I'm down 1.2 pounds this week and I'm super excited about it! I just thought I'd share. Keep it up everyone else who is working hard to take control of their health. Thanks to everyone cheering me on.
How's your goal coming?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Not giving up anything for Lent
My late father was Roman Catholic and every year I'd hear him declare something that he was giving up for lent. Most times it was something tongue-in-cheek like Rabbit Stew so that he could not fail at his goal. I heard quite a few people talking this week about giving up soda and chocolate and all sorts of "worldly" things. Quite truthfully, I don't think I should be giving up food items for Lent because I'm already on a "take better care of my body" kick.
Instead I've decided to gain something during the Lent season. I'm going to spend 30 minutes each morning in meditation and prayer. I'm hoping this time will be something that I can cherish and look forward to. My sacrifice is that I spend so much time talking when I pray, I'd like to really spend more time listening and just being.
May this Lent season bring you peace and reflection.
Instead I've decided to gain something during the Lent season. I'm going to spend 30 minutes each morning in meditation and prayer. I'm hoping this time will be something that I can cherish and look forward to. My sacrifice is that I spend so much time talking when I pray, I'd like to really spend more time listening and just being.
May this Lent season bring you peace and reflection.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
SOAP Isaiah 40:31
Scripture:
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:31
Observation:
This scripture couldn't come at a better time. I've been feeling tired and weak. I'm feeling the struggle of being a working (mostly single) mom. My house is a mess. I have two weeks worth of mail that I haven't even sorted. My taxes are not done. I think I have clothes at the dry cleaner that need to be picked up. And the list goes on and on for home duties that I have fallen behind on. At work, my email in-box is slowly getting full of simple and not so simple requests as more people are meeting me and learning who I am and what my role is. This means that often times I start a project and don't really get to finish it in my time frame. I've been putting out fires for the past 2 weeks. Basically, between work and home I feel as though I am all over the place.
Because there is so much to do, my prayer lately has been one of thanksgiving that I am healthy enough to get these tasks accomplished, that I am fortunate enough to have a great job in this terrible economy, that I am surrounded by a husband that is crazy about me (a complete 180 degree turn from where we were this time last year) and 3 kids that are truly wonderful kids. However, aside from thanksgiving, I need help. I've been praying, "Lord, I'm handing it over to You - I can't prioritize this mess around me. Help me to get done the things that You see as the most important things for me to do, and help me to find the strength to do these things. Let me not just check these tasks off of my to-do list, but let me do these things which You've placed for me to do with a loving heart that others may see Your light shine through me."
Application:
I have found that by simply handing it all over, I have gained so much strenth, speed and clarity. I know that this is not just my doing. I know that the Lord has got to be helping me push through the exhaustion. I've had some amazing moments this week where I've been running late for important meetings and miraculously I've managed to hit all green lights on my way there. Completely unheard of in Central Florida! I also average well over 20, 000 steps a day (in heels on workdays!) and I don't ever feel the sheer exhaustion until an hour or two after the kids go to bed, and then I feel myself begin to nod off and I finally feel have to give myself permission to stop whatever I'm doing and go to bed.
My husband is in a class all week about transitioning from being in the military to being a civilian. There are so many things that I could be nervous about right now. But it's almost frightening how the control-freak in me has decided that there is no use in me worrying about what's to come. I know that whatever happens during this transition, the end result will be the same. I can either fret about the amount of work that I need to do and the scarieness of becoming civilians, or I can soar above it all like a confident eagle keeping my hope in check.
Prayer:
Lord, I just can't even find the words to thank You for the changes in my marriage, and the health of the kids, our financial situation, my job stability, and the list could go on and on. Just knowing that I don't have to fret about anything is beyond comforting. Thank you for my daily strength.
If anyone would like to write their own SOAP note about Isaiah 40:31 or about another scripture - leave me a comment and I'll come check it out! I get my scriptures from A Woman's Walk at Crosswalk. On Sunday night, I pull up the scripture for the week and write it in different locations around the house to help me to hide it in my heart.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:31
Observation:
This scripture couldn't come at a better time. I've been feeling tired and weak. I'm feeling the struggle of being a working (mostly single) mom. My house is a mess. I have two weeks worth of mail that I haven't even sorted. My taxes are not done. I think I have clothes at the dry cleaner that need to be picked up. And the list goes on and on for home duties that I have fallen behind on. At work, my email in-box is slowly getting full of simple and not so simple requests as more people are meeting me and learning who I am and what my role is. This means that often times I start a project and don't really get to finish it in my time frame. I've been putting out fires for the past 2 weeks. Basically, between work and home I feel as though I am all over the place.
