Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Things I Learned in August

*moving is hard. emotions and struggles hit at random moments, sometimes simply feeling a sadness, other times something reminding you of "home" so suddenly you can't breathe. My oldest had a couple of days where she simply felt sad and wanted to cry a lot. I understand, sweet girl, I understand.

*Faith Home School Tutorial has been a huge blessing to our family. The two big kids go to the tutorial twice a week in the mornings. Their teachers cover English, Science, Art and Math (G only), and at home we work on assignments, handwriting, history and spelling. This structured classroom setting challenges my kids--and that is SUCH a good thing! 

*Moody Sisters-- I've talked about Moody Sisters before, but I tried their new eyeliner in August and it is fantastic, with intense pigmentation that is creamy and smooth without smearing.  They have new powder foundation and liquid foundation (can I buy everything??), and their new scents are fabulous (I love the new lavender citrus scent).  If you have never purchased anything from Moody Sisters, you can use the code LFINN to receive 10% off. Trust me, you'll like it!!

*starting fresh is good. After months of prepping our house to sell, selling our house, moving to another state and settling in, Nathan and I needed a major reset to our eating habits.  We started the 21 Day Fix in August, and couldn't be more pleased with the results.  The 21 Day Fix is an eating plan with accompanying workouts that is produced by Team BeachBody. No calorie counting, and no cutting out everything you love--it's simply eating clean, whole foods in appropriate portions, and exercising daily. I followed the 21 Day Fix workout videos (7 days of different exercises), and Nathan used cardio equipment at the gym. We also drank Shakeology drinks most of the time as part of the Fix. Shakeology is a protein drink that is packed with super foods, vitamins and nothing artificial. True confession: it took me a little while to adjust to the taste, but we like it now:-) Most importantly, as a family we want to be good stewards of the bodies we have been given, and eating more vegetables and fewer carbs is the best way for us to do that! I'd be happy to answer questions you might have about this, or you can poke around this website.

*my oldest boy made a huge jump in reading in August. He went from reading a little bit, as needed, but not motivated or enjoying it--- to TEARING through books now. Baxter is reading chapter books with ease, and is so proud to show us when he finishes. His current favorites are Magic Tree House books, Magic School Bus books, and Lego or Marvel graphic novels (the kid versions, I promise). I often find him walking around with his nose in a book, and I love it (though sometimes I've given him instructions to do something else:-).

*speaking of books, Journey by Aaron Becker is a new discovery. It is delightful picture book that will capture your heart and imagination. It is spellbinding, which is a high praise considering that it contains no words. Don't worry-- you will be able to tell the story, and it will captivate you!

The author/illustrator has recently released a sequel called Quest. We just checked it out from the library this week and have already read it several times!


*I leave you with a few fun pictures from August. Thanks for checking out what I've learned recently!












**Affiliate links are included, but all opinions are my own.**

1 comment:

Tara said...

So glad to read an update! We miss the Finns! Looking forward to seeing you next month!!!