10. When your kids hurt and there is nothing you can do to fix it.
9. Smart alecs.
8. Overflowing stinky diapers.
7. Late night wake up calls for sick children.
6. Late night wake up calls for sick children - when you are sick as well.
5. When they say, "I'm boooorrreeed."
4. "Are we there yet?"
3. Mount Laundry.
2. Projectile Vomit that isn't your own... not that it is good when it is your own.
1. Cleaning projectile vomit off of car carpets, walls, sheets, stuffed animals, toys, hair, clothes, floors, and pretty much anywhere else at 2:00 a.m.
As I gaze over at my beautiful sleeping child - whose little red head is peeking out over the arm of the couch, I see how all the things that suck are worth it. This little person who grew inside of me is so amazing. Even when I am cleaning the messes in the middle of the night, he's still amazing and beautiful... and a little bit pitiful at this point in time.
I am so ill myself tonight. When he woke me to tell me he had puked in his bed, I was dripping in sweat and shivering. Now I'm just shivering, but I wouldn't miss being able to be here for my kids for anything. However, I think, for tomorrow, at least, my husband may have to take over sick duty for a while so I can get some sleep.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Dairy Free & Gluten Free
As I said in my last post, I've altered my diet, eliminating Gluten and Dairy to try and help my health issues. My stomach issues along with severe migraines had gotten really awful. The dairy free stuff I have had a couple of months to adjust to, but I am still exploring what gluten free products actually taste good. I have established a shelf in my cabinet specifically for GF/DF stuff that I've forbade my children from touching without permission. Without going gluten free, I was able to find many of my normal products that were dairy free. Adding in the gluten free aspect, I am finding it more challenging to find... da-da-duuuummmmm... Junk food - that actually tastes good.
Eliminating Reese's Cups at first was the most difficult thing I've ever done! I know that sounds ridiculous, but Reese's Cups are my favorite food on the planet. I've probably spent thousands of dollars over the course of my lifetime on Reese's cups. I love them that much. I've had ONE since November. Within hours of consuming it, I had a splitting migraine headache. Lesson learned - My body doesn't like them even if my mouth craves their tasty-chocolatey-peanutbuttery goodness. If I could hire Reese's to make me a Reese's Cup with no dairy, I would! Other peanut butter cups pale in comparison to the real thing. It's depressing.
Reese's puffs cereal, has been something I've been enjoying. It isn't listed as GF/DF, but doesn't list anything with gluten or dairy as an ingredient. It gives me the Reese's flavor without the actual Reese's Cups. It may have cross contamination with wheat though at this point my whole house is a cross contamination risk. My family still eats gluten and there is just no way to eliminate cross contamination at this point. I'd have to either move all my cooking for myself upstairs to our other kitchen, then I'd have to stop my 14 year old from taking food up there (he lives in the upstairs "apartment"). So I cheat a bit with the Reese's Puffs for now.
Oreo's are dairy free. Which was nice when I was still eating Gluten. The Glutino brand Chocolate Vanilla Creme cookies are decent, but are almost too chocolatey. They aren't quite the right texture. Dipped in Pacific Foods Hazelnut Milk makes them work for me. They need to make a "double-stuf" version of these because really, the chocolate cookie is just a carrier for the cream for me!
Van's has a "Lots of Everything" crackers are really good dipped in Hummus, dressing, salsa, or even crumbled into Chili. They are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Corn Free, Soy Free, GMO free. Their ingredients: Oats, Brown Rice, Millet, Quinoa, Amaranth, Non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or sunflower oil, potato starch, brown sugar, rice flour, sesame seeds, salt, yeast extract, poppy seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, sunflower Lecithin, Caraway seeds. They are delicious.
Rice Crispies for cereal is always good as are Rice or Corn Chex. Cereal is very important to me.
