2013 The year in Review

I thought I would do a Christmas letter here this year! I know lame right?  I am too lazy to get Christmas cards in the mail so this will have to do!!

Brent--Working hard as ever, designing equipment for the oilfield. That is what he does! He did try his hand at mixed martial arts and broke a board with his bare hands, but he didn't much like the contact part and claimed he was too old to fight with other people.

Ashley-- Ray and Ashley bought a new house on 15 acres and have big plans for their property. Charlie girl turned 2, yes 2, I mean 2--but we still love her cute little smile and all those curls! RayLee turned 5 and is learning her letters. She goes to Mamaw's house once a week to spend the night and do school. We are expecting grandbaby number 3 in January!

Daphne--Lives in Oklahoma City with her hubby Andrew. Daphne coaches gymnastics and says she has plenty of kids at the gym and doesn't need any of her own. She has something like 100 she told me one time! Andrew is finishing up an engineering degree at OU. I think we will all be glad when he is done!! Daphne still sings when she cans and is hoping to be on stage more in the near future. Andrew made his debut and sang a duet with Daphne and also played his guitar--they are amazing together!

Jessica--Is still competing in gymnastics and coaching and working as a personal assistant. She took a psychology class at the local college in the fall, made an A and seemed to really enjoy the class! It looks like she will be sending a missionary off in 2014 and trying to stay busy with school, gym and work while she waits for him to serve for 2 years.

Camilla- Got her first pair of point shoes this year. She is on the performance company at her dance studio and is student teaching 2 dance classes. She loves dance and looks for every opportunity to pick up another dance class or experience!

Nathaniel- He is 12! He is turning into quite the young man! We refer to him as our family techy. He loves his electronics, computers, robots, creating, making smoke bombs (yes making them in MY kitchen--but I let him because I love him and want to be present so that I can witness any major explosions!) Engineering is in his future, or maybe chemistry or electronics or computer programming--who knows!! He did mixed martial arts with his dad but they had the same complaint--neither one of them are fighters but they enjoyed the technicalities of it and both advanced fairly quickly.

Daniel--Mr. Heavenly Father made my body for gymnastics is competing gymnastics for his 2nd year and loving it! He only wishes there were a couple more boys on the team. (Right now there are only 2). I noticed the other day that he has developed quite the muscles in his arms. I think he might be growing up just a little.

Alyeen--Discontinued her midwifery apprenticeship earlier in the year thinking she needed to spend more time with the kids. Not long after the school year started a family contacted us about homeschooling their 12 and 14 year olds, not long after that she added a 15 year old and then another 14 year old. She has since lost one of those students at the moment she is homeschooling 6 kids and loving every minute of it! She is also going through hormone treatments about every 4 months that have made a huge difference in her health and though the treatments are somewhat invasive. She is coaching gymnastics to help pay for the kids' activities and loves it as well!

Next year will bring Brent and Alyeen's 25th anniversary and an adventure at sea for them. The rest of the family will be carrying on as usual except for the big party they are planning for their Mama and Daddy in May! (Hope you can come!)

We all wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Juicing

I never thought I would be the person that would do a juice fast. A friend of mine introduced me to juicing about 15 years ago and I bought a juicer (a Champion) and tried a few things but never really got into it. 

 I kept the juicer and every so often I would juice up some produce but never made a commitment to juicing every day much less eating nothing else but juice. Then I came across a video called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I watched it on YouTube but the connection was wonky and I didn't get to see the last 30-45 minutes of it. I finally got back to the last part and thought that maybe juicing as a supplement to my efforts of eating a raw diet seemed like a pretty good idea. I juiced a little and enjoyed it. My husband thought it was kinda silly that I wouldn't eat the whole fruit or vegetable, but he drank the juice and was semi supportive of the idea. I sat him down and had him watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and now he is completely on board. He is now using juice as a supplement to his diet because he is afraid of losing anymore weight because he is already almost too thin. I am juicing for all of my meals right now and plan to do so for at least 30 days and maybe longer. 

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

Sunday evening, after watching the video with my husband, we juiced everything we had in the refrigerator. I drank it all yesterday. I won't lie, I was miserable yesterday evening. I was so hungry I could have eaten anything and everything you put in front of me. I stopped by the grocery store after coaching gymnastics to get more produce and had to psych myself up just to walk in the store. I survived the first day, barely!! 

Here is the run down so far

Sunday I drank juice for dinner that morning I weighed 230

Monday I juiced all day that morning I weighed 228.5 Monday evening I was 229 (that is huge because usually at night I have gained at least 5 lbs sometimes up to 10 during the day)

Tuesday I stepped on the scale in the morning and I was 226.5

I am amazed! I am in for the long haul! If you would like to join me let me know!

