2012 Fitness/Financial/Spiritual Challenge

Ready or not, the ball is about to drop again, and usher in the year 2012.

If I could use one word to describe myself in 2011, it would be.... tired. I spent 95% of the year chasing Screech around and trying to keep him from destroying the world.

I was too tired to contemplate a vacation.

I was too tired to attend the annual women's retreat at my church that I haven't missed in at least 10 years. Not even the year I had morning sickness AND a stomach bug.

Everything I HAD to do, such as homeschool and exercise and go out in public - I had to make myself accomplish. It just wasn't in me.

And knowing that I'm heading into 2012 with Screech at the pinnacle of his annoying and destructive phase, I know I'm going to need help getting through it.

So WHY IN THE WORLD am I starting a 3 part, 3 month long challenge?

That's a really good question.

Committing to read the Bible the whole way through, lose 35 pounds, and not spend a dime more than I absolutely have to for three months isn't my idea of fun. But I'm to the place where I know that I can't just keep going on doing what I must to survive. And so I've learned that sometimes when you are at the end of yourself, the answer to getting out of the rut is to reach beyond yourself, and do the unexpected. The ridiculous. The challenge that you know WITHOUT A DOUBT you could never accomplish in your own strength.

Giving God an avenue to prove himself.

So that's what I'll be doing starting the morning of January 2. A new routine. 3 new disciplines. And I'm not only hopeful, I'm expectant as I watch God do the hard stuff in me to make changes that need to happen in my life.

Here's the challenge. Will YOU join me? If you commit to do one or all of these challenges with me, I will commit to praying for you, staying in touch with you, and helping you out in any way I can. Let me review the 3 challenges:

FITNESS: Committing to monitor eating and exercise, and stay on a plan for three months for the goal of health with or without weight loss.

FINANCIAL: Committing to only spend what is necessary for three months. (If it can wait, it will.)

SPIRITUAL: Reading through the Bible in 90 days. I am doing this with Amy on her BLOG. (If you would like to join me for this challenge please do it through Amy's website.)

If you want to join the other two, please let me know with a response to this post, either here or on facebook. Please also click the "join" button so we will be able to keep track of each other. I will pray for you every day of the three months and keep in touch with you so we can encourage one another in our goals.

Hope to hear from you before Monday morning! Happy New Year!

Best of 2011

My top ten best products, ideas, and entertainment of 2011:

1. Pinterest

If you haven't tried this online organizer of all your ideas and recipes, you must. I have used so many things I found on Pinterest this year I wouldn't be able to even start telling you all of them.

2. Grimm and Once Upon a Time

Two new shows that began this past fall that I'm starting to get into. Both are imaginative and storybookish but in a completely new and twisted way that I am all about. Give them a try if you like "different." (aka, not your run-of-the-mill cop show that seems to be all anyone was cranking out for awhile.)

3. The Hunger Games

By far the best new book series I read in 2011. Completely out there and creatively brilliant. Looking forward to the movie in March.

4. Homeschooling Science Book

This is probably my most favorite curriculum I've found since we started homeschooling. We have learned so much through this book. If you're looking for a good science book, look no further.

5. Michael Buble and One Republic


I had also been in an "only Christian music" mindset (without thinking about it) until my sister reminded me that a writer of fictional romances might do well to download a love song every now and then. She was right. And these two have become popular on my mp3 list.

6. Running


As I gear up to lose another 35 pounds this year (hopefully), I've come to the conclusion that I need to engage in exercise that I don't have to think about. I enjoy the elliptical, but I've found I really enjoy and can get quite addicted to running. Only problem is that so far, my back, knees and feet have decided that they will join forces and sabotage my efforts. I am determined to win. I'm hoping to run 5 miles in 2012. All at once, I mean.

7. Paper Plates


As the kids stack up, I've abandoned my once frugal efforts to save money and the environment by never using paper plates. Doing so has saved me a great deal of time and effort. I realize that most any homeschooling mother of four has already come to this conclusion.

