Challenges report day 24-26

So, I'm not doing so good with the sugar challenge. Victor brought home some candy and donuts and other sugary stuff, and I indulged. I think I just kind of forgot about the sugar part of the challenge. I do notice however, that it's not as appealing to me so that's something I guess.

I put up a chart to try to drink more water, and yesterday that was a big success. Every time I went by, it seems, I drank some. And we are managing to get to bed a bit earlier the last few nights. No later than 10:30, I think.

It poured down rain the last few afternoons so we haven't gotten outside to go swimming, but we did load up the pickup with junk and Victor made a run to the salvage yard. We got outside and looked at the garden for a bit before it rained, as well.

It is sunny this morning, so I may have to see if we can take a walk.

Even with Victor being off the last couple of days, we are staying on track with our worship and school schedule, for the most part which is good, since usually everything just flies out the window with him home.

I guess that's all for now.  Later.

Challenge report for days 19-23

Ate the last two ice cream bars and had some cookies and s'mores this week. Also, stayed up way too late a couple nights.

Today, managed to eat only a few animal crackers as far as sweets go.

I have been able to restrain myself from Facebook. Now I need to limit myself on the games and tv, since I think I replaced Facebook with those things. 

Fortunately, we started school this week so my time is more limited if we want to get anything constructive done. I am really excited for the new lessons we are starting next week and looking forward to the wonderful bible studies we will be having.

We have still been swimming when the weather is good. The pond, however, is getting a bit overgrown with weeds, but it hasn't gotten so bad that we can't swim. 

The weather has been nice this month and cooler than usual. Our garden is picking up a little, now that we had some rain and everything isn't getting fried by the heat. We went to the orchard again this week and got some apples. The kids each found a fig, but that was all. Everything else is not really producing anything. Victor wants to get out there and prune the trees this winter in the hopes that next years produce will be better. Every little bit helps with the grocery bill.

I still need to work on my water intake. I think I am going to work on ways to do that. Also, maybe I can get to bed earlier. I have so much I want to do, and oftentimes not enough willpower and motivation to do it. I procrastinate too much. 

Well, that's all for now. I have a baby running around dripping water all over the floor after her bath, so I need to get a diaper on her and see if she'll go to bed. 

Challenge report for the week of August 13-19

We kind of got busy this week. I cheated a little with sugar but managed to restrain myself from binge eating which I tend to do with sugary snacks. 

We had leftover graham crackers and marshmallows and carob chips so had s'mores one day. I ate only one. Then almost everyday, we had one graham cracker for dessert at lunch, and one day we had them for breakfast. Then one day for dessert, we finished the ice cream things, but it was only one a piece left. Yesterday, I ate too many graham crackers, but there aren't any left now. Victor brought home ice cream bars and some kind of cookie last night, but I remembered what I was trying to do, so I didn't eat any. Yay! One thing I have noticed, if I stay up too late, my willpower is down the next day.

I've managed the last two nights to go to bed before 11. So that's something I guess. 

Exercise has consisted of swimming, pulling weeds and walking to the dumpster and the orchard. Not everyday, but we are getting there.

Yesterday a storm blew in with great fury, so we sat around and watched videos, which is why I ate all those graham crackers, I think. I couldn't get out of the house to go swimming. 

Today, we woke up late, because it was pouring rain. Thank you Jesus for the rain!

I was reading just now for worship and came across this cool quote which made me think about how God is taking care of His garden that we planted by sending the rain.

"Nature is a power, but the God of nature is unlimited in power. His works interpret his character. Those who judge him from his handiworks, and not from the suppositions of great men, will see his presence in everything. They behold his smile in the glad sunshine, and his love and care for man in the rich fields of autumn. Even the adornments of the earth, as seen in the grass of living green, the lovely flowers of every hue, and the lofty and varied trees of the forest, testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God, and to his desire to make his children happy."—The Signs of the Times, March 13, 1884.

Challenge report days 11,12

Monday, I didn't do too much as far as exercise. We were all pooped from camping. I had a some graham crackers for dessert but that's all the sugar I had. We did some laundry and watched some movies.

Tuesday we went swimming, and had some fun with the neighbor kids.

Victor and I went over our budget again, and he has been looking at some websites for houses and other things.

I think I am needing to limit myself to certain times for games and tv. Too much of it going on around here.

Addictions, they are all over the place. Food, technology. Anything that takes away from time with God, is an addiction. And idolotry, because it is putting yourself and your own desires ahead of His. We need to submit our wills, to His will. And He will work in us, to will and to do of His good pleasure. And His Will is Love and obedience to Him.

Well, now it's raining again. Nice! The garden sure needs it. Thank you, Lord!

Challenge report days 7-10 and camping

Thursday we finished packing the car and stopped at Costco to pick up a few last minute things, got some burritos from Del Taco for lunch and drove to Duck Creek. We set up camp and the kids got to explore some before everyone else got there. Friday we did some more exploring. The boys borrowed  a church members bikes and Sarah and I walked around the loop a few times. Then more people started arriving and so we were able to visit some old friends and make a few new ones.

The speaker for the weekend is a missionary and he told us some amazing stories as well as had some great Bible sermons on a few parables mainly from the book of Luke.

We took a hike Sabbath afternoon and Sarah walked 1/2 mile with us down to the head of the virgin river. Then I piggy backed her on my backpack which already weighed 20 lbs halfway back.

This morning, my back was sore! But we definitely got exercise in this weekend.