Check out www.rebootwithjoe.com and click on forums for support and encouragement from others juicing! 

The second week of the school year

I enjoy home schooling more and more each year! My youngest three are getting older and more fun, I am doing things with them that I only dreamed of doing with my older kids and I am having fun with them. (Sorry Ash, Daph, and Jess!) I have added 2 more kids to the mix that is just going to make it even more fun, a 12 year old and 14 year old. They are working together to learn and helping each other stay focused and motivated. It is a blessing to have them with us everyday.



I was lucky to get this picture, silly boy does not like his picture taken!



Today we will be playing a game called Rummy Roots. I have had this game since my oldest was about 13 (she is 23 now) and haven't played it much because the little kids were always needing something or in the middle of the game. Now we can play with no interruptions!


My 10 year old is learning Spanish this year and I can actually take the time to study with him and help him with his workbook pages!

I am anticipating a fantastic year ahead of us!

New things happening today

My teenage daughter and her friend just started their first Etsy Shop. Take a minute and take a look. They will be adding more products this week so make sure you come back often to see what kind of new things they are coming up with.
Madkitty Designs

Eating Raw is easy, Changing isn't

I fell off the band wagon but I have climbed back on! I am determined to go 100% raw for at least 30 days! So far it feels like it has been a long difficult process. I buy produce, run out of grocery money, run out of produce and have to wait until the next pay day. Then the cycle starts over--UGH! It seems that this is a new balancing act. Then there are the foods that are staring you in the face but the kids aren't willing to change as much as I am. They are eating more healthy foods and helping me juice so it has been good for the whole family, but they still love their mac and cheese and other stuff that I am swearing off completely!

My ultimate goal is to do a juice fast for a couple of weeks! Anybody want to join me?

I came across a website today Cleanse America . I am really wanting to do this, but with the way I have been going I will need that $25 it costs to register to buy produce! I am feeling very inspired by all those that are involved and committed to eating raw foods. It is amazing to me that so many people recognize that our food can either kill us or heal us.

Our Second week of school--Entrepreneurship for kids

We are starting our second week of the school year with an addition to our adventures! We are adding two students to our day a girl age 14 and boy age 12. They are friends of the family and we are all excited about the addition and adventures that should ensue throughout this year.

With extra students my head is swimming with ideas. I want the kids to put together a business this year and give entrepreneurship a try. I have some ideas floating around in my head but I want them to be the brains (and brawn) behind the whole idea! I am thinking we will spend much of the week brainstorming and planning.



I keep thinking about a book I bought for my oldest daughter about 10 years ago called Better Than a Lemonade Stand.
When I looked on Amazon to get this picture I was surprised to see several other books dedicated to kids and entrepreneurship. There really isn't a reason that the kids won't be able to come up with something to build a little business around there is definitely no lack of education in the area of kids starting businesses. Check back often for updates on the what they are deciding to do!

Thoughts on Getting Healthy, Juicing and a Raw Food diet

Next May is mine and my husband's 25th wedding anniversary and I want more than anything in the world to wear my wedding dress on the day of our party! I have been working out hard since November 1st of last year and lost very little weight. I have cut high fructose corn syrup, gluten, MSG and junk food. 3 weeks ago I started a raw diet that was going very well until I got a sinus infection and felt lousy so didn't put forth the effort I needed to do the preparations--my bad!

I just finished watching a documentary on Netflix that I started about 6 weeks ago on Youtube (our internet would not load the entire documentary). It is called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead ! What an eye opener! I highly recommend that anyone with any kind of health issues watch this immediately.


Another documentary that I have watched recently is called Simply Raw, you can order the DVD at Raw For Thirty Days . This documentary is about six people who greatly increased their health and decreased their diabetes in 30 days just by eating a raw diet. It is also a must see.


I am now thinking about doing a juice fast for at least 10 days just to see if it will help with the weight loss then continuing with the raw diet. I have tried everything I know to try and I am thinking it is time to pull out the big guns. I am not a big fan of diet fads and trends or weight loss surgery, so this will be my last ditch effort to take the weight off once and for all and just plain get healthy! I have enjoyed the juicing I have been doing the last few weeks so I know that I can handle drinking the juice. The hard part will be the detoxing and trying to stay motivated with everyday life obstacles! If you would like to join me in this adventure I welcome the company.

Let's Get in Shape Together

August Specials end in a week! I am ordering Focus T25. Join me as I get in shape and get healthy!

