If you can read...

...you can travel anywhere!  Right?  We've all heard that.  But my Lego Man has struggled, for YEARS!  And because of that he hated reading.  He has been behind on his reading level.  I was determined that this year we are catching up.  If we learn nothing else this year he will be reading...at the level he should be at. 

He has a condition called binocular dysfunction.  Meaning his dominant eye changes.  If he is looking at something and looks up when he looks back the dominant eye changes and he loses his place, making it difficult to follow a story or thought.  He went through eye therapy for this and was pretty much finished when we moved to another state, and things kind of got away from us.

While trying to figure out how to make this year be "THE" year...I was spending a lot of time praying about this situation.  I then remembered a set of small chapter books I had as a child.  Each book only has like 4 or 5 chapters in them.  I thought these would be perfect.  Not too big to "scare" him but no pictures and fun at the same time. 

My aunt was currently borrowing my set so I got them back from her.  On the first day of school I introduced them to Lego Man.  I said, you have to read 1 chapter a day.  That's all...one chapter, then you have to tell me what that chapter was about.  The first day he spelled...out loud...about every other word and asked what it was.  It took him all day long to read one chapter...bless his heart.  I was feeling a bit discouraged by the end of that day.  The next day wasn't much better.  The third day, I was like, "Lord, I can't do this!  This is insane!"  But I felt strongly, just keep doing what you are doing.  Don't quit, just keep going.  I honestly feel that God was encouraging me to just keep going.  So that is what we did.  When he started on the third day to ask every other word, his older brother, Firefighter, and I had a discussion with him about context...and all that.  He asked a few words but not nearly as many.  The next day I think he only asked about 2 words.  Friday-one word.  Now he very rarely if ever asks!  There are 23 books in this set and he is on book 14.  He is enjoying them!  He often reads more than one chapter a day...some days he reads the whole book and asks for the next one!  Brings tears to my eyes!

 
One day he brought his book to the table for family game night.  Firefighter was like, "Whoa!  I never would have gotten away with that!  Bringing my book to the table!"  But I was like, "Leave him alone!  I'm so happy to see him reading AND ENJOYING it that I don't even care!"  When he is done with this series I will give him a bigger chapter book, but I am so elated!  So thankful!  So thankful that I kept plugging on!  Like it was some kind of test or something and I passed!  THAT made ME feel good!  And to see him reading and loving it!  He gets so excited about some of the stories he is so funny!

Love my sweet boys!  Yesterday I fell off a chair and landed hard on my backside.  Kind of stoved my back a little.  When the boys found out, they hugged me and said, "I'll pray for you momma!  I'm praying for your back, hope it gets better fast!"  Just hearing them say that made my eyes quickly fill with tears...and suddenly my back didn't hurt so bad.  These boys could be giving there momma a rough way to go, but they are praying for me!  I have much to be thankful for!  So much...

Thankfully,

Smile big!

Finally!!!  After a little over 2 years the braces came off yesterday!  I can not find the before pics right this moment, but trust me when I say it's drastic!  Especially for Firefighter!

 
 

 
 



 



 After we left these dudes, were hilarious!  They gave them "goodie bags" with all the chewy candies in it they weren't allowed suppose to eat.  They are popping that candy in their mouths and say, there take that Dr. _______.  "Look what I'm eating!"  LOL  They keep me laughing!

 

Then last night we are sitting here and the boys are talking about their "braces removal experience". They were talking about the drilling process of removing the glue and how much they hated it. I said yeah and you looked like you have chalk dust all over your faces. Their dad being concerned about Pilot's lungs points to him and says, "didn't he have on a mask?!". Firefighter looks at his dad and says, "are you serious?!" FF then says, "Job security."  Oh how I love my family!  These boys make life so much fun!

Part of,
 

Closer

I woke up this morning with this song running through my head

 

When I grow weary with the toils of the day

Oft in the secret I knees and pray

there I can hear my Lord Sweetly say

Come Closer my child to me.

 

Closer my child to me

Closer my child to me

Closer my child to me

Come closer

Come closer

Closer my child to me.

 

Then during my devotional this morning my Streams in the Dessert devotional book (which I absolutely love btw) the title of todays read was:  "Come Close to Him".

