This morning Justin, Jocelyn and I got up bright and early, ate breakfast, got dressed and braved the wind and the rain to run the Combat Air Museum 5K in Topeka.
It was a little after 7:45am when we arrived and still dark. I was starting to think that maybe only one of us would be able to run because the other would need to watch Jocelyn with it raining so hard.
To my surprise, even though the wind didn't give us a break, the rain did let-up a little bit.
We bundled Jocelyn up, covered her stroller in a large piggy blanket that was given to her when she was in the NICU and prepared for the race. I wish I would've gotten a picture. It was pretty cute. We were a bit rushed though, and it was raining, so there was no time for pics.
We were the ONLY ones that had a stroller and I was getting a lot of looks. I proudly took my place in the back of the pack {I had a stroller ... I didn't want to be in the way} and I made sure to proclaim to all those who gave me disapproving looks that yes, yes I realized that I was in fact receiving the "Mother of the Year" award for having my kid out in the rain ... in the cold ... bright and early.
It wasn't that bad and we were pretty confident that she most likely wouldn't even get wet.
Which she didn't. :)
And you want to know what?
I won FIRST PLACE overall in the women's division this morning. I came in at 25 minutes!
I beat EVERY SINGLE GIRL!
And it was raining and crazy windy
And I had a stroller!
And I only had about four hours of sleep!
Can you believe that??
INSANE!!!
My trophy was unexpected and pretty cool actually! :)
Justin has been working so many nights this past week with little sleep and even though he was exhausted, and had a military PT test yesterday, he won a medal.
First place in his age group!
We make such a good team ... in all ways!
Justin ran most of the race with me. The funniest part was when a guy goes "Man, I'm getting passed by a chic with a stroller." hahaha I was like oh my gosh, don't make me laugh ... I'm trying to run!! The hubby even said "You run faster with this stroller than without it." I smiled inside thinking "That's because I'm doing it for Jocelyn."
I'm REALLY bummed I didn't get a picture with Jocelyn. She's my inspiration, my own fabulous, bad-ass personal trainer ... the reason I do it in the first place. :(
I simply didn't think about it. I was more concerned about making sure she stayed warm, dry and happy.
Next time will be different. :)
And wouldn't you know it, my friend from way back in the day, Hollie, came from Salina/Abliene to run with us!!! So totally awesome.
Today is her birthday!! :) Her and I even went out for a yummy breakfast while Jocie and Daddy went home to nap.
So excited that I got to see this girl today!
It was a busy, wet and cold morning ... but wonderful!!
Everyone is all showered, full-bellied and relaxing. Tonight, we are hoping to meet up with some awesome friends to go to Oktoberfest!
Late this afternoon, Jocie demanded snuggle time from mama.
Of course I was ready and willing to oblige.
As much as I LOVE to snuggle with Boogs, there were things that I needed to get done today, so after J fell asleep, I very carefully slid her off me and into a comfy cocoon on the recliner.
And like I said, I had things that needed to get done. Like REAL things, but did I do them?
No.
Instead, I thought I'd keep with my pampering theme this week and I splurged on myself ... inexpensively though. :)
It was hair colorin' time.
Well hello highlights!
And like the blog states ... I'm Sexy and I Know It ...
Bwhahahaha
Duck face and all baby!!
Its awesome that I've gotten so good at doing my own hair that I can get it all pulled through the cap and the product applied in less than 20 minutes. That takes skill no doubt! haha
Argh matey! There are me hazards to dyin' your own hair!
This crap burns when it whips down into the eyes and skin yo!
It looks pretty stinkin' blonde! Eeekkkk!
And now, as I type, my hair is getting a deep conditioning.
Fashion show courtesy of Dillions.
Today, after Jocelyn and I got home from our speech and physical therapy appointments, as I fed her lunch and she munched on some pudding, I figured it was "Pamper Angie" time.
I made myself a DELICIOUSELY creamy green smoothie:
2 cups fresh spinach
1 large frozen banana
3 cold clementine's
1/2 large avocado
1 packet of Stevia
2 cups cold water
I blended the yumminess up and thoroughly enjoyed my dessert for lunch. I know there are A LOT of people that don't like avocado, but what an avocado does in a smoothie?
