The Mixed Blessings of Poverty

Alright, ok, we're not *actually* to poverty levels here. The word just worked better than the alternatives.

In my Fat Kids post I mentioned my needing to lose 25 lbs. and stated why it was still waiting to get lost. What I realized today was that in my zeal to own up to my own weight issues, I had not given credit where credit is due. I actually *have* been working on losing weight, and have lost quite a lot of it in the last 2 years. (I only kept track of this year's weight loss for the first few months, and I think that puts me at having lost something like 12 pounds between December and February) I've done tiny amounts of actual working out, and larger amounts of controlling what I eat, although not perfectly. So, it's actually a work in progress.

A few weeks ago I decided to at least walk some laps around our back yard each day, since that is exercise available to me to do for free while doing my regular jobs of playing lifeguard and supervising children at play. Our back yard is a large rectangle on a hill, and it is probably about an acre. The first day I started at only 2 laps around the perimeter, and added an extra lap each day until I was begging for mercy (which I believe topped out at 7). But what this reminded me of is that I simply detest doing exercise that is only exercise. When I am walking laps there is no destination, and so my focus seems to always rest on the number of laps and how much I do not want to do any more of them!

SO, (getting to the mixed blessings of poverty thing) our riding lawnmower died at the end of last mowing season. We debated about buying a new one, but instead invested money into the Supermom business, and struck up a deal to have our lawn mowed for us in exchange for some tutoring I was doing. That worked well through May, but since then the tutoring has fizzled out and the grass has not. We don't want to go into debt for a mower, and we certainly aren't in a position to purchase one. We have great neighbors who will let us borrow thier riding mower, but frankly I just don't want to be a big loser and have to use their mower every single week!

We have a perfectly good self-propelled push mower, and although our yard is a big one (1.4 acres) and it has the hill, I don't think that it's beyond the realm of reasonableness that we could just push mow it. I figured that if we did a little every day that we can, and did it in sections, we could keep up with it just fine. We've got 2 sons that are decent at mowing, plus myself and the hubby. Even if it's terribly hot, seems like we could work on it for short bursts and still manage it.

So this week I decided that this would be my new workout regimine, even if only for one day. :) I mowed the other day until I ran out of gas, and today had more gas so got out there and push mowed half of the back yard plus the entire front yard. Yowza! I have the sunburn and blisters to prove it! All the while I was thinking to myself that I have definitely walked more doing the mowing than I would have if I walked laps, and the pushing up the hills is certainly working a lot of muscle groups. All in all, a good workout. So, I think I'm going to try to just keep up with that and see how it does for helping me to work the fat off.

Another thing I'm thinking about is potty training. Just one more kiddo left in that department, and I am looking at the dwindling supply of diapers thinking that maybe I could just put him in undies and see if he'll adjust. He has already shown a lot of interest and even made it to the pot several times, so if this momma can get off her rear and make it a priority, it may be able to get done. (We can afford more diapers, it would just be nice to not need them any more.)

Finally, since it'll be another Pay Period of Poverty around here, thanks to the Burb repair, I'll be looking once again to meal planning centered around the mighty fine remains of my Y2K bean stash (kidney, black, pinto, and garbanzo, folks!!) and the hubby's venison catch from last fall. You know, I've never once regretted stocking up for Y2K. Having food items on hand in case of lean times has always been a blessing. We've used up a lot of it, but the BEANS live on.

Don't worry. We won't have to eat beans every day or anything. It'll just be a good way to s-t-r-e-t-c-h things out once again. :) I'm good at that. Hey! Speaking of which, do you know about The Dollar Stretcher? It's a great site with lots of tips for saving money. Check it out!

For indoor fun when the sun's too hot, we've been indoors playing and I've been reading to the kids. We're doing summer reading programs at two different libraries, so we have lots of reading goals to meet. Our current book is a spectacular one: Little Britches by Ralph Moody. This is the first in a series of 8 (I think) books that Ralph Moody wrote about growing up in the early 1900s. In Little Britches, Ralph is 8 and his family moves from New England to a ranch in Colorado because of his father's poor health from working in a wool mill. The books are sometimes described as Little House for boys. That's pretty much how they read. Lots of adventure, hard work, and family values. My very favorite things about this story is the rich relationship that Ralph and his father have, and the wisdom and care in teaching that Ralph's father practices. The fatherly wisdom amazes and inspires me, and confirms for me my belief that having a strong relationship with your children, and therefore having their heart, is the greatest tool you can have in being able to teach, lead, and help them.

In the second book, Man of the Family, the mother is the one who inspires me the most, with her great bravery, determination, creativity, and industrious life. The way the children work tirelessly for the good of the family is also wonderful.

I love sharing this tale with my children, since there are so many excellent examples of characteristics I hope for all of us to have.

It can be challenging to read to my brood, since the littler ones are often very rowdy and interrupt as I try to read, but we're working on that and it's getting better. The older children usually love to come and relax as I read them a story and we talk about what the words mean and what we think about the way the family handled one situation or another. It's one of the best, free family activities I can recommend.

So, once again, thrift ain't so bad. :)