Finding "0"

Fall fresh starts it seems are becoming a bit of an annual trend!  I won't concern myself with this though!  To be returning is always a victory, no matter how often it is required:-)

So I get back at things.  50lbs excess weight.  Far from eating within hunger fullness (0-5) principles.  And yet, despite all those failures, still experiencing God's love each day and drawing nearer to Him.  :-)

This fall I have been pretty regular with daily devotions and also exercising numerous times a week.  That's a victory!  Praise God!

Now...baby steps in another area.  Find "0" (hunger).  That's it.  Plain and simple.  I just need to wait for hunger.  And as I experience physical hunger I pray that I will also experience more and more spiritual hunger!

Counting my Blessings....

57.  I'm doing some studies from home to pursue a degree in music.  And it is AWESOME!  I love being home everyday.

58.  I'm thankful for my marriage to my husband.  It is just becoming sweeter each and every day.

59.  Our kids are growing up and are making godly choices thus far for which I'm very thankful.

Confidence

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

I don't feel confidence in my own ability to change. But I am thankful that I can confidently come before the Lord and call out to Him. That is something I do have confidence in. I can have confidence in HIM.

I need to still remember yesterday's post, when I hear the Lord's voice not to harden my heart. A constant battle.

Lord, I need Your help so desparately. I'm a mess. Thank you for Your grace, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your faithfulness, Your patience, Your love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Counting my Blessings...

55. A great piano teacher. I'm really thankful for her:-) She is a blessing.

56. Answered prayers for a close friend who is battling brain cancer.

57. God's grace, mercy, forgiveness, faithfulness, patience, love and more!

Today...

if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Hebrews 3:7 & 15

A good reminder. I often heart God's voice and know what is right, but turn away from Him sadly.

Lord, soften my heart, remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh, a heart that beats in time with You. (Ezekial 11:19)

Fresh Starts

This post encouraged me. I'm looking forward to a fresh start, a blank slate, a week of healthy choices. I will be realistic and acknowledge I don't expect to be perfect, but I look forward to stringing a whole bunch of healthy choices together this week. For starters I am going to focus on being more conscious with my eating. I want to eat at the table as much as possible this week without the distraction of the TV.

Counting my blessings...

51. Getting to know a friend as we look through her old photos. What fun that was!

52. Our new bed - king size to be specific - is fantastic!

53. Early morning starts. The house is silent except for the clicking of the keyboard. I enjoy these moments. And a date with God is coming next. :-)

54. Clean laundry.

Lacking Stick-with-it-ness

Ugh. I'm just so incredibly sick of this battle I have with overeating. I make promises/goals/resolutions.....and just don't have the stick-with-it-ness that I need. I have a lot of self-hate right now in this department. I'm really tired of myself. I feel quite hopeless.

That is where things are at. :-(

Positive healthy choice I've been making this past week - eating steel cut oats or another high fibre hot cereal for my breakfasts. I've also gone for lots of walks this week.

Daily laundry has not happened this week.

Regular devos have. Though I can see that I desparately NEED to find more time to really just RELAX in God's presence. I guess I need to wake up earlier to make this possible.

Counting my Blessings....

41. God's hand of protection while driving.

42. Absolutely GORGEOUS frosty white trees that have lasted for many days this week! Really shockingly beautiful!

43. A houseful of friends.

44. "I love you" hugs.

45. Date night with my husband.

46. A new piano student that signed up this week.

47. Surprise bday present from my new co-worker. So very thoughtful.

48. Pancake breakfast lovingly prepared by my daughter.

49. I'm thankful I actually have found a doctor finally.

50. Snowy hikes with the family. Seeing our dog having such fun on the walk:-)

I'm back....

...finally, after nearly a week away! I don't think I'm going to follow through on daily posting. Doesn't seem feasible. Or maybe it is an excuse. I'm not sure.

I'm not totally in "the" zone yet (with eating). I have my good days and my slippery slope days. Last night was a slippery slope night.

I've been exercising this week though. That's good.

I've been regularily getting into the Word with my devos, reading through the bible in a year.

I've been doing laundry in the mornings.

I am up to date with budgetting updates.

God has been providing opportunities to minister and reach out, which I find very exciting. There are just so many hurting broken people in the world. My heart is praying they seek God. Because He answers. He saves. He heals. He loves. I so want them to know Him and experience Him.

Counting my Blessings

34. Clear blue skies on cold wintry days.

35. Puppies tumbling.

36. Dreaming can be fun:-)

37. Opportunities to speak into our kid's lives. I'm thankful God allowed us to see a glimpse of an issue that was brewing so that we could speak truth into the situation.

38. Warm cozy home on VERY cold wintry nights.

39. Helping hands around the house.

40. Twinkling eyes.

Friday

On a roll today. Eating 0-5. Exercise. Laundry. Praying. God is good.