Our Fall Plans and School is back in Session

We started school this week and have settled in nicely! Today is a field trip day for us so we will be leaving the house in a couple of hours to go to the County Fair! We didn't enter anything this year but I enjoy going and looking around. We always meet new people and see friends that we haven't talked to in a while. Hopefully tomorrow night we will get to go to the rodeo which is always a highlight of the county fair!

I am also working on my plans for my Fall workout this Summer was a little hit and miss. I made sure to stay active but formal workouts were not very consistent. I am thinking that I am going to order the Focus T25 and add it to my regular weightlifting and cardio that I do at the gym. I would love a workout buddy or two so checkout the specials for this month and get your own Focus T25 and follow along with me!

Beachbody August Specials

Journaling

I love to journal. This year I have been creating an art journal that is a two page spread showing a calendar for the current month with a few pages following the calendar for me to write my thoughts and an overview of the activities of that month. I used a sketch book that I purchased at WalMart then decorated the cover. The sketch book provides heavy paper that holds up well to all the gluing and glittering I like to do and with a spiral binding it is somewhat expandable. I think I found the idea on Pinterest, but I am not sure. My kids like to tease me about it whenever I get it out, but then again they tease me about a lot of things.

One of my favorite resources for journaling ideas is Easy Journaling. They have ideas for many forms of journaling including and online journal that is fun and easy to use. Easy Journaling even hosted webinar on journaling that was fantastic and very informative as well as encouraging.

Some other journaling sites that I have enjoyed are

Writing Through Life
Some great articles on journaling here.
Create Write Now

How I treat my adrenals

I had a friend ask me today how I was treating my adrenals. About 2 years ago I was diagnosed with 'adrenal demise' (I know sounds horrible). Basically my adrenals work backwards from what they should. I have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning but I can stay up all night. Here is what I have been doing for my adrenals

Nutmeg essential oil in the morning gets me going
Dr. Christopher's Adrenal Formula (I sometimes also use Enzymatic Therapy the two brands work equally well for me)
Seriphos is another product I have used with some success though it is kinda slow acting
I also use a natural cortisol product that works pretty well
Revitalizing Sleep Formula by Enzymatic Therapies this helps me sleep when I am supposed to sleep without the hangover feeling the next day.

Recently I discovered a juice blend that is supposed to nourish the adrenals.

juice the following
beets
apple
carrot
and ginger root

I don't think there is a magic formula here just juice and enjoy. I would keep the ginger to small amounts until you get used to the flavor it is potent!

Let me know if you would like to try any of these and I can order most of these supplements from sources that I have set up.

Raw Food Cleanse

I have been research raw diets and have more than plenty of information on raw food diets. I am excited to try some of the recipes I have found. I thought I would list some websites that I have found in my  search for raw food ideas.

www.rawfor10.com
www.rawforbeauty.com
www.rawmazing.com
www.rawfoodrehab.com
www.choosingraw.com
www.sweetlyraw.com
www.thefitchen.com
www.radiantlyrawlifestyles.com
www.withrawintentions.com
www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com
www.thecleandish.com
www.theglobalgirl.com
www.kristensraw.com

Have fun with that list, it is a big one for sure!

Hormones are interesting things

I am intrigued by our hormones and how important they are to our overall wellbeing. I came across this article that I found very interesting and thought I would share it here. I think I fit a couple different body types but then again I am completely messed up right now so I am not surprised.

Enjoy!

How hormones affect your body shape

Here is some really good information on the endocrine system of the body! I think it is very fascinating how the glands are all interwoven. If one isn't working it is like a domino effect and other glands will also not work efficiently. This explains why it is so difficult to diagnose people with strange symptoms it just turns into a guessing game.

The thyroid and other glands

It has been a while

I have been plugging away! I am anxiously awaiting lab results from my doctor to tell me how my hormones are doing. I sure hope they come in soon!!

I am staying stable with the weightloss. With no energy my workouts have been sparse and very low intensity. Kind of frustrating! I have been staying with my Shakeology which I think is my saving grace at the moment! I LOVE the stuff! Seriously you check it out www.myshakeology.com/pandamom8 !

We are working hard preparing for our trip to Oregon. The whole family went shopping on Saturday to fill in the gaps in wardrobes for the trip. The fights were few! Have you ever taken two preteen boys and two teenage girls shopping? Yeah not a good idea! Next time I will take the boys one day and the girls another. The only thing that saved our sanity was my husband was with us, so we were able to divide and conquer. We were victorious on everything except the camera--we really need a camera for the trip!!

