I finally hit my 10% Milestone in my weightloss journey!! #WW #weighloss #gettingskinny

Pin It Now!   WOW! It feels so good to finally accomplish this big goal that I set way back in January. My 10% was to lose 27 lbs and I would have probably hit it a month ago but I got sick and it set everything back a bit. In the past I would have let my setback stop me and I would have just quit and gave up. Not this time, this Momma has this!! I needed to lose -3.4 lbs this week to meet this goal and I ended up -3.5 lbs down so I squeaked by with the skin of my teeth. I was so excited. Here is my keychain I earned by making this goal with Weight Watchers, along with my -25 lb charm and my 16 week stay and succeed that I earned a few weeks ago.

It has been a while since I posted some updated pics so here are my 10% -27lb photos.

One thing I find myself having to do as I go down in sizes for shirts is having to layer as the shirts are too short for my liking, so I either throw a tank top underneath like in the above photos, or I am going to start using my new favorite find.

They can be worn so it makes your shirt longer or on top to cover your cleavage with low cut tops to maintain a more modest appearance. I found them on clearance at Meijer for just over $7 so decided to take the plunge, I am going to go get some more and in a smaller size when we get paid this week. 

I did my monthly measurements and I was down again.... 

from April 15 - May 16 I was down -5 inches in my bust,-1 inch in my waist and -1 inch in my hips. for a total monthly inches lost in just those 3 areas of -7 inches.

My 3 month total inches lost is -9 inches lost in my bust, -10 inches in my waist, and -6 inches in my hips, for a Grand Total of -25 inches lost in just those 3 areas.

I also lost a total of -20 lbs in those 3 months. 

I cannot stress how much energy I have and how motivated I am to keep going on this journey. Sure there are days when I do not feel like exercising and may take a break but the next day I get up and get moving. I find now that I actually crave exercise and feel deprived when I cannot get out and walk or my new hobby run(yes I said run) I love how it makes me feel. Now I cannot hardly run as far as I can walk, but it is a work in progress. I am hoping by fall I will be able to Run the entire 5K that I am going to be signing up for. Hoping for a color run of some sort but we will see. I just subscribed to Runner's World Magazine thanks to the motivation from my friend Sarah. I went out and bought the current issue, since the cover was all about color runs. I just could not wait the 4-6 weeks for my first subscription issue to come, I also ordered a couple books from the same company. Those should be here this week. 

I ended up having to order a new charger for my iPod Shuffle since mine got dropped out of my laptop bag and eaten by one of the dogs. UGH. I ordered it from Amazon with a gift card I had and it was only $2.84 with free shipping, it should be here this week and I still have some money left on my gift card so I am on the hunt for what I might need or want next. I really want a pair of under armour running shoes but I will have to save my pennies for them. 

WOMEN’S CHARGE RC 2
RUNNING SHOE

photo from www.Underarmour.com

I bought the cutest little piggy bank for all of my spare change it is actually a magnet, I found it at the thrift shop up at camp and I could not resist for only $.60 I just had to have it. I also got a cute pair of Capris that are my new clothing goal. They are a size 12 and I hope to wear them by at least the Fall before the weather turns cold. 

I did get a new pair of red tennis shoes to add to my collection while we were away at camp, they were a birthday gift to myself. Did I mention I am now 37, Yikes I am getting old, but you know what I feel younger than I have in years. It is amazing when you eat healthy and exercise regularly you feel younger, who would have thunk it?

Here are my new shoes....

I have been searching for Red shoes that were not an arm and a leg and I finally found them, they were on sale for $14.99 that price I can handle, because like Alyx keeps reminding me, I NEED another pair of tennis shoes like I need a hole in my head, Gee I think I may have said something similar to him when he wanted a new pocket knife?? It always comes back to bite me!

Well I think that is all the news I have to share this week, I am hoping and praying for a -2.9 lb loss this week at the scales to get me to that -30 lb weightloss Mark and then It will be onto making new weightloss goals.  Have you reached a major weightloss milestone recently?? 

