Act Like You Know

This last Christmas we bought everyone in the house a Nerf gun and had an epic Nerf battle. We later took the Nerf guns with us to my Mother's house and set up a tactical op as we entered the house. They never saw it coming. I was so proud of my self. I had picked a present that everyone could use, it required us to be together and active and everyone really enjoyed it. Do you know where those guns are right now? They are outside in the dirt. I saw them yesterday as I went to the compost bin. And Lord only knows where the darts for the guns have gone to. I was so disappointed! Didn't they know that was a special gift, and thats not how you take care of things!...Don't you know. 

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, for she was taken out of man.” Gen. 2: 22-23

What a precious gift you are. How do you think it makes the Father feel when we neglect the gift? I have to imagine it is much like I felt seeing those guns jammed full of dirt. Our bodies are outstandingly intricate. So many things working together just so we can blink. It is our duty to steward all of the intention that was put into our design. He loves you, act like you know. 

Here on Day 2 pray that the Lord would make you aware of His love for you and for you to reciprocate  that love in our actions and choices. 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31

Another amazing photo taken by Julia Kellett 

Pray Your Way Thin

Today is the start of a 21 day challenge group I have going that will focus on body image and identity just as much as nutrition and fitness. I think this is the key to a life of health and wellness, as opposed to a moment of success. What a shame it would be to get to the end of journey and be able to lift a barbell but lack the confidence and peace to lift up your eyes.

Emotional wounds can so often block our progress and create wounds that make us doubt our value. Words and curses people have spoken over us we allow to become who we are. I can remember a family member saying to me "she'll always be heavy just like her Dad." I let that bitter, wounded individual wound me. Perhaps there is someone like that in your life. Let me be the voice of reason...What other people think about you is none of your business. What does the father in heaven say?

If I were to owe you $100, and I handed you a $5 bill saying "Here is your $100." would you accept that? I should think not, because you know what everyone knows. I don't get to determine the value of that bill, because I did not create it. Just as you or anyone else does not get to determine your value.

I would love for you to join us on the prayer portion of our journey. Pray this prayer with us, forgive those who have tried to devalue you, ask God to seek out the wounds and heal them. Then move forward prepared to conquer this battle!

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

Psalms 139:2-3

HUGE thank you to the beautiful (inside and out) Julia Kellett for letting us borrow some GORGEOUS photos for the back drop of these prayers. Go check out her work and blog HERE. 

The Thick One

I grew up in a blended family. I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers. As I grew up my time would be split between two different houses, but wherever I found myself I was always the chunky one. All of my sisters are naturally slender, my biological sister is flat out skinny. I can remember going back to school shopping and hating every minute of it, as I tried on outfit after outfit in the juniors section with no luck. Not only was I thicker than them but I was taller than almost all the girls I knew. Looking in the mirror I looked like some bad SNL joke with buttons stretched tight and hemlines mid-shin. Girls were supposed to love shopping, why did I find this so miserable an experience? I had let my shirt's XL label, define me. I felt like a pair of elastic waisted, stirrup pants remember those in a room full of skinny jeans.

If this is you sweet friend, hear me now. Who you are is enough! If we are created in the image of Christ that means somewhere at our core we have everything we need to be the best that we can be! You were hand crafted, designed, fashioned before there were stars in the sky. If someone had used an unattractive, bulky frame to showcase their Picasso, would it make the art worth any less? Absolutely not! You are valuable, you are beautiful, you are worth the effort.

Even after a 50lb weight loss (thank you P90X) sometimes I forget I'm not a "big girl" anymore...although at 5'10" I'll never really be small. What I do remember is that whether big or small, husky or scrawny I am awesome! And because I am awesome and God took the time to create me with such precision I am worth the effort to stay healthy. My body is a temple and so I will choose to treat it with respect, both in how I handle it and how I speak about it. I will choose to run the race of life with endurance! (Heb. 12:1)

That's me...true story! 

If you're stuck letting your clothes tag, label your heart I want to help you. No more miserable in your own skin. No more negative talk about your vessel. It's time to change your perspective and your body. You can do it, because greater is He that is in you. You are worth it, because you were wonderfully and beautifully made. Comment below to get info on how to join this group, or message me over on Facebook www.facebook.com/moxiemaefitness 

It's time to sow hard work and consistency

and reap confidence and positivity. 

Why turning 29 will be harder than turning 30.

Tomorrow I turn 29. I don't usually make too much of a fuss over my own birthdays. They don't bum me out and neither do they make me excited, its just whatever. Until this morning. I woke up this morning to find out some friends of ours had gotten some great news. I was so excited for them, but it quickly turned into being bummed out for me.  Tomorrow I turn 29...and all of these things I thought I would have accomplished are still just dreams.

I have no bum steer to blame for where I find myself. Its because I am a dreamer and have yet to become a doer. I thought by now I would have opened my own coffee shop and would be, at least, a moderately successful business owner. At this point I would settle for struggling business owner just to see the thing come to life. I thought we would be in the adoption process by now, but with each bleak bank balance I feel like we are further and further away. Its not that I lack vision, its action that eludes me.

I am afraid that this coffee shop that I can see and smell when I close my eyes will be a bust. That this thing I have made so much a part of me will be a flop. So out of fear I don't take any leaps. I have had multiple opportunities slip through my fingers as I am almost paralyzed by the fear of failure.

I can see an adorable little Ugandan or Haitian girl(s) as a part of our freak show. I believe it is what I was born to do, like I believe I need air to breathe. So why don't I already have a savings account set up to plan ahead for paying for the high cost?...lack of action.

