BB40: What day is it?!

UGH. So the best laid plans...

I fully intended to blog once a week on this journey...I mean, once a week isn't too much to ask, is it? Well apparently it is!

The reality is, life happens. A LOT. Things take a back burner...like blogging.

We've been busy with family, illness (mine is going on 4 weeks!), end of the year projects for school, birthdays (5 in our immediate family in just a 7 week time frame!) and the start of our Select Basketball Team season. It's been CRAZY. But I digress...

Because I have struggled with regular exercise and not eating like I'd like...or rather eating TOO much like I'd LIKE...I haven't weighed in for a couple of weeks. I finally did last night, fully expecting to have gained it all back. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I'm at least holding steady on the weight I've lost. So that's good! I'm definitely NOT where I'd like to be or even where I could be at this point, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint. I have to make decisions DAILY toward better health, sometimes even hourly. But as long as I make more good decisions than bad, I will hit my goal in the end!

In talking with a dear friend the other day, she pointed out that she wanted to be sure to learn in moments of struggle...when God is trying to teach her a life lesson...so that she doesn't have to repeat the lesson in the future. I've found that I've been here before. I've struggled with trying to better my health off and on for years, to get rid of bad habits and make better choices. I'd prefer to learn NOW the lessons I need to, and start making better choices, rather than find myself in this same situation years down the road, wishing I'd started now!

In saying that, I've also realized that I HAVE to make time for myself. It's so easy to let life keep you busy...too busy to take care of yourself. Whether you're a parent, working outside the home, or both...life just gets in the way. Unless you make it a point to set aside time for YOU, then you'll never be at your best to give of yourself to others. I CANNOT be the kind of mom, wife, daughter, sister or friend that I truly want to be if I'm not taking proper care of myself. So I have to make myself a priority if I want to make them a priority.

For me, that means I need to get up before everyone else (other than my hubby) to give myself not only the time I need to read my Bible, stretch, workout, and plan my day, but also just to give myself some quiet alone time. I've found that each time I've done this, my day is more productive, my time is better allocated, and I have more patience in dealing with my children...which is always a good thing!

Being real, being honest WITH MYSELF about the areas in which I struggle, in which I need to grow most, has been the single most freeing thing I've done so far on this journey. Allowing myself to acknowledge that I fail, sometimes daily, but to also realize that I can still keep going...that is priceless. It's so easy to believe that when we fail, even multiple times, that it is useless to try, to keep going. But each day, each moment, we have the option to choose success or failure...to keep going or to give up. It's NOT easy, but it will be so worth it in the end. So I choose success.

Blessings,

BB40: Weeks 6 & 7...the struggle is real

So between either myself or a family member being down with this upper respiratory virus going around...I've gotten behind on nearly everything the last two weeks. When a household is ill, all sorts of stuff seems to fall apart. Our home is no different. Hopefully we will be out of this funk soon. I am the next to last one to get it...Sean is still holding out. Here's to hoping it bypasses him altogether!

That being said, while I haven't been focused on my eating as much while ill, or having much energy...there ARE a number of things we've gotten done! For one thing, we went through all of our dishes. We now have only ONE plate, cup and bowl per person, each a different color, for daily use. Each person is responsible for washing their own plate, bowl or cup after each meal so that it's available for the next meal. If they do not, they don't get to eat at the next meal until they take time to wash it! This has drastically cut down on the the amount of dishes needing washed on a daily basis and IT. IS. LOVELY. When we have company we have two options...we can either use our nice dishes that are a set of simple white dishes, or we can use paper plates. The ones we choose depends on the situation. This change has created a greater sense of responsibility in each child, including the girls!