Because there is so much to do, my prayer lately has been one of thanksgiving that I am healthy enough to get these tasks accomplished, that I am fortunate enough to have a great job in this terrible economy, that I am surrounded by a husband that is crazy about me (a complete 180 degree turn from where we were this time last year) and 3 kids that are truly wonderful kids. However, aside from thanksgiving, I need help. I've been praying, "Lord, I'm handing it over to You - I can't prioritize this mess around me. Help me to get done the things that You see as the most important things for me to do, and help me to find the strength to do these things. Let me not just check these tasks off of my to-do list, but let me do these things which You've placed for me to do with a loving heart that others may see Your light shine through me."
Application:
I have found that by simply handing it all over, I have gained so much strenth, speed and clarity. I know that this is not just my doing. I know that the Lord has got to be helping me push through the exhaustion. I've had some amazing moments this week where I've been running late for important meetings and miraculously I've managed to hit all green lights on my way there. Completely unheard of in Central Florida! I also average well over 20, 000 steps a day (in heels on workdays!) and I don't ever feel the sheer exhaustion until an hour or two after the kids go to bed, and then I feel myself begin to nod off and I finally feel have to give myself permission to stop whatever I'm doing and go to bed.
My husband is in a class all week about transitioning from being in the military to being a civilian. There are so many things that I could be nervous about right now. But it's almost frightening how the control-freak in me has decided that there is no use in me worrying about what's to come. I know that whatever happens during this transition, the end result will be the same. I can either fret about the amount of work that I need to do and the scarieness of becoming civilians, or I can soar above it all like a confident eagle keeping my hope in check.
Prayer:
Lord, I just can't even find the words to thank You for the changes in my marriage, and the health of the kids, our financial situation, my job stability, and the list could go on and on. Just knowing that I don't have to fret about anything is beyond comforting. Thank you for my daily strength.
If anyone would like to write their own SOAP note about Isaiah 40:31 or about another scripture - leave me a comment and I'll come check it out! I get my scriptures from A Woman's Walk at Crosswalk. On Sunday night, I pull up the scripture for the week and write it in different locations around the house to help me to hide it in my heart.
Yipee for friends with good breakfast ideas!
I posted a little while back about trying to improve on my breakfast selections for the kids. I have been blessed with a few friends that are kind enough to share their tried and true kid-friendly breakfast ideas.
Michelle, over at Her Cup Overfloweth, has a fantastic post about tortilla toast. As soon as I saw the yummy picture of the tortilla, I was flooded with memories of my oldest son and his love for tortillas when he was a little guy. I think Joshua lived on cream cheese tortilla sandwiches as our on-the-go type lunch for most of his toddlerhood. Even if you're not in the market for breakfast ideas - I'd recommend a jog on over to her site to check out her awesome Muffin-tin Mondays (yippee for bento-style meals!), and super fun crafts (I see a paper caterpillar in my very near future!).
Paula has some Organizing Tips and Thoughts for Moms. One of the many awesome tips she has is for me to decrease the morning stress by taking more time to prep the night before. Genius! How is it that something so simple can be so effective? I will testify that I put everything in the minivan the night before now (except my briefcase), and not only does it decrease the amount of things I need to do in the morning - packing lunches, signing permission slips, those types of things - but it has also decreased the distractors for the kids. With the backpacks out of the entryway, there are no speed bumps between the shoe closet and the front door!
The Day Family wrote all about her breakfast suggestions in this awesome post. I need to take a lesson from her and freeze some of my healthy muffins for quick on-the-go days.
Thanks fellow bloggers for all the great tips! Keep 'em coming!
Michelle, over at Her Cup Overfloweth, has a fantastic post about tortilla toast. As soon as I saw the yummy picture of the tortilla, I was flooded with memories of my oldest son and his love for tortillas when he was a little guy. I think Joshua lived on cream cheese tortilla sandwiches as our on-the-go type lunch for most of his toddlerhood. Even if you're not in the market for breakfast ideas - I'd recommend a jog on over to her site to check out her awesome Muffin-tin Mondays (yippee for bento-style meals!), and super fun crafts (I see a paper caterpillar in my very near future!).
Paula has some Organizing Tips and Thoughts for Moms. One of the many awesome tips she has is for me to decrease the morning stress by taking more time to prep the night before. Genius! How is it that something so simple can be so effective? I will testify that I put everything in the minivan the night before now (except my briefcase), and not only does it decrease the amount of things I need to do in the morning - packing lunches, signing permission slips, those types of things - but it has also decreased the distractors for the kids. With the backpacks out of the entryway, there are no speed bumps between the shoe closet and the front door!
