The Busy Mom's Gym Guide

I know as a homeschooling mother of three, soon four, that going to the gym, or doing any kind of exercise can seem impossible or not even a priority. However, I also know that it is extremely important to exercise, for your well being now and for the future.

At times, booking in a session may feel so over whelming, I get it, I've been there. It's also important to take a step back and evaluate the reasons you need to exercise and manage your home schedule so, that it is possible. When working out takes away your energy instead of giving you more, you may need to take it a notch down or adjust what you are doing entirely.

Here are a few steps to make it happen,

• Figure out what your home schedule is. I suggest the Managers of Their Homes scheduling method. In this way, no chores will be forgotten and everyone will have plenty of time to rest, play, and enjoy hobbies and each other. It's a MUST READ!

• Menu Plan. Especially on those days you intend to workout. If you're like me and workout in the evenings, with a gym daycare, you will have to plan and prep their dinner and perhaps an evening snack for the time they are in. If you're kids are old enough, 3+, recruit them with prepping their dinner. This is a great way to train and bond with them. 

 

I give clear "instructions" to when I want the kids to eat, so that we can get the evening snacks out of the way, and get ready for evening preps, teeth brushing, story and bed. Usually my husband will put the kids to sleep so that I can shower after my workout. Not only is it important that your offspring eat, it's also important that you do as well! Making sure that you eat 1-1/2h prior to your workout will give you the sufficient energy for your workout and also giving your body the energy it needs afterwards is important. Pay attention to what you feed yourself. Lots of vegetables, good sources of protein and fiber are good.

• Have a workout plan. Make sure you get energized from working out and not the opposite. As a stay at home mom & homeschooler, it is vital to plug in to an energy source. One, being our Almighty God and two, physical activity. God created our bodies to move, and we benefit highly from physical activity, emotionally and physically.

• Rest. Make sure you get enough sleep each night. Everyone needs different amounts of sleep per night. There is no point in cutting back on the rest your body needs to recuperate, for the sake of owning a "super Mom" title. Going to bed in time is key.

• Workout at home. I workout twice a week at the gym and 2-4 times at home. The workouts I do at home are different from what I do at the gym. At the gym I utilize my time in the machines I don't normally have access to, such as the stair master, leg extensions, curls, squat machine, free weight machines etc.

• Take supplements. Unfortunately our food is so distorted these days, stripped from their goodness that we need to give our bodies a helping hand when it comes to vitamins, minerals and omegas. We just aren't getting the needed amounts. By supplementing with good quality vitamins you will notice a difference in your well being and health. It's important to have homeostasis in you!

Dating My Husband

I would like to share with you how my husband and I met, the road we were on, how Christ redeemed us and why we never got to date until now.

I was baptised at age 12, but drifted very soon after from the Lord and found myself living in the secular world in a very secular way. My husband was not a believer but him and I both had very similar life styles, very wild and with very empty and lonely hearts. I met him in 2005 in my home country, while I was on the night out celebrating my friends birthday party. We both fell hard for each other and instantly pursued each other for a serious relationship, but not in a Godly way. Prior to meeting him, my prayer each day was to follow Christ, but I felt too weak to commit, at the times I tried, I was easily taken away by the desire to be loved, and found myself back at square one. Even when I felt lost and unheard, God heard me. 

We spent 48h together before he flew back to his home county. We were in love and took turns visiting each other once, until we took the drastic step to move in together, in the UK. Only weeks after our move, I fell pregnant with our son. The crazy things were, that each time we engaged in this immorality I felt so ashamed and guilty and that day we conceived, I told my husband -then boyfriend that I could not be a part of it anymore and that we needed to stop what we were doing. To my surprise, he was supportive.

Instantly after conceiving, I became sick, and was hospitalized for severe hyper emesis. My whole life fell apart. I was alone, sick, and humbled. I was unable to brush my hair, stand up and in the mercy of the man of my dreams, who I felt I had disappointed. I was no longer this beautiful girl he fell in love with, but this blob who he had to care for 24/7, by brushing my teeth, bathing me, shaving my legs, cooking for me, helping me up the stairs etc. It was an awful experience and to top it all off, I developed sever cystic acne on my face. I couldn't believe it. I had never had a zit on my face, not even during the peak of my puberty and here I am with 1" cysts growing on my face. This of course could not be treated because I was carrying a precious package.

