The Love Dare...

For many years I have known that it is important to spend quite time before the Lord each day, and I have not always and even in the last few years have often not spent any quite time before God or even seeking Him regularly. However, I know that God has never left me and has always pulled at my heart to seek him, I have felt this especially strong in the last few weeks and know it is time to refocus.


This last week my husband surprised me by purchasing a marriage devotional bible.  I was extremely surprised, for a long time I had desired to have quiet time with my husband spending time seeking God's truth, but he has never expressed any interest in doing this together, so eventually I gave up hoping.   


We began with reading the preface in the bible that explains the different positions in a family, "The Family Manifesto" ,  which was put in before the word of the bible actually begins.  While reading this we realized that we have no idea how to do a devotional together.  Spending time reading the bible and in prayer together is not something we have really done much of, it has always been individually.  So, where do we start?  


The Family Christian Book store is where we decided to start.  We went in search of a devotional plan for couples and found a book called "The Love Dare".  A year of devotions for couples.  So we bought it and brought it home, in the beginning of the book it recommends that you keep a journal of this "journey".  We have decided to share a journal, to put our prayers, feelings and experiences into this one journal so we can each share with the other as we go through this new beginning and hopefully continue as we move on in our relationship with both God and in our marriage.  This journal is to be a safe honest place before God, where we can share anything.  Michael and I have agreed that if this is going to work there can be no judgement or condemnation for anything that may be shared in the journal and we will face the issues together.  I know there will be times when this may be a challenge but it is important the we both feel free to share anything even feelings we have about each other when it may hurt.  

We have been married for 13 1/2 years, and for the first time I feel that we are both feeling the draw on our hearts to be closer to each other and to our Lord God.  I have renewed my commitment to the Lord that I will spend time in the word and in prayer each day whether Michael joins me or not and will be journaling my experiences here in this blog.  It is my hope that God share my experiences to help someone else, that I come to a place in life where is love is reflected and he can use me as an example to touch other women, wives, and mothers.  


I know that right now this blog reaches very few people and aside from my husband there I have only one friend who reads it, but if God has a use for it, he will be able to lead someone to it.


May God Bless you!

Honoring God by loving my husband...

I am now a full time homemaker and want nothing more than to honor God's order and show my husband how much I love and appreciate him and the work that he does.  Each day I wake early and make breakfast for my husband and three children, start the laundry, help the kids get ready for their day's and once the older kids are off to school and my husband off to work I clean my home, bake fresh snacks and cook homemade meals for the family.  So, why is it that people in the world see this and assume that my husband is some how demanding too much or treating me poorly by putting expectations on me?

Just yesterday I was sharing with my mother how much I have accomplished in the home since I have quit my job and her response was "I don't like the way your husband treats you", meaning he expects too much.  We clearly have differing perspectives on this subject.  I feel it is an honor to serve my husband and family in this manner.  My husband provides for the family by working out of the home, my contribution is to work in the home.  By submitting unto my husbands requests I bring honor to God.

If I am truly honest it has been a long time since I have felt like I have been living a life that brings honor to God.  I have been so caught up in the chaos of everyday life that I have not taken the time or even given any effort into bringing honor to God and in return honoring my husband and myself.  Over the last couple of years I have felt like I lost myself.  I have a calling on my life to serve and honor God, a calling which I have ignored for the past several years, but I feel now that I can no longer ignore God and serving him starts with serving my husband.  It may not always be easy to do, but I feel that this is my place in life.  By serving my husband and keeping myself submissive to God, God is able to teach me and help me to grow spiritually, which reflects on every part of my life.

Showing honor and love to my husband, myself, and my children by serving God in this capacity is a choice.  A choice that I choose each day, moment by moment.  It is not a burden.  It is not my husband expecting too much from me.  It is not unreasonable to want to serve in this capacity.  Love is a choice, one that you choose to show by your actions each day, moment by moment.