As I scan over the landscape of 28 it smells stagnant. Turning 29 is hard because I feel as if I have wasted the 365 days leading up to it. I had a beautiful baby boy and I know I did lots of things so I know its not for nothing, but I didn't really make it something either. 30 will be different. 29 will be the year I rise out of the ashes of inactivity and make it count. My plan is to live enough and work enough and share enough and care enough to make up for 28 and every other year that came before it. 30 will not be this hard!

You see then that a man is justified by works,and not by faith only. James 2:24

Let the Good Times Roll - Road Trips with Toddlers

We woke up early, packed the car, loaded the kids, and prepared to embark on our journey. I have been to dangerous, war torn countries, flown countless hours across open ocean, and sat in a dirty airport for hours as an assassination attempt was made just outside the walls. But I don't know if I had ever been as nervous as I was as when my Mother and I decided to take my two sons on a sixteen hour car ride to the pan-handle of Florida. As the doors closed I knew our fate was sealed. There would be no turning back, once we left that was it. If they decided to flip out it would surely be a 16 hour drive into the mouth of hell itself. Once we were further South than the oldest had been before he started to ask every 5 minutes "Is this Florida."...We were in Maryland. I looked at my mother and calmly proclaimed "We're screwed!" But it wasn't that bad, seriously! I brought the DVD player and plenty of movies but they were so engaged in the other things I got I think they watched one movie in 16 hours of driving. How did I do it? How did I journey into Mordor with two tiny hobbits and emerge victorious?? I will tell you!

You may know by now I am adamantly opposed to winging anything. You have to have a plan! And my plan was almost full proof it was a multi-faceted distraction technique that kept us all sane for the long haul. 

First here are my must haves for any car ride longer than a couple hours. 

• Dollar Store Cookie Sheet - Do not leave home without this!! It is a magnet board, it is a food tray, it keeps crayons from rolling away. I even used permanent marker to draw train tracks on ours to they had a little track for their cars and trains. Seriously you'll wonder why you never used one before. 
• Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Pads - I mean seriously genius! These keep the boys busy for hours and at $5 for infinite possibilities it is totally worth the buy. I took the reusable stickers and put them in a ziploc bag taped to the back of each scene sheet. This kept them from getting dirty and not sticking, as well as, kept them from getting lost in the seats or on the floor. 
• Audio Books - Go to your local library and get a few of these for free. Since we have two boys I always check out a second copy of the book so they can both flip through and look at the pictures and words as we go.  
• Healthy Snacks - Let me stress the healthy part of this. The last place you want your kids to have a sugar high is locked in and strapped down for multiple hours. Why would you do that to yourself?? My favorites are Happy Family Brands Organic Baby Food Pouches  and homemade trail mix. 

Next make a schedule. I know that may sound weird for just sitting in the car, but if you plan out your activities and games being sure to spread them out it will keep them from being going through everything in the first few hours and then being miserable for the last 10! I printed "train tickets" for them and every hour of the trip I would ask for their tickets and punch a hole. They looked forward to me bellowing every hour in my best old timey voice. "Tickets, tickets please. Next stop Cucamonga!" Then I had a brown paper bag scheduled for every 2 hours of the trip. The bags were filled with dollar store finds. Magnets for their cookie sheets, silly putty, sunglasses, a new hot wheels car, and snacks to name a few. When you stop for the bathroom really encourage them to move. Have everyone do jumping jacks or roll down a hill, something to exert some energy. I brought a book with me with fun facts about the states, when we'd enter a new state I would read about it. I showed them a picture of the state flag and you would have to shout out each time you spotted it! 

I could go on for hours, but I think you get the idea! So don't be afraid, take the trip, enjoy the journey! Godspeed friends! 

The boys with their tickets! 

A Space For Grace

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound..." If you've spent any amount of time in church or around the churched you are, no doubt, familiar with this hymn. I sang this to myself yesterday and immediately paused after that line. How sweet...why sweet? What is it about the sound of grace that makes it music to our ears. As Philip Yancey askes, in his award winning book, what is it that is so amazing about grace?

We live in a world where we are taught two wrongs do in fact make a right. Our society teaches us to rip apart and serve on a platter those who have crossed us. If you doubt this for even a second think about how quickly we turned on Jon and Kate Plus 8, when they were less than perfect. As if we are warriors on a jaded crusade to out the posers, we offer up the less than perfect to the slaughter.

I imagine the thing that is so sweet about the sound of grace is simply the contrast of it. The sound is sweet, the act so amazing because it is elusive. Philip Yancey says in his book (If you've never read it, do yourself the favor.) "Grace is the most perplexing, powerful force in the universe,  and, I believe, the only hope for our twisted, violent planet." I think most of us would agree that sinners need grace. But what about the saints? Friends if your understanding of the Word and salvation has made you bitter towards mistake makers, I dare say you have missed the point. I've been dealing with this a lot in the last couple years. So much room and understanding I had for the lost, after all they don't know any better. But when it came to the brethren, how quickly I was to judge and cast aside. "You knew better and you did it anyway! You deserve your mess! You deserve for me to embarrass you in public." I would think to myself. News flash: We all deserve our mess. If we are playing this game based on what  we have coming to us, everyone loses. My fabulous Pastor's wife said once that "When we respond to hurt with love, the world gets to see Jesus." Grace does the most good, when it is least deserved. Every time we respond to hurt with more hurt, we ruin our witness. 

So give grace, give it til it hurts. He did. Give the kind of grace you'd hope to receive. If we can not allow people to be human it is most likely because we think of ourselves higher than we ought to. At the end of the day, do you really want to be the one yelling "Crucify him." Don't free the Barabas inside of you, in an effort to be right. Save a space in your heart for grace friends!

Be Still Clothing Company I just love all of their stuff! 