8. Fitness Friends


A few friends and I got together to support each other in our healthy goals. I think that this is one of the major reasons I was able to lose 35 pounds in 2011. It is always better to do something as a group then to try to go it alone.

9. Kohls


I've started doing most of my clothes shopping at Kohl's. I'm finding that it is the best place to find quality for  exceptional prices, especially if you make use of their deals and coupons. I also love the large selection that you just don't find other places.

10.  Coffee


I know I am a bit behind. Most of the normal adults of the world have already discovered the wonders of this handy and tasty little bean. I was in one of those mind blocks that told me I didn't like coffee, coffee made me sick, and I would never appreciate it ever so why in the world would I even try. Then I started adding milk, cocoa, cinnamon, stevia, and whipped cream... and suddenly coffee is an almost daily staple in my world. I even got a new Cuisinart Grind and Brew coffeemaker for Christmas, and I'm in love with it.

There you have it.

The Gift in Giving

A thought occurred to me today when I was reading in Acts 20. Paul the Apostle did some amazing things. People were healed simply because they touched a piece of fabric that he had touched. Eutychus, who had fallen alseep and out of a window during a particularly long sermon, was raised from the dead by Paul. Paul had the ability to banish demons, convince the most unlikely converts of the plan of God through Christ, and predict the future.

But as you can see if you look closely in Acts 20, Paul wasn't always right. He says here that he'll never return to the people of Ephesus, when in fact he does later return. Even though Paul healed sick and raised the dead - he himself had physical issues that plagued him and did not go away.

What's my point and what does it have to do with Christmas and gifts?

I'm thinking of the quote of Jesus found in Acts 20:35. "It is more blessed to give than to receive." This is a pretty popular quote. We all know this in theory, but how many of us really understand this practically? Basically, Jesus is saying "You'll be more happy giving than you are getting."

Tying this to Paul's experiences, I see that even people we consider amazing spiritual examples don't get to use their gifts on themselves. That's not why God gives them to us. He gives us gifts, talents, strengths, ideas - but to benefit others, not ourselves. Trying to use these things on ourselves brings emptiness. Using them to help others fills us up.

Just something for us to remember at this time of year, and every other day. God gives us gifts in order to give to others. And in that gift, we find contentment.

Holidays Don't Last Forever

The halls will only be decked for a couple more weeks. It's hard to believe, but the holidays, as they always do, are soon to vanish away for another year. And then my three worst months start.

I don't know what it is about winter after New Year's, but for some reason it leaves me feeling closed in, with nothing special to look forward to and nowhere to go. It's not that I don't have anything to do, because laundry, dishes and homeschooling keep me most definitely occupied, it's just that life isn't as much fun during the winter.

I'm learning as I get older that life isn't really about being fun. If it happens to be fun sometimes, I'm thankful for it. But I'm starting to realize it's not the point. The point is to do the best with the days God has blessed me with. And I've been wondering what I could do with these three months that would show God and anyone else who might be paying attention that I am ready to be stretched and matured in this area. 

God has formed my thoughts into three areas. I am going to focus my practice of discipline in these areas. I am going to do a fitness/food challenge, a money challenge, and a spiritual challenge.

Spiritual. I'll talk about the spiritual challenge first. I didn't think this one up on my own, my friend and fellow blogger Amy is hosting it. It's the 90 day Bible challenge. Basically - reading the Bible like a novel. The kind of novel you read in 3 months. At first I couldn't imagine doing this - I mean, I've read through the Bible a few times but it generally takes me 3-4 years. And up till now, I've been fine with that. I enjoy mulling over small passages. But if I can stay up until 3 am reading the last Harry Potter book or devour the Hunger Games trilogy in a week, and read countless other fictional books in a day or two, I can surely stand to read my favorite book for 45 minutes a day. And so I have already committed to do so, starting January 2. Here is the official info and entry form.

