December Daybook

I am wearing: 
Sweats and my new sparkling gold sweatshirt. Everyone in my family thinks it looks like and old lady but I think they don't know fashion.

 What I am listening to:

 A lot of Christmas on Pandora. I especially like the Nutcracker station. I also hear children talking together as they play a game on the Kindle and other noises coming from the tub in my bathroom.

 In the Kitchen:

Lots and lots of treats around here:

Gingerbread

Candy Cane Cookies

I actually put myself on a "no treats fast" for the day.  Tonight's dinner is a yummie wheat berry pilaf. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mushroom-wheat-berry-pilaf-recipe/index.html

I am looking forward to some Christmas cinnamon rolls, homemade butternut squash ravioli, rosemary bread and tiramisu. 

Around the House: 

The halls are decked and yes our huge tree is the centerpiece. Maybe when hubs is 70 we'll get a modest size tree.

Enjoying God's Creation:

I am so blessed by our little mountain town and its wintery snow.  Our home is an all-seasons destination--beach, camping and hiking in the summer and skiing, skating and sledding in the winter.  I heart it!!

In the Learning Loft:

Despite the hustle and bustle of the season we have faithfully maintained our lesson schedule and wrapped it up this morning with a movie.  This month we have focused on reading, spelling, fractions, decimals, multiplication, letters and the symbols of Christmas.

Montessori Multiplication Board

Spelling test

 And a bit of driedel too!

Celebrating the Season:

As you can see we have had many celebratory activities but 2 have been new to us this year.  First, the children all drew one another's names as secret buddies to buy, from their own money, a Christmas gift.  It has been comical to see how they cannot keep a secret. Helping each child think of and purchase a special gift has been so fun. Secondly, I signed up to ring the Salvation Army bell.  I have been wanting to be a bell ringer for years but was always apprehensive about participating but this year I put that aside and joined.  I did 2 different time slots and the girls accompanied me.  It was a wonderful opportunity to greet our community with Christmas cheer.

In the Gym: 

We finished T25 in November and are now wrapping up the year with selected workouts from our favorite programs--INSANITY, ASYLUM and P90Xplus.  We are Beacbbody coaches and offer free fitness and nutrition consulting to those in need.  If you need help improving your health, we can help.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/tammymom

http://www.shakeology.com/tammymom

From the Library:

I am reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  I have never been a Scrooge fan but felt lead to pick it up this season and I am so glad I did.  It challenges my reading abilities because it is such an old writing and has given me much to think about.  Here is a quote from the book when the ghost of Christmas Past and Scrooge are talking about his former apprenticeship and boss--"He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil.  Say that his power lies in words or looks; in things so slight and insignificant this it is impossible to add and count 'em up:"  I have been pondering that in regards to my own apprentices.  Isn't that what our children are?  Apprentices, in our care to learn the skills of life.  As their mother, I  can make them happpy or unhappy, burdened or light, or use my words and looks to build up or tear down.  The children look at me day in and day out, what do they see? If I am honest, much of the time a, a stern face.  I want to SMILE.  Pray for me in this area.

I also finished my 5 year read through the Bible. Yes, it was a long time.

Merry Christmas and thanks for visiting.

A Challenge Just for You!

Hello Everyone, I hope you are all having a good day.  Hubs and I just returned from the Beachbody Coach Summit and we had a wonderful time.

7,000 coaches up at 6:30 on Saturday morning for a Super Workout

Jay and I before the Super Workout

 Many of you many recall previous posts about Beachbody's Ultimate Reset or even me mentioning my workout programs in my About Me posts.  Health and Fitness is one of our core family values and being Beachbody coaches and product users has helped us develop that belief and lifestyle in our home and encourage others to do the same.

I hosted a 3 day Shakeology Cleanse Challenge back in May and was so pleased with my personal results, 4 pounds lost in 3 days, a clean fresh feeling on the inside and the building of my self- control muscles.  Would you please consider joining me for my next challenge beginning in July?  Watch this video, it sums up what Beachbody is about and explains the ins and outs of a challenge group.



