Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Friday Follow-up
Little girl was due to have her follow-up appointment with the doctor this afternoon. Unfortunately there was a scheduling mishap and she was not on the schedule for today. After waiting awhile for the doctor to call we finally got an update.
The kidneys are healthy. Praise God!
I shared with her the improvement we have seen. Which we are both thankful for. It has not fully improved at this time as she is still 30-60 minutes between bathroom visits but notable improvement with longer stretches at times. I also shared with her some new family medical history that I discovered this week. She was overjoyed at the news. It was like a huge boulder had been lifted from her and she audibly breathed out a sigh of relief. We will continue to look into the family history and see how it ties in with the current situation.
What she shared next was a huge Thank You Lord. She said she is very confident it is not a brain tumor. Praise God. As a brain tumor would not have improved at all and would have been accompanied with other symptoms.
Then she said she really did not feel that it was diabetes either. Praise God.
And we both had already ruled out the other option. Praise God.
So the uncertainties of last week are looking like they are no longer a concern. I still do not have definite answers. But I do know, God is in control. I know that we are covered in prayer. I am trusting that this will fully resolve itself, soon.
Thank you for your prayers and kind words over the last week. I truly appreciate each and every one.
Onto other news, I did go to see the Spirit of the Marathon movie. It was fabulous. I laughed. I cried. I left inspired. I am not sure what they plan to do with post production but I highly recommend seeing it. Whether you run or not you will be moved by these runners as they share their story. The motivation, the training, the injuries. Their struggles. their triumphant. It truly is remarkable.
Today was my first Michigan History lesson. I did all my research. I wrote the presentation and delivered it 3 times this morning to eager and attentive children, grades K-4th. It was really fun. After I got over my initial fears of doing it on my own. I really enjoyed myself. History is exciting stuff.
I found this You Tube of Sungha Jung on a video blog. This 11 year old guitar prodigy is incredible. Actually he is only 10 in this video. He blows me away. If you click on the link you will find many other songs he has preformed. AMAZING! I hope you enjoy this video of him playing Canon in D.
Canon in D - Sungha Jung (2nd time)
The kidneys are healthy. Praise God!
I shared with her the improvement we have seen. Which we are both thankful for. It has not fully improved at this time as she is still 30-60 minutes between bathroom visits but notable improvement with longer stretches at times. I also shared with her some new family medical history that I discovered this week. She was overjoyed at the news. It was like a huge boulder had been lifted from her and she audibly breathed out a sigh of relief. We will continue to look into the family history and see how it ties in with the current situation.
What she shared next was a huge Thank You Lord. She said she is very confident it is not a brain tumor. Praise God. As a brain tumor would not have improved at all and would have been accompanied with other symptoms.
Then she said she really did not feel that it was diabetes either. Praise God.
And we both had already ruled out the other option. Praise God.
So the uncertainties of last week are looking like they are no longer a concern. I still do not have definite answers. But I do know, God is in control. I know that we are covered in prayer. I am trusting that this will fully resolve itself, soon.
Thank you for your prayers and kind words over the last week. I truly appreciate each and every one.
Onto other news, I did go to see the Spirit of the Marathon movie. It was fabulous. I laughed. I cried. I left inspired. I am not sure what they plan to do with post production but I highly recommend seeing it. Whether you run or not you will be moved by these runners as they share their story. The motivation, the training, the injuries. Their struggles. their triumphant. It truly is remarkable.
Today was my first Michigan History lesson. I did all my research. I wrote the presentation and delivered it 3 times this morning to eager and attentive children, grades K-4th. It was really fun. After I got over my initial fears of doing it on my own. I really enjoyed myself. History is exciting stuff.
I found this You Tube of Sungha Jung on a video blog. This 11 year old guitar prodigy is incredible. Actually he is only 10 in this video. He blows me away. If you click on the link you will find many other songs he has preformed. AMAZING! I hope you enjoy this video of him playing Canon in D.