I would love to hear your goals and achievements please share and I will help you reach them by cheering you on. 

Never too early to Prepare your Homeschool High School Student for College(College Prep Genius) Schoolhouse Review Crew Review 2013 #hsreviews

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These days there is a buzz in our house and topic always seems to fall on College, Nick is going into his Senior year in a few weeks, Yikes I will be a Mom of a Senior, how in the world did that happen and when? Alyx is starting his Sophomore year and my baby, Taylor he is going to be a Freshman, I will be officially a Mom of ALL High School students in a few short weeks. How are we preparing, well before I was offered this review we were stumbling around a bit, but then I was sent HIGH SCHOOL PREP GENIUS; An academic Guide to Excellence from College Prep Genius. 

Now this is no tiny book, it is a glossy 440 page paperback that is overflowing with information on how to successfully plan for college, even while you are in High School or even Middle School. Now High School students can do this on their own with parental guidance but younger students that are in Middle School, the parent will have to be more hands on or work on some of it for their children, although I still see it as a valuable resource even at those younger levels. 

High School Prep Genius is a tool to help parents and students navigate through all the prep work that is needed to insure a healthy, easy transition to college. Giving you all the tools to be successful in an organized fashion. Packed into 18 chapters you will be given information,explanations and guidance all for $29.95. You are given all the instructions on how to create a college and career notebook and how to organize it as well. This will follow student timelines from 9th to 12th grade and then continues on with how to lay foundations for the student to accomplish personal successes with both college and life. 

There are topics that are covered such as personal development, living a healthy lifestyle and being physically fit, building and maintaining a support system and lastly gaining financial independence. 

There are like I said 18 chapters, some of the topics  in these are test taking, academic development, being organized and going beyond the basics are covered in the section titled Foundation for Academic Success. There was another section that was called, Foundation for Future Success and had chapters covering preparing for standardized tests such as the SAT, choosing your school(something we are going through currently with Nick), and completing the college applications and paying for school as well. There is so much more to discover in this book, we have been working on it once a week and using it as an elective so we have not covered everything with the boys yet, Although I did go through the book on my own to see what we would need and what would be expected of the boys. The main tools needed to complete this book is a notebook or in our case we used a 3 ring binder. Of course you will need pens and pencils and we used a highlighter as well. You will need information for certain sections like the transcripts. Other than that there is no need to run out and buy anything to go along with this, you open the book and begin. 

There are many other supplemental topics such as recommended High School reading, talent search tips, definitions of common terms used in college admissions and how to relax and reduce test anxiety which is a big problem in our younger boys due to their Asperger's Syndrome, I am hoping some of these tips will be successful for them as they are nearing the age to take tests such as the ACT and PSAT and then onto the SAT.

The most beneficial information that I as a homeschool parent got out of this was how to build my boys' homeschool transcripts this has been something I have been worrying about for while, now I can rest easy as there are easy to follow steps to complete it with ease. 

Now my boys would tell you this is not the most fun they have had with a review item, but they did feel it was useful and important and want to finish it up in the Fall, but begged me to not make them work on it this Summer, as our Summer is reserved for FUN topics and studies and review periods only, but we will be starting back once a week as a elective again in September. My opinion is this is a must have for any family that is beginning High School or beyond, or even Middle School to help them navigate the sea of information that is needed to weed through to get to College and for their kids to feel comfortable heading off to college and beyond in their Adult Life. I am glad my boys take this seriously and I wish growing up I would have had this valuable tool to help me navigate college and life beyond, I may have fared better than I did. So be sure to check out College Prep Genius and all they have to offer, but especially High School Prep Genius, you can thank me later... Also be sure to click on the banner below and check out all of the reviews from the crew for High School Prep Genius. 

