Tag Archives: lessons

Over the hump….week 3!

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If I did not simply suffer from one moment to another, it would be impossible for me to be patient; but I look only at the present moment.  I forget the past and I take good care not to forestall the future.  When we yield to discouragement or despair it is usually because we give too much thought to the past and to the future.  St. Therese of Lisieux

We are heading into Week 4 with the Peak 313 5 week challenge and I am pleased to say that Week 3 was a FAR better effort in every manner (for me).  I KILLED it in exercise, mainly cardio however, I did squeeze in serious sets of lunges during a cardio session and hit my abs as well.  The biggest deal (for me) was that I ate amazingly well.  The key was simply…..plan.  Wow.  It worked.  I was ready each day with my snacks and I wasn’t hungry and get this…..I had energy.  Crazy, right?

The scale deal for me is I’m not weighing until the end of the challenge.  The scale is a deal breaker for me.  I can be doing EVERYthing right and if the scale isn’t where I want to be….I’m done.  I will hit Dunkin’ Donut, Starbucks, whatev….because…why? Apparently I like to derail myself.  Therefore, as I get older (and hopefully wiser), I aim more for how I feel, in my clothes and and my skin.

This week, I have my snacks and lunches pretty much stocked and ready to go.  We are changing up a kiddo routine which calls for adjustment in my lunch hour, but that’s life…fluid and ever-changing, if we can’t adjust…..we’re sure to combust!

Stay focused this week!  Here’s this week’s Scripture verse….

 

Lessons learned…wisdom earned? Time will tell….

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Friday, Friday and the kids have no school and yet…..yes, that’s right…..Mama and Papa have work.  Stinkers.  Whatev….Either way, I am wrapping up my week with a few lessons (in Quick Take, Conversion Diary form)  learned from this week.

Lesson 1.  Home with the youngest on Monday and I learned that I could do without HALF of my closet.  I mean really, how MANY pair of khaki capris and shorts does one need?  Between donating 5 bags (Publix size, not garbage!) to our church’s thrift store and then reorganizing by color, I feel refreshed, uncluttered and actually inspired to be a little more “fashionable”.  I’ll do it again once it’s cool enough to bring the winter-ish clothes down.  True fact.

Nice right? OK, not my closet, but you can find some great organizing ideas AND this picture HERE!

Lesson 2.  There is a need to revamp my social media.  Apparently.  Now I know why people are always face down in their phones.  They are updating tweets, RTs, MTs, statuses, blog reading, photo sharing, liking, commenting.  You HAVE to be face down 24/7 to keep up. Farm out the laundry, dinner, kid care, schooling, house chores, work for $$ job, because you cain’t do none of that if you’re doing the other. Serious. As for me,  I joined Twitter to be more abreast on the world.  Facebook to KIT with fam and friends.  Pinterest…..ah, I’m not sure on that one but I’ve gotten lost on there a few times and have really added to Hubby’s “to-do” list.  Instagram b/c I love photos, taking and looking.  However, the sad fact is that I don’t get paid to be social 24/7, so I am going to just chill.  Check in when necessary, disregard the numbers and try to relax on the house projects.  ‘Cuz it’s crazy yo!!!    True fact.

Image cred and social media organizing tips HERE

Lesson 3.  Walking near dusk with a gator in the lake, the podcast must be turned down, eyes must be watchful, legs must be ready to run and camera must be ready to shoot.  Sadly I missed the basketball versus gator wrestling match, I heard it was a doozy.  True fact.

Image cred…ME..on Instagram 🙂

Lesson 4.  If perhaps you are with a middle schooler for after school pick up and you see a fight going on with the amoeba crowd closing in and would by chance, I don’t know, lay on the horn like a crazy lady a few things would happen:  a) the amoeba crowd would scatter like ants and, b) the middle schooler in your vehicle would become like melted butter and sink to the floor of the vehicle.  Then, if you were to call the Rec center to report the fight and the coppers came and some kids almost got arrested, YOUR middle schooler would be the scapegoat the next day.  However, if you use The Jedi Mind Trick and remind him that cell phones are pretty popular and ANYONE could have called as well as blaming the honking on a mother– reminding him to remind his friends that their parents are embarrassing sometimes, too….suddenly the scapegoat is freed and the mob are again little kittens eating out of his hands.  And he wouldn’t be mad at his mother anymore either.  Hypothetically true fact.  Of course.

