Numbers, numbers and....more numbers

I have been thinking a lot about keeping track of our "homeschooling" lives on here but was daunted with the task of writing it all down and putting into categories. The fun of not having curriculum is that we are pretty free and writing it down can be tiresome! So this may start off pretty random but so be it.

Bub has become very interested in numbers. Although some would say that he has always been a number kind of guy, I would say it has been all about words and reading these last two years. He taught himself to read sentences when he was four. He was spelling long before that. I mean he talked about words all day every day. Signs were especially exciting to him and everywhere we went he was reading even the most complex signs. Yet, if I was to say "read me this book" he would say he can't. But he is quick to read over my shoulder and correct me if I say the wrong word. This was one of the first positive signs that Bub probably wouldn't enjoy school. He doesn't like to be told to learn something as he is fully capable of doing it himself and on his own time and in his own way.

Anyway, back to numbers. I got him a leapster game called "Math Missions" which is designed for 6 and up (I got his sister the animal one where they give all kinds of animal facts and quizes cuz she loves animals so much). I have to admit there was some thought that it might spark an interest for him in numbers since we are homeschooling so much of his focus was on words and learning science & history. Well he loved it so much and since then has been coming up with his own word problems (multiple steps), counting by 2,5,10,100, & 1000s, discussing negative numbers, and teaching these concepts to his 4 year old sister (we'll call her Tink).

We started homeschooling about a year and a half ago. We began with the school version where we met with someone once a week and she provided us with workbooks & things for us to complete each day. This was officially kindergarten work but soon we realized that his skill level was more like first or second grade despite the fact that he refused to write saying that he "wasn't good at it." We ran into a lot of problems....mainly that we fought over the work he needed to do. Then some days he would find the stuff and do it almost entirely on his own. I had to get really creative and almost trick him into doing it which felt sad.

So here we are at the weekly meeting with the supervising teacher saying he is an overachiever and he and I feeling like crap about how we managed to complete the work. The last few weeks of school he would tell me that he HATED the work and HATED me. So I asked the teacher since he had basically completed his work if we could just follow his lead a bit and see where it went. I told him we didn't have to do "school" anymore and I don't think I have seen a bigger smile on his face!

Since then we have been seeing so much learning happening in our house. We are all learning constantly and interested in new ventures and topics to study (which for them at this point isn't studying in the traditional sense but exploring the world and asking lots of questions). I try to expose them to new ideas, places, and ways of learning. I encourage them but don't feel it necessary to sit them down with busy work unless they ask for it (and they do sometimes).

Here are some tidbits from our week:

-Bub has been sharing dad's duty of reading stories at bedtime. He reads them to Tink and goes over each word for her so she can learn.

-Making change games online (counting different coins to get to certain amount)

-"What time is it mister fox!" (Counting, following directions & OT)

- Ball darts

-Soccer & catch (Tink)

- tons of reading and sing-along online (Bub)

- Shape sorting, drawing, songs online (Tink)

- Bee facts

- Senses (reading)

- Underground animals (reading)

-Robins (reading)

- Playing with friends at the park

- Dominoes (matching & counting)

-Weather systems

- Valentines (wrote and constructed themselves)

- Lots of drawing, imaginary play, building train systems, and ponies!

-3-4 books a day reading outloud

-Thomas the Train magazine workbook which was mostly comprehension, writing, sorting, and counting.

-Poems from Tink's Lady Bug magazine which was all about shadows and why we have night & day

- Presidents (also discussion about monarchies & laws)

-Geography (location on map)

All of this was some combination of me "opening doors" for them, reading, movie watching, research online, asking questions and discussions.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Going off gf w/enzymes

I have been dreaming about this for a while. Taking the kids to any restaurant, baking cakes with just 1 type of flour versus 5, sharing snacks with friends....ahhh the stress it would relieve in this house!