This Be Still is from another verse, but I'm going to use it anyway. ;) 

The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still. Ex. 14:14 

Technical Difficulties: Our T.V. Free Week

"What do you think about shutting off the T.V. for a week?" Like some sort of guerrilla warrior I dropped the bomb out of thin air.  "A what now?" my husband responded. "A T.V. Free Week. I think we are sucked in." With MUCH hesitation in his voice my husband agreed. 

We had gotten way to comfortable with having the T.V. on.... A LOT! We were eating in front of the T.V. 5 or so nights a week. The kids had gotten to point where they had assumed it was one of their inalienable rights as a member of the family. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Cartoons I realized something needed to be done when my son had a fit when I told him he couldn't have the T.V. on one afternoon. They play outside a lot but on rainy days they just want to vegetate. I said "That's enough T.V. for the day." With a groan from deep within he replied "Noooooo. I need to watch it! If you don't let me watch it I will be unhappy the rest of the day." It was like a siren went off, Houston we have a problem. First of all I do not respond well to manipulation tactics. Second the fact that he thought it would alter his entire day and mood was a serious problem. 

How did I get here? I was the Mom that was super anal retentive about T.V. time. We don't allow them to have game devices yet, they aren't permitted to have a television in there room. But here we were suckling off the teat of the boob tube. And even though I heard from some parents that the amount of time they were spending was nothing compared to their child's screen time, I was not okay with this. 

So starting last Monday we went one full week without the television. No learning movies online, none of it. I just knew this was going to bring us closer as a family. I had these visions of us playing board games and chuckling to ourselves. And while there was some of that. There was also a lot of down time fights. The two older boys had nothing else to do but play together which was resulting in lots of arguments and a couple open handed slaps to the chest. It seemed to me that this may have been back firing. It also made me realize that I had been using it as a babysitter and mediator far too frequently. Despite the fights we made it through, and really with far less protest than I suspected. We got about 200 minutes worth of reading in. Played a board game nearly every night, and I'm sure saved on some electric. 

Best of all it worked like a reset. Last night we sat down to the table to eat, no questions asked. They watched one show with breakfast and outside they went. No begging for another and then another. Asking for audio books instead of videos. Bondage no matter what form it comes in is never okay. If you feel like you MUST do anything it would do you well to remove it for a while. 

Now, See, I am freeing you today from the chains upon your hands... Jeremiah 40:4a 

Your Word, Your Bond, and Your Workout.

"Faithfulness, he talked of Madame, you're enduring faithfulness." says the Dread Pirate Roberts. (That's right I just quoted the Princess Bride!) Would anyone say this of us? Are the things you say and do marked by consistency and authenticity?

Hands down the number one excuse I have heard for not getting fit, since I have started as a Beachbody Coach, is that they won't stick with it. That people can't stay motivated or consistent. If this sounds like you, let me ask you some other questions. Are you often late? Or don't show up where you say you will be? Then my friend your issue isn't fat, it's faithfulness! It is a spirit of adultery that makes us choose the comfort of the couch over the sweat of a workout. It is lust that says "I know I agreed to be there, but I'm having so much fun here." Flakiness is only cute on T.V. sitcoms, and even then its really not that cute. 

My favorite flake. 

This may seem harsh, and it is, but its harsh because the problem is much larger than whether or not you get fit. Your word is your bond. If we tell people that Jesus is alive, and we tell them of how He has transformed our lives and then we also tell them we will be there at 2:30 and don't show up until 3, what are they supposed to think? 

All you need to say is simply "yes" or "no"; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Mat. 5:37

This is not condemnation friends, it is a challenge. Everyone runs late from time to time and people forget things, but that can't be what we are known for. Ask God to remove the disloyalty in your heart and put consistency and follow through in its place. He will do it, He did it for me! No more quitting! If you've said you are going to get fit do it! Stop being late, start showing up, you can do it! 

Failure, Faith and Frodo Baggins

I prayed, with the urgency only a mother can muster. I proclaimed God's promises, I fasted and I believed. I believed so much so that on the day before my son was born I declared the victory that I was sure I was going to see. I couldn't wait til he was born, the testimony was going to be amazing. How God was going to triumph over genetics and heal my baby boy. As soon as he was born we checked his hands and feet. This couldn't be...what went wrong? His healing hadn't come...But I believed, I fasted, I cried, I did all that you're supposed to do!! So why was I sitting there now feeling numb, like the rug had been pulled out from underneath of me. I said it was fine, that I knew God was good, but I was lying. I was crushed and I was MAD! I was mad at the doctor who kept saying I had such "strong genes" that it would show up in all 3 boys. I was angry at the devil for the curse. But I was mostly mad at God, which in turn made me mad at myself.  

We came home and I didn't want to move off of the couch, I didn't want to go to church and see anyone. I wanted to sit and be mad at God. I can remember standing doing the dishes and sobbing out of confusion. The enemy was whispering in my ear "It's all been a lie." "You didn't pray right, this is your fault." "He doesn't hear you when you cry!" Finally one day the words from one of my favorite stories of all time rang through my head. "I know what you would say. And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart." Thank God for Frodo Baggins and thank God for the Word hidden in my heart. 

 

"I know what you would say. And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart." - Frodo Baggins

Yesterday my good friend Kathleen sat as her daughter endured a 7 hour surgery to have a trach put in. Her daughter is a teenager and a wonderful young woman, who serves the Lord diligently. This is a family who is faithful in the vision, a family who believed for their daughters healing, yet there they were about to go through what they had asked God to spare them from. Why? 

The truth is I don't really have any idea. I don't why life is like this at times. Why it seems like dope dealing morons prosper and the faithful struggle. Why sober people die in car crashes while drunkards are spared. I don't know...boy would I love to know. But its not my job to know its my job to trust and obey. I sent my friend this verse yesterday. 1 Corinthians 2:9 That is what the scriptures mean when they say "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." Another that I kept repeating to myself, despite my struggle to understand, was Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares The Lord. 