IT'S AMAZING!
I love the taste of avocado, but you can't taste it in a smoothie. What you do taste, is creaminess. An avocado gives a smoothie the texture that ice cream does, only better for you! And another plus besides an avocado having fiber, vitamins and minerals ... is that the good healthy fats in the avocado actually sustains you for a long time while filling you up! I hear a lot of people say "fat makes me fat" ... not true!
So yea, I indulged in a good lunch and then after I laid Jocie down for a nap, I decided to treat myself to a face mask to make myself more beautified hahaha
I came across this site called The Gingerbread Blog and she talked about making a Turmeric facial mask to reduce redness and blemishes from under the skin.
Turmeric is arguably the World's Most Healthiest Foods.
And for good reason!
I adore turmeric as a spice and its beneficial properties, but I also have a red face so I figured I'd try it. I've always been kind of a "red skinned person" I suppose, and my cheeks are surely the most red. And trust me, they aren't that pretty "pinky" color either. We're talkin' that ugly rashy look as if my hubby rubbed his 5 o'clock shadow beard all over my face! hahaha.
Turmeric is sometimes under used I think because when people have tried it (this particular spice or a curry dish that has turmeric in it), they are often turned off because the food itself had such a strong flavor to it or "smelled funny." When used appropriately, or in moderation, its an excellent spice to incorporate into the diet.
For Jocelyn, and myself, I add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric plus 1/4 teaspoon of oil (fish, EEVO or coconut oil) and about 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper to her blended food.
YOU CAN NOT TASTE ANY OF THESE THREE SPICES!
In case your wondering, the oil & black pepper are essential because they help your body absorb the nutrients that make turmeric good for you! :)
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and is a spice that has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor. Mild in fragrance and very orange in appearance. Its a spice that is excessively used in Indian foods like curry and its also the spice that gives mustard its bright yellow color. Its easy to use turmeric as a condiment, but its also frequently used in healing remedies and textile dyes.
Why would someone even want to eat or use Turmeric?
Turmeric has forever been used as a potent anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine for conditions like bruises, toothaches, chest pains, hemorrhage or menstrual difficulties (because of its helpful circulation properties), inflammatory bowel, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer prevention (because of its ability to inhibit cancer cell growth and metastases), colic and flatulence. This spice has been shown to improve liver function, cardiovascular protection and even protection against Alzheimer's Disease (and seeing how this runs in my family, I'm even more interested in reaping the benefits of this spice).
Really, the usage of this spice seems endless.
So, how can EVERYONE indulge in Turmeric face mask?
All you need is the following:
2 teaspoons of Turmeric
2-3 teaspoons of milk (use enough to have a watery/pasty consistency)
***I used whole milk. I had it in the fridge and it's has fatty, calming properties.
Once stirred, apply a thin layer to your face (do your neck too if you'd like).
And don't be skeeeerd! It may look like baby poo, but its not :)
Kick back with your sexy self, drink a lovely beverage, flip through the channels, open your favorite book but most importantly .......
RELAX!
And be sure to know, you are a sexy beast!
After a few minutes, the mask will start to shrink and harden.
Your face will feel tight like a rubber band and you'll see a bazillion wrinkles!
At that point, you are ready to scrub and rinse.
My face is make-up-less & shiny -- but in a good way :)
If any of you are like me, I don't really get the luxury of going out for a movie, hitting up a fun concert, cheering and sweating my butt off at a game or many of those types of things. Because of the hand we've been dealt in life, I find (and we as a family for that matter), find different ways to treat ourselves.
This is an inexpensive way to pamper yourself. Enjoy!!
We spent last week talking about all things that start with letter "E."
Ok, well maybe not allllll things ... just FIVE things haha
We focused on the following "E" subject matter: Eyes, Ears, Elephants, Eggs & Earth
Our color this month is yellow as you can see from our first craft of the week. We started new monthly goals, memory verse and so on.
