A new tradition

Today we celebrate St Nicolas Day! It is his birthday.  My family choses to focus Christmas on Jesus birth, not Santa! In fact, we don't even believe in the Santa. My husband and I were convicted for telling our children a lie about the big fat man in the red suit, sneaking in on Christmas Eve and leaving gifts that we gave.  We knew that one day, they would be crushed to find Santa a farce and Mom and Dad had been playing along.  I never will forget the Christmas year I found out Santa was fake.  Crushed I tell you, I was utterly crushed. 
That being said, we wanted to have fun and know that Saint Nicolas was Santa, a real person and a blessing from God to all he encountered.  Enter today, December 6th, Saint Nicolas Day.  This holiday is celebrated by Catholics mostly but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate.  If you know us at all, my family finds reason to celebrate just about anything.  So this morning, the kids woke to find goodies and toys in a stocking, activities to do, movies, books, and fun all day.  Today we started a new tradition to honor St Nicolas and bring the season back to Christmas truth, Baby Jesus!
Under my tree is an empty basket, a small nativity, and a basket full of "hay". We are to prepare a bed for Jesus by doing acts of love and kindness randomly. This will include my kids, Zack, and myself.  Each time one of us does a random act of love for anyone else, we write our name on a piece of hay (paper strips) and the deed.  Then we put the paper hay in the empty basket.  On Christmas Day, baby Jesus will be placed in his manger and have a soft comfortable place to dwell.
My kids are worried that the bed will not be full and soft enough.  You should see them today.  On the table is their activities for St. Nicolas day but they care not about it. They have made the beds, done extra chores, changed the baby, and made sure not to argue and fight. Their main goal is to please Jesus.  For this is the reason for the season, even on St Nicolas birthday!

Will you join us to prepare a bed for Jesus?

 

TurT: Coming buy to say hello as I write and peck a few ants under the big ole Tree.

   I really enjoy siting in this particular spot on Mom and Dad's farm.. It isn't a very big farm or a very big spot. The farm is just 6 acres but full of kids, chickens, and sheep.  This spot is just under 6 feet squared between two big American Oaks that have secret hide outs for the many animals and bugs that live here. On the bottom of the largest tree (to the South East) has hollow spots all over it. There is one in the bottom with tree roots shooting in and out in every direction. I guess they have a place to go but can't make their mind which way.  There is a hollow haven about 3 feet up from the base of the tree. An owl lives in another hollow hole about 6 feet up from that. This tree is my favorite because of all the animals living in it, the big shade it provides and the soft breeze that rustles the leaves at just the time I need it. The bark on the tree has some green moss which interest me because green is a scarce color these days. The old Oak I am leaning on now is a bit younger but not as healthy.  It has been struck by lightening I think and half of the tree is bare. It one day be blown down by a gust of wind or cut down by human hands. This little spot on this little farm is surrounded by buildings, orchards, barns and streets. To the South East is the prison and leaning against these trees is a barb wire fence.  It keeps the people away but the animals like to cross their boundaries every chance they get.  I wander what purpose the fence really has because it seems to serve as only a reminder that nature left alone is few and far between. Just South of me is an orchard. It provides a wonderful scent of pear and apple for my nostrils, as well as fruit for the residents in the corrections facility. To the West is the paved road this spot resides. The whizzing sound of passing travelers only blends in with natures songs.  The birds chirping and the chickens clucking seem to sing in rhythm with passing cars. When I look North serene hideaway, I see three barns, 16 sheep, several chickens, and 6 rolling acres.  TurTee, my parents old turkey bird, waddles over to join me as I watch the bugs and ants dig around the bottom of the Old Oak.  They hurry for food as TurTee hurry's for food.  She pecks the ground once, twice, three times then looks my way as if she just did the best bug pecking job a girl could ever do. I lean in to pet her soft old feathers and know that one day, nature will take her too.  God made all of this just for me and my sisters and brothers who wish to take care of it.  I lift my eyes to see specks of green and blue. The leaves rustle now as I thank Him for this serene piece of nature.  It makes the best place to talk to God. In this small 6 foot space, nature meets man, and man meet nature.  One day, both will die and new birth will arise.  God created it all. I am thankful. I am blessed to enjoy all that is before me. 

Paper, and too much of it!