Canon in D - Sungha Jung (2nd time)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Awakened
ROOF ROOF, the deep bellow of our dogs bark awakened me. I jumped out of bed to see what was setting her off. She was stressed, scrambling around the kitchen and barking at the unknown.
I checked the front door, locked. I went to the back door to check it as well. My heart was pounding hard and was soon matched with pounding on our side door. I hurried to the back door and locked it as quick as I could. The visitor heard me at the back and announced himself, "Police, open up the door."
Now our side door is solid steel, no windows, no peephole. There was no way I was going to open the door, police or not to an unknown visitor, especially at 11:30pm. I yelled out to the officer to please go to the front door where I could see him. Which he did.
Now let me remind you that I was awakened from a peaceful sleep. I was slightly confused and disoriented. I peered out the front window trying to confirm the mans identity. He looked like a police officer but one can never be sure. So there I stood looking at him trying to decide what was happening. Then his female partner came around the corner of the house, also in full uniform and I knew he truly was an officer.
I cracked the door and he asked for me to secure the dog, which I did. Then I returned to the door to answer the interrogation that followed.
Police Officer(PO)- "Are you ok ma'am?"
Me- Yes, I was sleeping.
PO- "Who is in the house with you?"
Me- "My two kids, they are sleeping."
PO- "We received a report that you may be in danger. Are you sure you are ok?"
ME- "Yes, I'm ok."
PO- "Someone heard yelling coming from the house and was concerned for your safety. Any yelling or disputing tonight?"
ME- "I yelled at my son to turn off his light and go to bed."
PO- Something was said about an Eric who supposably was involved in the dispute, "Who is Eric, ma'am?"
ME- "No Eric here."
It was at this time that he took a good look at the house number. He read off our house address and I confirmed it.
PO- "I'm sorry ma'am. I have the wrong house."
PO2- "Sorry, go back to sleep and have a good night."
They walked away as my heart continued to pound. I called hubby to relate the happenings. He asked what I was wearing, I had not even thought about this. Thankfully, I was cold when I went to bed so I was fully dressed in my workout clothes.
After my heart rate returned to normal I tucked myself back into bed and went to sleep. Dreaming about being awakened.
I checked the front door, locked. I went to the back door to check it as well. My heart was pounding hard and was soon matched with pounding on our side door. I hurried to the back door and locked it as quick as I could. The visitor heard me at the back and announced himself, "Police, open up the door."
Now our side door is solid steel, no windows, no peephole. There was no way I was going to open the door, police or not to an unknown visitor, especially at 11:30pm. I yelled out to the officer to please go to the front door where I could see him. Which he did.
Now let me remind you that I was awakened from a peaceful sleep. I was slightly confused and disoriented. I peered out the front window trying to confirm the mans identity. He looked like a police officer but one can never be sure. So there I stood looking at him trying to decide what was happening. Then his female partner came around the corner of the house, also in full uniform and I knew he truly was an officer.
I cracked the door and he asked for me to secure the dog, which I did. Then I returned to the door to answer the interrogation that followed.
Police Officer(PO)- "Are you ok ma'am?"
Me- Yes, I was sleeping.
PO- "Who is in the house with you?"
Me- "My two kids, they are sleeping."
PO- "We received a report that you may be in danger. Are you sure you are ok?"
ME- "Yes, I'm ok."
PO- "Someone heard yelling coming from the house and was concerned for your safety. Any yelling or disputing tonight?"
ME- "I yelled at my son to turn off his light and go to bed."
PO- Something was said about an Eric who supposably was involved in the dispute, "Who is Eric, ma'am?"
ME- "No Eric here."
It was at this time that he took a good look at the house number. He read off our house address and I confirmed it.
PO- "I'm sorry ma'am. I have the wrong house."
PO2- "Sorry, go back to sleep and have a good night."
They walked away as my heart continued to pound. I called hubby to relate the happenings. He asked what I was wearing, I had not even thought about this. Thankfully, I was cold when I went to bed so I was fully dressed in my workout clothes.
