Memoir Mondays Week 18

Today's Memoir Mondays questions were inspired by the host's date with her hubby!  :) 

Where did you go on your first date?


I don't honestly remember our first date since we were friends before we started dating.  I do remember lots of our dates, though.  We mostly went to his parents' house and watched movies or went to football games.  We didn't do a lot of fancy or expensive things.  We went to high school together and started dating when we were both 16, so we saw each other every day at school too.  Just a few months after we started dating, we knew that we would one day get married.  From that first date (wherever we went!) until now, we have never once "broken up."  Now we've been married almost 20 years! 

 Do you still remember your first love?

I would have to say that my hubby was (and is) my first true love.  I did go out with a couple of other guys before we started dating at age 16, but I never thought that I truly loved them or would ever marry them.  Maybe at the time I thought I loved them--I really don't remember.  I know, though, that once I started dating the man I would later marry, I knew it was the real thing. 

If you would like to participate in Memoir Mondays (or know someone else who would), why don't you go to the host's blog at http://bzoohomeschool.blogspot.com/ and leave her a comment telling her so?  She has considered no longer hosting the meme, and I'd love for her to continue!  Maybe a few more participants would encourage her to keep going! 

Giveaway: Winter Edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

Would you like a chance to win the winter edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine that just came out? I have subscribed to TOS for quite a few years, and I still eagerly look forward to every single magazine! In fact, I'm hoping to introduce some folks who don't already subscribe to the magazine. That's why I decided to do this giveaway.


The winter magazine includes our annual homeschool convention directory and our homeschool freebie directory. It also includes several articles about helping your child improve her writing as well as 10 tips for good handwriting. (Let's face it. If your child writes a wonderful essay but nobody can read his handwriting, that's not much good!)

Also included are some great articles about classical homeschooling (with Susan Wise Bauer), keeping preschoolers happy and busy while teaching older students (Boy, do I remember those days!), and even how technology is changing homeschooling. There are several articles about foreign languages as well--from sign language to Latin and Greek.

That's not all, either, but I won't give away any more. You'll have to read it for yourself. :D

If you don't currently subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, you can enter to win this winter edition. Just click on the link below. It will take you to my blog. When you get there, simply leave a comment telling me which of the above articles you'd especially like to read and/or why you want to win the magazine.

I'll choose a random person and will mail out the magazine (brand new) in about a week. Please leave your comment by Friday, February 4. I will try to mail the magazine to the winner on Saturday the 5th or Monday the 7th. I will do another giveaway when the spring magazine comes out too, so stay tuned!

It's Official

Unfortunately, it's official.  We will definitely have to do some of our school work over the summer!  Before the holidays, we got just a bit behind where I wanted the kids to be with their homeschool work by that time of the year.  During the holidays, I kept telling myself that, after our nice 2-week break, we would hit the books and get back on track.  Alas, it was not to be!

The kids have actually done fairly well on their school work.  The problem, though, is that they are so slow about getting it done!  I had hoped they would be energized and ready to work with energy and commitment in January.  Instead, it has turned out to be terribly difficult for all of us to get going again.  

Another issue has been doctor's appointments.  It seems that, somehow, all 3 kids and I have ended up needing dentist and eye appointments right here in January and next month too.  And I've had an appointment or two with the ENT about some reflux issues I've been having.  Plus Hannah has had at least 2 appointments with doctors about her problems with her feet and legs.  To hear us tell about all of our appointments, you'd think we sure are a sickly lot!  Thankfully most of them have just been routine exams.  Still, they must be done. 

I've just decided that, since it looks like there's no way around having to do some of our work over the summer, we're just going to make the best of it.  At least this will give me the freedom to choose to do our work for the rest of the school year at a "normal" pace and not to try to cram it all in and over-work everybody until summer.  Also, my kids always end up bored and looking for something to do during the summer anyway.  They might as well be doing some school work and keeping in some sort of a routine, right?  

Last summer, we were able to take the summer off.  There have been years that we've worked over the summer, but I honestly can't remember how we handled it!   When you find yourself having to finish up your school over the summer, how do you do it? Do you work in the mornings and take the afternoons off (or the opposite)? Or do you work certain days each week? Are you kind of hit-and-miss, doing your work whenever you happen to have the time?

I'd love to hear from you if you have any advice or even just want to share how you do "summer school" or have done it in the past.  In the mean time, I hope your school year is going great!!

Memoir Mondays Week 17

I had a busy week last week, and I missed my Memoir Mondays post!  In fact, I didn't post the whole week.  Hopefully this week won't be quite so busy! 

This week's topic is about animals.  The first question is:

What pets did your family have growing up? 

