simple blog


A simple blog about seeking the Lord, savoring life and joyfully serving.


Friday, May 31, 2019

๐ŸŒŠ 5 Friday Favorites ๐ŸŒŠ









๐ŸŒŠ 5 Friday Favorites ๐ŸŒŠ 
Such a fun filled week we’ve had!  We had a sweet, salty, silly week! I have five favorite things to share with you...




Salty:
Salt Water Pools
Oh my goodness, there’s nothing better than a salt water pool. Well, I’m sure there are plenty of things (like the ocean ๐ŸŒŠ) but let’s just say that diving into a salt water pool is an invigorating and delightful experience. I so enjoyed playing in my BFF’s pool w my kids. Look mom! Mom watch, Mom Mom MOOOOMMM ๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿคฃ such sweet memories we made that day. 

Sweet:
Sweet Treats 
Rebel Ice Cream.
 This ice cream is Keto friendly. It only has 6 grams net carbs but it tasted delicious. I got the buttered pecan. It reminds me of my grandmother’s divinity. You know that white Christmas candy? Mmmmm so good! ๐Ÿ˜‹

Sweet Friends
There is a sweet couple at our church and their son is my son’s age and one of their daughters is Kate’s age. We decided to meet at our local park for an hour to let the kids play. They had a blast and it was a blessing to hear more about this Mom. It’s so good to spend time with other moms in the trenches and get ideas and encouragement. 

Sweet Reminders
I'm not usually one for memes but these hit home with me that day because they just kept popping up and different times but theme was the same. 
I have felt like I’m failing so much this month. I’ve been discouraged, tired and unmotivated to finish unpacking. I feel like I cannot get back into my morning routine. I’ve felt a little down this week but one morning I was looking at FB (catching up because I rarely get in anymore) and I found this...
Then I was looking at IG and I found these two right in a row. Seeing these right in a row got my attention and made me think, maybe this is God’s still small voice trying to tell me that I’m not perfect but He can still use me. He’s not finished with me yet. 

Silly:
Hippy Barthday ๐ŸŽ‰ 



It was my husband’s birthday last week and his brother’s birthday this week so we had our first family gathering at our new place on my husband’s dad’s side. I tried to give everything that special Gramma touch. I made chicken salad like she used to, broccoli salad (soooo good) and a German chocolate cake. My FIL, who we call Pop-pu, is a prankster and rearranged the candles on the cake๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿคฃ
We had such a great time. It was great to get the family back together although bittersweet without Gramma. 



In case you missed this week's posts here they are:



10 Things I Say Every Day  
(a fun reminder for the me that will read this in a year or two)



Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Thank you for reading.
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family 
Linking up with WhitneyErika and Andrea.










Thursday, May 30, 2019

Fitness: Find What Works and Stick With It!



This post is for the future me... the one who gets discouraged at the lack of time and motivation to work out. DON"T TRY TO FIT IT ALL IN AT ONCE! There are different seasons of life and what works for you in once season may not work for you in another. I used to be diligent about setting time to work out, especially when I was teaching fitness classes. It was my job to work out uninterrupted. During this crazy time of building our rental business there just hasn't been that luxury of large blocks of time anymore. I have found that trying to get a full workout in all at once is daunting and not something I look forward to. I would try and fail often because halfway through I’d be interrupted w a need to that has to be filled right then. Some people can leave for the gym but that’s just not a viable option for me during this season. I also enjoy my quiet time in the morning and don’t want to use all of it working out. BUT I’m seeing results using the Minimum Effective Dose and doing my rebounder exercises (found here) in small spurts throughout the day. I’m still sore so I know I’m building muscle and it’s visible. The cellulite appearance is gone already, after only three weeks. I’m thrilled and I’m keeping it up. I have been consistently doing the workout described in my Vacation Workout/ MED post found here for three weeks.I always keep my 90 second spurts of exercise in my day. I ESPECIALLY keep the squats/wall extensions/ standing crunches routine before meals and aim for and hour and half after.If I can just do these exercises 4-6 times per day I will see amazing results in only three weeks. It’s truly effective and it seems to take no time at all. Sounds to good to be true but I’m seeing the proof and I’m only 21 days into my 90 Day Sprint.



Some things I’ve noticed:
It must be at least 25-30 exercises each.  I notice that if I tried to quit after 17 I push myself and say just a few more and when I hit that 25 goal I literally start to appear flushed and feel the burn.