After my heart rate returned to normal I tucked myself back into bed and went to sleep. Dreaming about being awakened.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Update: Little Girl
I have been remiss on giving an update on little girl.
We went to the ultrasound on Monday. We had a fabulous technician and I felt really blessed by her. She was bubbly and kind. She had over 20 years of experience and she worked really well with my daughter. Little girl thought it was fun to see inside her body so she was at peace during the whole procedure which only took a few minutes. She looked thoroughly at her kidneys and we were told they are "pretty kidney's." They looked good and no obvious problems there. Then she looked at her bladder to make sure she is emptying completely. She is! Which is a good thing. It means nothing is restricting her from going. Lastly she told us her daughter had a similar situation when she was 4. It corrected itself and all they did was lengthen the times between bathroom visits. So definitely hopeful there.
I think things are improving. I am at peace about things and very hopeful that we will receive a good report on Friday. Already she has lengthened the time between bathroom visits to 30-60 minutes. A HUGE improvement from the 3-10 it was on last Friday.
I know many people are praying for her, including many of you, my bloggy friends. Thanks you!
Still standing on the rock.
We went to the ultrasound on Monday. We had a fabulous technician and I felt really blessed by her. She was bubbly and kind. She had over 20 years of experience and she worked really well with my daughter. Little girl thought it was fun to see inside her body so she was at peace during the whole procedure which only took a few minutes. She looked thoroughly at her kidneys and we were told they are "pretty kidney's." They looked good and no obvious problems there. Then she looked at her bladder to make sure she is emptying completely. She is! Which is a good thing. It means nothing is restricting her from going. Lastly she told us her daughter had a similar situation when she was 4. It corrected itself and all they did was lengthen the times between bathroom visits. So definitely hopeful there.
I think things are improving. I am at peace about things and very hopeful that we will receive a good report on Friday. Already she has lengthened the time between bathroom visits to 30-60 minutes. A HUGE improvement from the 3-10 it was on last Friday.
I know many people are praying for her, including many of you, my bloggy friends. Thanks you!
Still standing on the rock.
Monday, February 18, 2008
I'm Gonna Stand on the Rock
Little girl has been dancing around the house for the last couple of weeks singing this song. We videotaped it this morning for your listening and viewing pleasure. I hope it blesses you as much as it does me.
In the midst of frustration over bodily functions, she has remained full of joy. If anything she is more full of praise and joy than normal. I know right now she is covered in prayer. So many have heard our prayer request and are lifting her and our family up before the throne. It is so evident. And so appreciated.
This afternoon we go in for the renal ultrasound at 3pm (EST) She isn't scared. She has a peace about her. I think she is intrigued about seeing inside her body "and they aren't even going to cut me open to see in there."
The frequency of bathroom trips has lessened, she actually went an hour and a half yesterday without visiting the bathroom. Praise God, this fills me with hope. I don't know what is going on inside my daughters body, I have an idea of what's going on inside her heart. So for now we're gonna stand on the rock and believe that he has a plan and a purpose and His name will receive all the glory.
In the midst of frustration over bodily functions, she has remained full of joy. If anything she is more full of praise and joy than normal. I know right now she is covered in prayer. So many have heard our prayer request and are lifting her and our family up before the throne. It is so evident. And so appreciated.
This afternoon we go in for the renal ultrasound at 3pm (EST) She isn't scared. She has a peace about her. I think she is intrigued about seeing inside her body "and they aren't even going to cut me open to see in there."
The frequency of bathroom trips has lessened, she actually went an hour and a half yesterday without visiting the bathroom. Praise God, this fills me with hope. I don't know what is going on inside my daughters body, I have an idea of what's going on inside her heart. So for now we're gonna stand on the rock and believe that he has a plan and a purpose and His name will receive all the glory.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Prayer for Little Girl
It's been a bit of a stressful week. I have not been blogging much lately and trust me it is not because there is not anything to talk about.