We had cats while my twin sister and I were growing up.  We always had either grown-up cats or kittens--or often both!  My sister and I just loved cats.  My dad didn't particularly like them coming in the house, but we would bring them in to "visit" and play with occasionally.  In one house we lived in, we had a little playhouse in the back yard, and we sometimes let the momma cat and kittens stay in there.  For some reason, I have one particularly vivid memory from when we lived in that house (as very young children) of being inside the house on the hardwood floor and playing with the momma cat, who was white, and 2 or 3 of her baby kittens. 

We lived for most of my school years, though, in a house just down the road from the one I mentioned above.  While we lived in this house, I remember once having a couple of gerbils (or maybe hamsters--I really can't remember).  One of them was named Lightning, and the other was Sweet Pea.  We named Lightning that name because he was mean and would bite.  For some reason, we thought Lightning was an appropriate name for his personality.  We named Sweet Pea because she was sweet! 

We also, of course, had plenty of cats and kittens while we lived in this house as well.  We named one little boy kitten Cotton.  Our dad didn't think that name was "macho" enough for a boy, so he altered it and called the kitten "Colonel Cotton"!  We had lots of cats and kittens over the years we lived there, but the only other cat I remember by name was Mitzie.  She was one of our favorite cats that we ever had!  We all loved her.

Describe your best or worst experience with an animal. 

I remember once (while living in the second house that I mentioned above) going for a walk to the park with my mom and my twin sister.  As we were walking, a dog came running and barking at us out of one of the houses we were walking past.  I have always been a little afraid of dogs--especially barking and growling dogs.  We do have an outside dog now, and I'm not afraid of her.  I'm usually a bit afraid of other people's dogs, though, especially if they are big.  As my mom and sister and I were walking, the dog came running at us and tried to bite us.  I don't remember him actually biting any of us, so he probably didn't or I'm sure I would remember it.  He sure did scare us (especially me) half to death though!!  His owner, thankfully, came running out and got him back under control pretty quickly.  I remember many times after that wondering what might have happened if that woman hadn't run out and taken control of her dog right at that moment!

I don't remember one single "best" experience with an animal, but I do remember how much I loved my cats as a child.  I still love cats today.  So does my whole family!  We have two inside cats named Tabby and Ginger.  They are spoiled and rotten, and we love them that way! 

Ya Gotta Be Kidding!!

As a mom, I sometimes find myself in situations that I never dreamed would be part of living with children.  When I was younger and even when I was married but didn't yet have children, I would imagine what it would be like to have my own children.  You probably did it too.  We imagined the children being clean, well-dressed, polite, respectful, and of course all the siblings would get along with each other nicely.  Even after I had been a mom for just a short time, I realized that those dreams were a little bit, perhaps, idealistic.  (In other words, they were just plain wrong!!) 

This morning was one of those times that I was involved in a situation with the kids that just made me laugh because it was so ridiculous!!  (I figure I might as well laugh about these goofy situations instead of cry over them.  After all, I can't be that bad a mom--can I?)  Here's what happened:

Two of my children were discussing how much time they get for electronics each day.  I won't mention which two so that they can remain anonymous, but my oldest child is autistic and totally non-verbal if that helps you narrow down the possibilities any (for those of you who know me).  :)  At our house "electronics time" includes playing video games, playing games on my smart phone, playing on the computer, watching tv, etc.  If it has a battery and/or has to be plugged in to an electrical outlet--it counts.  Well, I don't count listening to the radio or to CDs since the kids aren't glued to those and can do other activities at the same time.  Everything else counts, though. 

Anyway, two of my children were discussing how much electronics time they get, and one was mentioning that he thought I limit his electronics time too much.  At that very moment, the two parakeets that we have as pets began squawking and making lots of racket.  The child whose electronics time is limited to an unreasonable degree (haha) looked at me and said, "See--even the birds agree that you are being unreasonable about it."  Then his sibling looked at him and said, "Only your bird agrees with you!  Mine thinks your electronics time is just fine!"  (Just in case you're wondering, the children all have the same amount of electronics time each day.)

As I listened to their conversation, I normally would have been unhappy with them for arguing, but in this case I just laughed out loud.  The kids both stopped arguing and looked at me like I was crazy.  I then explained to them that I couldn't believe I was listening to two of my children argue about the opinions of their pet parakeets!!  Oh.  My.  Gracious!! 

I'm not sure if they stopped arguing because they realized how silly they sounded or if they were more worried for my sanity.  In any case, though, they did stop arguing, so I was happy.  Ah the joys of motherhood!! 

So, how much time do you think is reasonable for kids to do electronics in a day?  One hour?  Two hours?  More?  We try to keep it to about 2 hours.  Sometimes on weekends they may do more than that--especially in the winter when they can't go outside as much. 

