Keeping the Faith

The past couple of Sundays our pastor has preached on faith. This past Sunday's sermon must have touched quite a few of us because after many requests the pastor sent out a church-wide email with a copy of the poem he read as part of the sermon. The poem had been one woman's creed, something she read every morning to begin her day, something she strived to do each and every day.

I have a feeling reading this each day will become a daily routine for many of us - I know it will mine!

Today, I will keep the faith.
I will be courageous in the face of fear,
humble in the face of pride,
loving in the face of hate,
sweet in the face of bitterness,
and holy in the face of ungodliness.
I will be strong for the weak,
faithful for the fearful,
company for the lonely,
and hope for the helpless.
I will keep the faith with joy,
so contagious and so compelling,
that Christ will be reflected
with blinding radiance in my face.
Today, I,
even if I alone,
will keep the faith.

My Church (conclusion ~ finally!)

Over four months ago I began telling the story of how I came to choose my church. My sister kindly reminded me I sort of left everyone hanging and she personally wanted to hear the rest of the story. I have not been very consistent with my blogging as of late and I apologize but life gets busy as all of you know. For my sister and those others of you interested here it is - the rest of the story - as accurately and in as much detail as I can now remember being 6 months or so after the events actually took place!

I left off My Church (part 2) stating a few events occurred leading me to my decision. The first would be the announcement of a new members class being scheduled in the bulletin. To decide for certain if this was the church for me and my family I needed to learn more about the church and get to know some of the people. The new members class I felt would be a good start so I kept looking in the bulletin and the church website for when the class would be scheduled.

In the meantime a reunion with an old friend took me by surprise. One Sunday morning as Ed and I were walking towards the stairwell to get to our usual balcony seats I saw what I thought was a familiar face. I continued walking racking my brain whether or not the person could actually be who I thought. The following Sunday a baptism was scheduled and I read in the bulletin the name of the parents - Beth and Chip. The familiar face was indeed an old friend from college and her husband was the guy she was dating the last we had spoken. In fact one of the last times I saw Beth she had just gotten engaged. At this point a thousand thoughts are running through my mind. What were the chances of running into someone I knew over 10 years ago? Would Beth recognize or remember me? We had one class together and often hung out in the same circle of friends but still, would she know me? And then I started thinking about the kind of life I lived and questioned would I even want her to remember me!

A few Sundays passed before I worked up the courage to speak with Beth. As soon as I said hello she said "Tiffany?" It was a relief. We chatted briefly before church and she invited me to the Women of Faith group that met on Monday nights. Every Sunday following we chatted and after the Ash Wednesday service we exchanged email addresses and decided to get together for lunch. At lunch we were able to catch up and Beth told me a lot about the church and various programs. She has been a member for years and is very involved in the church. Knowing I am definitely more of a quiet and shy person she offered to introduce me to some people.

It was such a great lunch and I am so happy I got over my embarrassment of my younger days and approached Beth. In fact never really have those days even came up and when I think about it now it is kind of ridiculous for me to even let it bother me. I definitely made some mistakes and bad choices but God has forgiven me and I am certainly a different person now. It seems at times a lifetime ago and definitely time for me to let it go.

I have been attending Women of Faith regularly since my lunch with Beth. I attended the new members classes where I got to know my pastor better and he got to know a little about me and my family. I met quite a few other people wanting to become members and met some existing members as well. I learned quite a bit about the church. I felt home at this church and knew this is where God wanted me to be.

There was no one big sign from God "Tiffany this is your church!" but instead God took away all my excuses for putting it off, all the reasons why I was not sure. I had been attending this church for over a year. Beth was a member and had been attending the entire time but never had we noticed each other before. I had been really praying to meet someone, get to know someone and then one Sunday there was someone I already knew. Coincidence? I was too timid to call the church office and meet with the pastor about becoming a member and then there it was in black and white - a new members class beginning. God was giving me gentle nudges here and there. God was answering my prayers.

On May 16th I was baptized and became a member. It was a really great day.

Over the past few months I've gotten to know quite a few people. I volunteered for VBS in June and as of yesterday can check off one of my resolutions as being reached because finally I made it to Sunday School. I went to the Family Life class where they were starting a new study "Boundaries with Kids" and Gabrielle went to the 2-3-4 year old class while Samantha was in the nursery. After church I attended the Children's Council meeting where I found myself signing up to help with a couple of upcoming events planned. I am eager to get more involved with church, with missions and with various other programs.

This church is my home. It is a place I can learn and grow in my relationship with God. It is a place I can serve and follow God's calling. There have definitely been times the past few years when I did not think my prayers would ever be answered, when I did not think I would ever find my place. But God did answer my prayers and He was listening and He had a plan all along.

Randomness

This morning I came across this blog post "Something Has To Give" over at (In)Courage. I really love this site but even though it is saved as a favorite I don't always remember to check it daily. But today the Lord definitely meant for me to read the post. Does it take away all my feelings of being overwhelmed? Well, no, but I at least feel a little better about it and am reaffirmed of my biggest priority.

For some random thoughts, I made some zucchini bread yesterday. I love zucchini bread and look forward to making it each summer. And my whole family loves it as well! Even though it does have sugar I feel like it is at least somewhat healthy for them since it is full of zucchini. Zucchini bread can count as a vegetable serving, right?

Leftovers - I'm stuck about what to do with them. Don't get me wrong I know my weight gain mostly has to do with not exercising and partaking in all the cakes, cookies and desserts (as well as chips, fries and Chick-fil-A) we've had so much of recently but my other "weakness" is leftovers. Like most families we are on a budget and the food bill is one area I am always trying to cut back on. It almost kills me to see food go to waste so when leftovers are reaching their expiration I find myself overeating just so it doesn't go to waste. Sometimes eating leftovers is not so bad because I do try to cook healthy meals for the family but leftovers are no longer a good thing if I'm eating a little bit of several different meals and end up eating what should be 2-3 meals worth of food!! I figure I need to either figure out a way to cook just slightly less so there aren't as many leftovers hanging around or to build up my willpower to eating only what I "should" eat and to be okay with throwing away a little.

The Ugly Truth

Sometimes the truth is ugly - very ugly...

and I'm not talking about the horrible lack of a pedicure. That was a quick and easy fix. The number on the scale not so much.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I feel like I have so many different things I want to do, goals I want to reach and of course there is everyday life that needs my attention. I'm struggling with setting priorities and finding a balance among all of these.