Lesson 5.  If you call your friend to chat and her 2 toddlers answer taking turns regaling you of tales of nausea and vomiting  and “Mama in the shower”…she probably isn’t going to get that message.  True fact.

Lesson 6.  If one is tempted off their healthy eating focus by a son’s birthday it most definitely is a force to be reckoned with to get back on track.  4 1/2 days later I think I broke the spell with a 40 minute power walk, abs and arms workout followed by a healthy dinner!  The fact is, “we can start our day over at any time….even if it’s 5:30 p.m.”  True fact.

Lesson 7.  Open house at the girls elementary school was eye-opening as our district introduces “standard based grading” and implementing all steps at the same time.  And…..it’s not fully ready yet.  All I can say is, holy crap.  These teachers are getting the shaft.  The tediousness in grading in this manner is ridic beyond words.  Not to mention I am going to need a ruler, reading glasses and a freakin’ LEGEND to interpret the grades when this thing is finally up and running.  I am seriously drafting a letter (sans text lingo and cussing) to the school board, because apparently someone with way too much alphabet soup behind their name decided a nice complicated system would make them look like they are earning their grotesque salaries!  Well, guess what…I have alphabet soup, too….(BS)(RT)(R)(CT).  This  IS putting a teacher’s day far beyond the 8 hours required for their job and I honestly believe… 3 months off for summer isn’t enough.  True fact.

That’s all folks.   Hope you learned a thing or two from my own experiences.  Have a great weekend!  Be sure to check in with the MANY awesome peeps @Conversion Diary with Jen (Reality star).  There’s a bunch so a beverage and snack come in handy when reading through…it’s a great Saturday morning distraction for me 🙂

When you can’t fix it….

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I came to a revelation of sorts yesterday while I was home with our sick kiddo.  First of all, I am not really a patient mother/wife/person when it comes to dealing with sick people,  perhaps it comes from dealing with sick people all day; I have no compassion.  It’s awful. I know.  I try to be kind, but it is forced.  The same thing happens if someone is going through a really difficult mental issue.  No compassion.  I try.  Again, it’s forced and impatient.  Last night, in talking with Hubby I realized that when it comes to my family and friends and their sickness and struggles I harden because I’m angry.  I’m not angry with THEM, I’m angry with the fact that there is NOTHING I can do to “fix it”.  I might be able to lessen the symptoms and make them more comfortable, however, for me…..that’s not enough, I want it fixed.  Over, done and move on. It is why I am calm in the middle of a crisis (mostly), I focus on the end, the solution and what I can do to get there.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with this information.  Mentally, I KNOW I can’t fix anything…and it is a work on growing my faith to do what I CAN do in loving on my friends and family during their times of sickness and struggle and to trust in Him, the Great Physician to take care of the rest.  So, I suppose now that I’ve identified my issue I can pray on it and listen for direction and perhaps maybe, just maybe, be a little more compassionate when those times come.

Mark 16:18 “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Monday Madness

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Peak313 5 week challenge…Starts TODAY!!

Did you have a great weekend?  Goes too quickly doesn’t it??  Once again, Monday is upon us and thus begins the rat race once again…

I actually woke up early to make the kids this yummy Pinterest breakfast (and fruit) and it actually came out pretty good, so far….50% of the kids are still sleeping, at this time though, I am 2 and 0!  Pretty decent start!

OK, not super healthy, but since I’m not a huge Nutella fan these are safe for me!

