Thursday, September 20, 2018

My weight loss journey........was a brief and prideful one............................


I like to look at this picture of my family from Mother's Day 2018. It makes me proud. Those men are so good looking! Yes, the Gman and I produced those handsome boys. But who is that lady with the double chin sitting with them? Yes, that's me. 

Now my oldest, the writer has a wedding coming up. It's been quite stressful thinking of mother of the groom dresses. I'd love to say that I wanted to lose weight because I want to be healthy for the long awaited grandkids. Or at least because my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and heartburn was not dwelling in the same place. But the truth of the matter was....some awesome photo opportunities will be coming up in October and I can't look like Shamu. 

Pride, yes, thank God for pride. Not the one that causes one to fall, but the motivator pride. The kind that makes you lick your finger and quickly wash your kids face at the pediatrician so they won't think you are a bad mom. I was able to pull out the emotion exactly three months before the wedding. Serious times caused for serious measures. I joined an expensive health club, actually showed up faithfully and accepted their so called "food plan" which in reality was a 2 page chart with the most mundane deprivation diet ever. This was planned on the week that Little Guy was away for camp at Gordon College. The Gman was on his own for meals.

The first week included an evil trainer named Amy who yelled, swore and called me by my last name, sort of like boot camp 3 days a week. I had to nap a few times just to get out of my misery from eliminating sugar. I googled it. They liken it to a flu when you are detoxing. Of course it didn't help that I downed a ton of sm'ores the night before I started this journey. But I survived the week and lost 4 pounds. Hmm, if I keep this up, I may even get my money back, from the fitness challenge. Amy said she was proud of me even though I was a pain in the....There's that pride word.

I actually stuck like glue to the food chart, worked out or walked killer hills and each week weighed in. It worked! In just over the 10 weeks, I lost 24 lbs, feel amazing and am super happy with the dress I picked out. It was very simple. I stuck to it with the exception of one evening, I cheated one night while taking clients out to dinner and I felt terrible. 

So people noticed, and it was exactly like when I came to Christ.......the responses:

1) You look awesome, you inspire me................ What must I do to be thin/saved?
2) Oh you were fine, you didn't need to lose weight.....You weren't fat(lies).....you weren't too much of a sinner(oh yes, I was/am)
3) I love my sweets/junk food too much...........I love my sin too much surrender to Christ.
4)You'll probably gain it back after the wedding.................This is just a fad(yes I've been on this Jesus trend since 1986)
5) I don't have time for all the food prep and exercise.......My life is too busy for God.

Now that I have experienced the transformation I was looking for, I have to be careful not to become prideful. Or self righteous................. And that's another battle.

So I may have collectedly offended all 5 of my readers in one post.  I've taken my terrible habit of stress eating and focused on taking care of myself.

This was my old belief:


The Gman still can't believe he hears me leaving early for a morning run even in the rain. I wish I could market this weigh loss plan with a flashy name and sell it to the many Americans who spend so much money on weigh loss products. 

Nutripride
Veto diet
The die diet
yes to the smaller dress diet

Hmm.....the possibilities are endless. Stay tuned for an after picture.


Thanks for stopping by,
 

Looking back at homeschooling from the rear view mirror......and missing writing like crazy.







Lately, I have been thinking about grandkids...like almost obsessively. We've had some adorable little ones in our home lately, and it just pulls me back. I have no regrets at only having four boys, but I see my friends gushing over their grandkids and it's fresh in my heart. But that's not what I planned on writing about. 

Since my blog is called accidentally homeschooling, I think I need to speak to the ones who may be in the process of homeschooling. I have a million things to say but I'll try to condense it down... maybe a good old fashioned list.

1. My boys thank me...often...for homeschooling. As they figure out the world, who they are and where they are going, the conversation comes back to this. Thanks Mom. Oh that warms my heart. The moments when I was convinced I had chosen a crazy path and who did I think I was....are just lies. They truly are life long learners, always sharing with me something new they have learned.

2. Now that I work full time, I realize, I could have managed my time so much better. The kids grow so fast...cherish the times.

3. I've finally passed on most of my home school books. I kept thinking I'd save them just in case...in case what?...someone asked me to teach their kids or I have grand kids. I won't be homeschooling my grandkids. I'll be eating sweets, indulging, shopping and taking them on trips. They won't be sitting on Nana's lap studying prepositions, history or quadratic equations. 

4. My oldest is getting married in October....Grandkids may be in my future.

5.  Paperboy owns his own home, is a landlord and is studying for his electrical exam. 

6. Random is a licensed real estate agent who is pursuing his dream. 

7. Only Little Guy is left at home. He's morphed into an amazing kid. My blog readers remember our struggles and the Feingold Diet. His high school education is outsourced, he plays sports, is in drama and competes in Martial arts.

8. Blogging was a great therapy to me, I am finally encouraged to come back to it. I have so many ideas swirling in my head.......keep subscribing. Let me know if you still read my blog, I'll be writing anyways, but having a reader or two will warm my heart,


Thanks for stopping by,    

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Yahtzee, Happy Dances and Defining Moments

I love the word Bonus. It reminds me of  playing Yahtzee, with my mom as a kid. We would get all excited for each roll, making rolling noises with our tongues, hoping to get enough points for the bonus. I can still hear it. If we got our bonus, or better yet double bonus, we were so excited, happy dancing before we knew the term.  Remember my last blog? Well, there were two bonus features, I neglected  to tell you about them. They are just as powerful as the main feature. Click here for a real bonus!

Thanks for stopping by,  especially Karen :) 








Friday, November 8, 2013

I watched this last night.......... powerful!

Click Here to see an amazing story that needs to be shared with everyone you know. It brought me back to 1986. Where will it bring you?

Thanks for stopping by,

   

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Happy Father's Day 2013

"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society."
-- Billy Graham

I am blessed. My dad is not only a great father, he's also a strong Christian. He's known as a kind, generous, hard working, and funny guy. Maybe someday, I'll follow in his footsteps.

Happy Father's Day, to the guy who always smiles, even when he may not feel like it.

This Arizona Guy was a little chilly, but smiling.

Lots of love to you,
your favorite daughter,