Fit Mommy Friday- Recovery is Going Well and Now I Have to Get Back to Work!

Hi, I'm back, well sort of.  Yesterday was two weeks since my gallbladder removal surgery.  I'm slowly getting back to my normal amount of work.  I am still taking a rest break each afternoon and probably will continue for the next two weeks or more.  I still have pain under my ribs once in awhile but I had a lot of adhesions and 19 gallstones, the largest of which was 2.9 cm.  My back still hurts but not all the time which is a relief.  I think I will have to do a lot of work to build my strength back up to what it was before this started over three years ago.

I have lost 13 pounds since the end of August when my gallbladder started acting up again.  That's a good thing and my goal is to lose 15 more although Wii Fit says I should lose 30 more.  I've been eating lean meat(chicken breast and turkey) veggies(carrots, green beans, squash), applesauce, berries, and dried unsweetened coconut.  I drink green tea, lemon in hot water, and ginger/cinnamon tea with and between meals.  I am afraid to try anything else.  I am going to try to introduce some new veggies and salad next week.  I'm taking Now Super Enzymes which have really helped my digestion.  I'm also taking probiotics and kombucha with each meal.  As I grow more confident with my diet I want to start working on adding in more liver supporting supplements and foods as gallbladder problems go along with liver issues.  I think my liver is fine but I want to give it all the support it will need without the help of the gallbladder(not like it's been getting much help lately!).

My goals for next week:
- start homeschool again
-rest as needed
-take a few walks
-try some raw veggies and new cooked veggies, maybe try some lean beef
-start Tupler Technique tummy exercises and slowly build up to week one

I wish you health and that your gallbladder would never develop problems!

I'm linking up with Fit Mommy Friday hosted by Tea Time with Annie Kate.

Book Review: The Scroll by Jeffrey and Gansky

The Scroll is a tale of modern day archaeology in Israel.  A team of archaeologists is on a secret mission to find significant artifacts from Ancient Israel. The members of the team know each other but would not have chosen to work together.  An Israeli scholar has brought them together.  As they become deeper in the work they learn more about what they are searching for and why.  They are surrounded by a security team and their lives are increasingly in danger as word gets out about what they are finding.

I have always been interested in archaeology, especially Biblical archaeology, so I was happy to receive a copy of this book to review.  The action and relational tension in this book is good and keeps the pages turning quickly.  The story is also packed with archeology information and Biblical history as the experts explain to less knowledgeable characters what they are doing and why.

I enjoyed the story line which is part tale of adventure and part spiritual struggle for Dr. Chambers as we watch the story unfold through his eyes.  If you are looking for a good adventure novel with a positive Christian message this book is for you.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterbrookMultnomah and have shared my honest opinion.

From My Camera

I thought I had a lot of photos I hadn't told you about but it turns out the only two things I missed were the birthdays. My oldest is now 19. I can't believe I have a 19 year old living in my home. I thought he would be out by now. He does leave for boot camp, or basic training or whatever the Air Force calls it, in November!

I need to stock up on b-day candles.  A few people ended up with matches for candles this year, whoops!

My little guy turned 3.  I guess I can't call him a baby any more.

Why yes, his shirt is on inside out!

Nathan baked both of the birthday cakes from scratch since I wasn't feeling well and didn't have much energy.

David asked for a chocolate cake.

Caleb requested a carrot cake since he doesn't like chocolate.  Have you ever heard of a person who hates chocolate?  How can he be my child!  I guess I ate too many snickers bars while I was pregnant with him.  Hey, I was 18 and didn't know anything about nutrition!

Nathan added some unsweetened coconut to the batter and as a decoration on the frosting.

David accidentally found the gift we bought for him before I had a chance to wrap it.  My husband told him it was a present for me.

So when he opened the gift he said "Mom's present!".  He was very excited when he realized it was really his.

I don't think we'll ever be able to get away with that excuse again!

TOS Crew Review: Alethia Writing Magazine for Teens

Creativity for Christian Teens

You can check out a free sample at the Aletheia Writing Magazine webpage.

Alethia is a magazine for Christian teens who love to write and read the work of other teens.  Included throughout the magazine are photographs and artwork also by teen contributors.  Stories, poems and regular features are included in each issue.  The magazine features include Writer's Challenge, Featured Contributor, Ancient Ink and Book Reviews.

My teens enjoyed looking through this magazine.  One of my sons is interested in photography and he enjoyed the photos and illustrations.  My teens were surprised and inspired to see the work of other people their age. 

I think this magazine is a great way to encourage teens who love to write.  As a teen I always enjoyed reading work by my peers and this magazine would have been wonderful for someone like me.  I think seeing work written by your peers is encouraging to the budding writer. I appreciate that this magazine is from a Christian perspective so I don't have to worry about the contents and know that it will be edifying for my children to read.