See friends we get it twisted we think that peace comes from knowing. When in fact the peace comes from knowing you don't have to know. 

Tiles and Trials: Why I'm Grateful for My Son's Genetic Disorder

I brought a sweater. It's been a while but it's always cold here, I remember that. I remember the tiles floors too. When I close my eyes and think of this place its the first thing I see. Maybe from how many times we've walked the halls, or maybe its from starring at the floor waiting for the time to pass but I remember the hideous commercial tiles first. We have been for numerous visits at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children but surgery days always feel different. So here we are to do it all over again.

My mother, myself and all three of my sons, were born with a genetic mutation. It has presented itself a little different each time, but each of us have had polydactyly and syndactyly. Basically we have extra fingers and toes, as well as, webbing between some of our digits. Unless you are really looking or know us well you wouldn't even know anything was different. We are lucky.

The first time I ever sat in the waiting room there I quickly went from nervous to grateful. Our condition is annoying and it is expensive and makes finding shoes a real pain in the butt, BUT it is not life threatening. As I glance across the waiting room there are parents sitting next to empty wheel chairs. And not normal wheel chairs but the kinds with head restraints and things to attach oxygen tanks. I hear a woman in pre-op tell the doctor that her child's face is droopy on one side, and that she must have had a seizure in the middle of the night. Her lack of alarm tells me that this is a common place occurrence. As you walk through the halls of the upper floors, there are small, frail, sweet children wearing masks and missing their hair walking by. My problems shrink before my very eyes. It drives me to praying, covering each sweet family with words of life.

I don't know really what is I want you to get from this post. Maybe just to remember that there is always someone with bigger problems than yours. Or maybe its that life is precious and so often we take it for granted. Or maybe that you should spend time praying over these sweet littles and their parents who may not know Hope. Perhaps its all of it together. 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Summertime Sanity Savers

This is our last week of homeschool to satisfy the 180 day requirement for our state. It could not have come at a better time, the weather is warming up and the boys are sooo over sitting still. I and am totally okay with having a break from lesson planning! I just keep telling myself, hang in there just a couple more days to go!
It seems like my friends who's children attend school are also looking forward to the summer break. No more begging them to finish homework, prying them out of bed in the early hours, or having to get them back in the swing after fun filled weekends. But it seems like all of those friends end up praying for the slow death that is summer to end, so they can put them back on the bus and resume sanity.

Well fear the summer no longer friends, for I have a plan! When you're a homeschool Mom the kids are going to be there no matter what, so the motivation is that they have something constructive to do and their brains don't turn to mush.

1.) Make a Schedule
Melanie Makes has this great idea for a summer schedule, something to do each day of the week, but with lots of summer fun flexibility. I have borrowed this idea and made you a little schedule you can print off. I would rather be stuck in a briar patch, than have children pulling at my clothes with distorted faces of agony telling me they're bored. You don't have to spend all day on these things, be flexible and have fun with it.

2.) Summer Bucket List

Sit down with the kids and create a summer bucket list. Fill it with places you want to go, activities you'd like to accomplish, things you'd like to see. Here are some ideas...

• Go camping
• See the moon from the beach
• Go geocaching 
• Feed a farm animal 
• Have a picnic by a lake
• Stand in two states at the same time
• Eat a worm 

The possibilities are endless. Make sure everyone gets equal opportunity to share even the introverts and littles. 

3.) Read

Every now and then you just need a little quite. If your local library doesn't have a summer reading program, make your own. If you have ones that don't care for reading, make it more exciting. My 5 year old, although quite skilled at it, does not really enjoy reading. So this summer for every book he reads he will get a dime and when he reaches a dollar we get to go to the dollar store. Last year we made a reading passport. It was a little book with different places to read (in a tree house, in a fort, by the pool, etc.) and they got to put a sticker on the page each time one was fulfilled. Show them that reading is an adventure not a chore. 

Here's to hoping your upcoming summer doesn't drive you to drinking! Godspeed! 

I'm the Mean Mom and That's Okay

My kids are friendly...very friendly. They often push me out of my comfort zone by striking up conversation with total strangers out in public. One day as I stood by the deli case purposefully avoiding eye contact, my oldest looked at a woman and said "Hey!" It wasn't a "hey how are you" it was a "hey you over there" kind of hey. You know the one I mean, the tone is totally different almost like you're going to follow up the hey with "hey dummy". I told him "It's not polite to interrupt with Hey, say "Excuse Me" or "Hello" When the woman corrected me and said "He can say Hey, this is Sussex County." As if somehow living where the air constantly wreaks of chicken feces and there are more tractors on the road than hybrids means we can flush social graces down the loo. I fake smiled mentally flicking her in the forehead for undermining my authority in front of my kids and informed her we would still be making an effort to be polite.

I am a pretty easy going Mom, at least I think I am. I let them play in the dirt, sometimes even in their Sunday clothes. I let them pick out their clothes most days, let their hair grow long, and even pee in the yard. But I do not and will not tolerate is disrespect and disobedience and you shouldn't either. My kids are funny, like seriously the oldest one can be downright hysterical at times, but we do not let him use disrespect as humor. I require that they be obedient and thoroughly so.

1 Samuel 15 tells of the disobedience of King Saul and how his rebellion robbed him of his destiny and anointing. He thought he knew better than God, he didn't. Sometimes our kids think they know better than we do, they usually don't. The Old Testament shows us over and over again that obedience brings blessing, and that disrespect and rebellion has consequences.

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and seraphim. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. 

