Weight Loss

I've lost almost 20 pounds in the last 3 months. I'd like to lose another 35 by Christmas of this year.

I've been miserable looking at myself. My clothes didn't fit, but I refused to buy more. So much in fact that even now, 20 lbs lighter, I still haven't had to buy new clothes. They just finally fit like they are supposed to.

I have been eating low-carb, moderate protein, high fat (good fats). No exercise and I've been loosing about 1.5 pounds/week on average.  I do plan on including exercise, but you know what, I need to lose some weight first. I know that sounds crazy, but I just don't have it in me to start exercising yet. I assume it's a mental commitment just like choices of what to put in my mouth.  I know I'll get to the point of wanting exercise, but I'm not there yet.

Part of what keeps me making better choices is the physical health problems I have when I make bad food choices. I get migraines from too much sugar when I've been off it for awhile.  I also get TERRIBLE low-carb "flu" when I go through the induction process. It takes me about 4 days IN THE BED for my body to detox from carbs/sugar.

I've never stuck with a "diet" for 3 months before. I think the difference is that I now see this as a life change. I plan to have occasional treats, but I also plan to make better choices overall. I finally see that it's all about choices. I'm not depriving myself if I really don't want it.

I have been very conscious about asking myself, "Do you really WANT that or are you going to eat it just because it's there?"  Since I've started asking myself this (and am past my carb-detox), I have found that I really don't want it. So I don't eat it. I've taken the boys out for ice cream without getting any for myself and did not felt deprived because I just didn't want it. I have ALSO gone out for ice cream with the boys and have purchased a little for myself when I do want some. I've got to live, but I've got to be deliberate in my choices.

I totally see where losing weight is not a matter of willpower, but a matter of changing your mindset. I by no means have this conquered, but I think it's important for me to write this down to be able to come back to it when I stumble.

(This is my first journal entry "required" by NO CAKE TILL CHRISTMAS. :)
*******

Want to join me on my journey?

I keep track of my loss and food on MyFitnessPal as missbecky75 if you'd like to friend me there :)

I'm read several LCHF groups on facebook, but I think 90 Day LC Challenge is my favorite for newbies.

I also have some LC boards on Pinterest if you're interested.


Hugs,
Becky

My First Week of No Teaching

So many have asked how my week "off" was.  I feel like I'm disappointing them when I have to say I didn't even have a chance to really sit and enjoy anything.

Monday and Tuesday Witt had half days, so I dropped the boys off in the morning and then picked up Witt at noon. Came home and went back to pick up the other two less than 3 hours later.

We had two rooms getting tiled so there were workers in and out of the house all day for the most of the week. (That also means two of the rooms in my house have displaced furniture... so my house is no where near "in order".)

I went grocery shopping, returned library books, went to the farmer's market, got my haircut , got the oil changed in my truck, brought Nathan to the dentist, and then we all had a chiropractor appointment.

I cleaned out lunch boxes every afternoon and repacked them (with the boys help). I packed afternoon snacks for each boy.

I filled out all the beginning-of-the-year forms and registered for things online. I went through the daily school work and signed notes from the teacher.

I ironed the next day's outfit for each boy. (don't see this lasting too long... LOL)

I did laundry and dishes and more laundry and more dishes.

I cooked breakfast every day. Lunch for Jeff and I almost every day and then supper most nights.

It was a full week and it was full of CHANGE.

CHANGE TIRES ME OUT.

By Wednesday, I needed to crash into my pillow. I called Jeff around 4 and told him I was feeling bad. Asked if we could go out to eat and not go to church (the boys and I really needed the extra sleep). So that's what we did.  The boys were in bed by 7:30 and I wasn't too far behind.

I perked up a bit Thursday, but then by Friday night I was exhausted again.

This has been a big transition for all of us.  I think we'll make it, though. :)

First Day of Public School

What Do I Like?