Counting my Blessings...

28. Frost covered tree branches.

29. The sound of kid's laughter.

30. God, by my side, always present, always right HERE. Amazing!

31. Fuel for my body....just the right amount. That feels good. And is a blessing.

32. Clean clothes!

33. The weekend is HERE! Yay!

Time flies!

Got back to school & work routines this week. I'm not doing so good with my goals! Thanks for the "nudge" to stay on track, Monique:-)

I have been handing down some of my "skinny" clothes to my daughter. She has lost about 20lbs over the past couple months. She is REALLY in the zone. It's hard to believe! She has simply been eating healthy stuff, and has, of her own decision, eliminated most sugar from her diet. She has lasted through Halloween temptations, then Christmas baking temptations.... I'm really surprised! Anyways, she is now wearing my old favorite jeans (and fits them better then I ever did or ever could!). I can hardly believe I fit those just three years ago! So, I am on a mission to get those jeans back (I told her that) :-) Plus, I think we are going down to Mexico this summer again and I really really don't want to be self-conscious when wearing a bathing suit, since I'll be enjoying beachtime while there.

So, Mission Old Favorite Jeans & Swimsuit Season, is on :-) Plus, I really want to be healthy so my heart is not so burdened with the extra weight I'm lugging around. My point is, I'm movitated right now....at least for today:-) Now I just have to stay motivated for tomorrow and the next tomorrow and the next tomorrow........................

Sugary stuff.
Well, I will generally stick to what I stated in my last post as my new thoughts. Though I think I may allow small treats here and there on occasion as well and possibly allow a mug of hot cocoa (made with real milk and cocoa) more often. We'll see. All I know is that everything I consume in that department needs to be careful, deliberate and conscious.

0-5
I keep making this my aim, though am not always succeeding.

Exercise
Gotten it in three times this week. Two times by walking to and from work. Once I went for a jog with Jon.

Laundry
Laundry goals have been stuck with. I think this Saturday will be a breeze in that department which feels great! I don't have mountains of laundry to worry about! If I can stay on top of it this way, this will make a BIG difference!

Daily Budget
Daily budget updates are not being done. I need to find a way to integrate that as a habit.

Reading through the Bible in a year
Reading through the Bible in a year program is going okay, though I must admit the book of Job is just not resonating with me this time round. Maybe I'm rushing since I did miss a day or two and then have catch up times etc. Anyways, that's that. Need to carve out more time with God I readily admit.

Food Log
I don't think I'm going to bother typing up my exact food log. I have it posted on the fridge and my daughter is checking in on me:-) My food log is folded over held by a magnet on the side of our fridge. I caught her taking a peek at it tonight. LOL Made me chuckle :-) I really have quite the amazing built in accountability partner around here. She even gives me "the" look when I go outside my goals or off track.

Okay, onto blessings, all those gifts that God has planted in each moment of each day.

Counting my blessings......

21. Sweet kids at work. I really love the kindergarteners I work with. Today a little girl says, "I like your shirt." Then a little boy walks by and says, "I like your shirt. I like your hair too." LOL So sweet and cute and out of the blue:-) And then there are all the kids who beg, "Can I come to math today?" (I do math support for K-1) They melt my heart:-)

22. My new piano student. I started with this little one today and she is a sweetie too. Big bright eyes, giggles, secret smiles, enthusiasm bursting from her. Makes me excited:-)

23. A great husband. I was thinking this morning how I would never do anything very adventurous in my life if it wasn't for him! All the adventures we have taken together. It blows my mind! I really am thankful he pushes me out of my comfort zone and that we've had so much fun together.

24. My daughters. They really are precious.

25. Moon sightings. Every morning when I open the curtains I see the moon still on the horizon. The other day I saw the coolest moon sighting. The moon was showing all of itself, a big round hazy ball in a foggy sky and it was sitting right over top of a house. It was really quite a neat sight. God is amazing!

26. Ministry vision. God has blessed Jon and I with more clarity this year. It is a real blessing to be able to sense God's direction for our lives, how He wants to use us. I am thankful for seeing a glimpse of His heart. And being able to serve Him through hospitality ministry.

27. Friends. Tonight I get to go out for a ladies night out. I'm excited:-)

January 8

Already missed a day right after setting my new goals! Oh well. :-)

New thoughts on my approach towards sugar.... I ultimately would like to have a balanced healthy approach towards sugary treats, rather than feel deprived. I think my new approach will be - enjoy moderate amount of sugary treats during SOCIAL OCCASIONS. So, that means on a regular day I would not be consuming sugary stuff. During social occasions I rarely struggle with eating moderate amounts because I don't want to look like a pig! But afterwards, if I've been hosting in particular, then I often grab something more after everyone has left, part of my habit as a way of finding relaxation. So, that would be outside my new boundaries as the social occasion would be over. I think this may prove to be a way to stay a bit more balanced with sugar for the long run.

