Where Did My Summer Go??

Well folks, my first adult summer is about over. On Monday I’ll get up and get back out into the real world. 😙

This summer was so great! We went on a few adventures, we ate when we wanted, slept when we wanted, and more times than I can count we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning doing whatever our hearts desired. For Eli that meant all night Netflix, and for me it was reading until I couldn’t hold my eyes open.

I have to say that the most productive part of my summer was getting my mind back in a healthy frame. I have learned to focus on how my mind thinks which makes my body feel better. I’m back into the low carb world and I plan to stay there forever! I am learning to focus on one thing at a time, and then adding new healthy habits along the way.

After I got my mind right, I then I focused on my nutrition. I’ve been doing tons of research and I’ve discovered the joy of meat!! Yes meat! Protein, protein, and more protein. This lifestyle dose not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as you can make it be.

Next, I experimented with intermittent fasting. This process helped me to truly be in control of my eating habits. Most days I don’t eat anything until 1-2 pm. Then I’ll have a nice snack of protein and have a healthy dinner. My goal each day is to not eat anything else after 8pm. It hasn’t been too difficult since i like to sleep in. The real challenge will be when I start back to work and I’m taking my class to breakfast and lunch. But, all I can do is take it one day at a time.

It’s been 8 weeks and as of this morning I’ve lost a total of 19.2 pounds. May I add that all this was done without too much physical activity! Im determined to stick with it.

Here are a few of my meals that I made to keep me going.

I broke my 19 hour fast today with these easy 4 eggs and 4 sausage. I couldn’t even eat it all…

I broke my 19 hour fast today with four eggs and four pieces of sausage.

This was my dinner night before last. Two baked chicken breast, broccoli, mixed peppers and some mozerella cheese.

Simple cheese egg scramble

Taco bowl loaded with cheese!

Leftover taco meat thrown in a 🥗

A steak smothered in provalone and fresh mushrooms.

Cream cheese pancakes and eggs with sausage.

This was a snack that I literally just threw together. It’s cherry tomatoes, ranch, provalone and salt and pepper.

I hope you all have an amazing new school year!

💚 LaBranda

How???

I just don’t get it. I’ve read lots of blogs where mom’s and wives have all these confessions about their dirty houses and not so great cooking skills. They talk about barely making it through the day alive better yet keeping their may I add, multiple children safe. But here I am, a Mom of only one little boy, but a Mom still. My house is hardly ever clean. My laundry is never all done at one time. I have a 12 year old, and a 35 year old all living under my roof. But, only one of them is my child. That 12 year old can talk circles around us all. How in the world do these mother’s keep such clean houses with all those children? Its not that I don’t get him to pitch in and help. To hear him tell it he has the worst childhood bc I make him have responsibilities. What kind of a Mother am I? The kind that intends on raising a young man that will be somebody’s Daddy and Husband one day.

As most of you know I’m a teacher. Therefore I’ve taken my very first summer off. So for the past six weeks or so I have not had to get up and go to work every day. Going into summer break I had this amazing plan that I would clean my house from top to bottom and it would stay that way all summer long. Yeah right! Who was I kidding?

As we speak I have a kitchen table full of folded laundry. I have clean dishes stacked up to the ceiling. My kitchen floor looks like a heard of elephants came through. My husband and son have the sofa bed pulled out in the living room and they are watching Netflix with 4 of the five dogs. My bed isint made and the trash need to be taken out. I don’t even want to discuss my laundry room. In spite of all this drama, here I am, in my bed. In front of my big old fan. In my PJs, planning on getting a good nap when I’m done writing. All is well in the middle of the chaos. What is wrong with me?

See as I was growing up I had two parents who loved a clean house. They taught us early on that it takes everyone pitching in to get things done. We knew no fun was to be had until our chores were done. I just always thought that was how every house hold went. I didn’t realize there were kids out there that were being raised by grandparents who did everything, and I mean everything in the household. Lord Jesus sure did bless me with the man I fell in love with. He may not be the best house keeper, and neither am i, but he works hard and provides good for our family.

In saying all this could someone out there please tell me that homes with single children struggle too?? That I’m not the only 35 year old woman that has spent her entire adult life trying to mold myself and myself alone into the amazing wonder woman that my own Mother is and always has been. I’ve strived so hard to be her. The cook, the maid, the doctor, the preacher, the wife that waits on her husband hand and foot. Yet I’ve never felt like I amounted to all of that.

It only took the first few years of marriage to realize I was no Suszy homemaker. I really tried to learn to love cooking and cleaning but I just can’t. Thank the good Lord for sending me a man that could care less if the house is spotless or if our dinner has all the meat and potatoes.

My house is not perfect, but the thing about me is what you see is what you get. There are no filters here. My family is happy and healthy. Really what more could I ask for? Ok maybe a maid, cook, and Butler, but not much else!

🏡 LaBranda

Teach Him

I get this question all the time, ” What can I do to get my son ready for Kindergarten?” Here are few things that would get him far in life.

* Teach him to sit and listen to stories so he can sit and listen to his teacher

* Teach him nursery rhymes and story songs because research shows that children who know at least 10 nursery rhymes have the phonemic awareness skills to help them be good readers

*Teach him to zip, button, snap and tie so he can gain independence necessary to be successful

* Tell him no, and follow through, so he will learn limits and respect

* Teach him to open a juice pouch, a chip bag, and a water bottle so he can learn to do things without adult assistance all the time

* Teach him to pick out his clothes, choose his snack, choose a book or game so he learns how to make choices later in life

*Teach him manners

* Teach him to color, cut, trace and draw to build the muscles in his little hand to help him be ready to write

* Let him fall down or mess up sometimes. He’ll learn to problem solve and will know that mistakes are our best teaching tools

*Then, after all that, teach him to write his name, count to 20, know his colors and shapes, and some letters and sounds.

*Teach him that you believe in him and show him how proud you are of all of his accomplishments.

* Teach him how to love and forgive even when he doesn’t feel like it.

* Teach him that you will always have time for him and that he is the most important person in your life.

* Teach him that life is like a game and you won’t always win and it’s never always fair.

* Teach him to be humble and giving and to never think of himself as better than anyone else.

* Teach him that choosing friends should not be about the color of your skin or the name brand shoes on your feet.

* Most importantly teach him that us teachers love him and will do anything in our power to help keep him safe and happy. If we didn’t we wouldn’t be here!

💚 Mrs. Jones

My Thoughts Exactly

Welcome to my world inside my head!!

Teach Him