Other things that have become commonplace in my diet these days: Avocado (on everything from a sandwich spread to guacomole, to a veggie dip), Hummus, Fruit, Greens (Collards, Spinach, Swiss Chard), Baby Carrots, Celery, Nuts, Bananas, Citrus fruits, etc. I've been really pushing myself to explore real foods as well as finding substitutes for the junk foods I loved up until they began giving me migraines.
However, I have had to find some dairy substitutes to at least let me alter some of my comfort food recipes. I think for now, I have mastered being Dairy free. I hope to do a similar post on what has worked for me in the Gluten Free arena as well soon. But right now I have too much still to try out. Right now, I am still here: http://youtu.be/k9QbC41oQRo
For now, I give you - What works for this crazy mom - the dairy free version:
I have not found a Yogurt Substitute that I like yet, but I am still trying. Almond, Coconut, Soy... None of them have that Greek Yogurt texture I really like. If you like Yoplait or other non-greek yogurts, then the substitutes will work. I am pondering "squeezing" some of the plain soy yogurt in cheese cloth to see if I can get a thicker texture. It's just too thin for my purposes!
MimicCreme is my favorite Heavy Cream Substitute. I use it to make Cream of Broccoli Soup, Potato Soup, Chocolate Truffles (made with Trader Joe's Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips and also Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips), and Mashed Potatoes. Any recipe that calls for cream, evaporated milk, or milk can use MimicCreme instead. It is made from Cashew Cream and comes in sweetened and unsweetened varieties. Both are tasty. They also have a wonderful Hazelnut Biscotti Coffee Creamer that is delicious in my morning coffee. I was so happy to find it at my health food store the other day when I went. I really wanted to try it before I bought a case of it online.
Pacific Foods Hazelnut milk is my drinking milk substitute of choice. I use it on Cereal, to dip my cookies, or just to drink. It is pretty thick tasting, more like whole milk than skim. It is slightly sweet, but not overly so. The chocolate version tastes a bit like drinking Nutella. It makes a more milky coffee creamer, but I don't use it for that unless I have to.
I like the Tofutti brand "american cheese", but it has kind of a crumbly texture. The flavor is right though, which is what matters to me. It does okay on a grilled cheese sandwich made with Udi's Gluten Free Sandwich Bread and tastes just fine on a ham sandwich.
Tofutti also has a "Better than..." line that I like. Their Sour Supreme better than sour cream is pretty darn close to the real thing. The Better Than Cream Cheese is quite tasty as well, though it doesn't make a great NY cheese cake. They also have a Ricotta that is pretty passable in Pastas and such. I haven't tried it in Lasagna yet, but I did use it as an ingredient in a quiche.
I love the Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Chive and Garlic Cream Cheese Alternative. It is just tasty. It's good on sandwiches, bagels, spread on toast. I also used it in my no-dary-broccoli cheese soup and in a quiche.
Daiya has some completely Soy Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free imitation Cheese shreds that "melt and stretch". These are the best that I've found, though I wouldn't call them cheese, they do taste pretty good. They have Pepper Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella varieties. I've used these in Cream Soups as pizza toppings, taco filling, etc. The mozzarella kind of melts a bit slimy which sounds gross, but works as a pizza topping with other veggies and meats. The cheddar works quite well in cream soups.
There are probably more products I could list, but these are the big ones that I have been using. It really makes a huge difference in the variety of my diet to be able to find dairy substitutes that work for me. I'll end this post with my Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe that I've adjust and altered quite a bit. The "Cream Sauce" makes a good pasta topping as well. If you switch the cheddar shreds with the mozzarella and add some of the Tofutti Ricotta, it makes a tasty Alfredo sauce.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp grape seed or olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2-3 cups fresh broccoli chopped to small size.
About 2 cups Vegetable broth, Chicken Broth, or Water
Cream Sauce
1 container of unsweetened MimicCreme
4 tbsp Corn Starch
1 Package of Daiyo Cheddar shreds
1 package Vegan Chive and Garlic Cream Cheese
Heat grape seed oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Sauté until tender. Add Broccoli, garlic and Broth and steam until tender. In a separate pot, prepare cream sauce. Heat Mimic Creme and Corn Starch until it thickens stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until melted. I have had to use an immersion blender to get the Daiyo Cheddar shreds to combine completely. Add the cream sauce to the broccoli and other vegetables and stir to combine. Stir on low heat until the flavors are combined.
