Out with the old...

I sincerely want this year to be different. I want to transform myself inside and out. I want to clear the mucky cobwebs, declutter my mind (and my personal space), and strengthen my body.


I've enlisted the help of Fit Yummy Mummy creator, Holly Rigsby. A couple of years ago, I purchased her ebook, but frankly I didn't get beyond the first few pages. Why did I get stuck? Was I not mentally ready? Was I merely lazy? I don't know the answer. What I do know is that I want to feel good and hold my head high. I want to treat my body with respect.


Today I bought Holly's basic workout program. Rather than just an ebook, I'll receive DVDs with Holly's workouts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll stick to her routines and begin to see a difference in my weight and body shape.


In my last post, I pledged to exercise six days a week. Since Holly's workouts are only 15 minutes each, maybe I should do one every single day. Maybe I should shift my old habits aside and wake each morning at the same time, exercise and pray. Maybe, just maybe, if I do this, the new habits will become the norm and I can bust out of this overweight cocoon!

Committing to Change

While I work to resolve inner conflict and heal my heart, I also plan to focus on my external condition. Yes, I am referring to weight! I'd love to lose 15 pounds and look and feel stronger. I am very soft right now, and my padding is shifting to new parts! Yuck. For the past year, I have noticed a much slower metabolism. I knew that I couldn't eat the same diet, especially once I stopped breastfeeding and exercising. A piece of me wants to pledge - here on this post - that I will no longer delight in chocolate candy or cookies or chips. But I am afraid that I'll fail and end up with a giant egg on my face.

So...

Why not pledge to exercise six days a week, alternating cardio and weight lifting, and continue to monitor the morsels on my plate?

I've already given up my beloved Chick-Fil-A vanilla shakes, Doritos, Oreos, and Diet Coke. I'm no saint - I do eat some chips and crackers - I simply watch the serving size. However, I refuse to abstain from coffee! It is a morning ritual and something I look forward to. At lunch, I try to limit carbs and focus on fruits.

I also know my danger hour - early evening when I'm sitting at the computer, planning for the next school day. Often I'll reach for chocolate. Why don't I clear the cabinets and allow zero chocolate in the house? Because I am a woman and complete deprivation isn't always the answer. Do I buy peanut M&Ms? No! I have no will power with those tantalizing candies in the kitchen! Yet I can purchase chocolate chips and not have the same response. And we can actually bake with the chips!

(Sigh)...I guess, as with most things, the diet will be a day to day effort. But perhaps this time, I'll pray for God's strength too.

My goal date is July (my son's second birthday), a short six months away. My incentive is a new wardrobe. Please Lord, help me to become healthier. Not for a passing goal, but for a lifetime.

"Staying Close to the Almighty"

This deserves a permanent post to my blog. Dr. Charles Stanley always seems to write devotionals that speak directly to me. And this one came at a poignant moment considering my emotional roller coaster ride last weekend. Working past old haunts and addressing skeletons isn't an easy task for the heart. But now is the time, and if I remember to keep my eyes and ears open, God will provide encouragement and sustenance, for example:

January 19

Staying Close to the Almighty

Isaiah 41:10-14

As children of the Most High, we are called to walk with Him whether circumstances are delightful or difficult. Both can be challenging.

In times of relative ease, we may lose sight of how dependent we are on God. Of course, we still desperately need His direction and care, but pleasant "seasons" can cloud that reality and lull us into a self-sufficient mindset. To prevent this, we should discipline ourselves to fill our minds with God's Word, pray for direction, and listen for His answer.

Strenuous times, on the other hand, can draw us to our Creator for sustenance and help. With Christ by our side, we can walk fearlessly through any situation. As Jesus warned, hardship is inevitable (John 16:33). Yet we have a choice about how to respond. We can either let painful situations trigger increased dependence upon the Lord, or we can allow doubt, depression, and anger to fill us.

The Lord promises to give all that we need to endure difficulty well. Our responsibility is to stay by His side, follow where He leads, and obey even when we don't like or understand what is happening. Our goal should align with the apostle Paul's: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7).

Amen!

Inner Beauty

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30 NIV

Tonight, I read the original book, The Beauty and the Beast, to the girls before bedtime. I had it saved (for free) to my Kindle. Technically, it was the first book that I read using the handy, ingenious device. And thank goodness for the ease of Internet searching - I merely typed, "Bible verses on beauty" in the Bing toolbar and literally, BING!, several options appeared on the screen. I chose the above verse for copywork.

Indeed, technology can be marvelous!