Source: sweet-southern-charm.tumblr.com via Becky@ on Pinterest

I have been gone from the blogoshpere for a long time.  I really haven't had much that I wanted to share, honestly.  Life hasn't been a bed of roses and life at my house is changing.

The boys are older (4 1/2, 5, and 9).  They are much more self-sufficient.  They are all potty-trained and sleep through the night.  Their reliance on me is significantly less than it used to be.

I find myself wondering what to do with myself.  Who am I? What do I like or want to do for me?

I have defined myself as a "mom" for so long that I don't know who I am outside of that.

I do know that I am a person that likes to know a little about a lot of things (hence the quote above).  I've always been that way.  I've always enjoyed gaining little bits of random knowledge and experiences. I can say I've seen a Texas-sized mosquito in Texas, eaten New England clam chowder in New England, eaten shark, squid, and escargot. I've made my own mayonnaise and read the extremely long (and boring) book David Copperfield.  I've worked in Direct Sales and started scrapbooks for each of the boys. This random list could go on and on.

I'm also one that has had to *prove* that I could do something, even if I didn't enjoy it... hence the Chemical Engineering degree.

Many times I do something one time and that's enough. Once I've learned about it, I'm ready to move on to something else.

Very few new projects stick with me past a year.

Granted, we still recycle, compost, and use our green bags. I still make my own Cream of Mushroom soup every time a recipe calls for it and I still make my own vanilla extract. We're also in our 3rd year of homeschooling and Cub Scouts.

I guess I just like to learn about something, pick and choose what I want to keep in my life and move on, but I never become an *expert* on anything.

I think I'm okay with that, though.  

Right now, I've got the tools to teach myself to crochet and I'm learning more about using essential oils. (Referral # 1296503 if you want to order, btw). I'm also really enjoying the book The Dinosaur Delusion right now.

I've got plenty going on, but I just can't say that I have a certain hobby or something special that interests me.

Maybe I'm what they call a perpetual student?

I've been gone so long from blogging, I don't know that I have any readers that have made it to the end of this post. But if you have...

What your hobbies or do you relate more to the perpetual student idea?

 Thanks for sharing. I really do look forward to your thoughts on this!

Bloggy Awards! YAY!

Home Among the Woods was kind enough to bestow the "Versatile Blogger" award to Boys Rule My Life! Thank you very much!









Then not but a few days later, Boys Rule My Life was also given the Stylish Blogger Award from Our Family Forest! Thank you very much, too! :)







Let me first say that I was pretty surprised to get these awards because I really haven't been keeping my blog up the way I used to... or the way I want to. So it certainly was very nice to get some encouragement! Thank you so much ladies!

Both of the bloggers above are new to me and I look forward to getting to know them better! But for the rules of the awards, I must share 7 things about me so you can get to know me better first. :) Here goes:

1. I am currently on a low carb, real food diet and have lost 16 pounds from my highest (non-pregnant) weight! Yay for me!

2. I don't like to chat on the phone. There is only a handful of people that I feel comfortable chatting with. I would much rather text and/or email.

3. I have no desire to try for a girl... just in case you are wondering. :)

4. I like to start projects, but seem to have a hard time finishing them. Starting is just so much more fun!

5. I don't iron. It is my least favorite thing to do. I will throw laundry back in the dryer on the steam cycle (more than once if necessary) and use Downy's Wrinkle Releaser spray to do my ironing for me. Ironing was my chore growing up and I grew up disliking it... a lot.

6. I have become more satisfied with the job I'm doing as a mom since I started homeschooling. I feel like I interact with my boys more and we have a much better, closer relationship because of it. Will (especially) behaves better when we have that time together, he begins to act out and crave attention when we've had a few days off.