Somewhere along the way of this journey of my new year resolutions I got off track. I wish I could pinpoint the moment it happened but I've tried and I can't. I'm not sure if it was a gradual process or if one decision did me in. I do know I am having a very difficult time getting back on track and not with my weight loss alone but my daily reading, staying on top of regular household duties, work, and of course spending time with my family. Time is going by way too fast. Too many times I go to bed with a list of promises of what I will get accomplished the next day and too many times none of those accomplishments happen. Too many times I put off sitting with my girls to do something fun in order to get the kitchen dishes done or the laundry folded. Before I know it the day is gone and the opportunity is gone with it.

More than anything I want my girls to have memories of spending fun, quality time with their Mommy. More than anything I want my girls to trust I will always have time for them as they grow up. In order to be the best Mommy I can I know I have to take care of myself as well. I have to find little bits of time for myself here and there in order to stay sane and focused. Unfortunately there will always be other responsibilities I can not ignore such as work and keeping up with the house. And believe me, it's not like I have high standards of an orderly house - I wish I was as particular and detailed as other people I know sometimes!

Am I rambling? Am I making any sense in this post at all? Can you understand my dilemma? I'm sure what I am feeling is a common feeling among moms whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom. Life as a mom is overwhelming at times. I'd love to hear how other moms balance it all or at least handle the feeling of being overwhelmed!

Statistics

I knew it had been quite a while since I last posted - I had no idea the last post was April 16th!! I knew I had not posted at all in May but mid-April?? Well here I am, I have not given up on the blog or even my resolutions although my actions would not say the same.

I read online that 40-45% of the population makes one or more new year resolutions. Of that only 46% are maintaining that resolution after 6 months. I'm barely part of that statistic.

I can't say I have done much the past month working towards my weight loss. A walk here or there. A salad here or there. And that is about it. Amazingly I have maintained my weight for the most part. I've fluctuated between my lowest of 147 lbs. the very first of the month to 151 lbs. - my current weight. Typically I weigh myself everyday and once I see the number going up a pound or two then I try to have a good day or two.

The desire to get down to 140 lbs. is definitely still there. Unfortunately the drive has not been. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. I may not have reached my goal of 140lbs. by May 1st but I still believe I can do it by the end of the summer.

Let's see - for my other resolutions. Reading the Bible all the way through in a year is definitely not going to happen. I am so far behind on that goal there is no way to catch up. But one positive that has come of the resolution is that I can say I have read something everyday. Whether it is a hand full of verses to go along with my daily devotions or a chapter or two, I have read everyday. (I'm sure there has been a day here or there in which I may not have read but I can honestly say only a hand full of days total.) I have really liked my One Year Chronological Bible and will definitely set this same goal next year. And if I can get my act together maybe I can finish up the year doing better than the first part of the year.

We still have not attended Sunday school but we are definitely getting more involved in our new church. I was baptized and became a member May 16th. Samantha, my youngest, was baptized this past Sunday. Gabrielle is registered for VBS and I have volunteered to be a family group helper as well. I am going to our Women of Faith Bible study on Monday nights and I am getting to know more people as well. July is when the new Sunday school year starts at our church and I am determined to start Sunday school then.

Life has been busy and hectic and I'm learning to cut myself a little slack from time to time. Life will never be perfect - I'll certainly never be perfect - but I do keep trying to better myself, getting healthier and in better shape and to strive to have a closer relationship with God.

I'll be back soon with an "official" weigh-in. Wish me luck with finding that drive and motivation I had at the beginning of the year for all my resolutions!!

21-Day Habit (& a weigh-in)

According to research it takes 21 days to form a new habit. I did an Internet search for this fact because after a month or more of not exercising and a few weeks of not particularly watching what I eat I was curious how long it would take to get back into my groove. I thought I had gotten to a point in which exercising early in the a.m. was a habit and where not eating the scraps from the girls' sandwiches or having that piece of cake and a couple a cookies for dessert was second nature.

I guess habits are harder to make than to break!!

This week is the first week since last fall I've take the girls for a walk outside. Now of course we have been outside and there have been times we've gone for little strolls but I wouldn't call walking at a 3-1/2 year old's pace exercise especially when said 3-1/2 year old stops for every dandelion.

Tuesday morning and yesterday morning I packed snacks and juice cups, squeezed Gabrielle into the double stroller with her sister, and we headed for a walk. Gabrielle seems to have been fortunate to inherit her daddy's long legs (yes it will be a pain when it comes to buying jeans in the tween and teen years but I hope she will appreciate the tall lean build once she is an adult) and to put her in the double stroller is quite a task but she isn't quite so big that she complains about being uncomfortable so hopefully we can get through the summer. Our neighborhood is constant up and down hill and if I walk the entire circle it would be a little over 2 miles. I'm not quite at that point yet but the routes I've been taking have been about a mile. At the end of my first walk on Tuesday I thought about pushing the double stroller the first time last summer. What a difference!

Before this past December I did not own a scale. What I weighed was just never an issue or concern of mine. As long as I fit into my clothes I was happy. This is still somewhat true but I decided if I wanted to lose weight I needed that daily number to help motivate and push me. Anyway, last June when visiting my mom I weighed myself for the first time since my monthly doctor appointments while pregnant with Samantha. I was not happy with the number I saw. I knew it was not going to be good. I knew what I had weighed at my last doctor appointment and Samantha was only about 6 weeks old. I was the heaviest I have ever been in my entire life - 176 lbs. I decided right then I had to start exercising and get some of the weight off.

I can remember my first few walks. By the time I reached home my muscles burned, my legs itched and I could barely catch my breath. I was drenched in sweat and my face was so red I caused Ed to be more than concerned. My heart was beating and pounding so fast I felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. To say I was out of shape would have been an understatement. But I stuck to it at least until mid-September. I walked 3-4 times a week and there were some days I walked twice. I would walk in the morning pushing the girls in the double stroller which felt like a ton up hill in the NC summer heat and then I would walk solo after dinner when Ed was home, just to get a little mental break.

My walks this week have been so much easier. My muscles are still tight and the stroller, now even heavier with growing children, is still a challenge at times. I'm still out of breath by the time I reach home but now it only takes a few minutes to recover and feel energized. I no longer feel like my heart is going to explode and I no longer feel like I'm on the verge of passing out. When I compare how much better I feel all around now that a good bit of the weight is off and now that I am in so much better shape a smile comes to my face.

And this all brings me to the point of this whole weight-loss journey - to be at my healthiest for myself and for my family. If I never reach that magic number I came up with as my goal I'll be a little disappointed but I will be satisfied knowing I have come a long, long way since last summer and that I am feeling better than I have in a really long time.