We also finally managed to go through the girls clothes. THAT was a task! I sat down with them after making sure everything they owned (outside of what they were wearing) was washed. We broke the larger pile into piles of short sleeved shirts, tank tops, long sleeved shirts, shorts, skirts/dresses, pants, pjs and underwear/socks. Then we made a pile for each girl in each category. I started with our oldest daughter and laid out all of her short sleeved tshirts. I kid you not, she had 25!!! I was appalled. I had her pick her top 5 favorites. I also allowed her to keep the ones she had that matched with her sister, outside of those 5. Then repeated with our youngest daughter. So in all, they each kept 8 tshirts. Then we moved on to tank tops. I let them keep 5 total. Then long sleeved, and so on. In each category I attempted to keep no more than 5-8 items (except for underwear/socks). By the time we were done, we had TWO full trash bags of clothes to sell/giveaway. The girls didn't even complain--in fact, they have commented how nice it is to not have so much stuff. Mission accomplished!

Sean and I sat down two nights ago and discussed plans and goals, both short and long term. We truly want to minimize the amount of junk we have. I say "junk" because I've come to realize that if something doesn't add value to your life, if it doesn't bring you joy to have it around, then it truly is JUNK. I'm realizing in this process, that I've held on to things for sentimental reasons, for "I might use/wear this again someday" reasons, and sometimes just for the sake of not wanting to deal with something. NONE of these reasons are valid. I don't need to hang on to every. single. little. thing. So, one by one, I am going through it all. And only keep what I use, need or absolutely love. It has been tremendously freeing!

My time with God is consistent and growing and my prayer lists are lengthening every week. Regular time in the Word truly helps me keep my focus on what is important--and to keep my cool with my children when they are determined to drive me insane! LOL

Overall, I am making progress...slowly, but progress none the less. The thing about change is, it's not instantaneous (as nice as that would be). It takes time. And it's NOT easy. It is a struggle, every single day. And some days, I fail miserably (like the great Oreo fiasco of last week LOL). But as long as my good days outweigh my bad, as long as I have more choices of doing the RIGHT thing than choosing the easy way out, then I win. I'm getting better. I'm becoming stronger and slowly, more disciplined. And as long as I stick with it, I will hit those goals! Here's to perseverance!


Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
                                                                                                                             ~James 1: 4

BB40: Week 5

Not gonna lie. It's been a rough week. Traveling and sticking to a plan, any plan, is always difficult. Whether it's an eating plan, an exercise plan, a daily schedule, it always suffers on the road. This week was no different.

We left Wednesday for our state basketball tournament and didn't return til Saturday. That's over half the week being out of sorts and out of routine. I did my best to eat healthy, but that proved difficult due to our schedule some days. I didn't get to exercise, but DID get in plenty of steps, so at least that part of my progress was solid. One day I walked over 3 MILES all inside the sports facility! LOL. I obviously got nothing accomplished on the home front and struggled to find time to spend in the Word, but did manage it all but 3 days.

When things are "off" for me, whether it's for a day or a whole week, I like to reassess and figure out how to make changes so that the next time is better, so that I learn something. It's my way of attempting to make something positive out of what could be seen as negative and make me doubt myself. This time, I've realized that one thing I could've done better was to PLAN. I simply assumed I would be able to find a healthy option wherever we went. However, the times we were stuck at the sports facility didn't offer any great options. If I had planned ahead, I could've brought healthy snack or meal replacement options with me. Baggies of almonds, a Zone bar, trail mix pouches or even just a few apples would've been simple to pack and a huge help.

So, the plan for this week--work on meal prep. I'll be honest, I'm not really much of a "plan ahead" type of person. I'm more of the fly by the seat of my pants and make it work, type of girl. My husband just loooooves that about me. (Not really--he's the uber planner type.) So even just the idea of meal prep doesn't sound appealing. However, I know that when I'm hungry, I tend to grab the easiest, closest thing. So I need those to be healthy options. I need to have meal choices in place that will keep me making good decisions, while allowing me minimal effort in the moment. Zone bars have been HUGE on this front, and are a great option on the go (which I am frequently with 5 kids). But there are days when I'm actually at home, but still just as busy and need a quick meal option.

