40 days to a healthier me

Today starts my church's 40 days of prayer and fasting ending on Easter Sunday.

Our theme this year is 'Just what the doctor ordered: A walk through the book of Luke'.

Sunday we read through Isaiah 58-True Fasting. We also touched on 7 reasons to fast. After the sermon, our pastor challenged us to give up something for the 40 days. For some that might be a meal, for others it could be something material, for others it could be something that they've been meaning to give up. Along with giving up something, we're also asked to add something to our lives-something to make it better.

This year, I am giving up soda (that stuff is way too addicting) and yelling at my children. I am adding to my life, healthy eating, exercise, daily devotions and learning to deal with my kids in a calm, Biblical manner.

I am the kind of person who instantly resorts to yelling-it's not pretty and something I'm very aware that I do way.too.much. WAY.TOO.MUCH. My kids seem to think that unless I yell, I don't really want them to listen. It drives me crazy, lol.

So for the next 40 days, I'm becoming spiritually, emotionally and physically healthier. I'm going to work on my relationship with God and with my kids. We've already discussed how mom wants to stop yelling at them. They are aware that it will take a lot for me to do this and I might mess up and will need their forgiveness. I've also challenged them to give up something, too. They're still thinking about that. Together we'll work on these 40 days together.

In the end, my prayer is for us to learn to put God first and all the other pieces will fall into place.

Sexiest Man Alive?

It appears that the latest talk other than Gen Patraeus' affair (a whole other topic but related to this) is the cover on the new People magazine-Sexiest Man Alive-Channing Tatum. I couldn't even begin to tell you who he is other than an actor. Don't ask me what he's been in because I won't be able to answer you.

Looking at his photo from People.com, do I think he's the sexiest man alive? No. Do I think he's good looking? Sure, but you won't find me oogling over him-or anyone else who is famous for that matter.

Why? 

Matthew 5:28 says- ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

I find that the verse also applies to women lusting after men. If I find a man sexy and I dream of being with him-I'm committing a sin and not honoring my husband or my wedding vows. Lust can destroy a marriage. 

You may not think that thinking someone other than your spouse is sexy can hurt anything but it can. It starts as a look, thinking someone is hot, sexy, good looking and it can work up to lust which can then blossom into unfaithfulness and possible divorce. It may not happen with that star you think is sexy but believing that is looking at a star as sexy can cause you to wonder closer to home. Why give into the temptation? Why take the chance?

If you are interested in learning more on the destructiveness of Lust, take some time to listen to this Family Life podcast.

Day 4-There is always an excuse

I hate to exercise. To me it's boring...really not fun and a waste of my time. I'm so busy...I get up, get the kids off to school, start working, take a lunch, work some more, make supper, get the kids cleaned up, kids to bed and then it's my bed time. I don't have time to exercise.

Yesterday, our Pastor said-You have time to do whatever you want to do. It's true. I do. I have time to exercise, I just chose not to most days.

I did manage to squeeze in some this weekend. we walked around the mall-it wasn't a fast pace but it was more than I do some days. I also played some football with my kids. What a great reminder about why I need to exercise. Man am I out of shape.

Tonight I could exercise...but instead I'm here blogging-great excuse right? Ok, it's not and I am getting off here to go exercise. My husband may not be home but I'm still making an effort to exercise tonight. Thanks to my boys for entertaining their sister so I can.

Weekly goals

I didn't do so well last week on my goals. I started out strong and then I fell flat and didn't pick it up.

Here are my goals for this week

• Read one chapter from the Bible each morning
• Read one chapter from The Bible Questions book
• Exercise three time this week
• Eat healthy
• Drink more water
• Track my calories

I narrowed the list a little this week. I may have tried to do too much last week-overwhelming myself.

Here's to a better week.

Post Election 2012- One way you can make a difference

The video below is from Inter-denominational Disaster Relief through NaLEC. And organization based out of the Bronx in NYC. They are collecting and distributing supplies for those affected by Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy.

If you are in central PA and would like to donate-you can drop off supplies (water, baby supplies, hygiene products, bleach, blankets, etc) at Christ Wesleyan Church in Milton M-F 8-5 or Sunday mornings. Monetary donations are also being accepted.

Our country needs to know that we can rely on each other for their needs when disasters happen. Why wait for the government to help, when WE can.