For so many years, I only knew how to live by being "good looking". I believed that people who had it all, or got it all were the ones who physically presented themselves well. At this humbling time in my life, I could hardly face the world. Even though I was sick and could hardly keep anything in, the pounds just piled on and I found myself 70lbs heavier than before. I was devastated but now, I truly believe it was orchestrated for something bigger. I found myself praying on my knees and weeping in front of the Lord asking Him to take this burden away from me, I knew He could, but He didn't. 

As I got some of my strength back, I knew I needed to find a home church. I was alone, my husband -then boyfriend, worked long hours and I needed a family. I remembered seeing a Christian BookStore in Town and I gathered up all the strength I had, to visit that shop to inquire of a possible church to attend. Through that church, I found a "home church" I could attend every Sunday, I knew I needed Christ in my life more than ever. Having the wonderful man by my side that he was, being such a gentleman, he drove me to and from church each time. He did not share the same beliefs as me, and considering our scenario, I wasn't the best example of Christ to him either, yet he stood by my side, during every service and every sermon. Never did he mock me, my faith... God was working in him.

Being the scientist that he is, he did a lot of research on Christianity. I'll let him write this next paragraph, for accuracy:

..."Supporting Cathy with her faith seemed like the natural thing to do. Being in the life situation I was in though, I was intrigued and interested by the words the Pastors were saying. Classifying myself as a Scientist, I was however, skeptical. I needed to understand more. With some help of my brother-in-law Jason, and some of my own findings, I collected some literature. The first book was ‘Mere Christianity’ by C.S.Lewis, which really drove home some key messages, but I still needed more, facts. I therefore delved into Lee Strobel’s book ‘Case for Christ’. This book was detailed, analytical and accurate. I was surprised by the wealth of information that I was missing, and that I had never been told at school etc. My opinions began to change. Christ, faith and God, were indeed plausible, which left me at a crossroads. I had a choice to make, did I continue on and pretend I didn’t know, or give in to the truth, the truth that Christ had died for me and that I needed to surrender my life to Him in order to gain it back again. With overwhelming certainty, I chose Christ. Since then Christ has helped to develop a deeper understanding of his Love for me, and I am continuing to study the word and further my knowledge in the area of Theology."... -Simon

4 months into our pregnancy, he gave his life to Christ and a year later was baptized. We moved to my home country to live and to give birth to our baby boy, we were married and to this day, together we walk in Christ, pregnant with out #4 and looking forward to what God has in store for us and eager to serve. God took us from a dark place, redeemed us both to bring others hope and Him all the glory. No matter where you are, how badly you have drifted, know this -God's grip is tight, He doesn't let go. It's never, never too late to turn back to Him, He will turn everything to good. Romans 8:28

Now we're dating. Since we never got to date prior to marriage, we are dating now. We are dating each other as much as often as we can, especially when times allow us to hire babysitters. We went by years with not affording babysitting and having to date at home while the kids slept, which is not the same -but it will do. Seasons for everything, right?

As we have both grown in Christ, we also believe that dating is not a good idea prior to marriage. We have seen and experienced it first hand, that it can be hindering to getting to know your future spouse in a way that would benefit both participants and the aftershock of it in our marriage. Both my husband and I have prayed about it and we will teach our children about courting/courtship instead. Rather that giving your heart away numerous times, keeping it safe and saved for the future spouse is honorable and save you from lots of misery and grief, that both my husband and I have experienced - another testimony and more on that HERE. (do note, this blog post has two sections, the bottom section is about the grief we took into our marriage)

What is the difference in dating and courting? Why does it matter? HERE

and Guidelines for Sexual Purity HERE  

Pregnancy Updates

I am 20 weeks along!! If you would like to find out more about my pregnancy, my pregnancy workouts, my pregnancy diet and more, visit www.rawfoodspregnancy.blogspot.ca

Puffed Tofu Stir Fry

 Ingredients:

• Puffed Tofu, quartered. 
• Enoki Mushroom
• Head of broccoli                       
• 2 celery sticks
• one large carrot, sliced in an angle
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2" fresh ginger, grated,
• 3T oil
• 1T shaoshing rice wine 
• 1T dark soy sauce
• pepper
• 1T light soy sauce

 

Start by heating up the wok, pour in oil, once it begins to smoke it's hot enough. Throw in crushed garlic and ginger, followed by carrots, broccoli and celery. Add in sauces and rice wine. Mix in tofu and enoki mushrooms. Give it a good stir, until vegetables are nice and crisp. Serve over rice, or do like me, eat with just hot sauce.

