A New Woman

Praising the Lord for His healing hand in my life!  After 3 weeks of dietary changes and strong supplements, I am feeling like a new woman!  I had to feel worse before I got better as my body was ridding itself of toxins.  I still have a ways to go but I got through a couple of days with no headache and kept my energy up all day.  I feel more joyful and glad to be on the mend.

School Starts

We are all so excited about school starting tomorrow!  Routine will be back in full swing and we are going to learn some fun stuff in the next 7 weeks before our first break.

We've got all our areas ready....

I should have taken a before pic...this looks so much better!
 

The boys are most excited about those blue and red bags you see up above.  These are reading bags.  When they read for 20 min on their own every day in a week, they get to choose a prize.  Neither one of the boys enjoy reading alone so we are going to have some fun with it this year.  I'll let you know in 7 weeks if it worked or not.

Boxes are ready and filled with work!

We use our own version of the workbox system.  It works great and something we used last year.  Every drawer holds a subject or activity for them to work through.  This is not all independent work.  I believe the original idea for the workbox system was designed for this but we use it as a guide for each class.  Most classes involve me teaching them so I try to alternate independent/teaching time so the boys are working opposite of each other.  It doesn't always match up exactly and sometimes one will have to either wait for me to move on or can skip to a drawer of independent work to keep moving.  This system still has great flexibility for how we use it.

Our current hands-on books and manipulates are right where we use them.  Next to the dining room & living room.  

We do a lot of school in the living room too!

An old picture to show the boys' individual area to do work if they need some quiet area.

I love that we are not stuck to a schoolroom.  The boys will go to their desk if they want a quiet space to work independently.  Looking forward to diving in tomorrow morning!

Hours of Prep

Every homeschool mom has her strengths and weaknesses.  I cannot be a good teacher unless I have planned extensively.  Last year I started to plan weekly and that got old.  Then I stopped planning and went by the seat of my pants and didn't care for that either.  So, this year I got serious about planning in large chunks of time.

Take a look:

Every worksheet & project plans are filed under the correct week. I only have the first term (7 weeks) completed. 

Each weekly folder has sticky notes of supplies needed so that I can  see ahead of time in one place what I will need to complete the lessons and projects for this particular week.  

All lesson plans for both boys in one easy location

As I share my system with others, they get a little concerned I may get stressed out following this.  However, I can assure those women who have my best interest at heart...this is for my best interest!  And there is definitely room for flexibility.  This system was a MUST in order for me to truly school as I desire and to save my sanity.   I feel so much freedom going into our new year with my new systems.  

Disclaimer:  For anyone reading that is contemplating homeschooling, I'm pretty sure I am in the minority with my extensive planning system.  Most moms do not plan in this much detail so its not something you have to do in order to home school effectively.  Don't let my organizational needs scare you.  In addition, we use Sonlight where all the lesson plans are done for you so I only transfer the books needed for each lesson to my spreadsheet for those particular subjects.    

2 Week Update

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks that I've been on the road to building my body back up.  I wish I could say that I feel like a new woman but I'm still having good days and bad.  My mornings are definitely better.  I wake up feeling better than before but still tire quite easily by afternoon and spend a good portion of it laying down resting and napping.

My massage therapist reminded me that the body goes through a healing crisis, meaning, you can get worse before you get better.  I am keeping that in mind and not getting discouraged when I still want to nap in the afternoon.  However, she did tell me that my tissue is feeling better.  The toxins are clearing out which is probably why I'm still struggling with daily headaches.  It occurred to me I should probably be drinking 64 oz daily to rid my body of the toxins it is trying to release.

We also went away for the weekend which was hard to stay on my strict diet of no sugar or wheat.  However, I was able to do it with the Lord's help!  I just tried to not look at the desserts offered.  :)

Last Day of School

I figured I should get around to finally posting this since we are starting our new year in less than a week!  I wrote this about 2 months ago but just needed to upload the pics to go with it.

It was a year ago we decided to take this crazy homeschooling journey we felt led to take.  I remember making the final decision while on vacation last May.  It's hard for me to believe that was a year ago.

Here we are on our last day!  

The boys are excited about their last day

A DQ icecream cake to celebrate our last day.  We got to share it with Grandma and Grandpa at their home. 

Here's my list of best things about homeschooling...

* I know exactly where my boys are academically and I'm not bound to a grade level for each subject.  Both boys advanced a grade ahead in Math this year and are excelling in it!  However, we also got to take 2 days on a lesson if we needed the extra day to master it.  Isaac is going at his own pace in a spelling program as well, while Kaleb is taking his time to learn how to read.   

