Top 10 Tips for Thanksgiving

I Am A Mom

Have you ever asked yourself, "What do I have to offer?"  and answered with I am just a ______.
I have put that self limiting belief upon myself over and over again.  That little word, just, tells me a lot.  Don't be a just anything!  God did not create us to be just moms or whatever you put in the blank above.  We are so much more than that.  Let me share with you when I took just out of my vocabulary.

Five years ago I made the decision to leave a career that I loved to stay home with our two young children.  Luke was 20 months old and Kailyn was a newborn.  It was truly my dream job and what I had always wanted.  I still feel very blessed that I have the opportunity to be at home with our children everyday.  During those first couple of years I began to feel a little restless. Was I doing all that God had created me to do?  Was I making a difference?  I spent my days at the park, playdates, working out, grocery shopping, cleaning, and cooking.  I knew my job was important without a doubt, but the restlessness was still there.  I could do more and should do more.

Two things were revealed to me:
1.  I was becoming pretty good at the things I was already doing in my day to day life.  I was putting systems in place for my family and creating healthier habits for us.  I was learning to create healthy meals on a budget.  I was incorporating exercise into my daily routine that was changing me physically and mentally.  I can't describe the sense of accomplishment of completing an intense workout.  It was something I did for me not knowing what it was also doing for my family.  I transformed from the mommy who would lie on the couch while the kids played to the mom playing at the park, going on hikes, and looking for things to do that were active.  It wasn't that I couldn't physically do them before, I just didn't want to.  I needed those endorphins running and energy to keep me going.  If being more active boosted me that way I wanted my kids to feel that too.  I won't go into their mental health when doing something active versus watching tv/video games :)  That's another blog post.  God has a plan for my life and right now that is offering my experiences in health and nutrition with others.  I love working with moms!  I particularly connect with moms who are feeling restless.  Moms who do not put their own health as a priority right now because they are moms and that's what we do.  I did that!  We are nurturers, if our child needs us or needs something we do it.  We sometimes forget that our children also need us healthy.  We need to be on our game so we can be there for them.  Taking time to work on yourself is not selfish. 
Belief that I can impact people through their physical and mental health because it did for me.  That was the easy step because I was already doing that.  It was just the process of reaching out to other people who just might be searching for the same thing. 

2.  I was hesitant to do the above because I wasn't sure I was the right person for the job.  I am just a mom for goodness sake.  What if people don't want my help? What if I offend someone?  What if my family thinks it's a joke and constantly tease?  What if I'm not thinking things through?    OH MY GOODNESS, I am not a sales person.  I knew if I were to do this and be successful I needed more of God and less of me.  I needed to see me through God's eyes - full confident, fully capable, fully His.  This took some work people.  This took a leap of faith.  It took letting go of my self limiting doubts that I hid behind.   It was imperative to experience God's love and goodness.  I am not even close to being there in this area, but I am making great strides.  I am more confident than I have ever been before because of HIS work in me.  My Big God Dreams (those that can only be done by HIM) is that through my passions in health and fitness God will use my experiences to empower women.   When I am slacking or neglecting my personal relationship with Him I can directly see my sense of self worth slipping away.   Draw near to Him everyday and see what happens in your life.
Belief that you are important enough for God to use in mighty ways.

It may be seeing that God is already using you in the place you are in and you are more than JUST a mom.  I believe that if we are actively seeking God we will always feel a sense of restlessness.  We are HIS hands and feet and there is much to do.  Are you willing to do something?  How is God using you right now?

Asian Stir Fry

Here is healthy meal #2, Asian Stir Fry.  No one was hurt by the grease splatter in this video :)  Also, I started to do a little more research on the liquid aminos we have been using.  I had made the switch after reading that it was non GMO soybean used in the making of this product.  After doing a little more digging I'm not so sure if this is all it's cracked up to be.  What are your thoughts about soy sauce versus liquid aminos versus tamari?  I'm curious.

Staple Grocery List

I'm going to be very honest with our staple grocery list.  These are the things that I will run to the store for if we run out.