I'd also love to hear about one of your "I can't believe this is part of raising kids" moments if you'd like to share one.  Don't worry.  I will just laugh with you.  :) 

Math Musings

So what do you think about the importance of math in a student's life?  My younger daughter has struggled with math for her entire school career.  (She's now in 3rd grade, so admittedly her school career so far has been short.)  This is the same child who almost independently taught herself to read and now reads on a level much higher than she "should" be reading for an 8-year-old, so I know it's not a question of academic ability.  She simply doesn't have a "math mind."  She excels in subjects that have to do with reading (like history, science, literature, etc.) but she simply cannot seem to grasp (at least not very easily) most concepts related to mathematics.

Lately, this has really started to bother her because she is realizing that math is a subject in which she really has to apply herself while other subjects come much more easily.  So what does that mean?  Well, it means she fusses and complains about doing math and tries in every way she can think of to avoid having to do it!

I've been using a math curriculum with her that seems to "work" pretty well for her--at least better than many others I've tried.  (We use Math Mammoth  just in case you're wondering.  This is not a review for Math Mammoth, though, so I won't go into details about the program.  Of course you can take a look at the website, though, if you're interested.)  It gives lots of review and explanation and doesn't move too terribly quickly.  It gives her more time to really understand what she's doing before it moves on to something else.  That really helps her. 

Another thing I did was not even do math with her until she was in 2nd grade.  I wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not, but when I tried it with her in kindergarten and 1st grade, she just got so terribly frustrated that I was afraid she would develop a hate relationship with all things mathematic.  I figured it would be better to wait a year or two to start a "formal" math curriculum with her than make both of us miserable and cause her to hate math forever.  Of course we still did the regular daily "count the forks as you set the table" and "if you have 3 M&Ms and I give you 4 more, how many do you have" kinds of things during our normal days, so she wasn't totally without math exposure. 

I figure that, either she will begin to "get it" one day and it will begin to come more easily to her, or she will simply have to learn to do basic math that she needs for daily life (whether she wants to or not) and will have to concentrate on some kind of job in which higher math skills are not required!  Hopefully she will homeschool her own children some day.  One advantage she will have though, is that there are so many online programs and DVD programs available that she will have the option of teaching her kids the language arts-related classes and letting them do an online or DVD program for math.  My son's 8th grade math is a little more than I like to try to handle, so he does Teaching Textbooks, which we've been very happy with. 

Do any of you have a child who just doesn't "click" well with math?  If so, would you share an idea or two about how you've tried to deal with it?  I'd love to hear from you!


Wendy

Memoir Mondays Week 15

This week's Memoir Mondays questions are about higher education.  It seems like a long time ago that I went to college, and the truth is I'm glad I'm not there any more!   I did very much enjoy school and learning when I was a young child and through my college years.  It was the whole college environment that I didn't like.  I also worked full time while going to college full time, so it was a rather busy and sometimes pretty difficult time of my life. 

There were definitely some good things about it, though, and some things I really enjoyed.  Since I went to a private Christian college, that made most of the issues with the college environment better than those at typical secular colleges.  There were, though, still some issues and negative things to deal with like there probably are at all colleges whether secular or Christian. 

1. Did you go to college? If so, how did you decide where to go? If not, why did you decide to go a different route?

Yes, I went to what was at that time called William Carey College.  Since then it has become William Carey University.  I went for one year to USM (the University of Southern Mississippi), but I completely and totally hated it there!!  (Sorry for all you USM fans.  It just wasn't the school for me.)  USM was just way too big and impersonal.  I didn't live on campus because I was paying for my own college and couldn't afford to pay for the dorm and all the other expenses that living on campus brings.  I had to live at home and drive back and forth to save money.  That made it hard to make friends.  It also made it hard to find time to work in the library, do research, meet with my professors if I needed to, and all those kinds of things. 

My second year of college I transferred to WCC.  I liked it so much better there!!  The school was much smaller, so it was lots easier to get to know not only the other students but also the professors.  I had an easier time finding time to do work in the library, meet with professors, etc., since the school was smaller and easier to navigate.  It also gave me more time to do my work since it took so much less time just getting from place to place on campus! 

My second year at WCC (my junior year of college) I started taking mainly education classes.  Because the school was smaller, there were lots of the same students in my education classes.  There were three of us who became really close friends, and that sure did make college much more fun!  Even though none of us lived on campus and we all worked in addition to going to college, we really enjoyed taking our classes together.  We had so much in common and just enjoyed being in class together. 

I decided at first to go to USM because I knew it was close enough that I could commute since I couldn't afford to live in the dorm.  Also, they had an education program there.  Then, I chose to attend WCC because, as I mentioned already, I just felt too anonymous at USM.  I needed a smaller school where I could feel a part of my classes and get to know folks. 

