Taking the TIME to be healthy!

As you can probably imagine, life has been really busy getting ready for Lauren and Nik's wedding (which is next week ).
One thing I have noticed since we have been going so fast and furious getting everything ready...is that our food choices haven't been the best.
Funny how easy it is to grab something not as healthy...as something healthy.

I have always been concerned what goes into my body. I haven't done necessarily bad foods, but just having chosen as many fruits and veggies as I usually do. Or the the worst thing I do for my body, is get so busy that I don't eat. Then my blood sugar level drops too much and I start to feel terrible.
Then I am really hungry and tend to grab things that aren't the best for me.

Some day I really need to tell you the funny stories that I have about switching my kids over to no sugar, no dairy and no red meat diet, when they all were young. Or maybe I should let them tell you, they have a funny memory of those days!
For my defense they all were on allergy shots, and we had bottles and bottles of that PINK ANTIBIOTICS in the fridge, and still they weren't feeling well at all. So for the next whole year I began to study about food, allergies, stress, mind body connection and everything else I could, in order to help my kids be as healthy as possible. I also looked into all of us going to a Homeopathic Doctor.
So naturally I was really interested in this article that my son had on his blog, about why the French Children don't have weight problems and are healthier. ( Below is one of the lunches that they serve at school.) I guess my favorite part of the article was this...

"So what can we do to promote better eating and moving habits for our children stateside?

It all starts at home: We know what healthy foods are, and we need to use our positive influence to feed our kids healthier foods and and teach healthy eating and exercise habits by example.

Home-cooked meals based on plenty of fresh produce, and a weekly family walk, hike or game of tag are simple lifestyle habits that make a difference in a child's life over time."

You can read it HERE:cho

So true it does takes time, but aren't our kids and ourselves...worth it?
Have a great day dear friends!

Faith and Fitness

What a great story of Faith and Fitness!
Read it for yourself...
Good  Night dear friends!

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Summary

Ron Williams grew up without a family, bounced around and battered. He found God at a point of crisis and never looked back. Now the nondenominational Christian minister and coach shares what he's learned about family, faith and fitness.

..

Ron Williams is talking about fat: How it sometimes seems impossible to defeat, clinging stubbornly to bodies despite exercise and calorie control and even prayer.

The latter is an important point, because Williams is not just a fitness instructor and body builder with international titles. He’s also a man of God, pastor of a nondenominational Christian church who taught himself to read by studying the Bible after he wearied of his way of life and found God in his late 20s.

Recently, standing before the congregation of the Community of Grace Presbyterian Church in Sandy, Utah, as a guest speaker, his well-defined musculature hidden beneath layers of a three-piece suit, he explained the “soul wounds” that send people to food for comfort, as well as the preservatives and other chemicals in foods that make the battle to stay trim a hard one.

He has written a book about lasting weight management called “Faith and Fat Loss” and has been teaching its principles, based on such scriptural truths as self-control, restoration and healing. Ever since Adam ate the apple, he said people have had a complicated relationship with food.

“It’s not entirely your fault,” said Williams, speaking to those who are overweight. “But it is your responsibility.”

That is a statement that could apply to most aspects of his own life. Taking responsibility for change is how Williams has become the man he is today. He has chosen transformation and renewal, moving past early hurts and embracing health in his physical habits and in his relationships — with people and with God.

Rough childhood

Abandonment was the first of Williams' “soul wounds,” which he describes in interviews and in the foreword to his book. He was born in Indianapolis 52 years ago and grew up in a poor neighborhood. His father, who never married his mother, dropped him off at a baby sitter when he was 3 years old and didn't come back for him.

Williams was too young to understand all the details of his abandonment, but he remembers bits and pieces he overheard: The woman on the phone, asking his father to come get him because she already had her own eight kids to feed. When he was a little older, he heard the woman’s husband, then dying of cancer, tell her to raise the boy because no one else wanted him.

Williams stayed mostly with that family, knowing that his was another appetite they could ill-afford. As a result, he developed an eating disorder. Sometimes he was pawned off on others briefly; along the way he was sexually and physically abused. He grew up feeling unloved and, he was certain, unlovable.