Our spa night!

We had fun trying out a homemade mask! Nothing like avacado and chocolate all over your face!
I am the only one that did the wrap and I forgot to measure before I did it! The lotion I made was amazing. I am lying down because I couldn't sit and I have a heating pad on my stomach that switched from my stomach to my legs.
My sister-in-law in her chocolate and avocado mask. Yum!!

Quick post today

I love this blog www.cheeseslave.com. She has wonderful ideas and recipes that are about REAL food, (no processed stuff here!)

This month she is giving away a kitchenaid mixer. How cool is that? Run on over there and enter!

Give away and Detox Wraps

Have you heard about the detox wraps? They are expensive!!! My girls and I are playing with some homemade ideas tonight. I will keep you posted maybe even take some pictures. I made some lotion to use with the wraps. Here is what I did. (Sorry I don't measure anything so I know it will be difficult for some of you to duplicate).

I melted together

a little beeswax
coconut oil
some honey

When that was melted I added
vitamin E oil (about half a bottle)
lavender oil
lemon oil
peppermont oil

I poured this mixture into my blender and then slowly added
about 1 cup of detox tea
about 1 cup of green tea  (both were previously brewed)

I am thinking that we can use this as a lotion and/or add a little epsom salt to some for a scrub.

We have some great ideas for the wraps but I will save that for a later post (just to keep you in suspense)!

While you are anxiously waiting for more go check out this give away for a blendtec blender

http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeandgarden/2013/05/blender-giveaway-for-oklahoma/comment-page-373/#comments

I love my smoothies

I came up with a wonderful smoothie combination yesterday. Here it is (sorry there are no measurements)

8 oz water
1 scoop Tropical Strawberry Shakeology
frozen strawberries
frozen bannana
half an avocado
mango
spoonful of coconut oil

This was delicious

After the smoothie cam an hour of Yoga Booty Ballet.

A great start to the day!!

Let's get healthy

I was approached by a friend who asked if I wanted to get involved with Beachbody with her. I thought why not and holy cow now I am hooked on Shakeology! I mean I LOVE this stuff! It is an amazing nutrition shake that I drink at least once a day. I have squelched my sugar cravings with it, and lost about 6 pounds in less than a week. My workouts have been more productive because I have more energy and stamina. I am telling you this is the greatest nutritional shake I have found. I thought I would share some of the nutritional info with you.

Nutritional Information on Shakeology
What is Shakeology

If you need a great reason to workout and get fit then you should get in on this fitness challenge on Facebook. It starts on Monday and there are prizes. Check it out Fitness Challenge.

I am so looking forward to getting in on this fitness challenge and having some motivation but one thing is for sure I do NOT need motivation to drink my shakeology!

Think about the last few months

I started working out seriously in November 2012. In that time I have reversed my PCOS, and insulin resistance, and quite possibly my endometriosis, all of which was quite encouraging. I have discovered that I have very low testosterone and am presently doing SotoPelle treatments with great success. I have also discovered that I just plain feel better when I take my thyroid medicine even though my TSH levels always come back normal. I have lost a few pounds but not much in the way of weight. I would have to say that my efforts have been for the most part successful and eventually I am sure the weight will have to come off. Over the last week I have been trying to add more protein to my diet at the suggestion of a friend and low and behold I started losing some weight! That is it! I just needed more protein!!

I read a book early on that really was an inspiration to me. It is called Younger Next Year. If you haven't read it you must get it and read it immediately and if you are over 30 definitely do not delay!!
This amazing books talks about the importance of doing daily physical exercise and the impact an active lifestyle has on your life. It is an easy read that is not overwhelming or tedious.

Younger Next Year

I have started reading a book

I have started reading the book "The Compund Effect". So far I am really enjoying it, but what I am really enjoying is the website www.thecompoundeffect.com. There are some great worksheet downloads to help you define your values and goals as well as walking you through the things you are most grateful for. If you have never heard of the book then check it out. I am not very far into it but so far I am finding it an easy read and very thought provoking.

Let me know what you think!

Running Behind on the 60 day challenge

I am running a couple of days behind on the 60 day challenge so I am going to try to play catch up today and tomorrow.

I joined a weightloss online group awhile ago and hadn't done much with it. Suddenly I have gotten quite a few friends requests so I decided to be a little more active on there. I need all the support and buddies I can get!! The website is www.weightlossbuddy.com and it is totally free. You can find recipes, challenge groups, and teams of people with similar interests. If you are looking for something free to help with your weigthloss journey this could be just the thing you have been looking for.