Some easy ways to have healthy, quick meals are: pre-cooked, grilled chicken, fresh fruits and veggies and healthy crockpot meals. Crockpot meals are super easy to portion and reheat at a moment's notice, grilled chicken takes only minutes to heat up, and if the veggies can be cut up on the weekend, they are that much easier to grab in a hurry. Today I will make up a list of easy prep meals that will work with my schedule, and get a plan in place and started. I've done once a month cooking before, so I fully realize how one day of work and planning can really pay off in the end. I'm excited to see how much this helps in the long run--because 5 weeks has flown by and I'm not sure where it's gone!

Here's to planning, prep and pushing myself farther--and that much closer to my goals!

Blessings,

BB40: Week 4

How is it February already?? I mean, it seems like just last week it was Christmas break! Now that I am actively tracking my days and weeks, it is becoming more and more apparent how it's so easy to PLAN to do something, only to have it slip away...and wonder weeks or months later how on earth I let all of this time pass with nothing to show for it! I have covered my closet door with post-it notes numbered 40-1, counting backwards. At the beginning of each week I take one down--so that I have a visual representation to remind me how far I've come and how much longer I have til my goal date. It would be easy to look at those and think..."I have so much time to get this done. This will be easy!" But yet I look at them now and realize I'm already a month in and I'm trying to figure out where all that time went.

The thing is, making excuses is easy--especially from day to day when life gets so busy and we get into our routine. But I'm TIRED. I'm tired of having great plans time and time again, only to look back and realize I never implemented my plan, or never stuck to it, and here I am weeks, months, YEARS later and nothing has changed. I'll be honest--I don't have just a little baby weight to lose. Y'all--I'm still carrying around the baby weight I gained with my almost 17 YEAR OLD!! Now if THAT doesn't motivate some of you to get your butts in gear and make those changes NOW, I don't know what will! The reality is, it's NEVER too late to start. It's NEVER to late to make yourself a priority. As moms, it's sooooo easy to get caught up in taking care of our people. And that is a good thing!! But part of taking care of them is taking care of US. Think about it--where would your family be without you? What would their days look like? How would your husband (or wife) do it all without you? If you're a single parent--who would raise your child(ren) in your absence? Because THAT'S WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF WE DON'T TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES. They need us. They need us physically present as much as they need us emotionally. And if we don't make it a priority to take care of the ONLY bodies we've been given--we could easily leave our people, the ones we love more than life itself, to face life without us. I've wasted too many years making excuses. My family AND I deserve more than lousy excuses.

I added a free app to my phone this week--it's called My Fitness Pal. I've used it before but deleted it a while back when I wasn't actively using it. But I decided to download it again this week because I realized I needed to pay more attention to both my eating and my steps. I need to know that I'm ACTUALLY eating as well I think I am. It's so easy to add foods to my food diary so that I can see just how my food intake affects my end goals each day. It counts my steps for me if my phone is on me (which it nearly always is since I have a teenage driver, LOL). And I set it up with my goal weight and how much I wanted to lose each week, so it set my calories accordingly. It's not something I'm super strict on because, again, I want a lifestyle change...not a diet where I'm counting calories. But it helps me maintain an overall picture of the foods I can eat more of and the ones I need to eat less of so that I'm consciously making better choices overall. It's a HUGE help for me!

I managed to purge my pantry this week! I know, I realize I did not say that I finished purging any of the other rooms that have been started! LOL. I moved to the pantry because I literally ran out of places for my groceries because my children have a habit of leaving empty boxes in the pantry or just shoving things in there. If it's not organized, it's simply not big enough to hold all of the food we use as a family of 7. So periodically I have to purge and reorganize and it lasts for all of 3-4 weeks til my kids destroy it again. Such is life. But for now at least, it looks good! We have our State Basketball Tournament this week then we are done with basketball until til the AAU season starts in a month or so! I plan to use that extra time to finish the purging I've started as well as to tackle the remaining areas of the house. Our neighborhood has a garage sale in the Spring and in the Fall and I plan to join in this Spring with all that we are purging! We are soooo close to being debt free and every little bit helps!