Both yesterday and today were not perfectly on target for 0-5 eating. However, I did get to empty a couple times which is great. :-) Also, I confess I did sneak two dessert squares last night in the evening.

Okay, now for blessings.........

Counting my Blessings

15. clean laundry - it's actually all put away!

16. church unity in our city with a city-wide church service this morning. It was so awesome!

17. teachable moments in my life - this fall, through a particular circumstance and how I responded, I feel myself learning a few lessons on extending grace and being sensitive towards others. And, yes, I can say I AM thankful for those teachable moments.

18. dreams. We are currently cooking up some plans for summer travels (which very well may include visitting some orphanages in Mexico again!). I'm getting excited. Praying God reveals His will in all this.

19. hugs

20. naps. LOVE my naps:-)

January 6

Counting my Blessings

8. White snow blanket.

9. A new bed ordered! Woohoo!

10. Laughter & fun over games.

11. Tug of war with our dog.

12. Surprise visit from family.

13. Purring cats.

14. Health for today.

----------------

Today I ate....

0-5 @ 11:30 - cereal & banana, 2 pcs raisin toast w/ margarine

0-5 @ 5pm - orange beef teriyaki & rice, broccoli, 1 pc raisin toast & prunes

----------------

No exercise.

Got my laundry going today.

Didn't get budgetting on a roll quite yet.

January 5

Counting my Blessings

1. GORGEOUS spring like weather in JANUARY! Melting snow. Sweaters. Blue skies.

2. Relaxing back massage. 1 hour to be precise. Felt wonderful:-)

3. Campfires. Family cozied up. Moon shining. Food sizzling.

4. Family movie nights.

5. Visit with a good friend.

6. Snowforts + Snowmen + Snowballs = kids having fun!!!

7. HoliDAYS! Just another couple days and then back to work and school we all go.

------------------------------

Today I ate....
0/1-5 @9am (cornflakes & banana with milk)
2-5 @ 1pm (chicken salad wrap, grapes, nuts)
1-5 @ 5pm (1/2 hot dog & bun, bannock, orange juice, kiwi & orange slices, dried prunes, chips)
3-4 @8pm (1/2 glass fruit/milk smoothie)

No exercise today :-( Hoping to get into the habit/routine next week when we all return to regular school schedules.

New Year Goals

It's been awhile since I posted....I know, I know. December was a tough month. I got sucked back into sugary treats, a very long sliiiippppperyyyyyy slope.

But I'm not giving up. I press on. And I'm back to saying no to sugary treats...until June! My last goal was just to make it past Halloween, and I was able to stick with that goal. Now a new goal.

So here are some goals I'd like to set for myself, in no particular order, for the upcoming 6 months.

#1. Daily posts right here on my blog.
I think this will help me remain accountable. No matter how short or long of a check-in, it will keep me on my toes. I'm contemplating even posting a daily eating log....not sure if this would be beneficial or not, so we'll see.

#2. No sugary treats until June.
Primarily cutting out desserts and other high sugar items as I was doing in October/November.

#3. I will continue working towards 0-5 (hunger-fullness) eating.
I know that I need to be present and purposeful in this area. I want to focus on real heart health. I just know that all this extra weight is not good for my heart. So for the next little while, I'm going to try tackling my motivation from that angle. We'll see how that works:-) (I think "heart health" could be explored a bit more. I'll have to chew on this concept and post about it later.)

#4. Exercise 5 days each week.
I'm not going to say how much each time, but I'd like some good cardio workouts and I'd also like to incorporate some weights and toning exercises. I'm going to have to figure out how to squeeze that into my schedule. Right now I'm contemplating begging my husbad to join me on this challenge - at 6:30 each morning. I'm not sure he will go for that! But that would be awesome:-)

#5. Read through the Bible in one year.
I'm excited about this goal. A few of my friends from church are doing this with me. So it will be good to have some accountability and company.

#6. Run a load of laundry a couple times throughout the weekdays.
I'd love to get a better system with this chore. I find I always save that dirty laundry until it is a mountainload of work. Definitely my least favorite and most procrastinated household chore.

#7. Budget updates daily.
I need to create a habit to ensure I keep inputting our spending daily, rather than waiting for it to pile up into a mountain of receipts.......kind of like the laundry:-)

#8. Count my blessing DAILY.
Oh this list is getting long, I know! But I KNOW this is something I MUST do. I can't skip out on this one! I will aim to note 500 blessings in the next 6 months. This one gets me excited:-)

I think that is enough "new" goals to add to my new year. On top of all the other top relationship priorities in my life - with my husband, kids, family, friends and others God may be calling me to. Life sure can be full & fun! Thank you Lord.