Financial. I am a spender by nature. After living with MacGyver for 11 years now, I've learned the benefits of being a saver as well. I think I've come to a pretty good balance of the two, but I'm suspicious that MacGyver thinks I could still improve in my philosophy. So I am committing (of my own accord) to spend the first three months of 2012 only spending what is absolutely necessary. No extras, no new clothes, no decorating projects. Just what we need to survive. I'm thinking of it this way - if we needed to be extra careful - if MacGyver lost his job and we had to survive for three months as he looked for a new one, how would we live? What could I shave away that we don't have to have? 

Fitness/Food. At the beginning of this past year, I decided enough was enough. I'd had 4 children in 7 years, my metabolism stinks, blah blah blah... the time for excuses was over. So I became very disciplined and ended up losing 35 pounds. It took me about 8 months of serious discipline and effort to accomplish it. You can't keep going on low carb/high protein forever, so I've somewhat backed off since then. I've been watching the calories, getting on the elliptical every day, but my efforts at the moment are really only keeping me where I am. So I'm going to commit to three months of intensive attention to what I am eating and how I am moving. If you want to join me, I'll be reporting on my blog and I will stay in contact with anyone who wants to take on the challenge with me. Some of my basic rules that helped me lose the first 35 pounds are:

1. Eat more fruit and vegetables, especially vegetables. 

2. Eat as all-naturally as possible. Avoid processed foods. (If you can't pronounce most of the ingredients, it's processed.)

3. Eat only whole grains, no white anything. (As for sugar, stevia is an excellent replacement if you have to have something sweet.)

4. Eat more protein.

5. Eat a good breakfast, a healthy lunch, and a small dinner, with a couple snacks. Eating ends at 9 pm.

6. Record everything eaten and all exercise on MyFitnessPal.com DAILY and stay under goals.

7. Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

8. Drink lots of water. 

9. Exercise at least 5-6 hours a week.

So if you think you are interested in joining in one or all of these challenges, give it some thought. I'll say more about it at the end of this month, so go ahead and click the follow button now and check back to officially make your commitment. 

Things always work better when they are done as a group, so I hope you will join me. Until then - have a beautiful Christmas with those you love most, and remember the greatest gift of all.

10 on 10: A Big Day

It's interesting how some of the most exciting days of our lives start out with normalcy. Like with burnt bacon. And ironing. And Saturday morning cartoons.

It's also interesting how you can work on something for almost four months and as the day dawns and you look at your music you realize you were completely off in so many places.

I usually make it a point never to iron. Usually I feel that it's not an appropriate use of time. But I made an exception today.

So today was the Christmas concert that about 150 members of my church family (including my dad, mom, sister, brother-in-law and daughter Spirit) have been working on since August. We were, to say the very least, pretty excited. It went well, and the bonus is, we get to do it all again tomorrow night!

Today is also 10 on 10. So here is my day in pictures:

 This is my fellow 10 on 10 blogger Amy. If she decides to use it, you might see the same picture of me on her blog tonight.

 I stand next to Becky. She's waving to you.

I think MacGyver II liked it.

Girly Matters

Eleven years ago today, I was entering the homestretch to my wedding day.


We were married on December 30, 2000. It was a bit of a snowy day. After the wedding, I was going to have my dress cleaned and preserved in case my girls wanted to use it someday. It's been eleven years, and I still haven't gotten around to it. 


So today the girls and I pulled out my dress and had some fun. I was surprised that it really hasn't yellowed or changed at all. I wrapped it in a sheet and put it in the back of my closet. So far it seems to be doing okay.


Anyway, I wanted to share the pics of the girls. So if you're of a mind, take a look and enjoy.

10 on 10: 10 Ideas I Used from Pinterest

Well, there was supposed to be ten, anyway. But after a day filled with super-mega long division drama and a toddler who seems to feel it is his life's purpose to make me insane trying to keep him alive... well, let's just say it became something less by the time my energy and will to survive were taken from me, and so...

Five Ideas I used from Pinterest and Screech In Action:

Photo Wall.

 I saw this end table on Pinterest, showed MacGyver the picture, he worked his secret MacGyver powers and this was the happy result.

