The Perfect Snow Day!!

looking out our front door

Today we woke up to the perfect snow day!! During the night it had snowed about 8 inches!!! The kids (and moma and daddy) were very excited to get out and play in it!! The last snow that Rob and I remember was what we refer to as the "Blizzard of 93". We were 11 years old. I lived in Campbellsville, Ky at the time. I remember I had slept downstairs with my sister Hannah and we both woke up to about a foot of snow with several inches of ice on top of it. The heavy ice had knocked out all of the power. We had a kerosene heater that we were able to use to stay warm. I remember it as a fun adventure!

Rob lived in Athens, TN at the time. His memories include waking up to lots of snow as well. He remembers playing in the snow, then his whole family went over to Gram and Poppy's (his grandparents) house to stay for several days until their power was turned back on.

Here is how we enjoyed our day. First we put on all of our layers of clothing.

Anna Lea, Myself, and Wyatt

Almost ready

Rob and Layla sledding down the hill in front of our house

Anna Lea

Wyatt
We had all been outside about 10 minutes, and Wyatt and Anna Lea decided they had already had enough.

After playing in the snow for a while, we of course, had to come in and have hot chocolate.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our beautiful day of snow, and it looks like we will continue to enjoy it a for a few more days.

My new Frenemy (is that how you spell it?)

(Just ignore the children:)

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my new goals for this year is to get myself into better shape! The two areas that I am focusing on to accomplish this goal are eating better and actually doing some cardio once in a while.

Everyone is at different levels, stages, and ages. What will work for me might not work for you and vice versa. One thing women especially are prone to do is compare their body with someone else's body! That can work to your advantage (if you are looking at someone who is in worse shape than you) or disadvantage (in my case if I am comparing myself to a size 2 teenager who hasn't had 3 kids!). The point is - Don't compare your body to anyone else! Everybody has different builds. You know better than anyone else what a realistic goal for yourself is. Set your goal and STICK to it!

Now I don't know about you, but I can always find a way to justify eating a brownie or skipping a day of cardio. That is why I have to think through and know exactly what my "rules" are before I start. This year I have started a no white sugar or flour diet. I am not allowed to eat any foods or drinks that contain sugar or white flour, ie., rolls, cake, cookies, cereals, white rice, sweet tea, etc... To me this diet focuses on the quality of the food I am eating and not so much on the quantity. Fresh and cooked fruits and veggies, whole grain breads and pastas, dairy, lean meats and fish are all things that I will be eating. My goal is to do this for 6 weeks. I am allowing myself one day a week to eat whatever I want (for me that will be chocolate in any form I can find it). I am also allowing myself one teaspoon of sugar a day for my coffee. (tried it without and couldn't do it) I started my six weeks this past Saturday, and I have already SEEN some results and the first week isn't even over!

The other part of my 6 week "campaign" is cardio. I have set the goal for myself of 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week. Like I said before, everyone is at different levels. You know what will work best for you. Be realistic. Think about what areas you want to improve in, set a specific time frame and make up your own "rules"!

When you finish your 6 weeks or whatever time frame you choose to do, REWARD yourself for sticking with it. Go out to eat, buy a new outfit, do something fun!

Everyone could probably use a little encouragement when it comes to taking better care of our bodies. I hope that reading this has inspired you in some way. Feel free to leave any motivational comments you have below;)

one of THOSE kind...

I am one of THOSE kind of people who love to plan, organize, and make lists! I really do enjoy it. It gives me great pleasure to sit down with a pen and paper and write down all of the things I need to do, need to remember, need to get at the grocery, or need need to make another list for. Yes, I admit, that I will occasionally add something to one of my lists that I have already completed, just so that I can draw a huge line through it. I just love the feeling of getting something accomplished I guess.

A brand new year is one of the best times to - you guessed it - plan, organize, and make lists! I would love it if my husband shared my love of "seeing things written on paper". But, he does not. He would much rather mull it over in his mind for days and days. On a rare occasion he will tell me what he's contemplating, then suddenly (for me, not him because he has been thinking about it for days) make his decision and do it! To me that way of making decisions takes all of the excitement out of it!