By the time he became an adult, he was desperately lonely and sometimes pondered suicide..
You can read the rest of his story HERE:

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The journey!

Throughout my life, I have always tried to take care of my body. But most of the time I was sick. As I got older, I realized how much the mind and body are connected and so... I began the long journey of healing both. The more I got healed on the inside, the clearer life became. Then I realized that it was vital as a Mother... to try to not only feed my kids well (which they have many stories to tell you about ), but to help them understand the Mind Body connection too!
It is a tough thing to teach to someone young, but vital for them to understand throughout their life.
Life is truly a journey!

"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded."  ~ Goethe


Good night dear friends!

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you! Here is just a bit of our day!

Decorations for the table, boats with granola inside and masts were all the things we were grateful for

Miss Audrey waiting for her turkey dinner ( applesauce and rice cereal )

Making memories with Amy!

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Jenny picking off turkey feathers from our 25 lbs turkey!

Jenny helping Poppa with the potatoes

Putting the guys to work, Chefs Jeff and John

 

After dinner the 4 girls went to see the new Frozen Movie, they loved it!

 

We had friends and neighbors over to eat with us. It was a full house, but still felt empty without Brad, Krystal and Kai! So glad we will see them around Christmas...can't wait. Have much to be grateful for and you are one of those blessings dear friends!

 

Sleep Over with Miss Jenny!

I cooked most of the day yesterday so I could just play with Jenny today, at her Sleepover. First after we picked her up...we went to lunch at Taco Time. After that a trip to Hallmark to look at all the wonderful Christmas stuff there (love that place). Then off the grocery store where we picked up a few of our last minute things for tomorrow. Then we stopped by and saw a friend who just had her baby a few days ago. Jenny brought their little boy and the baby a balloon, she loved the baby of course. Came home, Jenny and Poppa played for awhile with her Purple Blanket. ( Jeff always teases her about how much he loves her Purple Blanket, they run around the room over and over again, trying to get the blanket from each other ). Jenny told me that she thinks we should get Poppa a Purple Blanket for Christmas  :)
Then after dinner we made a few more Thanksgiving deliveries and we headed to Menchies ( a frozen yogurt place ) and had a treat. After that, a quick movie and then headed to bed. When she went downstairs to watch the movie I told her that I might stay upstairs and get a few things done. Her response, "But Nana, I want you to watch the movie with me, I love you". Yes, how grateful I am for Sleep Over Days and all the fun memories they bring. Seeing everything through a child's eyes...truly does give you more Gratitude.
Happy Thanksgiving Dear Friends!



 This is her true smile, she is a very fun, energetic, spicy, and always funny !

Burrito with nothing but chicken, rice, and cheese...with ketchup to dip it in! Yuck, but she likes it! 

 

 Apple and Chocolate Yogurt mixed together...yum!

Why do we share too much?

I know this isn't necessarily an inspirational story, but I do have to say that I agree with Jason on this topic of social media. My concern is when people put things on there like he said about their spouses or children that would upset them or embarrass them. I also wonder why people put photos on their of them selves dressed immodestly, who are you wanting to see that? And if the answer is ...the whole world, then the next question would be ....why?
I wonder what kids think about their parents putting  photos on social media that are provocative? I like this article ...because it makes one stop and think... maybe before they click the mouse again!
Good night dear friends!

Your Facebook friends don’t care what you had for breakfast

 

