Exciting News!

Something I forgot to mention in my post about IEW is that I had not contacted IEW about promoting their materials and I did not receive any compensation.  I was merely sharing my unbiased opinion because I care.

Well, Jamie, who blogs for IEW, found my mini-review and posted about it on the IEW website blog.  She even linked to the Write Brothers and called us "famous".

I am trying really hard not to get a big head!

The boys are thrilled and working double time on their next assignment.  They are hoping Mr. Pudewa will read it and award it two thumbs up.  :)

Thank you, Jamie.

And thank you again, IEW.  We think you rock.

Another exciting development is that I am once again the owner of a camera!!!

This one to be exact....

FYI, I am not trying to sell you a camera but wanted you to see which one I bought.  Putting in an Amazon link was the easiest way to facilitate that.  I realized once I started typing this post that I was not going to be able to take a picture of it myself.

Duh!

However, I was able to use it to take some pictures by the lake today.  I hope you enjoy the return of photos to my blog.

I have pictures of my children again!
See how they've grown!!

Wednesday Weigh-in: Week 25

25 weeks...that is unbelievable.

I have never stuck with a diet and exercise program for that long and feel like I should hold a celebration.  It's my silver diet-versary, y'all!  :)

I couldn't have done it without your support.  Thank you.

However, I have two kiddos with colds and am coordinating a science fair to be held Friday while preparing the boys for another big event on Saturday.  In other words, I have to keep this short.

So...let's get to it, shall we?

I lost 1.6 pounds,

bringing my weight-loss total to 27.8 pounds!

Woo Hoo! 

The ball is rolling in the right direction again.  My Fitness Pal has a lot to do with that.  It just works for me.

I think I found another critical element this week, too.  I had started exercising during the day because it is hard to find the energy for it in the evening as I had been doing for the first few months.  I switched back to exercise before bed and have found that a) I sleep better and b) the pounds shed more easily.  Perhaps it gives my metabolism a boost so that I lose while I sleep.

Not sure.  I'm not a health professional so I can't begin to say that with any confidence.

It would make a neat science fair experiment, though.

Oh yeah...science fair.  That reminds me of 3,593 other things I need to do.

I will see y'all later!

Please pray for the following:

1. Continued weight loss and energy to exercise at night.
2. The Science Fair and my sanity (there seems to be a correlation between the two)
3. My loved ones facing legal situations- One has been resolved in his favor, praise the Lord!
4. Friends and missionaries in Japan- all are safe but facing difficult situations.
5. Decisions M and I are making about next school year.  We need wisdom.

Happy Healthy Living!

Dawn

Disclosure:  I have not been compensated for linking to My Fitness Pal.  I just find it helpful and wanted to share my unbiased opinion.

Disclaimer:  I am not a health science expert.  Truth be known, I'm quite the opposite.  However, I am hosting the Wednesday Weigh-in challenge to encourage Christian dieters to pray for each other.  Please do not expect your results to be exactly like mine or any other participant's.

Wednesday Weigh-in: Week 24

Well, I'm back.

I continued my diet as best as I could while my computers were in the shop. 

It's amazing how much of my life is inside my computer.  I couldn't grade several of the boys' school assignments because the teacher's editions are on CD.  I couldn't check my email on a regular basis and had to sort through almost 200 of them when I was finally back online.  I didn't know what was going on in the world, and we were dressed in the wrong sort of clothes almost every day because I couldn't check the weather report. 

After a week of freezing in shorts and tees or burning up in jeans and long-sleeves, we I finally realized that one of the boys could step outside in his PJ's BEFORE we dressed for a temperature check.

Wow, technologically-impaired brain cells, y'all- I've got them!  :) 

And, most tragic of all (tongue in cheek), I could not calculate calories on My Fitness Pal. 

MFP really does make things easier.  After two days of living in the dark ages and flipping through a print calorie counter to find out how many calories are in a banana (because for some reason I cannot remember this info from day-to-day), I gave up.  It was too much.

I continued to eat "right" and exercise but I could not keep an accurate count and am not sure if I kept to my calorie goal or not.  I did weigh daily and it went up, up, up and then down, down, down.  Then back up.  Then back down....

Finally last Thursday, I was able to track calories again and after six consistent days, I am happy to report

I lost 0.6 of a pound,

bringing my total weight loss to 26.4 pounds!

And I would like to point out that after three very stressful weeks (not having a computer was just a hiccup; much more was going on which I cannot share at this time), I decided to sleep in this morning.  If I had weighed at 6:30 a.m. like I normally do, I may have seen a full pound difference (like I did yesterday morning)!  I was exhausted and stressed when I went to bed last night, so I will trade 0.4 of a pound for a little extra and much-needed shut eye.

Thank you to those who have continued to pray while I have been unavailable.  I have been praying for you, too.  Please pray this week as follows:

• For wisdom- Michael and I are praying about several issues in which we need to make wise decisions for next year.  Ask the Lord to show us His will.
• For protection- Two people I love dearly are in the middle of difficult legal situations.  Neither are in the wrong and we are praying for the Lord to hear our prayers and bring them relief. 
• For extra energy, perseverance and extra measures of grace:  I have a lot of "things" to take care of in the next two weeks.  I want to serve my family and community graciously while not neglecting my health.  Now that I can use MFP again, I want to keep the ball rolling in the right direction.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!  Let me know how you are doing.

Blessings,

Dawn

IEW

At the beginning of this school year, I bought IEW's Student Intensive for both of my boys with some hesitancy.  However, many of my friends raved about the program and highly recommended it to me, so I took the plunge.

Boy, am I glad I listened.  The boys have finished most of the student intensive, and I am now teaching them from the Ancient History-Based Writing unit.  They completed their first two assignments this week, and I have posted the finished works over at The Write Brothers.

If you are considering what to buy for writing next year, please allow me to make a suggestion!  IEW has been a huge blessing for us.  One of my boys is a reluctant writer. He used to cry when I handed him paper and pencil.  The other has loved to "write" since he was little and words flow from him naturally.  If you have a minute, hop on over and see if you can tell the difference.  It will be difficult!

Thanks, IEW!

Happy Writing!
Dawn