Motherhood Moments

I am really glad today was Monday. (Yes, you heard that right.) Monday sounded REALLY good to me today. Last week was an extremely hectic one in our household. Every day had at least two things on the calendar...and Saturday sent all 5 of us scurrying in several different directions. It felt really good to come together as a family on Saturday night and celebrate our day! The culmination of our crazy week was Dave, Luke & Hannah all attending and winning trophies at the Awana Grand Prix (Hannah won two trophies...just like her big sissy did two years in a row), Mikayla traveling to Lansing with her team and winning their game, and me spending day two of the local homeschool convention with one of my bestest friends. A very busy yet successful day. The perfect way to finish out a crazy week! So on Sunday, I literally put "Do Nothing" on the Outlook calendar for the entire afternoon. Dave got a kick out of that when his ipod reminded him to do nothing from noon to 6:00. O

In my last post, I mentioned I'd be coming back here to share some of my Made to Crave (MTC) ah-hah moments. There are many of them, and they are very random...so I think I'll just share several bullet points. Hope you are encouraged by some of them too! We should go through this journey (to overcome our cravings and get healthy) because we ARE loved - not in order to BE loved. A setback is just a set-up for a comeback! The food industry pushes 3800 calories a day at us! (So beware of portion sizes!!) As women, if we eat 25 grams of fiber a day, we won't have to count calories because we'll be satisfied. (30 grams for men.) One 16 oz. glass of water first thing in the morning will = a 25% reduction in how much we eat that day. Those of us who have been fighting the battle of the bulge for a long time, will find it takes our bodies 3-4 weeks of being really good before the scale starts to show it (in order to reset our metabolism). We need a GPS mentality: at the

I'm feeling overwhelmed today. But in a good way. Blessed by how much God has been speaking to my heart lately. Overwhelmed with all He's telling me. But excited for what lies ahead. (And then back to overwhelmed for the length & difficulty of the trip.) But, yes, overwhelmed with goodness. Overwhelmed with God's blessings. His provisions. Provisions that come in all sorts of shapes and sizes: financial friends encouragement from others mental victories (a minute-by-minute struggle most days) Biblical ah-hah moments (many related to my "Made to Crave" study) laughter (oh how laughter heals my soul!) The list could go on. The Bible says that: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)  Every gift. Wow! I want to park here and really absorb the wonderful-ness of this verse. God loves us SO much, that he blesses us with gifts. Just li

So, can I have your permission to vent here a second? I try not to use this blog to just vent without purpose. But I'm REALLY feeling the need to do that right about now. Maybe I'll accidentally say something helpful in the process. Here's what's bugging me: people in my life who like to make comments like, "Oh, it's too bad she can't lose that weight. She's such a pretty girl." Or any of the other overweight comments that I've heard over the years, and continue to hear to some degree. And then there's the doubting Thomas comments that I hear every time I begin to see success in my weight loss journey. I hate this whole notion of being pitied or looked down upon because of my weight. I hate the downer comments that some people are so quick to spew. (And, yes, I know I'm using the word hate a lot here...but I think I really do!) Part of why these comments irritate me so much, is that they are the EXACT things that have messed up my h

I've spent a lot of the last two days sorting, organizing, and throwing away. It always feels good to get rid of stuff! At least, it does to me. I know that's not the case for some people. What about you? Are you a purger or a hoarder? While I get great enjoyment out of clearing the clutter, I actually know some people who can't stand to get rid of things. Anything. This idea got me to thinking last night. Actually, it was in the wee hours of the morning as I lay in bed trying to fall back to sleep. I was thinking about how important this act of "clearing the clutter" is in our lives. And I'm not just talking about the little things we have accumulating in our house. I'm thinking BIG scale here. Philosophically. What things do we have in our lives that God is asking us to throw out? I kind of laugh at myself when I get into the de-cluttering mode. Yesterday, it was good that nothing important got in my path - like the dog, or one of the kids...or Dave.

I ran across this pledge online and posted it in my office a couple months ago. I had kind of forgotten about it, actually. I was just sitting here thinking about my goals & dreams for 2011, and realized that this pledge fits perfectly with it all. I thought any Mom who reads this blog would be equally blessed by this pledge. So here you go: I am blessed beyond belief.      I am beautiful beyond compare. I have the greatest career on earth,      and I will perform it           to the best of my God-given ability,           with gratitude, not grumbling;           with determination, not defeat. I will rise to every challenge. I will overcome every obstacle. I will be productive and positive with every moment and minute I am given.      My words will bless;           My actions will build;                My thoughts will empower; And my life, my family, and my home will be abundantly blessed as a result. I am strong enough,      smart enough,           and creative

Well, the holidays are completely over, Daddy's back to work, my parents are in Florida for the winter, and snow is finally on the ground. It's time to buckle down and get crackin' on life! It's SO easy to get lazy over the holidays. At least it is for me. It's also easy for me to get my head out of the game completely during the months of January and February. The "game" being life. Notoriously, these first two months of the year are THE hardest months for my mental health. Whether it's the typical lack of sunshine we have here in Michigan, or the post-holiday blues, or the slight mourning over my parents being down where it's warm & sunny (while I'm stuck here in the cold & ice), or just that I get too much into philosophical-mode. Whatever it is...it's NOT going to get me down this year! Oh, "it" has tried already. But I'm putting it in its place right here. Right now. Here are a couple of my Christmas vacation