My son has been gfcf since he was 2.5. We started with milk and we saw a dramatic change in his cognitive ability. His vocabulary expanded and he started interacting more with those around him. Because the change was so drastic we decided to go the whole way and go off gluten too. Going gluten free was HARD at first but we got the hang of it and I have become a goddess of gluten-free baking. We saw so much progress that his original diagnosis of autism @ 2 has downgraded dramatically. He did recieve early intervention but the diet has been the most consistant aspect to his treatment of the autistic symptoms.

We started Houston enzymes about 4 months ago and have seen a lot of positive change for all of us.....physical, mood, etc. I have been doing some research online and saw a lot of joyful posts from people who went off gfcf with enzymes successfully. I have also seen posts from those that saw a regression going off the diet. This is why it is so hard for me to decide to take the risk! When my son is in a bad place....we are ALL in a bad place and this household is never devoid of stress. Not to mention we are juggling more then usual at the moment.

Yet, after discussing with my husband (who was REALLY hesitant), we decided to go slow and add a little gluten in our lives. We aren't trying the dairy yet and may not for a long while since we know it had the most affect on him as a baby (and truly has the most effect on all of us). I have been using enzymes over the past 4 months and was successfully able to add gluten products in my diet (no eczema or stomach cramps!) so I am hoping that my son will have the same response!

The kids have been using Houston's chewable AFP Pep & Zyme Prime. I have been using Trienza which incorporates the above in one pill & adds a no phenol componant. I mix that into their food when possible but I would rather they know what they are eating & the chewables are great in that way. I had the discussion with him this morning that we are going to give it a try and if he feels sick or unwell in any way, to let me know.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Pratt Trail hike in Ojai

Big Sur International Marathon

We finished!

We headed out the door to pick up Carlos at 3:45 AM so we could make the bus ride to Big Sur. We had to catch the bus because it was the only way to get to the start because they closed down the roads until later in the morning. It was dark but there tons of runners walking around Monterey trying to find the bus pick-up. When we found the line it was HUGE and we had to walk way pass them to get to the end of the line. We got on the bus and there were no lights. It was quiet but you could feel the buzz of excitement.

On the bus we could see some of the view that we would soon be seeing in the light of day. We passed the aide stations and they looked like little camp sites on the side of the road. It took us a little over an hour to get to Marathon Village at the start of the race. They were playing music and every one was walking around like zombies trying to get to the porta potties and grab a bagel before the start.

My hip had been bothering me all week (which required a taper with not much running)....so I tried to stretch a bit while we waited. We were called to the start and there was just a huge mass of people in front of us. They sang the Star Spangled Banner and the gun went off....we had to walk to the start because the crowd was so large.

The first 4 miles or so were slightly down hill and amongst a crowd of trees. The crowd was alive and lots of people were pulling off to the side to go to the bushes to pee. Our pace was good and my hip wasn't bothering me much. I was extremely tired though because my daughter had kept me up all night two nights before and the night before we didn't sleep well either. I was so out of it and fatigued. It was also HOT. I had to take my shirt off and re-attach my bib to my shorts. Of course I wasn't prepared for heat! This race was supposed to be cold!

Soon we could see the ocean and people started to stop to take pictures. We approached the first of many hills and I had to slow my pace to get over them. We stopped to get some good pictures along the way and also stopped to pee a couple of times. Hurricane Point approached and it was really warm! The hill wasn't so bad because of all the training I had done in the mountains. At the top of the hill though we got some head winds that pushed us backwards for a few miles.

After the bridge (and the piano player)...around 14 miles, I stopped taking pictures and focused on the next stage of the race. I found Hurricane Point (the highest peak in elevation) to be the least of my problems compared to the second half. The hills just kept coming and I found that I wasn't making up as much time on the downhills as I expected (since there weren't many downhills, lol). Still on the flats I was keeping a 9-10 min/mile pace and on the hills probably a 12 min/mile pace.

