This is an assignment....

New year, new you. That is the theme that is bombarding my tv these days. The commercials for weight loss products/programs is overwhelming. Eat our food for 5 days then make your own choices for two days! Take these pills to lose weight! Our program is free for 3 months! Drink this and lose weight! I have not done any research on these products or claims but I have decided that those are not the route I want to take. I am seeing a personal trainer/kicker of butt to get myself back on track. I have been a SAHM for 10 1/2 years and it has definitely caught up with me. I'd love to say it's baby weight but my baby is almost 6!! My trainer gives me homework every week and this week's assignment is to blog about my journey. Blech! She knows I'm very reluctant to do this so she said it could sound very clinical, it doesn't have to be emotional at all. How is this journey not emotional? It's emotions that got me here so it's going to be emotions that get me out. I hope. I don't have any major issues that need to be worked through, I have boredom and pure laziness that I need to overcome. Apparently I'm in a healthy range as far as my body fat percentage goes, but I am not happy with where I'm at. This is a very intimidating forum to document in, though. It's admitting failure. To the world. I have failed to keep my body in a healthy state. My percentage may be fine but my body is telling me something else. I also have kids I am responsible for. Thankfully for now they are not overweight but I need to start practising what I teach them. I tell them they can't have certain treats but when they are in bed those rules don't apply to me. I know I'm not the only one who does that but it doesn't make it okay. So here I go. Trying to change my lifestyle again. Yup. Again. I have done this before but there's always some reason why I can't keep it up. The farming busy season has started up again. The kids are home for summer. I'm tired. The list goes on.

My trainer has involved my family to keep me motivated. She says she's being mean, involving them, but it is what will keep me on track so I don't see it as being mean. It's needed. I have a goal and a  date to reach that goal. If I don't reach that goal then my family can't take part in the reward. My family REALLY wants me to reach my goal. They REALLY want to have the reward! If I reach my goal by June 30 we get to go to the waterslides for the day. They love those waterslides. We were there the summer of 2011 and they have not forgotten about that place. Even after being at WEM this past summer they want to go back to these ones. I have a cheering section and a family of critics! It's all good. They want to have fun and they want mom to be healthy. I'm not doing it to be skinny. I'm doing this to be healthy. I'm not focusing too much on weight. I may not reach that goal if I build enough muscle so I'm concentrating on body fat and inches.

Here's my goal I need to reach by June 30:
Down 8% body fat
Down 24" (gross, right? two feet needs to be gone. yuck!!)

Here's my reward:



Wish me luck!!

Merry Christmas Frohe Weinachten Feliz Navidad Joyeaux Noel

Here we are, near the end of another year and celebrating Christ's birth with family, friends and way too much food! We have received many Christmas cards/letters/photos from friends and family near and far. I love those. They are sometimes the only contact we have throughout the year (that's right, not everyone is on facebook!) and I can replace the pictures on my "wall of fame" and see how much families have changed in a year. The pictures stay up year round and for those that don't send pictures every year the old ones stay up until new ones are sent (hint, hint!!). We try and pray for a family every night before the kids go to bed. One of the kids will run to the wall and choose a family, sometimes they need to be reminded who the family is, we tell them how we know that unfamiliar family, and then pray for them. After a while the kids will tell us who the now familiar family is and how we know them and they look forward to hopefully meeting them one day. This year instead of a long-winded letter we did a Top 20 of our year. I think next year we'll go back to the letter style, there was a lot left out of the list! Here it is....

 

This year we’ve decided to do a “Krahn Top 20 of 2012”

(We couldn’t narrow it down to 10!)

In no particular order....