My kids love the enokis, they say they pop in their mouths! I like this dish, it's a lot healthier than take away, since it doesn't have all that sugar and MSG. Authentic Chinese food, cooked by a Canadian-Finn... go figure. Next time I will add sesame seed oil and chili flakes. Can't wait!

Time Chart -Crafts -Homeschool Project

Here is a fun way to help your kids create a 'Time Chart'. This is a great way to help them remember in order!

Plan it out! You can use any sized wheel (I used a pot lid to measure ours), any kind of card stock -be creative! Most importantly, let your kids be creative, give them options, ideas and guide them, but do not take over... too much;)

8 fractions:

1. There are 60 seconds in a minute
2. There are 60 minutes in a hour
3. There are 24h in a day
4. There are 7 days in a week
5. There are approx. 4 weeks in a month
6. (I forgot to put in 12 months in a year here) Months that have 30 days are...
7. Months that have 31 days are...
8. Month that has 28 days is, unless it's leap year (29) 

Extra info (on the back of the chart):

• 12 months in a year
• 365 days in a year
• 52 weeks in a year

This is my son's 2nd grade work.

What are your ways of teaching 'time'?

More on Homeschooling HERE

Chocolate Chip and Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C quick oats
• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1T baking soda
• 1/2t himalayan salt
• 3/4C coconut oil
• 3/4C homemade butter
• 1 1/2 C brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3t vanilla
• 1 1/2 C shredded coconut
• 200g dark chocolate chips
• 1/2C raisins
• 4t almond milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In large bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat together melted coconut oil and brown sugar until smooth. Add in eggs, milk and vanilla; beat again for 2 minutes or until smooth.
4. Add in flour and oat mixture to the wet ingredients; mixing until well combined. Slowly add in coconut and chocolate chips.
5. Drop dough with cookie scoop or by large rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges turn a golden brown. Do not over bake; we don't want crispy cookies! Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

recipe altered from here

More DELICIOUS recipes HERE!!

Menu Planning

I've tried several ways to menu plan and be frugal. I've only menu planned once I know what's on offer, I've menu planned according to our cravings, I've menu planned for boosting our immunity and now I am menu planning for the summer.

I don't write down every detail, some things are just a given in our diet, i.e vegetables, salads, super foods, hemp hearts etc. So when I write down a week or two week menu, I keep it simple.

First I plan out our weekly schedule. I need to know when we're home and out. Since I've booked a few evenings a week to hit the gym, and the kids in gym care, I plan out a "lunch box dinner" and iltapala (evening snack) for them to have there.

I will be using my crock pot a few times a week, just so that I can organize and de-itemize the house a bit more during the day. Since it's summer, the bbq will be used quite a bit as well. 

I guess this menu is more for my kids than it is for me. I am not a big fan of hot dogs or other stuff I have on the menu, so I will make a few dishes just for me (which the kids usually don't like) during the week.

After writing out our menu, I write out the shopping list to go with it. Besides fresh produce, I think one shopping trip will do.

In about two weeks, I'll throw in a few new dishes and take out a few.

How do you plan your menu, and how do you shop for your groceries?

More on 'Cooking on a Budget' HERE

Recipes HERE

Summer Hair -For Daughters (Why Not Sons Too!)

 

My daughter has very thick hair. I normally have it in a ponytail, but during the summers it gets messy. Being in the pool daily and other physical activity, the ponytail, or other pins and bows, don't keep well. She hates it when it gets tangled and needs brushing through.

Rainbow loom bands are just perfect for small braids. After each use, you can just cut them off and throw them out. No need to fight them off. Any kind of conditioning leave in spray is great for easy combing and braiding.

 She usually rests her head on a pillow on my lap while I braid. This was it won't strain her neck.

So a few summers ago, I came up with this style for her. There are so many ways to braid hair, so this is just one way. Usually on the days I wash her hair, I braid it straight afterwards while her hair is still damp. I use hairspray, or her favourite- glitter spray to give it a good hold. This way the braids are neat. 