Education was pretty important in my home growing up since my mom was a teacher and her mom had been a teacher too.  I knew that it was important to learn, and I enjoyed learning so I didn't mind school at all.  Well, there were some subjects I wasn't crazy about, but I did enjoy school in general.  I got bored at times since I was a good student and we sometimes had to slow down for students who had trouble.  I spent my "down" time talking, though, and that kept me happy!  It did not, however, make my teachers happy.  They knew I was basically a good kid, so they didn't give me too hard a time, but I did get in trouble pretty often for talking. 

I don't remember ever getting much help from my parents on my homework or projects or those kinds of things.  I was always a pretty independent student and I don't remember ever really even thinking to ask for help.  That sounds kind of weird to me now since I homeschool and do so much school work with my students, but that's just the way it was for me.  I suppose it worked out fine, though, since I made good grades.

I don't think I would return to my college years if I was given the chance, but I do have some fond memories of those years.  I graduated with a degree in elementary education. (At that time we could still get a K-8 degree.  Now I think students must choose either K-4 or 5-8.)  My husband and I married before our junior year of college and, after we graduated, he got a full-time job there at WCC.  Because he had a full time job there, we were both able to get our master's degrees without having to pay tuition.  I remember that I was a little burned out on college by then and didn't really want to commit another two years to getting my master's degree, but I did it anyway since I knew I might never have the chance to go tuition-free again.  During the two years that I worked on my master's degree, I also taught school. 

I've found since then that my favorite school years have been (and are) the years that I'm spending right here at home teaching my own kiddos!

Don't forget to visit April at Heartfelt Homeschooling to read more Memoir Mondays responses!

Math Facts Now Review





I remember teaching my now 13-year-old his multiplication facts.  It was so tedious and time-consuming!!  (Not to mention boring for both of us!)  Now, it's time for my 8-year-old to learn her math facts.  I've put it off because I just couldn't stand the thought of going through those boring flashcard drills.  She's not really a "math person" anyway, so I knew I'd have to deal with her less-than-enthusiastic attitude about it too. 

Then I was asked to review a program called Math Facts Now.  It's designed to simply help students learn and practice their math facts.  And guess what?!  If my 8-year-old uses Math Facts Now to learn her math facts, then I don't have to do them with her!!  Woohoo!!  And even though I mentioned that she isn't a "math person," she actually seems to enjoy (well, as much as possible) practicing her facts using this program.  Ok, well, she enjoys it way more than she was enjoying using the flashcards and being drilled by me.  She will actually do her practice without fussing about it and looks like she's at least having a pleasant experience as she practices.  That's definitely better than the response I was getting!

This practice program can be either instantly downloaded or ordered on CD-ROM.  My sister ordered the CD to use with her kids since she doesn't have a very good internet connection where she lives.  I got the instant download since I do.  Either way the program works the same way, though. 

The program is designed for students from kindergarten through about 6th grade.  It can certainly be used by any age student, though, if he or she needs to learn any math facts:  addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. 

The parent has lots of control over exactly how this program is used.  He or she can choose which functions and even which specific numbers for the child to learn.   The parent can also choose how many problems each student must answer correctly during a session and how much time the student will be given to answer each question.  (I particularly like this because my daughter has learned how to quickly count up the answers to her multiplication tables.  I like to set it so that she must type in her answer almost immediately so she won't have time to count up, and that way I know that she really does know the answer from memory.) 

Parents can also decide how many times missed problems must be correctly re-answered during each session.  They can choose rewards for completed lessons (IF they want to do this.  It's not necessary.).  They can create lessons and even save or reuse them again.  Finally, parents can keep track of each child's progress and mastery by reviewing progress reports for each child. 

You can take a look at the Math Facts Now website and even get a free trial if you're interested in trying it out.  If you decide to buy, you can buy the instant download for $15.95 or the CD-ROM for $15.95 plus $3.95 S&H.  I usually try not to comment on the prices of the items I review for the Crew since a certain amount might be a lot of money to one family and not much at all to another.  In this case, though, I have to say that I think the price is very reasonable!  Most students will needs months and months (or perhaps even years) to learn all of their math facts and maintain what they've learned, and $15.95 seems completely worth it to me!  If you have a student who needs to learn his or her math facts, I hope you'll take a look at Math Facts Now. 

If you want to see what other Crew members had to say about their experiences with this program, you can see their reviews here. 



NOTE:  I received Math Facts Now for free in exchange for writing this review.  The opinions expressed in this review are my own.  I did not receive any other compensation.