I am helping out-won't you?

Day 1 on my weight loss goal

I am excited to report that I did well on day 1 of my weight loss journey. I probably could have done better had I made a healthier choice at Burger King yesterday but overall, I did well. I managed to put in a half hour of wii fit exercise last night. I didn't do a lot but what I did do made me realize even more how important this journey is for me and my family.

Many, many years ago, I was a skinny girl who was able to eat anything and everything and not gain weight. Back then I was a lot more active than I am today. I had a retail job where I was on the go for 8 hours of the day. I also hadn't been through 3 full pregnancies and the heartache of 2 miscarriages. How I could even had thought at 130-140 lbs that I was fat, is beyond me but I did think I had a belly. Ha, how naive I had been.

Some ask why I want to lose weight-I want to be healthy for my kids and my husband. I want to be around for a long time to enjoy my family and with genetics already against me, do I really need my weight to be against me too?

What am I going to do to lose weight? Eating healthier-a more balanced diet and exercise. There are many weight loss programs out there-many that will offer you a quick way to lose weight, but I want to do it naturally. I want it to be a life long change. 

At lunch yesterday, I told my husband and kids my plans and they were supportive. I told them that for a half hour each night that my husband is home, I would like to spend it exercising. Last night when I said it was time to exercise, the kids set up the wii for me, they did some of the activities with me and they even offered me tons of encouragement. It made this mom very happy :)

Day 2 is here and while my husband isn't home tonight, I do have the day off, as do the boys, so I think I'll be able to get at least a half an hour in of some form of exercise-maybe we'll rake the leaves today. I can baby wear and rake-that has to be good for burning calories right?

Today I vow to obey and lose

I feel that God has been calling me for a while now to lose weight and to blog about it. I have no idea why, nor do I know how he will use it to make a difference. All I know is its time for me to listen-so here goes.

This number I am about to give is horrible, it's not one I share with just anyone and one I don't ever want to admit is mine. I don't even like that my husband knows it and we don't have secrets.

I do think that in order for me to be honest and to share I have to admit what that number is-ready??

205-my weight as of this morning.
150- my goal weight
1 1/2 lbs my goal to lose each week
July 2013- when I should be able to meet my goal.

Will you join me in this journey? Will you support me in this journey?

Post Election 2012-How can you make a difference?

I will admit up front, I was disappointed with the outcome of the presidential election this year but not really surprised. As a conservative Christian, I can see that our country is turning away from God and denying many of the founding principals that our Founding Fathers stood for and created our country around.

Last evening our small young marrieds group at church saw the I am second video from Mike Huckabee. In the video he talks about his bid for president in 2008 and how he dealt with the loss. It's a good video and I encourage you to take 4 minutes and watch it. After watching the video we had a great discussion on the election on Tuesday and the outcome of it and what we as Christians should do from here. It sure gave me a lot to think about on the way home.

After a lot of thinking, my question to you is this-What can you do to better this country? I think if you are a Christian, the first thing you need to do is pray about it and then grab your Bible and ask God to show you what you can do.

For some of you, that might mean running for a public office, for others it could mean volunteering some place, for others it might mean praying more.

What can we as Christians do? Here are a few things that came to mind last night-

Are you pro-life and would like to support and bring more awareness? Here are a few suggestions on how to do that- Become a foster parent. Volunteer at a Pregnancy Care Center. Donate items to Pregnancy Care Centers, homeless shelters, women's shelters, etc. Consider adopting a child and look into Christian agency to help with that-there are many out there.

Are you for the marriage between one woman, one man? Attend a Weekend to Remember conference. Start a marriage group in your church or community. Pray for couples in your church and around the nation and the world. Be an example to others around you with your own marriage. Love your spouse as God loves the church.

Do you not like all the violence, sex and immorality on TV? Make a big statement by turning off the TV. Support Christian movies-there are many, many out there-by viewing one in the theaters, buying the DVDs, inviting friends and families to view them with you. Support Christian based TV stations-yes there are such stations out there-by watching programming they air.

Do you have a passion for children? They are our future!! Volunteer!! It's one of the biggest things you can do! There are so many organizations out there where you can volunteer-Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Church, Sunday School, Big Brother/Big Sister, foster parents, and the list goes on.