Simple enough right? You'd be surprised how you can make full blown preschool lessons plans from easy subject matters! :)
We had a busy week outside the home, so we spent both Saturday and Sunday playing catch-up on our preschool activities and lesson plans. It doesn't matter what day or time we do it and THAT, is what I love and works so wonderfully for us!!
Thought I'd share the fun!
All about Eyes.
All about Ears.
We read an odd little book that we had gotten from the library to go along with our theme of eyes and ears called "I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes!"
I couldn't help but laugh when it talked about "I love you, nipples -- east and west" and when it talked about "I love the parts my friends don't see: the parts that poop, the parts that pee."
Hahahaha really??!! I know, I'm so mature!
Getting in some Elephant & Earth themed crafts.
And we of course are always incorporating therapy and some fun. :)
Haven't really been blogging much lately. Pretty busy it seems and when I can get them, naps sound better!
I've been reading a new book lately too and that takes up more of my time as well.
Its been great that I've gotten back into reading more regularly. Always loved it, but college kind of zapped my "reading for fun" and even though I've read a few books here and there, it took a long while to really get that desire back. Glad I did because its rewarding to have your mind learn ... take you to different places.
The book I'm reading right now that I borrowed from Justin's grandma is called Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project. I think there are several people in the family (maybe Aunt Terri and Haley?) that have read this book too as its based on a true story about a Holocaust Hero and the Kansas Teens who discovered and revealed this marvelous woman by the name of Irena Sendler.
I think this book has been so special to Justin's grandma because the teens in the book where from a town called Bronson/Uniontown (Justin's grandparents live in Bronson ... his mom, aunts & uncle were raised there) and so its more personal when they talk about places and things. Pretty cool I think. The book even talks about how one of the girls worked at a place called The Chicken Shack which is not only good greasy food, but like the only place in Bronson haha. For me, I connected with these high school girls because they are about my age, I could relate to their own personal struggles that are shared in the beginning of the book and I think its awesome the impact they have made on a global scale.
Each year there is something called National History Day, in which half a million kids across the country participate, and the theme back in 2000 for these girls was "Turning Points in History." Uniontown is a small place ... I think I heard somewhere around 300 people? ... and even growing up in Claflin (another small town), I've never heard of a National History Day project. I don't think its something our school participated in other than maybe briefly talking about it and making a bullet board display in the hallway?
I wish we would have made it into something so much more meaningful. And who knows, I might have not cared back then, but when the opportunity isn't there, you're never given the chance too either.
In this story, one of the high school girls, her name was Liz, came across an article torn from a magazine called U.S. News and World Report from what I think was the March 1994 issue. It captured her attention.
Most people remember the well known movie Schindlers List? Well, this article was about "The Other Schindlers" and there was a little blurb about a Poland social worker named Irena Sendler, who went by the code name "Jolanta" and how she did endless heroic acts to save the lives of so many Jews after Hitler built the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940 and herded more than 500,000 Polish Jews into the ghetto walls. These Jews were starved, diseased with typhus, plagued by fleas, filthy and simply waited to die from lack of all basic needs or to be liquidated by their tyrant.
Sendler specifically saved nearly 2,500 Polish Jew children by smuggling them out of the ghetto in a variety of ways such as in sacks under putrid soiled rags or in the back of an ambulance. She gave them new identities and buried their real, natural names in bottles in her own garden so that one day these children would know who they were, where they came from ... have their original identity back.
I don't think people can really comprehend what 2,500 people looks like. If Uniontown was/is around 300 people, then she saved a town that size more than eight times over!! That's insane! And she didn't just save 2,500 children, she saved countless families ... she truly changed lives forever!
In the mist of everything ... everything that was going on, all that was being endured by everyone at that time ... who thinks to write these children's names down so that one day they can know who they really are?
An optimistic person with a vision, with a plan ... one who believed every child deserves to know their true name and history ... a person who EXPECTS goodness to prevail!
In one portion of the book it is written ...
... "There was no end to people's imagination and daring. One orphan, Aron Stefanek, was thin enough to escape under the coat of a man leaving the ghetto on a work brigade. He slipped his bare feet into the man's boots and held onto his belt; the man's coat, when closed, made the skeletal boy invisible. Others were smuggled out in garbage bags ... morgue wagons provided another escape vehicle. Sedated orphans, who looked half dead already, were placed among the corpses."
