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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Flying solo

I have spent the last 10 months living in wedded (mostly) bliss with my hub and our two boys here in Okie and the year we spent where I was a married single parent and he was a married bachelor seems to be in the distant past BUT as we approach another separation the memories of what it took to "run" it all alone has been creeping up behind me and ready to bite me in the butt. I was working, parenting and volunteering and all while I was parenting our boys and holding it all together while the hub pursued his career and made it possible to have the life we have today...AND it was some of the hardest months of my life and his and our kiddos.

So, here we are facing the potential for a long stretch apart and I am much more aware of my vulnerability here. Yikes. Scary prospect. I was sleeping alone last night as the hub was out of town taking care of his Dad and I left almost every light on in the house and woke up at every sound. Where's my Mom when I need her? :)

Yesterday was a long day of making it work and getting through the day. I guess that will be how we manage it...one day at a time, or maybe somedays just managing an hour at a time. As long as we get through it, that's all that matters, right?
So, if that means we eat cereal for dinner some nights or get pizza delivery once a week...then so be it! The perk of living here is that retail therapy is not a real option for coping with the distance, so that will help our bank accounts- LOL!!

I do get to sleep in the middle of the bed when I'm solo...there's a plus! Haha- love you CHRIS!

Blessings

BTW, New York and Company is having a HUGE sale...shop online www.nyandcompany.com
and Old Navy is selling cute cardigans for $15, shop www.oldnavy.com

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The food diary of a "points" eater...

I am back on a life-changing quest. With the chronic pain I know that I cannot exercise the way I'd like but I can watch what I eat with more vigilance and hence the decision to get back on the "points" plan. It works and I've done it before...now, if this time I could make it a real lifestyle change then I'd be set. How many people when they "diet" really do make REAl life style changes? I'd hazard to say not many; me, being one of those people. Some saying about the best of intentions comes to mind. BUT, this time I have to really commit to it because I can't just run it off anymore. In my past when the pounds crept on I would just "hit the gym" with more vim and vigor; but now, that's just not an option. So, I relegated to the land of the "dieter" for evermore if I want to stay at "chubby", otherwise I am headed to the land of just plain old "fat." I will never be a skinny girl- I accepted that long ago. I have gone up and down with my weight many times- usually it correlated to the stress levels in my life and of course, my penchant for buttery popcorn or chocolate. I also had two HUGE babies which warped my body in various ways, most notably the pizza dough belly. I own the cottage cheese thighs- I can't blame that one on the babies, can I?

Anyway, I digress. So, since my birthday, I am down 12 pounds and over 6 inches. Here's to more pounds and more inches - my goal is to look stunning as my best friend's Matron of Honor and to lose about 20 pounds more. I am hoping it will ease some of my pain as well as make me look less stuffed into my clothes. :-)

I read somewhere there is a diet book for Christians and the idea is that you use the power of God to lose weight...might have to check that one out. Right now, the points are keeping me motivated as is the weight loss and sudden appearence of my waistline - LOL!

I figure if I blog about it, maybe someone out there will hold me accountable and or give me tips, motivation, pep talks, etc. If anyone wants to join me in this quest, let me know. I would be glad to walk this road with a friend.

Blessings!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The name of the game?

The name of the game this week has been "hold your tongue" I was reading in my Bible the other day searching for some sort of inspiration as to how best handle the tough situations that you encounter in life that leave you ready to shoot your mouth off- and as I read through the psalms there was a verse that said, paraphrasing, holding your tongue stops wickedness from escaping from your lips.

I encounter situations almost everyday where there are times when I am given the distinct opportunity to practice restraint...some days I amaze myself, others not-so much. The rude check out girl at the only place to shop in our small town, the acquaintance that is whispering condemnations about people you know in tones you can still hear, the family member that thinks its appropriate to say what she thinks even at the expense of your feelings...

I feel a sense of righteous indignation when I come upon these types of situations - how do I profess my Christian values and beliefs when there are times I feel compelled to set the record straight and in doing so, give these people a piece of my mind? I consider myself an honest person and uphold those values in my home with our children; but, there is a fine line between honesty and taking the filter off your mouth and saying whatever comes to mind. Is it right to censor a honest thought, observation or retort if it means that you stop "wickedness" from your lips?

In our studies of being a praying wife/praying husband one of the cornerstones of the study is understanding what power your words have over your spouse; and in our case, this is most assuredly true. As we have grown together as a couple we are much more aware of what words we use when we are expressing any emotion- especially when we're frustrated or upset...it is easy to let honesty come out in wicked ways if you aren't careful.

So, I guess this could apply to all relationships as well. However, how does one deal with the compulsion to fire back at an attack, be it from the rude check out girl, family or friend? It is so much easier to give what you get; but then again, if you aren't the one to stop the vicious cycle of UGLY, who will?

Today is my day to be the one to stop it. Have a great day.

Blessings.