Category Archives: Changes

A little education is a dangerous thing….

I know it’s not for everyone (though it really IS)……however, knowledge is power, peeps!! For us, NFP frees me up from remembering to take a pill, get a shot or have something foreign in my body. NFP is openly communicating with my hubby and growing in faith whether we decide to abstain from (SUPER challenging, BTW…and in my opinion, probably one of the main reasons people don’t want to practice NFP) or embrace the marital bed. There is ALWAYS the possibility of a new life, plain and simple. The fact is, life is FULL of unknowns, unplanned-fors and surprises. Life is fluid. Always changing. Never the same. The more we try to control it, the more restless we become in this futile act of “control”. Life IS. The better we become at “rolling with it”, the easier it becomes with ALL unknowns, unplanned-fors and surprises. For us, that is the bedrock of our faith, trusting that GOD has plans for us that we may not understand now (or ever), but His plans are ALWAYS far better than we could imagine and NFP fits right in that belief.

NFP. Natural Family Planning. For some, these words strike fear deep in the hearts, for others its a lifestyle. That lifestyle can be one deeply entrenched in faith and trusting in God’s plan for family size and being open to the children He provides us with (complete with sleep deprivation, dirty diapers, tantrums and potty training…..as well as that sweet baby smell, soft coos, chubby cheeks, and reliving life through all the “firsts”) OR perhaps it’s a lifestyle of eco-consciousness and organic living. Whatever the reasons, it’s worth learning about if you are stuck in the mentality of the “rhythm method” or would rather just trust in this amazing body we have and learn to understand it in regards to our health and reproductivity. One of the places you can learn more about “NFP” is on the long-awaited site, iusenfp, there is a wealth of information about the various methods of NFP, HOW to implement NFP as well as a blog (of course!) and a “real life” section on folks like you and me and how NFP works in their life and in their marriages. There’s even a great article by Simcha Fisher–in her usual sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek manner on NFP and marriage. (**all cute little buttons are from their site)

There’s also 1Flesh.org a site filled with (more) blogging, stories and conversational topics anti-pill, pro-life, etc, etc, etc. Geared toward a younger generation but a truly In-Your-Face, Let’s-Dialogue on the benefits of an NFP lifestyle. It’s all kinds of confrontational….in a good and positive way.

There’s the Faith and Family website, where not only are there a myriad of articles each day on, yes, faith and family, as well as each day a forum geared toward a specific topic and today is….NFP. And trust me, the questions are raw, honest and eye-opening. You can learn a lot. I sure do!!

And Catholicmom.com for a variety of topics and columns filled with testimonials, advice and information on NFP, in addition to news, homeschooling, prayers, crafts, parenting and faith topics galore!

These are but just a few areas to look around, feel free to leave your own link in the comment section if you’d like to share.

Blessings!

Speedbumps

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We all get them. Those pesky little speed bumps along the way. When life is just a plugging along and all is hunky-dorey and BUMP….not so much. Like a car, we adjust our speed, take a little more care navigating and then move on along until the next one. And there WILL be a next one. It’s just life. Therefore, there is the matter of how you react to each little (or big) speed bump. You can let it completely derail your day/week/month/year or you can accept that such is life and do what you can to live your life IN SPITE of the speed bump nuisance. I suppose personality has a lot to do with how we deal with problems, as well as faith, support systems and how we were taught to deal with life’s “unfairness” or inevitable changes.

This week we have been dealing with a “stomach ache” x several days with our youngest. I HATE stomach aches. When there are no other symptoms, I generally view it as a cry for attention. Compassionate, aren’t I? However…….when it continues for days, accompanied by sloth behavior and limited appetite? Now you have my attention. So off to the doctor’s we go and leave with a prescription in hand for Strep throat. Again. Now I just feel guilty. Blah. Stewing in it isn’t productive so I own my guilt for a bit, realize I didn’t overreact (because seriously, if I went to the office for EVERY symptom, #1 I’d be broke (more than usual) and #2 I’d be Facebook friends with the entire office!). Anyway, I went with my gut, it paid off, hugs and drugs administered….moving on.

We also had an issue come up with a dear friend who is really dealing with some challenging life choices and a denial of sorts as well as with poor coping skills. It’s truly turning into a snowball of complications and it’s difficult to watch it happen. Hubby was able to begin a dialogue with him, as his friend, and hopefully it’s the beginning of SOMETHING. Sadly, we can only make our own decisions. Sometimes we have to be the friend who steps in and speaks the hard truth out of love. And that’s a tricky situation, stepping way out of the comfort zone. At the end of the day though, we have to live with the choices WE make and if we’ve done the best we could, sometimes that has to be enough.