7. I don't miss life-threatening food allergies at all. (But I'm sure you already figured that one out!) ;)


Now, I'm also supposed to nominate 15 bloggers for each of the above awards... Um... well... I don't consistently keep up with 30 different blogs. I've really lost touch in the blog world. :(

I don't like doing this, but it's pretty much my only option at this time... if you'd like to share 7 things about yourself and nominate 7 bloggers for one of the awards above, please feel free to bestow one of the awards on yourself from me. :) Please come back and leave me a comment linking to your 7 things so I can get to know YOU better!

If you don't want to create your own post, please just leave 7 things in the comments. I really would LOVE to get to know some new bloggers!

Thanks for reading Boys Rule My Life! I'm going to try to keep up with things a little better around here! :)

Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas from the boys that rule my life! :)

Two days before Christmas, we made our annual batch of cut-out cookies. (This year they weren't dairy-free though!)

Will is smiling funny because he has a loose tooth! :)

On Christmas Eve, we set out cookies for Santa along with some apples and carrots for the reindeer! (Yes, I realize the picture is sideways. lol!)


The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...


Below, Jeff is reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to the boys in the bunk beds that he built. :) Will is wiggling his tooth... what is up with him and loose teeth on Christmas? LOL!

Santa came!!!

We unload our stockings first on Christmas morning. Here I am helping Nathan put a Lego tracker together.


Oh, I forgot to mention... we had a white Christmas!! YAY!

All day long it was, "I want to play in the snow!" then "I want to play with my toys!" then "I want to play in the snow!" LOL! Jeff and the boys went out in the snow and built a snowman and attempted an igloo (or "egg-woo" as Witt says it!). I stayed inside and made some hot cocoa!


Merry (belated) Christmas!

Favorite Pics from the McWane Center

Here are more pictures from our trip to the McWane Center in Birmingham.

Oh, the IRONY!!!

You have to know Nathan to get the full gist of why this is such a cute picture. :)

And my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE:

You Say It's Your Birthday?

It's my birthday, too! :)

Off to make my birthday cake with three little boys!!!

2009 Resolutions... Resolved???

When 2009 started, we had no idea that Jeff would be traveling for 75% of the year. We also didn't know for certain that we would begin homeschooling. We also didn't know that we'd be moving. 2009 was a rough year for me. I had some pretty extensive goals for 2009. Here's how I did:

I've copied my 2009 Resolutions to this post. My comments regarding them are written in red.

PERSONAL

1. Lose 3 lbs each month. I can do that, right? - Didn't happen. By the end of February, I had lost the 6 pounds, but then it all fell apart. I currently weigh EXACTLY the same as I weighed last year at this time. :(

2. Stop using bottled water at home. It's expensive and wasteful. It's convenient for travel, but not necessary at home. - I have used bottled water about 97% less than last year, so I'm pleased with that. Jeff still likes to use it, but it wasn't his resolution. :)

3. Reduce soda intake to 1 or less per week. - Done!

4. Learn how to use my new camera! (Canon Rebel XS) - Nope... still on AUTO.

5. Continue weekly lunch date with Jeff. - We continued this as much as possible. Jeff traveled A LOT this year; sometimes it was less than once a month.

6. Blog less and without obligation ... Live more. :) - I blogged less and felt less obligated about doing so, but I sure did continue to read a lot of them!

FAITHFULNESS

1. Get up early for personal bible reading and/or prayer. (still working on this... 5:30 comes too soon!) - Sadly, this didn't happen.

2. Continue with the online bible study. - Nope... hanging head in shame... :(

3. Have at least a weekly devotional of some sort with the boys. (What do you do? I'm looking for suggestions!) - Thanks to our decision to begin homeschooling, this has happened! More than once a week, too!

4. Pray at least once daily that Witt will outgrow his allergies. - I might not have prayed every single day, but I sure did a lot of praying about his allergies and enlisted a lot of people to join me as well. It sure did pay off!

PARENTING

1. Continue being consistent with the boys in discipline. This has worked wonders! - Still needing to be more consistent with being consistent. I think this is a constant work in progress as the boys grow and change.