Positive Action for Christ Review

My daughter and I got to try out a Bible curriculum from Positive Action for Christ, and we are really enjoying it!  We are using the 3rd grade curriculum called Growing with God.  I received a teacher's manual, and Mary Grace received the 3rd grade student workbook.  As soon as we opened the box and before we even got started using the curriculum, Mary Grace was already really excited about it because her workbook is so colorful and "fun" looking.  The teacher's manual, while it's not colorful and pretty like the student's workbook, is in a convenient 3-ring binder and contains not only the student workbook information but also extra information for the teacher to use in presenting the lesson.  It also, of course, contains the answers to the questions in the student workbook. 

One thing that many moms will really like is that the teacher's manual also contains a weekly lesson plans page.  In fact, the lesson plans detail how to use the curriculum whether you prefer to use this study for 3, 4, or 5 days each week.  I like to have a plan in mind and to know what I want to try to get done with my kids each day, so I found the lesson plan pages to be really helpful.  Of course you could do your own lesson plans if you wanted to, but it sure is handy for them to already be done!  It's a wonderful time-saver! 

Another thing I really like about this curriculum is that it includes Scripture memorization right in the program.  One of my goals for my kids this year was/is for them to begin to memorize Scripture--something I've never really worked on with them so far--so I was so glad to see that that's included!  In fact, if you use the program as they outline it for you, your children will end up memorizing the Scripture once and being responsible for knowing it again at least once later in the year--helping to ensure that each student really knows that Scripture and didn't just memorize it long enough to say it once and then forget it.  There are also Memorization Report Sheets included in the teacher's book to make it really easy for parents to keep track of the verses and when they are due or have been memorized.

For those who are musically inclined, there is a music curriculum that goes along with this program as well.  I didn't receive the music part of the program to review, so I can't describe that for you.  I did want to mention it, though, because I know many homeschoolers like to incorporate music into their routines, so you might want to check that out if you are a family who enjoys singing together. 

The lessons in this 3rd grade level Bible study curriculum begin with the basics about the Bible being God's Word and the parts of the Bible.  They quickly move on to studies of the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Daniel, though.  Each lesson includes, of course, part of the story of the Bible character being studied during that unit.  Each lesson also includes one or more vocabulary words, several "target truths," teaching strategies for the teacher, and character trait activities. 


In each lesson in the student workbook, the student will define the vocabulary word(s) or do an activity with that lesson's words.  She will also participate in a discussion or listen to a story to help her get ready for that day's lesson.  I like this part because it makes the lesson seem more relevant to the student and hopefully will add interest so that the student will realize that the lesson really does apply to her (or him) and her life.  Then there are lots of different activities in which the student hears and learns about the life of the person being studied in that unit.  These lessons and activities not only teach the student about the Bible character, but they also emphasize that person's character traits and how those same character traits can be learned and exhibited in the life of the student.  And of course, as I mentioned earlier, Bible memorization is part of each lesson as well. 


The particular curriculum that my daughter and I are using is from the elementary curriculum series.  It has teachers' books and student workbooks for grades K-6.  They also have Bible curriculum, though, for middle school and high school students.   The student's manual that I received sells for $12.95.  (They are $10.95 if you purchase 5 or more--if you are using the curriculum in a school or church setting, for example.)  The teacher's manual costs $33.95, or you can buy the teacher's manual on CD-ROM for $19.95.  If you choose to include the music part of the curriculum, the music CD is $9.95. 


If you'd like to read reviews by other Crew members, you can do that here.  In fact, other Crew members received different grade levels to review, so you may want to look around to find a review on the specific grade level that you're interested in using.  I plan on checking out some of the middle school and high school level resources for my two older children as well.  There are some resources offered that look really great!


Wendy

NOTE:  I received this resource for free in exchange for writing this review.  The opinions expressed in this review are my own honest opinions.  I received no other compensation. 

FIRST Book Review Love Food and Live Well

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Chantel Hobbs

and the book:

Love Food & Live Well

WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (December 14, 2010)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chantel Hobbs is a life coach, marathon runner, personal trainer, wife, and mother of four. Her amazing story of losing two hundred pounds and keeping the weight off has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Life Today with James Robison, The 700 Club, and Focus on the Family Radio—and in People and First magazines. Hobbs hosts a weekly radio show and is the on-air fitness expert on the WAY-FM radio network. She is also a regular guest on the KLOVE radio network. Hobbs is a frequent speaker to women’s groups and makes personal appearances at fitness conventions. The developer of The One-Day Way Learning System and the author of four books, including Never Say Diet and The One-Day Way, Chantel lives with her family in south Florida.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $19.99
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (December 14, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307457842
ISBN-13: 978-0307457844

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

The Battle over Blue Jeans


People, Here Is My Deal!


For as long as I can remember, I have loved clothes and makeup. Even when I weighed close to 350 pounds, I experimented with trendy hairstyles while checking out the latest plus-size fashion catalogs.


