Getting Healthy

As I have reached an all time high weight for me, I have once again gotten serious about getting healthy. I am tired of the yo-yo struggle I have experienced with discipline in this area of my life. It's a good thing that God gives grace and mercy, and loves me no matter what shape I am!

I started this journey only a week ago. I have removed wheat, rice, and potatoes from my diet. The last time I did this it proved to be very successful and I had quick results. However, previously I also removed white/brown sugar as well and replaced it with sweetener. In the meantime, I have decided not to use artificial sweetener, so I haven't cut down as much on sugar from my diet this time.

I am eating fewer than 1200 calories and I have also been exercising at least every other day. It's been kind of fun to track everything on My Fitness Pal. I know it's only been one week, but I weighed myself today and there has been no change. :(

I am not going to give up. I can do this! Just wondering if I need to get more extreme. No sugar in my tea (which would probably mean no tea)? A lower calorie limit for the day? Or is it just that my 40 year old body takes longer to respond.... I think one answer is more exercise.

I have half-heartedly started a couch to 5k program. Guess it's time to get serious about that, too. Here we go!

This fun little tool will keep track of my progress:

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

Read More Books!!!

I have accepted a new challenge - read my kids a new book every day. I used to read a lot to Brandon, but as life gets busier I realize I haven't read as much to Marissa, and even less to Mya, with the exception of school read alouds. I have a lot of kids books and want to start purging a few, so my thoughts are that I will read a new book each day and let them each pick a book to read as well. This way I will know which books are their favorites so I know which ones to keep! I thought it might be fun (and keep me accountable) to blog which books we are reading.

Bonus: cuddle time with my "babies".

Here's the first two:

Amelia Bedelia

Guess How Much I Love You

Games, Train & Rain

I really enjoyed our day. It was busy, yet laid back. Just a go with the flow kind of day!

I headed out early this morning and saw a train stopped on the bridge over the Manzimtoti River, along with at least 15 different kinds of emergency vehicles - Police, Emergency Rescue, Hazmat, etc. I was SO curious, but you couldn't see anything because of the buildings and trees, so I just carried on my way.

I was in & out in the morning, but while I was home, I worked on taking out Mya's twists. She ever so sweetly twisted my arm into playing a game of Candy Land. Gotta love that girl! We had fun and laughed a little.

The neighbor kids - Marissa's new constant playmates - suggested going down to see the train that fell off the tracks (first I had heard about what actually happened) and I was right on that - I had been curious all day!

We rushed off to the beach - they knew where to park so we could walk down and get a good look. And just as we got to the beach it started to rain, but I still enjoyed the walk. Have I told you how much I love the beach?

Here are some pictures. They aren't the best as they were taken with my phone in the rain!

The river has been so strong that it has washed away an area of the beach where it meets the ocean. Our neighbour, Barry, said he has lived here 30 years and never seen it like this. It washed away the ground right up to and under the tracks, and as the train went through it just tipped right over. What you see is two engines and a lumber car. There were 4 men manning the engines, but they escaped with minor injuries.

 These pictures were taken when the tide was low, but if you look at the picture at the bottom of the post you'll see much more clearly how high the water can get.

Mya, Amy Jo & Marissa

 

Mya

This photo is a link to an article about the accident:

And this is a photo of what it normally looks like from behind. You'll note the train tracks on the bottom and the green vegetation to the right that has all been washed away.

Chaos

You may notice a bunch of new posts tonight. My husband and I had a multiply blog for our ministry before I started my own personal blog at blogspot. I found it convenient to post my recipes here, as they had a nice format and I could access them from anywhere around the world!
Well, they are no longer supporting blogs, and for now, I decided to import my recipes here rather than lose them or the links to them. We'll see if it lasts! In the meantime, browse and see what kind of foods my family enjoys. ;)

Warning: Easy Target

I was at Galleria Mall a few days ago loading my groceries into my car and a man appeared out of no where and asked me for help. I turned away from my trolley (grocery cart) for a moment to speak with him. He had a list of staples that he said he needed and that he didn't have enough money.