Weigh-In Finally :-)

This was actually a welcomed number. I expected it to be much, much worse. For the past two weeks I have eaten whatever I wanted and I have only made two very weak attempts at actual exercise. So after all the chips, burgers, fries, cupcakes, cookies, icecream, huge helpings of pasta and candy including those delicious Cadbury eggs I have absolutely no willpower around, gaining only two pounds is astounding.

I have about 3 weeks to meet my goal of 140 lbs. I'm not sure if this is possible but I am committing myself today to working as hard as I possibly can to at least try. When May 1st is here I have to at least know I really, truly tried. If I can say I worked as hard as I can without my family and other priorities in my life suffering then I will be happy with whatever the scale says that day. May 1st is my daughter's first birthday and I will certainly be celebrating that day no matter what!

Happy Easter!

I have not completely abandoned my blogs but for now I'm struggling with finding the time to post. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and I hope to be back in a couple of days to finish up my church membership story as well as update my resolutions progress.

Let's Celebrate!!

I did it! I broke 150! Yay!! Now I just have to keep it going.

Hmmm....so how should I celebrate? From the looks of this hideous photo I need to reward myself with a good pedicure! Ha! Especially now that spring is here.

My Church (Part 2)

As I said in my previous post our first church is special to me and I was in no way completely unhappy there. But a little over a year and a half ago I starting feeling I needed to be somewhere else. I won't go into all of the details but basically there were certain things, programs, I wanted for myself and my girls I could not find at our church. Programs, groups and studies I felt I needed in order to strengthen my relationship with God. The church was also huge. If you did not get there 30 minutes before service there was a good chance you were going to have to sit in the hallways or the dining area and listen to the service through speakers or on television. For someone like myself who is on the shy side, it was easy to get lost in the crowd. I brought up the subject of looking for another church to Ed. He understood my feelings and felt the same way about some of the issues I had. Work was crazy stressful for him at the time. He worked seven days a week which left me flying solo on the new search.

I began to really think and pray about what I was missing, what I wanted and what God wanted. In a lot of ways I was not looking forward to looking for a new church but I intended to take as long as necessary to find the right place for us even if that meant six months or more of attending a different church every Sunday.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2008 Gabrielle and I visited the second church on our list. Immediately I really liked the church. I was greeted by friendly faces and hello's. The music was incredible. I really enjoyed the service and decided we would go back the next week. And so each Sunday we continued to attend this church. For the first year there were plenty of missed Sundays. Once I hit the 8 month mark during my pregnancy with Samantha I was really feeling miserable. None of my clothes fit and I had no energy at all. After Samantha was born I was anxious to get back though. Once we finally made it back to church I had that initial feeling from my first visit all over again. By the summer Ed's work situation had eased up enough he was able to attend church with us. It felt good to be back at church as a whole family - now bigger by one.

Although we had been continuously attending church I had not given much thought into becoming a member. When Samantha was six months old I inquired about having her baptized. The church office told me one of the parents had to be a member of the church to have her baptized in the church. As part of the baptism the parents reconfirm their commitment to the church. I did not want to become a member for the sole purpose of having Samantha baptized so her baptism was put to the side temporarily so I could focus and pray on whether this was indeed the church for us.

During this time I did begin to have some doubts. It was only the second church we attended. Didn't I need to visit a lot more churches to make such a decision? Also after a year of attending this church I had yet to really meet anyone or get involved with anything. This is where I get to brag on my husband a little bit. I talked to him about what was going on in my head. His response was basically this, "If you really want to go to some more churches we'll go but do you really think you've given this one a real chance?" He words were exactly what I needed to hear. Sure, Ed liked this church and he was not thrilled at all about looking for another one again. But he was going to support how I was feeling. He also wanted me to be sure this was what I wanted. He knew how much I wanted to get involved and he also knew I had not put any effort in getting involved yet. After all, there was not anything about the church I didn't like so far, I was just feeling "lost in the crowd" once again.

After more prayer I decided I did need to give it a real chance. That is sort of where my Sunday school new year resolution came into play. And no, I still haven't been to Sunday school but other great things have happened. This brings me to January of this year. In the next post I'll go into the things God has done in the past couple of months to make me realize this is indeed the church for us.

My Church (part 1)

Next Sunday, March 21st I will become an official member of the church we have been attending for the past year and a half. For me this is a very big deal. I have never been a member of a church. I am excited not just by the idea of being a member but by the fact I have found a church I want to be a part of, one I can call mine. For the next few blog posts I will be writing about my thoughts and prayers and the journey that has brought me to joining this church.

I was raised in a church. We attended every Sunday morning, Sunday school, most Sunday night services and every church dinner. I was always involved in any children programs, Vacation Bible School and youth group. I went to church camp for a week the summer I was 15 years old and it was then I gave my heart to the Lord. My mom was very involved from teaching Sunday school to directing VBS to attending Women's Meetings. We were a very involved family even though none of us, including my parents, ever became members. When I think about growing up and my childhood, church is a huge part of those memories.

For most of my twenties my church attendance was very sporadic. Unfortunately church and God were no longer an important part of my life (at least that is what I told myself at the time). I may have attended church by invitation with a friend a couple of times. Anytime I was visiting my parents on the weekend I went to the church where I grew up. In my mid-twenties I attended church with my brother and his family fairly regularly for a period of time. It was then I started to realize just how much I really needed church and God. I wanted to find a church where I felt like I "fit" but once I stopped attending my brother's church I only attended church a handful of times.

Once Ed and I were married, finding a church we could attend together became a priority. We talked a little bit about what churches we should try. We were raised in fairly different denominations so we were trying to find a middle ground. After visiting only one other church one time, we actually agreed on a church of the same denomination Ed was raised.

At my first new member meeting three weeks ago the pastor asked us this question - what is special about the church you are coming from? As we went around the room introducing ourselves we were to also give a brief answer to this question. I'm not one for speaking in public. When it was my turn to speak I nervously sputtered out my name and a very rough and quick explanation of how I ended up finding this church. I wasn't prepared at all to answer the question not just because of nerves but because I had never really thought about it. Ever since the question was posed I have thought about it a lot. If ever again I am asked what was special about our previous church this is the answer I would give:

The church was special because it was the first church Ed and I attended together. It was the first church we chose together, one of the first bigger decisions we made as a newly married couple. It was also the first church either of us had attended regularly since we were in high school. Our first daughter was baptized in that church. I started attending a playgroup through the church and the other mommies I met there were a great support for me, a new stay-at-home and often lonely mom. The church was special because it was while I was there each Sunday morning I felt the need to have a real relationship with God again.