Eliminating Reese's Cups at first was the most difficult thing I've ever done! I know that sounds ridiculous, but Reese's Cups are my favorite food on the planet. I've probably spent thousands of dollars over the course of my lifetime on Reese's cups. I love them that much. I've had ONE since November. Within hours of consuming it, I had a splitting migraine headache. Lesson learned - My body doesn't like them even if my mouth craves their tasty-chocolatey-peanutbuttery goodness. If I could hire Reese's to make me a Reese's Cup with no dairy, I would! Other peanut butter cups pale in comparison to the real thing. It's depressing.
Reese's puffs cereal, has been something I've been enjoying. It isn't listed as GF/DF, but doesn't list anything with gluten or dairy as an ingredient. It gives me the Reese's flavor without the actual Reese's Cups. It may have cross contamination with wheat though at this point my whole house is a cross contamination risk. My family still eats gluten and there is just no way to eliminate cross contamination at this point. I'd have to either move all my cooking for myself upstairs to our other kitchen, then I'd have to stop my 14 year old from taking food up there (he lives in the upstairs "apartment"). So I cheat a bit with the Reese's Puffs for now.
Oreo's are dairy free. Which was nice when I was still eating Gluten. The Glutino brand Chocolate Vanilla Creme cookies are decent, but are almost too chocolatey. They aren't quite the right texture. Dipped in Pacific Foods Hazelnut Milk makes them work for me. They need to make a "double-stuf" version of these because really, the chocolate cookie is just a carrier for the cream for me!
Van's has a "Lots of Everything" crackers are really good dipped in Hummus, dressing, salsa, or even crumbled into Chili. They are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Corn Free, Soy Free, GMO free. Their ingredients: Oats, Brown Rice, Millet, Quinoa, Amaranth, Non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or sunflower oil, potato starch, brown sugar, rice flour, sesame seeds, salt, yeast extract, poppy seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, sunflower Lecithin, Caraway seeds. They are delicious.
Rice Crispies for cereal is always good as are Rice or Corn Chex. Cereal is very important to me.
Other things that have become commonplace in my diet these days: Avocado (on everything from a sandwich spread to guacomole, to a veggie dip), Hummus, Fruit, Greens (Collards, Spinach, Swiss Chard), Baby Carrots, Celery, Nuts, Bananas, Citrus fruits, etc. I've been really pushing myself to explore real foods as well as finding substitutes for the junk foods I loved up until they began giving me migraines.
However, I have had to find some dairy substitutes to at least let me alter some of my comfort food recipes. I think for now, I have mastered being Dairy free. I hope to do a similar post on what has worked for me in the Gluten Free arena as well soon. But right now I have too much still to try out. Right now, I am still here: http://youtu.be/k9QbC41oQRo
For now, I give you - What works for this crazy mom - the dairy free version:
I have not found a Yogurt Substitute that I like yet, but I am still trying. Almond, Coconut, Soy... None of them have that Greek Yogurt texture I really like. If you like Yoplait or other non-greek yogurts, then the substitutes will work. I am pondering "squeezing" some of the plain soy yogurt in cheese cloth to see if I can get a thicker texture. It's just too thin for my purposes!
MimicCreme is my favorite Heavy Cream Substitute. I use it to make Cream of Broccoli Soup, Potato Soup, Chocolate Truffles (made with Trader Joe's Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips and also Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips), and Mashed Potatoes. Any recipe that calls for cream, evaporated milk, or milk can use MimicCreme instead. It is made from Cashew Cream and comes in sweetened and unsweetened varieties. Both are tasty. They also have a wonderful Hazelnut Biscotti Coffee Creamer that is delicious in my morning coffee. I was so happy to find it at my health food store the other day when I went. I really wanted to try it before I bought a case of it online.
