Vitamins

Hello my friends! I've found that now that school has started AND my husband is home I have very little time to blog. But it's so nice to have friends checking in on me so I'll try for a quick update.

1. As I mentioned, my husband is home. He's taking a semester off of school to share in the joys of parenting and work on getting healthy with me. Because we're on such a limited budget, we no longer have the excuse, "I went out to eat!" or "I don't have time to cook." We are now buying food two weeks at a time and my dear husband is cooking marvelous veggie-filled meals. We DID happen to polish off the oreos that he found in the back of the pantry, but even as we got a sugar rush, we both commented on the drug of white sugar we could feel in our system even as exhaustion rushed in. We know it's a drug. The oreos are now gone.

2. I'm on day 2 of vitamins! I've ordered vitamins with oglio-fructose complex which is supposed to aid in the absorption of the good stuff I eat. I'm giving it a month to see if it increases my energy. So far, so good.

3. Clean house. We're keeping the house clean. I've got the kids using www.flylady.com student journals and it has done wonders for the whole family's pitching in to keep this house clean. Because the kids do the dishes now, I don't mind using my cleaning time to mop or sweep up dog hair or even clean the bathrooms. My husband is doing laundry and helping with the clean up also. With all of us doing our part, the house stays clean and my mental health is so much better.

4. I didn't join the YMCA. I don't have enough money to join the Y, even just their swimming pool, and even though I know they have a sliding scale, I don't think "$0" is something they offer to a family that has a job. SO, I'm not exercising. I'm not too pleased with myself over that, but cleaning house has kept me more active than I had been. I don't have much time for the computer anymore so I'm not on my tushie all the time. I purchased two workout videos. If I can find the time of day to do them (maybe after lunch?) then I'll get with the program there. I still want to start running again. I guess I'll just have to decide to do it. (And yes, Christy, the bike-to-work goal will begin when cooler weather comes along and the rainy season ends here)

5. I've been reading good books. I discovered the book White Mary and LOVED it! I was challenged to remember what life is like in other parts of the world and how privileged we are actually living while also enjoying an incredible storyteller. I also checked out the newly released book Schooled which totally freaked me out about Upper East Side Manhattan moms & dads paying tutors to do their private-schooled students' homework so they could get into an Ivy League School where they would once again pay someone (upwards of $450/hour) to do their homework. And I began to wonder just what "Ivy League" means anymore. Quick read -- great ethical and moral questions. I found myself being sucked into the "teachers should be paid more so who cares if we're doing their homework for them?!" mentality and also seeing my own "pastors should get paid more" feelings flooding my head. Good stuff.

6. Eco-friendly products. Part of my cleaning frenzy has been my new part time "job" which, I'll admit, isn't a job yet because I haven't sold a thing. My goal is to get my family out of debt so I've signed on to refer people to a company that sells eco-friendly cleaning products and make-up and vitamins and everyday household items we're already buying from someone else. I've decided to TRY the products before I push them too hard and I'm absolutely amazed. I did laundry with this eco-friendly detergent and was amazed at how clean everything turned out. It's all really cost-effective too because it is highly concentrated. It's all non-toxic, biodegradable stuff that's affordable and so I'm having a blast cleaning house and feeling good about these products. All I've done is change where I'm spending my money and it's saving me money while helping the environment. So I feel good about this possibility. I refuse to sell to church members or even talk about it with them. That, to me, is a conflict of interest so I'm just not going to go there. I even have a real website! www.nodebt.fourpointmoms.com But I am glad to have found something I can believe in that only takes time if I want it to take time. And I'm glad to have something with the potential of getting me out of debt.

7. Chastise me about the no-exercise thing if you want, but I'm gradually making good changes in my life that are leading to a healthier me. At the heart of my healthy,happy personhood is having my family together again. I hadn't realized the burden I was carrying living apart. It's not forever, but maybe it will make the next separation a little more bearable, knowing we're willing to take time off from stuff to be together.

And this is the news from Arbuckle Creek, where the sun shines brightly thanks to a turn in paths for Hurricane Ike, where the mosquitoes are quickly becoming this county's "bird," and where families enjoy homemade meals together and date night means checking out a movie from the library. ;o)