I did slide a bit on sugar. We had some s'mores Saturday night, but I used kosher marshmallows and sweetened carob chips. The marshmallows were the little ones and each s'more had a lot less sugar because we used fewer marshmallows and only a few carob chips. I think I ate about 2 or 3 altogether. It wasn't too hard to quit either. So, I'm feeling good about my choices over all.

Back to the grindstone tomorrow. We got home, unpacked and ate lunch. Yummy salad with gluten steaks and homemade salad dressing.

Off to bed in a few minutes.

Challenge report days 5 and 6

Yesterday, I didn't get a walk in, but we did go swimming. The neighbor gave Sarah a tic tac, and then told John to give me one. That is all the sugar I had. 

We went to bed pretty late. I know I haven't been drinking enough water, eating too much at meals, and  snacking late at night hasn't helped any either, because I've kind of been feeling run down the last few days. Definitely have to work on those things. 

I didn't get any actual exercise today, but we went to three stores doing some grocery shopping for the weekend, and I've accomplished a lot of baking and food prep, so I think I'm about ready for bed. I may go to bed early tonight.

I made 4 loaves of gluten free bread, 2 regular wheat loaves, started a batch of granola, a pot of beans is cooking in the crockpot, oven roasted some carrots, boiled beets and made a batch of seitan. I also did some laundry which now needs to be folded and most of the camping equipment is packed in the car.

Tomorrow, we will pack the suitcases and the coolers, then head for town to pick up a few last minute items before we head off on our camping adventure in the mountains. 

Well, that's all for now. 

Challenge report day 4 and stuff

Today has been cool and drizzley off and on all day. We had lentils and homegrown butternut squash for lunch, still praising God for the wonderful fruits of the garden. It was so juicy, that when I scooped the seeds out with my hand the juice ran all over the place like a ripe peach when you bite into it.

The boys ran all over the place outside and this afternoon when the sun came out we went for a walk around the field and across to the orchard where we found a bounty of apples, some already ripe. So we picked a bunch and will check back next week for more.

It's too cool for swimming today, but the weather is like fall out there. And the rain is nice for our garden.

Looking forward to next weekend and camping. It's supposed to be cool and sunny, so we will need warm clothes and jackets, but hats as well. 

Challenge report Day 3

It rained all day today, so except for a few minutes in the middle when we had a bit of clearing, we didn't even go outside. It was a nice and cool 70 degrees most of the afternoon, and now it's thundering and crashing outside. 

We had soup for lunch and it was awesome. Victor made it. The kids had granola bars for lunch as well, but I refrained since the granola had sugar in it. It was basically granola that we made on Friday. It got a bit stiff and Victor was able to break it off in big chunks. We are going to try to make more specifically for granola bars. Need to get some more oats though.

Well, I'm off to bed now.

Challenge report day 2

Yesterday everyone was tired, from too many late nights. But we managed to go to bed at a reasonable time, so that's a start on catching up.

Sabbath was fairly restful. There were some visitors at church, so we had a full class in primary. Sarah turned two this week, so her teacher gave everyone cupcakes including our class, so by church time they were all full of sugar and not very hungry for potluck. I didn't have any cupcakes and only swiped a crumb off of the plate of zucchini bread, which wasn't very sweet anyway.

In the afternoon, we came home and changed to go to Zion for some hiking. I laid on the floor and the kids were hyper and bouncing all over Victor, but I had a catnap for a few minutes which was very refreshing. On the drive over Victor was sleepy, so I drove and he had a catnap.

We rode the bus all the way to the end, Temple of Sinawava, and walked for awhile, the. The kids played in the river for a few minutes. We walked a bit further and then the kids needed to use the bathroom so we headed back. Everyone was pooped, and by the time we got back to the car at the visitors center, Sarah was asleep. Jeffrey fell asleep in the car on the way home.

It was really time for bed when we got home, but everyone was hungry so they had some peanut butter and toast, Victor made a pot of noodle soup and he ate a bowl of that, and I had some bread and milk.  The kids went to bed late, but Victor and I were both in bed before 10.

So we got our exercise in, I managed my sugar intake, and only thought about Facebook a little.

Today it's rainy! Praise The Lord! Our garden really needs it. The well water is too hard, I think and the nutrients don't always get where they need to go. Nice drizzle most of the morning, and fairly cool. If it clears up this afternoon we'll try to get a walk and/or swimming in before the day is gone.

Anyway, I'll report back later!

Challenge report day 1

Today I didn't get much actual exercise done, but we did a bunch of house cleaning and walked around at several stores. Also, when we were at Costco, I parked clear at the end of the parking lot, so we had to walk a long ways. We didn't get any swimming in at all, because we were late getting back from town and had a few other things to do before Sabbath. 

One thing I noticed today with no Facebook was I was more "awake" I guess, to what was going on around me. I did think about it several times especially when I used my iPad to read for worship, and to look up a couple things on the internet. But I managed to stay off it. I remembered what I was trying to do and it helped keep my focus.

Staying away from sugar today was easier than I expected it to be. There were lots of samples at Costco, but only a couple of them had sugar in them. There was a demonstration of the Vitamix but she used only a bit of agave nectar in one of the smoothies she made. I did slip up tonight when we made granola. I stuck my finger in the pan to lick up the syrup, but remembered just as I licked it off. So I didn't take anymore! Hurray! 

Tomorrow, I will have to remember to stay away from the desert table at potluck and see if we can take the kids for a hike In the afternoon.

All in all, it's been a fairly good day, challenge wise, and I'm looking forward to a restful Sabbath.