1     Camping with G&G Voth (kids)

2     Turtle Mountain Bible Camp (N & L)

3     Family Camp

4    Camping trip to Drumheller, Banff, Jasper and Edmonton

5     Sports Camp (N)

6    Soccer (kids)

7     Nathan making his first big purchase, a camera

8     A girl Voth cousin

9    Skating

10   Gt-ing behind the quad in winter

11    Music lessons (N-piano, L-violin)

12   Dance (B)

13   Friends moving back to Manitoba from Iowa

14   Nathan turning 10 & in Grade 5

15   Larissa turning 7 & in Grade 2

16   Bethany turning 5 & in Kindergarten!!

17   Swimming lessons

18   Girls donating 10” long ponytails to “The Little Hairpiece”

19   Successful farming year

20  God’s many blessings throughout the year!

We hope this season has been filled with much love and happiness and the knowledge that Jesus came down from heaven in human form to bring us love, hope, peace and joy and to have a personal relationship with each of us. For those who struggle with this time of year we pray that you have the same knowlegde and that he is the God of Comfort. Merry Christmas!!

A Community's Nightmare

It takes a lot to make me cry but today's violent act at an elementary school in Connecticut has tears streaming down my cheeks. I've been working at the local high school (grade 7 - 12) for the last seven weeks. It feels like the safest place on earth. Kids laugh, skip down the hallways, tell the teachers about the fun things they've done (like last night's school dance), and also tell them about their troubles and know that people care. That's how it should be. We shouldn't have to practise lockdown drills but because of acts like today those drills are a normal part of school life. My heart breaks for those families whose innocent children and teachers had their lives cut short. The loss the families of the victims will feel will be overwhelming. It is the Christmas season, they should be looking forward to laughter, presents, great food and meaningful family times. Now they will have an empty spot at the table, unopened presents and broken hearts. Lives forever changed by one act. One man. I pray for those families and friends.

It is the Christmas season. Lives forever changed by one act. One God. I pray also for the family of the shooter. I don't know what led up to today, and I'm not going to pretend to know, but this family also lost someone. The guilt, the what-ifs, the sorrow will overwhelm this family too. Please pray for them.

Hopefully one day Christmas will mean Love. Hope. Peace. Joy. for these families again.

Parenting Rant

I don't do this often. I'm pretty laid back and can often look past things. There really isn't much that bothers me but I have started a new job and it has raised some issues in my parenting brain. I got a call a few weeks ago from the high school wondering if I would be interested in an ongoing casual position as an Educational Assistant. Sure. Why not. I liked the wording "ongoing casual". To me it meant not every day but consistent. Ha! So far it's been more ongoing than casual! It has also thrown me waaaayy out of my comfort zone. My kids aren't that age yet so I have no idea how to relate to the junior high students I'm working with. A few times now I have thought I would much rather be at the elementary school. The kids in the classroom I'm in are so varied in personalities that every day is a new day. One day may be good but the next one is not. It can even vary from morning to afternoon! At first I thought it was the kids that were out of control but the more I watch, the more I realize it's the parents. Yup, parents. Most of the kids that make EA's necessary in classrooms have homes where parents are uninvolved in their lives. That has two sides to it; either parents who don't care or parents who think their kids can do no wrong so let them do whatever they want. I am not a parenting expert, I fail at it many times, but I'd like to think I learn as I go. In fact I often feel I'm going faster than I can learn!! Just because your kid reaches their teen years doesn't mean they are finished growing up. They constantly need love, attention and knowledge that their parents have their best interests at heart. Here are just a few points I'd love to bang into certain parents' heads!! (not in any particular order)

1) Be involved in your child's education. This does not mean doing their homework for them but showing interest in what it is they are learning about. Keep them accountable. Don't nag, the natural consequences will show in their marks. Ask which course they are struggling with and offer to help. If you can't help because it's beyond your own ability (pre-calculus maybe?!) find someone who can.

2) Take care of your child's health. Proper diet and exercise goes a long way.

3) Ask where your child is going, with whom and implement a curfew, at least on school nights. They may grumble and complain about having to be home earlier than their friends but it shows them you care about them.

4) Make sure they get enough sleep. There are studies that show kids need between 9 & 12 hours of sleep, depending on the age of the child. I realize that different kids need different amounts of sleep, just make sure they are well rested.

5) Teach your child respect by modelling respect. I can't tell you how many times I've seen kids speak disrespectfully to a teacher. However, I've seen the teacher speak respectfully to the disrespectful student and it's amazing how quickly attitudes change and results happen.