On Saturday we took little girl to Urgent Care and were told she had a UTI (urinary tract infection) We went to the pharmacy and started her on a course of antibiotic.
Tuesday there was no change in the frequency of her bathroom needs so we stopped in quick to the Urgent Care to see if the culture report came back. The doctor had said he was sending it in and they should know something Monday or Tuesday at the latest. The culture came back as no growth. Odd but ok. The doctor was curious about her blood sugar so they pricked her finger and the number was in the normal range.
Today I took her into the family doctor as there has been no change and was feeling concerned. The news NOT GOOD.
They decided that it was NOT a UTI. What it is? There are no definite answers yet. The top 4 things on their list:
1 Kidney Malformation or abnormality
2 Diabetes
3 Inappropriate touch
4 Brain Tumor
Let's just say any and all of these things make me shudder. To think that there is something wrong that will not be fixed with a simple prescription is frightening. I was ok with UTI, taking a 10 course of antibiotic and being all better. Thinking that it is more, makes me want to cry. I haven't yet, simply because I am trying to keep a clear mind and wait for true answers. And at the same time none of the 4 options given really make sense. How do any of these things just randomly show up? Her issue is frequent urination (every 3-10 minutes) She is in no pain. Anywhere, not her abdomen, not her head, nor her kidney region. She does not have a long list of symptoms, just one. Frequent urination. And now that we are just over a week of dealing with it she is emotionally frustrated. Who wouldn't be. We can not go anywhere without having to use their facilities (many times.) She says no one has touched her and I completely believe her. She hasn't been in any situations in the last 2 months were I could even concieve something happening to her. But she says no one has touched her and I have to believe her. After the stink she raised about getting her finger pricked the doctor said she was not the typical victim. She is one to speak her mind, LOUDLY, if necessary and would not let it go unnoticed. She communicates effectively and is private about private parts. She doesn't even like her brother to see her in her underwear. Having someone get close enough to even consider harming her, highly unlikely. And again the thought makes me shudder.
I really need prayers for little girl. We have a renal ultrasound on Monday to take a look at her kidneys. Pray that we find out what the issue is.
I am off now to Google frequent urination. There has to be other options to consider.
On Saturday we took little girl to Urgent Care and were told she had a UTI (urinary tract infection) We went to the pharmacy and started her on a course of antibiotic.
Tuesday there was no change in the frequency of her bathroom needs so we stopped in quick to the Urgent Care to see if the culture report came back. The doctor had said he was sending it in and they should know something Monday or Tuesday at the latest. The culture came back as no growth. Odd but ok. The doctor was curious about her blood sugar so they pricked her finger and the number was in the normal range.
Today I took her into the family doctor as there has been no change and was feeling concerned. The news NOT GOOD.
They decided that it was NOT a UTI. What it is? There are no definite answers yet. The top 4 things on their list:
1 Kidney Malformation or abnormality
2 Diabetes
3 Inappropriate touch
4 Brain Tumor
Let's just say any and all of these things make me shudder. To think that there is something wrong that will not be fixed with a simple prescription is frightening. I was ok with UTI, taking a 10 course of antibiotic and being all better. Thinking that it is more, makes me want to cry. I haven't yet, simply because I am trying to keep a clear mind and wait for true answers. And at the same time none of the 4 options given really make sense. How do any of these things just randomly show up? Her issue is frequent urination (every 3-10 minutes) She is in no pain. Anywhere, not her abdomen, not her head, nor her kidney region. She does not have a long list of symptoms, just one. Frequent urination. And now that we are just over a week of dealing with it she is emotionally frustrated. Who wouldn't be. We can not go anywhere without having to use their facilities (many times.) She says no one has touched her and I completely believe her. She hasn't been in any situations in the last 2 months were I could even concieve something happening to her. But she says no one has touched her and I have to believe her. After the stink she raised about getting her finger pricked the doctor said she was not the typical victim. She is one to speak her mind, LOUDLY, if necessary and would not let it go unnoticed. She communicates effectively and is private about private parts. She doesn't even like her brother to see her in her underwear. Having someone get close enough to even consider harming her, highly unlikely. And again the thought makes me shudder.