Now that I have my War Room/Area figured out, I want to have some sort of organization for my prayer lists I will use. This week I plan to come up with the categories for each list and get them each on a separate sheet of paper. Then I will get them hung up and leave a pencil nearby so that I can add to each list as needed! I'm super excited to get finished with this project soon and have a visual reminder of prayers answered!

This has been such a great week--I managed to keep off the weight I've lost so far, I can feel myself having more energy, and I have been SO challenged in my devotional time! If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to download the You Version Bible App! It's completely free and comes with hundreds of devotionals, multiple Bible versions to choose from, and even the option to follow other people/join them in conversation for encouragement and accountability! It's by far my favorite Bible app of all time. It makes spending time in the Word that much easier!

I don't know where you're at in your journey to a better you--I don't know if you've started, if you've been on it longer than I have, or if you've already arrived at your goals and you're just maintaining your freedom in a healthier lifestyle. But I want you to know, even though I don't know your name, I pray for each and every one of you that might read these words. I pray they encourage, uplift, motivate and comfort at just the right time. I pray that God uses the words He puts on my heart to somehow, in some little way, make your life just a little better today. And I pray that He is working on you daily, as He is with me, so that we are becoming exactly who HE created us to be!

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."           ~Ephesians 2:10

Blessings,

BB40: Week 3

Well this has been one crazy week! We've had so much basketball, school, friends birthday parties, celebrating our first Chinese New Year as a family of 7...it's just been go go go. With all the "busy" I didn't even touch any of the rooms that are partially purged. LOL. They will have to wait til this next week. Sometimes things just have to go on the back burner for a bit.

I did manage to exercise twice, so...well...that's better than none! Progress at least. But I DID manage to eat waaaaaaaay better than last week and I am happy to report those pesky pounds came right back off! The bigger challenge will be when we travel for a few days in the next couple of weeks for our State Basketball Tournament. It will be way too easy to simply eat junk at almost every meal. There will be plenty of exercise with all of the walking, but I don't want to use that as an excuse to be undisciplined in my eating. If I'm going to make a lifestyle change, it has to be consistent. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in giving anything up entirely. I firmly believe you can eat anything--in moderation. In the past, every time I've tried to just give something up completely, it just made me crave it more. And then I would let myself have some because I "deserved it"...but rather than have SOME I would have a LOT. And then I'd feel lousy about myself and eat more to feel better. Thus the vicious cycle of self-sabotage continued. So now, rather than give something up, I want to find ways to eat it in moderation. One of the easiest ways of doing this for me, at least regarding my insane sweet tooth, came as a suggestion from my sweet friend Kim. She was able to drop quite a bit of weight a few years back and when I asked her how she did it she simply said "portion control". She didn't gorge herself at meals, but ate whatever she wanted. And when it came to sweets, she chose one or two "bite size" portions of her favorite candy to satisfy her. Now THAT is something I can do! So just after Christmas I hit up a sale on Christmas candies that I love and keep them in the fridge. Then when I have a craving for something sweet, I'll either choose fruit, OR I'll grab a piece of chocolate I love from the fridge. It's been SO much easier than I imagined AND I get to still have sweets now and then! I'm telling you--I believe with everything in me that if this change is going to be permanent, I HAVE to find little ways to make it work EASILY.

Speaking of easy...it's much easier for me to keep my cool with my kiddos when I've spent time in the Word BEFORE they wake up. LOL. I had been very consistent with reading my Bible these last couple of weeks, but I found that the last week I wasn't getting it in first thing in the morning as much. It's not that it matters really when it happens, but I sure do have a better mindset, a God-focused mindset throughout my day when I start it off with Him! I made it a point to get back to that the last two or so days and it's made alllll the difference! I'm going through a great study of Wisdom right now, reading through Proverbs. Do you ever have those moments when God just humbles you on the spot? I had one just today. My reading this morning was over the importance of our words, and how easy it is to say something and walk away and not give it much thought, but yet it can linger on in the mind of the receiver for days, weeks, even years to come. It's SO important for us to choose our words wisely, to speak LIFE to those we encounter every day. I was overwhelmed with this deep message (even though I've heard it time and again) and prayed that God would help me guard my mouth and to think before I speak. And yet...rather than just guarding my mouth FOR me, I found God giving me opportunities to guard my mouth, time and time again, as one by one my children irritated me to the Nth degree today. For the most part, I did quite well...but the end of the night saw me blowing up at my children on the way home from an event...yelling even. When I'd finally gotten home, calmed down, and spent some time alone, God spoke so clearly to my heart. He showed me how He'd repeatedly given me those opportunities to APPLY the wisdom from that day, and how I'd come up short.

