Going Gluten Free

I have suffered from acid reflux for years. Many prescription medications and natural alternatives later I still have problems. Recently I have read more and more research that points to some people having acid reflux because of the grains we eat, specifically gluten. So the gluten free journey has begun. Deciding to go gluten free can be a struggle and takes lots of willpower, research, and perseverance. Just about everything you eat on a daily basis has to be changed. I started two weeks ago and the rest of my family started one week ago. In the beginning I was going to do this alone but the more it was discussed around the dinner table the more Grace and Scott got interested in trying it themselves. All the members of my family have suffered from gastric issues over the years.  My son has had problems for years with his stomach and is a prime candidate for a gluten free diet. The only problem is he is a very picky eater and has always lived off of bread and breaded items. So convincing him would have been a real issue, plus he is living on his own now and responsible for his own meals. Now over the past six months or so Grace has started developing some gastric issues of her own. Saying all of this Grace and Scott came on board to do the gluten free diet too. The biggest issue for my daughter is eating out/fast food. She loves her chicken tenders. Yesterday I told her we could go get some lunch and chose McDonalds. I eat a burger with no bun and some french fries. I told her she could splurge on the nuggets, well a couple hours after eating them her stomach hurt. This morning she realized that the nuggets probably gave her the stomach ache. A little vindication on my part and a real blow to her to discover she just might have to do the gluten free at all times (not just at home).

One thing that makes my life a little saner in the process is the fact that a friend of mine has started a small cottage industry business selling gluten free mixes at our local farmer's market. I can get many things from her and she is continuing to add to her products, and her mixes are cheaper than the store. Yesterday I picked up fresh baked bread, 4 pizza crusts, muffin mix, biscuit mix, pancake mix, blondie mix, and brownie mix as well as the Crazy Good Granola she creates. I plan on giving this a go for a good 8 weeks and hope for improvement with my acid reflux. My goal is to get off of the strong prescription medication (which is a whole other post), which impedes many vitamins and minerals from absorbing into your body. Currently I have to take supplements for vitamin D, B, fish oil, and probiotics. Again that is a whole other post.

Linking up with the Barn Hop.

Northeast Georgia Mountain Hiking - Blogging Through the Alphabet

Hiking in Northeast Georgia is a big deal. There are hundreds of hiking trails including the biggy, The Appalachian Trail. So far for the summer we have decided to go hiking one day a week. The hikes we have chosen to date are very easy,negotiable hikes. Today we drove about 40 minutes from the house to visit Brasstown Bald this is the highest elevation in the state of Georgia. The temperatures are wonderful for some outdoor fun.

This is the beginning of the trail up the mountain. Yes, it is paved, but virtually straight up. 

A view from the upper deck. On clear days you can see Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

Hubby has a thing for trees and thought this was a great one. So of course it ended up in the photos.

We have had rain over the past couple of days which meant snails were out everywhere. Walking along the path made you feel like you were in the rainforest. 

Coming back down the trail is like a car coming down a hill with brakes on at all times. We saw what we think is a Fire Newt on the way back down. All and all a great way to start the morning. Out the door at 9:40 and back to eat lunch at home at 12:30. Can't wait for our adventure next week. 

We are linking up with Ben and Me for the Alphabet Link Up.

Mentoring New Homeschooling Families

First and foremost I want to state that I do not believe I am a professional or perfect in the homeschool world. But over the past two years I have had the opportunity to mentor a couple of families that were just starting their path into homeschooling. We starting homeschooling Grace almost 8 years ago. Over those 8 years I have done a lot of research, talked to many other homeschooling families, attended conventions and seminars, read many homeschooling blogs, and have tried an incredible amount of curriculum and materials. This doesn't make me an expert, just well versed in what is available. Occasionally I will come across a parent that is looking for guidance. Let's face it, homeschooling can be scary in the beginning. There are so many questions to be addressed.

• What curriculum should I use?
• How will my children develop friendships?
• Is it legal?
• What if my child struggles?
• What is a letter of intent and where do I send it?
• Do I need to go to a convention every year?
• Which standardized test should I use?
• What is a unit study? Do I have to use textbooks? Where do I get the textbooks?

These questions can go on and on. I have had multiple opportunities to meet and talk with new homeschoolers and address some of these questions. I belong to a homeschool support group that holds a Homeschooling 101 seminar once a year free to our community. We try at that time to answer as many questions as possible as well as let the mothers and fathers know that they can do this. That is what our support group is all about. Yes, we do have field trips, parties, etc. but the main focus of our group is to support the parents. 

A year ago I had another opportunity pop up with a young single father that wanted to homeschool his son. We met at the library and talked over many points. Over the course of a month I talked with him over the phone and met a couple more times to guide him through the process of filling out forms and choosing curriculum. Today I am meeting with another mother that has started homeschooling her high school aged son. This time we are meeting for lunch and going over a plethora  of questions she has about the high school years and what opportunities are available for her son in the community. 

My point today is I feel blessed to be able to homeschool my daughter. I want to share that with other families that are considering going down the same path. They need to know that yes, at times it is hard, but it is also so worth it. They also need to know of all the choices that are available to them. I also want to encourage the families that are homeschooling to take on a similar role in their community to do the same.