I really need prayers for little girl. We have a renal ultrasound on Monday to take a look at her kidneys. Pray that we find out what the issue is.
I am off now to Google frequent urination. There has to be other options to consider.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Wanted
I am in need of childcare for the evening of Thursday February 21st from about 6:45-9:00pm
The reason I am in need of childcare is because I really want to go see this. It is a one night only showing, I missed the one is January not realizing that they were running it for only one night. I am in need of some inspiration and if you watch the movie trailer, I think this movie will provide just that.
I am also in need of a person to go and see it with me. Any one want to join me? Anyone want to take my kids?
The reason I am in need of childcare is because I really want to go see this. It is a one night only showing, I missed the one is January not realizing that they were running it for only one night. I am in need of some inspiration and if you watch the movie trailer, I think this movie will provide just that.
I am also in need of a person to go and see it with me. Any one want to join me? Anyone want to take my kids?
Thursday, February 07, 2008
We Have Made Our Decisions
We went with the sled based chairs.
Thanks to those who left comments!
Originally I thought I would choose black, as it would stain less and match the desks. Then I thought, "Hey these are THEIR chairs and who cares if they are covered in marker in year." They are going to spend a large majority of their time in them so I thought it best to let them decide on the color.
Little girl went with red. And the boy went with sunset (orange)
It's a good thing I got the order in today. I just received an email that the desks have been shipped. Which means they will be here on or before Monday. Woohoo! Which means I need to finalize the cleaning project.
Thanks to those who left comments!
Originally I thought I would choose black, as it would stain less and match the desks. Then I thought, "Hey these are THEIR chairs and who cares if they are covered in marker in year." They are going to spend a large majority of their time in them so I thought it best to let them decide on the color.
Little girl went with red. And the boy went with sunset (orange)
It's a good thing I got the order in today. I just received an email that the desks have been shipped. Which means they will be here on or before Monday. Woohoo! Which means I need to finalize the cleaning project.
He Cracks
My winter loving snow bunny has had enough.
Yesterday he said, "I can't wait for Spring. I like Winter with Christmas presents and snow but I wish it were Spring."
Mid-Michigan was dumped on with snow. All the schools are closed in the area, except ours. I figure he would rather do a Phonics lesson now rather than the middle of Summer when his friends ring the door bell wanting to play. So as for me and my house, we will be doing school. For the rest of Mid-Michigan, enjoy your snow day.
Yesterday he said, "I can't wait for Spring. I like Winter with Christmas presents and snow but I wish it were Spring."
Mid-Michigan was dumped on with snow. All the schools are closed in the area, except ours. I figure he would rather do a Phonics lesson now rather than the middle of Summer when his friends ring the door bell wanting to play. So as for me and my house, we will be doing school. For the rest of Mid-Michigan, enjoy your snow day.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
A Little Help Here
The following two chair styles are ones I am considering.
Four legged.
$20.79
Or sled based.
$31.00
I need some help here. Should I go with the 4-legged chair or the sled based. My kids tend to rock their chairs up onto 2 legs. Will the sled based not allow them to do that? Or will it be more dangerous, should they try? Price is not as much of a concern as safety is.
Next, should I go with standard black or let them pick out their own color?
For more on why I need chairs, see here.
Please people, I need a little your help.
Four legged.
$20.79
Or sled based.
$31.00
I need some help here. Should I go with the 4-legged chair or the sled based. My kids tend to rock their chairs up onto 2 legs. Will the sled based not allow them to do that? Or will it be more dangerous, should they try? Price is not as much of a concern as safety is.
Next, should I go with standard black or let them pick out their own color?
For more on why I need chairs, see here.
Please people, I need a little your help.
A Bed Is For Sleeping
A bed is for sleeping in.
A couch is for lounging around.
A kitchen table is where you eat your meals.