Wordless Wednesday Bad weather loomed the day of the MS Walk

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Spanish For You:Fiestas Schoolhouse Review Crew Review 2013 #hsreviews

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        Taylor loves studying foreign languages, Spanish seems to always pop up in conversation, but we have struggled to find a fun easy to follow program, most are dry and that does not hold Taylor's interest. I want him to like Spanish because that is what we are studying for High School starting in the Fall. So I was intrigued when we were offered the opportunity to review Spanish for You!  We had the two options to choose from Fiestas (celebrations) and Estaciones(seasons), you see Spanish for You! is different than other Spanish programs available as they are not separated by grade level they are defined by themes! We love a great party so of course we picked Fiestas. Our choice focuses on celebrations like Birthdays and Day of the Dead and so much more. There is also a 3rd choice that is available in a trial form for 4-6 weeks with the final product coming out in June, this will focus on Travel. 

Geared for students in grades 3-8, Taylor falls in the top of this age range as he is just finishing 8th grade. The other plus with this program is that it is suited to teach multiple age ranges at once. Now obviously I did not use that option since I only had Taylor using it, but I know many families that would personally benefit from this aspect. In our package of Fiestas we received soft cover book, and multiple downloadable items, like worksheets, answer keys, audio files and lesson guides. The complete package sells for $64.95 and includes all items needed for all age groups and are separated as 3-4,5-6,7-8, if you only needed a specific age range you can purchase those individually for $34.95. Had I been buying it myself I would have gone that route to be economical since I do not have any more kids that will be utilizing this program in the future. You also have the option to purchase additional soft cover books for $12.95, the lesson guides, worksheets and audio are all downloaded content. 

This is designed as a full year program using it as scheduled 4 days per week, there is wiggle room to do a bit less and use it only 3 days per week and just adjust the schedule. Although you still have to work in order to have positive results. The lesson guides are broken down into weeks, 24 weeks for our grade range of 7-8 and this also applied to 5-6 but for younger kids in 3-4 this would run 30 weeks. The weekly lessons are then broken down into 4 lessons per week.

Each day we Taylor started out by listening to the audio file for the days work. He then practiced and recited the words over and over. He then wrote the English word and it's translation out in a notebook. He then moved onto making them into flashcards so he could study them upstairs. After this he preceded to complete the worksheets. These are considered self checking, I find this does not work with Taylor is too tempted to peek at the answers, so I printed them with the answers on a separate sheet, this seemed to work better. I printed only a weeks worth out a time to avoid confusion as they are not labeled with page numbers and this could lead to frustration for both Taylor and I. There are just the Spanish Title at the top of the worksheets, it is not too complicated but might get overwhelming if you had more than a few to deal with. I thought about it after the fact and if you printed them all out at once, which by the way is not an easy process as each one has to be printed at a time, there is no easy button to just set it to print the whole workbook at once, you could 3-hole punch them and put them in a binder in order and maybe make a separate one for the answer key. I ended up in the end using the answer key to check them instead of having Taylor self check them. This worked better for us, as it was just too tempting for Taylor. He tend to look for the easy way out when he is tired or frustrated. I just wanted to remove the temptation all together. The other fun component is the games that help enforce what is being taught, Taylor would have probably had more fun with this if his brothers were using the same program, he did play a few with Nick who has taken several years of Spanish already but nonetheless if he had younger siblings that were using the same program it may have been more fun. 

Another highlight to note are that there are translations that go in both directions, English to Spanish and Spanish to English. All in all Taylor truly is enjoying this program and is eager to continue on with it and finish it. We are planning a big Fiesta when he finishes the lessons. He is going to choose which Fiesta he wants to showcase for the family, but I have a feeling he is leaning towards the Day of the Dead. He has always been fascinated with that occasion and loves make sugar skulls. 