When I was in elementary school, I would spend afternoons with my sister Christy, sitting on the floor of the closet in the decked-out pink bedroom we shared. This was a supersized closet where we would set up our Barbie dolls for fashion shows. Because I had blond hair and Christy was a brunette, it was only natural for me to pretend to be Barbie and her to be Skipper, Barbie’s little sister. At least that’s how I sold the idea to Christy. As we grew up and began to put our dolls away, I still enjoyed being prissy, often spending way too much time in front of a mirror.


Even as a young mother, I was a fashionista. I’ll never forget entering the hospital to have a scheduled cesarean to deliver my son Jake. I had spent the day before the delivery getting a pedicure and manicure and shopping for a matching nightgown set. Really, I did this! As I lay on the table in the operating room, the doctor arrived and started to chuckle. “Well, Chantel, I can see nothing about this is going to be a natural delivery.” All I could say was, “At least I left the false eyelashes at home.” I was only half kidding.


One reason I went overboard with my appearance was because I loved hearing friends and family comment on how together I looked. Even while having a baby, I wanted to look great. But today, in hindsight, I feel seriously sorry for the woman I used to be. She was always exhausted from trying to maintain her unreal image. Plus, I knew deep down that I wasn’t fooling anyone but myself. My weight problem wasn’t going to vanish underneath fancy clothing and attempts to camouflage my problem areas. I really did know that owning an all-black wardrobe wouldn’t keep my body issues a secret.


But back then I had convinced myself I needed to make a serious effort to look pretty from the neck up because I was too overweight for the rest of me to look decent. I rationalized that if I could highlight my best features, people would see my positive attributes and look past my greatest flaw: my obese body. At this point my life was one big head game.


I’ll never forget the weekend I went on a business trip with my husband, Keith, to Bermuda. This was a dream coming true for someone who spent most days watching Barney and folding laundry. But when we started to pack, panic set in. Bermuda is one huge beach, and I knew I’d embarrass my husband if I wore a swimsuit in front of his bosses and work friends. On the other hand, this was Bermuda! It was a free trip and a chance to escape the zoo I called home!


After we boarded the plane, I found my seat and immediately put a jacket over my waist. This was a trick I had learned from previous travel experiences, and it almost always worked. If I could hide where the seat belt was supposed to be, the flight attendant wouldn’t notice that mine was unbuckled. The truth is, I did this because I couldn’t connect the seat belt. I was too big around. This time, however, my system failed. As the attendant stopped by our row, she asked me to buckle my seat belt. As I struggled to latch it, she stood impatiently with one hand on her hip. I whispered that I was having trouble making it fit.


So being the sensitive, tall, and freakishly thin woman she was, she shouted to her co-worker, “Could you look in one of the overhead compartments for a seat-belt extension?”


I was mortified. I closed my eyes and tried to pretend the attendant was talking about someone else. A few moments later she handed me the hated seat-belt extension, and I fastened the thing as quickly as I could. I promise you, I could feel the pity of strangers as they witnessed my hame. But instead of shedding tears, I did what I had rehearsed in previous situations. I took a deep breath and grabbed Keith’s hand, squeezing it for dear life as the aircraft took off. My vacation is off to a great start, I told myself. I can’t wait to see what other embarrassing moments lie ahead.


Surprisingly, our Bermuda trip ended up being the trip of a lifetime. The island was beautiful, the water was the clearest blue I had ever seen, and I felt beautiful for the entire week. Strangely, it was another young mother, the wife of one of Keith’s co-workers, who was mostly responsible.

Each day I would get dolled up and make my entrance into the meeting room for the company’s group breakfast. This girl went out of her way to say something sincere and extraordinary about the way I looked, morning after morning. She would also ask me for fashion advice. By her looks, she didn’t need any, certainly none from me. Yet she still inquired and never in a condescending way.


Best of all, she never breathed the dreaded words “You have such a pretty face.” The trip to Bermuda taught me the intense power we all have when we speak to someone, especially to a person who is feeling weak and vulnerable. Just by saying something simple and positive, we can brighten someone’s outlook, even if it’s only for a few seconds.


For most of my life I had become accustomed to backhanded compliments. When it came to my weight and all my failed attempts to lose it, I had heard everything. I’d try yet another diet, and two weeks into it over and over I would hear from those around me, “Now keep up the good work.” And I would always think, Are you kidding? I’m trying here. Just tell me “good job,”

and don’t worry about whether I lose another dad-gum pound. I get that you are letting me know I have a long way to go!


Yet Another New Start


Coming home from Bermuda, where I felt sincere acceptance, I had real hope. I felt different. I was relaxed, revived, and encouraged. I decided that I was ready to give weight loss another shot. As I set out to lose weight for the eighty-sixth time in my life, I felt prepared. I bought the latest diet book from Sam’s Club and a twelve-pack of muffins. I rationalized the muffin purchase by telling myself I needed to have one last hurrah.


