I Think I'm Gonna Need My Lip and Eye!

We aren't even through November yet, and I am already exhausted from looking at my December calendar.  Best case scenario MAKE A PLAN and BE PREPARED!  The next best thing is my lip and eye cream from It Works....and YES it works!  It helps to reduce puffiness and dark circles from under the eyes.  Who wants to show up at a Christmas party looking tired and frumpy anyways!  The best part is that it is made from natural botanicals!  :) 






Here are some of the amazing results!  This is the link to order some for yourself!    www.naturallywraptastic.myitworks.com

 

Am We Reallly Thankful?

I love Thanksgiving because I am thankful for just about everything in my life and if you read my previous post, I am even thankful for my problems!  I complain about having to get up and go to work, but really that job is a blessing in so many ways.  I get frustrated with the laundry that never seems to be caught up, but I wouldn't have the laundry if I didn't have my sweet little priority blessings!  Amidst my frustration with the fact that we rarely savor this important time of the year to remember our blessing and be thankful, I tried a holiday craft that I found on the internet with my kids.  It is a simple "thanksgiving tree" made from twiggs and cut out leaves.  Each of my children got 3 leaves and they were to write one thing that they are thankful for on each leaf.  Little did I know that this project would come with a huge eye popping realization.  They had a hard time thinking of things that they were thankful for beyond things like toys and TV.  Nobody said friends, nobody said family, nobody said school or an education and when I said "What about church and God?"  their response was an overwhelming...YUCK!   I get it they are kids, and that is what kids do, that is how they think right????  I am not okay with this though!  Their little lives are so comfortable that they don't know what a blessing it is to have a nice house, warm clothes, good friends, a loving family, to be able to go to church and Worship God and to go to school and get a good education! 

I am certainly not thinking that we can go without dinner so that they will know what a blessing it is to have food, but maybe I have failed to model this for them successfully!  Although in my heart, I feel blessed, but my family see's me being overwhelmed and frustrated more.  I didn't make too big of a deal about it, because after all, they are kids BUT I will make sure my joy far exceeds my stress.  I will talk to them more about how blessed they are in an attempt to  instill in them a spirit of thanksgiving all through the year, not just at Thanksgiving!

This is similar to the tree that we made.  I was not able to upload a picture of the one that we did, so I posted a picture from the sight that we found the idea.    They did include things like toys and TV but they also added some of the good stuff to their list too.  We had a super good time doing it! 

When Failure and Mediocrity Is No Longer an Option

As I was cleaning out my filing cabinets and desk drawer, I came across my prayer journals from previous years.  In addition to prayers, I also include goals and action plans to accomplish these goals.  It is something that I take a lot of time to do.  As I read through these journals, a realization hit me pretty fast and hard.  My goals are the same now as they were 5 years ago.  That's right 5 YEARS AGO!

I also noticed a pattern to my "journaling".  I would set a goal, and work hard for a little while, then slowly compromise on the action plan and before I knew it, my life was back in chaos!  I am pretty disappointed at myself for this, especially because I know that the quality of life that I can provide for my family can be drastically improved if I could just get my act together and meet some of these goals.  It makes me sick to think about the time that I have wasted! 

That is when I decided that failure and mediocrity is no longer an option.  I thought I was doing pretty good, but there really is no excuse to have not accomplished goals that big for that long!  My family deserves so much more from me!  They do not deserve to have a mommy that is struggling to keep her head above the water.  They can be blessed so much more by my discipline and determination. 

The saying, "If you do what you have always done....you will get what you have always gotten" comes to mind.  It is time for me to step waaayyy out of my comfort zone and do what I think is best, and not what I am comfortable with.  When I journal this time, I am not only going to set  realistic goals and an action plan, focus more on how far I have come and not how far I have to go.  I will also review my progress and PRAY over these goals daily.

 Proverbs 16:3 says, "Committ your actions to the LORD and your plans will succeed".  My ambition is to no longer just get through the day, but to prosper in all that I do!  Failure and Mediocrity is no longer an option for me or my family!

Here it is...this is what I will be using to track my progress and hold me accountable to meeting my goals for me and my family!

I am thankful for my problems!

