Please Comment...

Hey Readers... I know I have a few regular visitors to my blogsite, and they usually leave a comment. Thank you, it is a way for us to connect :)

If you are out there, and you visit my website once in awhile, or more than once in awhile, I would love for you to comment. I want to see who is out there in bloggityville :) If you have a blogsite, I would love to visit yours as well.

Even if you do not have a blogsite, you can still leave a comment under anonymous... I think you just need your email address (Maybe)...

Blessings, To Know Him

Memories

Lately, I have been thinking about when my boys were babies... They were so adorable (what else can I mom say about her babies? :) The picture quality is really bad on this picture. I just took it off my wall, and scanned it with the glass and all. But, if you look really hard, you will see one absolutely adorable, squishy, Terminator. Enjoy, I think I will be doing this a lot of the next few weeks. Hopefully, I will figure out how to make the pictures look better.

Reality Hits...

If you read my post last week An Outing to the Grocery Store you would have read about my wonderful experience at my local Grocery Store. Well, today my utopia turned into my regular nightmare (I am being a bit dramatic). I had to go back to Meijers today, but first had to make a stop at one of my favorite places, Walmart. That was probably my big mistake. Behaviorally speaking, my boys can pretty much only handle one store in a single outing.

Moose, my oldest, was really the main culprit day. Moose is autistic, and I say this not as an excuse for his behavior, but to help explain some of the WHY, he acts the way he does. First of all, he had in his mind (from our last trip to Meijers) that he was going to sit in the shopping cart. Well, Walmart doesn't have the big shopping cart with the bench attached, so he had to walk with me. Oh no, no, no, he did not like that, so he started whining about it before he even got out of the car. I reminded him that his Strawberry Milk (his treat at the end of our outing) was at stake... He calmed for a second, but started up again before we made it to the door of Walmart. At this point, I should have turned around and went back home, but I have become a seasoned veteran at tuning out my kids, and ignoring the stares of shopping onlookers. So, I kept going, and Moose kept walking. However, he stopped at the entrance and told me he was going to stay right there, but he eventually started moving again.

He calmed, but soon began a very loud speech about how hungry he was... That pretty much carried on through several isles. Even though I didn't want to do this, I told Moose that he had lost his Strawberry Milk for good. That move alone was going to make my next few minutes in the store harder, but it had to be done. He tried to bargain with me several times about earning it back. You see, Moose could care less about what anyone around him is thinking... so he acts like he wants... If he wants to get emotional (like a 3 year old), he will. Thank goodness, he did not have the 3 year old tantrum.

Surprisingly, I was very calm... I only lost it one time, when I told Moose to shut up. We don't use the words shut up... Those words just seem to carry such a negative vibe... Snake, nicely reminded me of that rule of our household. I tried to justify myself to Snake, by telling him that Moose really was acting up, that he needed the strong warning. I know, not my best moment, but I regrouped, and finished my business at Walmart.

Once we got back to our Van, I nixed our second store idea. No, Meijers today... There was no way, I could have made it through that store with Moose knowing that he wasn't able to earn his Strawberry Milk back. As I left the Walmart parking lot, I remembered my last trip to the Grocery Store and how wonderful it was... But, at least for now, that is not my real life. My life consists of a lot of challenges (Parenting-Wise)...,but only through the challenges do I really grow... Grow in every area. Marriage, Parenting, My Spiritual Walk... I normally don't change so much when life is smooth sailing. Plus, I remember back 5 years ago, when a day like today could have pushed me overboard, and today I remained calm (minus the use of the SHUT UP phrase:)

I know all Praise goes to you, Jesus... Without, you I would be a total mess in every area of my life. Thank you for continually pursuing me, and challenging me to change... I love YOU!!!

PS. In the car ride home, and the first few minutes coming back in the house, Snake started crying because I didn't help him the way he wanted me to, and Terminator said that he did not like or even love me anymore (I didn't let him eat Cereal for dinner) :)

Thursday Thirteen

My 13 Favorite Bible Studies (FYI: I have done at least 10 of Beth Moore's Studies... so you will see a lot from her... But they are so good!!! In no particular order either). Posted on Wed night..