In closing if you are looking for a fun themed based Spanish unit that has all the components you need then this program is definitely something you should pursue. You can see samples of both Fiestas and Estaciones to get a better feel for the program. The minor inconveniences in no way would sway me from not using the program, they are just that minor inconveniences and do not impair the ability to use the program in the least. My son has truly embraced Spanish with this program and I love that he is incorporating it into his everyday learning. I just hope his love of Spanish continues when we get to High School Spanish. I wish Spanish for You! offered higher level learning, I know we would be purchasing it for sure. I also highly recommend this programming for those of you that have multiple ages you are trying to teach as you use the same text book for all ages the only difference is the worksheets, this would be so much fun to teach to multiple students in different age ranges, I could see where it would be so enjoyable to play the games and talk to each other and practice between siblings. 

As always you can see what the other crew members had to say about Spanish for You! by clicking the banner below.

Banzai Plummet Falls Adventure Slide Water Park Giveaway Event 5/15-6/5 2013 #giveaway #summerfun #waterslide

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When my kids were small these inflatable water slides were just becoming popular, we bought one of course because we wanted to be the coolest parents ever! The only thing was that back then they were just a waterslide, nothing like the Banzai Plummet Falls Adventure Slide Water Park, this thing has it all including the pool. Your house will be the place where all the neighborhood kids will want to hang out this Summer with one of these in your yard. You would be the greatest parent on the face of the planet with your kids if you brought one of these home. You can buy one or you can win one by entering the rafflecopter below.

Welcome to the Summer Adventure Event featuring Banzai Plummet Falls Adventure Slide Water Park Giveaway!

organized by: Mom to Bed by 8

Special thank you to our co-hosts: Celebrate Woman Today, Capri's Coupons, Jack of all trades, Master of Mom and The Nurse Mommy.

The Plummet Falls water slide/pool allows kids to plummet down the Banzai waterslide, refresh in the splash pool and get drenched in the falls, all without leaving the backyard. This water slide park comes with everything you need for hours of summertime fun.

One lucky winner will receive a Banzai Plummet Falls Adventure Slide Water Park!

Giveaway ends June 5th at 11:59pm, open US, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Fresh Start Academy Homeschool is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Please contact teri@mompoweredmedia.com with questions or to see your business or blog featured on the next big event!

I WALKED the MS Walk in Frankenmuth this year.... #MS #walkMS

Pin It Now! I WALKED the 25th Annual MS Walk in Frankenmuth,MI this year on May 11,2013...

   You may ask yourself why this is such a big deal, people do these walks all the time? Well here is my answer. For the first time since I was diagnosed with MS almost 7 years ago, I was able to walk without any assistance, the first year I was diagnosed I was the Walk Ambassador at the location we chose to "walk". I wanted to use my power wheelchair, but the battery decided to act up at the very beginning but I was determined to cross that finish line. With my family beside me I walked ever so slowly the 2.5 miles, foot drop and all, with my loft strand crutches. I had not gotten my double leg braces yet and it was to say the least a challenge but I did it, paid dearly for days after but I did it. Did I feel accomplished, a little but more worn out than anything. The next couple years I chose to volunteer instead, whether it was cheering at the finish line or helping register walkers at check in. The last couple years I did not even go as I was frustrated, you see I was well to a point was still not healthy enough to walk the walk. I was still dependent on my power scooter for long distances. You see when I was Diagnosed years ago I went through a ton of ups and downs, power wheelchair for daily living, a walker with wheels and a seat for when I needed to sit and rest, double leg braces and loft strand crutches to a cane and a power scooter when needed.