Wow! It has been almost forever since I posted anything on my blog.  I am cleaning and decluttering my home and realized that I have a lot, TONS EVEN, of papers.  I have recipes, homeschooling records and portfolios, magazine clippings, to do list, books I have read, ect. ect. I have got to cut back on how many paper items sit around my desk and clutter my table.  I love having a beautiful table to work at.  That is the reason for going electronic. My beautiful work area, my dining table, is the central hub in my home.  When you walk into my home, you are greeted by my dining table and two Jack Russell.  Right now, my jack's are more inviting than my dining table.

See what I mean.  YIKES!

So today, I will begin to throw away the wonderful, precious paper.  I love paper, particularly pretty looking and pleasant smelling paper.  Tomorrow, I will post a better picture of an inviting table.  It will be great.  You are going to want to come over and have tea and scones at my table.  When I make those, I will let you know.  I will be posting some of my helpful ideas that are currently on scraps of paper.  I hope you enjoy.  Here is one to start with. I am not sure where I came up with it but it is my go to for laundry soap.  

Liquid Laundry soap
1/2 bar Fels Naptha, grated
1/2 c wahing soda
1/2 c borax
2 gal Bucket

Add soap and 6 c water to pot. Heat until soap melts. Add washing soda and borax. Stir well until dissolved. Remvoe from heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water in bucket. Add soap mixture. and stir. now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of cold water. Stir. Let sit for 24+ hours to gel up. Then break up gel mixture. Add

 to old laundry containers. Shake well before each use.. You only need to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load. This takes longer to make than powder but you get more than and it is inexpensive. If you want a scent to your soap, add an essential oil (health stores have them) to the hot water before adding cold water to the pail.

BTW, I am not tech-y.  Those of you that know me understand why.  I have a tendency to short electronic, battery operated, and light bulb things out over time. My mom just told me a few weeks ago that she stopped replacing so many light bulbs since I moved out. Guess who replaces them now?  You got it, me.  I still put blame on the old house.    And this is why I am not tech-y.

I can't believe I posted my cluttered table/work station/ prayer place/ craft spot.... OK you get the point.

Save on Food cost

I have decided to become Debt Free a little over two years ago. I am almost there. It hasn't gone fast enough for me. I never claimed patience either. While Zack tries to get all the OT he can, I save on costs at home. This website gave me a great start to save on food, cleaners, and other areas of the home. Here is a link to their ebook. It has valuable information. I suggest it to anyone who wishes to do the same.

<p><a href="http://www.budget101.com/freebies/142791-2012-guide-groceries-under-250-month.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.budget101.com/hotlink/cover.jpg" width="175" height="242" alt="Visit Budget101.com"></a></p>

12 key steps for keeping your sanity while on this journey to health.

These are  my teaching notes for the TOPS program I presented tonight. The explanation I listed are examples of what I do. I handed out a worksheet for them to fill in with their own ideas. This was the best one I have done yet because I talked about the emotional and spiritual side of things. The whole room was engaged and sharing their own ideas and expierences. Enjoy!

Losing weight is a battle. Keeping off the weight is a battle. Once you start this journey, you can end up on an emotional and spiritual roller coaster. If you don’t have the right attitude, you will not be successful. Listed below are 12 Personal Keys to getting healthy. Some or all of these things are set up to help you ride the roller coaster without losing your sanity. On the list provided, write down your own ideas under each point.

12 Personal Keys

1.       Set up your morning for success: This means spending time with God, drinking 32 oz of water, and going over my meal plan for the day. I then make coffee, exercise (if the kids aren’t up) and sometimes make a pot of green tea.

2.       Accept your body my mission statement to keep me sane. I want to be healthy and I believe if I am, then I will weigh what I am supposed to weigh. I will be a friend to my body and stop mistreating it with unhealthy habits, like junk food and sitting around.

3.       Master your metabolism Get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, and don’t starve myself.

4.       Exercise Find ways to move. Walk the animals (dogs, cats, ducks, chickens) have a backup plan like using a good DVD. Park far away from the door at the store, take the long route.

5.       Balanced eating all things in moderation. Avoid refined sugars. Eat as close to natural food as possible. Remember the plate thing from last week. Half fruit and vegetables.

6.       Hydrate. Take water with you everywhere. Tea is ok if not sugared. Avoid sugary drinks. Eat high content veggies and fruit.

7.       Mindful eating “Am I really hungry?” How will I feel after I eat that thing? No nibbling while cooking or cleaning the few bites off the kids’ plates.