If you can identify with anything shared in the video or feel a bit of excitement growing inside your heart for healthy living, lets talk.  Leave me a comment below with a way of contacting you, I would love to lead you on your own personal challenge journey.

On our way to Beachbody's Celebration of Coach and Customer accomplishments in which 2 people won $100,000 for getting healthy.

September Daybook with Mudder Pictures

 I am wearing:  My pajamas and hideous hot pink fleece.

Noticing God's glory: In yellowing leaves, thrift stores and good food.

I am listening to: The sounds of a little boy talking to me when he should still be in bed.

Around the house:I am desperately wanting a home work schedule so I can fit in all that needs to be attended to.  I am thinking about something like a day each week (when all other necessary tasks have been done) for kitchen work, inside house work, outside work and scrapping.
2 weeks ago we started Wednesday mornings as a family cleaning time.  The children all take turns drawing chore sticks for cleaning jobs and they can earn a quarter per job.  I went to this method because I was a failure as giving them weekly allowance, I was always running out of money.  So this way if mom dosen't have any quarters or has a heavy errand day, then we don't do the cleaning.  Plus, things are getting cleaned a lot more frequently than they had been.  I figure, a child's imperfect cleaning is better than no cleaning at all.
Also on my "around the house list" more fall freshening up, painting 2 chairs, painting our dinning fixture, scrubbing cabinet fronts and cleaning carpets.

In the learning loft:  The stress started coming back this week as I began preparing for our fall term.  Geography notebooks, reading lessons, math lessons and history are all awaiting my attention.  Homeschooling our children is a huge and demanding responsibility.  I love it but man it is time consuming and stressful.  I always say can't we just read and play games?  But then the reality of skills that need to be learned sets in and I plan away.  We start back to  lessons October 8th.

In the kitchen:  I have been enjoying India Spice Chi Tea that my Mother-in-law brought on her last visit.  I am looking forward to starting Beach Body's Ultimate Reset next week.  We have been moving more toward a plant based diet and the reset will move us further down that path.  The Reset is a 21 day body cleaning program designed to reset you metabolism with clean eating.

In the gym:  We have been taking it easy this week after Sunday's Tough Mudder.  The Mudder was so much fun and we already look forward to next year's event in July.

The orange is the 11 mile course we ran and the  20 obstacles we completed.  It took us 4 hours to complete.

Me getting my number on my face in case they found me lost in the woods, passed out from exhaustion.  They failed to mention hypothermia was an option as well.

Jay getting his number.  I said no forehead because it was a little to "Beast" like.

Aren't we cute and clean all ready to go?

Never mind that this is a beer sponsor, I just liked the quote.  We had to sign a death waver to participate.

And--our muddy clothes when we got home.  It all washed well and is waiting for the next adventure.

 We should be able to get a few action Mudder shots from their photographers and I'll post them we we get them, so for now this is it.

Due to the Reset things will be light in the gym for the next 3 weeks.  I look forward to the light schedule of walking and stretching.  After the Reset maybe some INSANITY and PUMP.

In the prayer closet:  I am reading a devotion on Joy.  I have mixed feelings about the book but want to keep persevering to learn more.

In the library:  I am reading Bella Tuscany.  It is a slow read but I think that has more to do with me than the book.  It is nice to spend time, when I get it, being transported to Italy with all of its wonderful food, people and gardens.

Plans for the rest of the week:  Working with flowers for this week's wedding and hopefully putting away laundry, washing laundry, yard work and homeschool planning.

Thanks for stopping by!

What to Eat?

So here is a great follow-up video to my post What Does The Bible Say About Food?  The video is from one of my favorite Beach Body Trainers, Tony Horton and directed at P90X users but I think it is applicable to anyone seeking good health.



Video streaming by Ustream

What the Bible has to Say About Food

Food use to be and still is at times my enemy. When I was younger I vascilated between super restrictive, like no cheese on my pizza, to binging on a whole pack of Snackwells cookies (remember those?). I could go from eating a giant sized frozen yogurt and countless peanut butter cups to eating only one cantalope or one bagel in a day. I had an unhealthy relationship with food, I either over-are or starved myself.

