What's So Bad About Being Sheltered?

A few weeks ago I was standing in line somewhere and listening to a couple middle school aged kids talking about homeschoolers being sheltered. They were, of course, for the most part just joking with one of their home schooled friends, and I really could care less, but I did turn around and make the comment that homeschoolers are not sheltered. I have thought about my comment several times since then...

To give a bit of back story, I am a previous homeschooler. Which pretty much means that from about the time I was 7 to the time I was 16, I received most of my education (aside from the occasional CO-OP or class at a charter school) at home. And honestly, it doesn't bother me. I can only remember wanting to be public schooled a few times... and those were mostly because my best friend went to public school and who wouldn't want to spend more time with their best friend? The last two years I have primarily done my school at a community college where I am finishing high school and college together. I am very grateful to my parents that I was home schooled. I learned things at my own pace and had extended amounts of free time from being able to just get up early and get my school done. It was awesome.

What's so bad about being sheltered? 

I have to admit. I have met a lot of kids who are, or were home schooled, who don't want to appear sheltered. I mean, who wants to look socially inept or be thought of that if they are exposed to anything they will not be able to handle it. To start this off right, I first want to clarify something. I probably am a bit more on the sheltered side. And personally I hate that word. It makes it sound like someone is curling up in a ball in a corner... refusing to come out... and sobbing the world is perfect as long as they stay within their comfort zone. So when I say that I am somewhat sheltered it does not mean in any way shape or form that I don't know a thing about the world... Somewhat sadly, for that matter. But yes, I have been sheltered from a lot of bad or unprofitable stuff, by my parents when I was younger, but also by myself as I get older.

There are so many of us homeschoolers, and even Christians, who seem so concerned with fitting in and not appearing to be squeaky clean or pure, that we have ridiculous standards as to what is sheltered. If someone chooses not to watch movies that contain unprofitable scenes or listen to music that causes one to focus on things which are unprofitable, why is that a bad thing? Romans 12:2 has some edifying things to think of:

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." 

Its pretty hard to be renewing your mind with what is right and good when you are continually filling your mind with other things - whatever they may be, whether, bad, unprofitable or not the best thing for you specifically.

So, I just had a few thoughts, if we really consider ourselves Christians, if we really want to be Christ's ambassadors, maybe we should take a little bit of time to consider what we are putting our minds on and how it affects us- both as being effectual ambassadors and in our personal walk with Jesus. I am not here to judge. What you choose to be right for you is only between you and God. And I am sure there are things in my life I can cut out that will make more time for me to read the Bible and pray, as well as just focus on more profitable things... And I know how much of a struggle it is. But these are just some thoughts. Is it really so bad to self-shelter yourself? Not to pretend like everything is just fine. Not to hide from the reality of this world. But to renew your mind. To be the ambassadors and the lights that this world so needs.

Three Things - A Thankful Post

I was thinking... A lot of times we tend to go on in life without really looking at things we can be thankful for... we take so much for granted. And I don't want just this day to be the only day when I think of things which I can be thankful. I want to be thankful each day. Every day. Still working on that one though!
But in light of this day being the day that we generally think about things we are thankful for I have a few to share:
1. God who is in control.  God who sent His Only Son.  God that listens. God that cares about whatever is going on in my life. And all of this because in the end, my life would be a wreck- I would have no hope if there was no God. But I think the one I tend to overlook the most, is how thankful I should be that God IS there. God DOES love me. and God does listen.
2. Family. They are there. Always. They fall short, but don't we all? I have parents who have blessed me by being there for me and siblings who have made me laugh countless amounts of time and forgiven me when I have been at my worst. Thank you Dad, for taking the time to watch me run and for building a house for us to live in. Thank you Mama, for always listening, taking time for me, running with me, laughing with me, shopping with me, taking care of me when I am sick, making me food and everything else you have done. Thank you to my older sister- for listening, for chatting, for helping me, for proof-reading my papers, for researching things for me, and most of all for being my sister. Thank you to my older brother for taking a ridiculous amount of time to go down a Green Slope with me because I  couldn't grasp the concept of how to ski after a whole day, for going places with me, for taking me to dinner, and for being an encouraging role model. Thank you to my little brother for the laughs we have shared, for being one of my best friends and the person who played with almost all of my childhood, for filling up chicken waters - thanks for being my little brother.
3. And for a third one: Friends. Thank you to all the friends who have taken the time to talk to me, to meet with me, to chat with me. Thank you for being there - even if sometimes I go extended amounts of time without talking to some of you. You all are incredible and special people.

So guys, as we go onto the next chapter, and perhaps after that, the next and the next, let's try to remember to think about what we can be thankful for - I know it is hard. I fail almost daily at being thankful for what I do HAVE- but thankfulness to God for what He has provided can perhaps open up a door for us to see through and see what He really has done for us - for you, and for me.

