A Mom's Crazy Life

Okay, so Wow! It's really been almost a month since I've been on here. I knew it had been a while, but didn't realize it had been quite that long. July was packed long before it got here, but goodness, couldn't I have taken a few minutes to check in?

Then I review everything that I've been doing. We'll start with parenting four beautiful children under 9. Then we'll go to gardening, taking care of the home, and trying to catch a few minutes with hubby here and there. Those are the regular things. Oh, and writing!

Then we add in everything else, family in town for July 4 weekend, going to Northern Virginia with the kids for a week and visiting friends (we had a whirlwind trip, staying in 3 different houses in 5 nights!) and preparing for the fabulous She Speaks Conference, which starts in 3 days.

I had no idea how much preparation there would be. But I'm the crazy person who's doing a split track and so has to prepare two speeches for evaluation (done!) and get my book proposal ready (haven't looked at it in almost 2 years and am doing some revisions, over half-way there!) There is also finding "business casual clothes" that I as a stay-at-home mommy doesn't have (thanks to my good friend and mom, I'm all set!), getting my business cards ready, doing a one-sheet (which my faithful friend's son who is a design-stuff-on-the-computer-genius helped me with), and printing off directions and coordinating with my travelling partner. And, just for grins and giggles, I had 8 kids at my house yesterday and am squeezing in a cut and color tomorrow (which another fabulous friend is doing for FREE in exchange for me rolling her hair for a perm.)

So, life is busy. And God has blessed me throughout. He's continuing to teach me to prioritize, make sure I spend time with Him so that I don't lose focus (or my sanity), and to pray for those who are hurting around me.

I'll ask your forgiveness for not being more consistent in meeting you here, but you probably understand. Sometimes, we live day-by-day and minute-by-minute and are so busy enjoying the wonderful gifts God has given us (especially the gift of His peace amidst the craziness swirling around us) that we don't check in.

And that's not always a bad thing.

But I do hope to check in more often and be able to share all the wonderful things God is teaching me through this process. The first of which, as is obvious in this post, is the blessing of godly, caring, generous family and friends!

Mommy Brain

Do you suffer from Mommy Brain? You know - forgetting things constantly. Walking from one room to the other and forgetting what you came in there for. Forgetting that you put a child in time out.

This morning I walked into the kitchen and found a container of pasta that I'd left out on the counter last night. 'Oh, well,' I thought. 'Now it's not tempting me anymore.' Earlier this week I forgot a person. A person! I was supposed to give a neighbor a ride home from church Wednesday night, got distracted in the search for a missing passy and transferring a friend's car seats to her car and didn't remember until I passed her house - a full fifteen minutes later!

How could I forget a person??? My husband laughed. My neighbor forgave me. I am trying to stop beating myself up. In order to help, I'm looking at what I can do to help my poor over-exercised brain.

Have any suggestions??

One thing, I'm going to try to go back to writing everything down. The old adage is true: hear it - remember 10%, say it - remember 30%, write it, remember 70%, practice it - remember 90%. In order to do this, I must pay more attention to what I'm doing.

As a mom, I'm used to multi-tasking. When I'm listening to praise music, cooking, answering a multitude of questions or folding laundry, watching a movie, and trying to get in my water for the day, multi-tasking can be good. But, in many instances, it simply means I'm not paying as close attention to what I'm doing as I should. e.g. Talking on the phone and checking email at the same time is not productive. I miss half of both.

So, I will go back to making lists and try to be more aware of what's going on. I'd be more than happy to hear any other suggestions that have helped other moms suffering from Mommy Brain!

First Week of School

I thought that having school start on a holiday week would be a good thing. A shorter week. Woohoo! But, here it is Friday, the week's almost over and we've gotten almost nowhere. I should add that: I homeschool, missed doing laundry on Monday because of the holiday, started a new homeschooling group {Classical Conversations} Tuesday, had a Dr.'s appt. and shopping for my mom's wedding to do on Wednesday, found out I'm anemic (on top of having low Vit. D - no wonder I crash in the afternoons!), and had a play date for the kids w/some other homeschoolers Thursday morning. I feel like a week in, we're already behind!