The toilet is for (hopefully I don't need to fill in the blank for you on this one.)
For so long our kitchen table has been the hub of our every day activity.
We eat breakfast at the table.
We do school at the table.
Arts and crafts, yup, the table,
Lunch.
Dinner.
Game nights, most likely the table.
So much of our lives revolve around this one piece of furniture. If you take one look at it you can tell. It is scrapped and scratched. It has remnants of nail polish. The underside is one giant unapproved art canvas. The kitchen chairs are beat to pieces. Some are literally falling apart. Others are stained. They really were white once. Really.
Because so much activity happens in our kitchen I think it has caused major distractions to my boy. And a first grade boy does not need any additional distractions. Trust me on this one.
Some of my recent frustration has been over the fact that the kids are unable to focus. Some of this is due to character development, which we are working on. Other factors are it is easy to be distracted in the kitchen. There is food! Snacks calling to the kids from the snack bowl. There is a giant sliding door with a portal to the outside world, where snow beckons. Then there is the dog, that has an attention disorder, she demands it. The kids can be in the middle of a lesson and she will drop her ball in their laps begging for some one to play with her. What 6 year old boy would not love to play with their dog rather than do their school work? Mine throws the ball and tells her to bring it back. So...you see the distractions in place. It is so not working for me at the moment.
The solution:
A school room.
We have more than enough space in our basement. There is no food in our basement. There will be no dog in the basement. No ringing phone to pull me away from teaching. My hope is to create a positive learning environment that my kids can thrive in.
I ordered two of these desks. They will be delivered sometime in the next 2-4 weeks.
I like that they are adjustable to grow with the kids. I am glad they have a large surface area. And the cubby on the side is perfect for the books they use daily. I figure we can make a tray or something, to put the essentials in for the top cubby. Now I am in the process of finding chairs. At first I wanted adjustable chairs. But it appears they only exist in swivel varieties and I really don' think we need swivel chairs. So I may go with the smaller size chairs and move up as the kids grow. I want something where the kids can put their feet on the floor. Which is one disadvantage of kitchen table chairs. And I know the result of those. On knees or as is most days, children hanging upside down on them.
Since the basement has been pretty messy lately, I am in the process of getting it in order. Things are coming together.
Pretty soon, in our house:
The living room will be for entertainment and relaxing.
The bedroom will be for solitary play and sleeping.
The kitchen will be for eating.
And the school room will be for learning!
A couch is for lounging around.
A kitchen table is where you eat your meals.
The toilet is for (hopefully I don't need to fill in the blank for you on this one.)
For so long our kitchen table has been the hub of our every day activity.
We eat breakfast at the table.
We do school at the table.
Arts and crafts, yup, the table,
Lunch.
Dinner.
Game nights, most likely the table.
So much of our lives revolve around this one piece of furniture. If you take one look at it you can tell. It is scrapped and scratched. It has remnants of nail polish. The underside is one giant unapproved art canvas. The kitchen chairs are beat to pieces. Some are literally falling apart. Others are stained. They really were white once. Really.
Because so much activity happens in our kitchen I think it has caused major distractions to my boy. And a first grade boy does not need any additional distractions. Trust me on this one.
Some of my recent frustration has been over the fact that the kids are unable to focus. Some of this is due to character development, which we are working on. Other factors are it is easy to be distracted in the kitchen. There is food! Snacks calling to the kids from the snack bowl. There is a giant sliding door with a portal to the outside world, where snow beckons. Then there is the dog, that has an attention disorder, she demands it. The kids can be in the middle of a lesson and she will drop her ball in their laps begging for some one to play with her. What 6 year old boy would not love to play with their dog rather than do their school work? Mine throws the ball and tells her to bring it back. So...you see the distractions in place. It is so not working for me at the moment.
The solution:
A school room.
We have more than enough space in our basement. There is no food in our basement. There will be no dog in the basement. No ringing phone to pull me away from teaching. My hope is to create a positive learning environment that my kids can thrive in.
