Well, this post would have been SO much different this morning than it's gonna be now. LOL Starting around noon, we went into "siege mode". The Great Ant Battle of 2009 began and (hopefully) ended today. Short version? Hundreds (literally) suddenly appearing in Flicka's playroom ceiling light fixture.
So, right this minute, I am thankful for the following...
DaHubby! In so many ways! This poor man is working 40-45hrs/week this week AND is in the middle of his finals week for a full-time load of classes. Responding to my plea for help, he left work early, took me on my errands (which included a stop for ant poison), and spent what was supposed to be his studying time moving furniture and having ants crawl all over him as he played our Superman and saved the day. I can't tell you how much I love this man right now.
And, DaHubby again. He had an old high school friend mention on Facebook that she lost her wedding ring recently. I offered to tell her about our experience two summers ago to hopefully make her feel better. And, she sent back the sweetest note to DaHubby who passed it along to me about how my post and our comments were a blessing to her:
"I'm crying because I can't find mine and i think of the women that just don't want theirs it makes me angry! LOL Thanks again, i'm sending a BIG HUG for Mike to give you, he has a wonderful wife! Thanks."
Finally, I am so blessed to have a hubby that is working his bee-hind off and still managing to be available as much as possible for the kids, me, and the random household ant emergencies! LOL As someone who worked full-time night shifts and took classes 3/4 time when I was single and living alone, I honestly don't know how he's doing it. We'll be married 8 years next week and he still amazes me.
Please stop by Pam's place for more Thursday Thanks Tank.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Oops - is it *really* weigh-in day?
Well, the good news? I lost a pound.
The bad news? I have discovered a *serious* problem with mindless eating.
The plan I'm following is pretty simple - 3 meals a day with whatever I choose in moderation, no snacks, no sweets, no seconds except on the weekends. The currently infuriating thing is that I've had more "fail" days and "success" days because I realize after that fact that I ate something out of "habit".
For example, last night, due to a busy and crunched finals week schedule as well as seriously worn out parents, we ate out. Without thinking, I ordered a diet soda and proceeded with my meal. SODA? Not exactly part of the plan. LOL
And, I did it the other night when I went back for just one more little scoop of taters and didn't remember until it occurred to me an hour later!
So, I'm learning a lot about my bad habits and still lost a pound but have a long way to go!
To see how others in the Sisterhood are doing, go here today.
The bad news? I have discovered a *serious* problem with mindless eating.
The plan I'm following is pretty simple - 3 meals a day with whatever I choose in moderation, no snacks, no sweets, no seconds except on the weekends. The currently infuriating thing is that I've had more "fail" days and "success" days because I realize after that fact that I ate something out of "habit".
For example, last night, due to a busy and crunched finals week schedule as well as seriously worn out parents, we ate out. Without thinking, I ordered a diet soda and proceeded with my meal. SODA? Not exactly part of the plan. LOL
And, I did it the other night when I went back for just one more little scoop of taters and didn't remember until it occurred to me an hour later!
So, I'm learning a lot about my bad habits and still lost a pound but have a long way to go!
To see how others in the Sisterhood are doing, go here today.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday Tip Jar
Over the past two years, I've really jumped on the recycle bandwagon. Our city does curbside every other week. Our county does the more "hazardous" stuff (tires, TV's, oil-based paints, etc.) about every other month or so.
Then, having moved into a bit of a fixer-upper, the last few years of living here we have produced some piles of construction debris.
Finally, completing and subsequently teaching the Financial Peace University classes, we've also got into the frugalness habit of reusing (and reusing again and repairing and reusing some more) instead of tossing something away.
But, some materials really strain our creativity to find a good secondary use. Until I found the Recycle This site out of the UK. I submitted a question about what to do with my old windows when we installed replacement windows and they used it as a post! And, I got some good ideas how to reuse them.
Recycle This has over 1,000 posts about nearly any type of material you can think of! LOL I dare ya' to not find something cool and/or interesting on this site!
For more Tuesday Tips, check out Blogmommas today!
Then, having moved into a bit of a fixer-upper, the last few years of living here we have produced some piles of construction debris.
Finally, completing and subsequently teaching the Financial Peace University classes, we've also got into the frugalness habit of reusing (and reusing again and repairing and reusing some more) instead of tossing something away.
But, some materials really strain our creativity to find a good secondary use. Until I found the Recycle This site out of the UK. I submitted a question about what to do with my old windows when we installed replacement windows and they used it as a post! And, I got some good ideas how to reuse them.
Recycle This has over 1,000 posts about nearly any type of material you can think of! LOL I dare ya' to not find something cool and/or interesting on this site!
For more Tuesday Tips, check out Blogmommas today!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thank You Dave Ramsey!
Was able to watch first half of Town Hall For Hope tonight. Took the kids with me and you would have thought I took the kids to see Disney for all their hootin' and hollerin' and clapping. LOL
"I Choose Hope & I Refuse to Participate in the Recession"
We're changing our family tree!
"I Choose Hope & I Refuse to Participate in the Recession"We're changing our family tree!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Back on the Wagon
GLUTTONY!
