Little Okie Homestead

So what do you do when your husband isn't supporting you on your health journey? Do you tell him to suck it up? Do you give up and just keep going with whatever makes him happy? Do you try and rearrange your schedule to make it more comfortable for him?  I think it is a combination of them all.  See I have been working out now for several months but just recently I've really hit it hard when I finally found my want to . In the last 3 weeks I have been working out 5 to 6 times a week at night after everyone is in bed. During those 3 weeks my husband has been working 12+ hour days 6 to 7 days a week so we haven't seen each other much. It's been a bit crazy and he misses us. So I can't blame him when he's not thrilled to see me heading to the gym again. But I have to! I have to keep going! I only have 51 pounds to lose and I think I can do that in 6 months if I just stick to it and work really hard. If I can accomplish my goal in 6 months that isn'...

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered if it could do better than what it is? Have you ever wondered as a homemaker if that is all your life was going to be? Although I have never felt the latter I do wonder if cleaning house is all my life will consist of. I know that isn't true because I have one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. I know that nothing else can compare to my job in raising children to be wonderful, caring, adults that seek to do the best they can do in their lives. So even though I do know this,  there are times during the day when I'm cleaning the kitchen yet again or disciplining one of my boys for 5th time that day for the same thing, that I get discouraged and question what I'm doing. All I need is a little perspective! The Noticer by Andy Anderson has so many examples of gaining new perspective in many situations. It's a very uplifting book that also makes you think about your life. It has many great stories and many wonderful...

Yes I'm proud to say my want to has not faded! I still want to work out! I still want to eat healthier options! And I am learning to love cooking new recipes! I love that my want to wasn't just a fly by the night experience! I have consistently been working out 5 to 6 times a week. I'm eating health the majority of the time and I'm seeing results! The results are small but they are still changes! This last week I lost 1.6 pounds and 1/2 inch from my waist! I'm super excited! Now I just need to keep it up through next week and make workouts priority even through the holidays. My favorite quote is this... I'm going to continue on this path and start a new challenge I will share with you later on January 6th! I can't wait to see the changes that are in my future!

I finally got it! I finally found the right mindset for getting healthy! I have been back and forth on my workouts and no excuses either. I just haven't had my heart into it. I'd go and workout but not give it my all. I'd half way eat right but still give into temptation way to often. And I'm paying for it! No Changes! It's really a bummer because I have been working out now for several months and I could have been much happier this holiday season by wearing some of my favorite winter clothes but instead here I am back at my starting weight. See I was starting to get more into it and starting to think about caring a little bit more and then we got hit with a cold! A coughing cold nonetheless which makes working out nearly impossible. So I'm in the middle of my 4th week with this stupid cold and it's almost gone but just feel like lingering a little longer. During the first 3 weeks of the cold I didn't workout and I gave into almost every cravin...

I LOVE Christmas! I love the decorations, the baking smells, and thinking about how to make Christmas special for my family and friends. There are many things that are great about Christmas but in our world today we also get swept up in the shopping of presents. Giving is a great thing to do and very much apart of the season but I think that you always have to keep a few reminders of the boundaries one should follow around the holiday. First, we don't spoil our boys with gifts! They each get a stocking, this year it will hold a DVD, a clothing item, a small toy and a fruit. Yes a fruit because my hubby always remembers getting an orange in his stocking. They will get their one Santa gift and then a large gift from mom and dad. No giant pile of Christmas presents at our house. They get plenty from grandparents, great grandparents, and aunts and uncle that we have no need to over give in our house. Second, this will be our first year picking a gift for a child that is in...

If your child came to you as told you that they wanted to enter the workforce instead of going to college how would you react? Generally, we would freak out ! Tell them they are making a huge mistake. Insist that they go to school if they live in our houses. But lately I have been changing my opinion on this topic. I went to college and got my associates in Human Services emphasizing in Early Childhood Education and I worked as a pre-K teacher making $10 to $12 an hour. Luckily, for me I did not have school loans so I didn't have an extra bill each month to try and cover with hardly enough money to live on my own. However, now that I'm a homemaker that is going to homeschool and truthfully has no intention on ever returning to the workforce, I feel guilty that my dad paid money for college that I will probably never use again. Now, of course, my field happens to help me everyday because my kids are the age I studied for but I could have easily learned what I ne...

