31 days HS Encouragement - Body - Healthy mom

 I'm eating my vegetables and working to take better care of my body - so that I can feel better,  be an example to my children, take better care of my family, and because my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 

I'm not focused on loosing weight so much as on improving my health. Although, that will be an added bonus! 

If you need inspiration in that area - you can check out my weekly posts here. There you will also find links and information to the other 18 bloggers participating to get fit.


 Read 10 ways to get more exercise here.  As homeschool Moms - we are "on" pretty much 24/7. If we aren't staying on top of our own health - things can go from bad to worse extremely quickly. 

Over the past few weeks - I've been changing my eating habits. A little at a time. One step at a time. Moving closer to a healthier me. In my research - I found this site where Lisa @100 Days of Real Food has broken down such a large challenge into 14 steps.  

I'm taking advantage of my new found vigor to eat healthy and exercise and incorporating it into our homeschool. It's the perfect opportunity to teach the boys more about health and nutrition. They are learning to take care of the body God gave them. 

I've found a decent site for kids to learn called Nutrition Activities for Kids - free downloads, games and more. Guidelines from the Mayo Clinic here. Our favorite, thus far is called Nutrition Interative.  

I've struggled with my health for the past 10 years, and have been homeschooling for 7 of those years. When you are not at your best, it's easy to slip into a depressed state. We've all heard of the proverbial "haggard housewife". There's a reason for that old adage.

 It happens a lot! And it's easy to slip into when you are fighting chronic pain. 

One of the "rules" I've made for myself to combat having my boys sit down to school with the creature from the black lagoon - is to go through a quick routine. It consists of face washing, hair fixing (read: quick pony tail), dressing in real clothes, and the secret weapons - lipstick and a touch of mascara! It takes all of 10 minutes to pull myself together this way; but it sets a tone for the day and shows my boys that I care about how I present myself, even to them at home. 

This week has been a rainy week. That raises my pain levels. When the pain is worse, it becomes more difficult to do the exercising and to eat right. It makes me want to reach for sugar. It keeps me from moving my body. What I'm telling you is - it was a lousy week - I didn't do so well. I have, however been drinking more water. 
We are planning and cooking our meals at home and using more whole foods. I'll take those small victories. 

This is a new day - and I am determined to do better. I need to get healthier in order to be a better mom, and to lead a better homeschool schedule. Will you pray for me this week? 

How can I pray for you? Are you a homeschool mom suffering with a chronic illness? 

 visit the other Healthy Mom bloggers for inspiration and encouragement 
on getting fit - for you, for your family, for God. 

also linking with: Miscellany Monday  Better Mom  Modest Mom  God Bumps Welcome Home  The Wellspring

Enjoy these other Healthy Mom posts- feel free to link one up:

Kids in the Kitchen - Link Up #34 - (semi) Homemade Pizza

Linking with my girl Carrie @YoungLivingOilLady - to bring you this recipe link up each week - Kids in the Kitchen - is all about encouraging families to cook and eat together.

We hope you'll spend some time in the kitchen with the family this week. Food cooked with love is healthier  -  people who eat it are happier.

We encourage you to use REAL food - colorful is good. Fresh is best - but treats are good too.

Kids in the Kitchen is part of our homeschool curriculum. The boys are learning to plan and create nutritious meals - budget shopping for the family - kitchen safety and more.

This week at our house: 

Pizza night 

My plan was to grind spelt berries - add ground flax seed - use coconut oil and make homemade pizza dough that would knock your socks off. Uh, that didn't happen. Fortunately, Publix (and plenty of other grocery stores) carry some pretty decent pre-made pizza dough. It's not so "good for you" but it is good. Sometimes a Mama's gotta do what a Mamma's gotta do. 

And, sometimes Daddy's get to help too. Daddy has a few great cooking techniques up his sleeve. 

Make pizza night healthier in other ways too - add fresh veggies for toppings, less fat cheese, fresh herbs and organic sauce or even homemade sauce from organic ingredients. We didn't have any of that stuff. I did ask the boys for their ideas on how to make this a healthier meal - so it was a lesson in "what not to do".  It was a straight up - junk food night at the Becton's. We may even top it off with ice cream! 

Maybe we should eat some carrots first . . . . 

How do you make pizza night healthier? Any tips?

Join the Moms of Masterbooks Facebook Party - Tues. 8 CT 

Sharing recipes and book information - click on the Moms of MB button to learn more about the "Already Gone" theme - *hint -we are sharing recipes that are so yummy they are already . . . . 

                         Click the blue button to go and join the fun at the facebook party! 

I'm linking with these fine blogs: Comfy in the Kitchen  Shrinking Kitchen Titus 2 Tues I heart Naptime Nourishing Treasures  The Better Mom  Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling Food Renegade Try New Recipe   Happy LiL Hearts    AmamasStory ManicMondays Hip Homeschool Hop  Creative Mondays

Link up your family recipes - Grab a button from below or from my side bar- visit each other and Pin away - Let's encourage families to spend time together in the kitchen - sharing is good:

Kids in the Kitchen - Link Up #33 - Kitchen skills and nutrition

I'm joining forces each week with my friend Carrie @YoungLivingOilLady to bring you this family friendly recipe link up. No kids required in your pictures - just great recipes to encourage families to spend time in the kitchen cooking and eating together - or tips for teaching kiddos about cooking and nutrition. 

 We strive to bring you healthy recipes with REAL food! 

This Week: 

Taco Night is always a big hit at our house! It is a bit of a cheat when we use shells out of a box - but we also use fresh corn tortillas when we can. The boys get excited about taco night - and it's possible you've seen it here on the blog before! 

When cooking with kids one of the most important things to remember is to find age appropriate jobs that they can do. As they practice these skills - their confidence will grow as will their abilities in the kitchen. 

Little ones can grate cheese, and even slice onions! We use a table knife - I chop it in quarters and then let them take over to chop into small pieces for the tacos or casseroles. 

Be sure to supervise kids closely while they master their kitchen tasks. 

 

Ripping up lettuce and other veggies is a great way for children to participate! We don't have any fun or allow any silliness in the kitchen at all. That would just be silly! Silly. silly. 

Big kids can do bigger work - our 11 year old mans the stove top to stir up taco meat as it browns. We are super careful when handling raw meat in the kitchen. It is also an opportunity to teach the boys about bacteria and food born illness. We clean counters, hands, and any kitchen tools immediately after coming in contact with raw meat and throw wash rags straight into the washer. 

Whether you use fresh corn tortillas, or boxed crunchy tacos - you'll want to choose taco seasoning that is free from MSG and use products with as few ingredients in them as possible. Fresh and organic is best! 

Learning about nutrition - we use our time in the kitchen to talk about what makes a healthy body. We talk about the foods we eat and plan other meals. The more we dialogue about it - the more the boys are becoming interested in finding out more about what is and is not good for them. 

How are you teaching kids to be healthy? 

I'm linking with these fine blogs: Comfy in the Kitchen  Shrinking Kitchen Titus 2 Tues
I heart Naptime Nourishing Treasures  The Better Mom  Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling Food Renegade Try New Recipe   Happy LiL Hearts   Hip Homeschool Hop  Creative Mondays

Grab the button from below or with code on the side bar - or use a text link to link up! 

Please be sure to visit other blogs - pin and share recipes - Find me here on Pinterest  -I've been pinning your recipes to the Kids in the Kitchen board and sharing on facebook and twitter!