2. Encourage Will and Jeff to do a "boys night out" at least once a quarter. - This one was hard, too, with all the traveling Jeff did; however, he and Will did go out to eat a few times together this year. They even invited Nathan! :)

3. Continue training the boys to do chores and help as a part of the family. - The boys do their daily chores when asked, but won't do them without being asked. Cleaning the playroom usually results in a day long procrastination event with lots of whining. :P Sadly, I mostly take the easy road and just shut the door.

4. Reduce the number of times I ask Will to stop talking and try harder to answer more of his questions. (Multiple obscure "What if?" questions break me d..o..w..n...) - Homeschooling has helped me with this one a lot. Granted there are still times where I just have to say, "I know you're not done talking, but I'm done listening for now." Sometimes my ears just need a break. LOL!

5. Complete Nathan's potty-training. - DONE!

6. Read more books / watch less tv. (another ongoing battle) - I have enjoyed a couple books this year: Nourishing Traditions (which is on sale right now for less than $18!!!! Go grab one!) and Created to be His Help Meet (Jeff would even say this book improved our marriage... not that it needed a lot of help, but there is always room for improvement!). I also really enjoyed Go Dairy Free. There have been a few other books that I picked up, but those were the ones that impacted me the most this year.

NUTRITION - March 2008 update HERE

1. Reduce the amount of soy milk we use by at least half and start drinking more rice and almond milk. Too much of anything is not good. - I purchased almond milk all year. We all loved it!

2. Along the same lines... learn how to use different kinds of cooking oils - grapeseed, coconut, etc. I mostly just use olive and vegetable. - This year I used mostly coconut oil, followed by lard or olive oil, and then vegetable oil (only for a few recipes). I also tried red palm oil on chicken nuggets, but didn't purchase it again after I ran out... no reason, just didn't.

3. Incorporate more whole wheat flour and wheat germ in recipes. I currently substitute about 1/8 - 1/4 of the white flour with whole wheat in most recipes. - I would say most of my recipes are now 1/2 - full whole wheat flour! I also received a grain mill for Christmas 2009, so I'll be using freshly ground whole wheat flour in 2010! WOO HOO!

FINANCES

1. Update last year's budget. - I think I did this at the beginning of the year, but it all fell through when Jeff started traveling. To be honest, I didn't think much about money this year at all. I had other things on my mind.

2. Save for the boys' education. - Nothing formally. I still want to open them each at account.

3. Open a savings account. (If I don't see it in the checking account, I'll be less apt to spend!) - Didn't get to this either. Jeff was rarely around to go sign papers to open an account. When he was home, this was low on the list of things to do.

4. Stick to my grocery budget. I'm shooting for $125 a week or less to include all groceries, diapers, wipes, toiletries, cleaners, OTC medications, and paper products. Based on some of the frugal blogs out there, this should be totally doable! - HA! This year was a year of survival for me. I feel like I was in constant crisis-mode. I have no idea what I spent on groceries. None. A friend of mine said that when they go into crisis-mode, they increase their budget by 30%. That would bring my weekly grocery budget to $162.50, but i really have no idea. If we needed it, I bought it. I have no physical number to share with you on what actually happened after April of this year when Jeff's traveling started. Here were my extended thoughts on my grocery budget in January 2009, though.

5. Start looking into what it's going to take to build a house out in the country. - Well, the first step turned out to be moving. :) We also brought the plans to a contractor to get a round-about price. The contractor priced it with a full basement and the best of everything... $275,000. Oh, hey, I've got that in my back pocket. HAHAHAHA! We weren't planning on a full basement or the *best* of everything, so it will definitely be coming down in price. Plus, now that seen some benefits to a smaller house, we'll probably reduce the square footage a bit as well. Except for the kitchen. That needs to be BIG! :)

So, that's it. Some things stuck, some things didn't. I'm fine with that. I'm glad to have survived the year and to be looking forward to a new year with my husband home, spending family time in our old, little, cinder-block house, enjoying homeschooling, and all without food allergies. The doors to the world have opened! I feel like my coin has flipped! So many options are before us.