I am glad that the onslaught of other activities haven't started, putting more into our schedule. Maybe easing into all the activities (Awana, children's choir, dance, and Ladies' Small Group) is a good thing. Time to get myself organized. So far, I haven't made a good transition back to school.

The factor that makes it all work - we homeschool! I don't have to have it all together all at once (Thank God!.) We can get a slow start, like the tortiose, but if we rev up and keep going steady, we'll still win the race. That rabbit that took off out of the gate sprinting will have nothing on us!

Now, I'm going to go get ready for another day of teaching, running the house, and trying to keep everyone healthily fed! It works for us (even though some days it just works us :).

For all those moms out there working their own schedules and managing their families, I send blessing, grace, mercy, and peace as you lead your children into the world one step at a time - no matter whether that's by way of homeschool, private school, or public school. Take time to drink a cup of coffee (or tea, or smoothie) and keep in touch with your mommy friends as the school year takes off like the space shuttle - on a holiday week.

Tell Me About It: by Carolyn Hax

I don't always agree with what Caroline Hax says, but this time, she's hit the bullseye.

Great Deal at AMF

had a good time at the AMF bowling alley this morning - two moms, 7 kids! (I couldn't have done it without you, Leigh Anne!) kids get 2 games free all summer long. go to: www.kidsbowlfree.com to register.

Trade Mommy Time

Invaluable as a mom is other moms. Just yesterday I got to have some good Mommy Time with some wonderful mommy friends and their little ones. These days I cherish, but I also cherish time by myself. Mommy friends can also come in handy for this. For years I have been trading off time with other friends. I will admit, it becomes more difficult with more children (and is almost impossible when they're under 3), but when you have faithful friends with whom you don't mind watching your children and don't mind watching theirs, you can do some trading.

This time can be used to do housework, run errands alone, or catch up on some much needed rest. Your child comes to my house for a few hours today, and mine will come to yours a few hours tomorrow. These play dates occur more naturally as they get older, but it's good to have the foundation set early through some planning and intentional swap time.

So, call a mom, set up a date, and enjoy your time!

More Mommy Time

For those of you who are not a fan of the early morning hours or who have children who wake up at the crack of dawn or have to be at work too early to make these hours viable, don't give up hope! There are always ways to find Mommy Time. If your children are young enough, nap time is always a good time. Even if they don't all nap, this may be the time to stick the slightly older ones in front of a video (I'm not a huge fan of tv, but it comes in handy the 1-2 hours my kids are allotted a day.) While often our inclination during this time is to start working on the never-ending chore list (as I'm doing at this moment), sometimes it's best to use this time to rest, recharge, and regroup. A 30 minute to hour rest may make you more efficient in your work the rest of the time that you have.

Another option (one I am a huge fan of) is play dates. While everyone doesn't have convenient play dates you would actually want you children hanging out with, we are fortunate in this area. There are also friends we have to schedule and make time for. But it's worth it! This is one of the many areas moms can trade off in. I take your child(ren) today, you take mine tomorrow. Now, granted, with four children and them all being so small, it is a rarity when their all not at home. The one-year-old never gets play dates, the three-year-old seldom. But I know that time will come and I do what I can to create a quiet atmosphere and send as many on play dates at the same time as possible. Sometimes it ends up that I have an extra child and have one of my own out, but it all works out eventually. Well, kind of. I have to be very intentional about creating this haven of time in my chaotic mother-of-four-under-eight-homeschooling-etc-life.

The important thing is to recognize your need for quiet time, to be intentional creating it, and using it wisely (this is not the time to "browse" the computer or fold 6 loads of laundry.) Remember, you need rest. You can pick how you rest, but make sure it's recharging to you.

