Update

It's been five months since my last post. With two tiny tots, 1500 sq feet to manage, and a husband to feed, clothe, and love, my blogging time is limited. The time that was once used for blogging during Baby Sister's morning nap time is now used for homeschooling with Big Girl. So here are a few tidbits on the last five months in the Kidd home. 

Homeschool with Big Girl

Our homeschool adventure began in the last few days of 2014. We started out pretty well with tons of zeal...for the first week. During that time, I took note of some changes that needed to be made. Namely, Big Girl needed to be harnessed. Ha. 

The second week was pretty choppy, the third week even worse, and then came...the plague. Each member of our family had one illness or another for the entire winter and into spring, from common colds that lasted a month to multiple ear infections to stomach bugs all around. 

By spring break, we had gotten through most of our sickness, and I was ready to get started again. We have just completed week nine, and Big Girl lives for "school time" now. I am so amazed by how quickly she's learning. She is sponging everything she's exposed to. 

In an upcoming post, I'll share my goals and objectives for her during this season, links to my resources, and a sample of what "school time" looks like for us. For now, here's a look back at the beginning of our homeschool journey.

Gazelle Intense (Mostly)

I last left you with a serious cliffhanger about our financial plans. We've made great progress so far in 2015 and we're on track to be finished with Baby Step 3 in Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps to Financial Freedom by the end of this year! 

In the last post, we announced our brand new debt free status. Since then, we've been sticking to our budget, putting back our spare nickels and dimes, and selling off all our junk and some of our good stuff (including MisterKidd's recently paid-for truck) to finish our fully-funded emergency fund.

God has been so gracious to give us the tools to be better stewards of our money. I try not to remember all of the resources we've wasted over the years that could have been spared through better planning. We could already be giving like no one else. But His plans are best, every time. 

Put Not Your Trust in Plexus

There is a phenomenon happening. You've heard the chatter and seen the posts on social media. You know as few as one and as many as a dozen people who are "drinking the Koolaid." 

MisterKidd and I strive to be good stewards of our time, our marriage, our kids, our money, our home...you get the idea. We try to be mindful of the fact that everything was given to us as a gift, and we need to do the best we can with it. (P.S. We for sure fail often.) One area we had been neglecting for the past couple years was our bodies. Two pregnancies in two years is hard on a woman's body, so a man appropriately sympathizes...

We got serious about our health in January by doing tons of research and eventually settled on a modified paleo diet (our rules: grain-free, whole foods, and little to no sugar). We did so well for the first few months and lost THE INCHES (we don't have a scale, so I'm not sure about lbs), but we could not kick the cravings. If one of us was weak, the other was right there in full support, true Adam and Eve style. 

And then came Plexus.

I've been through a few different phases with this whole Plexus thing: indifference, annoyance, curiosity, interest, waiting, and finally, trying it. I vow this very moment not to become a Plexus blogger, so my mention of it will be succinct, starting now with three thoughts:

1. I'm not trying to lose hundreds of pounds or treat a major illness or issue. I just want to be healthy. I know I can say no to myself and do pretty well on my own. Two sizes in four months proves that. But I've been hearing some talk about "leaky guts" that intrigues me, and I want to be the best version of myself that I can be so I can do the most good work for others. 

2. I'm interested to see what healing my possibly leaky gut will do for my overall health. Chasing having two toddlers is draining for sure, but do I have to want a nap every. single. day? I've heard so many success stories from people I trust who range from slightly crunchy like me to as green as can be, people with very serious conditions who now feel better than they have in years from healing their digestive systems through using Plexus products.

3. Plexus is not Jesus. It is not a source of joy or salvation. It can do nothing for your heart in regards to eternity. The Gospel is still the point, the means, and the end of everything. Plexus is a tool, much like food, used to sustain us in this life until we no longer need these sinful bodies. 

Today is Day One for MisterKidd and me on this Plexus journey. I'll let you know if anything worth mentioning happens...

If you feel like hopping on the bandwagon with me, send me your questions and I'll get you an answer. You can also order here if you're ready, like, now.