I’m sleeping like a baby. Well not a baby that wakes up every two hours๐Ÿ˜† that’s how I was sleeping before! I now experience a deeper, more relaxed sleep and if I am somehow wakened I can quickly fall right back to sleep.

My digestive system is working properly. Because I am drinking the cran-water or the liquid chlorophyll add ed to my water, I am certain to get the proper amount of water for my daily needs. Exercise also keeps things moving and this has been an area I’ve really struggled w in the past so I’m grateful for the improvement.

My monkey mind is easier to tame. Have you heard of the monkey mind? It’s when your brain gets fixated on a thought and runs away with it like a crazy monkey. ๐Ÿ’  when I get these thoughts I use the method I talked about HERE. I also find that I can run to a private place  and do my little vacation workout routine and 90 seconds later emerge with a clearer mind and a lest desperate outlook on the situation.

Obviously I am noticing an increase in muscle mass and decrease in cellulite.

I have less joint pain! This is one of my favorites.

There are a few other benefits and one of them involves and increased amount of energy.


I’m just grateful to have found something simple that works so well for me.It’s really proven effective, and enjoyable. I can push through and do 30 squats if I know that’s it for the moment. I can easily make myself to 30 tricep extensions and I can even switch it up as long as I'm doing 90 second worth of exercises. I hope to share this with those of you who don’t look forward to one workout per day and encourage you to try this method.

Thank you for reading.
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family

Friday, May 24, 2019

๐ŸŒบ 5 Friday Faves ๐ŸŒบ

5 Friday favs
Hello everyone, thank you for stopping by. It’s been a busy week and I managed to write one post on Dealing with disappointment and managing your emotions. To read it, click here. Now onto my five Friday Favorites...

5 Friday Faves


  1. Honey moon w almond milk. SO DELICIOUS and my new favorite coffee drink. Have you heard of Summer Moon? It’s a delicious coffee shop that serves wood fired coffee. They have a variety of different flavors but I’ve fallen in love w the Honey Moon. I’m craving one now!  It’s basically a latte made w honey but Summer Moon coffee just has this special and unique flavor that is indescribable. I also chose almond milk instead of regular milk. If you are close to the Austin are you should give it a try!

     

  2. This video is SO POWERFUL to me. It’s a timely reminder of who I need to listen to... watch to the end. It is forcefully compelling to me to see a great king turned into a poor helpless slobbering old man because he was under the spell of evil. Reminds me of my own journey in life;  I was paralyzed, sick and my eyes veiled...Jesus rescued me and gave me Truth, dignity and restored my soul.                          


  3. My beautiful giant piece of petrified wood. I’m having trouble uploading a pic but I’m working on it...Petrified wood fascinates me as it is actually a fossil. It is called a stone as the name suggests from it's Greek root word petro meaning "rock" and literally means rock turned to stone. The metamorphic process that occurs in two steps. The first step in the process is called permineralization where empty cavities in the wood are filled with minerals. The second step in petrification is replacement. Water dissolves organic matter and replaces it with minerals. The result is a remarkably beautiful fossil. Fascinating fact: Petrified wood will no longer burn.  

  4. It’s my husband’s birthday this weekend. I’m so in love and so thankful I get to be Nathan’s wife. He is so generous in so many ways. Grateful our souls are fused. ๐Ÿ’ž

  5. Fake Bake Sunless Tanner. It’s finally shorts weather and in order to get myself ready to bare my legs, I have been using this sunless tanner to give my skin that summer glow. This is my favorite self tanner. It looks very natural and not orange or streaky.  It also lasts about a week and doesn’t appear patchy when wearing off.  It has a color that is instant so you can see where you have applied to avoid dark blotchy areas. I highly recommend this self tanner and get questions about quite often. Amazon has the best price here.  I have also been excited to see quick and fantastic results from this post: ๐Ÿ‘Combat Cellulite and Knee Saving Workout. ๐Ÿ‘ and the quick and simple vacation workout I mentioned here.



I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for reading.
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family





Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Dealing With Unmet Expectations and Dissapointment

Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote this post, Managing Your Emotions w REED? Turns out, I've been doing it wrong all these years, ha! But It's ok, I still think it has been is effective because it helps me to realize that my feelings do not dictate my decisions. This method helps me to recognize my feelings, understand why I am feeling them and then logically look at the facts and choose to act in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. I find the actual REED method below to be highly useful as well.