We attended that church for over four years. I may have chosen to leave that church and I may not ever attend there again but it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

I'll stop with that thought for now. The story to be continued...

Weigh-In Friday = Boredom!

Anyone else bored to tears with this blog? I'm not bored with the purpose or concept of the blog but I have to say I'm really tired of seeing basically the same number week after week. I'm also bored with telling myself the same thing over and over.

I need some new motivation.

I need some new recipes.

I need some new exercises.

I need a new "push"!!

Any ideas? Any suggestions? I'm open to listening to any advice!

Weigh-In Friday

To be honest this was a big surprise to me. I'm not sure how I managed to get back down to this weight by today. I still haven't gotten back into any kind of exercise routine and I have not been super picky about my eating. I guess I did cut back on the junk food the past couple of days (except for the occasional tablespoon of mini chocolate chips - a great way to satisfy that sweet and chocolate craving). And I prayed and begged God a lot! Ha! Maybe God took pity on me. While God is certainly capable of all things I'm not sure He wants me to depend on His goodwill to lose the weight. I'm fairly certain He expects me to put forth some effort and put in some work. Hopefully next week I can get back to exercising at least 2-3 days a week and eat a little better as well.

Quick Update

This will be a short and quick post - I have one child up begging for breakfast and the other one is stirring as well.

Yes, I did weigh-in last week and while I definitely did not like the number I saw that is not the reason I didn't post it. I'm trying to spend less time on the computer and in doing so I have to sort of set priorities as to what I get accomplished the short time I'm on the computer. And then I honestly just kept forgetting about posting the photo.... but here it is...



I've been in a serious slump the past couple of weeks. I am determined to get out of it this week.

Philippians 4:13
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

From The Upper Room March-April devotion book
March 1st. "Thought of the Day"
"Each choice or action moves us either toward God or away."
(Yes I do believe this even applies to our eating - or any other bad habit we can't seem to break. I believe giving in time and time again to our bad habits does distance us from being the person God would have us to be, distance us from relying completely on Him.)

The other statement from the March 1st devotion that has stuck with me:
"It takes effort and often courage to live purposefully, but the reward is worth it: deeper companionship with our loving God."

Those are my thoughts for this week. Hopefully I'll be more prompt with my next "Weigh-In" posting. And now I really need to get my kids fed!

Weigh-In Friday

Yes, it is actually Saturday morning when I'm posting this but the weight and picture are from yesterday morning. I did not have the chance to post yesterday.


I am feeling very "stuck" at the moment. My mom told me last week I probably had hit a plateau. I guess I'll be hanging out there for a while from the looks of it! This just means I need to work that much harder.

The reading is going well. With my new Bible I am able to follow along with Wendy Pope's blog and her video commentaries as well as the blog readers' comments. This helps with explaining what I'm reading and pointing out meaning and applications as well.

That's it for now - I'll just continue to chug along.

Weekend Goals

On Friday I quickly posted some goals for the weekend:

• catch up on my Bible reading
• attend Sunday School in the morning & the new member meeting that evening
• not eat any of Gabrielle's Valentine candy (she is not getting very much so this shouldn't be too difficult)
• kick it into high gear as far as my workouts go

I didn't do too badly. I caught up with my Bible reading and I am determined to not fall that far behind again. I'm sure there will be hectic days in the future whenI miss but hopefully not more than one day at a time.

We didn't make it to church yesterday morning. Gabrielle's fever was gone when she woke up but because she had been running a temp on Saturday I didn't feel she should be in church with everyone else. Plus she still has a cough. But I did make it to the new member meeting - at least I tried. I got to church about 10 minutes early but no one knew where the meeting was supposed to take place and no one could find the pastor! I have to call the church office this week but I'm assuming the meeting was rescheduled and because I missed the morning service I didn't realize this. The trip was definitely not a complete waste of time though because I met and talked with several very nice and helpful people from the church.

Hmm, the Valentine candy. I'm not sure if I passed this one or not. For 99 cent I bought a bag of small heart shaped lollipops. Twelve were in the bag. I couldn't find just a single lollipop that wasn't gigantic so I opted to get the bag of small ones. I also didn't think I needed to give Gabrielle 12 lollipops! I put two in her Valentine gift and I ended up eating two myself. Does this count as eating her candy? I'm not sure but I do know there was a time I would have eaten the other 10 left in the bag in a weekend's time!

Working out - well again I tried. I didn't work out on Saturday. A sick little girl, baby and cleaning got in the way of that. (Whenever one of the girls is sick I seem to get in a cleaning frenzy!) I tried again yesterday morning to exercise during Samantha's morning nap. Gabrielle was (supposed to be) occupied with play doh. She decided she was done playing before my 30 minute work out was complete. It seems like any other time I would have to drag her away from the play doh. After she attempted to clean up by herself I paused briefly to at least get her out of the kitchen away from creating a bigger mess. Samantha then woke up from her typical cat nap. Before I knew it I was no longer alone in the living room and there were just too many people around for me to safely exercise without knocking someone over or stepping on someone. Samantha is already awake this morning but I'm hoping to get my work out in during her morning nap.

I have a tendency to reward and celebrate with food. This is a habit I'm trying to break away from. Once in a while a nice dinner out is great and of course I will continue to give in to special desserts and treats from time to time but I don't want everything to be about food. I had read somewhere - now I can't remember if it was a blog, a magazine or exactly where I read it - that as incentive when losing weight, or accomplishing any other goal, to set up a type of rewards system. For example, for every blank pounds lost treat yourself to something. I liked this idea so I had mentally thought of a few simple and relatively inexpensive things I could "treat" myself to with each goal. For my half way point, 10 lbs, I decided I would treat myself to some new make up. I have had my make up done professionally one time and that was for my bridal portraits. It was fun but definitely not an everyday look. I have always wanted to have my make up done by someone and have them tell me the best products to use and the right shades. This week is Clinique bonus time at our Belk. I have 2.5 lbs to lose this week in order to reach my halfway point. It is going to take a lot of work to reach it. And since losing weight isn't my only goal I'm also adding the stipulation that I have to be current with my Bible reading.

Can I do it? I hope so!! I guess we'll find out on Friday.

Weigh-In Friday

A little anticlimactic but here it is...