P.S. - Yeah. I know. I have been terrible about keeping up but I really hope to get back to blogging soon- and to get back to finishing up a few of the ingredients on my list for a nutritious, post-workout, Protein Shake!

Protein Shake One: Chocolate-Almond Protein Shake

Protein Shake Test One

So today, I finally got around to trying out my own type of protein shake. It was nothing particularly special but it was pretty yummy. I wrote down the ingredients and the measurements, which is very rare for me when I am creating my own recipes, so that I would be able to recreate it if I wanted. This one was super simple and just took a few minutes to make. It was less like a smoothie and a bit more like very thick chocolate milk. Now for the recipe!

Chocolate-Almond Protein Shake

Preparation and Blending Time: 5 minutes      Level of Healthy: Very          Taste: Yummy

1 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Almonds

1 Tbs. Chia Seeds

1 1/2 to 2 Tbs. Raw Coconut Oil (depending on how strong of this taste you prefer)

1 1/2 to 2 1/2 Tbs. Raw Honey (depending on the level of preferred sweetness)

2 Tbs. Cocoa Powder

1 Banana

1 Handful of Ice Cubes

Blend in a blender on high and until ingredients are thoroughly mixed and the desired texture. Serve while it is still cold for best taste and enjoy!!

Now for my results!

I made this as a kind of dinner for myself. It was yummy and pretty filling. It made between 12 and 18 ounces, and I gave a little glass to Mama and she said that she thought it was very good. For myself, I think the balance of all the ingredients took on the correct level of flavors which I prefer. For someone else, they may want it a tiny bit more sweet and perhaps not as strong a flavor of cocoa.

I think all the ingredients at beneficial to a certain extent. The two ingredients which I do not know the most about are the milk and cocoa powder. I need to research the cocoa powder and see what benefits it may have. With the milk I used whole milk which had not been homogenized and pasteurized at a lower temperature, slower. Ideally, the best cow’s milk one can get is raw milk. It has an incredible amount of enzymes and other properties which are super good for one’s body. However, often it can be hard to find a place to buy raw milk (in some States, one may only buy raw milk if that person owns a share of the cow from which the milk comes) and also expensive. There are two other kinds of milk which I have used and which both have benefits which I hope to eventually research and write on- these being coconut milk and almond milk. I know both of these, especially in their unsweetened form are packed with yummy essentials for the human body.

In conclusion, the protein shake which I made was very easy to make, excellent for one, and especially beneficial as a post-workout drink, and delicious. I hopefully will be able to share some more of the reasons why the ingredients included in this protein shake are so good for the athlete’s, and the overall human, body. I also hope to play around with some other ideas and different flavors in the next few weeks if and when I have the time.

Protein Shakes Series: Beneficial Ingredient Raw Honey

Recently, I decided to look up the benefits of raw honey. As I was perusing a page, a few words caught my eye which instantly narrowed my search a little bit more. Those words were highlighted around athletes and raw honey. Now I do not claim to be a super athlete… In fact I am mediocre at best. But since I do run Cross Country and participate in Track and Field, as well as have a general interest in fitness and ways to improve it via exercise and healthy eating, I decided that it would be interesting to research the benefits of raw honey with athletics in mind. With this narrowed scope, I began looking for articles which targeted my subject of interest.

The result was that I was faced with an even more interesting idea. What if I could find a decent tasting protein shake that was truly good for someone’s health, and evaluate some of the benefiting ingredients? I hope to research and critique several ingredients, as well as try to make a delicious and healthy protein shake out of some of the ingredients which I pick to research and review.

Benefits of Raw Honey

One of the first ingredients I knew I wanted to include in a protein shake was raw honey. This was because after just a short search on the web, I was impressed by the many benefits of raw honey. To start with, I will give a brief run down on some of the benefits of raw honey:

      Raw honey is beneficial to the immune system.

      Raw honey is beneficial as a post-workout ingredient in a protein shake or after work out snack.

      Raw honey is beneficial to fight oxidation as it has antioxidant properties in it.

These are just a few of the many benefits of raw honey. Now let’s discuss the way that some of these benefits work. According to several cites, raw honey helps support your immune system. Right after a workout, an athlete’s body becomes more vulnerable. It is important that it gets some aid in protecting itself, and raw honey, with its immune system boost, is a great way to aid one’s immune system after a strenuous workout. This goes hand and hand with raw honey’s high level of antioxidants. 

Oxidants can be, according to one cite, harmful. These can cause issues with body cells and are believed to even aid in helping degenerative diseases wreak havoc on a body. Foods with higher levels of antioxidants, such as raw honey, can help to control the amount of oxidants in an athlete’s body (Veg-It). 