Pacific Foods Hazelnut milk is my drinking milk substitute of choice. I use it on Cereal, to dip my cookies, or just to drink. It is pretty thick tasting, more like whole milk than skim. It is slightly sweet, but not overly so. The chocolate version tastes a bit like drinking Nutella. It makes a more milky coffee creamer, but I don't use it for that unless I have to.
I like the Tofutti brand "american cheese", but it has kind of a crumbly texture. The flavor is right though, which is what matters to me. It does okay on a grilled cheese sandwich made with Udi's Gluten Free Sandwich Bread and tastes just fine on a ham sandwich.
Tofutti also has a "Better than..." line that I like. Their Sour Supreme better than sour cream is pretty darn close to the real thing. The Better Than Cream Cheese is quite tasty as well, though it doesn't make a great NY cheese cake. They also have a Ricotta that is pretty passable in Pastas and such. I haven't tried it in Lasagna yet, but I did use it as an ingredient in a quiche.
I love the Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Chive and Garlic Cream Cheese Alternative. It is just tasty. It's good on sandwiches, bagels, spread on toast. I also used it in my no-dary-broccoli cheese soup and in a quiche.
Daiya has some completely Soy Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free imitation Cheese shreds that "melt and stretch". These are the best that I've found, though I wouldn't call them cheese, they do taste pretty good. They have Pepper Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella varieties. I've used these in Cream Soups as pizza toppings, taco filling, etc. The mozzarella kind of melts a bit slimy which sounds gross, but works as a pizza topping with other veggies and meats. The cheddar works quite well in cream soups.
There are probably more products I could list, but these are the big ones that I have been using. It really makes a huge difference in the variety of my diet to be able to find dairy substitutes that work for me. I'll end this post with my Dairy Free Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe that I've adjust and altered quite a bit. The "Cream Sauce" makes a good pasta topping as well. If you switch the cheddar shreds with the mozzarella and add some of the Tofutti Ricotta, it makes a tasty Alfredo sauce.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp grape seed or olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2-3 cups fresh broccoli chopped to small size.
About 2 cups Vegetable broth, Chicken Broth, or Water
Cream Sauce
1 container of unsweetened MimicCreme
4 tbsp Corn Starch
1 Package of Daiyo Cheddar shreds
1 package Vegan Chive and Garlic Cream Cheese
Heat grape seed oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Sauté until tender. Add Broccoli, garlic and Broth and steam until tender. In a separate pot, prepare cream sauce. Heat Mimic Creme and Corn Starch until it thickens stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until melted. I have had to use an immersion blender to get the Daiyo Cheddar shreds to combine completely. Add the cream sauce to the broccoli and other vegetables and stir to combine. Stir on low heat until the flavors are combined.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Dietary Changes, Homeschooling (Or lack thereof), and Kicking People, preferably in the head.
My ability to write lately has waned due to my incessant busy schedule. I so want to write daily, but honestly, when I do have time, all I really want to do is rest. Between health issues, homeschooling, Taekwondo, and preparing for my spring garden, I don't have time to think about much else. I've been sharing most of my issues with my favorite ladies in a support group which has been there for about 10 years now. They are a huge source of friendship and helpful advice.
I have been suffering, in various degrees, since late July with severe IBS symptoms and for 3 years with severe migraines. I was diagnosed with IBS when I was pregnant with my last child, though I am sure I had it well before then. I've had digestion issues all my life. Since July, it has gotten a whole lot worse. There have been nights where I am up all night with stomach cramps and can't move far from the toilet let alone leaving the bathroom. It has hindered my ability to go to my normal activities, slowed my weight loss progress, and really just put me in an all around grumpy mood. I have both stomach pains and lower abdominal pains that are just horrific. I oscillate between... well... let me just say that I can either go for days without visiting a bathroom or I bring a book and stay a while when I do go.