 

You see last night I became engaged in a conversation that I feel very passionate about, but have come to realize that who it was being discussed with is not appropriate...they can do nothing about it.  I keep telling myself it is not going to happen again, but then I find myself in the middle of it, then I feel bad by the time it is over.  Leaving that place last night and feeling like I had taken a beating, I once again determined that the only thing I can do about this really is just pray and leave it in God's hands.  Why do we think he will not take care of these things that are important to us.  Yes the other party agrees with me and we just get in a passionate conversation about it, when really we should be praying.

 

I begged God to please forgive me and PLEASE help me.  Off and on all night...everytime I would wake up...I would pray about this situation.  Then being the faithful God that he is, I woke with this song running through my mind, and reading this devotion.  I can't say it will never be discussed again...because it very well may come to the place that it has to be discussed with the PROPER "authorities", but by the help of God I do not plan to put myself in that situation again!  I do not like feeling like I have let God down...or myself! 

 

This is life...

this is learning...

and we are still,

 



Dear Mom,

Dear Mom,
 
There are some things that happen that will ALWAYS make me think of you! One of those things is the first SNOW in October! I remember we always hoped/prayed (lol) that it would at least wait until the upper twenties at earliest, but we really hoped it would come the 31st! (For those who don't know why: Supposedly... Whatever date the first snow in October fell on...that's how many snows you are suppose to get that winter. Don't be hatin'!) Well, today is the... 31st and guess what!? There is suppose to be a wintery mix tonight! Now it is time for you to say, "maybe we will get our blizzard this year." And we all yell, "NO Don't say that! Everytime you say that and we don't get one! Don't say it so maybe we will get one!" Oh the memories! So precious! You instilled in (most) of your children love for the winter! I will enjoy some hot drink for you...Your favorite son-in-law (lol) will have to reheat his 3 times though!   

Love you and miss you LOTS!
 

These boys say the funniest things...

Since this blog is a journal (of sorts) of our little lives, I have to include all the funnies...so I don't forget them!  This is a super great place for me to put them until I can catch up the scrapbooks!  :)  Here are September and so far through October...and Heaven knows there were a bunch I forgot to write down!  These boys keep me laughing!  And I love love love it!  Enjoy!


9/18/14
I am in trouble! Firefighter and Pilot are keeping track of how many calories they are eating today. .. started out as they just were curious how many they eat. .. Well now it has turned into a contest to see who could eat the most. ..I think I need to give them some more chores!
 I made homemade pizza for dinner and had no idea how many calories was in one slice...so I just made something up. Pilot looked at Firefighter and said, "Dude you just ate a whole week's allotment for a moose!" Bwahahaha...they crack me up!

10/9/14  So Firefighter's township was in a homecoming parade tonight. He came home and said the parade was in T. City! Bwahaha. .. Hubby wanted to know if the parade got a speeding ticket. Lol Firefighter said there were more people in the parade than there were spectators. Love hearing him tell his stories. .. he's so funny.


10/9/14
These boys are on a roll tonight. Firefighter: (sitting on the couch) hey Pilot bring me some carrots and water.
I'm sitting here like are you serious?
Me: Pilot, are you seriously waiting on him?
Pilot: no he's waiting on me.

10/15/14  Legoman: hey mom, have you ever had your hands, face, and stomach tingling at the same time?
Me: yes its called hyperventilating. .. we're you breathing weird while doing your treatment?
Legoman: yes (and proceeded to demonstrate)
Me: you didn't do your treatment properly.
Legoman: I didn't? ...
Me: um. .. no. .. I'm pretty sure hyperventilating is not the goal!
That boy!


10/16/14
Pilot wants to know if the truck will run on speedy freeze. .. $.99/gallon... you know maybe mt. Dew speedy freeze fuel... lol

10/17/14 
The boys have a "braces off" date, and they said, "We need to start a grocery list for THAT day!" List: doritoes, snickers, popcorn, sunflower seeds...a HUGE bag!, pretzels...LOL! Me: but you've already been eating some of those things. Boys: yeah, but we had to be super careful...we want to ENJOY them! They are so funny.

Still,

  

TGIF

I know I haven't posted since last week, but I wasn't sure I should share what was on my mind so I just didn't.  And the latest project I'm working on is so big that it is taking several weeks to complete.  So there will be a post on it later!  I'm so excited about this one though!  So fun!