It’s hard to imagine just 10 years ago we lived in a tragic world where no one knew what their friends had for breakfast.
How did we ever survive the workday without knowing that our long-lost pal from high school — the one we haven’t been in the same room with in 25 years — had a delicious Sausage McMuffin with Egg with two hash browns and a small OJ on the way to the office?
Thankfully it’s not just the breakfast lineup we’re entitled to.
My Facebook is filled with pictures and descriptions of midmorning snacks, the lunch buffet special and the homemade ravioli that’s “so totally legit.”
It’s no wonder they call it a Facebook feed.
There are also the people who can’t wait to tell us precisely what they ordered from a restaurant and how difficult it was choosing between the stuffed eggplant and the asparagus soup.
“It was soooo tough, but I went with the eggplant! LOL!”
Thanks for sharing. I was worried I wouldn’t fall asleep until I knew.
It’s not just food, though, is it?
Sometimes, we use social media to share information that is trivial at best and wildly inappropriate at worst.
One of my Facebook friends will frequently post details of arguments with her husband. They usually begin with something like this: “If Johnny (no, his name isn’t Johnny) does this annoying thing one more time … ” and ends with a rhetorical question on why she ever married him. A day or two later, they will make up and of course she will want Facebook to know.
This person has several hundred friends on Facebook. I’ve often wanted to ask her if she would consider gathering all of them in a giant auditorium, standing onstage with the mic and announcing, “I cannot believe my husband left the toilet seat up again! If it happens one more time, I am throwing all of his stuff in the front yard and lighting it on fire.”
Before she turned off the mic, she might add, “FYI, my chinchilla has a cold. Frowny face.”
Why are we so willing to share things on social media in front of such large audiences that we would never share in person at the front of a crowded room?
Clearly, social media has benefits and can be a blessing. Like you and millions of others, I’ve been able to reconnect with old friends and make many new ones online. I enjoy sharing pictures of my kids and keeping up on friends and family scattered far and wide.
Obviously, every post doesn’t need to announce seminal moments like babies, birthdays or baptisms. Sometimes, I don’t mind a more trivial slice of life. But we certainly don’t need enough slices for a whole loaf. And while some sharing is certainly appropriate in moderation, other items should always be off-limits.
Bashing your spouse? Off-limits. Posting pictures that could cause you to lose the job you have or prevent you from getting the job you want? Always a bad idea. Pictures of your cat wearing a sweater and a fake mustache? Super inappropriate.
Perhaps before any of us post something online, we should step away from the mouse and ask ourselves a few questions: “Will this embarrass me? Will this embarrass someone else? Is it something that I would comfortably say in front of my spouse? Children? Employer? Is this something my friends will genuinely be interested in?”
Yes, your friends want to see how big your kids are getting.
Yes, your friends are interested in seeing the gorgeous deck you saved a fortune on by building yourself.
Yes, your friends are probably even interested in your favorite Bible verse or inspirational quote.
But no, your Facebook friends don’t care what you had for breakfast.
I read the article HERE:

 

Great Lesson!

Today in church one of the lessons in church was about "Spiritual Nourishment", the young Mother who taught it, did a wonderful job and I knew immediately that I needed to take notes or ask for her notes after class so I could share it with you.
Here is how she started out the class...

How important is food?
Food contains nutrients that our body needs to function, to grow, become stronger, gives us energy, builds up our immune system to help us fight illness.
To help us identify what our bodies need we have a food pyramid.  This pyramid outlines the different food groups that our body needs and how much of each food group.  So it is with the gospel.  We can have a “Spiritual Pyramid” that can give us a guide as to our daily needs for nourishment to our souls.  This pyramid would be built as such –
1)      Be a teacher
2)      Be an example
3)      Be a testifier
4)      Be diligent

 “We know that our physical bodies require certain nutrients to sustain life and to maintain physical and mental health. If we are deprived of those nutrients, our physical and mental vitality are impaired and we have a condition called malnutrition. Malnutrition produces such symptoms as reduced mental functions, digestive disorders, loss of physical strength, and impairment of vision. Good nutrition is especially important for children, whose growing bodies are easily impaired if they lack the nutrients necessary for normal growth.
Our spirits also require nourishment. Just as there is food for the body, there is food for the spirit. The consequences of spiritual malnutrition are just as hurtful to our spiritual lives as physical malnutrition is to our physical bodies. Symptoms of spiritual malnutrition include reduced ability to digest spiritual food, reduced spiritual strength, and impairment of spiritual vision.” ~ Dallan H. Oaks

I loved how she connected spiritual malnutrition to physical malnutrition. I think with our physical bodies, we would never let it go that far... but how about the spiritual needs we have? I loved this story that she told also...