You read that right, I am thankful for my problems.  Let me explain!  Several years ago we went through a really difficult time.  When I say difficult, I mean I felt like we got one sucker punch after another for months/years on end.  We were praying and working hard to improve our situation but every time we turned around we just couldn't get out from underneath of our situation.  No matter how discouraged I got, I knew in my heart that if I continued to do the right things and keep my motive for change pure, than God would be able to use our situation for our good!  I will not lie, sometimes it was a daily struggle to come to that perspective and live life by making the most of every opportunity.

 Finally, after much prayer there was a break through in our situation!  The answer to our prayer came in the form of a move though.  After we moved, a relative uploaded a picture of the beautiful fall foliage at our old house to their Face Book page.  I looked at the breath taking colors of the trees that surrounded our home and was shocked to see that it was at our house.  I was so surprised because I somehow failed to notice it for myself, even though I drove by those same trees 2 (sometimes 3 or 4 times a day)!  The more I thought about it over the years, the more I wondered how many other subtle opportunities I have missed to watch my God wow me in everyday life because I was too focused on my problems.  It makes me regret wasting my thoughts and energies on all of the crud that was going on around me.  And when I really think about it, did it solve anything?  NOPE not at all!

 It was a huge blessing to finally see some answers to some of our problems and move forward in our lives, but truly the real blessing was in how those problems developed our character and brought us closer together as a family.  We emerged stronger and better because of our challenges. More importantly, those challenges increased my faith in God as He is the only person to have opened doors for our situation to improve.  I can actually say that I am thankful for those challenges.

Whenever I get discouraged, I remember that my God is so much more powerful than our problems.  I try to be more intentional in taking a break from daily struggles to notice the simple things that are going on around me and I remember that with the right attitude, pure motives and my God anything is possible.   As you enjoy the spendor of fall in these next couple of weeks, think about challenges that you have had in your life or about a challenge that you are currently going through.  Be thankful for those problems because in the end, the real blessing is the change that occurs on the inside of us!

Another little secret!

Another one of my favorite It Works products are the chews!  I love the chews, not only for myself but for my whole family.  They taste great and help with digestion which is super important this time of year.  Especially if you want your immune system to function on all cylinders!  My kids love them too, so I feel good about adding 1 or 2 in their lunch box each day, even thought they think they are eating candy!  Here is the link to order if you are interested www.naturallywraptastic.myitworks.com.   I promise I won't tell your family that they are actually good for you!

Time to get back in the game!

I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with exercise!  I love the way that I feel when I exercise, I love the feeling of healthy!  It gives me more energy, it motivates me to want to make healthier food choices and it feels good to fit into my clothes!

 I am not particularly fond of trying to fit one more thing into the schedule and to be honest, the immediate needs of my family (meals, homework, housework, dirty diapers and activities)  is so cumbersome that by the time I get an opportunity to do something for myself, I much prefer a good cup of coffee and some piece and quiet.


I know I am not alone!  Anyone that knows me knows that a healthy lifestyle is a huge priority for me and my family.  It is my passion and I have spent numerous hours over the course of the years learning more about living a healthy lifestyle.  I have read books, researched the Internet, and followed blogs.  I drove myself crazy trying to feed my family a strictly "clean diet", tried eliminating gluten, tried cutting back on dairy, limiting mean, and followed many of the trends in the health community.  I have also observed the health of my grandparents and great grand parents and wondered how they could eat bacon and eggs  and bake with lard and live to be in their 90's.  Much of my research would make a great blog post for another day.

My most recent conclusion (and the one that has given me the most peace about what I feed my family) is that of balance and consistency...plain and simple! The best nutrition./exercise program that I can adopt is one that I know I will be able to stick to.  Sure I could do a complete over-hall of my pantry and schedule to make a healthier lifestyle more of a priority BUT...the reality is that there will be many interruptions to that plan.  So here is MY plan....make several small changes that will make the biggest impact!

1).  Drink 1 bottle of water with my greens in it.  For those of you that don't  know about It Works greens, they are amazing!  They detox, alkalize and provide you with an excellent boost of nutrition as well as enhancing your immune system.  They come in a berry or orange flavor.

Here is the link to purchase them if you are interested!  www.naturallywraptastic.myitworks.com




 2).  Include some exercise into my day.  I am a busy..busy...busy and almost always moving, so I know that I don't need to incorporate a ton of cardio into my fitness plan.  I can commit to 3 burst exercises that work the major muscle groups, boost metabolism and energize me, and do them in 5 sets of 12.  Exercises  such push-ups, jump squats, and bicycle crunches.