May the Lord God Bless you and keep you, continuing to show each of us His love by teaching us how to live for Him daily.

A new page in life...

So, I couldn't wait another 15 work days to be home with my family, so I turned in my keys today and called it quits.  I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders.  My baby is still sick, but knowing that I don't have to leave her while I go to work gives me great peace.

Today, my first day back as a full time homemaker I have successfully managed to do the laundry, make fresh bread, a great pot of chicken stew for dinner and spend time cuddling my baby girl.  My husband came home to a clean kitchen and the smell of fresh laundry.  I feel like me again for the first time in a long time, tired, but finally myself again.

Tomorrow both my older children will be at school and I will be home alone with my toddler and then the adventure truly begin's.  Here is to great new beginnings!

Today being a mother consists of holding my toddler through 103 degree fever and horrible cough that I am sure hurts her chest... but the doctor say's it's just a virus and there is nothing they can do for her.  My heart breaks a little each time she cries and will surely be broken tomorrow when I have to leave her to go to work.  I stayed home on Friday to be with her and take her to the doctors office, but am sure after how much work I missed last week that staying home another day is not an option.  Only 15 more days of work and then I can stay home with her for good.  I am counting the days...

Well, I weighed myself this morning and was back down to 279 lbs... I have gone to curves to workout 3 times this week and tried to go tonight after work but they were already closed. Apparently they close at 12 noon on saturday's.... which really sucks because I was looking forward to going after I skipped last night.
Tomorrow is my daughter's 10th birthday. She wants me to make her a cinnamon cake with cream cheese frosting for her birthday cake. Her birthday present this year???? She joined curves with me. Way to go baby girl! Now to just get her to eat more vegetables and we'll be doing fine. I may induldge in a small slice of cake tomorrow, but I have been very good since I have gone back to work and the big family gathering is over and done.
I have to admit though, I enjoyed having everyone here. We even got some really fun pictures taken, and somehow I convinced my husband to take a picture with me too... our last one was 2 year old. It's not often I can get him to get into a photo.
Well, I think I need to grab my gazelle and get some kind of workout in today.
Until next time!!!!!!!

Well, I have completed phase one with a total weight loss of 12 lbs, 8 lbs of which came off during the 2 weeks of phase one.
Phase one definetly seemed to have gone by fairly quickly.
I have also joined curves for the exercise that I need to re-introduce into my routine. So I am very hopefull that will be a positive addition to my lifestyle changes.
I will weigh in tomorrow with my "official" weigh in, but yesterday I was down to 280 lbs. which I am very happy with at this point.
The next challenge I have added is the Winter Challenge here at the SBD. I am looking forward to participating in that as well.
Now if only I could get my kids to stop arguing with each other life would be great! LOL
Until next time!

Day Eight.... Monday 12/11/2006

Well, today has gone well. I didn't read the recipe for tonights dinner ahead of time and when it came time to cook it I realized that the chicken had to marinate over night... by then it was already 5:30 pm..... SO..... I threw together a fiesta taco salad w/ black beans... it is the tastiest salad I have ever encountered... It has salad greens, green pepper, tomatoes, black olives, and topped with black beans that were cooked in taco sauce for less than 10 min. I complete it with a dollop of lite sour cream (one small spoon full) and enjoy..... Mmmmmmmm good!!! Then of course dessert was a sugar free pudding. My weigh in this morning for SBD was fine, 283 lbs.... next weigh in date is next monday. Well on to the daily stats...

FBS: 141
Exercise:
Breakfast: SBD Western omlete, v8 juice and hot tea
Mid Morning Snack: Cucumbers and salmon spread (SBD recipe)
Lunch: Chef Salad(salad greens, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, ham, turkey, Thousand Island dressing)
Afternoon Snack: 20 nuts (Cashews, Almonds, and Pistacios mixed)
Dinner: Fiesta Taco Salad and Crystal light Lemonade
Dessert: Sugar free pudding with 1 tablespoon lite cool whip

SBD Day 7 ... again

Today has been one week since I started on the south beach diet and it was the first day that I have exercised. I did 20 min. on the Gazelle while I watched the new Pirates movie with my kids. 20 min was all I could handle, which was slightly discouraging, however it is a start.

