Weight Loss Wednesday

I just found Karen Ehman's website and I am so excited! She does what she calls "Weight Loss Wednesday" and I am going to participate. I think the accountability of godly women might be just what I need. I would love to lose 25lbs, but doing it myself is not working! I have started either tomorrow or Monday for around 6 years! It might be time to admit to myself that this approach isn't working. What I am not willing to do today I probably won't be willing to do tomorrow.

My plan for this week is as follows:
1.Record in a notebook my measurements for my bust, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and arms. I will record on this blog weekly the total inches lost or gained(hopefully not!).
2.Purchase a purse sized notebook to start recording every morsel I take in. The times I have done this I have been horrified with the amount of mindless food I take in every day.
3.Start each day asking God to bless my efforts and be strong when I am weak. I will also record encouraging scripture verses in my notebook to take with me for the times that I am weak. God's word is powerful!!

I think that this will be where I begin. I would love to be well into my goal by Christmas. What a gift that would be to myself!!

One Little Phrase

As we begin to deal with nighttime seizures again, I have again begun to utter one little phrase that keeps me sane....

Lord, You already know how this night ends.

Why is this phrase so powerful to me? Because it says to me that God has already seen and already knows if Ethan will have a seizure. He knows how bad it will be if he has a seizure and if he will come out of it on his own or not. He knows that I may be at the end of my rope and may need Him to be My Strength. He knows that whatever happens, He already has worked it for our good. And because of that, I don't have to know and I don't have to worry. Praise Him for that!

Revised to-do list

I am reading the book, Professionalizing Motherhood and came across a great idea. I haven't started formally doing this yet but am so excited to get started! With the thought that, after God, our families are to be our next priority, the author proposes changing how we make to-do lists.

Current to-do list-
1.Clean the kitchen
2.Mail Cherie's Tastefully Simple kit
3.Change sheets
4.Laundry
5.Go to store for milk
6.etc.,etc., etc......

While this is a great way to stay on task and I will keep doing this also, it neglects to pinpoint our first priority, our precious family!

This is the new addition I am going to add to my to-do list.
1.Michael-
2.Ruben-
3.Ethan-
4.Isabella-
5.Aubrey-

As I go about my day, I will fill in something that I do that will make that person feel special. Sometimes it will be as easy as laundry on my son Ruben's spot. Having clean clothes makes him feel loved. A favorite thing for dinner, books with my daughter, these types of things. A lot of this stuff I do anyway, but this will be a great way to make sure everyone is getting something.

What I love the most about this idea is that I sometimes struggle with the dailyness of my life. Dishes, laundry, diapers, work...Sometimes at the end of the day it seems like I gave all day but nothing meaningful was accomplished. This will give me a way to know that my day meant something. If I can finish this "to-do" list everyday, I will know that I gave my best to the most important people in my life. It will be proof to me that my day did have meaning!

Epilepsy

What does this word mean to me today? Anger, frustration, helplessness, trust, gratefulness. I feel overwhelmed today as Ethan had his first seizure at school yesterday. The seizure that "shouldn't happen" at school because of the type of epilepsy that he has. I feel so sad that this is something that he has to worry about. Yet, I am so grateful for the unexpected encouragement from people who understand. I am so grateful that he has the "good" kind of epilepsy, the kind he should outgrow. I am so glad that this gave me an opportunity to pray over my son, to place him completely in God's capable and loving hands. I am so glad that God is in control, that I can trust Him. Praise God that when I am weak, He is strong.

New Beginnings

I just finished reading my lists of summer goals. I posted them at the beginning of summer when I had great intentions of keeping up with a blog. Obviously, the blog writing didn't take off! I am so pleased that I wrote those goals because three months later, I can see progress on some and where I still need to work on other things.

I am so pleased that I am just finishing up the last of the bible studies that I had planned to do. I have been so blessed by the studies and my daily time with the Lord. He is speaking to me so powerfully this summer. I am so humbled that the God of the entire creation cares about my small life. Wow! Such an amazing thought.

It is time to write more goals for this next season. I absolutely loved the way goal-setting defined my priorities and kept me on task. I will post my new goals soon!

Summer Goals

I saw on PamperingBeki that she makes resolutions for the summer and I thought that is a great idea. I want my summer to be fun and relaxing, but I also want to be productive in areas of my life that are important to me. I love the way the sun shines in my windows at 5:30 in the morning in summer. It is so much easier to get up and get going than in winter when the alarm goes off and it is pitch black and freezing!

Here are my goals for June, July, and August:
Spiritual-

Esther Bible Study
Sarah Bible Study
Proverbs 31 Bible Study
I am doing the Elizabeth George "A Woman After God's Own Heart" bible studies this year and I am really enjoying them.

Marriage-
Golf twice with Michael this summer.(0/2)
Go out for dinner 3 times alone.(or with baby only!)(0/3)

Children-
Do a special outing once a week.(0/12)

Home-
Establish a binder for my routines and checklists.
Establish routines to put in my binder!
Consistently use the routines.

Personal-
Scrapbook at least 12 layouts. That is only one a week!(0/12)
Lose 10 pounds.(0/10)

My First Blog Post

I have decided to jump into blogging. I love reading some of the awesome blogs out there and love the community of the blogging world. I also need a place to record our family's lives. I have said to many times, "Oh, I should write that down. I would love to remember that.", but I never do. This is going to be my place to do that. So, today is my birthday and this is my present to myself. A place for my thoughts, my memories, our lives. I can't wait to begin. I want to be a part of the blogging world!