I also knew I needed to get up and check out Peak313 for the plan for the week.  It’s my gym day at lunch and I need to print out some workouts….Hubby is my accountability partner so hopefully he’ll keep me in check @ home and my girls @ work will keep me in check there (we already have a workout calendar going to keep a visual on each other…it takes on a whole new life when you write it down!).  Exercise is fine for me, I’ve got that component, it’s the food I struggle with and since that’s roughly 80% of the game….it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m in.  A great way to bring in fall, wouldn’t you say? (#livingandactive on Twitter)

Off to the printer and then get these kids rockin’ and this day rollin’!!

Blessings!!

Saints, Ramblings and the F-word

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30 whole minutes!  Alone.  In my house.  Unheard of (unless I come home for lunch).  We split up for Masses today due to lawns/training/Faith Formation, etc, etc, etc and somehow I am alone.  AHHH.  You don’t even know.  or maybe you do.  It’s bliss.

I’ll take advantage of it and blog in peace.  My mind has been running all morning.  It’s going to be a patchwork quilt of my stream of consciousness…enjoy….

My friend sent me a link (to a blog I follow–hee hee, BUT hadn’t read yet) last week or so and the piece was on the F-word and the how our use of the English language has truly lowered the bar in regards to vulgarity.  It is a GREAT post and you can click below on the link and I will tell you I have been re-thinking before I speak more frequently lately as well as being glad that my blog hasn’t gone that road…even though it might get more hits if it did, but in the end, it’s just not me.  most of the time.  though sometimes….I’m sad to say, it is…the link to Tom’s post is here:  “Defusing the F-bomb” with Neal Obstat Theological Pining

I’ve also given a lot of thought to the amazing lessons we learn from the Saints and figured I’d join in with “Saints Sunday” with The Kennedy Adventures today.  Especially as during Mass I had to referee a disagreement between 2 girls for the first 1/4 of Mass…always a joy…you’d think with only 2 kids at Mass it would have been a breeze.  I should  have taken the other 2.  However, as I was praying “Dear, Jesus, Mary AND Joseph protect my children from the demon threatening to break free from my neck at any minute to silence these girls…help me to be graceful and love them even though they are getting on my last.  ever-loving.  nerve. right now.  Amen”  Right then I had a flash of Saint Monica and was shown how motherhood is a marathon.  Now, Lord Help these kids if it takes me 30 years, but…I was filled with a sense of peace and a guiding of “Continue on.  You’re on the right path.”, neck muscles relaxed, girls relaxed and the rest of Mass was good.  Talk about your instant gratification/affirmation.  Yes, please and thank you!!

The temptations of the saints were seen as opportunities for self­discovery. They allowed temptations to show them the breaches in the fortress of their souls, which needed to be fortified until they would become the strongest points. This explains the curious fact about many saintly people-that they often become the opposite of what they once seemed to be.      (Lift Up Y our Heart)  Venerable Fulton John Sheen 

Confirmation.  Our 9th grader is making his this year.  Parent meeting today and his first of 6 classes tonight with a dinner.  Praying for the right sponsor for him, he needs the right  person to talk to and spark that mustard seed.

Busy Saturday.  Football in the morning.  Hubby took our girl while I took the other girl grocery shopping and tackled the house.  Then, after lunch I took both girls to our oldest girl’s first soccer game while Hubby stayed with the boys and tackled the tree stump in the back yard so we can plant a new tree.  The weather was good, the drive was quick (for 1.5 hour to AND from the game–that says aLOT!), and best of all, we made it home in time for dinner on the table!  SCORE!!!

Chill Sunday.  It appears we are getting Isaac reincarnated today.  Not quite the storm he was his first pass before he let loose on the Gulf coast, Louisiana and Mississippi, but it’s a blustery and rainy day.  The library is in store for SURE!!!

And one last note on a Saint-to-be…today Bishop Fulton J. Sheen is decreed as “Venerable” by the Vatican and a celebration of his life and vocation is taking place in Peoria at Celebrate Sheen, a Mass of Thanksgiving for an amazing man and true blessing to the Church.

Game 1. A loss, but a GREAT game with lots of potential to the season!!