B.E.E. 90x Update: I Get It and You Can Too

Sometimes I am stubborn.  I assert my will without considering the consequences.  I ignore that tiny little voice . . . that polite, loving, and patient voice. 

Sorry God.

But I get it . . .  now. 

Almost at the end of B.E.E. 90x. 

Jeez.

Rather than be frustrated with myself, I am thankful. 

Thankful that due to how long it has taken me to “get it” --  to apply what I have learned and know . . . that just maybe . . . maybe sticking with the original plan I declared almost 90 days ago will last much longer into my future.

My family’s future.

Which I think is the whole point I started B.E.E. 90x back in January:

Remember, the B.E.E. 90x Challenge isn’t about outdoing someone . . . or striving to achieve perfection . . . or completing the goal precisely. 

It’s about taking 90 days unto the Lord.  It’s about setting an attainable goal.  A goal with a boundary.  A goal with a finite date.  Not something you attempt to do for an entire year.

That doesn’t mean you will quit after 90 days . . . but it makes your task doable . . . smaller . . . manageable. 

30 days makes a habit.  Perhaps after 90 days your habit will become a lifetime commitment.  You won’t even think of it as a New Year’s Resolution – which was/is the VERY LAST thing I wanted the B.E.E. 90x Challenge to be for me . . . for you. 

But as I have sought to put the B.E.E. 90x plan into action . . . time in the Bible, eating well, exercise . . . I have made good changes.

I have cried.  I have gotten angry.

But I have changed.

 

Like our school.  I’ve given up on the dream . . . the way that I envisioned.  We aren’t in the school room surrounded by our lovely workboxes.  We are in the kitchen.  At the kitchen table. 

Where I am. 

Because I cook.  I ferment.  I sprout.  I grind. 

This is where I am.  I’m learning to be a GAPS girl. 

B is for Bible.  I’ve learned that my morning Bible time . . . might happen in the morning . . . but if I have been up several times at night with one or more of the kids . . . it is OK if I sleep as long as I can. 

Therefore . . . I put up scripture in Naomi’s room.  The Hottie and I are trying to go to bed earlier to read our personal Bible’s before doing our night time devotional.

E is for Eating.  Just because I sprout, doesn’t mean we can eat our nutritionally viable grain if our bodies can’t handle it.  Just because my baby has only had breast milk . . . doesn’t mean her gut can handle my favorite beverage . . . raw milk.

I may have thought I knew a lot about whole foods . . . but I have more to learn. 

And I’m going to.  I’m enrolling in the Reversing Food Allergies Course tonight right after I finish writing this blog post.

(On a side note, if you have PCOS, seasonal allergies, a leaky gut, an inability to lose weight – even if you eat well and exercise, a child with autism or ADD . . . ADHD . . . please join me.  If you have eczema . . . arthritis . . . life doesn’t have to be a series of medications . . . doctors appointments . . . or filled with a longing for the food you’ve been told you can NEVER ever have again.)

That felt like a prescription commercial.  Sorry about that.  Kind of.  I just want you to know that there is hope.  Healing.  One more road to travel down.

You don’t have to do all of this alone.  I don’t have to learn all of this all by myself.

I really think there is hope.  I know that when my Redeemer returns for me . . . I will be changed in an instant.

But while I’m waiting, I really want to live a full life. 

I’ve seen a glimmer of that this week.

(Insert:  E is for Exercise) With the small changes I have made in the past 7 days, I have lost 3.4 pounds.  I have had energy to exercise, even when I was actually significantly sleep deprived.  

I have enjoyed my children . . . which to me – has been the best gift.

And many of those changes have been because of following the guidelines in the GAPS diet. 

If a change in my dog’s diet can make a drastic difference in her behavior . . . and I am more civilized . . . intelligent . . . and motivated . . . than a diet change for me . . . might have dramatic results. 

I picked up my manual from the library. 

Yes, that is my hand.  I wanted you to see that I do indeed do what I say I’m going to do. 

And now, I’m going to go register for my class (before the price goes up).

Because it is the next phase of B.E.E.’ing for me.

P.S. You can use the coupon code HEAL to receive $20 off . . .

Wordless Wednesday: Really For Once

 

 

For more Wordless Wednesday posts, head on over to 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

Always True

I decided to get serious about memorizing scripture.  Practicing what I preached. 

Naomi is helping me.

I figured where do I spend a lot of my time? 

Changing diapers. 

Sure, I always talk to my pink, delicious, smiling bundle as I change her nappy . . . but why not feed her at the same time?

I wrote (though I wanted to create fancy cards using Word but never got around to it because I am already on the computer enough as it is) out the five promises from Always True by James MacDonald.

Because, remember . . . . that book seriously rocked my world.  Gave me a solid anchor this winter.  (Click on above link if you want to see the 5 promises.)

Each time I change Naomi’s diaper . . . I read one of the five promises to her . . . so that I can help her grow into her name, Naomi Torah. 

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,

sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

A half hour to tell you about an Evan Moor Giveaway

Sometimes life gets busy.  You don’t prepare for the proceeding day because the preceding day is still nipping at your heels.

And then you forget.

You don’t plan and the day is here.

(My secret homeschool weapons lurk inside that cabinet.)

There are 4 eyes looking at you.  (Much more dramatic than saying 2 pairs of eyes.)

Expecting you to be ready.  Ready to go.  Ready to drop the dishes, forget going to the bathroom, and never get thirsty. 

After all, you are their mom and you are their teacher.  Not to mention the fact, they know you are an adult so that makes you similar to Wonder Woman (except they have no idea who Wonder Woman is because that was a decade or so ago).