Writing tips from Aletheia

The Writer's Challenge gives your teen the starting point for a great story or poem with the possibility of seeing his work in a future issue and could also be used as a homeschool writing assignment.  Into the Artist's Studio contained an interview with Joe Goode who is a graphic artist and narrative illustrator.  I think this feature is a wonderful way to learn more about a career in this field and help teens to see what they can do with their passion for art or writing.

Reading poems and stories from peers helps a teen feel that he is not alone in the struggles he faces and may also offer some insight in handling a tough situation.  Overall I felt this magazine was well-rounded with many interesting features and full of inspiration for teens who love to read and write.  I would recommend it for the teen writer in your life!

Subscribe to Aletheia for $26.00 per year.

As a member of TOS Homeschool Crew I received a free issue of Alethia in order to write this review and have shared my honest opinion.  To read reviews by other homeschool parents please visit TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Help Me Choose Curtain Fabric For Our Schoolroom, Please!

Here is my inspiration.  It's a throw rug I found on sale at that unmentionable store.  I want curtains with that red and maybe the green and orange.  I don't usually decorate with bright colors but since this is for the schoolroom I want to try something more bold.  I was thinking polka-dots if I can find fabric with the right colors.  I saw a really cute shower curtain that had dots in a spiral pattern but the colors were wrong.  I'm going to try Target and the fabric store this weekend.

I love this rug and the liveliness it has added to the room.

Here is the window freshly painted and trimmed out.  My husband made a wide sill so I can have a decent sized pot sit in the sun.  I'm thinking about using curtains on the sides of the window with a decorative rod above.  I don't want to block any light.  I think the curtains should be as long as the window is tall. 

Here's a close up so you can get a better idea of what the trim looks like.  The wall opposite this one is sage green.  My husband jokingly suggested I knit a curtain.  I can kind of see that, an open crochet pattern in red.  Except that would take too long and might look strange and then I would have wasted hours.

And here are two of the new pots I bought today.  I've been stalking the floral one and another shaped like a teapot since spring.  They were finally priced right for me.  Does that give you more of the feel I'm going for in this room?

I have a nice view of the compost bins and tomato plants, ha!

So, any suggestions?  Oh and I apologize for the bad lighting.  I should have waited until tomorrow or this afternoon to get a better shot but I'm impatient.

Timberdoodle Review: Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young

Raising Real Men, Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys by Hal and Melanie Young

Why did I need to read this book?

 

Because, I like the authors, have six sons!  My oldest son is now 19 and my youngest is 3.  Even though I've been raising boys for 19 years I don't think I know everything there is to know about the subject.  In fact, I learned quite a few new things from this book and was also encouraged to continue the sometimes difficult but always rewarding job of raising my sons.

My husband and I share many of the same ideas about raising up boys as the authors share in this book.  We have slacked off on a few things and I appreciated the much needed reminder to make some changes. 

Parenting Helps from Timberdoodle

The authors cover many different topics in Raising Real Men,  It is like a field guide on boys!  Here are a few of the topics- Heroes, A cause to believe in and live for, leadership, homeschool for boys, real life experiences, manners, housework and going off to live their own life. 

Raising Real Men is full of suggestions and you may want to keep a copy on your bookshelf.  It's not a book to read once and set aside but a book which you will want to flip through again and again as your sons grow older and present you with new challenges.

 I recommend this book to any parent of a boy or boys from birth through the teen years.  You will find wisdom and insight for any situation your sons can get into.  The advice of the authors will help you plan out a course for your son's life and help you to avoid some of the potential problems waiting for him.  It will help you to prepare him to live a rich and manly life!

Free homeschool catalog from Timberdoodle
As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of Raising Real Men in order to write this review and have shared my honest opinion.  You can read more reviews by other members of the team here.

Working Fallow Land into My Garden Crop Rotation and Building New Garden Beds

God commanded the Israelites to let their fields lie fallow every seven years.  I don't plan to let the whole garden lie fallow for one year out of seven so I will slowly rotate through all of the beds leaving a few unused each year.  Letting the land rest helps it rejuvenate and rebuild minerals.  Constantly harvesting the land without returning nutrients wears it out.  I do add compost and mulch every year but I think letting it lie fallow will help rebuild the soil even faster.

I will have two fallow beds each year.  One will lie fallow from Jan. through Dec. and the other will be untouched from June through May.  I will sow a cover crop or veggies which will not be harvested along with keeping the bare soil covered with mulch to help the soil heal and rebuild.