Tomorrow is my official weigh in day for SBD, however i couldn't resist and weighed myself this morning. I was down to 283 lbs. The down side however is that my fasting blood sugar was high, it is the first time I have checked my sugar in months and I was highly disappointed with myself when I saw how high it was.

My goals are as follows:
1. Stick to the SBD guidelines for my meals
2. Exercise for 20 min. 3 days of the week (working my way up to everyday)
3. Monitor my blood sugars regularly
4. Drink Lots of water everyday

I hope and pray that the changes in my diet and routine will improve not only my weight, but more importantly my health. I feel that my goals are a good place to start for a healthier me.

I probably should have started this months ago when my doctor directed me to get back on the SBD, however life being as it is, is unpredictable and led me back to school in addition to working and being a mother and wife. Now I am done with my additional education (for now) and can refocus and teach myself a new lifestyle before the next upheaval (so to speak) of life arrives.

Well, for tonight, I say farewell.

Until next time!

~ Bethany



Daily Info:

FBS: 148

Exercise: 20 min. on the Gazelle

Breakfast: Artichokes Benedict w/ Mock Hollandaise Sauce
Decaffeinated Tea with Nonfat Milk and Sugar Substitute

Lunch: Roasted Portobello Mozzarella 'Pizza'Afternoon

Dinner: Chicken Caesar Salad, Sugar-free Pudding Dessert

Starting Over

I look at myself now and wonder how I got to be the weight that I am. I had been on the track to weight loss and at one point had even gotten down to 234 lbs. But now I am back up to 292 lbs. and I know that for my own health I need to get back on track.

I have recently finished classes to get my real estate license for work and am not so completely swamped. During the classes I was working full time in addition to the classes. I am also a full time mother and wife. My husband has been out of work for several months due to an injury, we are hopeful that he will be back to work by the new year. However during this time I would come home completely exhausted and the last thing I wanted to think about was cooking a healthy meal. So it was pick up from anywhere fast... chinese, KFC, McDonalds, Dairy Queen, the quick fried foods from the grocery deli. All of which have contributed to my current condition.

So it's time to refocus and hopefully stick to a healthy lifestyle. I need to be held accountable to the choices I make and I really need to make time to exercise everyday. I have several workout videos, a exercise ball, and a gazelle. I just need to make it a priority. Beginning tomorrow I will be tracking my meals and exercise. I find myself tired all the time but this has to become a regular part of my daily life.

~ Bethany

SBD DAY 15 - PHASE 2 - DAY 1

I AM OFFICALLY IN PHASE 2... TODAY I HAVE DECIDED TO ADD ONE COMPLEX CARB OR OTHER SOUTH BEACH APPROVED FOOD INTO MY DIET... I AM THINKING I WILL USE MY AFTERNOON SNACK FOR THATAND I WEIGHED MYSELF THIS MORNING AND I AM DOWN TO 273.5!!!! SO ONWARD WE GO AND HOPEFULLY THAT SCALE WILL JUST KEEP GOING DOWN DOWN DOWN.

...

DAILY INFO:

EXERCISE:

BREAKFAST: 1 EGG, MUSHROOMS AND TOMATO, 2 SAUSAGE LINKDS AND 16 OZ WATER

LUNCH:

SNACK:

DINNER:

DESSERT:

SBD DAY 14 - PHASE 1

OK THIS IS MY LAST DAY ON PHASE ONE AND THEN I CAN SWITCH TO PHASE TWO UNTIL I REACH MY WEIGHT LOSS GOALS... I HAVE LOST A TOTAL OF 11.5 LBS IN THE FIRST PHASE OF THE SBD... AND HAVEN'T CHEATED EVEN ONCE!!!