God has blessed us so much and I am so grateful!

Dem Bones Dem Bones

(Fair warning: LONG post)

Will's Bones

Ever been to the chiropractor?

Will went two years ago. I took him to see if there was anything that could be done to help him stop walking on his tip-toes, which he has been doing since he was about 2 1/2 years old.

I've had two medical doctors give the opinion that Will should have surgery if he hasn't stopped tip-toeing by the age of 8. This surgery would include snipping the tendons in order to lengthen them so he would physically be able to walk flat-footed. Not something I'm really interested in doing.

So, we went to a chiropractor and he had a few things to say, but after two months of 2 -3 visits a week (!) I didn't see any improvement. Plus, the new year was coming with a new deductible to meet... so we quit going.

Starting mid-summer of this year, Will has been having severe headaches, possibly even migraines, lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of days. After talking with a friend in our homeschool group, I decided to bring him back to a chiropractor... but I chose a different one this time (Dr. R).

Will's first appointment was about four weeks ago. The initial reason for the appointment was the headaches, but I also brought up the tip-toes again. After a couple x-rays, the ultimate source of he headaches was said to be from his misaligned hips which he thinks is a congenital issue. (I was given further information, but not going to share the lengthy diagnosis here.) The doctor also felt as though Will was tiptoeing as a response to the hips to keep from hurting while he walked.

Will has had a total of four treatments this go-round. Dr. R hasn't popped Will's back even once (which I really like); he has solely used a sort of percussion instrument that taps.

Will hasn't had a single headache since then! Four weeks without a single headache is a FANTASTIC improvement for Will. I am so pleased!

Will has also started to walk flat-footed a *little* more. From time to time I notice that he's not on his toes, which is s wonderful improvement as well! It's just going to take time for him to recondition his brain into knowing that it doesn't hurt anymore to walk flat-footed now that his hips are figuring out how they should be properly aligned. It's going to take some work to stretch out those calf muscles of his, too. Whew! He's got some mighty tight muscles from tip-toe walking for 5 years!

So far, I am very pleased with the results Will is having!

My Bones

Shortly after Will's first appointment, I hurt my back somehow so I made an appointment for myself. After an x-ray, it was concluded that most of my problem was muscular. I got a few taps here and there with that percussion instrument (sorry I don't know what it's called) and then I had my first-ever acupuncture treatment. (Yes, he is a licensed acupuncturist, too.) I walked out of there a new woman!

The following week, I told Dr. R that the muscle in my shoulder has been bothering me on and off since Nathan was born (he had colic and I held him A LOT). More acupuncture and a dramatic improvement.

Today, I discussed my plantar fasciitis issues with him. Basically, it feels like someone is jabbing an ice pick in my foot between the heel and the arch. Nice, huh? I went to our family doctor about this earlier this year and received some inflammatory meds as well as some PT. The PT and meds really helped and has dramatically decreased my pain, but it was still there... nagging. Well, today I got a few needles stuck in different places than before plus a tug, pull, and tap here and there... and my foot feels as good as new! It's not tight. It doesn't nag. It doesn't ache. It doesn't hurt. At all! And my back and shoulder are still doing well!

I'm feelin' pretty good these days! LOL!

Nathan's bones

Nathan has had sinus issues since, well... forever. I remember telling Jeff when Nathan was 3 months old, "He's only been here for 12 weeks and for 8 of those weeks he's been on a decongestant." He's always had sinus trouble and I figured I might as well get Dr. R's opinion about Nathan's sinus situation as I've heard of chiropractors working on the sinus area.