In November, after Taekwondo camp, I decided to try to cure myself by eliminating Dairy. The food journal I was keeping saw a pattern where I would have IBS symptoms after consuming milk, soft cheese, or regular yogurt. Greek Yogurt and Harder cheeses didn't seem to bother me too much but I went cold turkey. Let me just say - giving up dairy (especially Reese's Cups and Starbucks Doublshots with Energy) was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I felt like such an addict. I had withdrawal symptoms and I still get occasional cravings for specific foods. Sometimes the smell of cheddar cheese or just seeing the bright orange packaging of a Reese's Cup makes my mouth water. Just call me Pavlov's Pooch...
So after kicking Dairy for about 3 weeks, my migraine headaches, which I'd been experiencing for 3 years several times a month, disappeared. I don't mean they lessened or just got mildly better... They went away completely. I've had only a few migraines since, but only when I've eaten out someplace questionable. I slipped up and ate a Reese's Cup this month in a fit of PMS induced craziness and suffered for 2 days after. The only problem - I eliminated dairy to solve my IBS issues. It didn't solve those issues in the slightest. I am still suffering daily stomach pain and cramping.
I scheduled appointments with the Gastroenterologist and had an Upper Endoscopy. They ruled out H-Pylori, mostly, and ruled out gallstones. It showed Gastritis, the lining of my stomach was very red, but I've not received the test results back. Since I've had the blood work, the biopsies, and all the other testing done, I decided to take matters into my own hands this week and have eliminated gluten as well as the dairy. So far so good. This transition has been much easier than the transition from dairy. I've found a couple of alternatives that I like, that aren't too expensive. So we will see if it helps after a few months of eliminating gluten.
With all the health issues and the holidays, our school schedule has been annoyingly sparse. I keep reminding myself that we homeschool for a reason and that I am not trying to get my kids "caught up" we have until they are 18 to get them through High School or later if necessary. But not having a schedule means we all suffer from feeling very disjointed. I'm hoping that next week we can get back to our regularly scheduled three weeks on one week off program. That schedule was working quite well for us in the fall.
I am struggling with Isaac and reading, but I figure he will eventually catch up when Oz starts catching on to it. He is just one of those kids who learns differently and I have to work with his strengths. Isaac is mostly working in 1st and 2nd grade, except for reading - he is finishing up the Kindergarten curriculum. Oz is working on Kindergarten on Time4Learning.com.
Evie has discovered a passion for reading anything she can find. She loves Science, especially, and is really working hard this year in it. She moves a little more slowly in Math, but is using Saxon 6/5 which combines 5/6 grades together. If she takes a little longer on it, I am okay with that!
Asher lacks just a few more assignments to complete 9th grade and has already begun some of his 10th grade stuff. He is focusing this semester on completing the 9th grade English and History and 10th grade Geometry. In June/July he will begin his 10th grade in full swing. I have focused this year on improving his writing skills and he has come such a long way from where he was just a few months ago. I am developing templates that he (and the other kids) can use throughout their lifetimes for certain kinds of assignments. It seems to be working out rather well and I am trying to develop it into something other homeschoolers can use.
The other busy thing in our lives is Taekwondo. We are getting ready for rank testing. Our current ranks are: Asher - 1st Senior, Evie - 1st Decided, Isaac - Senior Blue, Oz - Dragon Orange, Josh - Senior Brown, and I am a Red Belt. We participated in the National Tournament in Kissimmee, FL last weekend. Josh took double 3rd for forms and Sparring, Evie and I each took 2nd in Sparring in our divisions, Isaac got a spirit medal, Oz got a Dragon Gold Medal. Asher was injured the day before the tournament and unfortunately did not get to participate. He is still recovering and will not be testing this time around. Poor guy. Josh was Student of The Year for 2012 at Taekwondo. He worked really hard and has lost around 60 pounds since starting Taekwondo. It is great exercise.