 

I like this method. It allows her to play, swim, roll around, jump, climb -whatever, without having hair in her face and getting dirty and tangled, saving her from tears.

If braided tightly, the braids last for 4-7 days. She still has a daily quick shower/bath, but there is no need to shampoo her hair each time.

You can find many styles online, or if you can afford it, get it professionally braided and this way they last even longer.

I braid her hair once or twice a week, depending on how well the braids last. You can gently shampoo the scalp in the bath or not, if needed. Here are a few pictures of braids that are a few days old. I think they still look fine!

Do you have any special summer traditions?

More on hair HERE

Soup For The Soul

 Broth:

• 1-2 litres of water
• 1 T shaoshing rice wine
• 1T dark soy sauce (for colour)
• 1T light soy sauce (for saltiness)
• 1/2 beef broth cube for flavour
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2T fresh ginger, grated
• pepper to taste

 Soup Filling:

• handful of mushrooms, enoki or other, quartered
• head of broccoli sliced
• handful of puffed tofu, quartered
• hotdogs, sliced (for the kids, you know... :))
• Korean fish cake, 1 sheet, sliced
• handful of baby kale
• spring onion, sliced
• Taiwanese Noodles, optional

Bring everything to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, throw in the greens, and cover for 5 more minutes. Broccoli should be crunchy and the kale wilted.

What's your favourite soup?

More recipes HERE

Managing Your Home Part 2

I am almost there. Figuring out this master schedule has really been a challenge. It's a lot of work, it takes a lot of thinking and planning and praying about whether our decisions are the right way to go for our family. I haven't yet completed the weekly master schedule, and one reason is that I have to make 7 schedules for 5 people. That's a lot of brain work, and usually by the evening my brain is fried already. Well this is what I've done so far.

First, I've listed all the norm activities and homeschooling for each child, for each day. This gives me a clear picture of the 'slots' for the other things that need doing. I'm trying not to over crowd the days, but also, I'm trying not to give them too much time to get bored and misbehave either.

I've also made a list of house work that needs doing daily, weekly and monthly. Finding the right slot for it and the right person to do it, assures it gets done and nothing piles up. When stuff piles up, it can get so overwhelming, and we often find ourselves at each others throats and rushing around, because we were not prepared. Unfortunately, relationships suffer and there is not enough time left for one on one time or family time, when its all rush rush "I can't read you a book now, because mum is doing EVERYTHING!!!!!!!" I don't want that. My desire it to spend a lot of time with my kids and investing in their lives. We're working towards that.

When there are clear slots for i.e dishes, quick tidy ups and everyone is involved and in training, nothing should pile up and there should be enough time to fellowship and do other activities. the laundry piles up and you find yourself doing several loads a day, without having the proper time to fold them away, on top of that you still need to do your basic daily chores and activities. And usually we got more on our plate "to do" than just one thing. I end up trying to do more than I can handle and "mum just turned into the wicked witch" to top it off! Oh, and when will you find the time to fold those several baskets of laundry? When your kids are asleep, cause you didn't want to sit down and relax anyways?

So, I made a chore list for each kid according to their age, and scattered it throughout the week. This allows me to do my chores too in scheduled slots, while supervising the kids. Hopefully, the training will go well and they absorb the new schedule well. 

Like I said, it isn't ready, I'm nearly there... Once I got it together, I will post a pic of one complete day and then follow ups on how the new schedule training is going for all of us.

More on Managing Your Home Part 1 HERE

How to de-itemize your home HERE

 How do you schedule?

Walk Through My Garden

 

Welcome to my garden! This is where my seedlings have began to grow and where I spend time during the days.

 

I've planted corn along the wall. This is the first time I've tried to grow corn, but apparently, it grows 

just fine without your help.... The flower pots beside them have pumpkin seedlings in them. I will transplant them along side of our house when they mature a little more and the trellis for them is built.

This is only half of my garden plot. Here I've planted beets, lettuce, marigold, habanero, methi (fenugreek), spinach, pak choi etc. I'll post more pictures along the way. It gets bushy! We were very blessed last year with our abundant crop. Thank God.

My little strawberry and raspberry patch. It needs mulch, I'm getting there...

My fig tree... oh please produce as much- if not more fruit as last summer! Heaven!

What are you growing this year?

More on growing your own food HERE!!