8.       Spiritual nourishment Spend time with God. Crowd the urge to overeat with something healthy and fulfilling for your spirit and mind, like reading or journaling.

9.       Reduce stress RELAX. Read, write, take a walk, bubble bath, hot shower, and talk to a friend or KOPS! Do what works for you.

10.   Long term goals Setting and looking at your goals keeps you on track. Put them in the front of your food journal if that helps. Having a vision of who you want to be and live to become that vision. Set short term and long term goals then reward you with healthy nonfood treats when they are reached.

11.   Supportive structure (includes your home, support group and your family.)  Set your home, workplace and car for success. Keep good foods in your home. Find someone to exercise with. Find exercise that you enjoy doing. It doesn’t have to cost a lot. Make yourself presentable each day so you feel pretty or handsome. Get rid of the dingy t-shirts and sweats. They are only for cleaning and construction work. If you look good, you feel good. Leave yourself notes and encouragement all around you. GO TO TOPS MEETINGS. Get accountable.

12.   Take responsibility. Be responsible with your weight loss effort but STOP FEELING GUILTY for the mess ups. It is time to take action and get back on track the next minute, not the next day. Take care of yourself but leave the blame game for the dogs. Take an inventory of yourself and your eating/exercise habits. When you find the areas that need fixing, fix them but don’t beat yourself up. Beating yourself up and feeling guilty will only keep you in bondage.

Eat Wise to Drop a Size.

Your heart, bones, and mind will thank you!

As you think in your heart, so are you! Proverbs 23:7

You don't have to finish your food.

Additions end with the act of completion. We are trained from the beginning to finish something, an activity, your plate, a drink, cleaning your room/home, etc. etc. You get the hint. However some things don’t need to be complete. For instance, the cigarette you just smoked causes all sorts of health problems. The more you puff the more your lungs and body become harmed. The plate of spaghetti is a great example. As a child we are told to finish what is on our plate because kids in Africa, Asia, Antarctica and Outer Space are starving and they would love to have one bite of our food. Therefore we finish the plate of pasta or whichever dish you happens to be consumed at this point because your child self thinks, “I too may become deprived and starving.” Then the very next emotion to rise up is success. You just finished something, a cigarette, a beer, or a huge plate of hot, saucy, tempting pasta. But what happens when you don’t finish or complete a task? You feel like a failure. FAILURE is a bad word, a disgrace to our culture, to any culture. Well we can’t have that can we? Therefore, you become addicted to food, or any other substance. You become addicted to the completion and sense of success. The thing is we have to have food to live, so this may be the easiest addiction known to man. IT is ok to not finish that food. Stop when you are full and not so full you could puke. When feelings of failure come to mind and heart, begin to pray, meditate, or whatever it is you do that pushes FAILURE out of your life. You see no one is really a failure. We need to sloth off this old man. He drags many other harmful addictions with him like self- destruction, hatred, bitterness, obesity, drug additions like smoking, alcoholism. You see what I am saying now.  Most all of these addictions lead to death, physically or spiritually.  Completion is very important to life, as long as it doesn’t lead to addiction. Complete your freedom over food and your battle over unhealthy habits, and that my friend will be the sweetest most satisfying success you could ever want.

Proverbs 23:7 As she thinks in her heart, so is she.

After Workout recover

I pulled the information from a few places including my brother. I have started doing this very important peice of advice and I notice a difference. I will be presenting this program at my TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) meeting on Monday. Come check us out. It is at the Community of Christ Church on 4th and Godfrey. 6pm

Taken from mayoclinic.com, fitnessmagazine.com and womenshealth.com

AFTER WORKOUT REPAIR.

A snack before you work out helps give you energy and stamina to go the distance. But did you know that eating a snack after you work out is even more important? "You want to make sure you feed your body to help repair muscle tissues and replenish glycogen stores [which are depleted after a strenuous workout]," says Kristin Reisinger, a sports nutritionist.  Glycogen is energy stored in your muscles. Recovery after exercise is essential to joint, muscle tissue and energy repair. Your after exercise recovery routine has a big impact on your fitness gains and performance and allows you to get more from your workouts.

Muscle repair is important for many reasons. First, for every pound of muscle you gain, your body burns an extra 35 calories a day at rest. Second, muscle strength carries us from one place to another. They also protect our bones and help control metabolism. Muscle recovery also decreases cortisol, the stress hormone that tells your body to store fat.  Here are some ways to help in after workout recovery.