Now, one of the final benefits which I will discuss is how raw honey can help to repair and build muscles after a hard workout. According to Healthy Living in the article “What Does Honey Do for You After You Work Out,” within the first half hour to 45 minutes after a workout it is very beneficial and important to refuel an athlete’s body with protein which can help to build and repair muscles after they have been worked. While an athlete’s body is in this stage of the post-workout, called the anabolic stage, a strategic combination of proteins AND carbohydrates can aid in providing the most complete recovery for a body (Healthy Living). Raw honey can be used as a useful carbohydrate and is especially beneficial when combined with protein.

Honey can also help to keep an athlete's blood sugar at a normal level. This especially seems to be true in sports which require a lot of endurance - such as cross country. However, there does still need to be moderation in the amount of honey intake. Those who are diabetic or have similar issues may want to be more careful with the levels of raw honey they consume. One should also make sure to review the source which they choose to buy from to ensure that the raw honey is completely safe, as there are some concerns about what flowers and nectar are used by bees to produce certain honeys. And of course, those who are allergic or have reactions to raw honey need to be careful as well.

After reviewing the benefits and disadvantages of raw honey, the conclusion which I reached is that for athletes who are not allergic, have no health complications, and wisely consume moderate measures of raw honey, can benefit in some degree from enjoying tasty treats which include raw honey as one of the ingredients.

I am not claiming to be professional in to any degree. The posts which I write are simply me enjoying researching topics which I find interesting. Always conduct your own research and consult more knowledgeable resources.

Resources:

Information on what are oxidants: http://www.veg-it.com/nutrition/oxidants_antioxidants.htm

Information on raw honey and post-workout benefits for an athlete: 

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/honey-after-work-out-11511.html

Studies done which support raw honey and its power to help athletes:

http://www.bee-pollen-buzz.com/honey-benefits-for-athletes.html

Benefits of Raw Honey: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-raw-organic-honey-9105.html

Some pros and cons of Raw Honey: http://superhumancoach.com/pros-and-cons-of-raw-pollinated-honey/

As Summer Closes...

Summer break is beginning to come to an end. I can feel it in even the air. The days are warm, and afternoon thunderstorms frequent, typical for this time of year. But occasionally I can feel autumn on the breeze. Its rather odd that you can just feel the seasons beginning to change but really, when I feel that chilled, end of summer breeze it brings back the memories of chilly mornings, warmer afternoons....

But it is still hot and sunny most days and we have not had a frost yet. This is rather good because the garden Mama and I planted is getting very large. We planted, very late this year, a small experimental garden... That is, it was small. I cannot believe how large the pumpkins have grown. They spiral towards the other plants, their long extensions reaching out to cover the soil. The corn, too, is growing tall and has put out tassels. The tomatoes, beans, carrots, lettuce and onions all are growing well too... and along the western fringe of the garden's fence, the wild flowers are beginning to blossom, while at the northern end of the garden, our row of sunflowers are bursting up towards the sky... I just love watching the plants grow.

Another sign of the closing of summer is the beginning of sports. My little brother and I have both started our sports... He is playing football and I am running cross country. Cross country has started very well. Our team is small and close, which makes it a lot of fun. This year everyone is positive and ready to run. I really enjoy that and the positivity helps to keep me on track when I begin to grow grumpy with working out. Though the workouts often feel endless and hard, it is so satisfying to be able to look back and see what you have accomplished. I have a long ways to improve before our first meet but I feel like this season is coming along well. Looking forward to what lies ahead on this crazy path!!

This year I will hopefully continue to pursue my degree in nutrition by college/highschool courses at our local community college. I hope to take Spanish 1, Statistics, a computer applications course, and Literature 1, which are all necessary to eventually get a Bachelors in Science. I am most excited about Spanish as I have wanted for a pretty long time to learn it but have never been disciplined to teach myself. At home I want to continue to try do some Home Economics and learn different stuff along the realm of nutrition. Nutrition is always super fascinating!

This next year has so many exciting prospects and I am very excited to move into this next part of the path which I am journeying on. But one thing which I must always remind myself is to always glorify God in all that I do. This is very hard sometimes. But I must remember, the work which He started in me, He will also perfect!

"And whatever you do in word of deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Just How Tiny I Really Am... In This Marvelous and Unique World

See those two awesome mountain climbing people? Nah... Actually, we are pretty new to it. But give me another chance and I might just leap right into another adventure.

Every day, the beauty of creation is astounding. But there is just one problem- when you are so exposed to so much beauty and unique creation, you sometimes forget that it is yet another testament of God's incredible and awesome power! This week I had a couple reminders which left me peering into the awe of this beautiful world we live in.

On Thursday, Daddy, Mama, my little brother and I all packed up to go a few hours away to a small town in the middle of the mountains to be ready to climb a mountain the next morning. Some of our more ambitious friends and my older brother joined us the next morning after an early start from back home at around 3 AM.