 This is the 4th or 5th try for this one. I just couldn't seem to get these right. Even now, I'm thinking about redoing Screech's again.

 I saw this on Pinterest, and I'm amazed how well this works. Instead of buying the refill, I filled it back up with peppermint oil. I've also used lavender. All the happiness of good smells without that chemical-ly smell that the store bought air fresheners have.

 Step stool.

 This is Screech's reaction when I found him up on a stool opening the cabinet to get into the homeschool supplies. Pardon the nose.

 He quickly realized he couldn't get into the cabinet unless he moved the stool. Notice also his complete disregard for my disapproval.

 He returns the stool to its rightful spot.

Access.


I'm done with this day. I shall retreat to my book now. Goodnight.

Homemade Laundry Soap

So I know I'm a little late posting this to my blog. I know that a zillion bloggers have done this before me, but I just want to post my version, based on all those other versions. 

Can I just reiterate again how incredibly cheap this is compared to buying store bought detergent? On some things, you will sacrifice something to save $30-$40 dollars. On this, you sacrifice nothing. This cleans clothes incredibly well, has a pleasant "clean" smell you can fancy up with essential oils if you want to, and literally costs pennies a load. And it's very, very simple to make. I will take you through it.

 This is all you need. A 2 1/2 gallon (10 quart) bucket, a bar of Fels Naptha, Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda,) borax, a grater, and a small saucepan. You're going to cook you up some soap.

 Grate 1/3 of the bar of Fels Naptha (You can find these ingredients pretty much anywhere, although Walmart sometimes has them out of stock.) into the saucepan. I just grate to the "e." And I make a mess, too. Deal with it.

Add some water. Set the control anywhere between 1-4. If I'm standing right there stirring it I'll set it at a 4 sometimes, but if you're doing other things set it on low and stir often. Takes about 10 minutes.

 This is what it will look like. It makes me insane that those little bits never seem to melt, but I've never managed to get them all to melt and still the soap does it's job.

 Fill up your bucket with HOT water. I don't know exactly why it's so important that it's hot, but I've never dared to try it with lukewarm or cold water. So make sure it's very, very HOT.

 1/2 cup of washing soda.

 1/2 cup of borax. If you want to go through and break apart all the little stuck-together parts be my guest. I'm on the same box of borax I bought a year and a half ago when I started making this, so it's had time to sit around and get stuck together. I accept this.

 Mix it all together with the melted soap and stir for a couple minutes.

Cover it with plastic wrap and set it back out of the way.

Look what time it is. Your soap will be ready in 24 hours. When it's ready, stir it up very well and grab a funnel along with a couple big, empty liquid laundry detergent containers (how's that for excessive use of adjectives?) I have to stand on a kitchen chair and pour the soap into the funnel very slowly because I am both short and mess-prone. You may use your own judgement.

If you're of a mind to do so, add 25-50 drops essential oil to your containers. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Works just as well either way. Also - stick a couple marbles in your containers, and shake VERY WELL every time you use it, even if you already shook it for the previous 500 loads you did that day. It gels very quickly. I shake up and down a few times, then side to side.

And there you have it. 1/4 cup of detergent for HE washers, 1/2 for regular. Enjoy your extra $40. Go out to dinner or something. On me.

Flash Fiction - The Reckoning

It can't be two weeks since I blogged. How have the minutes added up and become 14 days?  Where does all my time go?


I have come by tonight to submit my Friday Flash Fiction. I'm only 50 minutes late.

The Reckoning (I know, cheesy name, right?)

The silence was measured only by the ticking of the clock in the hall. Darkness shrouded her as a thick, black fog. She looked down, seeing that she was barefoot, clad only in a long, white nightgown.

She crept up the stairs, flinching at each creak. Her mind buzzed numbly, wild with fear over what might be waiting for her at the top of the staircase, but unable to cease her steady movement upward. She could sense it there, crouching in the shadows, evil epitomized.