On Monday my plan was to go for it. I would try with everything in me not to let anything stand in my way. Of course, I didn’t see any need to crack open the new book I’d bought until the weekend was over! What would a few more days of indulgence hurt?


Then Monday arrived, and I made my grand entrance at the gym. I even went back three days in a row. The only problem was that by the end of the week I was hanging out more than working out. I’d been trying to get David, the juice bar owner, to tell me his recipe for the yummy chocolate–peanut butter protein shake I was ordering every day. The first clue it wasn’t all that

healthy should have been the chocolate syrup he poured in. But I told myself, if it’s made on gym property, how bad could it be?


By the time the week ended, I had followed the plan in my recently purchased book and had my cheat day. Not surprisingly, I quickly indulged in an entire cheat weekend. However, I managed to get back to the gym the following Monday. The plan I was on was doable, and even with halfhearted efforts, I was slowly losing weight.


After shedding about twenty pounds, I decided I needed some new clothes. This was kind of funny, especially since not one person had noticed that I had lost an ounce. As I said earlier, I’ve always loved fashion. But at this point, with my weight so high, I was stuck wearing mostly dresses and skirts. I just couldn’t face the prospect of trying to fit my behind into a pair of pants

at Lane Bryant. But now, since I was feeling pretty good about myself and getting results, I headed over to the Coral Square Mall. I was there to hunt down a pair of blue jeans. Even if I had to lie down to zip them and not breathe while I wore them, I was determined to come home with new jeans.


I picked up three pairs with plenty of stretch to take into the dressing room. Once the door was closed, though, no amount of sucking it in, squeezing hard, or holding my breath got the jeans up to my waist. I couldn’t make any of them fit. As I held the jeans up and looked in the mirror, I wondered how anyone could stand to look at me. I was a disgusting blob of pain and misery.


I had left home that day feeling good about my progress. I was finally losing some weight. But after a few minutes in a dressing room, I wanted to die. How had I let myself become this pathetic mess of a woman?


A few Cinnabons later I went home. Two weeks after my blue jean horror show, I found out I was expecting. A month into the pregnancy I miscarried due to a badly infected gallbladder, and I ended up having emergency surgery. I wondered if I would ever change my life or if I would die first. Death seemed like perhaps the only escape out of this prison.


About six months later I had an unforgettable encounter with God. I was alone in my car, driving home from a meeting. I had reached my lowest point ever, and I let God in. I had known Him for years, ever since I had been saved from an eternity separated from Him. As a little girl in Sunday school, I had asked Jesus into my heart to save me from my sins. What I needed now, as a desperate, hurting, damaged woman, was to be saved from myself. I was still trying to run my own life.


God had whispered my name through many embarrassing moments and hurtful situations; I just never answered. But that night, alone in my car, He finally got through to me. I experienced a supernatural intervention. And it compels me now to tell my friends, my clients, and my readers my Lazarus story.


An Incredible Second Chance


Remember the story of Lazarus in the Bible? When Jesus brought him back from the dead, and we’re talking dead as a doornail (he was four-days dead), I imagine all he wanted was to blow a trumpet and tell the world about his miracle. Today I feel a similar kind of zeal resulting from my own miracle. As I surrendered all the pain of my lifelong weight problem to God, my heart

began a major shift. God gave me a deep desire to go to work. For the first time, I took on the task of losing the weight with Him in charge. I was no longer alone as I had been in the past. By allowing God, who never breaks a promise, to give me the strength, self-control, and focus I needed, how could I fail?


Ten years later I am on the same course He set for my life that night. My life is still filled with unexpected moments, both tragedies and celebrations. But I have never looked back.


After going on to lose two hundred pounds, I designed my own fitness and weight-loss program and became a certified Spinning teacher, personal trainer, and marathon runner. I love feeling strong, being healthy, and knowing I’m not a slave to my former appetites. Often I run into people I haven’t seen in many years. They may have known me as the overweight girl with a

pretty face. And if I dare to attempt a reacquaintance, I am usually in for a good laugh.


I’ll never forget one woman from a church I attended years earlier. I ran into her at the grocery store and tried to convince her who I was. “You aren’t really Chantel from West Lauderdale Baptist,” she insisted. I tried to get her to believe it was me, just an improved version. I think she finally accepted the truth, but it took awhile.


I am proud of the woman I have worked to become. However, I am most thankful that God rescued me from a place where I had lost all hope. God’s care for me and His work in my life give me the strength to stay on course. Now, after writing four books and producing a learning system for weight loss and fitness, I can see that God continues to use me as a voice of real-life

experience. A big part of my message is this: let me help you stop sabotaging yourself and your life. I know, from hard experience, how to overcome self-defeat. Every day I get to hear the stories of people who were losing hope, as I was, and now are finding the life they had dreamed of. I receive e-mails from women who have heard me speak, read one of my books, or heard me on the radio and now are surrendering their failed attempts to God. They are learning the truth and power of surrender and then doing the hard work of changing their lives.