So, think with me, is food good or bad in your life? Is food your enemy or is it your enjoyment? Is food your boredom buster or your comforter? Now just suppose, you wondered what God thinks about food. Where would you look? His word of course, and that is what we are going to do today. From the very beginning of time, right in Genesis, food has played a role in the lives of humans. In the garden food was part of the fall of man. God said "eat all you want, enjoy but don't eat from that one tree" and what happens? We are not satisfied with all that He has given us and we just have to eat the forbidden fruit and WAM! Life is changed forever. Now man has to go and find his own food, he has to work hard, really hard in order to feed himself. Why ? All because of one little fruit that he could not help eating.

Moving on in the bible we see more interactions between God, his people and food. While the children of Israel wondered the desert God provided them food, as much as they wanted, it was called Manna. God gives us food to take care of us. Yes, He gives us food because he loves us and knows we need to eat in order to be healthy and serve him. So right here, in these two Old Testament examples we see that food is good and necessary in the eyes of God.

Then we go onto Deuteronomy chapter 14 and food is there again. This time it is God's list of do's and don'ts regarding food but don't miss God's heart for his people in the long list of restrictions. In verse 2 we see why God put so many restrictions on food. Verse 2 says God's people are holy to him and chosen to be his treasured possessions. Did you get that? God didn't put all of those food restrictions out there to be difficult but because he loved His people and wanted them to be holy and treasured. What an important point to understand--the restrictions were out of a father's love.

In 1 Kings 19 we have the story of Elijah and Jezebel. Jezebel threatened Elijah's life and he took of running until he was so tired that he fell down under a bush and went to sleep. When Elijah awoke he was greeted by an Angel that touched him and said "get up and eat." Two times this happened, so we can see that our physical sustenance is important to God. God wants us to eat, he wants us to enjoy it (Ecclesiastes says there is nothing better than to eat, drink and be merry) and he will provide the food that we need.

In the New Testament there are many examples of Jesus and food such as Jesus feeds the 5,000, Jesus calls himself the bread of life, Jesus turned water into wine and the last supper. My favorite story of Jesus and food is in John 21 after Jesus rises from the dead.. It is early morning and the grieving disciples have returned to their jobs as fishermen. As the disciples are coming in to shore with their boat they see a man on the shore and suddenly recognize that it is Jesus. Jesus says to them "come and have breakfast with me." Would you not love that? Jesus saying "come, sit, let me fix you some breakfast" that would be heaven on Earth. So there you go, coffee only drinkers, Jesus says to have breakfast.

Now this next passage is from 1 Timothy 4. There were a lot of problems in Timothy's church and people were making up laws about food abstinence. Verse 4 says "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." Wow, did you read that? Nothing is to be rejected that God made because it is good. That verse right there gives us so much direction in this vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten free world. Everything God made is good, what a freeing thing.

So, what do we eat? Things that God made, not man, because they are good. The word does not say to eat chips, soda, candy bars, french fries or anything out of a box. The bible does not call these things sinful but it doesn't call these processed foods good. So in our family we try to eat as natural as possible. We try to eat foods that are whole and directly from the ground, tree, bush, animal or vine. Don't get me wrong we do eat treats but we make them ourselves out of whole, preservative free ingredients. If we want cookies, we bake them, so we can save money and know what ingredients go into them.

At the grocery store, the healthiest, God made foods are usually found on the perimeter of the store. Fruits, veggies, dairy, eggs, meats and seafood are usually against the four walls of the store. So think about it the next time you shop--is your cart full of things from the 4 outside walls or does it abound with products from the center isles? We watch the Biggest Loser and Bob once said that if a food can last more than 2 weeks in your pantry or refrigerator, you probably shouldn't eat it. Of course there are a few exceptions, like canned tomatoes or healthy crackers but in general I think it is a good thought.