DAILY INFO:

EXERCISE: 42 MIN. SCULPT & BURN

BREAKFAST: 2 EGGS, 2 SAUSAGE, ZUCCHINI WITH MUSHROOMS, 1 C. EARL GREY WITH CREAM, 16 OZ WATER

LUNCH: 1 BOWL FIESTA TACO SALAD, 16 OZ WATER, VITAMINS AND 8 OZ WATER

SNACK: TURKEY KIEBALSA WITH WATER

DINNER: 1/2 SALSA CHICKEN BREAST WITH SALAD AND 16 OZ WATER

DESSERT: 1 SF PUDDING CUP WITH WATER

SBD DAY 13 - PHASE 1

OK LETS BE HONEST HERE I AM JUST TRYING TO CATCH MY BLOG UP SO I REALLY DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT TO SAY TODAY.



DAILY INFO:

EXERCISE: 30 MIN SHAPE AND FIRM

BREAKFAST: 1/2 C COTTAGE CHEESE, CUCUMBER, TOMATO, 1 BOILED EGG, 16 OZ WATER

LUNCH: MEANT, CHEESE, CUCUMBER, FF YOUGURT(PLAIN), 16 OZ WATER

DINNER: SMOKED SAUSAGES WITH CHEESE AND WATER

SBD DAY 12 - PHASE 1

OK... today is day 10 of the January challenge and I am just pluggin away!

so lets just get to the daily info shall we?!?!



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: 30 min slim & thin

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 4 sausage links, sauted vegi's 16 oz water

Lunch: fiesta taco salad with 16 oz water

Snack: beef jerky

Dinner: fajita salad 16 oz water

Dessert: SF Jellow, Chocolate Ricotta creme 32 oz water

SBD DAY 11 - PHASE 1

Well... my life will be in for some changes... professionally speaking any how.... my job is changing... I will be training to take on the property manager position for the apt. complex I am currently working at as onsite manager.... I am actually kind of excited about this change.... another challenge to add to my life. One that is for the better I hope.



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: 30 min 2 mile WATP

Breakfast: 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 2 hard boiled eggs, 16 oz water

Lunch: fiesta taco salad with 16 oz water

Snack: beef jerky and 16 oz water

Dinner: smoked sausage with grilled vegi's, cauliflower mash, 16 oz water

SBD DAY 10 - PHASE 1

Well, today is the start of week 2 of my January Challenge... so this week I will strive to exercise for 30 minutes a day AND stick to the SBD... which so far I have been doing pretty well with....So wish me luck and keep that encouragement coming. Next week I add drinking 64 oz of water daily and taking my vitamins to that goal.



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: 42 min. sculpt & burn

Breakfast: 1/2 tomato, 6 slices cucumber,, 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 2 hard boiled eggs, 16 oz water

Lunch: fiesta taco salad (1 bowl) with sf jello cup and cool whip, 16 oz water

Snack: 1 string cheese, beef jerky, 16 oz water

Dinner: Salmon, steamed spinach, salad, mashed cauliflower, 16 oz water, 8 oz milk

Dessert: sf jello cup with dollop of cool whip

SBD DAY 9 - PHASE 1

Alright... I have been working out 30 min at least everyday... and doing my best to stick to my diet (or lifestyle change).... I feel like I am doing better at this than ever before .... you know my pants actually felt loose today!!! So I must be on the right track.



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: 30 min. Shape & firm

Breakfast: 1/3 cucumber, 1 roma tomato, 2 hard boiled eggs, 16 oz water

Lunch: left over chicken celery salad with peanuts on top, 16 oz water

Snack: 1 string cheese

Dinner: 2 lettuce wrap tacos (lettuce, tomato, onion, black beans, lean GB, salsa, lite sour cream, shredded cheddar) 16 oz water

Dessert: SF jello with cool whip & SF pudding with cool whip

SBD DAY 8 - PHASE 1

I am having a really hard time with this no eating after 7 pm thing.... and I ate way too much beef jerky yesterday for snacking.... I have got to get myself under control in these area's.... I am not cheating in the sense of eating foods I'm not supposed too but I am feeling like maybe I am eating too much of some of the foods I am allowed.... I mean even if it is allowed you can still over do it right?!?!



