I'm a mom on a mission to get my kids through the jungle of puberty while keeping my sanity along the journey.
Welcome
Join me in my daily walk through the joys and struggles of parenthood. Share a word of encouragement or be encouraged. Cry a little, laugh a lot, but know it is all in divine order.
by:
C. W. Longenecker
If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are out classed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of your-self before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.
Have you
ever discovered something about yourself by accident? I just discovered that I
am considered an old person. It
happened while I was attending a friend’s bridal shower (not the becoming old
part, but the discovery that I am old).
Usually it’s
my teens who help me make life discovers, but this time it was the teen niece
of a friend. We standing at the candy table during the shower, stuffing our
goodie bags with assorted candies. There were Starbursts, M & M’s, Kisses,
white mints and peppermints, to name a few.
After
gathering my share of chocolates, I topped my bag off with a handful of red and
white peppermints. It was then that I tuned into the conversation between my
friend’s niece and one of her other aunt’s
Aunt: “What
kind of candy do you want?”
Niece: “I’ll
have some of the mints, the white ones, not the other ones. Those are for old
people.”
I put a
twist tie on my goodie bag and carried my old person candy to my seat. I
couldn’t help but chuckle as I remembered when I also thought peppermints were
the candy of choice for old people. As a young girl, whenever I complained of a
dry mouth or sore throat, my grandmother had a peppermint on hand.
In my near
old age, I still find peppermints soothing. In fact, I have discovered that
there are health benefits to peppermints. Here are 5 benefits of peppermints.
1.Tames stomach problems – peppermints
are not a cure all, but they have been said to aid with problems .com) as
nausea, menstrual cramps and irritable bowel syndrome. An Italian study found
that symptoms of IBS were significantly reduced among 75% of patients who took
peppermint oil capsules for a month (huffingtonpost).
2.May relieve a stuffy nose – one of
the biggest ingredients in peppermint is menthol. This minty smell is found in
many of the over-the-counter cold remedies. There’s not much evidence that
sniffing peppermint actually clears the nasal passages, but it seems to trick
the brain that there are benefits.
3.Eases tension headaches – most often
tension headaches are brought on by stress and anxiety. A study (1996) showed
that rubbing a peppermint oil solution on the forehead and temples, eased
headache pain after 15 minutes.
4.Curbs cravings – in a study in 2011,
people were asked to smell peppermint oil every two hours. They reported not
feeling as hungry as people who did not get a whiff of the oil.
5.Peppermint could boost concentration
– research conducted by Wheeling Jesuit University linked smelling peppermint
to greater alertness, motivation and performance.
Although you
do not have to eat peppermints to reap the health benefits, I will still
continue to let the sweet treat line the bottom of my purse; or fill my candy
jar. According to the guidelines of a teen, I am an old person, so I am allowed
to eat peppermints without further judgment.
Have you
made any discoveries about yourself lately?
It’s the
second week of two-a-days. For my son this means two football practices a day
for two weeks. For me this means adding to the grocery list, organizing
drop-off/pick up at practice time and additional loads of laundry.
When my son
is a part of a team…I am part of the team. He suits up, so do I.My son puts on his girdle, I put on my
girdle. We both head to the field wearing the school colors. It is officially
high school football season.
Do you have
a child who plays sports? What are indicators that the season is upon you?
Below are 5 signs that high school football is near.
1.You receive reminders about the
deadline for sports physicals.
2.You have to sell discount coupon cards.
3.Your son show you pictures of all the
latest (expensive) cleats.
4.You’re riding around with a stadium
chair in the trunk of your car.
5.You receive emails asking you to
volunteer.
Once you
have recognized the signs that your season is changing, you prepare accordingly.
Just as you dress differently from fall to winter, you must also adjust your
schedule from one sport or activity to the next for your child. For our
household, this means Friday nights will revolve around football games.
It’s not all
bad being a sports parent. It can be a time for socializing with other parents
and building relationships. You just have to remember to watch the game too
because your child will ask you, “Did you see my play?”
Is your
child involved in activities outside of school? What are the indicators that
it’s time to begin a new season or session?