No one is perfect, by any means. But we must realize (and I think this comes easier for parents because of the relationship with our kids being mirrored in God's relationship with us)...we are learning. We are growing. We are never stagnant. Whether it's our health, our relationships, our goals, our walk with Christ, or anything else we set out to do, we are either moving TOWARD it, or moving AWAY from it. The choice is ours. We can make baby steps in one direction or the other, but we ARE making those steps. Choice by choice, moment by moment...

Let's choose to move in the right direction!
Blessings,

BB40: Week 2...ish

Yeah so, I'm a *little* behind on reporting for this week. LOL.

As with all goals, changes, etc (I believe anyway), the second week in seems to be the hardest. Maybe it's just me...but this last week was not what I had planned. I ate horribly and only exercised ONCE. So yeah, those two little pounds that came off the week before? Yep, they are back to haunt me...and they brought a friend with them just for fun. So if you're keeping score, that's +1 for the other team. NOT what I had planned at all.

That being said, I want to stress that for me, this is NOT a diet. I'm not looking to drop weight quickly (as lovely as that would be). I'm looking for a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. I don't believe in diets, in fads, in sugar free, fat free, etc. I want to eat better and exercise more. That is all. I want something that is a permanent change that allows me to enjoy the food I eat, but to eat it to FUEL my body, not to comfort me. See, historically speaking, I am an emotional eater. Always have been. I eat when I'm happy. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I'm stressed. I eat when I'm excited. I eat when I'm angry, hurt, bored, overwhelmed, celebrating, consumed with guilt, consumed with pride...you name the emotion, I will eat in honor of it. It's RIDICULOUS. But, I also know I'm not alone. I think too many of us turn to food as our vice...and we justify it because in our minds we "don't get drunk, don't do drugs, don't sleep around" or what-have-you. We justify it because we believe it could be worse. That, or we allow ourselves to believe we "deserve" it.

Friends, I'm here to tell you--as much for ME as for anyone else reading who needs to hear it--BOTH of these are lies. The reality is, eating as a vice is just as bad for your body and your overall health as drinking in excess, doing drugs, sleeping around, or any other poor choice you could make. It may be a slower "death" for your body, but it's death just the same. It's a sin called gluttony...and it's no different that any other sin in the Bible. And thinking you deserve it?? NO. What you deserve is to have a body that functions at its best! What you deserve, is to have optimal health that allows you to enjoy LIVING with those around you, while having the energy to keep up! And just in case you question the authority of these beliefs, let me refer to 1 Cor 6:19-20  "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." I don't know about you, but I find it WAY too easy to get caught up in focusing on my words, my intentions, how I treat others, how often I pray or read my Bible...and allow myself to forget that how I treat my body is of equal importance if my purpose is to HONOR God. And most times? That's gonna be day-to-day. I am not one who can look at the bigger picture and tackle it head on. I have to take it step by step. I have to focus on TODAY. Sometimes, I have to just focus on this MEAL. And if I eat a super unhealthy meal? MOVE ON. I have to do better at the next meal. If I miss a day of exercising? MOVE ON. I have to make it a higher priority the next day. It's step by step, sometimes that means moment by moment. Baby steps here, not a sprint, but a marathon.