Time for Mom

I'll start off my recommendations for finding Mommy Time that is the least popular. But, especially for moms like me that are home full time and homeschool several small children, it is often the only time I get. That is: early mornings. Don't stop reading! Just because I mentioned the worst way many moms could imagine to get time. I used to be just like you. I was the college student who was in bed by ten and usually slept until about seven, later if I didn't have an early class or have to be at work early. I really loved my sleep. I never realized before becoming a mom how much children would impact that one aspect of my life.

When my first child was about three months old when I remember lay in bed crying because I was exhausted. Not only was I exhausted though, I was tired of being exhausted. And that was only three months in. (I was not one of those fortunate women who got a baby who was sleeping eight to ten hours by two months old. EVER! None of my children slept more than five to seven hour stretches until they were eleven months old.) When my second was about six months old, I was going through it again. Of course, this time I was also at home full time and was watching three other children (making a total of five, with four of them being two and under.) Needless to say, I was not getting any Mommy Time. And I was not getting enough sleep. In my desperate prayers to get more sleep, God provided a slightly different answer: He brought me to Proverbs 20:13. Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare. Wow. That socked me right in the chest. I was loving sleep. Not loving motherhood. And I was seeking the wrong thing to become a better friend with motherhood.

I stopped counting hour many hours of sleep I lost and began to focus more on other things. I also got invited to a Bible Study (that'll be another day's post.) I did sleep through the night again, I did have two more babies and go through two more years of interrupted sleep, but through it all, I began to cherish the early morning hours I ended up awake. Whether it was in the middle of the night and the baby was back to sleep, or the early morning just as the sun was coming up, these times became precious. I don't always get these times. I try to listen to my body and make sure I'm getting enough rest to function at full throttle all day long, but when I get them, they are golden. No other time is the house silent for hours. No other time is there not some distraction of the computer or phone to steal my attention. No other time am I fairly safe from interruption for more than ten minutes. No other time am I not fully engaged in listening for what's going on in the other rooms. No other time can I read and study my Bible and talk to God in the unique way quiet brings.

On those mornings I'm woken up by one child or the other calling me or climbing into my bed, I miss my quiet time. I love those moments, too, it's all about balance. But getting spend some time alone with myself, my God, my exercise video, and sometimes my cup of coffee, is like starting the day with a full tank of gas and a freshly washed windshield. I don't get it every day, but when I do, I can tell the difference.

Mommy Time

I have found that one of the most challening things as a mom is to find Mommy Time (okay, I'll admit that my list of challenging things as a mom is fairly long, but this is definitely on it.) Especially having four children under eight. Especially homeschooling. My children, all four of the precious darlings, are home with me all day every day. I've been home full time on and off during my motherhood years, but when I worked it was only one or two days a week, and no, I did NOT see it as a break. For me, for my introverted 50%, I need complete down, uninterrupted time for me to count it as Mommy Time. For the 50% extroverted part of me, I need times where I can be with other adults and talk about, well adult things.

First, let me be clear on one point: I love being a mother. I would not trade it for anything else in the world. That doesn't mean that I don't plan on doing anything else in the world, even while they're little (after all, here I am blogging), but that doesn't mean I don't love being a mother. Even given it's far more demanding than I ever dreamed. Even though it's far more work than I ever imagined. Even though I have more negative emotions than I ever thought possible. I love being around my children, laughing with them, playing with them, teaching them, and guiding them. But, I also love my Mommy Time. It's what recharges me to be a better mom to my children.

I have found, in my years of being a mom, part-time employee, wife, housekeeper, writer, speaker, and women's ministry leader, that Mommy Time doesn't just happen, it has to be created. And, there are almost innumerable ways to create it.