1. Experiencing God
2. Breaking Free
3. Believing God
4. A Woman's Heart God's Dwelling Place...
5. To Live is Christ
6. Conversation Peace
7. Master Life Series
8. Let Prayer Change Your Life
9. A Heart Like His
10. Beloved Disciple
11. The Pressure's Off
12. Jesus, the One and Only
13. Living Beyond Yourself

Next Week I will do another "13" of Bible Studies... I have been privileged to be a part of so many great Studies... If you would like to ask me about any of the above named studies, please leave me a comment and I will answer any questions you may have...



FYI: If you click on links below, I don't really know about them... they come with the Goofy Girl Header Design, I used above. Thanks Goofy Girl...
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


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May Day Challenge

Well, this May Day Challenge has sure been different than I thought it was going to be... I thought by now I would be down 15 pounds... That is how it has been in the past, but I think this time I am learning so many important things about my Food Obsession.

Well, I weighed 183.2 last week, and today I weigh 183... So no gain, a minuscule loss. I am on the verge of having my monthly (to put it nicely)... so I am sure I am holding onto water weight :)

Look at my post this week (A Must Read)... It is a book about Mandisa Hundley (American Idol)... In the book, the main thing she talks about is her addiction to food. Reading that book really helped me with my own addiction. Check it out...

A Must Read

First of all, I think I need a new digital camera, my pictures are not turning out so good anymore... Having said that, I have a book to recommend to you.. I read it in 3 days, actually about 3 hours.. It is a quick read.

The book is called "Idol Eyes" (My new perspective on FAITH, FAT, & FAME). I can relate... well, except for the fame part. Although, I am famous in my own "Idol Eyes" :)

I was a faithful American Idol watcher... I think it was Season 5 (I just read the book, and I already forgot) when I saw this woman on the show... I was sure I recognized her from somewhere, and then I saw her name, Mandisa Hundley... I immediately recognized her from the Living Proof Live Events with Beth Moore. She was on Travis Cottrell's Praise Team. The best part was seeing a Christian woman on the show. I couldn't wait to see what she would do in the upcoming weeks... I rarely voted for the A.I. contestants, but I sure did vote for Mandisa while she was on the show.

Sadly, she did not make it to the top, but she accomplished what God had planned for her while on the show (you will read all of this in the book). Spiritually speaking, I think the most exciting moment of the whole season was when she offered Simon her forgiveness (he did not ask for it) for making "fat jokes" about her. It was amazing. She goes into great detail about the whole experience in the book.

Lastly, I love how she explains about her food addiction. I can so relate, and I have been encouraged by her testimony about this specific struggle. I am already on the path myself to find freedom from my food addiction with God's help, and reading her book, just confirmed what I already know I need to do.

You will be blessed by Mandisa's honesty in her book, and I think once you have read it, you would love to be her friend. I am sure, Mandisa and I, would get along wonderfully :)

A Very Special Friend...

Here is one of my favorite friends (and her adorable daughter)... I wanted a picture of her in my last post about friends, but I didn't have this picture on my digital cam. This picture was taken with my 35mm, and then I scanned it... So, now I can say a few words about her on this post.

First of all, everyone needs a friend like her. I actually met her because she was one of my best friend's, best friends... Get it? Her personality is warm and friendly, and she is just so much fun to be around. She loves to ask questions... Great questions, searching questions... She is an awesome listener (I could use some help in this area), which helps when she asks all those great questions.. She really wants to hear your answers :) Hey, I really want to hear your answers too, I just have a keeping my mouth closed problem :)

One of the things I like most about her is that she makes you feel like one of her Best Friends, even if you only see her once a year. I could go on and on about her, but what I will end with is this...She loves her Lord. Even if we had nothing else in common (but we do) that would be enough for me to call her a Favorite Friend.

Miss you much my sweet friend, I know we will pick up where we left off when we see each other again.

PS... Her daughter is not the only one who is adorable.. she is too.. stylish, and cute to a "T"...