As 18, 19 & 20 approached, I was aware that we were going to finish. This is a good feeling in a marathon, lol. Especially with an injured hip. I knew that I might feel a bonk around mile 20 so I was trying to keep the fluids up and also took a gel. The streets banked to the left and right so it was really hard on my knees and hips. This was one of the more challenging parts of the race.

The entertainment was good....almost every mile there was so random Rastafarian, belly dancer, mime, or drum circle. It was very sureal, lol. My knee was giving out and I stopped to walk for the first time around mile 22. It felt like something was loose in there and I was worried that I might not be able to run anymore. Luckily there was an aide station there and I slathered on some BenGay...and JJ got a hug from some lady in a trash bag.

My knee was better and I was running again...picking up my pace. They had yummy strawberries close to the end but I had my eye on the end. JJ grabbed one for me (nice guy that he is). We see the last mile marker right before a hill just ahead. We laughed...they have got to be kidding!!! Another hill! After the hill we could see the flags and the crowd cheering (and the loud speaker...such a wonderful sound to hear!). We sprinted toward the finish and I felt so excited, relieved and emotional.

They stop you right at the end and my eyes were tearing up as they put the medal around my neck and shook my hand. We waddled to the food tent and saw Carlos' smiling face. He had finished about 8 minutes ahead. Go Carlos! Our time was 4:53...better than SF! I read after the race that 30% don't even finish before the cutoff time of 6 hours. I am happy with my time and excited for faster times in the future.

The race left me feeling a lot of different things. The thing first and foremost in my mind was Mary. I had started to train for this marathon shortly after my miscarriage. Having a late miscarriage was an extremely painful time for me. Since I was 16 weeks, I had to deliver her in the hospital after 15 hours of labor. My milk came in but there wasn't a baby to feed. I thought the marathon would give me something to focus on and push through the post partum depression.

Throughout the training I fell in love with running again and even moreso with being outside. Trail running has become something I can't stop thinking about. I have done things I never really thought I would have done....another marathon and many races on trails and roads. I miss her terribly but I am also very aware of the happiness I have found since her death.

Mary, you were truly a gift in so many ways. I miss you and love you very much.

Malibu Creek 25K

I haven’t gotten around to posting my experience from this race. It was an amazing race and made me realize how much I adore trail racing. It also made me realize that maybe asphalt racing might be a thing of the past.

We dropped the kids with our sitter and drove down to Malibu on the 101. We had just gotten back from backpacking in Potrero John (Ojai area) the day before. We were pretty tired!

When we got to the start, the race direction told us that there was in fact a creek crossing early in the race. There was an alternative route that we could use if we wanted. The creek was thigh deep and in my mind I was thinking that I hadn’t gotten my feet wet before so I don’t know how well my shoes dry. Uh oh.

The first few miles were really nice but really crowded. We got to the creek crossing and I thought about the detour for a second and then realized that it was part of the adventure and I just HAD to go over the creek. Since we had been backpacking and crossing multiple creeks….I just jumped right through the water as all the men around me tip toed through. In retrospect it probably wasn’t the safest way to go through because of how slippery and rocky it was.

We sloshed up the first of the many long hills in this race. There were many many hills, lol. In fact, most of the first half was one long steep hill! Right before the aide station at about 7.5 miles was a peak that was just beautiful with rock formations and little caves.

After the aide station we had a few more hills and embarked on 4 (at least) miles of DOWN HILL. It was beautiful and the crowd had really thinned out by then so I was running down almost completely by myself. At the bottom we ran next to a creek for a while then out onto the pavement with about a hundred tourists doing day hikes. I had no idea how many miles were left. Finally we saw our friends who had taken the trip to meet us at the finish-yay! It was a fantastic race! I am looking forward to Pacifica 21K and Montana De Oro 25K this summer!