Scope Ministries REED:
R Recognize:
Recognize your emotions, ask God to show you what you are feeling.
E Express:
Express your emotions to God, He already knows them (I'm so mad I could...).
E Evaluate:
Evaluate your emotions in light of God's Word.Are my emotions in charge? What do they reflect about my beliefs?
D Decide:
Decide to replace your thinking and behavior with God's Truth. What does God's Word say about this?


This method can be found here:Scope Ministries Store (not affiliated).

I do find this to be quite helpful because it can lead you to the emotions you are feeling, why you are feeling them and expose false truths you have been believing. Then you can expose those lies and fill them with God's Truth.

Lately I have been dealing with some disappointment in my life and I have been examining why I am feeling downcast. I am so grateful I have this method to show me that I do not have to be tossed to and fro like the waves based on my emotions but I can stand firm on God's solid Truth and feel comfort knowing He is my Rock, I can choose peace and joy. I know when I stand on Truth the feelings will eventually follow and I will find my joy.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:14-15

Thank you for reading. 
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family

Friday, May 17, 2019

5 Friday Favorites

Hello everyone, I hope you have had a fantastic week!  Thank you for joining me today for my Five Friday Favorites.
This week has been a week of growth in many ways. We are stretching ourselves and finding we can do things we never thought we could. We are also watching our oldest grow into a young lady. My favorites this week are mostly centered around that...

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

1. My first favorite is the book  Do Hard Things. It is inspiring to know that we CAN do hard things if we just raise the standard and really push ourselves. This book was written by two brothers (twins) who were in their teens when they wrote it.
This book will encourage you and your teen to break the mold of what society thinks they are capable of and rebel against low expectations of teens. My teen girl is AWESOME and inspiration to me. She can do anything she puts her mind to. I want her to do HARD things.



2. My second favorite is the song, Church Clap. My daughter LOVES this song and we’ve been playing it on repeat all week. It’s A LOT but super fun and a great way to let loose w your kid. 


3. Bonding w my kids through prayer at night.
Every night at bedtime I pray for my kids, one-on-one. I ask them , how can I pray for you tonight? Are you struggling in any area? I am amazed at how my teenage daughter opens up to me every night before bed. I have started to plan for extra time because it is clear to me that she is enjoying the fellowship between us and the closeness we are developing during this time. All of my little ones enjoy it and we have had some great conversations. It has become a special event we look forward to every evening.


4. Getting my director's license for CC!
Next year my daughter will be moving up to the next level of Classical Conversations (our homeschooling community/ curriculum). I will be directing the Challenge A program for our campus. It is going to be a fulfilling year! The circle below gives you an idea of the six strands or subjects she will be studying.
Catchesis Updated 2019_CH A
Challenge A according to the CC website,
"Students are introduced to the robust work of the Challenge program as they encounter the joys and challenges of this discussion-charged Challenge A program.

It is a mix of grammar and dialectic materials as well as an introduction to basic rhetorical skills.

This fulfilling program prepares students for the later Challenges by serving as a bridge between the parent-directed elementary level and a more self-directed stage of learning."


Ok, y'all may judge me here and that's fine. I'm just tryin' to live my best life w clean laundry...If you only knew my other dirty little laundry secrets ha! I'm going to come up with a post for that someday but for  now I'm just going to say that six people in one house including a teenage daughter, baseball playing son and two young girls makes for a TON of laundry. There are days that I just want to catch up so I don't even bother to separate the colors, I just throw these in the wash and they literally collect every bit of loose dye so my clothes stay brighter and truer to the original purchase color. I can catch up quick when I use this laundry trick and they are worth every penny!
In case you missed my 3 posts this week, I will leave the links and excerpts below.


I feel a sense of urgency now that my children are getting older. I need to get it right! I feel like the first part of motherhood has been learning, a sort of trial and error period but now is the time for me to implement the knowledge I have acquired. No more mess ups. No "do overs". This is it. I want to leave a legacy. What do I want them to remember about their childhood? About their momma and daddy? Their home? 

 If you are having trouble getting a daily workout in, try taking 90 seconds six times per day, perform these 3 simple moves and see if you notice a difference in your physical condition in 90 days.