It's been a busy time around here with working out and trying to get school started and getting projects completed for my etsy shop, something had to get pushed aside and the blog is what it was. But here is an update on my fitness progress and maybe I'll be able to come back and write regularly again! So I have some progress to report but I really wish I had better results to share. I still workout with my trainer/friend but 3 days a week has been difficult with fall here because cold weather brings colds into the home and we don't want to share. However, I have another friend that works out with me on the nights I don't workout with her. So I'm proud to say I still am averaging 4 to 5 workouts a week! Strength training is a big part of our workouts because muscle burns more calories, so building muscle is very helpful. The downside is that muscle weighs more than fat so that means I'm not seeing big changes on the scale. It was a bit frustrating for a while ...

Here's my workout plan to keep me going! Trainer Monday, Wednesday, Friday with a full body workout with weights!  Home cardio workout using DVDs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday! Rest Sunday for having such a great workout week! The DVD I'm using right now is Jillian Michaels, Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism! It's a killer workout but quick enough that I can get it done during nap time or early in the morning before my day begins and still have time to shower! I have more of her DVDs and other workout DVDs that I will trade off after a month. I will share what new ones I'm using. Anyone out there not giving up this time? I'd love to hear your story and encourage you along your journey as well! Leave comments with your story or links back to your blog so I can come read. Also follow me on Facebook so we can keep each other encouraged that way too!

That's my new rule! I am not allowed to have anymore excuses! I'm going to achieve my FITNESS GOAL no matter what! I have my motivational phrases up all over the house! I warned the hubby that things might look a little crazy for awhile but I need those constant reminders! I have them on the time and motivation sucker, on the wall by the scale, the wall by the dining room, the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, next to the bed to start my days out right and the silverware drawer (all pictured). But I also have them by the kitchen sink and the computer as well! I'm even thinking of adding some to my car if needed!                                                            I've hired personal trainer /friend to work out with be 3 times a week and to help me with my nutrition needs as well! I have set goals ...

Being a boy mom I knew I was going to be exposed to a culture that I was never immersed in before. I only have a half sister so there wasn't much exposure to the real life of boys growing up. But now my culture has changed and I say things like... ...you just put your face in fart water! ...don't eat your boogers! ...get your hands out of your pants! ...I don't know if Batman can fly without his bat-mobile. These are just the things I can remember at the moment. I know there are more because I catch myself at least once a day thinking, "Did I really just say that?" Yep, life as a boy mom is very different than the pink Barbie land that I grew up in! But I have to say I love being a boy mom! Even though I hope one day my hubby will change his mind and we will try for another and maybe we will a girl. Who says I can't have the best of both worlds? Oh yes...don't forget the fascination with bugs and creepy crawling creatures!

We are in a busy season! It's not surprising that it's this way. We have A LOT going on! We moved and are still unpacking. Hubby is working like crazy before the warm weather goes away and work slows down. Aunt M is in town and visiting for 2 1/2 weeks which means 3 adults and 4 kids in an apartment. Goose turned one. We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary and have a trip planned soon. Then you add in everyday life like cleaning, cooking, entertaining the kids, helping family, etc and I barely have time to sit down much less think about anything extra. So I apologize for no updates and nothing fun coming from me lately. I'm barely staying afloat with everything going on. But... here's an adorable picture of Goose with his birthday cupcake for your viewing pleasure :)

I was emailed this and really felt that it needed to be passed on. Please enjoy this as I'm sure that many moms have felt this way and that we can all use this story for encouragement! It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’ Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??  Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘What number is the Disney Channel?’ I...

Hurry on over to  Building Our Story  and enter to win one of my farmer's market bags from my etsy shop , Forgiven Hooks! Don't miss out!

