Walking Humbly with Thy God

My good friend and Titus 2 mentor, Barb, sent this to me today. She felt the timing was perfect for the two of us because of all the things that we both have going on. Right on! The timing was perfect. I have been trying so hard to run ahead of myself that I've forgotten that God told me to walk with Him. Take 3 minutes and read the article. It will bless your socks off!

BJU Press Homeschool | Homeschooling from the Heart--One More Step | Homeschool Articles

biggest loser is huge for me

Last year I started watching Biggest Loser. You can.not. sit on the couch and watch Biggest Loser. I mean, I guess you could, if it was entertainment for you. It's inspiring to me, so I watch it while I'm on the treadmill. That's something I started doing again tonight. I've missed those guys.

Season 11 is on the radar right now and I started from the beginning via Hulu. I walked a pretty slow pace for 45 minutes - finished at 2 miles. To see these people do amazing things at their weight makes me wonder how I can have an excuse to not get to moving. I have 6 reasons to be moving a whole lot! Arthur was 646 pounds before starting the show (he lost 150 before he came on). Six hundred forty six pounds. I think we all have a point where we say "enough is enough". What a daunting task he has ahead of him. Wow.

While I'm glad that I don't have 300 pounds to lose, I have enough of my own to get rid of. I'm glad to be back on track, but I'm keeping in mind that losing this weight is for one reason. For God's glory. Not mine. I can follow Him and pursue Him and the purposes He has for me and that's all I can do. Keeping this in mind is more lasting than a tv show and doesn't break like a treadmill can.

Don't separate Jesus from your daily living. That's my tip for the day. If He really is everything, He can do anything. Do you really believe that what you believe is really real? That's true focus that is everlasting.

Weight Watchers and Breastfeeding: Nursing Moms' Guide to Weight Loss

I had a friend email and caution me about losing weight while breastfeeding. This is great advice! Since I was going to email her back anyway, I decided to turn it into a blog post on the subject.

Weight Watchers has a specific plan for nursing mothers. The plan is awesome because it is helping me to make much healthier choices for me and my baby girl that I was making before. The Good Health Guidelines set by WW for nursing mothers are even greater, including: more milk, more fruit and veggie servings, more water, and more healthy oils. After the first 3 weeks (the initial period when many people lose the most weight at a time on the plan), WW recommends you lose no more than 1 pound per week. If you are losing more than this, you will need to make adjustments to your PointsPlus values allotment, either online or through your WW meeting leader.

Here is a great article on the subject. Thanks for thinking of me Cassie! :)

Nursing Moms' Guide to Weight Loss

It's a New Day

I'm starting Weight Watchers online today. I've done Weight Watchers in the past, but when I started making healthy diet changes, weight watcher penalized you for having an avocado or banana - I thought that was WRONG. When I say "penalized", I mean that you had to spend mucho points and the less points choice was the one that won out - OREOS. Weird, but true.

Since I'm in the "very much needing to lose weight" category, I decided to google and see if doing weight watchers on a whole foods diet was possible. Sure enough, I saw that they had made significant changes to the program. My mom is on WW and had mentioned some of the changes, but I guess I didn't realize how big the changes really were.

Knowing that I couldn't make it to another meeting each week, I checked out the online deal. Looks like they have really improved it, too. I'm sure it has something to do with how many people are using the internet and making it their source for social activity. I'm not in that category - I'm a face-to-face kind of girl - but since it would be a 1 hour round trip to a meeting, I'm taking the online route. Big P is going to do this alongside me! His 10% goal is probably a pound, but we'll encourage each other and be on the same track.

Now, let me just say that WW does encourage margarine still. No way dude! I'm a 100% butter fanatic. I'll just use my points when I add that to my oatmeal. No fat free cottage cheese for me, either. No egg whites. I figure if God put it together then He intended for it to be eaten together. I'll continue to research that area. We have a treadmill and lots of land to garden.

Last night I mentioned to my good friend, Jill, that I was starting WW Online today. She wanted in (after she heard the plan changes). Guess what - we are racing to reach our 10% goal. What's at stake? $15 worth of Scentsy (our choice)! I'm in!

I'm really excited! I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to reach the million points I have been given each day. I'm nursing so I get a ton of points. Hmmm. Gotta figure that one out.