An Outing to the Grocery Store

Yes, today's errand turned into an Outing with the Kids (which was very unexpected). In the summer months, I am desperately trying to find things to do with the boys. Sure, there are a lot of activities I could do with my boys, but then my pocketbook (who says pocketbook anymore?) gets emptied.

Fear strikes the hearts of most moms (Me included) when considering to take 3 rambunctious boys to a grocery store, or any store for that matter. But, I need some things, and I couldn't wait until hubby gets home from work. So, I give them the speech... you know the speech about if you act up in the store (then you must try to name every possible way they can "act up"...which is impossible, because the little boogers keep inventing new ways :) ..... there will be major consequences to pay when you get home... that speech.

To my delight, my boys were great in Meijers. Maybe all that parenting I have been doing is finally start to pay off :) The cart that has the bench attached (GREAT IDEA) made my life easier. Two on the bench, and one in the cart. I only had one little problem with the cart, once I added about 170 pounds (NOT MY WEIGHT, MY 3 BOYS) to the cart, it becomes a little hard to steer. The cart had a mind of its own at times... as it would decide to drift away from me. But, at least this time, I did not ram my kids into any shelves, oh, wait I did.. I knocked Snake's head one time. He was so happy about the Nesquik chocolate milk that he earned, he didn't notice his head getting bumped. Yes, I spent an extra $4.50 on Nesquik product for the boys. Don't worry, it was reduced fat.

The best part of the trip was that we tried their new "Fast Lane Checkout" to pay for our groceries. These lanes are new, they are like an upgraded version of those self checkouts that are out there. Basically, they look like the Checkouts where the employees normally work. I didn't have any produce that I needed to weigh, so I decided to go for it, and try the new lane. I have always wanted to work at a Grocery Store (I know, weird). It was fun when I was scanning all my groceries, and then they would travel down a long conveyor belt. After a few items, I asked Moose if he wanted to help. He loved it, and he even wanted to help me bag the groceries when I was done. Snake and Terminator saw Moose bagging, and then said that they wanted to help also. However, they were quickly distracted by the Free Pony Rides (the electric kind), so I lost my Bag boys. I normally don't let the kids get five feet from me. The Pony Rides were right in front of me, so I could see my boys, while I bagged my groceries. They were having a blast. Happiness...

I think this new "Fast Lane" thing could be a great tool to teach my boys about working a job. For them, checking out and bagging the groceries is a treat... Well, for now. So next time you go to your Grocery Stores see if they have the new "Fast Lanes"... I loved them. Thank you Lord for a nice experience with my boys :)

May Day Challenge

Well, officially I have not really lost any weight. When I started the challenge, I weighed 180.8... But last week on vacation I got up to 184. This week I weigh 183.2, so I did lose about a pound this week. I am headed in the right direction.

This week was a positive week. I made better decisions. Decisions that I need to keep making to make this journey a lifestyle change, and not just another diet.
-I took my boys to a birthday party, and while I was at home and in the car, I told myself that I really didn't need any birthday cake. Sweets are my downfall. So, I passed up on the cake. I surprised myself. I did have a couple of small bites of my little ones left over cake, but I didn't go crazy... A victory.
-A couple of times this week, I passed on seconds for dinner... This is an area I normally get into trouble (Portion Control).
-I also am trying to drink more water.
-Lastly, I have picked back up with working out at my local Curves (since my vacation). I actually walked outside one day, when I knew I wouldn't be able to get to Curves.

So overall, a good week, and I feel like this week will be even better. I just need to keep making a plan :)

Sweet Fellowship...

Man, oh Man, or should I say Woman, oh Woman... I have been blessed with the opportunity to get to know some awesome women. These are some of my great friends... Recently, I got to go out to eat with several of my friends. I sat back and took in the conversation. One of the ladies asked a question, and wanted to get the input of all the other ladies. My old self ( I LOVE TO TALK) would have normally been the first one to offer my input, whether good or not. I resisted the urge to say anything, and what I heard instead was wonderful. Several women gave their perspective on the situation...no judgment, no you have to do this... just encouraging words that pointed the one asking the question to Christ.