   Lots of medication and many hours of both physical therapy and counseling and I am today the healthiest I have been in over 8 years. Now to say I am symptom free would be I would be lying. I still have symptoms from my MS that effect my life everyday, but they do not stop me from living or being active. I want to keep moving I do not want my MS to stop me. I still take meds everyday but have been able to cut down on some of them and stop some altogether. I contribute much of this to my new healthier lifestyle. I believe deep down that much of the JUNK in our foods was not helping my battle with MS and may have even caused my dormant MS to come alive back when I was just 30 years old. I was the Mom of 3 young and active boys, but I could not walk from the kitchen to the bathroom without falling over. I could not hold a glass without shaking and spilling my drink all over myself. To say it caused me to be depressed would be an understatement. I had a choice back then. Accept it or Fight it. I chose to Fight it. What I did not know back then was there was a whole lot more to it than just wanting to fight this Monster that is called MS. I needed to find my place in this world. I needed to find Faith!! I needed to get right with GOD ! The problem is that was not all. I have learned so much on this journey and this year I think I have found the missing component to my wellness.

  You see over the years of being sick I let it be my excuse to why I have gained a ton of weight. Not really an excuse I really could not be active, and I still have limitations especially with Summer heat coming,(MS(my MS) and hot weather are not friends) but I am not going to let it stop me there are other ways to be active, inside at the GYM or in the POOL. I just wasn't smart enough back then. The other thing was I was still putting lots of that JUNK they call food into my body. Well since starting my weightloss journey this year I have eliminated lots of that JUNK from my eating and I am so much healthier. I have learned what triggers certain symptoms and I know to stay away from them. Not only am I healthier for it but my family is too.

   So in preparation for the MS Walk this year I have been walking several days a week to know I could do it. So on Saturday Alyx and I set out on a chilly morning here in MI  and went and walked  the walk was 3.79 miles from start to finish and even with stopping at all the stop lights to cross the city streets and walking with a crowd of over 1000 walkers we finished that walk in 1 hour and 37 minutes. You know what? We did not even stop there, after we ate lunch at the party afterwards we went to the outlet mall and walked there too. When I got home that night I plugged my BodyMedia in and I had walked more steps that day than I ever had I beat my best which was just over 12000 by over 4000. My total steps for Saturday were 15788. Now some of you might not think that is much, but for someone who could not walk 100 steps in one day 7 years ago that is HUGE. If you live with any kind of chronic illness you will understand how HUGE that is...
 

   I amaze myself everyday with what I can now accomplish, but I also do not take it for granted as I know one day I could wake up and that could all be gone in a blink of an eye. This is why this walk this year was so important to me. I did it with no assistance of any kind and I may be able to do it again next year and then again I may not. There are no guarantees for me, MS can rob me of my ability to walk anytime it sees fit. So I can say I accomplished this and I can cross it off my bucket list. I can say I did it. I may never be able to say that again. With God's Grace I hope I can but if it doesn't happen at least I have no regrets. It was sobering, when a Mom walked up behind me and grabbed my arm and asked how long I had been DX with MS. Her son had just been dx last year and he was not handling it well. I walked and talked to her for over 2 miles, letting her know with FAITH he could get better but it takes so much more than that. I told her I had been where he was and I know it is hard. She hugged me and thanked me and told God to bless me. It was sobering to see so many start off walking and shortly after be rescued by a wheelchair pushing family member standing by or the golf cart that was riding along side of us just in case you need a lift back. It was sobering the amount of people not able to walk at all, riding the whole way or not there at all because they are now bed ridden. This MONSTER called MS robs each of us that carries the DX of the freedom to know tomorrow will be just like today. Walking helps us get one step closer to a cure. There are so many people that are DX everyday with this horrible monster even a little boy as young as 3 that lives here in MI. The youngest to ever be stricken with the MS MONSTER. There is nobody to compare him to, there is no research to help reassure his Mom. God willing I will walk again next year, won't you walk with me?? Help find a cure for MS. Simply by walking...

Papa's Pearls Schoolhouse Review Crew Review 2013 #hsreviews

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   As my children are getting older I often wonder what kind of adults they will turn out to be, what kind of Father they will be? I am already on the hunt for things to pass on to them as they become grown men and Father's and items that will be valuable to pass onto my grandchildren, Yes I think ahead! So I was especially intrigued with the opportunity to review Papa's Pearls: A Father's Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren.