I've lost several inches and about 15 pounds since I began and several inches in my legs and hips. But the way men can drop weight sometimes perplexes me. It is frustrating to be working very hard and not seeing the results I want. After watching my form video from the tournament, I determined 2 things: 1. I need to learn how to jump. 2. To learn how to jump, I *have* to lose probably 25 pounds.
I am going to push myself to do Weight Watchers again and really stick with it. It is so hard, when I have this weird love affair with food. I eat when I'm lonely, when I'm happy, or when I'm socializing. I tend to snack when I drive long distances if it is available. At home, I snack in the evenings. I really just *love* eating. Having stomach pains constantly, has also meant that I *hate* eating as well. I know it will hurt if I don't eat. But it also hurts if I do. I am trying to find a happy middle ground. Hopefully, removing gluten will settle my pains and I can get my portions under control as well with Weight Watchers.
I've had this great support structure for homeschooling, Taekwondo, and raising my children. I wish I had the same support structure for weight loss. I guess weight loss is something so internal that you have to do it on your own. I am not finding a community for it like I've found with other things.
I have started several plants indoors this winter and it is helping my seasonal depression issues a great deal. I have lettuce, cilantro, basil, and even potatoes growing indoors. It's a great feeling to know that I have this early start on my garden. I'll start my tomatoes and other plants in the coming weeks. I can't wait to have my garden again this season. It's going to be so neat to have it so much closer to my house. I hope it does well where I've moved it!
I wish I had all the time in the world to blog more regularly. Putting my thought from my head to my fingers, and onto a screen really does help me focus my energy and organize my thoughts. Perhaps I will make some time, perhaps I won't. But I won't feel guilty either way! :D
I have been suffering, in various degrees, since late July with severe IBS symptoms and for 3 years with severe migraines. I was diagnosed with IBS when I was pregnant with my last child, though I am sure I had it well before then. I've had digestion issues all my life. Since July, it has gotten a whole lot worse. There have been nights where I am up all night with stomach cramps and can't move far from the toilet let alone leaving the bathroom. It has hindered my ability to go to my normal activities, slowed my weight loss progress, and really just put me in an all around grumpy mood. I have both stomach pains and lower abdominal pains that are just horrific. I oscillate between... well... let me just say that I can either go for days without visiting a bathroom or I bring a book and stay a while when I do go.
In November, after Taekwondo camp, I decided to try to cure myself by eliminating Dairy. The food journal I was keeping saw a pattern where I would have IBS symptoms after consuming milk, soft cheese, or regular yogurt. Greek Yogurt and Harder cheeses didn't seem to bother me too much but I went cold turkey. Let me just say - giving up dairy (especially Reese's Cups and Starbucks Doublshots with Energy) was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I felt like such an addict. I had withdrawal symptoms and I still get occasional cravings for specific foods. Sometimes the smell of cheddar cheese or just seeing the bright orange packaging of a Reese's Cup makes my mouth water. Just call me Pavlov's Pooch...
So after kicking Dairy for about 3 weeks, my migraine headaches, which I'd been experiencing for 3 years several times a month, disappeared. I don't mean they lessened or just got mildly better... They went away completely. I've had only a few migraines since, but only when I've eaten out someplace questionable. I slipped up and ate a Reese's Cup this month in a fit of PMS induced craziness and suffered for 2 days after. The only problem - I eliminated dairy to solve my IBS issues. It didn't solve those issues in the slightest. I am still suffering daily stomach pain and cramping.
I scheduled appointments with the Gastroenterologist and had an Upper Endoscopy. They ruled out H-Pylori, mostly, and ruled out gallstones. It showed Gastritis, the lining of my stomach was very red, but I've not received the test results back. Since I've had the blood work, the biopsies, and all the other testing done, I decided to take matters into my own hands this week and have eliminated gluten as well as the dairy. So far so good. This transition has been much easier than the transition from dairy. I've found a couple of alternatives that I like, that aren't too expensive. So we will see if it helps after a few months of eliminating gluten.