6) Just love your child. Spend quality one on one time with them. Play a game or go for a walk together. Find something that shows them you want to spend time with them and get to know who they are.

Again, these are just my own observations after being at school for three weeks. This does not apply to every child, parent or situation but they are all things to keep in mind as we raise our kids. Our parent/teacher interviews today taught me things about different stages in a child's life and it was eye opening. We may actually not be dealing with a disrespectful attitude at home but an inablility to know how to apply a social skill that's developing. Ron & I are guilty of jumping down our kids throats if we think they are being disrespectful or rude and don't often think about what they are learning outside of the academic realm. Psychology courses should be a requirement for parents!

I could go on and on about this subject (a trait I inherited from my dad!!) but I will stop. I just need to remind myself that as long as we are all parenting to the best of our abilities and love our kids they should turn out alright! Right?

Update from Last Week

I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday in regards to everything that went on last week. My EEG results were back and showed no major abnormalities. There were a few levels that were higher or lower than "normal" but nothing that was so out of the ordinary that would have caused what happened last week. It was also determined that I did not have a seizure. So all of my tests have come back normal and we are left wondering what the heck happened. My doc said he wasn't going to send me out of his office with a diagnosis of a migraine until all of the tests had been done. I don't know what those tests are but I am meeting with him again next week. There were no notes from the neurologist to suggest any kind of follow up or other possible tests to be done so I really have no idea what I'm in for next. Where's Dr. House when you need him??!!

I have had a headache since last Wednesday and the left side of my face is numb to some sort of degree almost all the time. I am also quite tired, I hope all of this subsides soon!

So I guess I don't really have anything new to update after last week's post, hopefully there will be more to say after my appointment next week. Thanks to everyone who has phoned, emailed and texted. Your prayers and support have meant so much to us all.

A little bit of drama

We have had a bit of drama in our household this week. I have just returned home from a short stint in the hospital! Tuesday morning at 3:00 my whole left side went numb, I collapsed on my bed and started shaking uncontrollably. Ron called his parents to come stay with the kids and then called 911. We headed into the hospital and immediately had blood work and a CT scan done. The results were normal and I was then scheduled for an MRI and EEG. My MRI results have come back normal as well and we are still waiting on the EEG results, which could take a few weeks. I was told that having normal CT and MRI results ruled out stroke, MS, tumors and an aneurism. The EEG will show signs of seizures. Apparently it takes the neurologist a while to get around to reading results so it will be a bit before I know what is going on. I know some have suggested it was a migraine and others are hitting the Google search engine for other suggestions as well but I'm being cautious and waiting to see what the last test results are and what doctors have to say before I say anything more as to what has happened.

I am home now, have a headache and my body is sore from lying in a bed for the last however many hours but I'm glad to be home and Ron and the kids are happy to have me home too. I missed sending the oldest two off to their first day of school today but made it home 10 minutes before the bus pulled up at the end of the day. My mom has been here to help out which means my house is clean and laundry is done!! I may need to fake something tomorrow so she doesn't leave! ;)

We are still in the process of figuring things out while waiting for test results so I will update here when I have more information. Thanks to all who have sent well wishes, it has meant a lot!!

What a summer

Have I really not posted since May? So much has happened I can't put pictures with all the events. I've done blog posts in my head as each event has finished but it doesn't seem to transfer automatically to the computer. Huh, go figure!

May and June were filled with soccer. The girls were in the same mini-soccer program so that made my life easy. I do all the running around with soccer, for the obvious farming reason, so to have two of the three kids on the same schedule makes life bearable. Nathan's soccer team plays two days a week, once home and once away. There were a few games cancelled due to weather, some that should have been cancelled due to weather, but it was a good season for the boys. The last game of the season was so exciting that I think my heart didn't slow down for a few hours after the game was done! It was one of those games that kept you on the edge of your seat from the get go. Tied at the end of the first half, they scored a few minutes into the second half, we scored a few minutes left in the half, it goes to double overtime and then to penalty kicks it went! They scored on shot 2, we scored on shot 5 so then it went to sudden death penalty kicks! They kicked first and missed, we kicked next and scored! I don't know how many of you are competitive but that game just about killed me! I'm competitive to a fault. Thankfully in my wisdom *cough* I do keep my thoughts to myself and I don't coach (from the bench or the sideline). I learned a great lesson from one of the moms. I can tell she's competitive but she is constantly talking to the boys and it is always encouraging, never coaching from the sidelines. I try to do the same thing, and if I can't say anything nice I try to be quiet!