My goals for the weekend and next week are:

• catch up on my Bible reading
• attend Sunday School in the morning & the new member meeting that evening
• not eat any of Gabrielle's Valentine candy (she is not getting very much so this shouldn't be too difficult)
• kick it into high gear as far as my workouts go
  

Baked Salmon Dijon

I tried another new recipe tonight for dinner. It was delicious!

Today is Ed's birthday and I always try to cook something special for him. With Valentine's Day being so close there are always good grocery store specials to pick from. He wanted a steak but since I'm trying to cut back on my red meat I opted for salmon. I've cooked salmon before but I wanted a new way to try it other than the good ole standby of marinating it in Italian dressing and grilling it.


Try to ignore the very poor presentation. The plate looks very sloppy but the food tasted oh so delicious. We had roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar, old bay seasoned roasted sweet potatoes and I had baked salmon. The recipe for the sauce is below:

• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 3 Tbsp scallions, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

This was the amount for 1-1/2 lb of salmon fillets. I bought a 9 oz fillet so I cut the recipe in half and still had plenty of sauce left over which Ed ate with crackers. He said it made a very tasty dip. But back to the salmon, first you season the salmon fillet with garlic powder and black pepper and top with the sauce. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or just until the salmon is opaque. Easy, fast and yummy! And healthy!!

Exercise, Food & Reading

I weigh myself nearly every day so usually I have an idea what my Friday weight is going to be. Well this week I can say it is not looking too good for any kind of change, which I guess isn't all together a bad thing. Maintaining is not a bad thing. But I'm feeling a little stuck even though I knew the closer I got to my goal the harder it was going to be.

I decided this week I needed to really rev up my workouts. Working out in general has been challenging. If I don't do it in the mornings it probably isn't going to happen. Thanks to early risers lately, getting it done in the am has not been easy. I already wake up between 5:00 and 5:30 and for anyone who really knows me, you know this is a big deal for me - I AM NOT a morning person. When I get up I make a pot of coffee and sit down at the computer to do my devotions. I think it is more important to get myself mentally and emotionally prepared for the day first. Some days I just get caught up in my devotions - and catching up reading blogs and emails - that it is well after 6:00 before I get ready to exercise.

But back to boosting my workouts - in addition to the walking routines the past couple of days I have also done a 24 minute quick workout by Jillian Michaels. She's kicking my butt! I am not even using hand weights during the workouts yet (because right now I'm not exactly sure where they are - probably in a box somewhere in the shop along with a ton of yard sale stuff) and I'm still sore everywhere! I keep telling myself sore muscles are good even if right now I can barely move.

I'm trying to come up with some new dishes - and by "come up with" I mean find some new recipes online - to try for dinner. I bought some gnocchi a few weeks ago as a suggestion from a fellow blogger as a good table food to start with my 9 month old. Gnocchi is something none of us have ever had before so I did a search online for some suggested "sauces." I found this recipe and tried it out tonight. It was yummy!!! Definitely a dish I'll be making again - even the girls loved it.


I think with a little more tomato it would have been perfect!

Reading - I am really enjoying my new Bible. I still have a lot of reading to do to get caught up and will feel much better once I am. I like this translation, the New Living Translation, and the way this Bible is organized and laid out is making it so much easier to read.

Thanks, Sis!

I am very excited. On Saturday my sister gave me this -


After she read on my blog that I had considered buying this new Bible she ordered it for me. Aren't sisters the greatest? Tonight I will start my daily readings from this book and what I've decided to do is try to read 2-3 days worth from the month of January in order to get caught up. It should pretty much be what I've already read anyway but the One Year Chronological Bible is a different translation and also has additional notes and dates on each reading. I'm very excited.

(I received some really great gifts this year for my birthday and thanks to everyone for them! I wanted to mention this particular gift on my blog since it is directly related to my resolutions.)

Weigh-In Friday

This makes me happy. :)


Considering I haven't had the chance to really exercise since Monday I think my loss this week is pretty good. Today I will make a point to eat light all day - yogurt, fruit, salad and lots of water - because tonight we are going to our favorite (family) restaurant to celebrate my birthday. I guess it actually is to celebrate my birthday, Ed's birthday and Valentine's Day. With all three being within a week of each other we typically go out just once for the whole shebang. I guess we tend to go out on my actual birthday though so I don't have to cook.

We are going to Milton's which is a super family-friendly Italian restaurant. We love it. The food is so good, the service is excellent and it is affordable. My favorite dish at Milton's is the lasagna. Very yummy but not very diet friendly. I could get a healthier option, there are plenty to choose from on the menu, but I can't imagine going my whole life without lasagna for the sake of a few pounds! I figure if I eat light all day and have a salad with my dinner then eating a half portion of the lasagna (the servings are quite generous) won't be too bad.

For my birthday cake I really wanted my favorite which is devil's food cake with 7 minute white fluffy frosting but I don't think there is a "healthy" version of that to be found anywhere. Ed doesn't eat chocolate and I definitely don't need an entire cake to eat myself! I'll concede to a healthier alternative - cherry angel food cake. I found this recipe but yesterday when putting groceries away found an angel food cake mix in my pantry. I haven't decided whether to take the easy way out and just add the cherries to the cake mix or if I'll make the cake from scratch. I have a feeling the cake mix will be used though. There are other ways I'd rather spend my day than baking and cleaning up all those dishes afterward.

This past weekend, during the snow, I was able to get caught up with my daily Bible reading. Unfortunately this week I have fallen a couple of days behind again. I know I'll get caught up over the weekend once again though and hopefully I won't wait until I'm absolutely dog tired next week to start reading each night. Right now I am reading in Exodus, the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. I couldn't help but think of the "watered down" version of this story and many other stories I learned way back as a child in Sunday school. It's funny to think I never until now really knew all the details of these stories. Unfortunately our high school Sunday school class time was spent chatting about the weekend more than really having any kind of lesson and I haven't been to Sunday school or part of a real Bible study as an adult. Even though I seem to be struggling to keep up with the daily assignments I really am enjoying reading. I find all those little details so fascinating and amazing and the stories that much more incredible.

Bittersweet Celebration

I know I said I would post a weigh-in yesterday but when I saw what the scale said yesterday morning I wasn't exactly thrilled and in a hurry to do so.


We all have setbacks from time to time but I'm really disappointed in myself. When I think about the weekend it wasn't just the cupcakes that did me in. I may not have snacked on chips all weekend but I definitely did not stick to balanced, healthy meals or drink as much water as I should have. After getting so close to hitting 150 I now have another "extra" 2-1/2 pounds to lose - again!

But despite my weakness over the weekend I sill met and exceeded my goal of losing 5 lbs by February 1st.