Planning Our Own Science Curriculum Part 2

As I mentioned in a previous post I am planning an out of the box 9th grade science curriculum with an in depth study of birds. You can find Part One of this post here. So far this is what I have come up with:

                  

The five selected books Grace will read then write a 1- 2 page report.


I have selected many movies from Netflix to watch:

Owl Cam: The Hidden World
World of Raptors
Wild Kingdom: Hunters of the Sky
Nature: Birds
Nature: Birds of the Gods
Birds, Birds, Birds!
The Life of Birds
Amazing Birds of America
Home School: Birds
Bird
Birders: The Central Park Effect
Animals in the  Wild: Bird in the Wild
Penguins: The Birds that Wanted to be Fish
Bird Park
So Many Feathers: Bird Watching
Flying Free
The Legend of Pale Male
Winged Migration

This will be the first book of the study I will have her read as an introduction to birding.

This is a log she will enter information in from the different birding field trips we will take during the year as well as the birds that visit our backyard on a daily basis.

My hopes are that this activity book will give Grace some jumping off points for her reports, and ideas for the two projects she will need create during the year. The last decisions I need to make for the upcoming year are what field trips to take and field work activities to be counted as lab time. One of the trips will definitely be to the Atlanta Zoo with their small bird aviary as well as 14 other birds.

Creating Your Own Opportunities

Have you ever wanted your child to take a class but discovered that the class you are interested in is full, too expensive, or doesn't even exist? Well, we live in a small community and that happens to us often. As many of my readers may know that is why last year me and a friend created a fine arts cooperative. We say a need and wanted something affordable for our children as well as others in the community. The cooperative has just blossomed into something so wonderful. Sixty kids participated last semester and it looks to be just as big for the upcoming semester. Anyway with that kind of thinking I also wanted to do something over the summer related to art journaling. You see I love to art journal but never make the time to do it. Also I knew some of the teen girls from the cooperative would love to see each other over the summer. So out of all those thought processes I decided to put together an art journaling group that would meet once a week to create art.

Yesterday was our first meeting and we had 8 girls show up to create. I have lots of supplies so I let the girls go to town with what I had available. I asked them to bring a bound sketch pad and if they had any extra markers, etc. that wanted to bring to work with. From the responses we will have anywhere between 6-12 girls each Thursday for a couple of hours to art journal. Most of the pages the girls did were about favorites and music lyrics. Next week we will be journaling about a special trip. 

Just because there is not a particular class or opportunity available in your area doesn't mean you cannot create it yourself. Take the plunge. Teens are so much fun to spend time with. You will truly be blessed by the experience.

Birthday Party with the Drama Crowd

What happens when you get a bunch of drama kids together for a birthday party? Drama of course.  Whenever this group of kids get together it is all about the drama, even at a birthday party. The games consisted of theatre related activities like improv. 

In the above pic you will find Grace and her doughnut birthday cake. Neither of my kids are fans of regular birthday cake. Pinterest to the rescue. All doughnuts were consumed and nothing to bring home and tempt me.

This is a great group of kids. It being summer this is only about half of our drama group. Lots of folks out of town or with other commitments. One of the games I planned was the Cheeto Head Game. From the picture you can probably figure out how the game works. Fun was had by all and another birthday rolls around until next year.

Making Exercise Fun and Incorporating It Into Your Daily Routine

In my opinion, exercise needs to be fun to make it stick. In other words unless you are doing something you enjoy for exercise you will not make it a habit or continue doing it. I have tried many types of exercise through my adult life. Walking, running, Jazzercise, weights, step aerobics, swimming, etc. It has taken me many years to come to a point where what I do for exercise I can proclaim to be very enjoyable. First on my list is hiking. We live in the Northeast Georgia Mountains where there is a plethora of areas to hike. The scenery is beautiful. The waterfalls are incredible. Hiking is one way I can actually get Grace out of the house and do some exercise in the process. Exploring God's creation in all seasons of the year through hiking is such a privilege. As a family we have agreed upon waking early one morning a week this summer and picking a new place to hike. Yesterday we traveled 25 minutes from home to climb the 1000 plus stairs at Tallulah Gorge. It was beautiful and a great way to spend the morning together as a family.

If you haven't noticed before, since last October I have become a Zumba enthusiast. A community of women that get together 1-3 times a week to dance to Latin and Hip Hop music. It is very freeing and the calories that come off during one session is amazing. It is the way I was able to get rid of 20lbs along with Weight Watchers. Once I lost the 20 pounds continuing to do Zumba has allowed me to eat within reason what I want and not have to count a lot of calories. Zumba is not for everyone. Lots of booty shaking. What I am getting at is exercise has changed my life so much for the better. I do something 6 days a week. Sometimes walking, sometimes Zumba, and sometimes something active with the family. It keeps me sane. I sleep better too. Now if I go a couple of days without exercising I don't feel right. The experts say it takes a few weeks to establish a habit. Please go out and establish the habit of exercise. It will benefit your body, mind, and spirit beyond words.