We all have different challenges in creating Mommy Time that affect us: some moms don't have family around, some moms are married to military men who are gone months at a time and/or move frequently, some moms have families they don't trust to watch their children, some moms feel guilty about leaving their children, some moms work part-time or full-time and don't feel they need other time without their children, some moms don't have money to pay a babysitter, some moms live in isolated places, some moms live in dangerous places. Regardless of what your challenges are, there is a way to overcome them. As with anything else, once you recognize a need (and Mommy Time, in one form or another, is a need - it helps us to be better mothers. I can't overstate it's importance) and the challenges to meeting that need, you come to a crossroad: you can either walk away from the hurdle in front of you, or you can choose to back up, examine the hurdle, and figure out the best way to sail over it. It may be more work initially, but the rewards will be well worth it.

Second, I want be clear on something else. Some moms take Mommy Time to extremes. Everything is about them, getting their needs met, being pampered, and not letting their children inconvenience their lives. That is not the kind of time I'm talking about. My children are a huge inconvenience to my life (if by inconvenience you mean interrupting my ideas of doing what I want when I want how I want,) but they are the most blessed inconveniences I've ever been graced with. From the moment I became pregnant with my first child, my main focus for her and the others to come behind her, was to do the job of mothering to my utmost ability. Mommy Time works in that scheme by helping me stay balanced and healthy, not to stroke my ego, make life easy, or reduce my responsibilities as a mom. It is the emotional equivelant to sleep. When we sleep (whether a full night's sleep or a nap to make up for months of interrupted sleep), it recharges our bodies. That is the goal of Mommy Time: to recharge you so you can not just be a good mother, but to be the best mother you can be.

Recharging

Do you need a recharge? Is life crazy? Busy? Draining you instead of reviving you? Can you believe the school year starts back up in a month and a half? Why don't you schedule in a retreat for yourself in the fall, in between school starting and the business of the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season? Just 24 hours can recharge you and fill you with life-changing encouragement.

The Abundant Life Conference for Women is being held November 12-13, 2010 in beautiful Williamsburg, VA. The $75 registration fee includes all sessions, 2 meals, and a snack. Get a hotel room at the Holiday Inn Patriot for $79 (for up to 4 people) and breakfast will also be included. Early registration ends August 31, so click here to print your registration form and send it in today! We look forward to a special time of drawing closer together as women, moms, sisters, friends, and, most importantly, daughters of God!

Travel & Relationships

Once again, I am so inconsistent! But, I have a somewhat legitimate excuse. I've spent 13 out of the last 18 days not at home. I'm not usually a traveler, but things came into play that allowed me some greta opportunities to spend time with friends and family that I don't get to see often. While this may seem completely off topic of health, building and maintaining relationships are a part of being healthy - and not just a part of our emotional health, but also a part of our physical health. As science continues to progress, there is a undeniable connection between our minds, bodies, and spirits, which includes relationships, that has become more clear.

There are some relationships that we are able to maintain regularly - friends we see weekly or more frequently - and some relationships that we are only able to give face time to occasionally - monthly, annually, or less frequently - but all these relationships inpact our lives. In today's age of information and being able to reach out to someone at our fingertips, we can easily take relationships for granted. An email or text can only say so much. If it's true that 85% of communication occurs nonverbally, then it's important to at least once in a while see someone or at least talk to them on the phone to retain good relationships. I love having the easy access to people who are far away, but nothing compares to hearing a loved one's voice or getting to see them with my own eyes and wrap them up in a hug that says, "I love you and am so glad you're a part of my life."

These are the moments that help recharge me and put the sprinkles of the ice cream cone of life.

What we do to be Healthy - Part 3

That brings us to portions. I have to say that this has probably been one of the most lifestyle changing revelations I’ve had when it comes to eating better. What Americans often tend to think of as portions are what we get when we go out to eat. And because we look for ‘more for less,’ our perceptions of what portions are are greatly distorted. Proper portions are:
· One carbohydrate serving is 15 grams. This equals to ½ cup of potatoes or pasta and 1/3 cup of rice. It’s often one slice of bread and ½ cup of fruits (although most melons and berries have larger servings, 1 – 1&1/2 cup.)
· One vegetable serving is one cup raw or ½ cup cooked.
· One meat serving is 3 oz (that’s 1 oz. smaller than a quarter pounder!)
While this list doesn’t include everything, it’s a good start. Once you see what appropriate portions are, you will be able to better balance what you eat. But that’s not the end of it. Knowledge is only part of what it takes to be healthy. The other parts of this puzzle are a decision to make healthy choices and following through on that decision. Sometimes there’s a fourth piece of the puzzle: accountability tools.

