Category Archives: Fitness

Jan2

New Year, New Goals, New Me

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2012 has come and gone. The number one thing on my goals list was accomplished-to have my baby boy and to love him like crazy. Everything else was just icing on the cake! I didn’t accomplish everything on my goals list, but I’m 100% ok with that! Motherhood is different than I was anticipating…at least the sleep deprivation part! I’m loving every single second of being a mom and cannot thank God enough for the blessing He has given us. Such an honor and privilege!

2013 is here now, and with it a great opportunity to seize each moment that the Lord has given us. I want this year to be significant. As a family, I hope that God will use us to  bring glory to Him, and give us opportunities to reach out to others and help those in need!

Without further adieu, here are my goals for this year:

2013 Goals

Personal:

1. Lose weight (I do have a specific amount I’m targeting)

2. Read 1-2 books per month

3. Have a more regular quiet time

4. Drink less soda and more water

5. Stay off the computer more during the daytime, be wiser about time management

Marriage:

1. Resume reading the Bible together during the week

2. Have date nights, even if they have to be at home

3. Spend more time together

Parenting:

1. Cloth diaper on a more regular basis

2. Read to Jonathan more

3. Play more music for Jonathan

4. Successfully wean

5. Attempt to begin potty training by the end of the year

Home:

1. Make bed daily

2. Make one new dinner recipe per month

3. Keep kitchen table & island clear

4. Maintain regular cleaning & organization schedule

Financial:

1. Pay off smaller of two medical school loans

2. Create a monthly budget

3. Be better steward of our finances (for example, stack coupons with sales for smarter grocery shopping)

4. Shop less and reduce expenses where possible

5. Find/pray about ways to help those in need

There are other things I have in mind too, but we’ll just start here and adjust as needed!

Nov12

Looking Ahead

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2013 is around the corner which means a few things around here.

1) I really need to start Christmas shopping.

2) I should probably figure out our plans for Thanksgiving

3) Did I meet/surpass any of my goals for 2012?

4) I need to start coming up with a list of goals for 2013

Since its hard to Christmas shop while nursing, cleaning, sleeping, playing with Jonathan, and/or any of the other things I do during the day and middle of the night, I figured why not start looking ahead. There is still plenty of time to do those things and time to look back, right?

I find myself with such a desire to get certain things accomplished. After 6 months of long sought after time to accomplish things, quality nap times are finally happening, and I’m reclaiming my house, as well as my self. *Insert a big sigh of relief*

I want to make 2013 a year of being focused. Focused with my faith, my marriage, my role as mom. I want to be focused about my health/self (because let’s be honest, the past few years I’ve really stunk at this). I want to be focused regarding the relationships I build around me. I want to be focused when it comes to our finances and making sure I do every thing possible to save us money, to help pay off one medical school loan and the rest of the car, while still being able to give generously to ministry opportunities that arise.

I’m looking forward to outlining my goals for 2013 over the next few weeks. I’d love to hear your ideas and goals for 2013! Be sure to leave a comment here or on FB!

Mar4

10 weeks, and a lot left to do

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I can’t believe we’re pretty much at the ten week mile marker. Ten weeks left before my due date! Praise the Lord for this gift He has given us!

With only ten weeks left, I really want to make sure every bit of my time is wisely used. Which probably means I need to stay off Pinterest more! A lot of last weeks goals were accomplished, though there were some that didn’t quite make it there. This week is a new week and we’re going to get things done! The past week did have a few positives. I met with the dietician to get a plan for gestational diabetes and found out I’ll have another ultrasound this week to make sure our little guy is growing appropriately. When I met with her and the staff there, I was taught how to test my sugar 4 times a day. Thankfully, my numbers were really well the rest of the week, so she’s cutting me back to only testing twice a day now. I’m very thankful for less finger pricks.

I was told that I exhaust some with my lists and all my cleaning, etc. My husband, who is very much accurate, says I have household ADHD. I start something, get distracted and then end up with a pile of clothes in the bathroom sink while I do something else. Having my goal list is the only way I stay semi-focused. And my house is no way spotless. I wish I could say it was. In fact, I will occassionally watch an episode of Hoarders to make myself feel better.)

Goals for 3/4- 3/10

Household organization-

-Reorganize laundry room – Halfway finished!

-Weather permitting, clean outside of living room windows

-Clean out and reorganize freezer in preparation for freezer cooking later this month

-Take freezer cooking menu and begin to make grocery list

-Dust living room

-Sweep down, vacuum up

Reading list-

-I’m not going to plan anything for this week. If I have some down time, I may pick up another breastfeeding book that I have or go by the library and see if they have any good diabetic cook books that I can scan through.

Marriage-

-Spend time together- away from tv, computer, etc.

-Read Bible together 3 nights during the week

Nursery/Having a baby-

-Wash first round of baby stuff

-Research and possibly buy nursing bras

-Put away all gifts, once all thank you cards have been written

-See our little guy again thanks to another ultrasound

Health/Mental Well Being/Preparing for Natural Childbirth-

-Relaxation & Visualization, 2 days, 30 minutes each

-Workout at least twice

-WATER WATER WATER WATER WATER WATER. I’ve got to drink more water! – I did fairly well. 3 days I met my goals, 2 days I could have done better!