Completely horrifying.
Later in the book, as soon as word began to spread about camp liquidations, Irena went from saving orphans on the streets that were near death, to actually coaxing parents out of their "healthy" children at a chance for at least the children to survive. The parents demise was as predicted, unavoidable.
Here is a picture of Irena back in 1939 when she was 29 years-old.
The face of a true hero in my opinion.
I'm only half way through the book, but now being a mother myself, I can't imagine someone asking to take my child in an attempt to save them, knowing that if they were caught, they would be slaughtered on the spot and yet even if they didn't get caught right away, they still might end up perishing. If these Jewish parents did not trust Sendler, did not try to provide better for their children, if these children ended up staying with their parents, they'd surely die right along the side of everyone else. Somehow, knowing the odds, it would still be incredibly difficult to give up your child ... your children. There would be no words to describe that. To know you'd never see them again? Gives me chills to think how life must have been. Even in the words that are written, I still can not imagine the horror of it all. Its so easy for people to forget, to know what life was, what it could be. I remember reading that Sendler said "In my dreams I still hear the cries when they (the children) left their parents." You just don't forget that kind of stuff. I imagine she spent her entire life reliving all the these moments whether in her dreams or nightmares.
When the girls started this project, they relentlessly searched for information regarding if Irena was still alive, and if she had died, then they wanted to locate her tomb.
To their shock, she was still alive and in 2001, the girls were fortunate and blessed enough, that through raising money and donations, they were able to fly to Poland (several times) and meet Irena in person.
Here's a picture of Irena in her late 90's.
The first third of the book was about the school-aged girls struggle to research and uncover the Sendler story, to design and enact a play regarding the subject matter and so forth. Right now, for me, I'm in the most interesting portion of the book where its written as if Sendler is recalling her experiences and giving accounts of her heroism. I love the fact that when Sendler's story was being discovered and told, she was in fact still alive. She only recently passed away in 2008 at 98 years-old.
Amazing!
Ok, so I didn't plan on writing so much about a book, but history is interesting and when written well, it's comes to life. To see something so triumphant come out of such horror ... its inspiring.
I've always thought that one person ... ONE PERSON ... can truly change so much. Irena was a perfect example of this. The girls from Uniontown High School were an example of this.
I could only hope to be as inspiring, as courageous ... so selfless ...
To be this kind of person in the most horrific of times, is without a doubt the biggest testimony of love and heroism at its finest.
Jocelyn started her preschool at "POWERful Beginnings Academy" over a month ago now. (We started school early -- we're overachievers -- I know! hahaha That's one of MANY beautiful things about homeschooling! It actually never ends once you are in the mindset)
Best part about it all so far?
She is LOVING it.
I'm LOVING being Jocie's teacher.
And by God, she's really doing well.
{This would now include me. I already know that Jocie can FEEL that I SEE HER ... that I EXPECT her to succeed!}
I'm not sure what it is, but this homeschooling thing is really working well for us.
Really anyone can homeschool. Often times most parents are already teaching -- "schooling" their kids -- but it really comes down to intentions. When you do things intentionally, for me, has changed everything. Not sure if I'm explaining this very well, but most of these things we have been doing all along, but now I have more direction, vision, motivation, purpose if you will ... and it changes everything for the both of us!
I feel like I've worked hard to plan, prepare and implement this new program for us and it feels amazing that we are already reaping the rewards. Before I talk about all the good stuff, let me just be clear, the first week of school was rough, rough, ROUGH!!!
It seems like every time you try something new (ie a new workout routine, a new diet, a new sleeping schedule, new job ...) anything and everything is against you, stresses you to the max, seems impossible ...
It was a struggle of love.
That is how the first week went for us. Not the entire week, but a big chunk of it. We had many appointments we had to go too which took nearly all day, Jocelyn couldn't seem to keep nastiness from coming out of both ends, she wasn't sleeping a wink, Justin was gone, I had a million things that needed to be done ... the list was LONG!
I often found myself taking hour by hour ... even minute by minute with keeping my eye on the prize.