What we do to be Healthy - Part 2

The second major change is to start reading labels. That is, reading the nutritional information and the ingredients on the prepackaged items you do buy. You will be amazed at how eye-opening this is. I first began reading labels when I started watching my carb intake. First you look at the contents: calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and carbohydrates. Then you look at the serving size. This is where much of the shock comes in. And often the knowledge you need to make healthy eating changes.
I’ve caught myself, more times than I care to count, saying, ‘There’s that many (insert: calories, carbs, fat) in that!’ It almost seems impossible that there could be that much shoved into such a small serving size. But, once you start reading labels, you will understand much more about why many of us are so unhealthy. You can even do this when it comes to eating out. Most fast food restaurants and many other restaurants have their nutritional information on line (although once you read it, it will almost seem ironic that it’s called ‘nutritional’ information.)

What we do to be Healthy - Part 1

For me, the main goals in eating (other than having the proper perspective) are to eat balanced and as natural as possible. As natural as possible is probably the biggest challenge in eating healthy. We have become accustomed to prepared and processed foods. They are convenient, quick, easy, and our taste buds have gotten used to the flavors in them.
I’ll be the first to admit that my pantry still has quite a few processed foods. Crackers, cereal, breads are all staples. However, we also have bowls of fresh fruit and a constant supply of fresh and frozen vegetables. They key is to not look in your pantry and throw out everything that’s in a box or bag. The key is to take it one step at a time and eliminate what you can, and add what you can.
One of the first thing we did in our house was make fresh fruits and vegetables a constant fixture. Study after study shows that Americans don’t get enough fruits and vegetables. There are a many products available now that tout being fruit and vegetable supplements (made with real fruit, two servings of veggies,) but the truth is, there’s no substitute for fresh, real live foods. If we start eating them and our children start eating them, we will begin to appreciate the flavors and textures that cannot be mimicked in man-made foods.
I have to add a caution here, though. Many fruits and vegetables sold in many markets (grocery stores) are the product of mass-produced items in which pesticides. There are many cautions out about limiting our intake of products with pesticides. The most recent study shows that there may be a link between pesticides and ADD. Whether that (or any of the other specific claims) turn out to be true, it would be wise to be cautious. There are many ways to avoid and limit exposure to pesticides. You can grow your own (although not everyone everywhere can grow everything,) you can buy from local farmers’ markets and stands (where you can ask), and you can buy organic. Don’t let your limited ability to do any one of these things scare you off of making this one important change, however. Fruits and vegetables (and a variety of them) are good for our bodies and provide many needed and desired nutrients.