January 1st -

For my next goal - another 5 lbs by March 1st. The next 5 lbs will definitely require more of an effort. February is not only a slightly shorter month but full of celebrations for us - my birthday, my husband's birthday, Valentine's Day, my niece's birthday. That's a lot of cake! I have found a cherry angel food cake recipe I am going to try out for my birthday. I'll just have to work on my self-control when it comes to the others.

The snow was fun over the weekend but now I'm ready for it to be GONE! I'm very skittish about driving on ice and our neighborhood roads are still a big sheet of ice. Ed is coming home from work this morning to take us to the doctor for Samantha's 9 month appointment. I had hoped to get to the grocery store afterward but I realize Ed will need to get back to work as soon as possible. Tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer and nicer. Gabrielle has ballet in the morning and we'll go to the grocery store after that - and maybe even Walmart or Target just to walk around and be out the house. Today I'm determined to get this house straightened up. It is a mini-disaster around here with toys everywhere, coats, shoes, mittens and hats laying everywhere and the hamper is overflowing. The kitchen floors are a mess from the dogs coming in and out. I definitely have enough to keep me busy for the day.

I've Been Defeated...

...defeated by little mini-cupcakes!! My one little cupcake turned into two and then three and then four - and that was just in one sitting. I couldn't help it. I was bored and every time I walked into the kitchen a little pink cupcake would taunt me. And I caved - every time. Sigh.

Even though tomorrow is not Friday I figure I would weigh in for a couple of reasons. Since my first goal was to lose 5lbs. by February 1st I thought I might as well make the results "official" by weighing tomorrow. And second, we'll see how much damage those mean little cupcakes did.

I knew at some point this weekend my husband was going to ask about chips and other snack food. Late last night after the girls were in bed he was laying on the couch and wanted to know what there was to eat. My answer was simply "cupcakes" and he had nothing to say after that. Then after lunch today he was rummaging through the pantry looking for some chips. He wanted to know why he "had to suffer because" I couldn't control myself. I guess he makes a good point but it's not like anyone needs chips. Besides, I reminded him I had asked him Thursday night if there was anything he could possibly want to eat this weekend I might not have bought. He had his chance.

I have exercised this weekend so maybe the cupcakes haven't set me back too far. Yesterday I did my normal walking routine and today I helped shovel the driveway. This was NOT fun. For starters we don't have a snow shovel. The regular shovel we were using was too big for me. I didn't have good gloves to wear so half the time I wore no gloves at all. And for my final complaint our driveway is fairly long and slopes. But I definitely broke a sweat and worked some muscles that don't normally get worked. Of course now my lower back is killing me already even after two extra strength Tylenol.

Tomorrow will be another day at home. My husband is taking my car into work since it his truck has absolutely no heat. So I guess it will be another day of fighting the cupcake temptation.

If Only...

Included in the play food Gabrielle got for Christmas were little boxes of cookies, potato chips, cereal, etc. As I was picking up some of the boxes today I noticed there was an actual table of Nutrition Facts on the side.

From 2010 New Year Resolutions

From 2010 New Year Resolutions

If only these snacks were real!!!

Weigh-In Friday

I have not been this close to 150 since before I was expecting my first daughter four years ago! Now, if I can just keep this up...

I went grocery shopping yesterday as opposed to my normal Friday shopping. We are expecting some winter weather this weekend and here in NC any kind of winter weather can pretty much shut us down! I knew the stores today would be crazy busy and I wanted to avoid that at all costs. The stores were busier than usual yesterday but I'm sure nothing compared to what they will be like today.

Due to the impending weather and possibility of being housebound for a couple of days it was very tempting to pick up some Cheetos, some snack cakes, and all kinds of others snacky goodness. But I knew if I bought them I would not be able to control how much I ate so they remained on the shelves and not in my shopping bag. If the weather hits and we're all stuck here for the weekend, my husband may not be so happy about my willpower! But in my defense I asked him last night if there was anything he might want this weekend that I might not have bought. He had his chance!!

Gabrielle did convince me to buy some Pillsbury Valentine Funfetti cake mix with the accompanying pink frosting and heart sprinkles. I guess we'll be making cupcakes today. I thought maybe if I made the mini-cupcakes I could have one and it not be so bad. Or will I just eat more than one and it be disastrous? I probably would control myself better if it were a sheet cake or layer cake that I would have to go through the trouble of cutting and dirtying a plate and fork but I think Gabrielle has her heart set on cupcakes. Gabrielle will probably win out on this one. Hopefully regardless of weather and being stuck when Monday comes my weight will have least remained the same. As long as we have power I will be able to do my walking exercises, Ed will be able to keep himself busy with his video games and we'll all be able to keep ourselves happily occupied. If we lose power and end up bundling up all together - well I can't promise I won't eat myself sick. But hopefully, Lord willing, that won't happen!!

I am busy today getting laundry done and straightening up the house. Other than the worry of losing power, I probably am one of the few looking forward to some winter weather. I kind of like the excuse to stay inside, warm and cozy in pajamas or sweats all day, spending time playing some board games with Gabrielle, maybe doing some coloring or even Valentine crafts. I'm hoping to use the weekend to catch up on my reading - I am embarrassed to admit I am about 3 days behind on my Bible reading. I also just received a ton of photos from Snapfish. I was about 6 months behind on printing photos and am even further behind than that on actually getting them in albums. The only other thing I would love to accomplish this weekend is to get photo albums and baby books caught up.

I hope everyone has a safe, warm and relaxing weekend!!

Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in a man's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Words of Encouragement & Inspiration

Some things I "stumbled" across in my devotions, blog readings and going back through one of my journals this morning...

"Joy means the perfect fulfillment of that for which I was created and regenerated, not the successful doing of a thing." ~ Oswald Chambers

"Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly free. No one can hinder him." ~ A.W. Tozer

"The beautiful thing about this adventure called faith is that we can count on Him never to lead us astray." ~ Charles Gwindoll

Five Steps to Real Change in the New Year {click to read the entire blog entry beautifully written by Ann Voskamp at (In)Courage}
1. SET BACK TO THE WIND
Set back to the wind, and let His Spirit gently carry when the feet are too weak to carry on. Not to try harder but to pray new prayers that transport to new places: “Spirit, fill more of me. Lift me, Spirit.” Set out into New Year knowing,“It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing" (Jn 6:36). Set back to His Wind and let Him fill the sails of life.