It is for their destiny that expect obedience for them. I want blessings to fall on them like rain. For them to have a double anointing of what I have had. I rob them of that if I allow them to be disrespectful. If you have a tough willed child like I do this can be hard. I remind him that he is obedient (even when he's not). I reward him and praise him when he is respectful and accurate. And some harsh, legalistic minds would say I am bribing him, but what you are really doing there is showing them in the natural what is happening in the supernatural. Obedience brings blessing. 

The strong willed one is on the left. 

Check your heart, if you are stern because your pride will not allow you to be disrespected than ask God to take that away and to replace it with a desire for your children to be blessed and authentic. Remind yourself I will not rob them of their anointing, by entertaining disrespect. If that makes me a "mean" Mom than that's okay. They're more important than how the Mom's at the playground or your Mother-in-Law sees you. 

Eggs and Self-Discipline

I am on Day 5 of the Les Mills Combat program and a 21 day Paleo diet. For those of you who don't know basically Paleo is no grains, no dairy, no sugar, no legumes, no corn and no happiness. (I'm joking a little it hasn't been that bad.) Since I've started with my new regiment I've gotten a lot of folks say "You're thin enough, you don't need to workout." I'm not sure what qualifies as "thin enough" but I do know that its good for my body and mind to workout. And anytime I can take the opportunity to kill my flesh and discipline my mind and body its a good and most beneficial thing. Another benefit of anytime you embark on a restrictive diet it makes you more conscious of what you are doing. Whenever we do a 21-day Daniel Fast I'm always shocked at how hard it is not to just cram something in your mouth involuntarily. Awareness and self-discipline are two things most people could stand more of.

If you are currently going cave-man or clean eating here is a refreshing, tasty side dish perfect for this warmer weather we've been getting.

Diablos Huevos 

You will need

4 boiled eggs
1 avocado
2 tsp of hot sauce (3 if you're feisty)
1-2 tsp of cilantro, chopped
juice of half a lime












Slice your boiled eggs in half and spoon the yolks into a bowl.
Put the remaining ingredients into the bowl and mash together.
Once you have a smooth mash, pipe into egg halves and enjoy! So easy and so tasty.












Push yourself, start a new workout regiment, watch what you eat. Kill your flesh and shed those muffin tops. You will always be better for it.

When 4 is the Loneliest Number

Captain's Log Day 76
It has been 6 hours since the First Mate left to find food. The native's are becoming restless. The smallest speaks a language I can not seem to decode and as a result he often flies into fits of fury. I know he is trying to tell me something, but what. They don't seem to understand me either, perhaps they suffer from hearing loss...or maybe they do hear me and it's all an elaborate game. The biggest seems to be the ring leader, I think they are planning on stealing my marbles. It is a strange place to be, alone in a village of many. Despite the fact that it has been many days since I have even been able to use the bathroom alone, I cannot help but to feel isolated.

Okay so that was just for fun, but don't tell me you haven't been there yourselves. Yesterday the lovely ladies at Preschoolers and Peace  asked if, as a homeschool Mom, we ever feel alone or isolated and why? As a stay at home Mom its so easy to listen to the voice of the enemy, after all most of the time there isn't anyone else around to say anything different. We confuse isolation for being ignored. But don't twist it loneliness is a choice.

There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Alone is a state of being, loneliness is a state of mind. And even then, as Christians, we are never really alone. Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us that He (God) will never leave us or forsake us. Just as we have to fight for our spiritual freedom, so as to not slip back into the bonds of sin, sometimes we have to fight for our flipping sanity!

We have only one car and my husband works a lot of over time lately. I have to make a practical plan to connect with other adult life forms. I meet with women 2 times a week, once to get poured into and once to pour out. When I am with the fabulous lady leaders in my life I make it a point to submit to them and be as transparent as possible. This allows them to keep me accountable and encouraged and for my life to have set of checks and balances. Unless you live like Eustice Conway (I really enjoy Mountain Men on the History Channel.) and have no access to the outside world but then how are you reading this blog... there is always a way to connect. My close friends where I live do not homeschool or stay at home, so I make it a point to keep in touch and text my homeschool Mom friends that live out of town.

Some of the awesome women that pour into my life! 

Remember you are not alone, even when it feels its loneliest! Make a plan to connect with other women on 2 separate occasions this week. Your sanity is your responsibility, so let's stop blaming it on the natives.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Ecc. 4:9-10

Before... and After.

I have recently started as a Beachbody Coach. Beachbody is a fantastic company that helps people in getting fit and healthy. It is responsible for programs like Insanity and P90X. I've only been doing it for a little while and already there is one question that people ask me on a frequent basis. "Do you think I'm too fat to do this?" "Do you think I'm in shape enough to do this workout?" I think this question is based off of a lie that the enemy (the devil) tells us.

Think about this question for a moment. Basically what is being asked is "Do I have to be fit to get fit?" The lie the enemy tells us is that we have to be right to get right. That in order to be holy (set apart) we have to already be holy. He wants us to believe this in order to render us inactive. The idea that you have to already have it all together to start getting your crap together is ridiculous once we start to think about it. If we had a loved one with an artery blockage, we would want them to go have it taken care of. We would think them utterly ridiculous if they said to us let me just get this artery unclogged and then we can go to the hospital to have it taken care of. Wait...what? See how dumb that is. 

I recently sat with a woman who was told by a family member that she could not give her heart to the Lord because she was living a life of sin. Cause that lines up with Bible. But Jesus said "Go and sin no more." Not sin no more, and then come here. Romans 5:8 says that "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." While we were still drug addicts, lazy bums, terrible mothers He laid His life down for our sake. It's a trick!! You can not be a better person on your own, only through Him and with Him can we hope to be who we were called to be.

Do not let your short comings as a Christian, keep you from sharing the love of Jesus. Do not let your before, keep you from your after! Flex that faith muscle, burn bright! 