Health is eating to live, not living to eat

While many of us focus on our weight and size, few of us focus on how we approach food. Food has become a cultural phenomena. It has become about how much you can get for how little. How things are pleasing to our taste buds for the moment regardless of the long-term impact on our bodies. How to make it cheaper, easier, and more fun. In other words, we have learned to live to eat. Instead, our focus in regards to food should be eating to live. Our main goal in eating should be to feed our bodies what they need to thrive. I’m not saying that we should ignore our taste buds. On the contrary, eating healthy can be fun, creative, and taste good.
This is a struggle that many of us have, including me. One of the reasons that I am not content with my weight and size right now are because I made some eating decisions that were not in the best interest of my body, but instead were catered to my taste buds. We are conditioned by commercials and lifestyles to eat for pleasure.
We also eat when we’re sad, eat to celebrate, eat for fellowship, and even eat when we’re bored. Why not? We’re asked. You deserve it. We’re told. In my book, what we really deserve is the opportunity to eat what’s best for our bodies. The answers to why not are almost too much to cover, but I’ll dabble a little in the reasons.
We are what we eat. Garbage in, garbage out. That may make us think that the garbage will come out, having no effect on us, but that simply is not true. The garbage out in the case of what we eat is how it affects us. The reasons not to eat simply for taste disregarding nutrients and health benefits (or detriments) include:
· The effect on our digestive system.
· The effect on our hearts and cardiovascular system.
· The effect on our hormones and endocrine system.
· The effect on our ability to sleep well and restfully.
· The effect on our energy level.
· The effect on our moods.
· The effect on our ability to focus and perform well.
As you can see, even this short list is fairly comprehensive, covering nearly ever aspect of our lives. So, with a multitude of information, much of it contradictory, how do we know how to eat? What diet do we follow? Who do we listen to?
First of all, I encourage you to do your own research. Check out the government’s health website. Look up the effects of preservatives and other chemical additives to our foods. Read and listen to balanced health professionals. Talk to your doctor. Like I said before, I don’t claim to be an expert or to know everything there is to know about health, but I have done a lot of research and can pass along what I’ve found.

Health is not a lack of disease

This is also an important part of understanding health. Many people think that they are healthy simply because they have not been diagnosed with something. Others think that their ability to be healthy is out of their control because they have been diagnosed with something. Neither of these is true.
Much of what I have learned about health (like many other areas) have come through trial and error. And education. Much of that education came after I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy. I had been vowing to lose ten pounds (then fifteen, then twenty) for a long time. I wanted to be smaller, and I guess healthier, but I never really looked into what it would take to do so. When I was diagnosed, however, I was prompted to find out what I needed to do to get healthy. So, ironically, I became the healthiest I had ever been while I was managing gestational diabetes. This came in handy when I dealt with it again in my second and third pregnancies, and especially when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in between my third and fourth pregnancies. Because of this, I have learned that a diagnosis of a life-long disease does not mean that I have to give up on being healthy. On the contrary, for me it was the catalyst I needed to become healthier.
I know the same is true for many other women. I know many moms who cope with illnesses such as fibromyalgia, Graves’ disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diagnoses who live very healthy lives. They manage their illness and do not allow it to define them or their overall health.
If health is not found solely in the numbers and is not a lack of disease, then what is it? That’s the crux of this chapter. I don’t claim to be a medical professional or an expert in any specific area of health, but I can share what I’ve learned through research, experience and talking with health professionals about what it takes to get and remain healthy.

Women's Conference Scholarship

Want to go to an awesome Women's conference, but don't have the $75 for registration? Scholarship applications are being accepted through July 1 - which is NEXT Thursday! Go to http://www.smithmemorial.org/clientimages/17765/pdf/abundantlifebrochurewithmailer4.pdf for the brochure/registration.