As for other parts of my week, well, I took the opportunity to tackle the girls' room when my 7yo mentioned she wanted to purge the room. However, it was way more of an undertaking than I expected and while the ROOM looks great, I now have piles of stuff laying all over the gameroom. And I haven't even gotten to their clothes or shoes yet! LOL. At the same time, my youngest son decided he wanted his "own room", so Sean decided to let him try out the theater room for a month. If it goes well, we will move his bed in there (he's on the sofa bed for now) and all of his belongings. So THAT was going on at the same time. If you're keeping score on this front, that means that THREE of the four bedrooms in our home were being purged almost simultaneously...not for the faint of heart. My house looks like a tornado hit it. So this week I will simply try to crawl out from under the rubble and manage to contain the mess!

I DID manage to decide on a location for my War Room! One corner of our bedroom contains a chair of my grandmother's that I recovered and a little table my daddy built. As long as I lock the door to my room, it should be the perfect location!  ;)  I also have a call scheduled for Thursday (that I may have mentioned last week) to discuss an opportunity I have to really pour into a passion of mine. I'd love for you to pray with me for clarity on this!

I have to say though, the BEST thing to come from this week?? I only missed my daily time in the Word once--and my walk with God is stronger every day for it! I find my days are easier to manage, my time is spent more intentionally, and my focus is sharper--when I make sure to set my day right, right off the bat. And I'm not the least bit surprised--Hebrews 4:12 tells us the POWER of the Word of God  "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." When I spend regular time in the Word, it changes my attitude, changes my focus, changes my heart...and helps me to become that better wife, mom, daughter, sister & friend that I am reaching toward. If NOTHING else comes of these next 38 weeks but developing the habit of daily time in the Word?? Then I win. More than anything I want to be the version of me God created me to be...and that starts with the most important relationship I'll ever have--the one with Him.

Here's to an even better week this week!
Blessings,

BB40: Week 1

Well, so far, so good! Week 1 wasn't as brutal as I expected it to be. However, I must admit that I am starting slow. Every other time I've attempted to "get in shape" I've jumped in feet first and injured myself. LOL.

This time, I want to produce results that will last. In order to do so, I need to know what my body is capable of and what it's not. Right now, I have no "core". As in, none. Any tummy muscles I once had have long gone the way of the wind...back to before my first born came along, nearly 17 years ago! If I were to just begin working out the way I'd like, I would again injure myself, and be stuck in a state of recovery for days if not weeks. No thank you. Cardio? No problem. Weights and lifting? Not so much. So I've started out with simple arm, leg, and stomach exercises that are more resistance than weight related. I managed to make time for that 4 times this week! That's 4 more times than last week, so I call that progress. My ultimate goal is 6 days a week. Even though I only formally started this last week, I have been making changes since just before the beginning of the year on my eating. I can PROUDLY say I am down 2 pounds from last week!! That's 2 more pounds of me I never plan to see again!

More importantly, I spent time in the Word every. single. day this week. Prior to this week, my average was 3-4 days a week. Not bad, but not daily, so not where I wanted to be. This time it is my TOP priority because from that, the rest of my day flows. If I am rooted in the Word of God, my mindset is where it needs to be, I am more focused, more patient, and more intentional about all the other aspects of my daily life. It is THE single most important thing I can do...for myself, for my family, for everyone I encounter and every goal I set forth to achieve.

I have made a list of the projects I want to finish and put them in order. This next week I will start on the first one. I have been looking into my War Room--and still haven't settled on a location that I am happy with, so that area still needs some focus. I plan to determine a final spot this next week.

As for ridding my life of unwanted junk (Purge), I managed to work on my room some this week. A small table and my nightstand and dresser top were my focus. I started a sell/give away pile, threw some stuff out, and organized the things I am keeping. Slow and steady will win this race...I have a lot of...stuff. Less is more and I intend on having much MUCH less when I am done!

Finally, I have the opportunity to really put some of my deepest passions to work! I have a couple of different avenues I am praying over and I cannot wait to see where the Lord leads in this area. I am humbled that there might be a way for Him to use me to touch the lives of others. I look forward to sharing more details with you as they become more apparent to me!