June also saw the end of preschool for Bethany, grade 1 for Larissa and grade 4 for Nathan. All three kids are hitting years that seem hard for me. Nathan hits double digits in a couple of days, grade 2 seems so grown up, which Larissa is, and my baby is going to Kindergarten! Aaaaaaah!!! Good thing summer isn't finished yet, I can be in denial for a little while longer!

July was super busy for us. The local fair was the first Wednesday with horse competitions starting the evening before. We knew a few people competing so we had to go watch. The girls love horses so this was a great way for them to see horses in action and play with their friends who were there watching too. Nathan went to help Ron with the beef pit barbeque, he doesn't care so much for horses! The kids entered items in the fair so we were frantically getting those together the day before too. They showed well and all earned money, which they were thrilled with and have now been encouraged to enter more items next year! Two days after the fair we left on our family vacation! We headed to the Rockies with our camper in tow. It is the perfect way to travel in the summer time! We were in Drumheller to see the dinosaurs then off to Banff, Jasper and Edmonton. We spent only a couple of nights in each place and packed in as much as we could in the nine days we were gone and needed a vacation from our vacation when we got home! The kids thought the waterpark at West Edmonton Mall was the best part of the whole trip so I guess next time we can just camp there. They did have a good time in the mountains and thought it was great to throw snowballs in July! We got home from our trip and Nathan started sports camp in town. He did eight sports in four days and then played all of the sports they learned on the last day of camp. He learned how to play badminton, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, field hockey, pickle ball (I have no idea what that is!) and a few others that I can't remember right now. He had a great time and told me our summer has to be planned around sports camp every year. Sports camp ended on a Friday and that Sunday we packed up Nathan and Larissa and left them at bible camp for five days. They went last year as well and could hardly wait to go back. Bethany wanted to stay too but she's too young, she's going to hold me to the promise of next year! When their time at camp was done Bethy & I picked up the older two and headed to my sister's place to meet our new niece/cousin and her two brothers. There are four nephews so this is the first girl on my side of the family, other than my two, and the youngest so she will be well spoiled. After that quick visit we went to my mom and dad's for night and saw my other sister and nephews. We got home on Friday and started an intensive week of swimming lessons on Monday! Each kid had two lessons a day and all three kids were in different levels so that meant we were at the pool for six lessons a day. It was a busy week but all three kids loved their lessons (they all moved on to the next level) and played with friends while waiting for each other's lessons to be finished. I got to visit with other moms so it wasn't a hard week. The weather was very cooperative too and there are some huge shade trees to stay cool under. We also started combining July 30. As for the house a deck was built, brick work done and lawn was seeded. I think I remembered everything for the month!

We kicked off August by going to family camp at the same camp Nathan & Larissa were at in July so Bethy could enjoy all the activities too, now she's really raring to go next summer! We had an "off" week last week but easily filled it by watching the Olympics. This week the kids are at VBS in town in the mornings and I'm cleaning house, which I didn't do last week while cheering on Team Canada! Did I mention I'm slightly competitive?

Next week the kids are off camping with Grandma & Grandpa V for a few days. That gives me an opportunity to spend time with one of my sisters and her family and then we're visiting friends and staying with my other sister to celebrate Nathan's birthday and my nephew's birthday. When we get home harvesting should be almost finished, Ron's sister and her family are out for a few days and school starts after the September long weekend. Thankfully school supply shopping is done. Whew, what a summer it has been!

Columbia Icefields

The brick on the house and weeds still on the "lawn"!

Future agronomists checking out the wheat field