When I create a meal I think of 3 things:

1. protein
2. veggies
3. carbs or grain

I try to eat protein every time I eat followed by a fruit or veggie. Some meals may or may not include a grain. Grains are always my downfall because they are so much more plentiful and easier on the go but I am working on this. I know some of you say, "but I don't like that type of food." Well, it is all in what you get use to. You may have to retrain yourself as I am, to eat more protein. Or maybe you have to retrain yourself to grab an apple instead of chips, be responsible for yourself. If you want something different just do it. Don't think of your nutrition as "I can't eat that." Think of it as "what can I eat?"

Food Networks Paula Dean recently came out with her Type II Diabetes diagnosis. In an interview I heard Paula said it took so long for her to come out about the diagnosis because she "wanted to bring something to the table". Do you know what she brought? A pill. Yes, meds. It was as if she did not really understand that Type II Diabetes and being overweight is a direct result of her eating and activity level. Paula also said "people are gonna eat, you can't stop that." She is right, people are going to eat and they have to eat but it is all about choice. Paula can eat the foods she loves and just take a pill, done, over with, if you want to put meds into your body everyday. Or, people can eat the foods God made and live a healthy life that enables us to serve our creator as he designed. And that friends, is what it is all about. Eating well so that we can have the best physical capabilities to serve the Lord no matter where or what He calls us to. It is not about a societal standard but taking care of ourselves so we can serve HIM.

Reversing The Trend -- You Are Not A Number, You Are Strong!

The joy of Christmas is upon our home and treats and feasting abound.  I wish I could say that my little fit self is no worse for the wear this Holiday season but I cannot.  Each time I wake up and done my workout clothes my shorts let me know that the season of eating has settled in, literally.  It was my hope that INSANITY/ASYLUM was going to stave off the seasonal weight gain but I was wrong, but oh what a mess I would be in if I wasn't training myself each morning to just show up and do my best.  I read this article this morning and I think it really could speak to so many during this season and each day. 

6 Reasons Why Weighing Yourself is a Bad Idea

We really ought not to allow the scale to dictate our health, our self-esteem or our happiness.  Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit and we should make it a nice place for Him to dwell, both physically and spiritually.  We should have good health not twiggy little bodies or unreasonable goals.  We should worship the Lord with our inner thoughts and feelings in regard to ourselves because yes, He is listening and out of the heart the mouth speaks.  We are God's workmanship, His very creation and he created us to glorify him and to do good works.  So, don't put yourself down because of what the scale says but rather glorify the Lord and prepare yourself to be God's best through taking care of yourself, spiritually and physically.  Now, yes, I know our spiritual life is number one in the whole realm and scheme of things but our physical life can impact how we carry that out, so we need to take care of our bodies.  So, please don't think I am preaching body and fitness is number one, because I am not.  I know from first hand experience, that when we are right in our heads and hearts about our bodies then we are more effective ministers of the truth to those around us.  When we feel good about ourselves we are more able to let the Lord's love shine through and do the good works He has purposed for us to do.

So how do I do it?  Well it is simple, I didn't say easy, just simple---Decide, Commit, Succeed.  That is the motto of Team Beachbody.  Deciding dosen't do it, but committing does. If you commit you will succeed.  I get up at 5:30 every morning and workout.  I mean really workout, not just glisten.  I sweat, I grunt and I work hard for however long the day's workout is going to be.  I might take an non-prescribed break but I don't stop and I don't give up and I have succeeded at becoming healthier and stronger. Notice I said "healthier and stronger,"  not thinner.  The number on the scale is not where I want it to be, in fact the number is currently nowhere near pre-baby four's number and I struggle. However, I decided and committed and I am stronger. I wish I fit into pre-baby four pants but I don't. I am stronger and challenged to do things that I never would have thought of or attempted.  I am so thankful for the challenges BeachBody provides and here is a little look at what I or should I say Jay and I have done this year and what we hope to accomplish in the next:

P90X


INSANITY/THE ASYLUM


P90X2


PUMP
Jay's Blog Post on Les Mills PUMP

Tuff Mudder


So as we look to 2012 remember you are not your number and you are only one decision and one commitment away from success.  If you are up for the challenge, let's talk because together we can Reverse the Trend and be healthier, fitter and stronger!