Get Over It

I have a degree in Visual Communications. It was hard earned, many a late night were spent in dark rooms and numerous outpourings of the heart and mind submitted to scathing critiques. One I remember above all the others. We were laying our photographs out and critiquing the work as a class. I laid my work, these images that had been labored in the mind and dark room, on the table so proud of what I'd accomplished. My professor looked at me and informed me that the images needed to be burned (burning and dodging are techniques in which more or less light is applied to the photo paper) I asked him for about how long he thought I should burn them. To which he responded "No I mean you should literally burn these, set them on fire." I couldn't believe it, I was crushed. I thought I had really come up with something cool. 

There were two paths I could take from here. I could redo the work or I could throw my hands in the air and say this isn't for me. I had seen it done several times. Students drop out of the course or fail a class cause they couldn't get over the criticism. They took a personal offense for their work, and couldn't get past it. 

Offense...maybe one of the most dangerous feelings we can have. Marriages burned to the ground, friendships disassembled, callings abandoned all out of a spirt of offense left unchecked. If we inspect our hearts its usually because we've made an idol out of a thing that we refuse to submit to God. Be it our identity, our money, whatever. 

I have zero proof or biblical support for this, but I really believe it was a spirit of offense that gave Satan a foothold in Judas' life. Maybe Jesus called him on the way he lusted after Mary Magdeline or the way he handled his money, I'm not sure, but I'd be willing to bet offense played a part. 

I choose that afternoon, with teeth clinched tight, to receive the critique and use it as fuel and a tool to be better. My work got better and, because I told my flesh to take a backseat, I got stronger and a little more humble. Only a little though, we all need something to work on. 

So get over it, get over yourself. Fight offense, battle it with humility and submission. It is a thief that will rob you blind if you let it. Don't let it. 

April Showers...Make Moms Crazy!!

If you are a Mom of active children you know the sinking feeling that is a rainy day. It's like suddenly you've been put on lockdown with a bunch of small, sticky inmates. Why do they ALWAYS seem to be sticky? 

We try and limit the boys T.V. time and give them as much time outside as possible. Obesity is a serious problem among children in the U.S. I think shortened recess periods and gym classes are to blame partially. The boys get an hour of recess time in the middle of our homeschool day, it helps them get out all their wiggles and keeps them healthy. But what do you do when the weather makes it impossible for them to get out? And God forbid there are a string of stormy days, that's a sure fire recipe for scurvy to set in! I have 3 ideas to help you get the wiggles out and help keep them fit at the same time! 

1.) Indoor Obstacle Course

This one is so much fun! This winter we had a few bitter cold days and the boys were begging to go out. It was so cold it was dangerous out there. So snow play was a no go. To help them burn through some energy I built an obstacle course through the house. We started with an army crawl under the coffee table, then hopping over circles, crawling under streamer and then climbing up on a small (stable) chair. You can make this as elaborate or as simple as you want. My boys are competitive so we also timed them, which burned more energy because they wanted to go faster. 

Obstacle Course 

2.) Shadow Dancing

Rainy days usually mean dark and stormy, so why not take advantage of the already low light! All you need for this is a large flashlight and a blank wall. Have them stand in front of the flashlight and make their shadow move. Put on some music, give them some ribbon or streamer and let them have at it. 

3.) Animal Charades

Call out or write down different animals and their actions. Mix up slow and fast movements, getting high, then getting low. Try and get creative to make it more fun or them and ensure a full range of motion. Some of my favorites are "wallow like a pig" (roll around on the floor), "stretch like a kitty"(use cat yoga pose here), and "jump like a cricket" (squat then leap) Yay for plyometrics, said nobody ever. 

Bad about getting in exercise? Do it with them! Be a prisoner to the rain, no more! 

Dying on Purpose

I have a deep appreciation and love for the men and women of our armed forces. My grandfather, one of my best friends, was in the Navy. My father was a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force and my both of my nephews serve. I enjoy war and military movies and one of the best I've seen is Act of Valor. It follows a group of Navy Seals on a series of missions to bring down a threat to National security. These men aren't just coworkers, they are a family. At the end of the movie a man waiting to get back to his pregnant wife, jumps on a grenade to save his men. It wasn't an accident, he with a clear mind and deep intention laid his body across an explosive device in an attempt to spare those he loved.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for 

one's friend. John 15:13

It's so easy to forget. The image of the cross has become archaic to the world and wall decor to much of the body. We've seen it a hundred times and it becomes like the beautiful flowers on a drive to work, seen but not really. Imagine Jesus if you will standing between you and a crazed gunman. Picture Jesus laying is blameless body atop a grenade, but not just any grenade, one that had your name on it. He knew what He was doing that day, over 2000 years ago. He probably knew it more than He had ever known anything is His whole life of flesh and bone. Every ounce of blood that he bleed was on purpose...it was with purpose.

I do not believe in accidents, and almost nothing happens by chance. It is not by accident that the priests would sprinkle the lambs blood, on the veil in the temple, seven times and that day He bleed seven different times. It was no coincidence that they had whipped Him 39 times and scientist say there are 39 root causes for every disease. If the point of all of this was solely death to bring salvation, God could have organized a much quicker, less humiliating way for His Son to die. But nothing that happened that day was quick, nothing was by chance. He died for our salvation, but He suffered for our healing and rose again 3 days later for our freedom.

I submit to you tonight that Jesus was real flesh and real bone. That He willingly poured out His blood and endured humiliation not just to save you from Hell itself, but the Hell you live in.  No mountain of shame is to high for Him to climb to you. No pit of sin and depravity to low for Him to reach down and pull you out. No ocean of disbelief and doubt to wide for Him to find you. His love is more real and more vast than the waters of 50 seas and the sands of 100 desserts. If you had been the only one, He still would have jumped on that grenade for you.