Health is not measured solely by numbers

The importance of this truth is one that we may need to work diligently to ingrain in our heads. The first number that comes to mind is the number on the scale. The main number that many of us become obsessed with. I, too, have had many struggles with those three little numbers. The second number must be discussed along with the first, because they generally go hand-in-hand. They are the numbers you find on your clothes. You know, the sizes. Just as we tend to obsess with the numbers on the scale (or ignore them because we don’t really want to know what they are) we also tend to obsess with the size of our clothes. As if once we hit that magic number, everything in our lives will fall perfectly into place. A few minutes of watching any of entertainment shows on the heartaches and troubles of size zero stars will verify that that is not true.
I also know from experience. I was one of those teenagers who seemed to have been able to eat anything and say a small size. I never thought, though, that I was skinny enough and was constantly hoping to lose ten more pounds, get one size smaller. Looking back, I know now that my energies and efforts were wasted. Not because they didn’t get me to my goal, but because I should have been content with the weight and size that I was.
As discontent as I was, I never did anything to become healthier. As a matter of fact, I eat much more healthily now that I’m a few sizes bigger and weigh a little more. I’m not content with where I am, but at least I now know what to do to get where I want. My health is not wrapped up in what size I am or what the scale says. What matters much more is that I eat a healthy, balanced diet. Not diet, mind you, in the sense that I’m on some strict regimen to help me lose weight, but diet in the sense of simply what it is that I’m eating. I eat more fruits and vegetables than I ever did when I was young and super skinny. And I eat a lot less junk.
I don’t want you to get me wrong, though. Weight does matter generally in our health. I would never encourage anyone to stay overweight in order to avoid getting caught up in the numbers trap. There’s a reason that there’s a healthy range for different body types. Enough research has been done to know that when you carry a certain amount of extra weight on your body, you’re putting extra strain on your body systems. The important thing is not to pick an arbitrary number that you’d like to be at, but to find a range within the numbers that you are comfortable and healthy at.
Beyond the numbers found on the scale and on our clothes are the numbers found in our bodies. These are the numbers in the numerous tests that doctors like to run these days. Many of these numbers are important indicators of health: cholesterol, triglycerides, vitamin D, sugar levels, etc. Tests have gotten really good and decades of research have helped us to know where these and a variety of other numbers should be for optimal health. However, we can sometimes get too wrapped up in these numbers. I am not saying that we should not pay attention to these numbers, or avoid knowing what they are. Ignorance does not lead to bliss in the area of health and indicators of health. They are not, though, the end all and be all of health.
Like I said before, when I was young and thin and all my numbers were in pretty good order, I was not as healthy as could be. I also know people who have perfect cholesterol, sugars, etc. and are not overweight, but are also not healthy. They don’t have good healthy habits, they suffer from a lack of energy due to poor diets, and sleep issues. So, while knowing the status of many of your health indicators, it’s important not to be lulled into complacency when all the numbers line up.

Women's Conference Scholarship

Want to go to an awesome Women's conference, but don't have the $75 for registration? Scholarship applications are being accepted through July 1 - which is NEXT Thursday! Go to http://www.smithmemorial.org/clientimages/17765/pdf/abundantlifebrochurewithmailer4.pdf for the brochure/registration.

What is Healthy, Anyway?

Like many of the topics you’ll find in this book, the topic of being healthy is one that there is no shortage of books on. It seems like every week there’s a new diet, study on health, exercise program, or magic bullet to get you into shape. If you simply let everything that comes out register in your brain that it’s out there, you can get overwhelmed. Much less if you actually try to digest and understand it all. This study contradicts that study. This diet contradicts that diet. This program is sooo much better than that program. It’s no wonder that so many people end up paralyzed, not doing anything except continuing to do what they’ve always done, whether it’s healthy or not.
To understand what it means to be healthy, the first thing is to understand what is not the definition of healthy. Only once we do away with myths and misconceptions about health, can we begin to understand what it means to be healthy.
But, before I tackle this chapter, I want to address the first question you may have: What does my health have to do with being a mom? More than you might think. One of the main goals of this book is for moms to learn to take care of themselves and be healthy and balanced in every area of life. Why? Because moms need to be able to function at their optimal levels in order to be the best mom they can be. If you’re house and life are not organized, if you’re not healthy, if your marriage isn’t solid, if you don’t use good parenting skills, if you haven’t healed from past hurts, you will not be able to parent with excellence. And, believe it or not, your health is as important as any of those other areas. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who’s grown up with a parent who’s been caught in the grips of depression, exhaustion, or general poor health.
You’ve heard the saying, ‘If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.’ Well, the same is true for your health. If you’re not healthy, neither will your children be. Living at your optimum in health allows you to enjoy your children in a way that is impossible otherwise. Living out healthy lifestyles will model those behaviors that your children need to be healthy themselves. Knowing good health choices will help you teach them to your children. A mom’s ability to become and remain healthy is important not just for mom, but for the whole family.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what is not included in the definition of healthy? (to begin tomorrow...)