2. SET JAW
Set back to the wind and set jaw to persevere. "For we add to our faith, perseverance." The day will be long, the way deep. Discouraged, we'll be tempted to turn back to familiar, rutted paths. But set hand he plow and refuse to turn back. For, really, what can go awry? The Spirit’s got your back.

3. SET TIMES
Set, fixed, times to make certain tracks each day allows for the wind to move us, for inspiration to surprise us. Sporadic creativity or intermittent commitment generally fails to forge a steady trail. Progress is born out of rhythm, routine, regularity….set times.
It is how the saints met God: Daniel prayed three times a day facing Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10), the psalmist purposed to praise seven times a day, the early disciples prayed at fixed hours (Acts 2:15). If set times are the necessary catalysts for spiritual growth, so are set times critically compelling elements for life growth. With back set to the wind, and jaw set, set habitual times to pioneer new habits. Uncertain times lead to certain failure.

4. SET SIGHTS
Every day keep the intermediate goals in clear line of sight.
Set goals into achievable segments, and fix sights on the these midway markers: one pound shed this week, 15 minutes of organization, one date night a week with a child. Set sights close… “By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I am not turning back” (Phil 3:13 MSG).

5. SET OUT
Simply, finally, take the first step. Again and again. The wind, hope on its wings, sweeps each new day clean before us, and sweeps over our tracks from yesterday, filling with grace.
“Jesus said...You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day” (Luke 9:62 MSG).
Seize the day!

And here are some notes I wrote in a journal entry dated August 13, 2009. Unfortunately I didn't write down where I found this.
Contentment -

• is NOT complacency. It's not saying "that's all I'll ever do or be"
• is NOT self-righteousness. It doesn't come from your own efforts
• is NOT repression. It is not staying in abuse, hunger or harm's way.

Contentment

• IS sufficient. pray that God will give you joy to fill the empty places
• IS enough. It is a work within that opens your heart and eyes.
• IS full. It reveals your true blessings.

Weigh-In Friday

This week only half a pound. I can't say I'm surprised after the last couple of days. Disappointed? Oh yeah, most definitely. I know the weight will be harder and harder to lose as I near my goal but the week started out so promising. On Monday and Tuesday I was feeling energized and happy and while those days were in no way near perfection, they were good days. Then on Wednesday I hit a wall. The day started out just like Monday and Tuesday. I was up early, had my devotion time, even got my exercising done before the girls woke up. But somewhere in the rush of getting ready for ballet and getting out the door, then fighting with a 3-year-old in Target who wanted and begged for everything in sight, my attitude soured and so did the day. I won't go into details with everything that went wrong that day or even on Thursday. I really am trying not to complain so much and to be a more positive person. Nothing happened or went wrong that doesn't happen to just about every mother at some point. It's all a part of life with small kids. I will say this, bad habits are hard to break and with the stress and frustration came not feeling like cooking dinner and snacking way too much on whatever I could get my hands on.

I'm going to focus on the fact that I did still lose half a pound. That's still progress. I'm going to focus on the fact that most of these kid issues are phases that hopefully will soon dissipate and my cooperative, happy kids will return. :) I'm going to stay positive, keeping praying, keep reading, and keep trusting in the One in charge. Even when I really feel like quitting, He has the strength and the ability to get me through.

"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 (NIV)

Some other words of encouragement I found:

• How to Keep Going When Your Tank is Empty
• Sometimes I wanna...QUIT
  

Weigh-In Friday

No complaints or frustrations to vent about today. After two weeks I have already met my monthly goal of losing 5 pounds and am excited to see how the rest of the month will go.

In light of the Haiti earthquake and seeing, hearing and reading about the devastation occurring there I am reminded that I have so much to be thankful for and am truly blessed. As I was grocery shopping yesterday I could not help but think about what the people in Haiti must be feeling, some not knowing if loved ones are okay and not knowing if they will have a place to sleep or food to eat. We are so truly blessed and my heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by the Haiti earthquake.

Who?

The Bible I am using for my "Read the Bible in One Year" is the NIV Women's Devotional Bible. As I was reading tonight, Job 35-37, I noticed a devotion based on chapter 36, verses 21-33. After reading the three chapters I read the devotion and am so glad I did. Below is taken from this devotion:

Instead of trying to fix or control my struggles or circumstances, rather than trying to figure out the what, when, where and why of my struggle, focus instead on Who:

• God is Elohim - the Creator, who made me for a purpose.
• God is El Elyon - God Most High, whose ways are higher than my ways.
• God is El Roi - the God who sees and knows where I am and how I feel.
• God is El Shaddai - the Lord God Almighty, the one who can change me or walk with me through my circumstances as surely as He can send rain from heaven.
  

Mid-week Check In

Change is hard!!! Yes, I should have known this already and part of me did know it. I guess I did not realize just how difficult these resolutions and changes would be until actually getting in the process.

Ever heard the phrase "talk is cheap?" Well, it was so much easier to say I'm going to lose the weight, to say I'm going to devote more time to God and His word, to say I'm going to start attending Sunday school and get more involved with church. These statements were easy to say. It was easy to believe I could accomplish them. Doing so is not so easy!

It is only the second week in the new year and I am not going to get discouraged already. I'm actually not doing too poorly in my opinion even though I think I can still do better. But yesterday was the first day I really actually struggled. Each and every food choice was a battle between what I wanted, what I craved and what I actually should eat. Making myself sit down and read was a struggle. And even though I sat at the computer doing various tasks throughout the day, I still could not take the 5 minutes necessary to email the church about Sunday school.

This past Sunday I did pick up the information sheet on Sunday school. I now have a list of the classes offered, the teachers, and the contact information so that is at least something.

I'm actually not behind on my reading. However, I am sort of regretting not buying the Chronological Bible and following along with Wendy Pope's blog to accomplish the task of reading the Bible in one year. I think the group encouragement and discussions would have not only motivated me more but also I would be taking away a lot more knowledge and understanding from the readings than me just reading on my own. I am still debating whether it is too late to join in and whether it would be impossible to catch up at this point.

Weight loss - well snacking is probably going to be my downfall. Yesterday was the first day I felt hungry between meals. It was also the first day I craved something sweet. I have a few recipes for "healthy" desserts and was really tempted to make some chocolate chip cookies but I did not have all the ingredients. Plus I know the cookies and desserts are only OK if I stick to the serving size. So when the chocolate chip cookie recipe has a serving size of 1 cookie, if I ate 3 or 4 or 5 cookies it would really be defeating the purpose. I'm currently looking for a good granola recipe as well. I thought that would be something good to snack on between meals or even to add to some yogurt and fruit in the morning for breakfast.

