought it was unfair. Now I drop down and do them until I can't. It's mind over matter. The key to success is consistency. When I got out of boot camp, I could probably do 100 push ups with little effort. True story. They tortured us but it paid off. Now I torture myself, hoping it pays off in the long run. I'm betting on it.
So, yes, I have lofty goals, but so should you. Don't sell yourself short. You are so worth it and your children deserve a healthy, fit mama. I want to encourage those of you who might be struggling to try something different, go a little further, make it a life-long project, to be the best you can be. The road may not always be easy, but, man is it worth it! I think mindset is key. If you really, really want to change, find what works and keep at it. This goes for all areas of your life. I have other areas that need improving, and with God's help, I will work on those too. After all, our physical body is not the thing that ultimately matters. My spiritual side is needing some fine tuning. With this, I am a work in progress. However, I know that, "With God, all things are possible." (Matt 19:26)
What I failed to mention last time is the gap between believers in Keto and those who think it is unhealthy. I have heard several doctors, like Dr. Berg and Dr. Berry, strongly support it. Others, like my doctor, would prefer I do a modified version. So, is Keto healthy? I guess it depends on who you ask. Those who have heard of it, maybe even thought of trying it, know that it can be difficult to get used to. I found that once you get over that hump, of giving up some of those things you may have loved, like bread, pizza, most fruits, it isn't that bad. I feel like I could reasonably eat like this long term. I am fat-adapted, as they say in Keto terms. That basically means that my body has successfully gone from burning carbs to burning fats. It has definitely helped me lose weight without feeling like I'm starving. Many other "diets" restrict your calorie intake. I believe I am eating healthy too. Sure, I eat more butter than I used to, but I am not eating sugar. Some studies say that eating butter, especially from grass fed cows, is good for and even essential to our overall health. I normally only have coffee for breakfast, a meat of some sort, with veggies for lunch, maybe a little cheese, and a healthy dinner that I cook for my entire family. Sometimes, depending on what I make, I will make them a side that I cannot, actually will not, eat, like noodles, rice, or potatoes. If I feel like it, I may make a side with cauliflower or zucchini for myself, but lately I've been eating mixed greens or just cucumbers. Guess what else has happened? I have a ton of energy during the day, most of the time. I exercise at least once a day and feel that I am getting stronger and fitter. I am well on my way to reaching my goal. By the way, a goal, in my mind, is something to strive for, to perhaps even surpass. Goals also change as we approach them, so my goal will likely change in the near future. I am my biggest motivator. I want to be here for my kids, do whatever I want or they want to do recreationally (within reason!), and just feel like I can do anything. Sounds lofty maybe, but I was a Marine, and nothing should get in the way of a goal like that. I had to tackle hormone issues, of course, which seemed to be the toughest adversary I'd ever faced. Beat her down without mercy! Keto did, plus my unfailing efforts exercising almost daily. For those of you who don't include weight training in your routines, you should. I do both, but I am sure it is the weight training, which for me so far has only been body resistance exercises and no actual weights, that has made the difference. I am now challenging myself to do extra push ups after my workout and am currently doing 70 something with each workout. My current goal is 100, which I feel is totally doable in the near future. Every time I do push ups, I think of my drill instructors telling me to get down and do push ups until they were tired. Makes me laugh now but back then I thought it was unfair. Now I drop down and do them until I can't. It's mind over matter. The key to success is consistency. When I got out of boot camp, I could probably do 100 push ups with little effort. True story. They tortured us but it paid off. Now I torture myself, hoping it pays off in the long run. I'm betting on it.
So, yes, I have lofty goals, but so should you. Don't sell yourself short. You are so worth it and your children deserve a healthy, fit mama. I want to encourage those of you who might be struggling to try something different, go a little further, make it a life-long project, to be the best you can be. The road may not always be easy, but, man is it worth it! I think mindset is key. If you really, really want to change, find what works and keep at it. This goes for all areas of your life. I have other areas that need improving, and with God's help, I will work on those too. After all, our physical body is not the thing that ultimately matters. My spiritual side is needing some fine tuning. With this, I am a work in progress. However, I know that, "With God, all things are possible." (Matt 19:26)
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Taking Care of Yourself Can Be A Challenge Worth Taking
Being a homeschool mom can be grueling. You have to find time for yourself, because there will always be a million things that will need your attention. I fell into the trap of not taking time for myself, and paid the price. It doesn't help when you are older and have a lazy, wreckless metabolism either. So, this year, I dedicated myself to taking care of me.