What do you
do when you can’t pray away the pounds? Change your prayer. If you’ve ever
struggled with your weight, you know that there is no easy fix for maintaining
weight loss goals. It’s hard work.
I’ve tried
wishing the pounds away, “Lord, I sure wish I could lose seven pounds or even
five.” It didn’t work.Then I prayed for
the strength to get up each morning to make the drive to the fitness center.
Next, I
prayed for courage to walk out of the locker room with my head up, even when
the scale didn’t display the results I wanted. In my mind, lights flickered,
digital numbers rapidly increased, then a warning flashed the message “wide
load.” This is when I realized that sometimes you have to laugh at yourself.
What does it
take to jump start a healthy lifestyle? Identify your goals and make them
measurable. Is your goal to eat healthier, exercise more or to lose weight by a
certain date? You can do it by making small changes each day.
One goal
could be, “I will snack on fruit today instead of chips.” If your goal is to
exercise more, what does that look
like? If you like to walk on a treadmill, perhaps your goal would be to add 10
minutes to the time you normally walk.
If you fall
short of your goal, don’t beat yourself up. Get through the day with a little
positive self-talk and start over the next day. Come up with a daily mantra – I
am happy, healthy and terrific; or scripture – I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me. When you say this enough, you believe it and you
feel better.
One thing
I’ve learned as I continue to reassess, reevaluate, and rethink my weight
loss/maintenance goals, it’s not always about me. Sometimes your struggle can
be a blessing to someone else.
Recently,
the adult mime ministry at my church ministered to the song, Not Me Lord, You! By Paul S. Morton.
When I compare this song to my weight loss issues, I just have to say, it’s not
about me. My lesson can be a blessin’ to someone else.
Adult Mime Ministry in order of appearance: Heidi J., Me, Carol B.
If you are
struggling with your weight, set a goal to change one thing tomorrow. I
attended a seminar recently where the speaker asked us, “How do you eat an
elephant?” The answer was, “One bite at a time.” Don’t be overwhelmed by the
big picture, break your task into smaller pieces.
No matter
what…love the skin you’re in. And while you’re working out, you can pray for
the strength to lift that dumbbell one more time. What twill you do differently
tomorrow?
“Success is
the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” – Robert J. Collier
This is a story of persistence that you may have seen before, but it's worth viewing again.
Shake it off and take a step up
One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The
animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.
Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up
anyway; so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They
each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realizing what
was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly. Then, a few
shovelfuls later, he quieted down completely.
The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what
he saw. With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing
something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of
dirt. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal,
he would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and
trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of all the neighbors. Life is going
to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well
is to not let it bury you, but to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our
troubles is a stepping stone.
We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!
Shake it off and take a step up!
And finally, the donkey gave the farmer who tried to bury him a
good kicking.
Did you know
that there is a day of the year set aside for relaxing? National Relaxation Day
is celebrated on August 15th. My teens obviously began celebrating
this day long before I heard about it. In fact, I think they celebrate weekly.
If I ask one
of my boys to do something while they’re watching TV or playing a video game,
they respond with, “Ma, I’m trying to relax.” No worries. When its dinner time
and I’m asked what’s for dinner. I respond with, “I’m sorry I didn’t cook yet.
I needed to relax.”
Is there any
among us who could benefit from a relaxed day? How would you choose to relax?
Below are 7 ways to get you started on your day of relaxation.
1.Try Yoga – start your morning
stretches that help relax tense muscles.
2.Take a day off from technology – log off
social media, power down your laptop and reacquaint yourself with silence for
one day.
3.Have a picnic at a park – take advantage
of the warm days of summer and venture out to a local park and take a picnic
meal with you.
4.Watch a movie – watch something funny
or a favorite movie that will take your mind off any worries.
5.Read – read something inspirational.
Here’s another opportunity to head out to a park, find a quiet spot under a
tree and take your mind off reality for a while.
6.Take a bubble bath – absorb yourself in
bubbles and listen to relaxing music.
7.Eat an ice cream cone and don’t worry
about the calories.