Parents' Complaints

Perhaps this shouldn't bother me, but it does. We had an incredible ice storm - beginning Sunday - and the public schools have closed for three days and counting. If I'm not mistaken, the county declared another snow day for tomorrow, Thursday.

The snow days and school cancellations don't bother me (our house isn't affected, thank goodness). What ruffles my feathers is the barrage of parental complaints littering Face Book. Parents are moaning and becoming stir crazy because they are forced to spend 24/7 with their own children! Did I read those statuses correctly?

Wait a minute. That complainer used to be me too. When I believed the public school system was a way for me to be alone and "free", I too would be aghast at the number of missed school days; as if the weather ruined my private plans! I also remember a lot of mornings at the local preschool as I overheard mothers' conversations and how they couldn't wait to drop off their child so shopping/eating/working out at the gym/socializing could be done. What a sad commentary.

Have we become so accustomed to somebody else raising our children that when we have zero alternative and must watch and care for these precious babes non-stop for four days, we go ballistic?! Praise God for homeschooling. While it isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, the moments I've gained understanding my girls' hearts are priceless and a true gift. If only these folks on Face Book had the same experience.

1 Corinthians 13 for Homeschool Moms

{Published in the Fall 2010 GHEA Magazine}

1 Corinthians 13 for Homeschool Moms

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and teach my children Latin conjugations,
Chinese, and Portuguese, but do not have love, I
have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal,
and no matter what I say, they will not hear me.

If I have the gift of prophecy, and know my
children's bents and God's plan for their lives,
and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and
am the keeper of the teacher's editions and
solutions manuals, and if I have all faith, so as to
move mountains, and even keep up with my
giant piles of laundry and dishes, but do not have
love, I am nothing, even if all the people at
church think I'm Supermom.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor,
and my formal dining room gets turned into a
schoolroom, and our family vacations look more
like educational fieldtrips, and if I surrender my
body to be burned, never having time to get my
nails done, put makeup on, or even take a bath,
but do not have love, it profits me nothing
because all my family cares about is the expres-
sion on my face, anyway.

Love is patient with the child who still can't get
double-digit subtraction with borrowing, and
kind to the one who hasn't turned in his research
paper. It is not jealous of moms with more,
fewer, neater, more self-directed, better-behaved,
or smarter children.

Love does not brag about homemade bread,
book lists, or scholarships, and is not arrogant
about her lifestyle or curriculum choices. It does
not act unbecomingly or correct the children in
front of their friends. It does not seek its own,
trying to squeeze in alone time when someone
still needs help;
it is not provoked when interrupted for
the nineteenth time by a child, the phone, the
doorbell, or the dog; does not take into account a
wrong suffered, even when no one compliments
the dinner that took hours to make or the house
that took so long to clean.

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness or
pointing out everyone else's flaws, but rejoices
with the truth and with every small step her
children take in becoming more like Jesus,
knowing it's only by the grace of God when that
occurs.

Love bears all things even while running on no
sleep; believes all things, especially God's
promise to indwell and empower her; hopes all
things, such as that she'll actually complete the
English curriculum this year and the kids will
eventually graduate; endures all things, even
questioning from strangers, worried relatives,
and most of all, herself.

Love never fails. And neither will she. As long
as she never, never, never gives up.

~ Misty Krasawski

It's been one year!

Tomorrow, we celebrate our first year of homeschooling! Well, I doubt the girls will be interested; in fact today my oldest asked (after a long Christmas holiday), "Am I in fifth grade now?" Out of the mouth of babes...

It has been very difficult for me to fall back into our normal school routine. I take three different medications to combat my bronchitis and all leave me drowsy and fatigued. I can't tell if I'm feeling any better yet. The nurse warned me that the cough may not abate for weeks. So, not the best start to the new year but I must be patient, and in time I'll heal.

One year! I survived! I don't want to quit! These accolades are praiseworthy - thank You, Lord! As He knows, many days I wanted to surrender and I didn't feel as if I could lead the household anymore. He has heard my prayers and He has comforted my doubts and fears. He never fails me.

I have been fortunate to locate a couple of terrific homeschooling families on Face Book. If I ever feel lost or frustrated, I update my status and within a short time, I receive several pep talks in my inbox. It is wonderful and encouraging. Thank You, Lord for bringing these ladies into my life.

Perhaps what surprises me the most is my confidence level. I am slowly learning to trust my gut. I believe my path to home educating is the right one for us and I am secure in my curricula. If I ever feel inundated, I simply focus and turn to the Bible. This is my personal "refresh" button.

It certainly hasn't been a bed of roses but as the Bible teaches us, God uses moments like these to mold us. I pray that my heart remains open so I can always hear Him clearly and serve His purpose.