Adam and Lindsey tell their tale of Optimal Health

If you missed the national video conference that Adam Shumway and I did about our ongoing health transformation, you can watch it anytime! Here is the link:https://vimeo.com/152521624 
We're featured about 25 minutes in for roughly 10 minutes. Reach out to me if you're ready to start a transformation of your own! I could show you a million before and after pictures, but I'd rather show you yours!

We've lost 55 pounds together! We've been so thrilled and inspired ourselves that we've decided to pay it forward and become health coaches! I love helping others transform their lives in ways they never imagined! My job is rewarding, confined to David's nap time from my home office, and fun! I'd love to share more if you are interested! We're on a mission to restore hope and health, join us!

Journey to Optimal Health Video Conference

It's been eight weeks since Adam and I began a new Optimal Health Program and our results are exciting! We have created an atmosphere of healthy awareness in our home that did not exist before. We have learned and implimented a variety of new habits. And we've dropped 55 pounds as a couple!

We will be featured on a National Video Conference tonight at 7 PM PST.  We plan to discuss our transformation and how this program has changed us and our family. You are all invited!

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/8054320201
Or join by phone: 

+1 415 762 9988 (US Toll) or +1 646 568 7788 (US Toll)
Meeting ID: 805 432 0201

Cheerful

My darling 13-month-old son David is sick. He's had a 102+ degree temperature for the better part of the past three days. He is whiney and needy and miserable. He also laid in my lap for a solid hour just to be held. I'm pretty sure that's never happened before.

This sudden spike in David's needs has made managing my homeschool schedule taxing. In fact lots of things have happened suddenly to tax me.

I woke up this morning dreading how this 12-hour stretch might go. Then I had an idea. Why don't we start this day with a prayer?

My Mom used to have a cross-stitched saying hanging in our kitchen that said, "If your day is hemmed with prayer it is less likely to unravel."

I usually pray with Adam, but this morning I prayed with the kids too.

Then I took a deep breath and read my scriptures. Doctrine and Covenants section 123, when I came to verse 17 I knew this message was just for me, "Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God and for his arm to be revealed."

Today this was my mantra, "Cheerfully do all things that lie in your power."

As a result, I have a new favorite scripture. I know God our Heavenly Father loves me. His arm has been revealed in my daily life. My faith is stronger. Now I just need to work on the "cheerfully" part.

A Virtuous Woman

The role of women is challenged constantly. Images, behaviors and laws can create confusion about what it means to be, raise or support a virtuous woman. In Proverbs 31:10 it says, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31 describes in detail what virtuous women should strive for. The ideals found in Proverbs 31 are summarized as follows:

1. Faith - A virtuous woman serves God with all her heart, might, mind and strength. She seeks His will for her life and follows His ways.

2. Marriage – A virtuous woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is a trustworthy helpmeet.

3. Mothering - A virtuous woman teaches her children the ways of her Father in Heaven. She nurtures her children with the love of Christ, disciplines them with care and wisdom, and trains them in the way they should go.

4. Health – A virtuous woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family.

5. Service - A virtuous woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable.

6. Finances - A virtuous woman spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items, which her family needs.

7. Industry – A virtuous woman works willingly with her hands. She sings praises to God and does not grumble while completing her tasks.

8. Homemaking – A virtuous woman is a homemaker. She creates an inviting atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. She uses hospitality to minister to those around her.

9. Time - A virtuous woman uses her time wisely. She works diligently to complete her daily tasks. She does not spend time dwelling on those things that do not please the Lord.

10. Beauty – A virtuous woman is a woman of worth and beauty. She has the inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She uses her creativity to create beauty.

As you read the summations consider how you may improve these areas in your life or encourage these ideals in the women you influence. 

These virtues have been further reinforced in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. 

When we become confused about where peace and happiness come from look to these areas and see if you can improve one area at a time.  

If you become discouraged because you aren't living up to your highest potential; know that with God all things are possible. You never have to run faster than you are able. Be generous in your estimation of yourself. Your price is far above rubies, right now. 

Do Your Research: 10 books you should read if you're thinking about homeschooling

When I was trying to decide if I was going to homeschool I read a lot of books. I feel like that process really prepared me for what was coming. I talked with a few people I know who are homeschooling, and read a few blogs, but I felt like I needed to know a lot more in order to make the best decision for me and my family. Each family is different, each child is different, and each homeschooling parent is different so coming to a conclusion is a very individual process.