Turns out his cranial bones are out of place! Dr. R was surprised that Nathan could even breathe or hear out of the left side of his head. After seeing Nathan's xray, Dr. R was very displeased that no one had caught the obviousness of the problem before. I saw the xray. I saw what he was talking about. And I teared up. My poor little guy.

Now I will admit, I have a bit of hard time with this. Backs and hips are one thing, but the bones around the brain are a different story... and scary one at that.

There were no tools used on Nathan. He laid down and I was right there with him. Dr. R applied some pressure on his head in the appropriate places with his hands then released and gave Nathan's body a few moments to adjust to the adjustment. Nathan was never in any pain and never winced or looked uncomfortable. During the moments of rest, we could actually watch as his facial features changed. It was really strange and cool and again, scary... all at the same time... to see his bones and muscles adjust to a more natural looking forehead and hairline.

Dr. R is also a homeopathic doctor and gave me a solution to take home for anti-fungal use against the current sinus infection. While on the topic of medication, I asked him about Nathan's eczema. It has been really bad this season. I have been rubbing him down with EV coconut oil this last week as I've heard it is a really good moisturizer. Dr. R pointed out the coconut oil has a particular acid in it that might actually irritate the eczema further and recommended shea butter and/or Desitin (zinc oxide) as a better topical remedy. Hey... I've got Desitin here at the house; I can do that! (And the shea butter will be a good excuse to place an order with Mountain Rose Herbs! :) )

Witt's Bones

Well, Witt really doesn't have any bone issues, thankfully. HOWEVER, I did ask if there were any tests regarding food allergies. I was just curious. Apparently there is a test that has something to do with electromagnetic fields. Huh. Who knew? Not me. I'm thinking that since we've met our deductible for the year, I might as well give it a go... even if it is just out of curiosity.



Speaking of curiosity... anybody else have good experience with a chiropractor? bad experiences? Have you been to a homeopath? Undergone acupuncture? I'd love to hear about it!

Just Keep Swimming

Labor Day weekend we went out to my in-laws lake house. Will, Jeff, and a few others went down to the dock to fish. Later, Jeff's aunt came back up to the house and relayed a message:

Will wanted to swim. (He was told it was too cold, muddy, and murky .)

He wondered out loud about how deep it was. (He was told about 40 feet... and explained to that that meant almost 7 times his daddy's height.)

He assured everyone that he knew how to swim. (Which he can't. He's always worn floats.)

Some time later I hear that Will needs a dry set of clothes. (Which I had, luckily.)

As I understand the story, Jeff was baiting a hook on the dock. Will was walking around him and decided to walk around with his eyes closed (which to me is just a good excuse to fall in) . Sure enough, Will goes straight underwater... with rain boots on! (Yes, my boys where their boots everywhere!) Luckily, Jeff was able to grab him before he sunk out of sight.

We explained again to him that he doesn't know how to swim without floats. We explained that if he ever finds himself underwater again with boots on to kick them off and not worry about them. We also explained that walking around water with your eyes closed is not a good idea. Ever.

Will was fine with all that explaining, except that he still thought he could swim.

SO... two days later, we went to a friend's pool to swim. I wanted Will to understand that he really can't swim yet. I also wanted us to have a fun family day while Jeff was in town. Both were happily accomplished. :)

Here are the boys all suited up. Nathan and Witt have float suits on; Will doesn't. :)



The water was COLD at first, but once we got in and moved around it was great!

Here's Will going down the slide and Witt ready to follow his big brother!



Witt had so much fun kicking!











Wondering where Nathan has been all this time???

He finally ventured off into the water and had a ball! "Me simming! Me simming!" LOL!



Will finally admitted that he couldn't swim and asked if he could put his float suit on. Swimming sure is a lot less work with floats and it sure does take a lot of pressure off the adults in the pool, too! :)


Jeff took over 400 pictures that day! Here are a few...




I got to take a few, too... :)

We all had a really great time! Next year, I'm looking into swimming lessons, though. :)