Make sure to send me a buddy request when you sign up here is my profile page http://www.weightlossbuddy.com//profile_other.aspx?id=103323&name=Ally70  When you send me a request let me know that you follow my blog, just because it would be fun to know if anyone is reading my posts!

Summer Fitness goals

Oklahoma has been having some crazy weather this week which has thrown my workouts off a little for some reason. Having some time off from the kids extracurricular activities is also making a little lazy. It has been nice to not be so insanely busy though!

How do you stay focused on your fitness goals when your routine is turned upside down? After next week our schedule will be all changed up for the Summer. I am having to look at my workout schedule and make some changes to it as well. I am having a hard time trying to figure out what I am going to do when. I know that I am going to have to give up my Tuesday and Thursday water aerobics class which I will probably replace with some weightlifting. I have also been trying to come up with some fun fitness related activities that my kids and I can do together. Hiking is at the top of the list and I think I would like to do some trail runs as well. We will definitely get some swimming in.

I would really like to hear from others on their plans for Summer fitness. Please leave me some comments and let me know what you are doing to get or stay fit this Summer!

Staying Active

I have found that keeping myself active is easier when I am committed to other people. I clog, yep I have started clogging again. I spent the last school year teaching clogging to a group of kids and had a blast. I even had a few adults that started taking class, but in the end it was just my oldest daughter and I that clogged in recital. This is a picture of me and some tappers (not to be confused with clogging) who also happen to be some of my gymnasts taken backstage at recital.
And yes I coach gymnastics. I have two kids Jessica and Daniel that are slightly addicted to flinging their bodies around in the air so I have to support their habit somehow.

Gymnastics keeps me moving and lifting, and throwing kids around several hours a week. Good workout? Yep, I think so! Staying active isn't that hard when you just work to keep up with your kids and they can sure give a good workout! We went hiking in the Wichita Mountains and even the grandkids were giving me a run for my money.



Recently two of my daughters and I did a Color Me Rad run. That was a lot of fun and just fueled my addiction to 5k runs.


Oh I guess I should add that I dance because I have a dancer in the family. She is the blonde one on the left.


I set out on an adventure to get myself in shape and I am finding little things everyday that keep me moving above and beyond my workouts. The process so far has been very slow but at least it is steady not to mention fun!

60 Day Blog Challenge

I heard about a challenge yesterday and thought I would have a stab at it! This is post number 1 out of 60. I really like the idea of blogging as a way of journaling my adventures and sharing thoughts and ideas, but I have had a hard time staying committed to it. I guess technology stills scares me a little! This is the perfect time to get started on being more committed to my blog. The Village Green Network issued the 60 day blog challenge so I went and registered with them and now I am blogging my life away! Please leave me comments and be sure to check out the other blogs in the Village Green Network. And do be patient with me as I learn how to make my blog really cool!

Today was the big day!! Back in November we signed up for a Dirty Girl Mud Run and the day finally came! We woke up early and got on the road by 6 am, got lost on the way up, then passed the park, got signed in and then the fun began!! Once all 9 of the team members gathered I think we all got excited and the lack of sleep from the night before was no longer on anyone's mind!

This was a 5k with obstacles. Some of us were ready to run, some us walked, but we all had a great time. Our first obstacle didn't look like much from the start line but when we got up to it we all got a little worried. Little did we know there was more where that came from.

This one was scary for me because it was closed in. Luckily it was short and wet and muddy and very cold!

Then there was the mountains and valleys. Unfortunately this area wasn't too muddy!

There was the really tall cargo net mountain that really tested my courage when it comes to heights. I was walking alone when I got to it and a perfect stranger talked me over it! That one was scary!!

Mud Fight!!

I think this wall was more difficult than the huge cargo net mountain to climb physically.

Under the net in the mud!! Did I say there was LOTS of mud?

Waist Deep mud and water!

Finish line in sight--it just didn't seem right to walk so we ran!!

The aftermath!! Shawna had already cleaned up (we were slow). Jocelyn  (in purple) is our cancer survivor! Wish she was old enough to do the course with us!!

The best part of the whole day was watching my youngest daughter and my second daughter just go wholehearted and finish together (long before me) and then seeing my oldest and third daughter stay together when the third could have lapped us all! Gotta love playing with your kids!

The Lim girls!!!!

I can't forget my sister in law who stayed with us slow pokes the whole time!! I have to agree with her on the whole adventure. It really was nice to walk and enjoy the outdoors. We weren't timed, so there was no stress to move fast! 

I accomplished what I set out to do! I made it over, through and under ALL the obstacles!! I feel like superwoman! What an awesome experience!