If you want to understand more about homeschooling I recommend taking a look at the following books:

1. Dumbing us Down by John Taylor Gatto
2. To the Shore of a Child's Ocean series by Chris Manning
3. How Children Learn by John Caldwell Holt
4. The Homeschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
5. Learning All the Time by John Holt
6. The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
7. Unschooling Rules by Clark Aldrich
8. The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Raymond S. Moore
9. Homegrown Kids by Raymond S. Moore
10. The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling by Rachel Gathercole

First 30 Days of Homeschooling

I'm not going to lie, I'm loving homeschooling. In the first 30 days of this experiment our life and family have taken on a whole new rhythm. Here is what our typical homeschool day looks like.

Up at 7.
Breakfast and Religious Studies around 8.
Gym at 9:15, Mommy time and kids work on writing and french assignments
10:45 Home for Reading, Art and Lunch
12 Riding bikes and taking a walk together
1:30 Quiet reading time
2:30 Piano or Unit Studies (for example Jellyfish or Washington State or Yoga)

After that everyone kinda does their own thing for a while until it is time to make dinner, which the girls help me with so they can learn to cook.

Each day is a little different, but usually awesome. In the last 30 days my biggest challenge has been homeschooling in spite of my teething baby. But even that hasn't been too terrible.

For me, homeschooling rocks because:

My kids are gaining knowledge and experience in a variety of subject areas.
I've had more opportunities to shape their character than I did when they were gone for eight hours a day.
It feels like we're making the most of everyday.
We spend time doing things that we enjoy, activities that bring us joy everyday.

I'm not saying every minute of every day is blissful, but it is satisfying and fun. I'm adding a few highlight photos from our first month as home schoolers.

Yes, I'm going to try home schooling

Wow, it's been six months since I've written a post. Time flies when you're having fun! I'm not interested in writing a long recap of the last six months, but I will say it's been memorable. Baby David is now 23 pounds, and in the 99 percentile for height and weight. He is happy, healthy and doing great. We took the girls to Disneyland for the first time in August along with David and our Japanese homestay guest, Mai. Adam and I both received new assignments at church that are keeping us busy. We love our congregation, so we're looking forward to serving.

And the big news; I decided to homeschool. This is something I've been thinking about and researching for a long time. I've considered it before, but at this point it finally feels right. Adam and I discussed the endeavor at length and then came to a consensus that we would give  "the experiment" a year. We'll evaluate the viability of our plans next June.

So why am I doing this? I don't have a problem with the schools in Kent per se. I wasn't upset with their school teachers. I don't plan on teaching them about Jesus all day long. I actually enjoyed having free time to myself while they were at school, so have I lost my mind? This is what some of my friends have questioned me about. :) And I don't blame anyone for thinking I'm crazy.

It all started getting real on the last day of school. Teryn came home from Kindergarten with a stack of papers to work on over the summer that represented her curriculum for first grade. Reading, math, sight words. I decided I wanted to find out what she could do with these assignments and sat her right down to test her. Out of 86 sight words she could read 79. She finished three pages of math within 5 minutes and didn't make a single mistake. I asked her to read a few pages from the readings, no problem again, no mistakes. That's when I realized she was capable of progressing in a timeframe different than what the public schools would expect of her.

I'm practical. I'm not going to expect the system to change for my child. She's not "gifted" or "highly capable" from the school district's perspective. So I decided that if I wanted Teryn to do more than just review the stuff she already knew I was going to have to teach her myself. I recognize that not everyone can do this, for a variety of reasons. I can, and I'm going to try. I may fail. But for this year my children are going to learn in our home from me. We'll see what happens and I will happily share what I find on this blog.

I have one week of experience. Just one. So far I feel pretty great about how things are going. We are reading, writing, adding, subtracting, studying French, cooking, cleaning, harvesting our garden, sculpting with play dough, learning to play the piano, and having great discussions throughout the day. My kids are delightful to me. They seem genuinely interested in everything I've tried to teach them so far. My days seem to have a fluid, natural flow. We rest, we eat, we talk, we learn from books and CD's and DVD's. So far, it's really actually, unbelievably working.

The kids are happy. On our second day of class their aunt and uncle came to town from Idaho and they got to go fishing in the middle of the perfectly sunny Seattle afternoon. It was lovely.

I am happy. I feel a sense of satisfaction I hadn't anticipated. I expected this to feel more like torture, but I'm finding it feels totally pleasant.

I'll keep you posted, but, so far, so good. Tres bien, tres tres bien.