On January 2nd, I started Keto. Why, you ask, would I torture myself to a life of few carbs? Well, when all else fails, you go for the other path. I've tried the usual low-fat, lower calorie way of eating, and guess what, it didn't work. They say when women get older and are reaching ripeness that things get more difficult. Things like staying in shape and constantly gaining weight no matter what you do make life unpleasant. Seemed to be the case with me and I wasn't happy about it. Who would be, right? So, I decided to try something new to see if I could reverse the damage. It was and is a different way of thinking about eating. What Keto does is takes the fats you consume and have naturally in your body and converts it to energy. How it does this is by greatly reducing the carbs, the sugars, in your diet and increasing your intake of fats. Your body wants to go to the sugars first, which will curb the fats being burned. If you can't burn fats, you can't lose weight. Even though I had more than enough fat to be burned, my body wasn't ever seeming to get around to them, because of the carbs, which my body wasn't processing efficiently enough. Now, I keep my carb intake very low. I have cut out most breads, pasta, grains, beans, fruit, some high sugar vegetables, and increased intake of good fats, like extra virgin olive oil, butter, dairy, avocado, coconut oil. How can this be good for you, you ask? Well, I am not a scientist but it seems to be working. Of course, it is a bit more complex than just eating more fat. You have to have enough protein as well, but not an overabundance. You also need to stay hydrated, which means drinking plenty of water. When I first started keto, I found that I was incredibly thirsty. I drank so much that my husband asked if I was maybe drinking too much water. I said, "Is that possible?" Perhaps, but I was only giving my body what it was telling me it needed. Now, I am drinking a bit less but it is the main thing I drink every day, as it always should be for everyone. Our bodies are 60% water, after all. I find this interesting, as the Earth is roughly 70 % water as well. It appears that to be healthy, we need be be mostly comprised of water! What else do I eat? I usually have some form of protein, a meat, fish, or eggs and couple it with veggies, mainly greens or cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. I also have reignited my love for cucumbers. They have been a go-to food for me. I also add in cheese at meals or for snacks. What would life be without cheese in it? I hope to never find out! I average 2 meals a day but occasionally I just eat dinner. I am usually not as hungry if I balance my food choices properly.
With this change in diet, I also reignited my exercise regimen. I restarted the program Body By You that I tried last year in the fall, but stopped because of a nagging knee issue. I am happy to say that I am still doing it, and reaching the end of possible exercises. This program gives you 5 groups of exercises, of which you start with the most difficult one you are able to do for about 8 reps without failing. Each day will include 4 of these exercises and you follow the number of reps and sets for whatever cycle and week you happen to be in, working every major muscle group with each day's routine. If you are doing it consistently, you should continue to be able to move up to the more difficult exercises. Out of the 25 exercises, I am at at least 19 in all groups. I want to move on to other exercises, routines, but I thought I'd do this to see how far I could go. The one exercise group has pull ups as #25. I am a little below that with assisted pull ups, but I have done some unassisted. I am not ready to do all my sets with no help yet though! Being a Marine, I wouldn't want to quit though, right? So, I continue. I am feeling stronger and looking better, so says the hubby. I am able to do push ups easily once again and I used to really hate them. Now I do them for fun. Fun? Yes, that's right. I said fun. I like to use our push up bars to get an even deeper exercise. I also usually combine this workout with time on the elliptical. I will normally do at least 20 minutes. I am looking forward to better weather so I can take my workouts outside. I may even take up running again, something I used to absolutely love.
You may wonder what kind of results I've had with all of this. I guess if they weren't very good, I wouldn't even bother to tell you, huh? I hesitate because to say what I have accomplished is to also say how much I wanted and needed to lose. How far the mighty had fallen! No, I was never mighty and I always have had a slower metabolism, but after 40, and especially after having my youngest child at 42, things went south more and more each year. Depressing! I finally said, "Enough is enough!" and started this journey. Next year, people, I will be hitting the dreaded 5-0, and my goal is to be 50 and fabulous. I am on my way. I know some of you may be saying I am already fabulous. Thank you! But I mean in mind AND body. I have lost, drum roll.....just under 25 lbs. I am floored and thrilled by this, but in some ways depressed by it. I should not have waited for so long to change my life. I am feeling better, feeling stronger, and happier with things in general. I have rediscovered my love of exercise. I am motivated by my results to this to keep it up indefinitely. I am often asked how I can not cheat or be tempted, because I have not cheated even once since starting. I guess I am focused on my goal. Thinking long term. I want to be the best me I can be and be around for as long as I can for my husband and my kids. Plus I want to enjoy life more and cheating may give me temporary joy, but knowing I'm impeding progress will lessen that joy. Once I get to my goal, I may slacken the reins a little and occasionally enjoy some things I have been denying myself, but I am not sure I will ever go back to that old way of eating. That is what many people mistakenly do when they lose weight. They gain it back! Keto is definitely different and can seem difficult, but I think it is worth it.