I ordered two of these desks. They will be delivered sometime in the next 2-4 weeks.
I like that they are adjustable to grow with the kids. I am glad they have a large surface area. And the cubby on the side is perfect for the books they use daily. I figure we can make a tray or something, to put the essentials in for the top cubby. Now I am in the process of finding chairs. At first I wanted adjustable chairs. But it appears they only exist in swivel varieties and I really don' think we need swivel chairs. So I may go with the smaller size chairs and move up as the kids grow. I want something where the kids can put their feet on the floor. Which is one disadvantage of kitchen table chairs. And I know the result of those. On knees or as is most days, children hanging upside down on them.
Since the basement has been pretty messy lately, I am in the process of getting it in order. Things are coming together.
Pretty soon, in our house:
The living room will be for entertainment and relaxing.
The bedroom will be for solitary play and sleeping.
The kitchen will be for eating.
And the school room will be for learning!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Break Throughs and Break Downs
On the surface things in my life are great. I am achieving goals. Workouts have been great and my eating controlled. There are things that are going really really well. And then, just under the surface a pot is brewing. Feeling like a failure in different areas of my life. And there are things that don't seem to be going well at all.
So over the last 4 days I have had a few break downs. Bawling. Sorting through how I really feel. Trying to get to the true root of things. Discussions with my hubby and the kids. And crying some more. Yesterday at church I sat in my car (30 degrees mind you) for an hour not going into church. When I finally went in I was an emotional wreck and was unable to teach my class. I am sure many saw a side of me rarely seen. A casual "How are you doing?" Resulted in tears.
How am I doing? Well, today I would say I am much much better. I think I got a lot of junk out that I have been burying down deep, trying to ignore. I let the Lord minister to me during the church service and I think he finally broke through. We were singing the song, "Oh no, you never let go, through every high and every low, oh no, you never let go, Lord, you never let go of me." And I know its true, he has never once, even for a second let go of me. Yet I have slipped away at times. I have said to him as I would say to my kids, "Hold on a second, I will get to that in a little bit." During the service I was reminded of a time in my life when I was completely broken. And God got a hold of me and I sobbed and I sobbed at that time to the point of snot streaming out of my nose. And I remember thinking at that time, "I need to get this junk out." I thin that was what yesterday was for me, getting the junk out.
Today is a new day. I can work out some of the details that cause me stress. I am not left completely out of control. I can lean more on Christ. I can take action where action is needed. I can praise him in all things, whether good or bad. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
So over the last 4 days I have had a few break downs. Bawling. Sorting through how I really feel. Trying to get to the true root of things. Discussions with my hubby and the kids. And crying some more. Yesterday at church I sat in my car (30 degrees mind you) for an hour not going into church. When I finally went in I was an emotional wreck and was unable to teach my class. I am sure many saw a side of me rarely seen. A casual "How are you doing?" Resulted in tears.
How am I doing? Well, today I would say I am much much better. I think I got a lot of junk out that I have been burying down deep, trying to ignore. I let the Lord minister to me during the church service and I think he finally broke through. We were singing the song, "Oh no, you never let go, through every high and every low, oh no, you never let go, Lord, you never let go of me." And I know its true, he has never once, even for a second let go of me. Yet I have slipped away at times. I have said to him as I would say to my kids, "Hold on a second, I will get to that in a little bit." During the service I was reminded of a time in my life when I was completely broken. And God got a hold of me and I sobbed and I sobbed at that time to the point of snot streaming out of my nose. And I remember thinking at that time, "I need to get this junk out." I thin that was what yesterday was for me, getting the junk out.
Today is a new day. I can work out some of the details that cause me stress. I am not left completely out of control. I can lean more on Christ. I can take action where action is needed. I can praise him in all things, whether good or bad. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Secrets From My Food Diary
It's official, I have successfully logged every bite of food I have eaten for 31 days. The entire month of January. I started out writing in my notebook and tracking the basics, then on the 7th I found The Daily Plate(TDP) and kept at it electronically. At first I thought I would do it occasionally on TDP but found it rewarding and meaningful to keep at it. There are a lot of things you can tell about a person by reading their food diary. And lucky for you mine is public so you could read it for yourself if you so desired.