In my work of helping people reclaim their health, I never know what is coming next. Recently I got a call from my publicist. She was so excited she could hardly tell me the news. “While you are in New York later this week to do The Today Show and Fox and Friends, a major women’s magazine wants to set up a photo shoot.”


I screamed. I couldn’t help it. Not only would the exposure help sell my book, but doing a photo shoot in New York, as the author of fitness books, was an experience I never dreamed I’d have. When I weighed nearly 350 pounds, an opportunity like this never entered my mind.


I couldn’t wait, but I had to. It was still a few weeks away. As New Year’s came and went, I was more careful than ever about fitting in all my workouts and eating clean. (Clean eating is the best way for me to think about food that delivers maximum energy with a reasonable calorie content.) When the day arrived, a driver came to our New York hotel to take Keith and me to the shoot. In the previous week, I had given my measurements to a stylist. She informed me she would be shopping for the clothes I would wear for the photo shoot. To use a term from my Southern-rooted parents, I was in hog heaven! I used to be the woman who was embarrassed to tell anyone her sizes, and now I had someone else buying me clothes based on them! The great part was the freedom in sharing what size I was. For the first time, I felt no shame.


When we arrived at the studio, I noticed that the loft where the photographer had scheduled the shoot was trendy and chic. It had sky-high ceilings complete with lots of lights and screened umbrellas to ensure perfect lighting. Taking up an entire wall was a buffet of food the magazine had catered for the event, my event! All of it was healthy fare with me in mind.


As I entered a dressing room, fun music filled the air. A makeup artist and hairstylist began their magic. I listened while they talked about their past work. One had done Heidi Klum’s makeup not long before, and the other spoke of doing the makeup for big names on a major movie set. I was a little overwhelmed with the emotion of the moment. I felt like I was back to playing Barbie dolls with my sister.


After hair and makeup were underway, the stylist had me try on all the clothes she had bought. We settled on a great pair of designer jeans with a sleek white sweater and a trendy hot pink top. I put on the heels she had purchased—a perfect fit—and some fabulous jewelry. Then I was whisked away to the main part of the studio. In that moment I felt like a million bucks.


It was then the stylist asked me what I believed to be an insane question: “Where are your old blue jeans?” At first I couldn’t believe I had heard her right, but I knew what she was getting at. She said the creative director wanted me to hold up a supersized pair of pants in the photo to show the dramatic contrast represented by clothes I had worn in my previous life.


I understood the point of playing up the shock value. Shoppers standing in line at the supermarket checkout would be amazed by the pants I had once filled out. But the idea that I would have to display a symbol of the old life I had left behind made me feel sick, like I had never lost a pound. How could I hold up a pair of jeans that represented my old humiliation?


I explained to the stylist that not only had I not brought a pair of jeans but I didn’t feel comfortable doing this. As I held my breath, a few phone calls were made, and the shoot continued without the troubling reminder of my past. It turned out to be a great experience, and I was pleased with the photographs. However, I felt a little angry and upset with myself. Hadn’t I moved on past my old image? I could now fit two of me inside my old jeans, so why was this such a big deal? I also wondered if readers might have been helped by seeing me holding up the pants I used to wear. Why couldn’t I just smile into the camera with confidence even if I was standing behind a pair of my old jeans?


I Will Never Return


Back in my hotel room, I awoke in the middle of the night still thinking about the photo shoot. Finally I could see clearly what had offended me. Supersized blue jeans were a symbol of major pain in my life. Holding them up in front of me would not feel as if I was showcasing success. I was now on an exciting journey to share my life and my program to help other people. I had ditched the old jeans, just as I had ditched diets—and both of them for good! Sure, I will always be able to relate to the woman who desperately tries to zip up a pair of pants in a store’s dressing room. But I didn’t want to spend another special moment of my life sharing the spotlight with my former self. I had crossed the point of no return. I now knew without question that I would never go back.


I have a completely new deal, one that focuses on living my new life, the life that God led me to when I fell into my darkest moment. The old me had long wanted to leave behind the constant torment of being overweight and undisciplined. That life is now over. My new deal is much sweeter than I dreamed was possible.


You can have the same deal! You can start living a life of security and freedom. You can be released from the prison of defeat, failure, and negative self-image. And best of all, the new deal we’re going to explore is guaranteed to last.


I won’t ever return to being the person I started out as. There is no going back. And I’ll show you how to take full advantage of the same deal!