I must say... Climbing this mountain was perhaps one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had the privilege to see up close and personal. The hilly part of the mountain was covered in beautiful flowers. It was truly gorgeous. After living in the mountains for eight years, I can say that I had not seen half of those kinds of wild flowers- they ranged from giant golden flowers, to purple clovers, to red Indian Paintbrush. I was too busy hiking to stop to take pictures but luckily Mama had the camera out. Therefore, I can truly not claim almost all of the pictures which were taken -but I just have to share them. They give off just a little of the beauty which was so much more awesome in person.

 

This is looking down off the slopes of the mountain. It reminds me of a place where you would see a moose. 

Some of the flowers. 

Mama and big brother selfie :D

 Daddy and Mama

Almost to the top. There was a good amount of boulders before you could reach the very top of the mountain.

Resting on the top. It was a bit chilly up there so we took advantage of some of the sun on the rocks.

Up at the top on the mountain

The view from the summit.
 

The mountain was gorgeous but almost just as incredible was an experience which I had in a country neighborhood as I stayed the night with a friend and track team mate. 

We walked out the dimly lit house, turning off the light to the family room and slipped out the sliding glass doors. With a few bumps as our eyes took their time to adjust to the darkness, we ventured into the back yard and stared up into the sky...

If there is one thing which is mystical, magical and gorgeous it has to be the night sky. I love to sleep with the moon on my face, to wake up and see the stars, but the one thing about living in our neighborhood is that you cannot see even half the stars which you can in the mountains or the country... That is one thing which I miss. So looking up into the night sky on a perfectly clear July night out in the country, I was once more taken back by the beauty of it. Up above you could see the cloudyish outline of the Milky Way...The Big Dipper looked huge and bright. I tried to name a few other constellations but I am afraid I am pretty good at getting them wrong or calling one a name of the other. 

Yet there, in just the action of looking up into the sky and taking a few minutes to just drink in the night and all its wonders... there is once again the remembrance that this world was created. It was no mistake. The great dome which appears to surround us filled with stars and inky black is another reminder of the unique and incredible design of the world. 

As a finale to my noticing the big beauty of the world, I can but conclude that sometimes it is the simplest little things which can be noticed and bring to mind the awesomeness in creation. 

Today, I walked into the chicken coop and looked into one of the nest. There, buried down in the hay was a perfect, tiny little egg...most likely laid by one of the new hens. Isn't it absolutely incredible that chickens are designed to function in such a way? To be able to lay that egg?

Wow. There really is so much to look at and be amazed by. But we must always remember. The God who created this incredible universe is so much more powerful, so much more incredible, and is also in control. Isn't that something to just marvel at? It is a lesson I want to learn and to learn well. God is in control. He made the world, He made the stars, the moon, He made the chickens, and He made...me. 

"Trust in the LORD (YHWH) with all your heart

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your path."

-Proverbs 3:5-6

When You Don't Feel Like Living Like That

Its early in the evening and the thunder is still rolling. There is a kind of magic in thunder. A sort of peacefulness in a storm. Living at the base of a long range of mountains does have an advantage...One of those are the frequent thunderstorms in the summer.

However, this one feels a bit more rare. Its been 6 hours since the first wave of the storm blew in and since there there has been a continual cycle of rain and thunder. Not that I mind. As I mentioned before, I find a sort of peace in the rough blowing of the wind, the bright flash of a bolt of lightning, the deep, rolling artillery fire of thunder. Yes. In a way, these incredible storms are yet another testament to the unique and awesome creation of Earth.

Sometimes I wish the feeling of peace, happiness and absolute awe would go on and on. However, as it happens to be, I am a human. And sometimes "Life seems perfect, other days it just ain't worth it..." My own selfish feelings often get in the way. I don't feel a certain way... I don't feel like working. I don't feel like taking a large dose of humility and not issuing a quarrel with others.In these situations I need to remember all the little qualities of love.

      "Love suffers long and is kind..." Long suffering is one of those difficult ones. In the easy moments you feel compliant, but when it really gets down to it, it can be very hard to not respond or even initiate a quarrel, disagreement or provoke a bad attitude. 

        "Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own..." A common theme with love seems to be that it is not selfish. Often times I tend to only want my comfort  but sometimes the best way to show love is to step out of your own comfort and look to help someone else in their walk. 

This is how I want to live my life. Serving others and not seeking my own. Its incredibly hard and often I have a battle between what I want and what I want to want. The latter being living a love that shows Jesus is in my heart... The good news is that while this is close to impossible for us to do on our own, God will work to finish the work which He began... "but with God all things are possible."

So on those days when things are rough, when you find it difficult to look beyond your own ambitions, look to the words which He has left us-

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8.a