Hey it's a start!  I will keep you posted on my progress!

1 Time Management Strategy that Revolutioninzed My Day!

I have tried schedules....systems....programs...and just about every other idea that someone pitched on Pinterest!  The fact is that I struggle with balancing working full time outside of the home, and spending quality time with my family.  If you are like me, you start out with a strong focus for the day and then by lunch time (after many distractions) you are lucky to have crossed anything off of your monstrous to do list AND you are already exhausted!  This was my frustration for many years.  I would wake up, get a cup of coffee, and start to make my list of things to do for the day.  I became so attached to this list and took delight in crossing items off of the list.  It was great satisfaction to go to bed at night knowing that I was able to get a lot accomplished throughout the day.  THEN....I had kids.  What a game changer!  ;)  I would start my day the same, with my coffee and my to do list, but I was lucky if I was able to accomplish half of it.  By the end of the week, I would have several lists with 2 or 3 items still on them that needed to be completed.

Then I had a revelation!  Instead of focusing on all of the smaller chores to tackle and then getting frustrated with all of the interruptions that prevent me from getting them done, I will focus on the 3 most important chores.  This included the 3 things that would make the most impact on the outcome of the day.  Most of the time, I am able to get those 3 things done and OH MY, what a difference it has made!  I still get frustrated, but I am able to stay on top of my house work better and it has allowed me to spend more quality time with my 4 little priority blessings because I am not as focused on everything that needs to be done!

A fall drink that will rival any latte from your favorite coffee shop

Guilty...I love all things fall, especially pumpkin anything!  I especially love pumpkin spice coffees and lattes!  What I don't love is the cost of these delicious little treats or all of the artificial junk that it is used to make it.  So I got busy and searched the internet for a tasty alternative.  I found some very delicious copycat recipes of my favorite drink, but I also found that it requires a little bit more time than this busy mom of 4 has to devote to my addiction of the season.  I wasn't going to give up on it though.  An afternoon cup of coffee is my one indulgence!  I gave it some more thought and what I came up with is even better than the coffee I buy at my local coffee shop, super easy to make and a whole lot healthier.  In fact, some of the ingredients are even good for you!  What did I do?  I simply added Pumpkin Pie spice to my coffee grounds before I brewed it!  Easy right?  The great thing, is that I still get to flavor my coffee with the right amount of sugar and cream, just how I like it and I can feel good about drinking it.

Give it a try, I hope you love it as much as I do!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Thank you for joining my blog!  Before you begin this is not another mommy blog dedicated to recipes, cleaning, organization, saving money and kids.....although you will see this alot ;)  You will not see a picture perfect house, picture perfect kids and picture perfect meals.  What you will see is the outcome that a full time working mommy of 4 (ages 8,6,3 and 5 months) can provide for her family.

 I strive daily to provide for my family without sacrificing traditional values such as healthy home cooked meals and a welcoming home for my family.  This is a something that I struggle with daily!  I have prayed for the winning lottery numbers and tricked myself into thinking that winning the lottery will be a good solution to my struggles.  And then God reminded me that HE needs me where I am at.  He needs me at work to take care of His business at work.  This revelation has given me a new perspective not only on what I am doing, but why I am doing it and because of this, I am seeing a different kind of fruit in my life.  He also reminded me that I am not alone......LOTS of moms struggle with the same thing!  My goal through this blog is to encourage Moms...plain and simple!  Working full time outside of the home does not mean that we have to submit to take out and processed convenience food all the time.

We Moms can be very hard on ourselves, but I have learned that living a lifestyle of a stay at home mom with a working mom's time constraints isn't too far out of the realm of possibility.  Traditional living in a modern society is possible and is a faith in progress!  Please join me in this journey!  I don't have all of the answers but together we can improve the quality of our families and start thriving!


P.S.  Please don't pass by on this blog because of the mention of God!  My faith is important to me, it is a huge part of my life! So you will also see scripture and the ways that God is speaking to me alot BUT the purpose is to encourage ALL moms, whether faith believing or not.  Moms get enough slack and feel judged way too often!  Please use this blog to be encouraged and get ideas on how to improve the quality of your family lifestyle.