Weight loss update...have had a rough week...as far as eating goes.  My hubby had a "weakened" week...and wanted everything he shouldn't have and that kind of affected me too!  LOL  It's so much easier when he stays on plan with me!  Support...you know!  Anyway, I know that's excuses, but my willpower just isn't strong by myself!  But regardless, I only gained 1/2 a pound, (that is not my feet in above pic...so don't anyone go crazy!)  so I'm not too terribly disappointed.  We keep having dinner invites, and such that tend to make things a little harder, but we love spending time with our friends and getting to meet new ones!  So we are determined to work harder this next week.  That's where I am for this week. 

I think this is a really good point!  LOL


If only it worked like this!  
 

Now for an update on the Coffee table.  I finally found knobs for it...

...and I love it! 

 

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

 

We are still,



TGIF

I have decided since Friday is the day of reckoning...I would make Friday's post about the previous weeks progress.

I kept hearing a lot about THM and seeing multiple posts about different ones on Facebook.  My first thought was "Oh it's just another crazy diet."  But after being in a friends home and briefly hearing her story, and glancing through her book, I decided I wanted to read it for myself.  So I purchased the Trim Healthy Mama book. 

Now let me say...at this point I had pretty much resigned myself to just being the way I am forever.  Nothing works, it's too hard, the way I have to feed the boys, so on and so on. 

I started reading this book and I was crying before I finished the first chapter!  I so found myself!  This makes sooo much sense!  I was starting to feel hope again!  I will admit it was overwhelming at first and kind of hard for me to figure out how to get started.  It was suggested to me to just start with one meal, breakfast, for a week then the next week add another and so on until I was fully on plan, but if I was going to do it, it was going to be all or nothing.  That made it very overwhelming to me.  Looking back I probably should have taken the advice I was given, but I'm pretty much there now. 

 

Now I will be the first to tell you I DO NOT follow every single thing to the letter.  There are some things that I just can't do, or don't like, but the principle I try to follow as much as I can.

 

Anywho...I started the next week and for the first time ever my husband said he was going to follow the plan with me.  Now he "cheats" more often than I do, but he 80% following it and that's a MAJOR encouragement to me! 

 

We have been on the plan for about 5 weeks, and with a couple of hard weeks in there, I have lost 9.4 lbs.  I've been kind of stuck there for a couple weeks, but from what I am reading/hearing that is normal.  Your body has to heal.  However, I am telling a difference in my clothing, so I know something is working.  AND  I FEEL SOOO MUCH BETTER! 

I'm not ready to disclose my starting weight (it's very embarrassing to me).  But maybe when I lose enough...(huhumm)  I will feel more comfortable sharing that info.  I feel excited and hopeful for the first time in a very long time! 

 

It has taken me years to get in this shape and it won't "fix" overnight. 

 

One of the things I was concerned about being hard, was giving up potatoes...white potatoes.  I LOVE potatoes!  (These can be added back in occasionally after you reach goal so don't freak out.)  But I have found some satisfying replacements. 

 

That is going to be my THM tip for this week.  Cauliflower is an awesome replacement!  I made "mashed cauliflower" twice this week and I love it!  Even had gravy on it!  My hubby loved it as well!  They boys are like "are you serious?"  But only one of them has tried it and he loved it as well!  I cooked the cauli until it was soft.  Then I put butter (yes you can eat real butter!) in my kitchen aid mixer, put in the cauli, a spoonful of sour cream, and then added unsweetened almond milk until it was the consistency I wanted.  Now the mashed cauli won't be creamy like potatoes, they have a "funny texture", but it tastes wonderful!  I was so excited!

 

Today my scales are still stuck, but I put on a skirt today that the last time I wore it (around the house) it was probably a little "vulgar looking".  LOL  Today it fits perfectly!  This excites me!  So the scales may not be dropping like I would like to see, but I feel so much better, and apparently the inches are falling off...(I only do measurements once a month and weigh once a week.)  That is good! :)  Last week was measurement day, and I had lost a total of 3".

 

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!  If you want to follow this plan I strongly encourage you to purchase this book...at the least...check it out at your library, then purchase it!  You can purchase it here.

 

The Kegley Krew is losing (pounds and inches), but still,