I've been frustrated by Dismal Summary as my top post for all this time, but I honestly didn't have any update to my whole "diet/eating right" thing. Trying to keep track of what I ate and when and how much I exercised was just too much for me. I have too many other things to do and keep track of. So I've pretty much fallen back into my old habits again as a result. Sigh! I have been trying to do better about eating breakfast and lunch, and if nothing else, I start my day with a mug of hot unsweetened green tea (Yuck!) to try to get my metabolism started. I have gone for a couple of bike rides, but it's starting to get too cold. The last time I went, my ears, throat, and chest were burning from the cold wind. There's no excuse for not doing Pilates in the warmth of my own basement; just sheer lazyness. I continue to do well with preparing healthy dinners and have decreased portion sizes. We've been enjoying trying a couple of meals with lentils and rice, as well as beans. I'm trying to go to one-two meatless meals a week. I was also doing well with avoiding too many sweets until I hosted Choctoberfest. ;)
But there are much better things in life than dieting and weight loss! I continue to blog about the rest of my life here. Today I posted this post about a number of things that warm my heart.:
Returning home after being away for a couple of days is such a sweet encouragement. My heart is full after a time of refreshing with friends, and I am excited to see my kids and husband again. It helps when they're excited to see me too. ;) My sensitive middle daughter hugged me and hugged me and kept hugging me for quite a while after I got home Monday. This was the one who was concerned that I might die while I was gone. At 11pm the night before I left, we were engaged in a deep conversation of whether she trusted God to protect me and whether she trusted God to protect her even if He decided to take me to heaven. She's SEVEN!!!! I told her that I didn't think God was done with me here on earth and that there were still things I needed to learn and do, but I just couldn't promise her I'd be back Monday. No one knows what tomorrow brings! She was definitely relieved to have me by her side again; sweet girl.
 Other signs of life around the home warmed my heart as well. Things I might normally overlook, like this note hanging upside down on the fridge.
 Or this e-mail that I found in my inbox:
Dear Daddy and Mommy,
Isn't God beautiful?
"Oh ya He is!!!!"
I love God so much!
He is the best person in the whole wide world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you.
Love your daughter,
Elianna
And this one:
Dear Mommy,
I love you!
I wish I had a BLOG!!!!!!!!!!
Can I have a BLOG????
Please????
I hope I can.
Love,
Elianna
Yes, it's nice to come home! :)
Today, I celebrate the accomplishment of my 6th grade son who has completed his Saxon Math 76 book and prepares to begin Algebra 1/2. 1ds11 worked dilligently throughout the summer so that he could complete this book early. He taught himself using the text alone with only a couple of consultations with me. That's what I'm most excited about: the fact that he's learning to work independently and teach himself. When I sat down with him today to grade his final Problem Set, he was able to explain how he got answers that he had done in his head, proving that he really does understand the concepts and has a good grasp of the theory as well as the mechanics. Being a Math geek myself, that thrills me. ;)
This is one of those days where I love to homeschool as I see the fruits of homeschooling. There are certainly enough other days where I scratch my head in frustration and wonder why we don't just send them all to school. I thought I should write this down to remind myself when those days come.
Grace and Peace,
Angel
Come visit me at http://thesakeofthecall.blogspot.com/
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