Preschool Thoughts

I found my mom's old typewriter and thought the girls would be cute in some photos with it...what do you think?  

 

I've been thinking of Laeah and preschool lately.  The preschool Snugglebug attended no longer exists, and it didn't do her much good anyway.  I have a lot of preschool curricula, so I could do it myself, but Laeah is so extremely social. So, I'm now wondering if I can find a few parents who would like to have preschool with Laeah, either always with me teaching it, or switch off between teachers.  I think I can talk my mom into using her basement if we don't get moved by then, which is really nice and has its own bathroom, etc.  I would only do two days a week, for about 3 hours, and I would have to charge a small fee for supplies, etc., but I think it would be really fun.  However, I'm not sure how to find any other mothers who would be interested.  I'm big into field trips as well as hands-on learning, so I'd plan with that as well.  If it's just me, I could only handle about four kids, but if another mother wants to help, we could have more.  I must keep thinking on this...At least I still have two years to think/plan.  

I'm also wondering what happened to my writing blog.  I had one...but I can't remember the address!  lol I want to get back to it to keep track of/discuss lesson plans for my writing classes and my writing experiences in general.

 

Do you see now why I'm always busy?  lol I just keep thinking of more ways to fill my day.  I had a dream lastnight that I missed Lovely's orchestra audition because I took her to it, but then I fell asleep--and I really dreamed I was sleeping.  Strange.  I'm just praying for guidance!

Back to School Dump

 I'm practicing my photography skills here...It's very difficult to afford pictures of the girls, so although I have a long way to go--years, in fact--I do think I'm improving slightly.  I just loved this pic because it is so them.  Jules is always sticking out her tongue and Laeah is always talking to Jules.  They are sisters and they love each other.

 We finally had Jules dedicated.  It only took 7 months...no biggie :/  Let's just say, it's good her dedication dress is a 6 mos. size, the same one I used for the other girls and the only size I could find when I bought it for Lovely 10 years ago.

Not the best pic of me, but we're both smiling :)  She's my girl and oh so adorable!  You really can't tell that I've lost any weight in this picture, but I guess that's because I didn't take many pics at all over the last few years (of myself that is). 

I went back to work this week, and I think it's going to be a fun semester.  I have a bunch of talkers in all of my classes, unlike last spring when I needed a break from teaching.  I'm teaching three classes, and I really enjoy it, although it's a lot of work grading research intensive essays.  It's difficult leaving the girls, but I do think Jules needs me to be gone a little bit--she cries when I walk past her and wants me sitting beside her when she plays on the floor.  She's in physical therapy now because she just doesn't want to crawl and hasn't built up her core or neck muscles in order to do so.  At first I didn't think she needed it, but I do see a difference now that she's had just two sessions.  Oh, and she waved at me for the first time today on purpose :) 

School is still iffy for my girls.  Lovely insists she wants to homeschool, although I'm sure she'd really miss her best friend (yes, they are best friends again).  I'm not thrilled with her class set-up at all--waaaay too much testing in my opinion--but I'm going to give it until Christmas and then see.  Meanwhile, Lovely is taking violin lessons, computer lessons, she has an audition for orchestra next week, and she plans on starting volleyball (which only lasts until fall break, so not too terribly long).  Wow.  I would have been lucky to get to do one of those things as a child.  

Snugglebug loves school and I think the newest best friend she made is a good influence, who--get this--used to homeschool.  However, Snugglebug keeps displaying patterns of laziness that we're working on overcoming.  She got two bad scores on tests lately because she didn't write enough detail, or any detail for that matter, so I made her rewrite her answer once she got home.  I'm hoping that was a lesson.  If this persists, I'm not sure how homeschool will go with her.  I keep secretly thinking, "You say you're going to homeschool, but you never will."  Hmm. There's good and bad to everything, and I'm trusting I'll know when I need/should pull them both out.  I can't really teach with Jules & Laeah, and three college courses, and S's business, and...the list goes on.  I pray every day S gets better work so that I can scale back on all I do, so I can refocus that energy elsewhere.  You can only imagine what my house must look like at this point. 

Lastly, I still haven't lost any more pounds, but I did lose 3/4 inches, making a grand total of 14 and 1/4 inches lost between my stomach, hips, thighs, and arms.  I'm pretty good with that.  I'm still concentrating on nursing, so I'm eating more foods that keep weight stable rather than shedding weight.  I also haven't figured out how to include exercise, which will help tremendously.  I'm hoping my hikes across campus at work will aide in this healthy adventure.  The downside to realizing what real food is, and how to eat healthy:  everytime I see S or grandma give my kids junk food, I can't help but think, "You're poisoning them!" And yet, I know I don't want them to feel deprived and go overboard on junk once they are older.  I feed them a healthy breakfast and dinner, and I don't buy candy/cookies/cake/ice cream/chips, so they only get that once their daddy or grandma gives it to them.  Lovely likes my healthy desserts as well :) 

THM Changin' It Up

Whoa.  Just so you know, do not go almost 3 months without bread, pizza, etc. and suddenly have it.  Not good.  Not good at all, my friend. 

I was tempted to try the free Sam's take 'n bake pizza that I got from joining through Groupon.  Ok, I DID try it.  And then I felt like I had a boulder in my stomach, dragging me down, for the rest of the night.  Not good, my friend.

Another thing.  Don't go to a hotel buffet, indulge a little in goodies like a pancake or a biscuit, with all the other stuff you're allowed to have.  Fingers swell up like the sausage links you consumed, hands begin to itch, and you pray rings will come off later that night.  Talk about pain. 

Sadly, this is all how I used to live.  Maybe not to that extreme, but I didn't realize how good I'd been feeling until I felt so poorly.  Now, I know. 

We had gone to a seafood festival for our 11th Wedding Anniversary this past weekend.  We dined on crab legs and lobster, shrimp, and more, and most of it was actually on plan.  However, I did over-indulge a little bit.  I did find out I LOVE Greek seafood--who'd have known?--but I probably should have held back a little better.  I came back about 3 lbs heavier, but I'm assuming most of it was just bloat; I'm now back to the 22 lbs lost.  This means I'm a mere 12 lbs away from finally losing ALL the baby weight I have EVER gained!  YAY! 

Weighing In

It's been awhile since I last posted--it's just so difficult to find time to even think lately.  I'm pressed to get my syllabi, lesson plans, assignments, etc. all finished before my three classes begin later this month.  My classes are all full--even my Sat. class!

Anyway, I'm still continuing my food plan--the THM way of doing things.  I've lost 22 lbs, 12 inches, and I can finally fit into some of the skirts for work that I haven't been able to wear in years!  Yay!  My hair seems thicker and longer, and my skin is softer (for instance, my heels are no longer cracked and rough, but that is also due to the use of Lansinoh cream on my heals!).  I do feel better over all, and yet I'm a little disappointed. 

No one has said a single word except one extremely nice friend/mom from school.  Oh, and my hubby.  I know some people may be bugged from phrases like, "You look like you've lost weight," because it insinuates you were likely overweight previously.  However, I'm not one of those people!  lol  I enjoy my food, and I feel I'm actually fueling my body instead of ravaging it with GMOs and other harsh food bi-products, so I will continue following this plan for as long as the Lord has me on this path. I am doing it for my daughters, for my husband, and for me.  But...it would still be nice to know my dedication is recognized! 

I say this knowing full well I don't necessary remark on others weight loss journey, but now I realize maybe I should.  Shame on me.