On January 2nd, I started Keto. Why, you ask, would I torture myself to a life of few carbs? Well, when all else fails, you go for the other path. I've tried the usual low-fat, lower calorie way of eating, and guess what, it didn't work. They say when women get older and are reaching ripeness that things get more difficult. Things like staying in shape and constantly gaining weight no matter what you do make life unpleasant. Seemed to be the case with me and I wasn't happy about it. Who would be, right? So, I decided to try something new to see if I could reverse the damage. It was and is a different way of thinking about eating. What Keto does is takes the fats you consume and have naturally in your body and converts it to energy. How it does this is by greatly reducing the carbs, the sugars, in your diet and increasing your intake of fats. Your body wants to go to the sugars first, which will curb the fats being burned. If you can't burn fats, you can't lose weight. Even though I had more than enough fat to be burned, my body wasn't ever seeming to get around to them, because of the carbs, which my body wasn't processing efficiently enough. Now, I keep my carb intake very low. I have cut out most breads, pasta, grains, beans, fruit, some high sugar vegetables, and increased intake of good fats, like extra virgin olive oil, butter, dairy, avocado, coconut oil. How can this be good for you, you ask? Well, I am not a scientist but it seems to be working. Of course, it is a bit more complex than just eating more fat. You have to have enough protein as well, but not an overabundance. You also need to stay hydrated, which means drinking plenty of water. When I first started keto, I found that I was incredibly thirsty. I drank so much that my husband asked if I was maybe drinking too much water. I said, "Is that possible?" Perhaps, but I was only giving my body what it was telling me it needed. Now, I am drinking a bit less but it is the main thing I drink every day, as it always should be for everyone. Our bodies are 60% water, after all. I find this interesting, as the Earth is roughly 70 % water as well. It appears that to be healthy, we need be be mostly comprised of water! What else do I eat? I usually have some form of protein, a meat, fish, or eggs and couple it with veggies, mainly greens or cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. I also have reignited my love for cucumbers. They have been a go-to food for me. I also add in cheese at meals or for snacks. What would life be without cheese in it? I hope to never find out! I average 2 meals a day but occasionally I just eat dinner. I am usually not as hungry if I balance my food choices properly.
With this change in diet, I also reignited my exercise regimen. I restarted the program Body By You that I tried last year in the fall, but stopped because of a nagging knee issue. I am happy to say that I am still doing it, and reaching the end of possible exercises. This program gives you 5 groups of exercises, of which you start with the most difficult one you are able to do for about 8 reps without failing. Each day will include 4 of these exercises and you follow the number of reps and sets for whatever cycle and week you happen to be in, working every major muscle group with each day's routine. If you are doing it consistently, you should continue to be able to move up to the more difficult exercises. Out of the 25 exercises, I am at at least 19 in all groups. I want to move on to other exercises, routines, but I thought I'd do this to see how far I could go. The one exercise group has pull ups as #25. I am a little below that with assisted pull ups, but I have done some unassisted. I am not ready to do all my sets with no help yet though! Being a Marine, I wouldn't want to quit though, right? So, I continue. I am feeling stronger and looking better, so says the hubby. I am able to do push ups easily once again and I used to really hate them. Now I do them for fun. Fun? Yes, that's right. I said fun. I like to use our push up bars to get an even deeper exercise. I also usually combine this workout with time on the elliptical. I will normally do at least 20 minutes. I am looking forward to better weather so I can take my workouts outside. I may even take up running again, something I used to absolutely love.
You may wonder what kind of results I've had with all of this. I guess if they weren't very good, I wouldn't even bother to tell you, huh? I hesitate because to say what I have accomplished is to also say how much I wanted and needed to lose. How far the mighty had fallen! No, I was never mighty and I always have had a slower metabolism, but after 40, and especially after having my youngest child at 42, things went south more and more each year. Depressing! I finally said, "Enough is enough!" and started this journey. Next year, people, I will be hitting the dreaded 5-0, and my goal is to be 50 and fabulous. I am on my way. I know some of you may be saying I am already fabulous. Thank you! But I mean in mind AND body. I have lost, drum roll.....just under 25 lbs. I am floored and thrilled by this, but in some ways depressed by it. I should not have waited for so long to change my life. I am feeling better, feeling stronger, and happier with things in general. I have rediscovered my love of exercise. I am motivated by my results to this to keep it up indefinitely. I am often asked how I can not cheat or be tempted, because I have not cheated even once since starting. I guess I am focused on my goal. Thinking long term. I want to be the best me I can be and be around for as long as I can for my husband and my kids. Plus I want to enjoy life more and cheating may give me temporary joy, but knowing I'm impeding progress will lessen that joy. Once I get to my goal, I may slacken the reins a little and occasionally enjoy some things I have been denying myself, but I am not sure I will ever go back to that old way of eating. That is what many people mistakenly do when they lose weight. They gain it back! Keto is definitely different and can seem difficult, but I think it is worth it.
