Accidentally Homeschooling...and beyond: The Christian Home

Showing posts with label The Christian Home. Show all posts

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,

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,

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Choices: I choose to be a place of rest

Today's post is part of The Christian Home. This online eZine is hosted by fellow crew member, Mrs. White from The Legacy of Home.

I enjoyed the most incredible nap today until my sleep was jarred by 5 teenager's laughter. For that I am thankful. I have always wanted my home to be the place where they wanted to be. I have my own fond memories of my neighbor's hospitality when I was young. I sat for hours with my friend's mom and savored long conversations over plates of food. She always had kind words that lifted me out of my situation.

I have wanted to be that type of Mom. One who was not avoided, but one who the kids were drawn to. We joked today about my finally becoming a 'boy magnet'. A friend couldn't believe how I spend my Sunday afternoons. Some day, I will have quiet Sunday afternoons and longer naps. But, I am choosing this instead.

I choose not to get frazzled at the wrestling, the weapons, the video games, the nerf wars, and the non-stop hunger. Seeing the speed in which Statueman grew up, I choose to savor this over complain.

I choose to look at the bright side. One great thing about hosting teenage boys in our home is the lack of pressure on the hostess, me. My lame offering of hot dogs and French fries are devoured happily. They don't notice the floors that need vacuuming. If they do, they aren't saying anything. They are easy house guests. Blessings.

I choose this, I had many reasons not to, everyone would have understood. But I am so glad I did. How about you, did you have any great company this weekend?

Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Bearing fruit in due season

This post is part of The Christian Home, an online magazine hosted by Mrs. White at The Legacy of Home. Please visit her site to read more of The Christian Home issue #10.

Here in the Northeast, when we buy fruit, usually it is not ready. I am forever on a quest to buy avocados at their perfect ripeness. It's a challenge to me.

It reminded me of my parenting ten years ago. I was trying to pick ripe, perfect, adult-acting children, when they were basically children. I don't know why I did this. I can't plead ignorance, I have a degree in early childhood education. I should have somewhat of an understanding of how a typical five year-old acts. I was trying to pick the fruit too early. Nothing is so dissatisfying as biting into an unripe cantaloupe. Blech. That's just what I was doing. I was becoming bitter that my children were not angelic beings and ceasing to experience the joy of being their mom.

When my middle sons were about 4 and 5 years old, going out in public was such an ordeal. I was continually plagued with bickering, disobedience and always stressed out. I constantly worried about my kids. I thought hopeless thoughts. I was discouraged. I had a vision, if they were this misbehaved now, what would they be like as teenagers? I had a serious problem of unbelief.

When buying a mango. I'm still learning, I have to give it a gentle squeeze. They can be very unpredictable. Usually, if I can wait a few days, the mango is delicious. My patience means, less eating of bitter things.

I've entered in that season and it's a blessing. Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised. I had to leave the boys alone, again. I ended up staying out longer than expected. The home was intact, there were no calamities or injuries. Things were smooth. Little Guy was well-behaved.

For that I am grateful.

It's the season now for ripe fruit.

I'm seeing it and it's pleasant. My middle guys are now 13 and 15. I enjoy their company. I'm at peace when their friends are over. They act their age. They still are boys, but they have matured. When we are out they no longer are climbing under the clothes racks in stores. The tables have turned, I tend to embarrass them, now.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9

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Sunday, March 27, 2011

A sweet way to earn money at home?

There is still time to enter "the Crossmaker" giveaway.

Click here for details. I will be drawing the winner on Friday, National Atheist Day.

This post is part of The Christian Home, an online magazine hosted by Mrs. White at The Legacy of Home. Please visit her site to read more of The Christian Home.

I wrote a few weeks ago about the ways I have earned money at home. This can be both a blessing and a curse, since many of my 'jobs' have taken their toll on our family and my peace of mind. I've come to the conclusion that sometimes the best way to make money at home is to avoid parting with the income you already have.

Proverbs 14:1

The wise woman builds her house,

but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Today, I will share with you something that did not work for me. Will you join me for a trip down memory lane? Fasten your seatbelt for a ride down Terri G.'s Rocky Road to income from home.

Cake Decorating or

My recipe for disaster

When I only had one child, this seemed like a fun way to bring in a few dollars. My friend and I attended the Wilton cake decorating classes at the local craft store. I was eager to try my newfound skills. I am not crafty, I just have the ability to read and follow directions. Paired with a steady hand, cake decorating can be successful. For me it was, somewhat.

I quickly was able to sell my cakes, please brides and the word spread. I charged about $1 to $2 a slice and did wedding cakes while charging between $120 to $450. It sounds like a large amount for just making a cake, but in reality, it wasn't.

Because I have never functioned well without adequate sleep, I always paced myself. My weeks with cake creations looked like this:

Tuesday purchase all of the supplies.
Wednesday, bake and trim.
Thursday ice cakes.
Friday decorate cakes.
Saturday, pray while you drive with the precious cakes, deliver and assemble, and stress over if the bride will love it.