Stop Hiding From The Camera

The baby was screaming, I rolled over picked him up out of the bassinet and then grabbed my cell phone off the charger. I squinted at the screen where did I put my glasses and at 7am there was already 3 text messages. As my eyes focused, I felt my stomach drop. A good friend of ours had passed away during the night. I text back something, that I'm sure sounded stupid at a lack of knowing what on earth to say. The grief and disbelief washed over me like a huge stormy wave. Such a beautiful soul, gone in the blink of an eye.

A week later we were at his Celebration of Life (to the uninitiated that's what we call a funeral at our church) And boy was it a celebration! I've never been so heartbroken and so encouraged, all at the same time, in all my days. The testimonies of how this young man, of just 26, changed so many lives was staggering. As the service proceeded the big screen was flooded with pictures and videos, and the final words spoken were by Wattage himself. (that's what I called him) It was a video of him preaching that had been recorded. I sobbed, and had never been more in awe of social media and technology in my whole life. What a powerful tool it can be.

Today, a couple months after the tragedy, his beautiful, graceful and strong girlfriend was saying that she was writing down all the memories so she wouldn't forget. And it got me thinking, would they have any pictures of me to share at my Celebration? Would my kids have pictures to reflect on if I was gone?  I'm always behind the camera. I hide and duck away when someone wants group shots and I rarely take a selfie. I highly discourage narcism. 

After the good Lord takes me home, I don't want them to have to remember what I looked like. Don't make your loved ones wish they had more to remember you by, just because you were bloaty or hair wasn't just so. Stop hiding from the camera, make memories!

At the Masquerade, when my hair was blonde. 

The Vacation You Can't Afford to Miss

Yesterday was glorious, as my 5 year old would say. We are trying to sell our house, so after church we had plans to work on a few things to spruce up the front. As I was doing the dishes after lunch my husband got a phone call from my Mother in Law saying they were at the beach and wanted to know if we would like to join them. Where we live the beach is about 35-45mins away. (If the backroads aren't clogged with savvy tourists.) He told her he would have to discuss it with me, and we'd let her know. We really want to sell this house and had a lot of things that needed to get done. But when I tell you we don't get out much around here, I mean we REALLY don't get out. My husband works a lot and weekends are usually spent getting things done around the house or I am working doing cakes and catering. So it only took me about 2.5 seconds to say "We're going!"

Some of the scenery on the backroads to the beach.

We didn't have a lot of gas in the car, we don't have a ton of money to be throwing around, but we do not run a business, we run a family.  What may not be logical, sometimes makes the most sense. Our children are 5, 4, and 3 months. They will not stay like this for very long. There are some things you just can't afford to pass up. Do not let a poverty mentality, keep you from making memories and sharing in adventures.

Now am I saying book a Disney Cruise, if you are in debt up to your eyeballs? Ummm....NO! But take opportunities when they arise.

You don't have to spend a ton of money, to spend time together. You would be amazed at the amount of free or cheap things that are probably happening right around you. Have you ever heard of geocaching? Sometimes it only takes a little gas and a sense of adventure to have a good time. If you have a Regal Cinemas near you they do $1 movie mornings during the summer. One of our best memories from last summer, was taking a day off and going to a $1 movie and having bagels for lunch and then a hike at our local State Park.

If you can afford to really do it up and take a grand adventure, do it!! I truly believe that travel is one of the things that isn't just an expenditure but an investment. The memories you create and culture you get to experience pays you back 10 fold.

So get creative, get to planning and go! Like they say in one of my favorite Pixar movies "Adventure is Out There!"

Party Like It's Your Birthday...You're Worth It

Today is my middle sons 4th birthday. Around here we make a pretty big deal about birthdays. We celebrate with a big, very well executed (if I do say so myself) birthday party and then always special treatment on the actual birthday day. Today he got pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, and he we are taking him to the movies tonight. Let me clarify by saying we do not spend a ton of money on birthdays. Very little in fact. Some time, effort and creativity can go a long way to making someone feel special and loved. And he is...special and loved that is. So are you. 

Doesn't he look super pumped! 

We make a big deal about birthdays because it is the only day of the year we don't celebrate what you've accomplished or how smart you are, we simply celebrate the fact that you are here. The fact that you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14), that you were set apart even before the beginning of your youness. (Jer. 1:5)

I chose you before I formed you in the womb;I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Jer. 1:5

In our bible lesson the other day the author talked about how God needed someone to take care of the earth so He created man. I think this is a unfortunate portrayal of the events. I do not believe we were designed, molded from the clay and intricately formed just to be the garden landscaper. He put flowers in the fields, and pearls in the mouths of oysters for us. All of that was created first because He knew ladies would like jewelry, and that little boys would love trees to climb. We weren't for it, it was for us! 

Everything about you was handcrafted with a purpose. No one, no matter their origin or upbringing is a mistake. You are destined for greatness, you are worth celebrating. The mistakes we have made do not determine our value only our Creator can do that. A grease stained, wrinkled $100 bill is still worth $100, because the U.S. mint says it is. Even if you couldn't get the flippin thing to go through a vending machine! Who has crisp, new bills...I digress. 

So the next time a birthday comes around, eat cake for breakfast, do something that makes you smile, get your party on! Not because you deserve it, but because He thinks you're worth it. You are loved just for being you! 

Share this with someone who needs a reminder of how valuable they are! 

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. 