Summertime Designs: Cute idea for a Valentine's card

This idea is adorable. I'm cheap and a bit lazy, I guess. We always buy our valentines after valentine's day for cheap cheap cheap. Yesterday I was at the thrift store and happened upon boxes and boxes of valentines for next year - at 10 cents a box. Can't beat that. But, if you have a little time and know a little about photoshop elements, you can make these adorable cards!

Summertime Designs: Cute idea for a Valentine's card

family picture added

I finally added a family picture to my blog. Side bar. Scroll down. There it is. It's very impromptu. It was taken at our 2 week midwife visit in December. Better pictures coming in the spring. My sweet sister bought us a family photography session for Christmas from a friend of hers. We are excited to meet with Donna, but we really have to wait until it stops sleeting and freezing around here.

so busy... too busy

I haven't posted because I'm just so busy. I don't mean that in a martyr way, either. I really am so so so busy. Currently I'm keeping a running list in my "notes" app on my iphone. Yesterday I did as much as I could and left the rest and still went to bed too late. Now, that's just too busy. I should be able to start the day without feeling behind. For crying out loud it is 6:30 in the morning and I have already done some things - nurse the baby and have quiet time with my Lord. Even that feels rushed because I'm so busy.

This weekend I had the opportunity to go a retreat for moms. It is called H.O.M.E. (Heart of Motherhood Enrichment). It's just a small affair compared to some of the big named retreats you hear about, but it was such a God-send. A friend and I co-coordinate the Texas Rubies retreat. We needed to go to this retreat because we don't get to re-treat at our retreat!

While I'd love to share with you everything I learned, but there were 5 women who spoke and I just couldn't take the time to write out all my thoughts right now. RANDOM THOUGHT: Vermont Country Blend in the Keurig is sooo good. Let me tell you one tidbit that is on topic with my blog post. While every single woman touched my heart in a special way, it culminated after hearing a testimony of a lady there. Her sister was wheel-chair bound and had spina bifida and came to know Christ at the age of 27, when the lady testifying was about 10 years old. She talked about their learning together and her sister leading her to Christ and had such fond memories of their time together. When her sister passed away a few years ago, she came across a type of journal entry in the back of her bible. It said something to the effect of "Lord, you have made me a Mary instead of a Martha. Help me to be content with that and always be eager to sit at your feet." I had to refrain myself from a full-out bawl. I was loud, I'm sure, and possibly interrupted the ladies around me. Wow. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Here this joyful woman was wheel chair bound as well as a serious student of the Word and yet, she was seeking to have contentment. The woman giving her testimony of the weekend shared that she tries to remember that when she is rocking a baby and thinking that she needs to be doing 50 other things.

At that point I had to excuse myself to the restroom because I just couldn't hold it any longer. :) As I was heading out I started talking to the Lord. "Lord, please give me one nugget that I can use right now. I want to change so much. I have been convicted of so much this weekend. It is overwhelming to think of all the areas I struggle in. Please give me Your word right now that I can stand on and do."

SIDE NOTE: I have never heard the Lord through the radio or out loud or anything like that. I grew up in a charismatic church but I assure you, that has never happened to me and I can't say for sure it does happen to people. I do know this - God speaks and He does it in different ways. Two words immediately came to mind that morning after I prayed. I mean instantaneously. Ones that were not of me, because I didn't agree with them at the time. They were from the Lord and I know that without any doubt.

Slow Down. Those were the words. Slow. Down. Again, even slower this time because He must know that I don't listen very well and would argue with Him. Although I had gone to the restroom because my bladder was drawing me there, I was glad that's where I was headed because I didn't want to have an all-out cry fest in front of 50 women.

Big P listened intently as I try to summarize everything I had learned and what I had heard from the Lord. He acted like he had been trying to tell me all along. See, I don't listen. :( That's what started my list making. I have too much in my schedule and too much in my head to fully enjoy everything the Lord has called me to. We haven't had much of a chance to figure out everything I do and what I can get rid of but I know I need to get rid of something (or some things!).

Bailing is not an option with some of this stuff and I know that some of it, He truly has called me to do, even though it is "extra curricular". Gotta figure it out. Got to!