I had one bed with really poor soil this spring.  I have tried to build it up with compost and mulch over the last two years but I was still having a hard time getting anything to sprout there.  I decided to let it do its own thing for the season.  It looks like a jungle with weeds and veggies all mixed together.  I need to cut the weeds down before they go to seed.  I will leave all of the plants on the bed to break down into soil.  This bed will rest until next May. 

This spot in another bed had some large chunks of manure so I left it alone.  I'm pulling the weeds around it and throwing them on top to make a mini compost pile.  It should be ready to plant next spring.

Here is the new area we uncovered from gravel this spring.  The soil in our garden is very sandy and needs lots of organic matter added before anything will grow well.  I mulched it with hay and some of the sunflowers.  You can see some weeds and morning glory growing there.  It might be ready to plant with sunflowers by next year.  Sunflowers help break up the soil and get it ready for other crops so they are my first choice on new ground.  It's a slow way to build a new bed but it is less work.  It should have lots of bugs, worms, and bacteria working under there.

Our first year we actually brought in a topsoil and compost mix so I could get started right away.  I am enjoying the challenge of building up the other areas by working with the soil instead of dumping a ready to use compost mix on top of it.

How do you build up your soil?

The Garden Path Link Up Here

The garden is the poor man's apothecary.  ~German Proverb

Please link up below.

Our Late Summer Break

He didn't like having his picture taken.

We are taking the month of September off.  It was in the plan before my gallbladder wigged out so that was just a coincidence.  Do you want to know why we are having such a late summer break?

Well, Nathan started Jr. High last year and needed a little motivation to work hard in his first Apologia science course.  I placed him in General Science because I knew he could do it.  He didn't know if he could though.  He asked if he could earn a summer break if he did well in the course so I agreed that the whole homeschool could have a month off if he earned at least a 70%.  Talk about pressure!  He had a rough start and did badly on the last test which gave him about a 68% for the final grade. 

Here he is almost 10 years ago when I was allowed to take his picture.

I remembered my own school days and how we were sometimes able to retake one test per course or semester and work on an extra credit project so I offered a retest of module 16.  He failed it a little less badly the second time which brought his grade up to a 69%.  I was dismayed, especially because I was going to have surgery and really wanted to be able to take some time off.  Then I remembered the extra credit project and assigned a three paragraph research essay on one of the scientists of his choice from module 1.  He wrote a four paragraph essay and it was one of his best papers!  That was worth at least 1% and he achieved his 70%!

The mohawk version of Nathan.  He tried again a few weeks ago but his curly hair doesn't cooperate. 

I did warn him that he will have to get at least a B on the next science course to earn a month off.  He is confident he can now that he has learned the importance of learning each module's vocabulary.  I have just started assigning a grade to his courses.  For now he will earn a letter for each Math, Foreign Language(Latin) and Science course he finishes.  I will have to start documenting his English and History so I can assign a grade for each of those.  For the younger children they will only earn a grade for Math.  It's a little more difficult to assign grades for their other classes because of the way we study them.  I know what they know and that is good enough for me!

What is your opinion of offering a reward for hard work?

TOS Crew Review: Tri-Cross

Tri-Cross  is a fun strategy game for ages 10 to adult which marries elements from Chess and Checkers into a new and unique experience.  Tri-Cross sells a travel version and a board game.  The travel game, Eco-Edition, is played by the same rules but is portable as the board is made of fabric and can be folded up.  Eco-Edition fits into a convenient sized pouch which can easily be transported in a backpack or medium purse.

The board game consists of a board which holds in half and a pouch full of square plastic pieces.  There are six red and six black pieces numbered from tri-cross(1)-6.  There are also 4 green and 4 blue pieces numbered tri-cross, 4, 5, and 6.  The green and blue pieces are used when 4 people play, 2 to each team.

There are two ways to play this game.  It is recommended that you start with the face-up version.  You use all six red and black game pieces with the numbers facing up.  The pieces are moved forward, backward, and side to side.  When you approach your opponent's piece you must jump and capture it if possible.  The larger number captures the smaller number, except the tri-cross which can only capture the piece numbered six.  The object of the game is to remain in the tri-cross square which is in the center of the board for 3 turns or to capture all of your opponent's pieces.

Eco-Edition, which is also travel friendly

We have not tried playing this game with the standard rules as we found the easier version challenging enough for now.  In the standard version the pieces are placed face down and not turned over until a capture is to be made.  This sounds extremely fun and challenging!  You can also play on teams with the standard rules.

We loved this game.  The pieces are of a nice quality, the instructions are clear and it came with an instructional DVD to help us get started.  There are also support videos at the Tri-Cross website.  My younger children(5&7) were able to play the face up version which has made this game a great favorite as everyone except our 3 year old can play it.  The children have asked almost every day to play!