There are so many ways that you, your families and your churches can step up and make a difference in our country. It doesn't have to be all about politics, it can be about God and what he has called each of us to do.

How will you make a difference? Do you have other suggestions that I did not list? Please feel free to share them in the comments below.

Take some time today to pray and read through the Word and see what God has for you to do for Him and His glory.

Ephesians 1:18-
18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 

Week of November 5th -Goals

I follow several blogs where the owners/writers set goals for themselves. Different things they'd like to see accomplished that week. I like goals. I like seeing a list of things to do that I will do and watching them be crossed off as the goal is accomplished. I'm just really bad at writing out those lists.

Today, I am setting some goals for this week and we'll see by Sunday how I do.

My goals

• Read at least 1 Chapter of the Bible each day 
• Spend time in prayer each day 
• Read at least 1 Chapter of The Bible Questions each day 
• Read at least 3 chapters of The Happy Housewives 
• Spend time with my kids-no yelling, no fighting, no arguing-just being each day 
• Clean one room each evening, maintaining other rooms 
• Do at least one load of laundry each day completely 
• Exercise at least 3 days this week 

I'll update either Sunday evening or Monday as to how I did on these goals-please keep me in check with this. I really need to follow through on each item.

I Am Second

Goodbye my friend

It seems like only yesterday, we went to the Humane Society to find a dog to love. But it was really 11 years, 1 month and 3 days ago.

You were the most beautiful dog of them all, so we brought you home to live with us as our dog-our first baby. We did so much together-walks, car rides, snuggle times.

You were there when the Towers fell on that fateful day in September-nearly 6 months after we brought you home.

You were there and shared our excitement when we got our first BFP and you were there several weeks later when those dreams were turned upside down and I miscarried. You were there beside me through the pain and sorrow.

You were there the following year when we got another BFP, moved to a new home, built a fence for you and your new companion Spot and brought home our first son-Benjamin.

You were there two years later when we again got another BFP and brought home our second son-Levi.

You were there again two years later we moved again into our new home and again you managed the change with patience and love.

You were there again last month when we brought home our first daughter-Rebekah.

Through all those changes you were so patient, so loving and just you.

There are so many things I will miss-trash all over the floor, barking at the garbage men and anyone that stopped within 100 feet of our house, reminding you that it's just a thunderstorm and it would be ok, your happy face when we came home but the thing I will miss most is just you. You were my best friend, my protector, my girl.

I love and miss you my sweet, precious Sadie Dog.

Stationery card

Oh Holy Night Religious Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Sweetest sound

The sweetest sound a pregnant mama could hear is the sound of her little ones heart beating.

Today at our appointment we heard our little ones heart beating. He or she tried to hide again but we found it and it really was a sweet sound.

We love you little one and cannot wait to meet you in 20 weeks.

Another year of phone calls from the nurse

For the last half of the school year last year, I don't know that we went through a week without getting a phone call about one of the boys getting hurt. Mind you, there are only two of them.

This year has been slightly uneventful as far as phone calls. I think I've received a handful of them-all for minor things like bumps and bruises-no need for me to drive to the school to pick a child up.

Today, I was grabbing the laundry basket from the living room when the phone rang. Now I was going to ignore it because...well I had to use the bathroom but then I looked at the caller ID and there it was the school's phone number, ugh. I answered and like I guessed it was the school nurse. Apparently, my oldest son doesn't know how to walk out of the bathroom without injuring himself.  He hit his eye area on the door of the bathroom. Thankfully it just left a mark but seriously kid???  Lol.

I love my kids and I love the things they do. Now the nurse phone calls I don't like them so much, lol.

Our exciting news

Back in February I wrote a blog titled Finding Peace about finding peace after a miscarriage and when approaching the anniversary of the miscarriage. If you would ask me then if I thought we'd ever be pregnant again, I would have said no.

On July 16, 2011-the day before our anniversary after being almost a week late, I decided to take a test and lo and behold it was POSITIVE!!!! Because it was our anniversary, I decided to slip the test into my husband's card. He took it out and looked at it for no less than 30 seconds before finally looking at me and saying, really?

We were ecstatic but because of our loss from last March being so fresh in our minds, we did not want to tell the boys or anyone else for that matter until we were sure this one was sticking. Do you know how hard it is to deal with early pregnancy symptoms and not be able to tell anyone? It's not easy that's for sure.