Dr. Seuss

5 Tips to Save on Groceries WITHOUT Clipping Coupons

Few words in the english language make me shudder quite like "full price". I am a couponer. I am easy to spot. The paper cuts on my finger tips, the multiple newspapers in my hands on a Sunday morning, the frustrated cashier in front of me and the pictures of hauls crowding my timeline are all tell tale signs. If I save less than 50% at the grocery store it makes me a little sick, and I'm telling you the food doesn't taste as good. Getting food for free is my own way of sticking it to the man and its how I live out Prov. 31 with a bit of moxie. If I were to rewrite verses 14-15 it would go little something like this. "She is like a wholesale club, she drives for miles to get the savings. She is waiting at the door when they open the store to get the deals for her family and a few things for her girlfriends." 

She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. Prov. 31:14-15

After a particularly good trip I'll always brag a little on Facebook, this leads to the same conversation every time.
"How on earth did you do that?"...."Coupons!"...."Oh, I don't have time for that."
I get that a couponers life isn't for everyone, but that's no reason to break the bank at the grocery store. Here are a few easy tips to help you save at the grocery store.

1.) Shop Closeout 

Every store displays closeouts items differently. Some stores will have all their items compiled in one location, but most mark their closeout items with a tag underneath the price tag. There isn't anything wrong with these products. They are items that have been marked down because of excess inventory or items that are about to no longer be carried at that store. I save a lot of money this way. Just last month I bought varieties of microwave steam bag veggies and pints of Ben and Jerry's all for $1 each!!!! All because the store was going to no longer be carrying these varieties.

2.) Buy Bad Meat...Sort Of 

Okay I do not actually mean "bad" meat. I do not expect or recommend you by bad food. But going to be bad soon meat can mean BIG savings. Most stores have one day of the week where they go through their meat inventory and discount the items that will be expiring soon. Ask your local store what day they do this. These items are easy to spot because there is usually a brightly colored sticker letting you know it has been discounted. If you cook the meat or freeze it immediately it is still totally safe. I also really hate waste (a result of seeing starving children face to face) so when you purchase these goods thats one less item that gets tossed, and I'm happy to help. Just last week I bought 5 dinners worth of pork for under $15.

3.) There's an App for That

Clipping coupons can be a pain...literally my hands cramp up at times. Clicking coupons and saving them to your loyalty cards, super easy! Most grocery store chains have their own apps now where you can download coupons directly to your card. If you combine that with apps like SavingStar and Ibotta, where savings equal cash that can be deposited directly to your PayPal account, you can really do some damage. SavingStar is super easy to use, has Friday Freebies, and a weekly Healthy Offer, that allows you to save money on produce!!

4.) Smoke 'em If You Got 'em

Cook whats in your pantry, don't shop for what you're craving. If you can abstain from instant gratification in the grocery store your money will go a lot further. I shop for what I can get super cheap and create my menu around what I have picked up. Super Cook is this really cool website, that allows you to enter in what is in your pantry and its gives you recipes that use your ingredients.

5.) Grow Your Groceries 

Unfortunately most of us probably do not have the means to grow bananas or coffee beans, which at my house would bring HUGE savings. But you can grow a lot of other produce that are family favorites. You don't have to have a giant, pristine garden with each row identified by the adorable garden markers you bought on Etsy. Pick the item your family uses most. At my house we go through green peppers, LOTS of them. My oldest eats them like an apple. 1 or 2 pepper plants grown in a pot can go along way. Grape tomatoes yield a large harvest, are easy to grow in a pot, and always seem to be pretty pricey at the store.

So what do you think? Are you going to try any of these? All of these? Let me know how you do and what you think might work for you.

Why Marrying "The One" Is A Recipe For Divorce

I am not a romantic, at least not in the traditional sense. I do not watch Hallmark movies, I've never read a Nicholas Sparks book, these are not things I enjoy. This is mostly because I think that the world gets romance really wrong...like really wrong. There is something way not cool about rooting for a woman to leave her husband to be with the one that fulfills her emotionally. The idea that in all the world there is only one individual you are meant to be with is dangerous. It is dangerous because it implies the possibility of getting it wrong and having a way out of our marriages. 

I cannot tell you how many times I have had a young lady ask me "How did you know your husband was the one?" Those poor girls. Those poor, unsuspecting girls. I do not imagine when they asked me that they were prepared for the sermon to follow. I like to tell people do not ask me what I think unless you are prepared to hear what I think. Do you know how I knew my husband was "The One"? Because he is the one I choose...thats it. I know you feel the butterflies don't you. A friend said recently that the reason marriage is so beautiful is because its your choice. There is no alignment of the planets and cosmic soul connection that draws us to one another. If you feel something like that chances are its mostly lust. 

Saying that their is a one, gives the impression that each day all the pieces will magically fall into place and you will have a peaceful and successful marriage. When in reality, (and if you have been married for any length of time you know this to be true) somedays it is nothing but the grace of God and the fact that you would not look good in prison orange that keeps you from smothering him with his pillow. 

It is work, it is a daily choice of servanthood, forgiveness and selflessness that makes a marriage successful. To go into a marriage expecting that this person was designed to complete you and fulfill you is unfair to them. That is far too much pressure and responsibility to put on someone you love. Jesus is the only one that can do that for you. Marriage is a daily dying to self, it is a forsaking of "I" for the good of "we".

Married ladies, marriage is the most accurate depiction of Christ's love for us. Marriage is under attack for this very reason. The devil would love nothing more then to see your marriage fall. Battle for it, love in spite of your feelings. Treat them as you want to be treated after all you are one. 

Single ladies, do not fall for the good guys, but diligently seek out a God guy. You will not die from singleness. Date with intention, never go into relationships lightly. Far too many ladies have had deep wounds created by poor choices that were made for "just one little date." Stop searching out "the one" and start being a woman worth sacrificing for.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone would lay down their life for his friends. John 15:13

I believe that word "life" there does not only refer to our mortal lives, but our life. Our comfort zone, our personal agendas, our plans. Sacrifice is the only real romance.