During cake jobs, my family ate poorly and I was a grump. Pizza had to be ordered by Friday night. My back was sore from hunching over the cakes. Weather hampered decorating. Weekend traffic freaked me out. I was a slowpoke menace on the roads for fear of stopping short and ruining my creations. And these were the easy times.

See the pregnant lady with the fake smile? She spent the morning abusing her husband.

Then enter the blessing of new babies, Paperboy and his brother, Random, seventeen months later. The home is no longer a great setting for a bakery.

I remember my last wedding cake.

The one in which I lost control. The one for the lovely couple who had married in Paris and wanted their perfect stateside family wedding, near the ocean. The cake with little shells on the sides. I had broken a few rules. I took an order over the phone. I envisioned what they wanted. I had hoped my vision was theirs. There was a nagging feeling the whole time, I think this is what they wanted. The weather was 80 degrees and humid. The frosting disobeyed. The cake didn't fit in my refridgerator. I had to air condition my bedroom just to keep it fresh. That probably cost me half my profit in electricity.

The morning of the wedding, I had found myself screaming at the kids, again. "Stop running by the cake", "You're making the whole house shake", "You'll have to wait for breakfast." Didn't they care? At that point, I was possessed.

The final straw came when it was time to load the cakes in the car. When I looked at one of the layers, I wanted to cry. "What was this stuffed dinosaur doing in the cake?" This was not the bride's vision. My vision began to blur through angry tears.

Thankfully, Paperboy has blotted out this memory of his scary mommy. Paperboy, at two years old, survived my temporary insanity. Only because God in His grace had made him the second born. There was a witness to my meltdown. As my temper tantrum was in full force, I realized my oldest son was watching me screaming, while contemplating hurting my toddler.

What am I doing? This is insane, he is a two-year old and it's only a cake.

I was frightened at how much rage had gotten a hold over me. I was taking my stress out on my family. What if I had acted on my feelings and struck my son with that angry spirit on me? I am thankful to God, that in my terrible state, I was able to hear His voice. I was able to repent, in time.

I repaired and delivered the cake. No accidents, no ordeals.

The bride loved it, she begged me to stay for the reception.

I had to decline, my family needed me back.

Even though I was at home all week, they missed me.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Just what do you wear to a home school convention?

The season has started for homeschooling conventions. There are pressing questions that the new homeschool moms are seeking answers for. We experienced moms need to share. What curriculum? What learning style? More importantly, what should I wear to a homeschool convention? I blogged about it last year in an effort to dispel the myth of frumpy homeschoolers.

Each spring I look forward to the MassHope convention. This convention has something for everyone in their homeschool journey. Here are my top ten things I recommended packing for a homeschool conference.

Shoes, pretty, but comfortable. Preferably slip ons. You will be wandering around shopping as well as standing around talking for hours. You may want to sneakily slip them off your feet by the last seminar. Wear your sturdy ones, but don't don't forget stylish. Save the frump for home.
A bathing suit. If your hotel has a pool, you will want to option of swimming or at least the hot tub. Don't worry about your pasty white skin and winter bulge, you will be in like company.
A pretty t-shirt. If the issues from #2 are too much, cover up with a nice dark colored t-shirt.
Reading glasses or at least magnifiers from the drug store. Some of the catalogs, hand outs and literature may be printed smaller than you'd like. Be ready.
A backpack. I, the professed bag lady, use my trusty orange Samsonite backpack. It has padded shoulder straps, and feels great, even when it's filled with the books that I swore I wasn't going to buy.
Tops. Let's talk about layers. You are going to sweat in those rooms that are packed because the speaker is unbelievable. Then the next seminar, how to "homeschool your dog", will be empty and freezing and you will be looking for a down jacket. I recommend a short-sleeved blouse layered with a cotton sweater.
Pants, capris, skirts? This is a matter of personal preference. I like to wear my favorite jeans paired with a dressy top. There is a little of everything at the conferences. You will feel great dressed up or down. The speakers usually dress for success. If you want to be mistaken for an expert, dress like a business women. If you want your husband to be asked for directions every few minutes, tell him to wear a blazer and a tie.
Wear a watch. Each session is timed and the vendor halls have set hours. You do not want to miss your favorite speaker or lunch for that matter.
Head covering? It's not my thing but you may see some. Tell your kids not to stare or point, it's rude.
Babies? Yes, do bring your baby if you are still nursing. It's not my thing right now, but people wear them in slings, front carriers and backpacks. Strollers are handy, but the crowds are big, you may want a small umbrella stroller. Your large stroller can double as a shopping cart for books. Please do not squish the baby. Babies are very welcome as long they don't disrupt the speakers. Just sit in the back near the door, just in case.

This post is part of The Christian Home, an online magazine hosted by Mrs. White at The Legacy of Home. Please visit her site to read more of The Christian Home.

I will be talking more about homeschool conventions in the next few weeks. If there is anything I have missed, please share in the comments. Did I mention, I love comments? I do.

I welcome reader comments with open arms. I also understand if you aren't the commenting or hugging type of person, you can drop me an email at accidentallyhomeschooling@gmail.com.

Accidentally Homeschooling...and beyond