I have a passion for women to develop true friendships with each other. At the beginning, I thought I could be that true friend for every person I came in contact with... SILLY GIRL... Through my friendships with my girlfriends.. I have learned so much about myself. I learned how I have a problem with insecurity (I want to be liked so desperately by all). I also learned about Jealousy. I think jealousy can sneak up on you in friendships.. IE: When I would find out that a good friend of mine would do something with another good friend of mine, and I was not invited.. Sounds silly, but that situation, and many like it drove me to become a little GREEN, if you know what I mean. So many, shall I say, "not so good"things would surface in me because of situations with my friends... That sounds really bad, but it was actually really good.

Once I saw the not so pretty sides of myself, I could finally get real with God about the sin in my heart.. The hurt in my heart. My friendships have been such a tool for God to change me, and I am so thankful. I wish that I could say I don't struggle at all with some of the things mentioned above, but I still do. Oh, but not like I used to.. I have found some Freedom in this area.

On a good Spirit filled day for me, I am so glad when one of my friends finds joy in a friendship with another. And when that little GREEN monster comes knocking on my door, it just gives me a chance to press into the one FRIEND that will truly satisfy any need in my Friendship Tank. That is JESUS!!! All I have to do is pour my heart out to Him. He always understands, and He never condemns me... Never thinks I am to weird or needy to be his Friend.

You know, I just want to come to a place where I seek JESUS and His friendship...not because one of my friends have let me down, or because I am struggling with my sin... But, just because He is who is He is, and I rather be with Him than any other person I know on this earth.

Thank you Jesus... Thank you for my Friendships on Earth. I have an enriched life because of them. You are Life, You are Sweet, You are Amazing!!!!

PS.. To all the ladies in the pictures.. You are beautiful inside and out!!!

The Next Generation of Bibleman???

On our recent Vacation, Snake and Terminator became huge fans of the Bibleman Series. Remember, Willie Ames from "Eight is Enough" (boy, I am dating myself), or even "Charles in Charge"? Well, he became a Christian somewhere along the way, and created the Bibleman Series. I love that Bibleman defeats the "bad" guys (demons) with the Word of God, which is the "Sword of the Spirit".

Before we left for vacation, the two youngest caught a glimpse of a Bibleman show on TV. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw that Bibleman had a sword. The boys actually thought it was a Light sabre (they like Star Wars too). When I saw their reactions, I went to our Christian bookstore, and purchased a Bibleman video for them to watch while we were driving to Florida. By the way, portable DVD players ROCK!!! Bibleman was the number one choice over and over again while on our 2 day drive to Florida.

I was very happy that my kids liked Bibleman. I loved hearing them repeat scenes from the video... hearing my kids say spiritual things... hearing them talk about wanting to be Bibleman...
So, like the good mother that I am, I made a plan to visit the local Christian bookstore in Florida and purchase some other Bibleman videos. While at the store, I also saw these adorable Bibleman masks and capes. I also purchased them, and prepared a ready made statement to give my husband to why I needed to purchase these little extras. (FYI: I need to be a tight reign when I go into a Christian bookstore :) Hubby was gracious, and did not give me the long Speech about "Wants" and "Needs"... to which I will say that I need to hear that Speech quite often :)

I ended up giving the kids the masks and capes the next day, and they looked so adorable running around in their costumes. So, I wanted to take some pictures... I don't think their adorableness transferred in the pictures above. Terminator (top picture) as Bibleman seems to be confused... Look real hard, and you will see that this Bibleman stills needs vision correction to fight the forces of evil (see his glasses). The picture of Snake cracks me up. Snake looks a bit to tired to even notice what is going on around him. Actually, Snake looks a bit loopy to me :)

All of my boys love Super Heroes... I love watching them transform themselves into Super Heroes right before my eyes.. Spiderman, Superman, Batman, The Fantastic Four (minus the girl), Anakin (before he was Darth), Luke Skywalker, and now Bibleman. OK, the boys sometimes think it is more fun to be the "bad" guy, but luckily they have their mama reminding them how much better it is to be the good guy..