Life in general-

-Take typed letter for Compassion child and hand write it! Mail it off!

-Finish second half of baby shower thank you notes!

Feb5

Ahhh! Its a new week!

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If I had it my way, Joe and I would take this week off, sit on a beach somewhere, and I’d be sipping sweet iced tea and reading a book! But none of those things can happen right now. So instead, we’ll press on and accomplish all the things that need to happen!

This weekend was pretty busy! Two days of meals in the crock pot made it more manageable (chicken & dumplings, BBQ). Saturday we had to get the car serviced, run a few errands, all before putting baby boy’s crib together! It genuinely made my heart leap to see his crib and dresser set up. I can’t (but can) wait for him to get here! Sunday was church, and then an evening fellowship meal & IDG meeting at our pastor’s house, followed by a little Super Bowl action! (WAY YO GO GIANTS!)

This week I’m working a little more than usual, actually that’s the case for the next few weeks, so the success of my goals list  may definitely reflect that. Last week was much better as far as completing my goals list. Hopefully this week will be a repeat!

Goals for 2/5 – 2/11

Household organization-

-Replace lightbulbs in upstairs hallway

-Clean and organize pantry, freezer, fridge

-Break down cardboard and haul away at least one load (I cannot begin to explain to you how much cardboard and styrofoam we have in our house right now from the dresser and crib boxes! Its INSANE!) One load of cardboard and styrofoam hauled away! Maybe we can make it two by the end of the week?

-Attempt to finish linen closet by the end of next weekend (this, of course, is determined by the availability of reasonably priced baskets being aquired) Not happening this week or next. Said baskets are on backorder until the end of the month.

Reading list-

-Finish Natural Hospital Birth

-Begin Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus (I’ll be able read this a lot of this on my Kindle during my hour long glucose test) Holding off on this book for another week. I figure during my three hour glucose test, I’ll need a book to read on my Kindle. Instead, I’m reading a few of the nursing books Joe obtained on loan for me.

Marriage-

-Go on a date!

-Read the Bible with Joe at least 3 nights during the week

Nursery-

-Finish cleaning out the closet!

-Install closet system and start to organize a few of the baby items we have

-Measure for curtains and order fabric (so excited to have found a print I love)

Health-

-Drink at least 4 glasses of water 4 days during the week

-Abstain from chocolate, refined sugars, and white carbs… at least through Wednesday when I have my glucose test Well, now I have to take this another week because I failed my glucose test by ONE point. One. stinking. point.

-Workout at least twice

Preparing for natural childbirth-

-Work on exercises everyday, M-F

-Focus on relaxation & visualization, 2 days 30 minutes Wednesday night, after an incredibly disappointing and stressful doctors visit, I made the time to really work on visualization. This was by far the best relaxation practice I’ve had so far.

   There are more tasks on my list this week, but most are smaller, personal goals. I’m no longer listing reading the weekly chapter from scripture for church since I’m pretty accustomed to doing it everyday. Even though it’s not on my goals list, I’m still going to be doing it!

Aug3

Giving Up Before the Race Starts

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A while back I started to paint our living room. The thing is, our living room extends to a little hallway, the (two story) foyer, up the stairs, and the upstairs hall. So this was no little task I was taking on. But if I can do something, I want to do it and save some money! Not to long into the project, I quit. Part was because the ladder I was using needed to be returned to its owner. But that shouldn’t have stopped me, I could have still done a ton on my own until I could get the ladder back. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the gym, paint, or be lazy. I opted to paint! What a huge difference a little paint has made! The feel of our house is completely different- because I took the time to (somewhat) finish something I started.

Its not just painting. How often do we give up before the task is complete? Take running for example. I used to LOVE to run. I completed two half marathons and was working towards my marathon. It was winter time and I HATE cold weather! So I quit running. My dream was to complete a triathlon and I quit the race before it even started! I gave up on my dream!

This past weekend The Second Wind, a new ministry at our church, showed a video and wore shirts that had 1 Corinthians 9:24 on it.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

What am I running for? What prize am I running towards?

Actually, the better question for me lately is “what am I running from?” Why I am giving up before my race begins?

The past two years I’ve been running from IF. For a bit of that time I’d given up thinking that God would provide. But then something happened a few months ago. Something clicked. God didn’t disappeared-I went into hiding and stopped running the race. Throwing in the towel meant I wasn’t trusting my life in the One who gave me life.

Spending time in scripture and reading solid Christian support books have been key. So many women in Biblical times also battled IF. It has also been a blessing having an amazing husband, mom, and friend who could genuinely understand why my heart was aching so much!

God will provide for me…for us. My prize isn’t having a baby, my prize is spending eternity with God! As for running, I do hope to start again in the future (when the temps outside aren’t blazing hot). I want to finish not just a 5K, but a marathon and maybe one day even that triathlon I’ve always wanted to do.  I just have to make sure that my eye is on the most important prize of all and finish the race strong!

~Emily~