On August 12, we were able to go to the doctor and see our bean. He/she was very active and had a great heartbeat.

We decided to take the boys out to eat and tell them. I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I know they love their baby cousin but both have been it known that they were not interested in having a baby in our house. Once we told them they were both happy and even started thinking of names for the baby-boy names of course, lol.

We saw the doctor last Thursday and were able to hear the heartbeat-150s and were very relieved to know that things are going well. I am now into my 14th week of pregnancy. We are excited to see whether this little one will be a boy or a girl.

Here is a pic of our little one at 8 weeks, 6 days.

Pintrest

I have no idea what pintrest is, do you? Apparently it's a website but I'm not sure I get it (course I should probably look at it longer than a few minutes).

I did find this on one of the blogs that I follow, Thrifty Decor Chick.

This is ingenious.

An open snack container. I have a habit of buying fresh produce, throwing it in a drawer and forgetting about it and a few weeks later, throwing it away. This is my goal to do prior to the beginning of the school year.  It would be great for me during the day and then after school when the boys get home. I can do one in the fridge and one in the cupboard (once I get those, lol).

I also love this idea.

The boys like to 'use' all their bubbles (read dump them) and what a great way for them to be easily refilled. I have a cute plastic drink container like this that will work perfectly. Maybe I'll dig it out tomorrow and fill it with a bubble mixture (putting it up out of the boys reach of course).

Have you ever found anything you'd try on pintrest?  I'm going over there right now to find some interesting things. Who knows maybe I'll get addicted and join and submit my own things.

Updates

So how is the kitchen coming? Slow, lol. Seriously, it is very slow. Here we are about 2 1/2 months since we demoed it all and we still don't have cupboards, let alone walls. We do have studs. Matter of fact, we have three walls of studs which is a huge improvement.

Next week, we'll hopefully have drywall on the walls. After drywall comes priming, then painting.  After that is cupboards and floors and countertops.  Yay!!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I never made it to the second hand stores last week. It had been a very hot, very humid week and I didn't care to go anywhere.  Even the pool was warm.

We did get to have a campfire and light sparklers though. The boys enjoyed that.

At the end of the week, we made it to our local, free admission amusement park.

Although it was a hot and humid week, we did enjoy our days as a family.

Dreaming...

Tomorrow at 4 PM, I start vacation. I cannot wait. Although it won't be much of a vacation for us. We need to work on our kitchen desperately and make some decisions, such as flooring, paint color, definite on cabinets, etc.

I am hoping to take one day without kids and go second hand shopping. It's something I don't get to do much of anymore but I love doing. I love to see what I can find cheap and use or re-purpose.

I'm also hoping to hit up a few yard sales too this weekend. Ya never know what I may find :-)

Facing your fears

Several weeks ago my husband was mowing in front our house when I heard the mower stop. I didn't really think much of it since the mower had a habit of stalling out anyway, especially in higher grass. Something made me go outside though, so I went out and he says I mowed over a snake. WHAT?????

I'm not a fan of snakes, unless they are those cute boa constrictors that zoos and animal places have that they let you pet. Those I can handle. The slithering kinds in my yard, not so much, even if they're not poisonous.

My front flower bed needed to be weeded bad. I had all kinds of weeds growing in it and it was looking really bad but I was so afraid I'd come across a snake that I kept putting it off.

I faced that fear last night and weeded my flower bed and found my poor rose that had been buried under the bind weed. I must say once I got going on the weeding, it seemed like I had no fear anymore.

Now I have a flower bed mostly freed of weeds (is it possible to get all of them?) and my fear has disappeared. Maybe next time I will actually mow too.

Here are a few photos I took last night.

Yes, that is my flower bed that needed weeded and above is one of the beautiful flowers that is in it.

Flowers

Last month, I took advantage of some free photo book offers to create some photo books. One of which was one of all my flower photos that I've taken over the years. Many of which were flowers from our first house. Flowers that I didn't realize just how much I missed until I was looking through them. 

It reminded me how much I love to take photos of my flowers and reminded me how much I love to garden. My goal is to refurbish a few of our flower beds next year and purchase some plants that I loved so much.

Here are a few photos of some current flowers that I have.