I have already been brainstorming and scribbling down lots of things I would love to accomplish or do a better job of in 2011. Certain things on my list include: organizing parts of our house that need to be better organized, getting in shape (more details on that later), doing a better job managing the money God gives us, and being able to freeze/store lots of vegetables from our garden this summer.

I really love to write out a plan or goals for a new year, and I am sure that to some extent most everyone has one type of plan or another that they would love to get accomplished this year.
As I have been planning and writing, God keeps reminding me what Proverbs 19:21 says,

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

This has been a great reminder for me. I hope to carry this verse with me throughout the year, always being mindful that I can create what I think to be the best plan, but God can change that plan at any time to fulfill His purposes. That is what I really want anyway, His plan to be fulfilled, because his plan is the most perfect plan for me. (and you).

A Personal Note...

I recently finished reading the book Radical. We have been going through it in our Connect Group at church. I would strongly recommend anyone who wants to be challenged in all areas of your Christianity to read it. It will definitely envoke a wide range of emotions from anger to sadness. If you do decide to read it, stick with it so that you will hear the whole heart of the author. This book has really opened my eyes and heightened my senses to my own needs and the needs of the world. It will rock your world!! (Hopefully in a good way:)

The second book, Experiencing God, has been around for a while. I had never heard of it until recently. It was offered as a Bible study through our church this past fall. I wish I had been exposed to it ALOT sooner! The main concept of the book has been LIFE CHANGING for me!! I cannot believe I have never heard the concepts presented in this book before now! If you ever have the opportunity to go through this study, DO IT! It will change your life!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

November - National Cut Your Siblings Hair Month!!

Yes, Layla learned how to use scissors at school, so she though she would put them to good use at home -- on her sister!! In the time it took me to use the bathroom, she had gotten the scissors down, and chopped half of Anna Lea's hair off!! There was a huge gash in the back, pretty much all the way to the scalp! There was no way it could be fixed, but we did take her to a professional, and they did what they could to make it more presentable. You can see her new hairdo in the pictures below. FYI, Layla had already chopped herself a few extremely short bangs in the front and had taken one little whack on poor Wyatt's hair, but this one was the worst of all. She did receive some pretty severe discipline for her creativity, and I hope she has learned her lesson.



To carry on in the spirit of things, we went ahead and gave Wyatt his first haircut with the clippers. We weren't sure how he would react, but seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself! He really looks like a little boy now!

New Do

Pre- hair cut

Healthy, Beautiful Children...Thank you Jesus!

Wyatt and Anna Lea waiting on Layla's school playground for her to get out of preschool.

October Fun!

I know I don't post that often these days. It may be due to the fact that I have 3 very energetic preschoolers who are 4 and a half, 2 and a half, and 1 and a half. In June I decided to start selling Arbonne skin care products as well, so that has also kept me hopping!! I do enjoy it though. I have also thoroughly been enjoying singing in our church's worship choir on Sunday mornings!!

Here are some pictures of the kids having fun at our church's Fall Festival, and at a bonfire and hayride we co-hosted with Marmee and Pop.

Layla is really enjoying preschool in Mrs. Cassie's class. On the way home from school last Wednesday, she told me, "Mom, I'm really liking school!"

Anna Lea has had several hair style changes lately due to that fact that Layla has "learned" how to use scissors at school. We gave Anna Lea a cute little bob a few weeks ago. A couple days ago, I went to the bathroom for a minute. When I came out, Layla had gotten the scissors out and whacked off literally half of Anna Lea's hair. I took her to the beauty shop to see if they could help it look any better than it did, and they were able to help it somewhat. There is still a huge gash in the very back. Oh well, I guess it will grow out eventually.

Wyatt is really starting to say alot of words, including: Choo-Choo, train, Juice, Target, and toot! His new favorite show if you havent figured it out yet, is Thomas and Friends. He will get his sippy cup, climb up on the couch, lay back with his blanket, and say "TOO TOO" "Tain" until he gets someone to turn it on for him:)