Dr. Gustov Eckstein, one of the world’s renowned ornithologists, worked in the same laboratory for over twenty-five years. He bred and crossbred species of birds. He kept meticulous records on the varieties and hybrids of birds in his laboratory. Each day when he would enter his laboratory he would go down two or three stairs to the stereo. He would put on classical music and turn the volume up very loud. Then he would go about his work. The birds would sing along with the classical music. At the end of the day, about 5:30 P.M., he would turn off the stereo and leave for home.

After twenty-five years he had to hire a new custodian. After Dr. Eckstein left the laboratory, the new custodian thought the place should be aired out, so he opened all the windows.

The next morning when Dr. Eckstein went into his laboratory he saw the open windows and noted that every bird had flown out during the night. He was devastated, his life’s work ruined. By sort of habit or instinct, he went to the stereo and turned the classical music up very loud. Then he went and sat down on the steps, put his head in his hands, and wept.

The strains of music carried out through the open windows, through the trees, and down the streets. In a few moments Dr. Eckstein heard a fluttering of wings. He looked up and saw that the birds were beginning to come back into the laboratory through the open windows.

Dr. Eckstein said, “And every bird came back!”

The point was that our children and those that we teach will come back to the the truths that they have been taught eventually, if we actually taught them. In the lesson she mentioned that our example was a bigger teacher than our words will ever be.
What a great lesson and one that really touched my heart and reminded me to not let my spirituality suffer, just because I don't stop and take the time to do what I am suppose to do. When I am full spiritually, then I see the world through different eyes and I am more grateful for all my blessing!
Good night dear friends!

One Carrot or Apple at a time!

   I read this article in the magazine we get from Costco in the mail. The article was called ONE CARROT AT A TIME by Georgia Orcutt. It interested me because, it was about childhood obesity and one Mother's mission on how to help kids learn how to cook and eat nutritious food. They have a nonprofit magazine out called Chop Chop. The theory that she uses... is that if kids learn how to cook their own food and really understand how to take care of their own bodies, they will make better choices and be healthier. The founder and president is Sally Sampson, and she really feels like it is important to stock the the cupboards with healthy foods, so that they won't have so much junk tempting them all the time.
   I do believe that it makes a huge difference on what we have in our pantries and cupboards. When our kids were little we would ask them as they got older to cook one meal a week, that week they would help me make a store list and go shopping with me. It really did make them more appreciative of the meals I cooked, and we constantly went over why we need to eat more nutritious meals.
    Did they all appreciate it and follow it as they got older? Not necessarily when they were  in college on their own, but it did seem like something that they are gravitating back to, now that they are parents. So it was a great article and you can read more about Sally and her magazine HERE:. The recipes look yummy. I love to see when people strive hard to make a difference in the world. And even though they are just one person, they really are making a big difference, Sally is proof of that!
Well, tonight is Date night and I have a hot date, so I will get this off early. Have a good night dear friends!

“The greatest wealth is Health.”  ~Unknown
“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy”  ~Author Unknown
“True healthcare reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington”  ~Anonymous

True G.R.I.T.S.

 

Well, we have about 6 inches of snow outside and it is still falling. I have hot water in the crockpot which is all ready for Hot Chocolate. I have in the other crock pot Chicken’s and Dumplings. And then a huge pot of Pinto Beans and Ham on the stove simmering. Now you can probably tell by this menu that I am a True G.R.I.T.S. ( Girl raised in the South ). The funny part is, Jeff is looking at me wondering who in the world is going to eat all this food. I know, I keep forgetting it is just us two, oh how I miss my kids! There is just something about a Snow Storm that makes me want to prepare ….just in case the neighborhood needed some help!

I have done that since the kids were little, when the weather gets bad outside…I start cooking. Old habits are hard to break I guess! Oh well, unless a cold and hungry stranger comes knocking at our door to come eat, I guess I will just freeze some of it. I guess being prepared is better than NOT being prepared!

 

I received an email from a dear friend of mine tonight, and she reiterated what some other Empty Nesters have told me. That having your kids leave is really hard and it really hurts, but only because that meant I really loved my kids. She also reminded me that it will come and go in waves…since two of my kids have already left home earlier and now are married, I understand what she means. Still knowing that they are still only a phone call or an email away helps. How grateful I need to be that we do love each other and miss each other. Many families don’t have that.

