Fresh Starts

I have been too occupied this fall to spend nearly as much time surfing everyone's blog as much as I used to. I wonder if like so many of the other now missing bloggers life just starts happening and posting and reading slow down (I do not want to stop all together ever though). I have new stuff happening here and even now so far down the bandy road I still get epiphanies and make changes and tweaks to what this band means to me, what being thinner means and how I live with my lovely band. It is also the beginning of the new college term and I am back and work...I have been teaching so long I am just in sync with the rhythms of school.

1. The new term began for me tonight. I am back at the community college teaching two math classes. As always I love these students. They come with flaws, scars and variety that I did not get as much of at the university. I love trying to spark their interest and excitement in a subject that often comes with lots of baggage. The focus at the community college where I work is all about teaching...I love that. Working nights again brought on a return to the 'how do I eat dinner dilemma of old."

2. We pulled Grace back out of school and I am once again a home-schooling mom. Her teacher clearly did not like her and no child should have to spend day in and day out under those circumstances (the rude kind of not like so much so that she told me about it, I witnessed incidences of it and when she left another child said...but with you gone I will be the only one she picks on). In addition to that I had watched someone who loved learning and digging into problems and ideas stop pursuing anything on her own. She was so busy doing worksheet homework each night and after school that she stopped reading for pleasure, stopped surfing the web for interesting information. We are currently detoxing..she is having trouble concentrating on things deeply for any extended period. We are also working on Grace's diet a bit...hopefully this will help.

3. We are almost moved into our new digs. We moved a bunch of stuff over the weekend. Tomorrow the place will finally be habitable...This means...we will have internet installed and hot water turned on. :) All the other stuff is up and running. We will then move over our beds and spend the rest of the month cleaning out and prepping the rental house to change hands. We officially have a lease until April but if we can find someone qualified to take it off our hands the agency will waive our rental for the remaining period.

4. The food: I have been largely sticking to the no grain and sugar routine. The book Nourishing Traditions is a great read and we have been trying to incorporate many of the ideas from it into our diets. It is really difficult to let go of sugar and harder I think for a child that is surrounded by sweets all of the time. It helps that she is at home with me this term. We are really concentrating on protein, fruits and vegetables. I have noticed that both of us crave sweets like crazy..but it is getting better. We are both getting by with morning trips to Starbucks for sugar free drinks (she drinks vanilla without the coffee and I my peppermint mocha frapp. sugar free. She has eggs or oatmeal for breakfast. We both have eggs with cheese for lunch. She usually has a banana or a yogurt for a snack in the afternoon while I have another coffee. We were shooting for meat and two veg for dinner but now that I ma teaching on Mon and Wed. it will be that on the other days and I am not sure what I am going to do on Mon and Wed. For dessert we have a sugar free fruit smoothy with protein.

The results: I am peeing more :) and pooing too...I know I know..TMI. I feel loads better-with much more energy and a better attitude. My weight is back down to 166 as of this morning. Grace was having some tantrums (we were worried they were food related but it is hard to tell when you have what is really an only child at home whether you are raising a brat or someone with other issues that need attention). We are going with the food for now :). Grace seems to be doing much better (fingers crossed).

5. Even though I have been grateful for these things before...at other times...There are still times when I pull on my jeans, zip up a boot or pull on knee high socks that go up all the way. When It feels just as good as it did the first time it happened. I hope that gratful feeling next goes away entirely.

xxooo