The last couple of days I have done the exercise on demand 1-mile walk. Yesterday I really did not feel like doing it but made myself anyway and I'm really glad I did or else I would feel even more guilty about the Moose Munch I ate last night! I tried to do the workout this morning but my on demand programs are "currently unavailable." I can't tell you how annoying that is. I even tried a few other exercise programs and none of them were working. The walking programs are by Leslie Sansone and I really like them. I looked on Target.com and found several DVD sets for about $10-$15. I still have a Target gift card from Christmas to use and have decided the DVDs are well worth the investment. If I have the workouts on DVD I can't use the on demand excuse anymore!

So I thought this Power Verse from my morning's devotion was rather fitting for my blog entry as well:

Romans 12:2 "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (NLT - emphasis added by me)

I need to remember I am not alone in this process. I said from the beginning I wanted to do only what I felt God was leading me to do. As long as I am not trying to do this all on my own I still believe I can accomplish all that I have set out to do.

A Day of Lessons Learned

Today was, well, it was challenging. But with challenges come good lessons learned.

• Today I learned in order for us to stand any chance of making it to Sunday School I will have to plan and prepare the night before. We were not planning on attending Sunday school today but I woke up earlier than usual and jumped in the shower before the girls awoke. I felt good and knew we wouldn't be rushing out the door to get to church on time - for a change. And then before I knew it we only had 30 minutes before we needed to leave, neither of the girls were dressed, I wasn't dressed, and the diaper bags were not yet packed. Once again I was rushing to get everything and everyone ready to go and we left 10 minutes later than we should all of which put me in a not so great mood.
  
• Today I learned it is much easier to control what I am eating and how much I am eating when I am not feeling guilty about losing my patience with a 3-year-old.
• Today I learned it feels much better and is much easier to pray for help than to not ask God for help only to later have to pray for forgiveness. (This isn't really a new lesson learned but one re-enforced and reiterated.)
• Today I learned one person's bad mood and attitude (mine) is very contagious and will spread to the rest of the family quickly ruining the day for all.

So today was not perfect but I would not say it was all bad either. Since I am working on my "tomorrow" attitude I won't end the post with "tomorrow is another day." Instead I will change my attitude NOW, sneak into the girls' rooms a little later and whisper "I'm sorry and I love you" in their sweet little ears, tell my husband the same and go to bed a happier person in order to get a better start to the day after today! :)

Weigh-In Friday

Soooo...even after being a little discouraged with the beginning of the week I am so incredibly happy - and encouraged - by today's weigh-in. I'll just cut to the chase and post the photo.


I got off and on the scale three different times because I personally couldn't believe what I was seeing. 3 pounds!! Woohoo!

I made a couple of adjustments in the last couple of days. I was trying to drink plenty of water but struggled with drinking the amount recommended. I have a 32 oz. plastic bottle I filled up with ice and water Wednesday afternoon and yesterday. Throughout the day I would sip here and there and have come close to finishing the bottle by the end of the day. I know I am supposed to be drinking more water but I think this is a huge improvement and step in the right direction. I also managed to do a 20 minute, 1 mile walk yesterday in my living room using the Exercise On Demand channel. I hope I'll be able to do the same walking workout later today after grocery shopping and our other appointments.

As for my other resolutions, I spent the girls' nap time yesterday catching up on my reading. Today I am going to email the church about Sunday school times and specifics. All in all it has been a great end to the week! And I'm not even going to go out and celebrate with food! Ha ha ha!

Mid-week Check In

I wish I could say I feel great about how the week is going. I am now two days behind on my reading (three if you count today's reading), I haven't made any steps toward getting information about Sunday school and I haven't exercised at all.

I woke up a little disappointed with myself and bummed but certainly not ready to give up on anything. I began to tell myself "tomorrow is another day" and "tomorrow will be better." Then I sat down at the computer with a cup of coffee and began reading today's Proverbs 31 devotion. I love it when I feel like a devotion was written just for me, specific to even that day. Today was one of those devotions.

You can click on the link to read the entire devotion (it's a good one!) but basically the message was this: "Be today who you want to be tomorrow." If I truly want to make changes in my life, if I truly want God to work within me I can not limit God to "well tomorrow I'll be ready" and "tomorrow is a new day." Start today! Even now, it is 9:45 pm but the day is not over.

After reading my devotion this morning I decided I am going to work on my "tomorrow" attitude. Will I still continue to mess up? Yes. Will I have more days of getting behind on my reading? Probably. But it is important to work every moment of every day towards being the person I want to be and God wants me to be. It's important to not throw away the rest of the day over one slip-up. Ask for forgiveness and the strength and encouragement and motivation to move past the mistake.

Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Slow but Steady Start

Keeping up with my resolutions has been challenging the first couple of days. I have found myself waiting until bedtime to read my Bible. Fortunately the first couple of readings have been short and easy to get through but I know I will come across readings requiring more attention and focus and time to get through. This will be something to work on in the next few days. Maybe I can read while the girls are napping in the afternoon or try to get up a little earlier in the mornings and do my reading before or after my daily devotions.

Diets - I don't really believe them in the obvious definition of the word. I don't believe in starving myself or doing some type of extreme no-carb or no sugar or protein shake type of plan. Instead I want to focus on eating healthier, more balanced meals and snacks. I want to lose the weight and keep the weight off and forever change my eating habits. I have a tremendous sweet tooth and to be honest I can't imagine giving up all sweets. There is a lot to be said about portion control and moderation.

My eating has not been horrible the past couple of days but it could be a lot better. Not to start making excuses but I desperately need to do some grocery shopping. We are out of pretty much everything at the moment so I have done the best I could with what we have here. Yesterday we ate out because we were at my father-in-law's for our Christmas celebration. I think I did pretty decent with my choices. As I worked on my grocery list earlier I made sure to think about some easy but good lunch and breakfast options for myself. I am confident the coming week will be an improvement!

I have not started any kind of exercise, other than keeping up with the kids. The next couple of days my mom and I will be out and about shopping. It is so cold here so I figure I'll be running in and out of stores carrying one of the girls. That can be considered exercise, right? Okay, maybe not the exercise I need but my goal is to start some type of exercise by the end of the week.

First Weigh-In Friday

Well it begins today. My starting weight is:


It could be worse, especially after our New Year's dinner last night. I have 19.5 lbs total to lose to reach my goal weight. Break it down to the four months I set for myself and I need to lose on average just under 5lbs a month. I think I have heard a healthy weight loss is about 1-2 lbs a week so my goal is at least realistic!