                             
  Diane Flynn Keith is the author of Papa's Pearls: A Father's Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren. She is an educational specialist that focuses on helping parents navigate through alternative education, teaching outside the confines of 4 walls. She has written several books, including Carschooling, Unschool Your Teen, and an email subscription of Clickschooling. Diane has a vast array of information on her Homefires website available for newly homeschooling families that are in need of a helping hand to get started all the way to Veteran homeschoolers that may just need a boost or a new direction to get over that homeschool slump.
Papa's Pearls is her newest addition to her collection of writings.

    Papa's Pearls is a short, 112 page read that I easily read from cover to cover in the course of a couple evenings curled up in front of my fire place. It was a very uplifting motivational, and inspirational read, it is the type of book that I could read over and over. The book is meant for adults to read and older students. It is suggested that you as a parent read it first and then pick and choose what sections you want to either read with your child or have them read on their own. My boys are older going into 12th,10th and 9th. I think it is a book they should all read and would benefit from. Full of life lessons and pearls of wisdom throughout this book, "Papa" tells of his life difficulties and triumphs all through his journey of life. Going through eras like World War II and The Great Depression, these are areas we have been studying and I think would be an asset for my boys to hear about real life experiences in a more personal nature such as this book.

   The book starts by telling of Papa's childhood, tells what his family was like and told of the path he takes as he moves into young adulthood. As the book moves chapter by chapter, you are drawn into what types of events he lived through and how his life evolved into as he became an adult. Diane shares in the book different bits that her father used to say to her such as "Everyone deserves a second chance, (one of my favorites that I truly believe in) and also "Tell yourself you like it", there are other good one's but I want to leave you something to find when you read it yourself.

    Each chapter highlights different "pearls of Papa's wisdom, after showcasing his life and life attitudes. Papa believed you should treat others the way you want to be treated. If more people chose to live life with this philosophy we might be better off for it, this world would be a nicer place to live. Unfortunately people like Papa are few and far between. However once in a while I run into  one of them and it gives me a glimmer of hope. People of today's and yesterday's generations do not always show kindness and compassion like Papa and the people of his generation were taught to. I think all parents need to read this book and then either read it to their kids or have their kids read it. I am hoping it will spark something in all people young or not and restore a faith and kindness that seems to be lacking these days and ages.

   This is a book I would classify as a valuable asset to any library but also a GIFT book, you know when you need to buy that hard to shop for person a gift? This is it, For the new Daddy at the Baby Shower, a Graduation gift, a wedding shower gift with a gift card or money. The possibilities are endless and the people that this would touch are countless. I cannot think of one person that would not enjoy or benefit from this delightful book. I cannot wait for my kids to each get a chance to read this and then we are all going to sit and talk about what we personally gained from the experience of reading it. I think everyone who turns the pages of this book will pull something different out of it, define their favorite as different than the person sitting next to them. I personally love books like this, I love to read them over and over and gain something different each time I read it.

  I simply cannot say enough about it, you are just going to have to buy it and read it for yourself and then try to put into words your personal experience of it. I bet it won't be as easy as you think. I challenge you with this buy this book but don't just buy one, get one for you and your family, and one to give as a gift. After reading this you will feel so motivated after you read this to be a better person, now do not get me wrong I am not saying anyone is a bad person, but I do feel everyone can be better than they are today and make a difference in the lives of others. I know myself I am going to make a point to make a difference no matter how small in the life of someone each day. If we all did this the world would change one gradual step at a time and we all would feel so much happier inside and out.

An autographed copy of Papa’s Pearls: A Father’s Gift of Love and Wisdom to His Children and Grandchildren is available through Homefires for $21.97, which includes shipping, the book itself is $14.97 and then $7.00 for S&H. The book is also available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle edition.  As always be sure to hop on over to the other crew member's blogs that had the opportunity to review Papa's Pearls. You can do this easily by clicking the banner below.