1.   COOL DOWN-Cooling down means you slow your pace after exercise. You do not want to just stop abruptly. Move around at a slower pace for 5 to 10 minutes after your workout. This helps remove lactic acid from your muscles and may reduce muscle stiffness and joint pain.

2.   REPLACE FLUIDS- When you exercise, you lose fluids from sweating. Ideally you should drink water while exercising but filling up after exercise is an easy way to boost your recovery. Water supports every metabolic function and nutrient transfer in the body. Other drinks that are good for replacing fluids are sports drink (like Gatorade) and milk (chocolate milk is ok in this instance).

3.   STRETCH- After a tough workout, consider gentle stretching. This is a simple way to help repair muscle tissue and speed recovery.

4.   EAT- You should fuel your body before a workout but it is even more important to fuel the body after. Try to eat a small snack within 60 minutes of an exercise. These should be less than 150 calories unless you are doing a HIIT (High-intensity interval training) and then consume about 200 calories.  Your food choice needs to be a high protein, high fast acting carb. “This is one of the only times I recommend a high-glycemic carbohydrate source such as bananas, because the uptake will be rapid,” says Kristin Reisinger .  Lists of great after workout snacks are included. Eating a snack right after working out speeds muscle growth and recovery.

5.   HAVE A MASSAGE- Getting a great rub down feels wonderful, not to mention improves circulation. Have your honey (spouse/loved one) gently massage your body, indulge and allow a professional do the work, or give yourself a massage with a Foam Roller. These are easy to construct but use safety precautions.

6.   REST AND GET PLENTY OF SLEEP- This comes in two parts. First, take a day of rest in between 2-3 straight sessions of exercise. If you walk 6 days a week, take a break on one day in the middle. Your body will take care of itself and recover on rest days. This happens naturally. Secondly, get some sleep.  While you sleep, amazing things take place in the body. During your sleep, the body produces Growth Hormone which is responsible for tissue growth and repair, also known as bigger muscles. Remember the more muscle you have, the more calories your burn. Aim for 7-8 hours of straight, uninterrupted sleep.

FOODS TO HELP IN MUSCLE REPAIR (180 to 250 calories).

1.   Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich.  

2.   Hummus and Pita  

3.   Vanilla Yogurt (8 oz.) and Fresh Berries

4.   Tuna salad on Whole Wheat

5.   Turkey (4 oz.) and cheese(I wedge)  with Apple Slices

FOODS TO HELP IN MUSCLE REPAIR (100 TO 180 calories)

1.   Chocolate Milk and 11 almonds or equivilate

2.   Lower fat Oatmeal cookie

3.   Lower fat dark chocolate chip cookie

4.   Turkey Wrap (2 oz. and 6” tortilla, unlimited veggies and guacamole)

5.   Trail mix (1/4 cup)

6.   Smoothie

7.   Popcorn (100 call) and Parmesan cheese 3 TB

8.   Green Tea, Dark Chocolate 70% (2 squares) and Walnuts about 14 shelled

Chocolate chip cookies redone.

Heat oven to 350 degrees

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (if stone ground, make sure it is fine ground)

1 cup all-purpose flour.

1 1/4 tsp. of baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1. Mix in a bowl and set aside

1 stick (1/2 cup) real butter softened plus 1/2 cup of cooked great northern beans, well rinsed and drained smashed.

3/4 browned sugar packed

1/4 cup of sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 egg beaten or 2 TB ground flaxseed with 6 TB water (this equals just under 1/2 cups. If using flax seed to replace egg, mix flaxseed meal with water and let set for 2-3minutes)

2. Cream butter and sugar.

3. Add vanilla and egg (or egg substitute of flax) Mix well

4. Add flour mixture, mix well. Then add

One package (16oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.

Mix together.

Drop cookies onto cookie sheet by rounded Tablespoon or a cookie dough scoop. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

 This recipe is made a bit healthier with less sugar, less fat and whole wheat flour. If using the beans in your cookies, make sure you rinse and drain them well. I like to cook my beans from the dried bean without any flavor or seasonings. Canned beans need to be rinsed and drained a few times before smashing and putting in your recipe. If you use margarine instead of butter, the cookie will have different texture and be a bit crisper. The bean adds protein and fiber to the cookie.

Recipe by Natasha Duncan, Cameron MO