* I'm taking responsibility for what my kids learn.  I was expecting the public school to do its job with my oldest son and realized he wasn't putting forth his best effort.  He was just getting by with what he could. 

*  The relationship I have with my boys is so great!  I was always so afraid homeschooling would ruin that.  It probably helps that by evening they want nothing to do with me and its all about DAD TIME!  

* We have so much flexibility that we can vacation when we want and take breaks when we need.  

* Peace knowing I'm doing what the Lord has asked of me.  I only had temporary peace while Isaac was in school for two years.  This is the first time I have felt a complete and full peace.

* Friendships!  Here I thought we'd be alone but that is far from the truth!  I get to choose which families my kids are involved with.  

*Fun experiences and field trips!  

There's always bad with the good, right??  So, to be fair, here's my list of the worst things about homeschooling...

* Some days it's all I can do to not scream and run away and hide.  

* There were lots of days, especially in the beginning, where my youngest would cry and fight.  However, we pulled through and he got so much better!  He's learning how to take something hard and work through it and his emotions.  

* The boys get tired of each other and some days I have to play referee all day long.  Those are exhausting days!  

* Some days we simply don't want to do school work but we do it anyways.  

* In the beginning I said it would just be easier to send them back to school.  Some days I still feel that way but I know it's all worth the sacrifice and those are the days the Lord sees me through with an extra measure of grace.  

I really didn't know what to expect this first year.  Overall, through the ups and downs, I'm very excited and pleased with how our first year went.  Looking forward to improving for next year!  

Week #1 Update

It's been one full week of my dietary changes and new supplements.  I'm excited to see some changes.  They are small, but improvements!  I've actually had some great mornings but afternoons are still hard.  Still fighting daily headaches but my morning energy level is getting stronger.

I've run into not sleeping well due to changing out a natural sleeping aid I typically use.  This does cause more exhaustion so I think I'm going to switch back to using it.  I was trying a new natural remedy for anxiety but it doesn't help with sleeping so going to switch back since I'm not noticing much of a difference.

We discovered an organic farm in Fort Wayne so I am on the email list and get weekly updates which foods they are harvesting each week.  I am going to start planning my menu based on fresh food grown locally.   If you are local to Fort Wayne and would like to check it out, you can click here.

I've stuck to my new diet even through some social gatherings.  Thankfully there were veggies and fresh fruit available so I was able to stick to those.  I took my own dessert that was sugar and wheat free.  This has to be hardest part of socializing but I'm getting use to it and usually have to ask the Lord to help me not desire the things that are not healthy/good for my body.  This doesn't mean an occasional dessert is out of my life forever, just for at least another 3 weeks or so.

I'm Not Lazy

What a huge relief to know that my exhaustion has a medical explanation!  I would get so frustrated with myself several days a week not understanding why I couldn't muster up the energy to complete simple tasks. Some days were better than other days.  It's so hard to want to do more than you possibly can.  A trip to the grocery store would wipe me out for hours afterwards.  If I was working on simple things throughout the day I could manage to get by without a nap.  However, most days would require a nap.

What I found out this week is that my cortisol levels are low all day.  A normal person's range could be as high as 24 first thing in the morning and mine was 8 when I awoke.  Normal for nighttime so your body can sleep is in a range from 1-4.  Mine dropped from 8 to 3 around lunchtime and stayed there.  Which makes sense.  While I had more energy in the morning I never woke up feeling extremely refreshed and by afternoon I was always worn out and exhausted feeling.

In addition to being exhausted my low vitamin D can also cause depressed feelings.  With not feeling like I could do what I wanted with all the stuff going on in my body, it had to be the grace of God that I could even get out of bed to accomplish what I needed each day.

I could have cried when I found this out!  I've been so hard on myself trying to push through this.  Jeff would always be disappointed that I wanted to go to bed by 7pm in the evenings.  Now he understands.  The great part is that it can be fixed.  The sad part is that I've lived like this for way too long.  Great part is that I don't have to continue living like this!  Can't wait to see what feeling good will look like!  