Here’s to navigating life’s speed bumps one at a time, fully focused and wisely adjusting our speed for each one!

He who fights even the smallest distractions faithfully when he says even the very smallest prayer, will also be faithful in great things.

— St. Louis de Montfort

Weekly warbling..

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Joining in with the usual suspects @Conversion Diary for a wild weekly wrap-up. You never know what you’re going to get, there’s some great stuff in those who join in, from theological discussions to Pinterest, to Youtube silliness, funny kid stories and so on….check ’em out!

This will be quick because I need to get the girls and I out the door in the next hour…I’m an envelope pusher like that.

1. It’s been a good week in the exercise category, what with switching it up and all. I’m back to the a.m. workout cycle AND mixing in some afternoon lunch cardio as well. It worked THIS week.

2. As an added motivator in my switching things up, I’ve been positively obsessed with success stories and Socially Fit has their usual every Friday, as well as Peak313 on Wednesdays, so if you need a little boost they are a good place to start!

3. Also from Peak313, I stole this and put it on my Facebook….

4. I also snuck in some veggies to our pseudo Thanksgiving-in-July dinner the other night with Cauliflower Mashed potatoes. It’s the little changes. The kids loved it AND it was a bonus veggie. Win-win all around. well, except for the extra gas….

5. We have passed the 1/2 way mark of Summer. Can I get a Hallelujah?? We have 5 full weeks of summer left. If you shop at Wal-mart or Target you might think it’s next week….since they have all the school supplies displayed in plenty. I just can’t even go there mentally yet. I still have some beach time to get in and some non-rushed mornings and homework-free afternoons left!! But…..I do miss the routine (hence the need for a Hallelujah). It’s a double-edged sword…

6. Anyone who is using NFP and Marquette, we are finally online charting with an interactive model. You can find it here and the staff is very helpful if you have any questions. You can find it HERE. Just takes a few minutes to register and you are good to go.

7. A few months ago my neighbor made a reference to his “Outlaw” neighbors as a young guy on his Harley rode by. He has a dry little sense of humor and I thought he was joking….the subject of their Very. Loud. Bikes. had come up a few times. Since they kept rather late hours and early mornings, sleeping with the windows open was a bummer with these guys. Anyhooo…. This morning I was walking and they were leaving (later than usual) and lo and behold….HOLY COW, they really ARE Outlaws. Wearing their colors and all. wow. To be fair, aside from their noisy cycles they haven’t bothered us, nor do I expect them to. It’s just that you don’t expect to see infamous motorcycle gang dudes riding out of your sleep little ‘hood in the a.m. On that note….

I’m out. It’s time to make lunches and get rockin’ and rollin’…..Y’all have a good weekend ya hear?!

Switching it up…again

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“They” say that the more you change it up in exercise routines the better result you get, what with muscle confusion and all. Phew. Because I am ALWAYS changing my routine and trying something new. True, I have my regular lunch routine but the rest of it is always mixed up. None of this is because I want to stay trendy, mainly because I get bored. Often, it is a result of the kids and their schedules. No matter the reason, every few weeks I am off to something “new”.

This week marks the return of the dreaded early a.m. workout. Now, it positively BITES to get out of bed @ 4:45 a.m., but there is not denying that I am an early morning workout person. Period. End. When I workout in the morning, I am more focused on the rest of the morning and tend to make better decisions (nutritionally speaking) throughout the day. It’s a win-win. The difference with this a.m. routine is that it is Monday through Friday rather than a few days during the week. Next week I am considering another boot camp, however, this one is offered at 5 a.m. ish. It’s a 3-week deal. I’m still considering it. It won’t work long-term, especially when school starts back up, but definitely a good mixer upper.

The best thing, I find, about shaking up my routine is that it feels fresh again and motivates me to keep going.

I also find great stories like THIS @ Socially Fit to remind me that procrastination is not helping me. Or THIS @ L-Jay Health to encourage me to add new ingredients to my menu. Or THIS @ Peak 313 Fitness to try new moves. And stories like THIS @ Eat Clean Diet to remind me we ALL have the power to change, but we have to WANT to and we have to put in the SWEAT equity to get there. No one is going to show up for us. Even if they do, it’s not going to do anything to help US.

What about you? Do you mix it up. Or is it same old same old? Morning or afternoon? What motivates you?

Have a great day!

Put a Fork in me….it’s Friday!!

making the trek

Trekking through life: Faith, family, friends and a whole lot of coffee!