Needless to say, we prevailed!
With a month of school under our belts, Jocie has already shown me that although things may take us longer, that she is gradually learning and able to demonstrate that she understands. Learning how to tap into her expressive communication is such a challenge for us both (her finding ways to tell/show me, and me finding ways to help her do that) and its an areas we are really starting to make progress with.
For the month of August we focused on the following:
Color: red
Shape: simple line (ie attempting to make a line with a marker ... right now, I'm happy with her simply HOLDING the marker and if she makes a scribble, then AWESOME.)
Letters: A-D
Number: 1
Personal Name: identifying first name
Manners: please & thank you
Song: Itsy-Bitsy Spider & Patty Cake
Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 10:31 & Psalm 139:14
We change our manners, song & memory verse bi-weekly
Book of the Month: "Designed by God: So I must be special" (EXCELLENT book for kids!)
Fine Motor: color on vertical surface, sorting toys, peg puzzles and wooden blocks
Gross Motor: crawling, pushing-up on all-fours, transitioning from all-fours to sitting & standing next to bench
For this first month, I planned for 5 days a week and its worked well. I might switch things up to actually planning 4 days a week because of appointments, bad days, etc. Its SO EASY to over-plan and its important NOT to do that. But what people often do not understand, is that if we aren't doing something with Jocelyn, she often is doing just that ... nothing. So in theory, we really are helping her learn, teaching her, all the time unless she's watching a show or something because we have to help her even with simple play.
Here were the themes for each week:
First Week - Letter A - Ants, Apples, Alligators, Alphabet and Airplanes.
Second Week - Letter B - Bears, Bugs, Balls, Bubbles and Birds
Third Week - Letter C - Color, Cookies, Cats, Car and Clouds
Fourth Week - Letter D - Dots, Dad, Dogs, Dentist and Ducks
We will spend this next week reviewing everything and then start on new colors, letters, themes, etc.
We would read 1-2 new books about each of the subject matters (thank the Lord for the library!), the book of the month and of course we couldn't forget her favorite books throughout the day. The girl LOOOOVES to have books read to her! Just this past month alone, not including her favorite everyday books, she's read/heard 43 NEW books! :)
We've really done a good job of juggling things like her energy levels or mood to maximum our learning. If she needs a break, we take it. If she needs her paci to focus, she can have it. If we need a repetitive noise to help pattern things like the metronome, we use it. These kinds of things simply are not possible in a traditional school setting.
We did a great job intermixing therapy, hands-on activities, field trips, socialization and playing with toys.
A bit of our fun.
{Swinging at the park, looking for different colored flowers at the Gage Park rose garden, shopping at the store for theme related things like apples, cookies, etc. These are also "therapy" activities and she doesn't even know it ... double whammy! :)}
{Having fun with friends is the best!}
{Incorporating therapy}
At the beginning of each week, we design a letter page using the theme for the day. Sometimes its fun for Jocie, and other times, its plain hard to do. Its a good way to intermix learning, fine motor and communication all in one. Unfortunately, all those things are difficult for Jocie but we still have to try.
{A for Ant, B for Bear, C for Color & D for Dots}
A snap-shot of the first week.
{I can't believe she spent 15 mins taking tiny bites -- then spitting it out -- of the apple. She did NOT like the alligator craft, and in hindsight, I should've picked a different color to paint the airplane because it looks like we all crashed and died haha But hey, it was another way to incorporate the color red.}
Snap-shot of our second week.
{Jocie enjoyed finger painting the brown bear with cool whip -- so tasty haha! When we did our "B is for Bugs," we went hunting for bugs. It worked out perfectly that we found butterflies because hey, "B" is also for butterflies. She thought that was pretty cool.}
Its hard to see, but Jocie LOVED the glow in the dark bubbles! :) We got a little crazy with it and started flinging it everywhere. We're messy. That's the best part! Everything cleans up -- that's my motto! :)
Snap-shot of our third week.
Snap-shot of our fourth week.
So far this week has been pretty low-key and its been nice for both of us.
We will be ready to start new stuff next week! Pretty exciting! :)