So tonight I actually went to my sewing room and created something. It felt good, I need to do more of that. Plus, I need to remember we G.R.I.T.S. ( southern girls ) are tough, I need to toughen up and keep moving, because if you aren’t moving, then you are actually going backwards…so true. Gotta go and put the stuff in the freezer before I go to bed!

Good night dear friends!

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”  ~ Elizabeth Stone

It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.  I can't tell my children to reach for the sun.  All I can do is reach for it, myself.  ~Joyce Maynard

“The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing”

Food for thought

My computer was down yesterday, I tried to send this post 4 times before I just quit. Jeff worked on it today, sooooo I hope this works. Thanksgiving was about food for our stomachs but this post today, is about food for our thoughts, just gives us something to really Think About! I hope you enjoy it!

Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight; Just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.

Should you find yourself stuck in traffic; don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for -15.00 to feed her family.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking "what is my purpose"; Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!

 

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."    ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson  

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens. "   ~ Kahlil Gibran

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind."       ~ William James

Every little bit helps... and matters!

This was a powerful story, and it was about the difference little children can make. Made me stop and think what difference am I making on a daily basis? It is a bit long, but good! Enjoy!

 

The Rock Club

One night when I was in second grade, I saw something on the news that really bothered me. It was about a group of homeless people sleeping outside in the cold, with nowhere to go for warmth and comfort. I felt sorry for them, and I wanted to help.

So I decided to start a club. The goal was to raise money to help the homeless. I called it the Rock Club. When I first started, we only had about five members, but that quickly grew to about twenty. It wasn't hard to get people to join the club. I hardly had to ask anybody if they wanted to be a member. In fact, they came up to me and just asked me if they could join!

We spent all of our free time at recess painting rocks. We painted animals, flowers and shapes – even names of sports teams. We all just worked on whatever we felt like painting.

We'd go around the school in search of teachers who would buy our rocks and use them as paperweights. We sold the rocks for five cents, ten cents and even up to twenty cents each. We painted one huge rock with polka dots that sold for five bucks! By Christmas, we had raised thirty-three dollars. We decided to give the money to a local homeless shelter.

My mom offered to take my friend and me to the shelter to deliver the money. When we pulled up, we noticed that there were whole families sitting on the snowy sidewalk. As we went into the building, I could not get the picture of what I had just seen out of my mind. I kept thinking about the little children, and all of the men and women with nowhere to sleep.

When we got inside, we met the lady at the front desk and gave her the money that the club had earned. She seemed really grateful for our donation. She invited us to take a tour of the shelter. I had never seen a real homeless shelter before, so I wanted to see the inside. As we toured the building, what really got to me were the rows and rows of tables set up to feed the hungry. There must have been over one hundred tables in there. In the kitchen, the helpers were making what seemed like endless rows of gingerbread men. It was amazing to me that for every gingerbread man, the shelter was expecting a person in need for dinner and shelter that night.

As we were leaving the homeless shelter, I saw a man sitting on the snow-covered pavement. He was wearing a dirty, dark green coat and black pants that were covered in mud. He was clutching to his side a Christmas tree covered with red ornaments. I felt so sorry for him because he had nowhere else to put a tree except the streets where he lived. It made me realize that even someone with no home, or money for presents, still wanted to have a Christmas.

The next day there was picture of that same man in the newspaper. I knew his image would stay with me forever. I hoped that his picture also reminded others about how much help the homeless people need, and that we should remember them all year – not only at Christmas.

A few days later, a newspaper reporter and a photographer came to our school and took a picture of our Rock Club members. The photo and article came out in the paper the next day. We all felt proud that we had done something that gave more attention to the needs of the homeless in our town.

Our school decided that what we did was really great, so they started a program just for kids. Now kids at our school are helping the homeless shelter and other organizations that help people in need.

Something as simple as some rocks, some paint and a few caring kids made me realize that you're never too young – and you don't need much – to make a difference.

by Vanessa Clayton, age 14

"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up."  ~Jesse Jackson

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day."  ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.