Here are a few secrets from January:
Guilty pleasure- Right Bites Chocolate Chip cookies (Keeblers 100 calorie snack packs)
I love the Hibachi Grill, we ate there twice. I had to enter it under a different restaurant to get it as close to possible.
I also ate at Subway 3 times. I don't consider this fast food. I did not eat what I would consider fast food (McDs or BK) at all. Yeah!
I have found I can eat the blandest of breakfast food with a glass of orange juice. I completely switched to healthy cereal (Go Lean by Kashi) and homemade oatmeal. I actually find them flavorful now at the end of the month. At the beginning, not so much.
I have reconnected with salads. Salad bags used to go bad before I even opened them. (Good intentions.) Now, I find I enjoy a salad every day or every other. I played around with making my own salad dressing but finally settled with Newmans Light honey mustard. Yum! I top my salads with a variety of things including, red peppers, carrots, almonds and rice noodles.
I get plenty of protein.
I get plenty of fiber.
Yogurt is a good safe snack. I stock my fridge with lots of different flavors. We try to have one a day. It has become the kids favorite snack.
I LOVE orange chicken. The sauce I make from scratch and it still has a lot of sodium. BUT my recipe is 2/3 less calories than my favorite at Applebees.
I have greatly improved by water intake but I still have some low intake days.
It also tells you about my fitness. What exercise I did for the day and how many calories I burned. Sometimes I remember to include the mileage. As for accurate swim, bike and run mileage check out the side bar.
Yesterday I swam half a mile. I believe this is my furthest distance during a workout to date. It felt really great. I see a much improved swim year for me this year. I also think I need to up my bike miles. I got the application in the mail for the family bike tour I want to do this summer. The first day is over 50 miles. So one day of biking is greater than my whole months total. I have to start somewhere.
There you have it some secrets from my food diary. There are many more I am sure but you will have to go discover them for yourself.
Here are a few secrets from January:
Guilty pleasure- Right Bites Chocolate Chip cookies (Keeblers 100 calorie snack packs)
I love the Hibachi Grill, we ate there twice. I had to enter it under a different restaurant to get it as close to possible.
I also ate at Subway 3 times. I don't consider this fast food. I did not eat what I would consider fast food (McDs or BK) at all. Yeah!
I have found I can eat the blandest of breakfast food with a glass of orange juice. I completely switched to healthy cereal (Go Lean by Kashi) and homemade oatmeal. I actually find them flavorful now at the end of the month. At the beginning, not so much.
I have reconnected with salads. Salad bags used to go bad before I even opened them. (Good intentions.) Now, I find I enjoy a salad every day or every other. I played around with making my own salad dressing but finally settled with Newmans Light honey mustard. Yum! I top my salads with a variety of things including, red peppers, carrots, almonds and rice noodles.
I get plenty of protein.
I get plenty of fiber.
Yogurt is a good safe snack. I stock my fridge with lots of different flavors. We try to have one a day. It has become the kids favorite snack.
I LOVE orange chicken. The sauce I make from scratch and it still has a lot of sodium. BUT my recipe is 2/3 less calories than my favorite at Applebees.
I have greatly improved by water intake but I still have some low intake days.
It also tells you about my fitness. What exercise I did for the day and how many calories I burned. Sometimes I remember to include the mileage. As for accurate swim, bike and run mileage check out the side bar.
Yesterday I swam half a mile. I believe this is my furthest distance during a workout to date. It felt really great. I see a much improved swim year for me this year. I also think I need to up my bike miles. I got the application in the mail for the family bike tour I want to do this summer. The first day is over 50 miles. So one day of biking is greater than my whole months total. I have to start somewhere.
There you have it some secrets from my food diary. There are many more I am sure but you will have to go discover them for yourself.
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