Homeschool Progress

Our first month of school has passed by in a flash. So far things are going very well. We started off in review mode, using the same materials we has from last year and continuing on. I wasn't prepared to buy everything we needed at the start of this month, so I thought it would be good to pick up where we left off. This was a good idea. It really helped me see where the girls were at in math as well as get them back in the mode of school without the confusion of a bunch of new things that are not familiar.

Yesterday I finally ordered all the new books so those should be here in a few days. The girls are very excited and so am I. Our 10 year old is going to be getting into more formal geography lessons this year which she is really happy about. She loves maps and is very good at learning to find things and memorize them as well. Our 8 year old is especially happy to be learning cursive this year. Our 6 year old is really getting the hang of reading and is so proud of herself. And baby girl is quickly learning letters, colors, shapes and so much more. They all love school and I am so happy that they do. :)

I made a list of what we are studying this year in the left sidebar.

Our Daily Schedule - Revised

This past school year we were very scheduled. It was necessary for various reasons, but honestly I find it more stressful to operate in such a structured way. It just doesn't work well. In my opinion, life doesn't fit into a "box".

This year we have chosen to go with a more natural schedule. So far it has been working very well and the kids and I are all more relaxed because of it.

We don't have a particular starting time in the morning. We have set goals for each day.

Unless we have a specific appointment I don't set an alarm in the morning. Sleep deprivation has been a big issue for me personally the past couple of years so sleep is high on my list of priorities. When I get at least 6 hours of good sleep the whole day is better for everyone.

Generally I am awake by 8:30. If the girls wake before I do they play or read until I am awake. Then we move in blocks.

Block 1 - Morning

- Wake up/Grooming

- Chores/dinner prep

- Breakfast

- Bible Study

- Table clean up

- Start school (2 subjects)

Block 2 - Afternoon

- lunch/read-aloud

- table clean up / quick house clean up

- play outside time

- back to school (2 more subjects)

Block 3 - Evening

- project, computer or TV time for kids (varies by day)

- baths/dress for bed

- dinner

- family time

Block 4 - Night

- kids prep for bed (brush teeth, get a cup of water, book, etc.)

- tuck kids in

- time with hubby

- my computer time

- bed time

Two things that I really need to work into the schedule somehow are sewing time and exercise. Those will be added in (somehow) in the weeks to come.

Back To Homeschool!

It's that time of year again, time to get back to the books and learn some new things :) We started "back" to school last week and things are going great! We still have quite a bit of material to cover from the books we have from last year so we will be working on those for the next couple of months. Then it will be on to more new things.

At this point our main focus is.......

10 year old - work on handwriting, more focus on composition writing, computer skills.

8 year old - work on all math facts, handwriting practice

6 year old - mastery in reading and remembering all numbers to 100 by sight

3 year old - learn colors, numbers and letters by sight

We will be working on a much looser daily schedule this year but I am still scheduling in blocks. I'll post that schedule tomorrow.

Diet Update

I have been making progress on my journey to better health. I am still striving to lose more weight but have been making great progress. 12 lbs. down and 20 to go. Praise God for His faithfulness, without Him I could not do this!

So, here's what I have been doing in an effort to lose weight....

* I quit eating sugar. Except for natural sugars like honey, agave or pure maple syrup. And I use those VERY sparingly.

*I cut down my food portions.

*I cut way back on bread. I rarely eat bread now, I used to eat it very often but now not so much.

* I quit eating packaged and processed foods and junk foods. I stick to whole foods, foods in their natural state as much as I can. Shop a lot at Sprouts, buy organic, etc.

*I gave up whole milk for almond milk. which has not only helped me lose weight but has also helped my allergies a lot! Dairy is really bad for any type of allergies.

*I don't eat any artificial foods (fat free, low fat, artificial sweetened, trrans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, etc.)

*For cooking I only use real butter or olive oil or coconut oil.

*I only drink water or herb tea. No sodas or sweet drinks. Wine on a very rare occasion. Almond milk. Coconut water.

*I only eat beef about once a month.

* I don't eat pork.

*I take Extra Virgin Coconut Oil daily. 1 Tbsp. in the morning in oatmeal or in a green smoothie. There are two excellent books on the benefits of coconut oil for weight loss and health in general. "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Sally Fallon and "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife. Also, www.nourishingtraditions.com.

*More recently I have been trying to transition myself onto a "high raw" diet (50% or more raw foods on a daily basis). That, I think, has been the biggest contributing factor to my loss and especially my increased energy and overall well being. I found a lot of great info on-line about this kind of a diet/eating lifestyle. A good place to start is to Google Phillip McKlusky and Angela Stokes-Monarch.

*I've been drinking green smoothies for breakfast most days, which seem to keep me full till past lunch time. I can give you recipes if you are interested, they are awesome and easy and very filling.

*I have been working out 3 - 5 days a week, 30 minutes to an hour each time. Walking, doing the Gazelle Glider, workout DVDs,... This has really helped boost my metabolism.

*I drink a lot of water.

*I try to eat dinner before 6 pm.

*I don't take any prescription or over the counter medication unless absolutely necessary.

*I take a few supplements (Fish oil, Vitamin C, Bioflavinoinds, Probiotics, B-12)

*I eat three meals and two very light snacks (usually fruit or nuts and raisins or a few corn chips and salsa). For breakfast if I don't do the smoothie I will have a bowl of oatmeal with the coconut oil mixed in, lightly sweetened with honey and stir in some pecans, coconut and ground flax seed. Or an omelet with spinach, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and a little cheese topped with salsa. For lunch I do a salad with turkey or tuna or chicken and a little cheese and a few crackers on the side. Or maybe a raw soup or fruit salad or raw cereal. For dinner it varies but I try to stick to one serving of each item on an average sized plate (1/4 grain, 1/4 meat (chicken or turkey or bison or fish), 1/4 fruit and as many vegetables as I want) This portioning of the plate came from The Sonoma Diet and seems to work well.

Now, I do have to say I have not been perfect in sticking to this plan. I would say I eat this way about 85 - 90% of the time. There are days when we are super busy and eat out and I do the best I can on those days... or then there are the days when the hormonal cravings hit at certain times of the month and I give in and eat late at night or eat something sweet. But in general this is what I do and it has been working!

Our New Business - Finally! :)

I have continued to mention a new business that my husband and I have been working on in my previous blog posts but am jut now getting time to explain :) Please excuse my tardiness in blogging, it's been a busy time here.

The new business is called Higher Vision Wellness. As of now we offer one primary product that has really helped us both in bettering our health. It is called Nopalea and you can read all about it on our brand new website and blog. We offer some other great products as well and more about those can be found here. We pray that God is going to allow us to continue to build up this business and offer more and more products that will help enhance the lives of others in bettering their health. Getting fit and healthy is a passion of ours... a new road we are embarking upon and we want to share all we have learned and found with others. I also share my own personal testimony by video on our new site. You can view that video here.

Aside from business, we are about to kick off a busy summer. We have a week long VBS program for the kids, a homeschool convention to attend, a new niece about to arrive into the world in August and many other things like planning the next school year, sewing projects... the list goes on! I am hoping to share lots of photos and news in the weeks to come.

Praying you are all having a blessed and safe summer!

In Christ,