OJ

unsweetened almond milk

coffee

eggs (we go through a lot)

bananas :)

apples

carrots

broccoli

spinach

chicken

plain greek yogurt

local honey

natural pb 

some sort of bread for the kids - they like those sandwich rounds

ezekiel bread - i love the cinnamon raisin

popcorn

blue corn chips

coconut oil

liquid aminos

brown rice - I love the steam bags for crazy nights

onions

sweet potatoes

turkey bacon - this is a new kick we are on

colby cheese

Shakeology - we have 2 bags coming each month and we go through it

waffless - homemade or organic nature's path

rice noodles

organic corn tortillas

red raspberry jam

hormel brand deli meat(preservative and nitrate-free)

shrimp

tilapia 

avocados

black beans

I have these items in our house always.  I can throw together quick and easy meals with these items.  Want to hear a few items on my old list?  Dino chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, eggo waffles, aunt Jemima syrup, diet soda, cereal,  apple juice, fruit snacks, rice krispie treats, and many other things.  I have come a long way.  We are by no means perfect with our eating.  There are things that I've chosen to just not get worked up about or I will go crazy.  I got to a point where I limited so much that we were running out of things to eat.  I feel like we have found a healthy balance for US.  The foods we choose to eat each day make a big difference in our energy levels, behavior, and overall health.  I have noticed an incredible difference in my children.  There are many things that contribute to their behavior - sleep (kids need their rest to function and learn), health (any illnesses), diet (junk versus clean foods), and screen time (and what that is).  This is what I have noticed for MY children.  What they have eaten stands out just like any of the others causes.  How often do we as parents say, "oh, they are not feeling well"  or "they are just so tired" to excuse our children's behavior.  I have MANY times and still do, but I also contribute what they have eaten that day.  Just something to think about.  Give it a try for a couple of weeks and see if anything changes. 

Healthy Meal #1 - Pasta in a Hurry

Healthy Meal #1 is Pasta in a Hurry!  We love this one and I try and keep all the ingredients on hand at all times.  I apologize for the phone ringing in the middle...whoops!  Seriously, my face...ha ha ha!!!  Follow my blog and I will be doing 4 more healthy meals as well as other healthy eating tips posted here.  The face....killin me right now!  Let me know what you think.  The exact recipe is also posted under the recipe tab for more exact measurements. 

Road Trip

My family has had the amazing opportunity to spend a few weeks in the Florida Keys this month.  My parents have a home down here and has graciously allowed us to spend some extended time here.  It was just what we needed.  I think we all get caught up in the busyness of life and need to just take a step back and enjoy each other.  Do not misunderstand.  We LOVE our busy life in Sherman.  The get togethers, soccer, gymnastics, birthday parties, and everything in between.  

 and we are off!

We drove straight from Illinois to Summerland Key in 24 hours.  It wasn't as bad as I thought I would be actually.  I had a rough patch early in the morning, I was driving, everyone else was sleeping and I was behind this

We made it and enjoyed a great weekend before Mark started working again on Monday. 

More from the Florida Keys coming soon

Introvert

 

Where do you fit on the chart?  I think I have spent most of my life in the orange... :)  I do love the ... I spent my childhood training in a gym and I LOVED it.  I could do my thing with very little conversation.  I had plenty of friends, but enjoyed being in small groups with 1-2 others.  

Over the last few years I have started moving more into the yellow with pops of teal here and there.  Let's not get crazy, I will forever be an introvert.  I love to be at home with my family and close friends.  Going to huge parties make me nervous.  Large discussion groups, yikes!  Let me sidetrack a bit.  We are encouraged to participate in Bible studies, right?  I get it - it's important to share, pray, and fellowship with others without a doubt.  How does the introvert participate in the conversation?  It's not that I don't want to be a part, but in comes the extrovert.  LOVE the extrovert.  Some of my best friends fall into this category.  They like to engage, they like to talk, most don't like any pauses or silence in a discussion and jump in to fill the void.  Me, the introvert, is still pondering my thoughts on a discussion question from a few minutes earlier.  Lord help me with the obnoxious - so the opposite of me coming out of my shyness.  I'm getting all kinds of stressed out just thinking about it. Where can we compromise and all get to participate?  Our society encourages being an extrovert and has a skewed misconception of introverts.  A good portion of us are in fact introverts.  We are not antisocial, most aren't even shy, but need some time to process our thoughts.  

I would love to start a faith based accountability group on Facebook.    I'm up for suggestions on the set up.  Do a Bible study?  Periodic fellowship face time?  Comment or send me private message if interested in joining me.