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
I recently revisited the blog scene, mainly because I thought it would be a fun idea for the kids in my writing class to start their own blog. I completely forgot about my old blog, this one, from the year I started homeschooling. A lot has happened in that time, as you can imagine. I now have 2 boys who I homeschool. The oldest is now about to finish 5th grade and my youngest is finishing kindergarten. I find that a lot of what I went through with the first one, I also experienced with the now kindergartner. Only now it is more difficult because there are two of them to worry about. Fortunately, the older one is somewhat independent. That helps a lot. Every little blessing helps when you are homeschooling.
If I were to summarize my years of homeschooling so far, I'd say that every year has had its own challenges. I am out of the deer in headlights stage, that first year, and feel fairly confident in what can be accomplished. Some things never change, though, like my kids' dislike of school work. Boys! I would love to teach a kid that loved school! I must say that my younger boy is doing pretty well with reading and actually said today that he likes reading the most of all his school work. I was a bit surprised by this admission. When we first started the year, he'd want to do math first and always would want to do his reading lesson last. Admittedly, he struggled early on with reading, although he seemed to want to know what things said. We faltered quite a bit the first half of the year and I wondered if anything was sinking in at all. After Christmas, I started to see a change. Things were starting to improve. It was like things were finally clicking for him. Recently, he told me he had something for me that I was "really gonna like." Once we were finished for the day, he handed my a paper that he had written on, a paragraph about himself. While it wasn't perfect, I understood what most of it said without having to ask him, and it was done with sentences but no punctuation. I was floored! Yes, I am one of those mothers who cry over stupid things and this made me tear up. We haven't technically worked on writing sentences, although we have read a lot together. One on one time is very important at this stage and I found that All About Reading, the curriculum I used for both boys, works if you can stick with it. I wasn't sure with either of them early on, but after the first year with both, they were decent readers. That is my one triumph for the year because I feel that if I at least can teach my kids to read, the rest will come along. Reading, I think, is the foundation to a good education. If they can read, they can find the answers they need to anything else.
Finishing up this update, I find that absence does make the heart grow fonder. I stopped writing this blog before maybe because I was too busy to keep up with it or maybe it just grew stale. Not enough viewers (followers) perhaps as well. But I told my writing class today that they just need to write. Even if you don't think it's good, just write. I also like to say that "Writing is a contact sport." Putting it down is what counts. Write now, edit later. That can also be said of homeschooling. What we teach today may not sink in or seem to sink in. If you never teach it, it won't ever have the chance. They may complain but eventually, I hear my words come back to me and I smile. I am doing something right.
If I were to summarize my years of homeschooling so far, I'd say that every year has had its own challenges. I am out of the deer in headlights stage, that first year, and feel fairly confident in what can be accomplished. Some things never change, though, like my kids' dislike of school work. Boys! I would love to teach a kid that loved school! I must say that my younger boy is doing pretty well with reading and actually said today that he likes reading the most of all his school work. I was a bit surprised by this admission. When we first started the year, he'd want to do math first and always would want to do his reading lesson last. Admittedly, he struggled early on with reading, although he seemed to want to know what things said. We faltered quite a bit the first half of the year and I wondered if anything was sinking in at all. After Christmas, I started to see a change. Things were starting to improve. It was like things were finally clicking for him. Recently, he told me he had something for me that I was "really gonna like." Once we were finished for the day, he handed my a paper that he had written on, a paragraph about himself. While it wasn't perfect, I understood what most of it said without having to ask him, and it was done with sentences but no punctuation. I was floored! Yes, I am one of those mothers who cry over stupid things and this made me tear up. We haven't technically worked on writing sentences, although we have read a lot together. One on one time is very important at this stage and I found that All About Reading, the curriculum I used for both boys, works if you can stick with it. I wasn't sure with either of them early on, but after the first year with both, they were decent readers. That is my one triumph for the year because I feel that if I at least can teach my kids to read, the rest will come along. Reading, I think, is the foundation to a good education. If they can read, they can find the answers they need to anything else.
Finishing up this update, I find that absence does make the heart grow fonder. I stopped writing this blog before maybe because I was too busy to keep up with it or maybe it just grew stale. Not enough viewers (followers) perhaps as well. But I told my writing class today that they just need to write. Even if you don't think it's good, just write. I also like to say that "Writing is a contact sport." Putting it down is what counts. Write now, edit later. That can also be said of homeschooling. What we teach today may not sink in or seem to sink in. If you never teach it, it won't ever have the chance. They may complain but eventually, I hear my words come back to me and I smile. I am doing something right.