"It's awesome!"~ Hannah, 11 & Sarah, 7

Sarah(7) is helping her 5 year old brother learn to play Tri-Cross.

I like the strategy and thinking required by Tri-Cross.  It doesn't get boring because each time you play you will face new challenges, especially as your opponent becomes a better player.  It only takes 15-20 minutes to play so the interest of the younger children doesn't wander and everyone can have a turn.

If you are a fan of Checkers or Chess I think you will also love this game.  Tri-Cross is a new classic!  To read more reviews please visit TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

Purchase Tri-Cross

Standard Edition $24.95
Wood Edition $35.95
Eco-Edition $19.95

As part of TOS Homeschol Crew I received a free game in order to write this review and have shared my honest opinion.

Lawn Care the Easy Way

Here is my solution to lawn care.  This is an easy way to mow the lawn, entertain the dog, and add manure to the soil.  But it might take awhile to get the whole lawn clipped.

My husband removed a leaky skylight which he will convert into a cold frame for me.  Meanwhile, on cool days, it comes in handy as a way to keep the piglets safe while they graze.

It is completely puppy proof.  We propped it up on wood blocks to let fresh air in so the piggies weren't visiting a sauna.

They were so content after all the munching that they took a nap.  Thanks for your help Ginger and Sugar!

Adding Structure to the Garden

In the winter there is not much to see in the garden where we live.  I've been wanting to add some winter interest to my veggie garden.  I have $0.00 in the garden budget right now but I did have a set of bunk beds which were given to us and that we never used.  Let's see what we can do with them.

Step one was to get my helpers to clear out the area where the fences will go, which they did quickly after a little grumbling.  It seems my projects are dreaded by those who have to carry them out.

After I took the photo above my camera battery had to be charged so I do not have any more step by step photos.  My son cut two stakes for each piece of the bed, er fence, and drove them into the ground.  Then he nailed the fence to the stakes.  That was it.  A quick and easy project.  Well, at least for me because I watched.  Then I had my helpers move the soil from the potato towers to the new area to make another bed.

I want to add some hanging baskets of impatiens under the grapes next year and find a bench or table and chairs to place in the shade.  I hope to plant some more grapes along the far side of the arbor to provide some more shade and privacy. 

These beds will have shade tolerant veggies like spinach and lettuce in them next year.  I haven't planted them for fall yet.

Doesn't look like a bunk bed, does it?

Now I need to figure out something for this long bed next to the fence.  I'm thinking about painting the block wall someday.  I need a short trellis or something which will not cast too much shade on the beds next to it.  My first idea was to have a trellis close to the sidewalk which would curve up over and join the top of the wall so the children would have a tunnel to ride through.  But I think it will make too much shade for the other veggie beds.  Any other ideas?

How is your garden growing?

Today is your last chance to enter my children's book giveaway!

Book Review and IPAD Giveaway: A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher

A Lancaster County Christmas is the story of two families from very different life-styles who meet accidentally and end up changing one another.  C.J. and Jaime are on their way to meet Jaime's father to spend Christmas on a cruise with him.  Sol, Mattie, and Danny are an Amish family suffering from the loss of repeat miscarriages. After Jaime's doctor asks her to return the Amish boy's toy, which he left at the office, she and her husband become snowed in at the Amish family's home over Christmas.  A few other events happen to keep them there for a few days but I can't tell you because that would ruin the story for you.

I enjoyed this story!  Suzanne has a way of drawing you in to the lives of her characters which makes her books hard to put down.  There were so many elements in this story.  I learned more about Amish traditions, Search and Rescue, Eagles, and loss.  I liked the way the characters contrasted against each other.  When Mattie, the Amish woman suffering from grief over her recent miscarriage, was down Jaime, the "English" woman, was able to accidentally help her draw on her faith in God.  Mattie was able to help Jaime see her problems in a different light which also helped her turn to God.

A Lancaster County Christmas was an all around good book.  There were so many different elements woven together that I learned new facts, was inspired, and entertained.  I enjoyed my visit in Lancaster County for Christmas.

I think this book would make a lovely gift.  I recommend it to any fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher or any fiction lover whether or not they have a fascination with the Amish.

It’s Christmas in September!

To celebrate the release of her first Christmas book, Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the "Christmas in September" iPad Giveaway! The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/27).

Oh and be sure to follow the blog tour here - many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway!

Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):

• A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift certificate to iTunes
• A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas

To enter, click one of the icons below. But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.

But, wait! There's more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne's author page. During the party she'll be revealing something *BIG* - you won't want to miss it. She'll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.

I received a free book from LitFuse in order to write this review and have shared my honest opinion.