It you want
more ideas check out the article at The Huffing Post. The article guides you
through an ultimate day of relaxation hour by hour.
Now that you
know a National Day of Relaxation exists, how will you celebrate?
Are you a
lover of the written word? Get ready, get ready, get ready, it’s almost
National Book Lover’s Day. You still have time to prepare for this national day
which is celebrated on August 9th.This is a great time to get lost in a book.
Celebrate
Book Lover’s Day with one of the ideas below.
1.Read to a young child (and make all
the voices of the characters) – relive the child in you; act out a character,
act silly and laugh a lot.
2.Host a book lover’s party – do you
have friends who also love to read? Invite them over for smoothies, snacks and
book related trivia.
3.Givea book to someone as a gift
4.Read a book by an author new to you –
you could also try reading a book in a genre that you wouldn’t normally read.
If you like romance novels, try reading a mystery with a touch of romance.
5.Support a local bookstore
6.Revisit a favorite book – is there a
book by your favorite author that you haven’t
7.Visit your local library
If you like
to read, but you’re not sure that you would call yourself a book lover, check
out the sure signs of a book lover below.
1.You pull a book out of your purse and
start reading while standing in a checkout line.
2.You drag in tired for work because
you stayed awake late the night before trying to finish the book you’re
reading.
3.You visit relatives for the Holiday,
after dinner when everyone is sharing stories, you pull out a book.
4.While at your child’s sporting event,
you read a book between quarters and during timeouts.
5.You talk to a friend about the
characters in your book as though they are real people.
6.When you receive a gift card to a
bookstore, you jump up and down as if you’d just won a lottery.
7.The staff at your local library know
you by name.
Do you have
suggestions for celebrating National Book Lover’s Day? No matter how many ways
you decide to celebrate this literary occasion, be sure to kick back and relax
with a good book.
As the kids prepare
for back to school, it’s also a good time to schedule a visit to the doctor. It
can sometimes be a challenge trying to encourage our children to live a healthy
lifestyle. Scheduling a doctor’s appointment for my teen son brought back
memories of an appointment he had several years ago.
I had
forgotten about the questions the doctor asks or I would have prepared my son
and myself. But what ten year old can’t speak for himself? The doctor asked,
“How many times a day do you brush your teeth ?” I looked away because I knew
the answer and it wasn’t good. There was a pregnant pause as my son stared at
the doctor with a smirk on his face.
I finally
blurted out, “One time a day.” The ugly truth was out, I didn’t follow through
to make sure my son brushed as he should. Although I tell him repeatedly to
brush, I don’t stand over him to be sure it is done (clearly this is what he
needs).
The doctor
tried her hand at reasoning with my son. She said, “You have to brush on a
regular basis. What if you go to school and someone says you have stinky
breath?” My son softly replied, “It doesn’t matter what other people think of
me.” I silently thought to myself, you’re on your
own doc.”
I’m glad my
son has a positive self image, but sometimes I wish he would learn when to use
it. The volley of questions and answers continued. “Do you eat fruits and
vegetables?” the doctor asked.
“Yes, when
my mom gives them to me.”
Oh, sure the
ball was back in my court now. Of course I provide fruits and vegetables. My
son even knows the number of servings he should have each day.
“Do you
drink milk?” She continued.
“Only when I
eat cereal.”
The doctor
looked at me and suggested giving the kids a multivitamin daily. “Chewable
vitamins are sufficient and they taste pretty good too,” she said looking at my
son.
“Can I get
the gummie ones?” my son said with a wide grin.
I’m sure the
doctor wasn’t sad to see us leave. She had experienced my daily challenge first
hand. My kids understand what it means to be healthy. The challenge is getting
them to practice healthy living (eating balanced meals, brushing teeth
regularly, etc.).
A fun
website for teaching kids about health and nutrition is www.nourishinteractive.com. The
site has interactive games that teach kids about the food pyramid. It also
tells them how to balance eating and activity. There
are individual sections for kids, parents and educators.
Has your
child ever had a doctor’s visit that was out of the ordinary? What do you do to
encourage a healthy lifestyle with your child?