Her mind struggled to recall where she was. What she was doing in this house, and why she felt drawn to the room at the far right of the hallway. She realized with a white hot fear that she didn’t even know who she was.

The hallway was black. The only light shone from underneath the room she stepped toward, even as her consciousness begged her to run from this hallway, this house, this nightmare.

A great rush of chilled air blasted from under the door, and she shivered. She listened for any sound, but heard only the loud roar of complete silence. She realized that the only thing she could do was turn that antique knob, the old crystal kind, long covered over with debris and dust.

Her hand, trembling, reached out. Heat emanated from the knob, hotter as she grew closer, but still her hand reached. Searing pain met her fingers as she made contact, but she gripped it, turning it slowly until the latch released and the heavy oak door fell open with a long, loud groan.

White light blinded her. The moment dawned as she beheld her fate, that moment when everything in life comes into clarity. The moment for regrets, for pleas of second chances, or even for quiet peace to a few.

She felt only fear.

Alone

In my little blogger world, October Fridays are for flash fiction. Being an aspiring novelist, trying to keep a story under 300 words is harder than scaling Mount Everest. But I have persevered and cut this little vignette apart until it somewhat resembled 300 words. I hope you enjoy it, but I hope you will also remember my admonishment that fiction is best when used how it is intended - about 74,700 words longer!

Alone

 

Drip.

Drip.

The sound was pulling her. Pulling her out of the dream. She wanted to stay.

Reality won the wrestling match. She was here, in the dark, with the dripping somewhere nearby. She tried to push it away, to reach back into her dream and stay there forever. She didn’t know where she was, but it felt cold. The dark was so menacing, so tangible, as if it might extend icy black fingers and strangle her.

“Martin!”

Her husband. He would turn on the light. Stop the dripping. He was good at fixing problems. And he would hold her. Drive away the chill that had set her teeth to chattering.

No answer.

“Annie? Will?”

Surely one of her children would be there if Martin had to go out. Of course they had their own lives, but they were nearby.

She sat up, straining to see. Her hand reached for the lamp switch. But she hesitated when she found it. Pulled her hand back.

What if no one was there? Was it all a dream, conjured in the head of a demented old woman? Did she make it up; to cope with the decision she’d made 60 years earlier? Martin had asked her to be his wife. He’d promised to take her away from her miserable life. But she’d been afraid.

And she had her dreams. Her plans for college. For the chance of a lifetime – to be something. Somebody. A family might get in the way.

“Martin?” her voice sounded pathetic against thick blackness.

What did she have for all her concerns about money and status? At the end of her life, when her mind was shutting down and fears were her only companions – here she should be held and cared for by her family. A family that didn’t exist.

She released a bitter moan.

The light went on, blinding her with warmth and intensity. Martin’s arms surrounded her.

“I’m here, dear heart. Don’t cry.”

His gentle whisper brought their history to her fumbling mind. She recalled that moment with Martin on one knee before her.

She’d won the standoff with all the voices that tried to hold her back.

She’d said yes.

10 on 10

Today is the 10th of October.

Lest you accuse me of stating the obvious, there is a reason I bring it up. I am participating for the first time in the blog tradition of "10 on 10." Ten pictures, taken every hour for ten hours, on the tenth day of the month. 

I admit my "every ten hours" was not a careful science. But generally, I think I got the idea across. Here is my day. It starts at lunchtime, because before that I was madly doing all the things I do in the morning.

 Screech is a messy little man. But we like him anyway.

 Here is just a taste of the mess. My continual, unending mess. SIGH.

 We discussed appropriate comma use in third grade language today. I impressed upon Spirit that correct punctuation can save a life.

 Homework, homework, homework.

Ah, elliptical. We meet again. We seem to do this daily.

Kids. Gotta love these moments of harmony.

 Dinner. Chili. Easy, great tasting, healthy.

Took a walk with the Sarge and Screech tonight.     It was pretty.

 MacGyver and I relax by turning many electronics on. You're welcome to judge if you don't do the same thing.

And that was my day.