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: 30 min slim and thin workout

Breakfast: 1 tomato and 3/4 c. cottage cheese with 16 oz lemon water

Lunch: left over chicken celery salad with peanuts on top and 16 oz lemon water

Snack: beef jerky and peanuts with 16 oz water

Dinner: steak, mashed cauliflower, and salad with a tomato and caesar vinagrette and 16 oz water

Dessert: Sugar free jello

Snack: pepperoni and water

SBD DAY 7 - PHASE 1

OK... well I did it again.... I caved into the late night snack attack.... I don't like the way I feel the next morning when I eat late at night... I think I need to try a bit harder to NOT EAT AFTER 7 PM..... I am doing great with the serving sizes now, using a smaller plate has really helped with that and it has helped me to recognize more regularly when I get full and then I just save what's left for another meal... so now that I have that particular problem basically solved I have to take the time to dig in and resist those late night snack attacks.



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: 42 min. sculpt and burn

Breakfast: 2/3 egg with turkey and swiss, 8 oz milk, and 16 oz water

Lunch: cucumber, tomato, advocato salad with garlic cheese vinagrette and 1/2 c. cottage cheese with 16 oz water

Snack: beef jerky and peanuts

Dinner: Chicken, celery salad with onion and mayo, 16 oz water

Dessert: SF jello and a lemon zest ricotta creme

SBD DAY 6 - PHASE 1

OK... it's weigh in day..... I suppose I should probably measure up too but at the moment I'm not sure where I put my measuring tape.... So weighing in will just have to do.......

Last Monday's weight: 286.5
Today's Weight: 275.5
Total weekly loss: -11 lbs!!!

I mentioned the first ten the other day...I still know that at least half of that was probably water weight if not more of it.... but still a remarkable start.... Let's hope the weight loss continues .... even if it does taper off to a couple of pounds a week instead of the dramatic that we have seen this week.



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: Shape and Firm 30 min workout

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1. c vegi's (mushrooms, peppers, onion, and garlic), 2 oz. canadian bacon and 16 oz water

Lunch: cucumber, tomato, advocato salad with 1-2 TBSP garlic cheese vinagrette, 3.4 c. cottage cheese and 16 oz water

Snack: 4 sm slices beef jerky, 15 peanuts and 16 oz water

Dinner: Glazed Salmon with 1 1/2 c. grilled vegi's and 16 oz water

Dessert: 1 c. SF jello with a dollop of cool whip

Late Night Snacking: A little of each: Cheese, pepperoni, beef jerky, peanuts, and 16 oz water

SBD DAY 5 -PHASE 1

Ok, well I have made it to day 5 and not cheated even once!!! I have also started to serve myself up on a smaller plate so I am not feeling obliged to eat eveything on my plate like I was with the larger plate.... And I am really happy with how that is working ... I am finding that even though it is a smaller serving I am still getting VERY full.... SO that is one change that I plan on sticking with.



DAILY INFO:

Exercise: 2 mile walk away the pounds 30 min. workout

Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 c. mushrooms, 1 slice onion, 1 TBsp lite sour cream, 1 TB. salsa, 2 oz canadian bacon, 16 oz water and 2 oz swiss cheese

Lunch: 1/3 cucumber, 1 tomato, 1/2 advocato and a dash of olive oil vinagrette with 1 c. cottage cheese and 20 oz water

Dinner: Marinated London Broil (Yumm), South Beach surprise "mashed potatoes"(aka mashed cauliflower), steamed spinach, 16 oz water and 2 oz cheese

Dessert: 1 c. Sugar Free jello with 4-5 TBsp cool whip and 8 oz water