Due to school (our school, that is) resembling a sitcom with several commercial breaks caused by various unplanned programming emergencies such as a nursing baby, a poopy diaper, a Hot Wheel stuck inside a wooden dump truck, the ding of email, Twitter, or a dog viciously ringing the bell to tinkle outside . . . . I have come to appreciate certain learning weapons books . . . like . . . .

Evan Moor’s Daily Word Problems Grade 1 Math.  Short, sweet, and to the point.  If I don’t have time to do Asher’s entire math curriculum, at least I know that I didn’t rest on my laurels.

It looks like this:

And the little boy who uses this workbook looks like this:

When he is done with his Daily Math practice, he stores it in the magic cabin TV cabinet turned storage unit.    With several other Timberdoodle products, I might add.

What is Mr. Smackdown going to learn from this workbook?  (Mind you, one word problem a day . . . )

• addition and subtraction facts
• column addition
• 2- and 3-digit addition and subtraction
• counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s
• reading and interpreting graphs and charts
• reading and writing numbers and number words
• fractions
• time
• money
• measurement

The book mimics real life math problems.  (Ummm  . . . and just like in real life, I do have to read some of this to Asher.)

Gotta. Love. That.

To further reinforce what the boys are learning in their trip around the world (and is another non-planning and no-preparing workbook) . . . we also have been using Evan Moor Beginning Geography.  (This is really Ezra’s book . . . but Asher has joined in.)

I have about zero map skills and not an ounce of compass skills.  I think the imaginary magnet in my body is seriously off.  Send me outside and for the life of me . . . I can’t tell you which way is north, east, west, or south.

I will not let my children become me.

What’s in the book?

From map proficiencies to learning about animals around the world, Beginning Geography will acquaint your kindergartner with the beginning geography skills he will need to understand the cultural and physical world around him.

You can check out the first 24 pages here.

The best part is that when we do geography . . . they have no idea we are actually doing school! 

Simply said . . . Timberdoodle rocks.  I have yet to find a product that they carry that fails in our house. 

I think I’m just going to have to trust them fully next year and purchase a complete curriculum kit.  (I’m not being paid to say that.) All of my picking and choosing and totally custom fitting curriculum for three children has proven exhausting this year . . . no mentally challenging. 

To see what all Timberdoodle has, sign up for a free catalogue. 

Would you like to win an Evan Moore title?  I have an extra copy to send you . . .

Daily 6-Trait Writing (for grade 6+)

 

(Mandatory) What can your 6th grader learn from this workbook?

1. Become one of my fans through Google Connect if you aren't already! (It’s over there on your right . . . see all of the little people?)
2. Visit Because Mom Said So and tell me what you discovered.
3. Tweet about this giveaway using the following :   @GranolaMom4God: Evan Moor 6th Grade Daily Writing Giveaway http://t.co/mmwDX5Y
4. Put my button on your blog.
5. Like Timberdoodle on Facebook.
6. If you have bought from Timberdoodle before give yourself 2 entries.
7. Follow me on Twitter.
8. Subscribe to my blog (I have a few other kid-related giveaways coming up).

Remember, only #1 is mandatory. The rest of the entries are optional (bonus), but you MUST comment separately for each one.

The Fine Print: I will email you when you have won. You must respond within 48 hours.

Contest ends March 28, 2011 at Midnight (not that I will be awake)

 

As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

(P.S. This blog post was only supposed to take a 1/2 hour to write, because that was how long I had to be alone.)

Elementary Round Up

Finding your groove is a good thing.

And finally . . . after 4 months from Naomi’s birth . . . we have a school routine that is working.  It’s really quite simple.  I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. 

I think because I was married to the idea that school had to be in our dedicated school room and education had to be contained to our workboxes.

I still think workboxes are great. 

(Planting bulbs by our front door.  This year is a surprise for us . . .

what flowers will come up in our new house?)

But . . .

They are difficult when mom nurses a baby sitting on the comfortable couch several rooms away or when they have to be transported up a 1/2 flight of stairs or when they begin their workbox activity in one room . . . have all the pieces laid out on their desk . . . and mom leaves to begin a meal or feed the baby.

So, the routine.

Immediately after breakfast they complete their daily handwriting exercise, Stick Figure Bible, short math exercise, and science.  At the breakfast table. 

That’s it.

Then . . . life occurs.

(St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Indianapolis.)

Bonus school happens in the afternoon while Gabe and Naomi are napping.  Which means . . . right before dinner. 

*****  By the way . . . I was soooooo blessed that 7 of you linked up two weeks ago.  Thanks so much!  May it help you record events in your schoolroom.  *******

What has been going on in your school room – and if you don’t have a blog to link up with . . . leave a comment and tell me what your family did in the Learning Room!

Guidelines: 

1. Write a blog post about your elementary aged child(ren), first through sixth grade, comprising the activities you did the prior two weeks.  You can include pictures, bullet points, tools used, learning gained, God moments, etc.
2. Be sure to include a link back to my blog.  By doing so, other like-minded readers can hang out in a central location if they are looking for Elementary School ideas.   Publish your post and then head back to my site. 
3. Provide the exact link (URL) of the Elementary Round-UP blog post you wrote, not your blog’s home address, through the provided MckLinky.
4. Optional:   I would love it if you grabbed my blog button over on the side.
5. You can combine this with other meme’s if that helps you to save time (as long as it is OK with the other blog owner). 

BIG IMPORTANT HEART MOMENT:  This isn’t a blog post to WOW other moms . . . the point of this is to help YOU document on YOUR blog what you and your child(ren) are learning.  My link-up is only to provide some accountability.  I won’t come and leave nasty comments on your blog if you don’t link up.