My hope is that my boys never stop wanting to be the "Super Hero"... I just pray that the passion they have to be the Hero in make believe play today, will transform into a passion to be a Hero of the Faith tomorrow (future). I hope that Jesus Christ will soon trump all the Super Heroes that my boys have come to love, and that they will want to be just like Jesus. I pray that for myself too :)

Conquering the Fear of Water...

Here are my boys swimming in a pool on vacation. Well, swimming with water wings... This was the first time the boys (the younger two) would use the water wings. Once they realized that the wings would not let them stay under water... they were hooked. My boys would have stayed in the pool all day, if I would have let them.

Once, I ended up jumping in the pool (fully clothed) to rescue Terminator. He jumped in the pool, and I thought both of his water wings came off. Actually, only one of the wings came off, but it was enough that he was struggling, and taking a few big gulps of water in the process. My husband received great joy from watching me jump in the pool. Sorry, I do not have any pictures of that experience for you all.

Oh, to be young again :)

The Boat Ride

These are pictures from our Boat Ride. One of our family members took us for a little boat ride. The boat is bigger than it looks...

Check out the picture of the my hubby and "Terminator". I think he was having some problems with his life jacket. I was getting a little (a lot) nervous. Check out my hubby driving the boat. I was very, very, very nervous about that, but thankfully there were no accidents to report. My oldest is tubing with my hubby. He had such a fun time. I again was on the boat panicking... I know I need some help :)

The Beach House

These are pictures of the Beach House that we rented while in Florida. The picture of the boys is all hazy because of how hot and humid it was... I think it cost us between 400-500$ to rent this house for 7 days. That is a good deal. The house had about 1800 square feet. Some hotels cost more than that... Stay tuned for more vacation pictures...

The Trampoline

Yes, that is yours truly way up in the air. Someone said to me, "Hey, you look skinny (not model skinny, but Me skinny) in that picture", and I said that the "fat" went all up into my head :) I kind of look like I am praising the Lord :) The other pictures are of Terminator (my littlest). Sorry, I didn't fix the one picture... just tilt your head. I love the picture of Terminator just flat laying on the trampoline. No matter what you do on that trampoline, you are eventually gonna keep falling down... especially, when you have people a bit bigger than you on the trampoline. Like Momma.

The trampoline gave me a scare on this vacation. My oldest boy, "Moose" (not pictured) asked me to jump on the trampoline with him. I resisted at first, but gave in. I think it was the first jump that I did that "pop corned" him up in the air, and unfortunately he did not land on his feet. I watched in horror as he fell, and his body formed the shape of a "C". I thought his body weight would make him flip all the way over, and in the process crack his neck. But, at the last moment his body swung back down.

I watched his pain ridden face cry out that his back was hurt. He couldn't get the words out the first two times (I think he got the breath knocked out of him). Oh, that face... He was in such pain. After hearing the words about him hurting his back. I panicked!!! My sister was there, and I told her to call 911. All I could think of was that his back was broken. I had him lay flat on the trampoline, and told him to lie still.

In the first minute or so, I remember praying to Jesus to heal Moose... Pictures of me taking him home from vacation with a broken back swarmed through my mind. I flashed forward to images of my oldest in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Of course, the guilt was starting to creep in... it was my jump that caused him to fall.

After Moose had calmed down, I asked him to move his arm. He said that he couldn't. That sent a wave of fear into my heart. I then asked him to move his foot, and he again said that he could not. I prayed more... Only a minute probably has passed when Moose started moving his hand, arms, and legs. I still had him lay pretty still, until the ambulance came.

My little Moose is autistic. He is very literal. As we were waiting, he told me that it was my fault that he fell. Talk about a guilt trip. Moose also was very excited that the ambulance was on its way to visit him. He got excited when he heard the sirens.