 All in all, I am happy with how this last week has gone. I have felt a LOT more intentional in how I spent my time and my energy, and I feel my walk with the Lord getting stronger by the day. I was struggling to make some decisions this last week and for the first time in quite a while, I felt clear, concise direction from the Lord. I love when He is clear--even when I don't necessarily like His response.  ;)

I plan to post weekly on how I am doing on these goals, as much for my own accountability as for maybe a little bit of encouragement for someone else. My prayer is that you are encouraged to walk closer with Jesus, take care of yourself better, and only give your time and energy to those things you truly hold dear.

Blessings,

Little Did I Know

It's amazing to me how much you learn as you get older. What I wouldn't give to know what I know now and be my much younger self, say, 15-20 years ago! But wisdom comes with age and rarely anything else. One thing I've learned is how right my parents were on so many things (SHHHHH! Don't tell them that! LOL).  In fact, I distinctly remember calling my stepdad during my second semester of college, solely for the purpose of telling him I'd realized he was right...on a lot of things. He was gracious and merely chuckled.

I also remember laughing at my daddy, sometimes outright and sometimes in secret, when he would suggest things that were, what I believed, totally off the wall. He kept coming to me with all of these "health" solutions, natural remedies, the importance of herbs and nutrition. I would smile and nod and chalk it up to something some people do, just not me.

Fast forward, oh, about 10 years give or take a few. My life experiences have forced me to grow, to get out of my comfort zone. Daddy has been gone almost 2 years now. That in itself is hard to believe...sometimes hard to even accept. With his passing, however, I was hit hard with the fact that life is short and time is not guaranteed. We make choices every single day that determine our future.

In facing this realization, I've decided to keep an open mind when it comes to things I would normally shy away from. I've taken an active role in our children's education by beginning to homeschool them last year. I've decided to be more intentional with how I spend my time, realizing that sometimes "no" is the right answer. And I've begun to do a lot more research into things that effect my health and the health of my family--namely our nutrition and our medicine cabinet.

In doing so, I came across a company called Young Living Essential Oils. I began to research them, as well as other companies, as I wanted to begin to incorporate the use of these oils into our healthcare routine. With the help of a friend, I purchased a couple of oils for a few specific purposes, to get a feel for their effectiveness and benefits. I was sold. I had used other essential oils before, mainly from the health food stores, but I'd never had results like these. I delved deeper into the company, how they came up with their oils, reviewed testimonials, and talked with friends who used them. I personally couldn't find a better company with a better product than Young Living.

I immediately began looking forward to the day I could "justify" purchasing the Everyday Oils Collection Starter Kit. I knew without a doubt I wanted to begin incorporating these oils into my cleaning products, beauty products, and our medicine cabinet.

My husband, however, was quite skeptical. In fact, he often referred to them as my "snake oils"...until the day he came down quite sick, however. Nothing else he was taking was giving him any relief, so when I asked if he wanted me to try some oils on him, he said "I don't care at this point. I'll try anything." That was the first night he'd slept all night in DAYS. My husband was now a believer and I purchased the Premium Starter Kit!

We've used the oils as a family and given samples out to friends now for over 6 months. We are rarely sick, and when we are, we are over it in a very short time! I have even been able to stop taking meds and replace them with oils with BETTER results. I feel great, I have more energy, and I know that I'm doing it while giving my body these amazing oils and no chemical side effects.

So I decided if I am already telling my friends and family about these oils, I may as well put myself in a position to order some for them! That's why, as of last month, I've become a YL Independent Distributor. Honestly, I don't care if I make a dime in profit. My only hope was that maybe I'd make enough each month to cover the cost of what we spend to purchase the oils. Only one month out of the gate and I've reached that goal!

Little did I know, all those years ago, that my Daddy knew what he was talking about. Little did I know how different my life would be now, without him in it. I'd give anything to share with him all I've learned since he's been gone...because deep down, I know he'd be proud. :)

If you want to learn more about Young Living, about essential oils, how to get started or how to order an oil or two, feel free to send me a message, click the Facebook icon at the top right of the screen, or click here! I'd LOVE to help you find a healthier you!

Blessings,