The Day Family wrote all about her breakfast suggestions in this awesome post. I need to take a lesson from her and freeze some of my healthy muffins for quick on-the-go days.
Thanks fellow bloggers for all the great tips! Keep 'em coming!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Spaghetti Sauce
I don't have a spaghetti sauce recipe. I just kind of throw a bunch of stuff together and let it cook for a while. Last night I tossed some left over chicken breasts (real chicken to eliminate confusion, since we do use vegetarian chicken quite a bit!), some canned tomatoes (I love Muir Glen), a bunch of fresh herbs, some tomato paste and a few other things I found hanging out in the fridge (I think there's some eggplant and broccoli in there, again left overs from earlier this week).So now, I've got a bunch of yummy chunky sauce ready for dinner tomorrow night. Monday nights are always rough around here since I returned to work.
10,000 Steps before 10am
There is a Biggest Loser competition at my job. Instead of being based soley on pounds lost - there are other categories for tracking - inches, steps walked, percentage of body fat and of course the pounds. I also have to give a baseline of how many sit-ups and push-ups I can get done in one minute.
It's fun to see everyone checking their pedometers at work (which we were able to purchase for under $10). It also makes everyone laugh together because we are in this together. Just last week, one of the doctors brought in Krispy Kreme donuts. I can remember being pregnant in Kodiak and wanting a KK so badly. However, since I've been back to Florida, I thought it would be fun to take the kids to watch the donuts come fresh and hot off the press and I somehow was disgusted by the whole thing and couldn't even eat my donut that I bought. Anyway, just a whoot whoot that I did not eat any KK donuts last week. In fact, I'm not too sure much of the staff got to eat them because I had to be the mean one and say they couldn't be in a patient care area (nurses' station, hallway, etc).
Back to why I have 10,000 steps before 10am today...our church has a Sunday morning group called Witness4Fitness. It meets at 8am for a worship then walking on the trail. I was saddened that not too many people joined us, so I'll be calling some moms this week and dragging them to the trail with me! There is a nice little park that the kids played in and then we walked back home.
Anyone else counting their steps? Or am I the only person slightly obsessed with the number displaying on my hip?
It's fun to see everyone checking their pedometers at work (which we were able to purchase for under $10). It also makes everyone laugh together because we are in this together. Just last week, one of the doctors brought in Krispy Kreme donuts. I can remember being pregnant in Kodiak and wanting a KK so badly. However, since I've been back to Florida, I thought it would be fun to take the kids to watch the donuts come fresh and hot off the press and I somehow was disgusted by the whole thing and couldn't even eat my donut that I bought. Anyway, just a whoot whoot that I did not eat any KK donuts last week. In fact, I'm not too sure much of the staff got to eat them because I had to be the mean one and say they couldn't be in a patient care area (nurses' station, hallway, etc).
Back to why I have 10,000 steps before 10am today...our church has a Sunday morning group called Witness4Fitness. It meets at 8am for a worship then walking on the trail. I was saddened that not too many people joined us, so I'll be calling some moms this week and dragging them to the trail with me! There is a nice little park that the kids played in and then we walked back home.
Anyone else counting their steps? Or am I the only person slightly obsessed with the number displaying on my hip?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Rice Milk
I'm not a milk-drinker. When I was pregnant with Joshua, I loved milk. But only Nestle Quick chocolate milk and it had to be really cold. Hmmmm....perhaps that contributed to the 65 pound weight gain I had with him!
We recently started buying Rice Milk and the kids seem to really be enjoying it. Let me make it clear though, that we've never really been the type of parents that pour our kids a glass of milk and expect them to drink it. I've never bought into the whole theory of humans drinking milk produced by another animal. It would just seem like cow's milk would help baby cow's to grow. I think of how fast my kids grew when they were just drinking my milk.
So, to answer the question that I've been asked quite a bit lately - we're using Rice Milk as our source of milk. The kids have it in their cereal bowls and tell me that they like it.
We recently started buying Rice Milk and the kids seem to really be enjoying it. Let me make it clear though, that we've never really been the type of parents that pour our kids a glass of milk and expect them to drink it. I've never bought into the whole theory of humans drinking milk produced by another animal. It would just seem like cow's milk would help baby cow's to grow. I think of how fast my kids grew when they were just drinking my milk.
So, to answer the question that I've been asked quite a bit lately - we're using Rice Milk as our source of milk. The kids have it in their cereal bowls and tell me that they like it.
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