There are some days, like the one I'm having today, that makes having faith a hard thing to trust in. I have shared before that my hubby doesn't want any more kids and that I do. I have always felt that we would have four kids and I have been counting on God to provide us the kids He wants us to have. Today I took Goose to the hematologist to get his blood checked to find out if he has the same blood disorder as Monkey. With Monkey we knew when he was just a few months old what he had but didn't get the actual diagnosis until he was a year old. With Goose they tested him after birth and everything was fine. He has been developing on track and showing no signs of HS. At Goose's last check up they did a blood draw to test for everything again as a final make sure everything is OK  blood test. Well it came back with some abnormalities. I figured everything was fine that they were just being over cautious and made an appointment with our hematologist. Well that was to...

Its nearing the one year anniversary of the death of someone who I was extremely close with. I'm struggling big time with so many different feelings but mostly sadness and some guilt. There are moments when I just want to break down and cry. There are moments when I'm overtaken with a memory. I can't sleep well, my moods are all over place, and it seems like I can't control much of anything. Then once I start to think about a memory the guilt sets in. It's for so many different things. Not being able to visit more when times were getting bad, Goose missing out on getting to know his grandma, and not being able to get the closure of a final goodbye because I was in the hospital with my new baby. I have never felt these feelings before. I know it is depression at least in a mild form. I have no clue how to handle it. To top it all off the stress of moving and unpacking, the stress of another possible huge change in our family, and then planning Goose's fi...

Monkey is so cute! He just woke up from his nap and told me this... "Mommy my legs kinda hurt. When I sleep and sleep and sleep all the power comes up (while moving his hand from by his legs up to his head) and out of me (which apparently makes his legs hurt) and I think I might need to cuddle for a little bit." Now remember that this is all with a sleepy voice too! It was soooo cute!

Today we attended our first teddy bear picnic! Its a tradition in our town that has been going on for 22 years.  It was fun but it was so hot sitting out in the sun that we had to leave early to head over to the splash park instead. Next year we will bring an umbrella with us! It was nice to pack everything up in bike trailer and head to the park though. Much nicer than taking the car but my legs sure did feel the difference from the extra weight! It was about 60 pounds of kid weight and then the trailer, lunch, drinks, diaper bag, and toys! If I do that daily I'd have killer looking legs! Hope you're having a good day!

Being married to a man who is not a believer can sometimes feel like a bigger mountian than I'm capable of  climbing. I not only need to pray fervently for his salvation but also for the everyday temptations that affect all of our husbands today. There are days where I feel beaten down, unable to be the Lord's light, and often a failure when it comes to this area. I struggle to rememeber to pray and there are days that go by without me talking to God much less a thoughtful prayer for anyone. But then it comes time to put the boys to bed and we do storytime followed by scripture reading.  Then we say our prayers. I pray over each of the boys and then the older 2 chose someone to pray for. This is when we pray for daddy most of the time. Listening to my son chose to pray for daddy again makes me know why Jesus told us to be more like children. And he said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little hildren, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  ...

What a week I have had! It was my first time every going to a homeschool conference! I loved every minute of it! I wish there was more (well in many ways).  I was told over and over again from veteran homeschool moms that I should not attend this conference alone. That it is very overwhelming, especially the first time. Well with my hubby being a exterior contractor this is his busy season and we are lucky if we see him for an hour in the evening much less trying to attend a three day conference. Now if it was in the winter I think he might have enjoyed seeing some of it but instead I invited my mom to come along with me. It was great to have someone there to discuss things with, share the cost on some items (you know grandma's jut can't pass some things up that us mama's have to) and she attended the workshops that I wanted to hear except I currently don't have the ability to be in two places at once.  I learned so much while there the last 3 days an...

It was that time again this year when we headed off to the fishing derby! Everyone had a blast and everyone caught fish! Yes this is the size of the fish we were catching... Everyone caught their own little fish.  Goose's first time seeing a fish out side of our fish tank  Catching his first 'real' fish with Popa!  So proud!  J's first 'real' fish of the season!  Monkey got tired of fishing so he became bait boy!  D's first 'real' fish!  Aunt C found Monkey a snail  Goose spent time hanging out with Daddy!  A's first 'real' fish!  Goose decided this time to really go after the fish. He squeezed his head and thought it was funny!  All 4 with all their fish!  Heading to get the fish measured. Uncle K not only carried the fish but also the little ones.  Then it was time to ride the train!  He had such a good time! All in all the fishing derby ...

to WALK! Mommy is so not ready for this!