I talked with you about goal setting and a 90 Day Sprint in this post. 
90 days. This time period is the key. Anybody can do anything for 30 days. What usually happens after 30 days, what I have done time and time again, is that people will see results after 30 days and then get bored and try to switch things up. Do NOT do this. Stick to your plan. 90 days is a great amount of time for you to see serious results. Stick with it and you WILL be successful.

I was focusing a lot on my personal fitness this past month. I hadn't had much time to devote to it this past year and I could feel it in my body and low energy. I have noticed a tremendous difference in my energy and strength.

I hope these posts give you inspiration and motivation. 
Thank you for reading. 
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family


Thursday, May 16, 2019

Striving to be a Good Momma

When I first became a mom I read every book and article I could find on mothering.
I asked the Lord for wisdom. James 1:5 says, "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." God is faithful to fulfill His promises. He has always provided women with beautiful souls to mentor me. I walked through Bible studies with them and learned how to "do life" as they did. I prayed for a heart like theirs. Of course the beauty I saw in them was always Christ. They will be the first to tell you that.

I feel a sense of urgency now that my children are getting older. I need to get it right! I feel like the first part of motherhood has been learning, a sort of trial and error period but now is the time for me to implement the knowledge I have acquired. No more mess ups. No "do overs". This is it. I want to leave a legacy. What do I want them to remember about their childhood? About their momma and daddy? Their home? 


I was seeking answers one day when I felt the urge write out what I thought a good mother looked like. What kind of mom I wanted to be. What I thought I should be doing. I have hesitated to post this because I did not want anyone to feel condemnation if it was too much or pass judgment on me if it was too little! Anyway, here goes. This is not an exhaustive list but this is what I came up with at the time:

What Makes a Good Momma?
She has daily time with the Lord (not necessarily alone).

She trains them to have good character
She models integrity
She lets them know they are important
She looks them in the eyes and listens
She smiles
She laughs
She installs a love of the Lord into her kids
She prays for them and daddy
She is cheerful and gentle
She has a sweet voice (but can be firm when needed)
She hugs and kisses them
She finds joy in all things and makes a joyful noise
She makes everything special 
She creates an atmosphere of worship
She teaches them how to be good stewards of their time, talent and treasures
She teaches them how to do chores and how to be diligent 
She listens 
She makes them feel important
She tickles and plays chase
She loves building puzzles, playing blocks and feeding baby dolls
She eats pretend ice cream and drinks pretend tea
She is not lazy
She does not talk to her children in a demeaning way
She does not make them into little slaves
She does not guilt them into being "good"
She does not think she is better than anyone
She does not think she knows it all
She does not talk about others
She does not think she can do this on her own
She does not pursue meaningless tasks
She does not nag
She does not dwell on negative thoughts

As I said, this is not an exhaustive list but this list can exhaust me! Sometimes I am encouraged by it and other time discouraged. It is something I strive for but I have not mastered this list. It is a goal, a reminder. I like to occasionally glance at it but often times I feel like I am failing.

I catch myself nagging.
I do raise my voice.
I get exhausted and I feel lazy.
I'm too tired to play.
My laundry piles up.
Distractions happen.
This list could go on all day ;D

This is where grace and simplicity come in.
What are the most important things I need to do as a mom?
Model a love for Christ.
Take care of their physical needs.
Love them and love their daddy.
Draw my strength for all of this from The Lord.


Motherhood (life in general) is not about a list of dos and don'ts. It is not about legalism or comparison. It us about doing what you know is right every day. It's about being faithful in the little things and drawing upon the Lord's strength when you are too weary to do it on your own. It is about creating a life of delight and goodness for your family in the best way you know how.
In the end I know that what makes a good momma is emptying myself of me and the distractions and false notions that I am failing. It is the filling up of God's goodness, strength, joy, peace and hope. I want my children to look back and see a momma who loved Jesus with all her heart, poured everything she had into taking care of them the best way she knew how, made their home a safe haven and created a few fun memories along the way.




What I think makes a good momma has grown in ways and shrunk in others. I pray The Lord will enable me to be the mother He has called me to be consistently. God has created each of us to be the unique mom our children needs. I hope this list inspired you to seek out what you would write on you own list. If you do come up with your own, I would love to see it. Do remember that God's grace is enough for you and your children. He will equip you with what you need for what He called you to do. If you have children, you are called to motherhood and it is God who works in you in order to fulfill His good purpose.

Commit thy ways to The Lord and He will establish thy plans.  
Proverbs 16:3

Grace and Peace,
Adoring Family