The Reynolds Nation

I couldn't let the week end without mentioning that Matt had his gall bladder taken out last Monday.  He started having problems with it the day we got back from our cruise in May...first a few attacks...and then nothing for weeks.  And then the week we moved into our new house the attacks started up with full fury.  He was put on pain meds and he couldn't eat anything without an attack...even bland oatmeal.  So this past week he had it taken out...36 years old and it was his first procedure EVER in a hospital.  And he really didn't like it, lol.  He actually did really well.  The first few days he was a bit of a zombie, but he has recovered very nicely.  I am thankful for an awesome job where he could take the whole week off.  And it's perfect timing too...Medicare season starts in 2 weeks, so he would be too busy to do this before Christmas.  Yes, not really exciting news...but I felt like I should document it.  O...

Every time I have a child enter kindergarten I host a Johnny Appleseed day. And this was Judah's year.  It's a tradition around here at Reynolds Nation and it is one of my favorite days.  We invite all of our homeschooling friends and make a great day out of it. Here are a few snapshots from our day.    The kids are making silly apple men from apples, candy and spaghetti.  The kids loved this!  And of course we must do apple prints...one of my personal favorites for the kids.  Here I am with the group reading to them about John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed. My boys kept on calling it Johnny seed apple day...lol.  I took this picture after we had set up for the party...I love them goofing off.  That's Bryn hiding in the behind the kids and I think Judah is officially our pirate.  Esther and her friends working hard on their apple craft.  This is right up her alley...anything crafty.    ...

A friend posted this on my timeline today...and it said exactly what I have been thinking lately.

I am not a weight loss expert...far from it...but I was thinking the other day about how I could help any of you on losing those extra pounds that you want to get rid of.  From 10 pounds to beyond, I think some of my "pointers" may make a difference for you.  People ask me all the time what "diet" I am on...what am I doing...am I doing weight watchers??? And I am very honest to tell them that I literally am just eating "healthy" and exercising.  They are amazed, but are still intrigued by what I am doing.  So, I am going to give you a few of my hints that have helped me on the way. 1. I really had come to a point in my life where I knew I no longer wanted to be this heavy.  Enough was enough.  I got to the point where I was no longer active.  I was tired a lot and sluggish.  And how can I be the mom of 5 kids and be sluggish.  I needed change and I needed it now!  So, I made a decision that this was the time. 2. At first I did a ...

One of the best things about moving is that you find little treasures throughout your house that you totally forgot about.  When I packed and even when I unpacked, I found great things over and over again.  One of the my special finds is this precious book.  It is Usborne's Big Book of Farmyard Tales. I bought this so many years ago.  It is a collection of books that Usborne had in smaller bits, but then put it all together into this sweet book.  It is all about Mrs. Boot and Appletree Farm.  Each story is short and sweet and tells about the adventures found on the farm.  I still remember sitting with Bryn and having her read it to me...and since then all the kids have had their hand on it.  Well, when we moved I found it again.  And perfect time too, right.  I have a sweet kindergartner right now who is loving the stories.  Judah is all boy.  Totally.  He doesn't like to color.  He loves to run, jump, play and sw...

Two months from now...yes, two months...I will be running my first 10k!!!!  Go ahead, let out a yahoo!!! I can hear it, I promise.  Wow, it's been a long four months of training.  Lots of miles have been run during the weeks that have passed.  Never did I think I would run.  Or be a runner.  My weeks are driven by my run days.  I drag my body out of bed 3-4 days a week so I can pound my feet on the pavement.  And then come back a sweaty, dripping person.  And you know what? It is totally worth every second.  Every step. Every mile.  I love it. My body loves it.  I am amazed how far I have come.  From a morbidly obese woman...to a much slimmer, fit woman. Yeah, I have a lot of pounds to go...but that's okay. I am on the warpath! I am finishing this race.  Amazing things are happening to me.  I have never, ever, ever felt this good.  I can't ever remember being this thin.  Or this fit!!!!  The loss ...

Basically that's what happened to this week.  It truly slipped by.  I went to look at my blog and I noticed that the last time I posted was Monday...oops...so sorry.  Not sure what happened to this past week.  Nothing exciting happened, which is good for me.  Just the normal school week with the normal ins and outs that come with it. We just finished our 4th week of school and I am quite pleased with our progress.  I think we are firmly in our groove and that makes me happy.  I am enjoying our Tapestry of Grace curriculum this year...we entered the Middle Ages and that is such a fun time of history.  This week we will be talking about Vikings and that is always fun. I had a great running week. I ran my normal 3 days a week...ending my week with another 5 mile run.  I am enjoying our new neighborhood...it is fun to just go out and run, rather than driving to my destination. We used to live in the woods, which doesn't work well with me a...

Quick pics from the weekend.  William has been begging to go running with me.  As I train for my 10k I have run by myself...unlike my training for the 5k.  My partners either dropped out or have a different running schedule. Well, now that we moved to a regular neighborhood I have kids asking to go running with me.  Though I don't think they are ready to run a few miles, I said that they could go individually on their bike or scooter.  So, the picture above is of William and I after I ran 3 miles through our neighborhood and he was on his scooter.  I love these moments.  The longer I parent 5 kids, the more I recognize the need to spend individual time with my kids. It can be a date out, a movie in our master bedroom or something simple like this.  I woke him up quietly at 6:20 and then we were off 10 minutes later.  We had such a great time.  William is my talker, so he chatted the whole time we were out.  It felt good to be...

 This week we celebrated a birthday at the Reynolds Nation.  Caleb turned 11 years old!!! Amazing! His birthday always lands at a weird time...during hurricanes, a major accident by my mom and even the passing of Matt's dad.  Either that, or Labor Day is always the same week (or day). This year, we happened to move the week that his birthday came around.  So, we had a small party here at our house for his birthday...just family and a few friends.  Caleb was still over the moon.  Cake, presents and being the center of attention! That works for him.  The picture above shows him on his new bike...he immediately wanted to go out and ride it (which he did). And then you can see him blowing out his candles. It ended up being a great night!!!  Happy Birthday Caleb! May this be your best year yet!!!

So, this is where I have been the past week.  The picture tells it all.  I will be back in the next day or so.  Just trying to take a breather for a moment and relax.  I sure need it :)