With all the health issues and the holidays, our school schedule has been annoyingly sparse. I keep reminding myself that we homeschool for a reason and that I am not trying to get my kids "caught up" we have until they are 18 to get them through High School or later if necessary. But not having a schedule means we all suffer from feeling very disjointed. I'm hoping that next week we can get back to our regularly scheduled three weeks on one week off program. That schedule was working quite well for us in the fall.
I am struggling with Isaac and reading, but I figure he will eventually catch up when Oz starts catching on to it. He is just one of those kids who learns differently and I have to work with his strengths. Isaac is mostly working in 1st and 2nd grade, except for reading - he is finishing up the Kindergarten curriculum. Oz is working on Kindergarten on Time4Learning.com.
Evie has discovered a passion for reading anything she can find. She loves Science, especially, and is really working hard this year in it. She moves a little more slowly in Math, but is using Saxon 6/5 which combines 5/6 grades together. If she takes a little longer on it, I am okay with that!
Asher lacks just a few more assignments to complete 9th grade and has already begun some of his 10th grade stuff. He is focusing this semester on completing the 9th grade English and History and 10th grade Geometry. In June/July he will begin his 10th grade in full swing. I have focused this year on improving his writing skills and he has come such a long way from where he was just a few months ago. I am developing templates that he (and the other kids) can use throughout their lifetimes for certain kinds of assignments. It seems to be working out rather well and I am trying to develop it into something other homeschoolers can use.
The other busy thing in our lives is Taekwondo. We are getting ready for rank testing. Our current ranks are: Asher - 1st Senior, Evie - 1st Decided, Isaac - Senior Blue, Oz - Dragon Orange, Josh - Senior Brown, and I am a Red Belt. We participated in the National Tournament in Kissimmee, FL last weekend. Josh took double 3rd for forms and Sparring, Evie and I each took 2nd in Sparring in our divisions, Isaac got a spirit medal, Oz got a Dragon Gold Medal. Asher was injured the day before the tournament and unfortunately did not get to participate. He is still recovering and will not be testing this time around. Poor guy. Josh was Student of The Year for 2012 at Taekwondo. He worked really hard and has lost around 60 pounds since starting Taekwondo. It is great exercise.
I've lost several inches and about 15 pounds since I began and several inches in my legs and hips. But the way men can drop weight sometimes perplexes me. It is frustrating to be working very hard and not seeing the results I want. After watching my form video from the tournament, I determined 2 things: 1. I need to learn how to jump. 2. To learn how to jump, I *have* to lose probably 25 pounds.
I am going to push myself to do Weight Watchers again and really stick with it. It is so hard, when I have this weird love affair with food. I eat when I'm lonely, when I'm happy, or when I'm socializing. I tend to snack when I drive long distances if it is available. At home, I snack in the evenings. I really just *love* eating. Having stomach pains constantly, has also meant that I *hate* eating as well. I know it will hurt if I don't eat. But it also hurts if I do. I am trying to find a happy middle ground. Hopefully, removing gluten will settle my pains and I can get my portions under control as well with Weight Watchers.
I've had this great support structure for homeschooling, Taekwondo, and raising my children. I wish I had the same support structure for weight loss. I guess weight loss is something so internal that you have to do it on your own. I am not finding a community for it like I've found with other things.
I have started several plants indoors this winter and it is helping my seasonal depression issues a great deal. I have lettuce, cilantro, basil, and even potatoes growing indoors. It's a great feeling to know that I have this early start on my garden. I'll start my tomatoes and other plants in the coming weeks. I can't wait to have my garden again this season. It's going to be so neat to have it so much closer to my house. I hope it does well where I've moved it!
I wish I had all the time in the world to blog more regularly. Putting my thought from my head to my fingers, and onto a screen really does help me focus my energy and organize my thoughts. Perhaps I will make some time, perhaps I won't. But I won't feel guilty either way! :D
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