Montana De Oro 12K Trail Race

We are back from the race! It was a lot of fun. The elevation gain was killer in the middle. We have a few pictures from the peak of the mountain and then a bunch at the end. Our time was 1:30 which was great for a first race where we had to climb vertical trails for about 30 minutes (or more). We made up a ton of time running back down....we were flying!

Plodding Along

Training is going super well. I did 4, 4, 7, and 14 this week. I also did a nice and steep hike this past weekend on my off day. I realized that the race in Montana de Oro might be a little more than I bargained for. So we are planning on running a 11 mile trail next weekend (with an elevation gain of around 1400) in order to prepare for the race in March. It is a "cut back " week so I think it will fit in nicely (our next long run is 17 miles). My fear is that I will get injured because I am not prepared to run on terrain like that but I also think it will be the best of hill training for the marathon. We will take it slow and easy! I am very excited for that race though. One of our running goals is to start trail racing more frequently and eventually run the 32 mile 9 Trails race in Santa Barbara (bring on ultraracing!)

Lately our long runs are pretty hilly but I don't think we break much more than 500 in elevation gain. I don't notice the hills much at all anymore. Training is going a lot easier this time around for me and we aren't taking any walking breaks at all. YAY!

Training

I haven't posted much about training lately. I haven't even been recording much in my training journal (in fact I can't remember the last time I did). I haven't stopped running or anything...just stopped wearing a watch! My watch just died out of no where and we can't afford to buy me a new one at the moment. So...I don't have much motivation to record my training since I am not even sure how fast I am going, lol. I do know that I am still doing 3, 3, and 6 during the week. Our long run is up to 12 now which is slower going because of all the storms.

The rain dumped on us yesterday during our run and we had to puddle jump (and some rivers) the whole way. JJ's knee is really bad at the moment too which worries me. Because of this, and some other factors, we decided not to do the 1/2 marathon this coming weekend. We will just keep increasing our long run mileage by 2-3 miles. My weekday mileage will increase next week too (to 4, 4, and 7).

So, basically everything is going really well. My energy is great! I am eating ETL now all the time and experimenting with long run fuel that isn't sport drinks or gels. So far, the best has been diluted carrot juice and a few dates. Because my nutrient intake is so high, I am not getting that post run starving feeling. I feel very healthy and have so much energy! My typical menu is:

Breakfast: blended salad (1/2 pound spinach, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup cherries, carrot juice, and flax). Coffee w/splash of soy milk & agave

Lunch: Extra large salad w/mixed spring greens, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, 1/2 avocado, black beans, and homemade tahini and apple cidar vinegar dressing. 2 dates and a granny smith apple.

Snack: blended salad (1/2 pound spinach, 1 cup mixed berries, carrot juice),and 1/2 oz of almonds

Dinner: Italian stew (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, onions, celery, garlic, carrot juice, chopped tomatoes, veggie broth, thyme, basil, oregano, and chickpeas.) 2 dates

Gluten-free Beet Muffins

Gluten-free Beet Muffins:

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup amaranth flour (Quinoa, or sorghum)
1/2 tsp Xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt (opt)
1/8 cup of egg replacer
1 tsp baking soda
2 T flax
1/3 cup canola oil (or non-fat sub)
Beets (3 circles cooked can get them @ Trader Joes)
2 big squirts of Agave Nector (or to taste)
1 cup carrot juice
T vanilla (gluten free)

Set oven to 350. Puree beets in food processor with carrot juice. Then mix in flax and let sit while you mix dry ingrediants in a seperate bowl (baking soda, egg replacer, flours, Xanthan gum, and salt). Add oil, agave, and vanilla to processor (with beets/flax) and blend well. Add wet mixture to dry flour mixture slowly and mix until combined. Spray cupcake holders lightly with oil and fill. Makes 12 small muffins. You can add a banana to make these taste more like banana muffins. If you don't need gluten free substitute all the flours with 2 cups whole wheat flour. You then don't need to add the Xanthan Gum.