Not a very nice word, is it? Not talked about much anymore either. But, many of the Catholic church's historical thinkers felt that one must conquer this earthly appetite before attempting any others. Gluttony was also tied very closely with fasting - one thing my current church does practice.
Discipline and moderation - my other two non-favorite words.
According to Thoughts Matter by Margaret Funk "...gluttony is the pattern of eating indiscriminately with no thought of how this food is feeding my spiritual life. Eating can be unreflective and even gross. The spiritual practice of eating right is mindful and deliberate."
"Gluttony is deadly when a person makes a god of the belly." source
According to a Christianity Today article, several early church notables outlined several evidences of gluttony:
1. Gorging ourselves and not savoring a reasonable amount of food.
2. Eating at any other time than the appointed hour (like snacking). For the hermit monk, this usually involved one meal at noon or later. For the monk in community, this involved eating with the community at prescribed times.
3. Anticipating eating with preoccupied, eager longing. The hermit who had his desires under control would not be checking the angle of the sun every 15 minutes.
4. Eating excessively costly foods.
5. Seeking after delicacies. These last two are especially concerned with being content with what we have (cf. Philippians 4:11).
6. Paying too much attention to food. This means it is as gluttonous to be overscrupulous about food (and how our body looks) as it is to overindulge ourselves. Inordinate concern can become idolatry of the creation.
So, due to a variety of reasons - continuing back problems, concerns about future health problems, just generally feeling icky, and a desire to be more physically and spiritually disciplined - I'm back on the wagon. The weight-loss wagon that is.
And, after reading Jennifer's post about gluttony and prayer and noticing her mention of a book she read, I got The No-S Diet book via inter-library loan recently. And, I think I've finally found a food change I can live with.
While I was very successful with a Weight Watchers derivative before, the cost and constant label reading, calculator-using, and point counting just became too mentally burdening. But, I did learn the lesson of how much a real "portion" is.
So, as seemingly commonsensical as The No-S Diet may seem to many, it's something I never learned. And, something (for once) that seems "do-able". Also, as a lifelong emotional eater and someone who fallen for the media's "you must snack" mantra for too long, this plan curbs my worst impulses right up front.
And, while I'm getting real, I've gained about 80 pounds in the last 8 years. That is really shameful considering how incredibly blessed I've been and how the last 8 years have been the happiest years (although the most tumultuous as well) that I've ever had.
I swore I wouldn't hit 40 being this overweight but that milestone has passed. So, I'm just gonna start...now. Actually, I started yesterday. But, you get the point. It's just time. There's nothing particularly special about April 20th but I'm hoping that one year from now I can look back and see some serious improvement.
Not a very nice word, is it? Not talked about much anymore either. But, many of the Catholic church's historical thinkers felt that one must conquer this earthly appetite before attempting any others. Gluttony was also tied very closely with fasting - one thing my current church does practice.
Discipline and moderation - my other two non-favorite words.
According to Thoughts Matter by Margaret Funk "...gluttony is the pattern of eating indiscriminately with no thought of how this food is feeding my spiritual life. Eating can be unreflective and even gross. The spiritual practice of eating right is mindful and deliberate."
"Gluttony is deadly when a person makes a god of the belly." source
According to a Christianity Today article, several early church notables outlined several evidences of gluttony:
1. Gorging ourselves and not savoring a reasonable amount of food.
2. Eating at any other time than the appointed hour (like snacking). For the hermit monk, this usually involved one meal at noon or later. For the monk in community, this involved eating with the community at prescribed times.
3. Anticipating eating with preoccupied, eager longing. The hermit who had his desires under control would not be checking the angle of the sun every 15 minutes.
4. Eating excessively costly foods.
5. Seeking after delicacies. These last two are especially concerned with being content with what we have (cf. Philippians 4:11).
6. Paying too much attention to food. This means it is as gluttonous to be overscrupulous about food (and how our body looks) as it is to overindulge ourselves. Inordinate concern can become idolatry of the creation.
So, due to a variety of reasons - continuing back problems, concerns about future health problems, just generally feeling icky, and a desire to be more physically and spiritually disciplined - I'm back on the wagon. The weight-loss wagon that is.
And, after reading Jennifer's post about gluttony and prayer and noticing her mention of a book she read, I got The No-S Diet book via inter-library loan recently. And, I think I've finally found a food change I can live with.
While I was very successful with a Weight Watchers derivative before, the cost and constant label reading, calculator-using, and point counting just became too mentally burdening. But, I did learn the lesson of how much a real "portion" is.
So, as seemingly commonsensical as The No-S Diet may seem to many, it's something I never learned. And, something (for once) that seems "do-able". Also, as a lifelong emotional eater and someone who fallen for the media's "you must snack" mantra for too long, this plan curbs my worst impulses right up front.
And, while I'm getting real, I've gained about 80 pounds in the last 8 years. That is really shameful considering how incredibly blessed I've been and how the last 8 years have been the happiest years (although the most tumultuous as well) that I've ever had.
I swore I wouldn't hit 40 being this overweight but that milestone has passed. So, I'm just gonna start...now. Actually, I started yesterday. But, you get the point. It's just time. There's nothing particularly special about April 20th but I'm hoping that one year from now I can look back and see some serious improvement.
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