I have a policy of not giving money because I don't know what it will be spent on, but I found myself wishing I had something in my grocery bags I didn't need right away. I had just made a quick trip to the store to get last minute things for our family Thanksgiving dinner and some medicine for the girls, and didn't have anything I could spare. I drove away praying for him.  I questioned if I was insensitive to his needs and wondered about his family.
Well, when I got home I realized that I was missing a grocery bag. I am still so disappointed! I know that grocery bag was in the "child seat" of my trolley when I got to the car. I took my own bags and this was my one hot pink bag amidst the standard green ones. It's hard to miss! And I know that the trolley was empty when I put it away, which means that when my back was turned to the trolley the bag was taken. 
The most frustrating part is that it could 1). make me less likely to trust or help someone else that says they are in need and 2). make me feel vulnerable in the parking lot of that particular mall.
Guess I've learned a lesson to pay better attention! Glad my purse was around my neck and my keys in my pocket, and that everything missing could be replaced.

Crocodile Crunch

Mya was THRILLED today that we finally had all the ingredients to make Crocodile Crunch for school, from the book African Animals, Rhymes & Recipes by Tracy Going.

 

African Animals, Rhymes & Recipes

I promised her we would make it while Mickey was sleeping, so the moment he hit the pillow she was ready. She loves to bake and cook! She also likes Mommy's undivided attention.

While we were making them, she brought up Nina and Switzerland. She loved going to school with Nina while we were there, and she was telling me how they got to bake and then they got to eat it, too!

I had to take a picture of the finished product, too, because she was sure Gramma and Nana would want to see it. She thinks you would like her Crocodile Crunch! They are made with cocoa, golden syrup, sugar, butter and corn flakes.

When we were finished the dishwasher was running, so Mya offered to wash the dishes. Love that she still thinks it's fun! :)

She is such a pleasure to teach as she just LOVES to learn!

Raindrops

Just recently, on Pinterest of all places, I was challenged to start my home school mornings in God's Word TOGETHER with my children. So this week we are meeting at the table at 8h30 in the morning with our Word of Life Quiet Times. (Not that the Word of Life Quiet Time is anything magic - just a tool to keep us on the same page, yet still at our own levels, as they have a journal for each age.)

So, WOW! I have been blessed beyond measure in just two mornings! We have started the book of Job this week, and I thought, "Again?" You see, we have recently finished reading through Job in our evening prayer readings as we are reading through the Bible chronologically in a year. And, the kids have studied Job in home school this year. BUT, I guess God knows I need to hear things a few times before they really sink in, so here we are again, in Job! I'm listening, Lord!

My greatest blessing during this time with my children has been the opportunity to be vulnerable with them. We talked about how Job was "blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." We talked about how God blessed Job - He gave him MANY blessings! And how God allowed Satan to take those blessings away - his crops, his animals, his children! And yet Job said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” 

And "Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God."

I shared with my children that I would like to believe my faith is strong enough to stand. I don't want to go through hard times and have my faith waver! But until I'm in the midst of a trial, how am I to know? We discussed those that HAVE wavered in their faith in times of trial and that we can't judge them, because we've never been in their shoes, but also our desire to be different if we experience similar trials of our own. I have to live DAILY in His Word, so that I have a solid foundation to stand on, and cling to Him in times of need!

We have been singing Blessings by Laura Story in our house a lot the last couple of days, so I'm going to include the lyrics.

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win we know
That pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
This is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

I was able to go back to our break in, almost 2 years ago now, and remind them that maybe it happened so that we might better know God. And we decided it was worth it!

We discussed many more things, and our home school day was still a bit rough - even starting with Bible doesn't make my children perfect! ;) But I'm so glad that we started TOGETHER in the Word, and I don't want to forget this LFL.

This still gives me goosebumps - "What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near". If you haven't heard the song, I urge you to listen.

And of course, when it comes to Job, I want to "Live Like That".