January Wrap Up

It seems like we just put the Christmas tree away, and here it is already the end of the month! Well, for some people...they may HAVE just put the tree away! cough*Karly*cough

We kicked it off with my birthday. Always a grand event.

We went on a field trip with our homeschool group to the Health Museum.

Posing with some of our newest friends...

Learning about the liver...

Transformed the classroom from this:

...to this. (Much better!)

Attended a mermaid birthday party. Modesty + January weather called for some creativity on my part!

They kind of crack me up. The costumes, not the girls.

We are very into dinosaurs around here. Yes, in a girl house!

I've sewed Chomper, Little Foot, and Spike so far. Three more to go. I'm sick of dinosaurs, by the way. But this little sweetie loves them.

A t-rex...
I was impressed by this triceratops...
A long-neck....can't even think of the real names anymore.

Not sure what species this is, but it cost me an entire box of toothpicks!

Worked with base ten blocks...well, OK...they played with them actually. Sweetheart made this:

Little Bit worked HARD on this. I was impressed.

I also transformed some things around the house.

Before--under our bathroom sink. Pretty!

After--all is hidden.
The bathroom window BEFORE I saw this site: (thank you to my source!)

The bathroom window after:

Sweetheart's too-short jeans BEFORE:

And now? Sassy capris! (thank you to my sister for helping me "think it out")
February will bring this:

More on that later.

I knew we had been busy, but man! And these are just the times I grabbed the camera! Hope you all had a great month too.

Fitness Friday: The Temptation Edition

Well, first I will let you know how I did on my goals this week. I think the word I'm looking for is TERRIBLE!

Let's see--I truly ate too many sweets. I didn't eat nearly enough fruits and veggies. But I did cut down the cokes a lot. So, one out of three ain't bad.

The exercise? Well...I decided what I want to do. I looked at the library for the DVD but sadly did not find it. I did a lot of housework and didn't sit down all that much. I was busy, but I didn't really exercise in the strict definition of the word.

I did well on the clothes in spite of it being cold weather. I felt really great today. I put make-up on, fixed my hair, put on nice-ish clothes ALL BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED! It was a nice way to start the day.

Spiritually, I finally remembered to ask the Lord for strength today and I had a great day. I must remember to depend on His strength and not my own.

I'm not changing my goals for this next week because they were good ones. Perhaps I'll even meet more of them this next week!

Now....temptation.

The number one thing that tempts me is sweets. I don't have "a" sweet tooth, I have a mouthful of them! I do better when I keep 100 calorie sweets around. That way I can have a sweet, but not bust out of my clothes at the same time. Chocolate is really a downfall for me!

I like fried foods but I don't crave them really. I can't really think of anything I am tempted to do or have except the sweets. My biggest problem is that I am so terribly tempted to do NOTHING. That's worse than anything! I am too sedentary, too content with not-so-healthy food, etc. Is laziness or apathy a temptation?

As far as what I'm going to do about it...I think I should treat it the same way as sin and run away. I need to walk away from the kitchen when I'm tempted to shove a quick cookie in my mouth. It doesn't help that I must walk through my kitchen to get to the laundry room, sewing room, garage, etc. Perhaps I should go back to colonial times and have a detached kitchen off the back of the house!

Oh! I know! I'll just run through the kitchen instead of walking! That way...I'll run away from the temptation, get my laundry done faster, and get in some exercise all at the same time! I love it when a plan comes together. (name that TV show!)

Let us know what your temptations are and how you deal with them. The pounds you lose may be your friend's!

FF Assignment

I'm so sorry that this assignment is so late. Don't worry, it's just a thinking assignment! I really didn't have any ideas until last night.

We are supposed to report on our improved goals this week and, if you are making weekly goals, you need to let us know what your next week's goals are going to be.

Besides that, I'd like you to tell us what tempts you--(in the fitness area anyway)--and what does not ever tempt you. We probably don't struggle with as many things as we think. It can be food, bad habits...whatever things cause you to struggle on your fitness journey.

And if you have any tips for overcoming those temptations to share with us...that would be great too!

See you tomorrow!

Fitness Friday: The NEW IMPROVED Goals Edition

When Fitness Friday first began, we were all really good about stating our goals each week. Many of you have still been good about it, but not me! I think that is part of why I have been sort of just wandering around; surprised when the news is good on Friday and not too happy when the news is not good. I gotta be more focused!

So this week you were all invited to really think out your goals. To be more specific. To make our goals about more than just one part of our lives.

And now I'm realizing that was a hard assignment!

But I'll give it my best try because I really, really NEED more specific goals if I'm going to keep moving in the right direction.

FOOD
1. Limit my sweets. It's OK to have a cookie or two....but I have to know how many I'm going to allow myself before I start. Also, getting back to the 100 calorie chocolate snacks would be helpful.
2. Decrease the cokes. I've fallen back into drinking them too much. I need to keep tea in the fridge.
3. Keep veggies to snack on. I bought a small veggie tray this week and husband and I ate the whole thing--and enjoyed it! I've always said if I had a personal chef to cut up and keep on hand those kinds of things I would be much healthier. Well, my arms ain't not broke as they say! (Around here we say that anyway)

EXERCISE
1. Do something. ANYTHING resembling exercise. Walk. Vacuum. Step up and down off the bathroom stool a bunch. Dance with my kids. Jumping jacks. Goodness sake--just DO something!

APPEARANCE
I have been making an effort to dress nicer and it has really made me feel good. Of course, we all have sloppy days or a day when you are going to be getting really dirty and you need to wear your scruffy clothes...but it's not "every day with a Y in it"! So...
1. Wear other clothes besides jeans/sweat pants several times a week.
2. Pay attention to details such as my nails, hair, a little jewelry, etc.

SPIRITUAL
The best beauty is inner beauty...a gentle and quiet spirit. That can only come from our Lord.
1. To watch my words and tone of voice. Even the loveliest of women can ruin the whole effect by being loud, obnoxious, crass, rude, shrill, etc. My family especially deserves to hear the effects of a gentle and quiet spirit.
2. Pray for the Lord to help me with my fitness goals. He is my source of strength!

Well, those are my goals for this week and there are so many of them I need to write them out and post them where I can see them and be reminded!

If you have written a blog post on your Fitness Friday goals, please link us to your post on the Mr. Linky below!

Fitness Friday Assignment

Your assignment this week for Fitness Friday is to expand your goals. Some of you have been so good about this, but I would like us all to think about goals in a lot of different areas.

Food goals
Exercise goals
Beauty goals (yes, yes...the Lord looks at the heart and I'm not encouraging us to be vain--just to look great for our hubbies and to feel better)
Spiritual goals

What other kind of goals should we think about? When we first started, our goals were pretty much all about food and I think it's cool that we are branching out--realizing there is more to it than the kitchen!

On Friday, post your goals on your blog and sign up on Mr. Linky. Please be sure to link directly to your FF post, not just your blog.

See you Friday--and yes, you can start on the new goals this week or next. You just need to think/pray/decide on them by Friday.