Homeschooling, Healthiness & No Debt Part 1

Y'all... I have to admit something. I'm weird. I've always kinda known it. I don't mean "weird" to be a bad word or in a negative way, either.

Oh, no.

I'm redefining weird. Or... maybe I'm just redefining normal.

Yeah, that doesn't sound as weird. (I realize I'm a dork!)

If you've ever read this blog before, you know that I homeschool our kiddos, who are now 10 & 6!! I can't believe how time flies!!

But that's not really the "new" real weirdness that is me...

It's all about health & becoming debt free around these parts lately.

Like, zero debt & hippie healthy.

It all started one night on pinterest... Doesn't it always? I was starting to think about beginning a low carb diet again, and was searching for recipes... which lead me to "Trim Healthy Mama."

"Weird," I thought. "That is the dorkiest name I've ever heard of... What is it?" (you can see the words "weird" & "dorky" italicized, because I have already always referred to myself as weird & dorky, so it should've been a clue early on for me!). I guess what I really meant was, "That looks even weirder & dorkier than I am willing to be!"

So, one blog led to another, and another, and I finally found a link to some Facebook groups where I lurked for a l o n g time. Like, months & months. And, none of their lingo made any sense to me. But I didn't want to shell out the $35 for a BOOK. A BOOK. A GINORMOUS book. And, the Kindle version wasn't "cheap," either.

I kept reading so many great testimonials, though, on the Facebook groups. So many who sounded like me, who were losing great amounts of weight after years of struggles, and then they would mention a weird ingredient like almond flour, and I'd keep scrolling on past.

But, I kept reading, kept talking about it with Steve, and got to the point where I was like, "It's not like I haven't spent that much money doing Weight Watcher's even when it didn't really work!"

Obviously, I did eventually buy the book. February 2014. And the first week I lost 7lbs. SEVEN pounds, people!! That is unheard of for me with all my weird issues. (Think PCOS, hormonal issues, and Weight Watcher's NEVER working, and I'm talking about when I worked the program WELL). I have lost a total of 20lbs, and then sickness, a rough summer, and vacation hit me, but I am back on track, now. And, even though I didn't lose any more, I didn't gain any back, either, and actually am still losing inches (because I bought a size smaller in jeans last week!!). Probably because I have still worked the plan at least 25-50% of the time even during this weird summer.

And, now I have almond flour, coconut flour, flax seed meal, protein powder, and all other kinds of hippie ingredients in my kitchen... and starting to get more & more organic.

And, I won't even go into the essential oils I'm excited about!

Maybe I will go a little more in-depth on what has really propelled this new healthy lifestyle, but I think I've weirded you out enough for now! Next time, I'll share about our debt-free goals... New weirdness is best in small doses.