When the paramedics arrived, the first thing Moose said to the man that was looking him over was about his black eye (another thing Moose said was my fault, because I shouldn't have been cooking dinner... he fell off a table while he was trying to get on a trapeze swing). Not the first impression I wanted to give the paramedics.

Moose ended the ordeal telling the paramedics that they pay $2.85 for their gas. He knew that the Ambulance took Diesel. He is into the gas price thing right now. I think the whole ordeal lasted about 10-15 minutes, but it wasn't until the next day that my spirit rested.

That night, I got up twice to check on Moose while he was sleeping. I was so thankful to the Lord that nothing serious happened to him. I think that day just reminded me to be thankful for my children. To be thankful for their health. It is so easy to focus in on the negative things... I want to learn to develop an attitude of thankfulness... not to just be thankful for the gifts I have been given when those gifts maybe harmed or taken away.

So, the moral of the story is... DON'T GET ON A TRAMPOLINE.... No, I am just kidding (kinda). Be thankful for the gifts that God has given you... Even now, as I hear my "gifts" screaming at each other... I need to be thankful :)

One of my Florida Friends...My Forever Fwend...

Before and After (She is a true friend to let me
post this picture of us with our Oat Flour mask on:)

Ok, this is one of my bestest Friends. I will call her Fwend on this post. There is a story to the "Fwend" thing... I may post it at another time.

God brought me this wonderful Fwend about 8 years ago. I guess I didn't expect to find such a wonderful friend in my late 20's, heading to my 30's. God has cemented our hearts together in a beautiful friendship that surprises me everyday. She knows the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of me, and she is still my friend.

My Fwend possess a spiritual gift that I so needed in my life. Her Gifts from the Lord have been used greatly to change, and make me more like Jesus. Right now, I see that I could go on and on, and probably write a book on our friendship, but I will stop for now.

The reason I write today is to ask you if you feel so led to visit her blogsite. You will see the link on my sidebar. The Cooke Family Journey... Her family has started their newest journey with the Lord. They are going to be missionaries for Family Life (a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ). No matter the reason you decide to visit. You will be blessed by her posts. Especially, the one with the Poem. I love that one.

So, FWEND (I know you will read this)... I love ya, and am always thankful for our friendship.

Florida Natives

Look at my boys... They were so happy to finally get to Florida. All 3 of my boys were born in the "Sunshine State". Two of them were born in July and August. I can tell you right now... you don't really want to be in the last stages of pregnancy in the summer months in Florida. It is a bit hot, to say the least. I will post more vacation pictures this week.

May Day Challenge

Well, I was very nervous about this weigh-in. I just got back from a 16 day vacation. I tried not to go crazy with my food choices while I was on vacation. But, you all know how hard it can be to eat right (especially during the 4 full days in the car)... so, when all was said and done, I gained 2.4 pounds. Not horrible...

The good thing is that I am revitalized again to do this challenge. When I first started the challenge, I was mainly using it for the accountability (which is still my main reason), but I didn't really come up with a successful plan to actually lose the weight. So, now I am.

Any prayers you would like to send my way would be appreciated.

Oh, the actual number... Current Weight- 184.

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words...

A Complete Set of 10 Shrek Toys... need I say more (If the answer is yes, go back and read my posts on "My Obsession") I picked up the last 2 toys at a McDonald's in Georgia (I believe). Life is good :)

Also, I am back from vacation... I have some wonderful pictures to share on my blog. I will do it in bits. I have 237 pictures on my digital. It is late now, I will start blogging tomorrow (hopefully).

Still on Vacation

Hello from the Beaches of SW Florida... We are staying at a Beach House on Fort Myers Beach. I never liked the Beach when I lived in Florida, and now I am staying at the Beach for a week. Weird...

I just want you to know that I will have lots to blog about when I get home next week. Plus, I have a lot of very cute pictures to post on the blog.

I have not been going crazy with the vacation type eating, but it is definitely hard to eat the way I need to. To me, I look like I have gained some weight, but it might also be the fact that I have not been able to exercise like I have been over the past 2 months. I will start back with the reporting of the weight (May Day challenge) when I get home next week.

Blessings to all...