Medical Answers

About four months ago a friend suggested I look into Dr. Gladd. I looked at the website and thought it would be a good idea but kept putting it off.  Saw an old friend who told me she was working with this office and highly recommended I go check it out.  Jeff and I decided it would be a good idea to go this route.  After my first consult I was excited because the NP didn't look at me confused as I've seen many times.  To her I wasn't a difficult case.  She said that most of what I was describing was interrelated and that the tests would probably show a low "good" bacteria count. When I told her all my symptoms she said, "do you ever feel good?"  My answer..."well, I don't know any different."  My goal was to find a reason for my frequent headaches and fatigue.

I don’t remember how long this journey has been but I’ve been actively trying to figure out why I feel the way I do for 6 years but really I’ve not felt good for several years prior.  I just didn’t have the stresses of kids to bring it out like it has the last few years, or the money to actively pursue what was wrong.  The Lord has been so good and faithful and I’m so glad He led me to the correct practice. 


 Today I got my diagnosis: 


1)       I have a low count of good bacteria.  A normal person needs an 80/20 ratio and I have 60/40.  Because my body doesn’t absorb what it needs to keep functioning at an optimal level, it causes everything else I will explain below.
2)       Adrenal fatigue – my cortisol levels are extremely low and the reason why I am tired all the time or why something as simple as getting groceries wipes me out for the day.
3)       Thyroid – at first glance my thyroid levels look normal and the reason why when I had it checked 6 years ago everything came back ok.  With a closer look and more testing they found that I produce what I need to but it doesn’t go where it needs to go.
4)       Low vitamin D – I have extremely low amounts of vitamin D and most everyone that lives north of Atlanta suffers from this and doesn’t realize it.
5)       No immunity – apparently my body does not produce much immunity at all which explains why I always pick up a bug from people I’m around.  I’ve been like this for years.
6)       My anxiety is a result of my hormones not producing what is needed (serotonin, I believe).  This is a result from the low bacteria count.


 I was excited to know that I have no food intolerances, yeast or parasites in my body.  However, my diet is to still be restrictive due to getting my body back to optimal health.  This means I’m to continue staying away from grains, dairy (I can get a little cheese…thank goodness!), and sugar.  I also need to add a ton more veggies into my diet and try to eat more organic.  I’m excited to have a nutritionist at my disposal.  She’s only an email away and will be sending me 15 new recipes/meals.  Meeting with her today was very educational and many things I had already started doing, I will just need to continue.


 I will start to notice a difference in a few days but more noticeable in about a month.  After three months my body should be where it needs to be.  To give you an idea, I will be taking a probiotic that has 20 billion bacteria in it!  I think what I currently take has 5 million.  I have about 6 supplements I will be taking short term to “restart” my body and then will be able to cut back if all my blood tests come back good at my check-up in October.  I’m so excited to have answers that make sense and the light at the end of the tunnel!!! 

April, May & June Reads

Wow, I've missed three months of book posts!  So, here's what I've been reading the last three months...

So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore

You can click on this post to read how this book impacted my life.  

Every Woman's Marriage by Shannon Ethridge
Great book!  I highly recommend this book in addition to another one of hers I'm reading called Every Woman's Battle in which I will write about when I've completed it.  This is challenging and opening and really a book all women can relate to in marriage.  

What Happens When Women Say Yes To God by Lysa TerKeurst
I really enjoy Lysa's writing style and find they are refreshing and encouraging to read.  This book did challenge me to trust the Lord even when I can't see beyond the one step He's asking me to take.  

Skinny Italian by Teresa Giudice
Just a fun read on Italian food.

EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey

Wow, I'd like to get an audio copy of this book.  So many things to digest.  If you are a leader in the business world, a must read!

Leadership 101 by John Maxwell

Simple and short book with powerful leadership lessons.  I picked this up at a garage sale because I learn so much from his books.  I will definitely keep for future reference.

Not A Fan by Kyle Idelman
This book is great for long time believers in Christ to take a good look at whether they are simply a fan or follower of Christ.  It's also good for first time believers to see what being a follower looks like.

Forgotten God by Francis Chan
Chan's writings are so popular yet I have a hard time gaining much insight from writings.  It's not that the content is lacking, I just don't care for his style of delivery which makes it hard for me to take away from his writings.  Could be that the Lord is just working on some other areas of my life and why I just didn't connect with the teachings of this book.

Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman
I love reading about how other mothers run their families which is why I chose to read this one.  The great part is that I do run our home much the same way a large family might run theirs.  However, I did take away some great ideas....children's hour each day, tea parties each week and Feast Night monthly.  I encourage any mom to pick up this easy read, resource book to have on her shelf for reference later on.  Also includes great tips on cleaning, maintaining your home, planning, routines, etc.