Day 2 of my Famous in Heaven and at Home devotional.
Each daily read is shorter than I expected; just a few pages. Which I like because I've reread it two or three times to really make sure I'm in understanding before I am comfortable moving on. I'm working very hard in my head to remain positive that I am worthy enough to be in this devotional. That I have what it takes to work towards what the P31 woman is. But these two sentence struck me in today's reading. They are geared towards encouraging women that are chasing Jesus and that relationship with Him. How amazing is that?! And I think that this encouragement and to be a positive in someone's life for Jesus indirectly impacts all aspects of life. So know that when you are encouraging her in a positive way that it's more than just empty words. They mean something. They mean more to her than you may even know...maybe even more than she really knows. Encouragement and positivity of God's light drown out all the lies that Satan throws at us each day. Those insecurities I feel about this devotional are not mine or God's. They are Satan's trying to convince me that I am not good enough to do this. But that's wrong and I'm learning each day to do my best and know that I am enough. I am perfect in His eyes. And you are too. Give someone that compliment, that word of encouragement, those words of positivity will be powerful. Xo
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Setbacks happen. Time flies and gets away from us and before you know it you feel as though you've completely ruined any progress or momentum that you had. In my experience before my journey started in January 2016, it created a sense of failure.
We all experience setbacks or pauses in our lives. For me, it comes in my health and fitness, chores, or relationships. In the past, I would really get in an emotional rut and be really bummed and in a bad mood for long periods of time. I would get irritated with my disaster of a house and feel like I would never get ahead of the game. I would feel like a failure and give up. It's always easier said than done, but over the course of the journey I have developed a routine to get out of the rut and continue in the progress and get my momentum back. Here are 5 steps to handling a setback. 1. Give yourself grace. The first step is acknowledging the setback and knowing that we are all human. Time truly does fly and before you know it, the train falls off the tracks. It. Is. OK! Give yourself some grace and forgive yourself. You aren't perfect. You aren't supposed to be perfect. What you are supposed to be is in a mindset that allows you to stay positive and self loving and move on. As I've gone through these last 8 months I have slowly learned to allow grace instead of striving for perfection. God gives us grace every day for anything and everything we need. We are enough to Him and I'm learning that that is enough for me. When I don't allow myself grace for my imperfection my soul hurts. My mindset is tarnished and if I allow myself to stay there long enough, the minor setback becomes a major one and that becomes a full on quitting scenario. I don't have time for that. I don't want my son to see that negativity that could instead see grace and move on and live in the moment instead of the past. Live in this moment. And my grandma always tells me that there is no sense on being mad because it wastes time. I don't want to waste away moments by being upset with myself. Overcome the setback and know that you are human and its ok. 2. Ask for help Especially when it comes to thinking I can be everything and do everything that my family and team members need, I realize that I need help. Everyone needs help. It takes a village to ..... well have community. It's much easier to do things together than try to do everything alone. I am trying to get into the habit of asking my husband for help before the extreme irritation hits. By getting into the habit of asking for help before the crap hits the fan gives us both a chance to plan ahead for the chores that need to happen as well as communicate better. Again, easier said than done, but getting into that habit will allow the momentum to set in instead of irritation and the sense of drowning in mountains of laundry. I am also getting into the habit of asking him where he needs help. 3. Don't wait for Monday Don't wait for Monday. For tomorrow. For the beginning of the month. Don't wait! Just hop on the train right where you are at and get back on track. Procrastination can really keep you down and prevent you from getting out of the setback but rather drags you down further into it. This was my struggle for several years. Combined with other excuses, procrastination is the worst culprit of turning a minor setback into a full on quit. Every single time I waited for the next 'perfect' day I would create another excuse on why that day wasn't the day either. Now after I have my 5 minute pity party I snap out of it, give the grace, ask for help where I need it, and then not wait another second to find my bearings and get back to it.. Don't wait another second to get your momentum back and continue to reach your goals. 4. Make your plan Once you've decided to get back to it you gotta get back to your plan. If you need a new plan, make one! Decide how you are going to get back to achieving your goals. Nutrition: Write down your meal plan for the day and following week. Even though I love the ease of the Notes on my phone, pen and paper really help me visualize my plan for my meals. If I am tired of a certain meal and I need a new one to replace it, I go to Pinterest to find something to go into my mix. Jazz it up! With that also comes your meal prep list too. Get that grocery list made and know exactly what you need when you get there and avoid the extras that tempt you in the isles. Fitness: If you aren't on a calendar schedule with a workout program, you need to write down your plan for your workouts. I love the workout programs that Beachbody provides because there is a calendar that does it for me. I don't have to avoid workouts that I don't like and overtrain on other areas. It's all balanced and there to follow. Now I really mean specifically setbacks regarding health and fitness. But chores and relationships are important to me too and I have to take that into account if I feel like I'm in a rut. When you have that gut check on why you feel down, take several angles of your daily life into account to really optimize getting out of the rut. Chores: Again, that pen and paper. Writing a to do list of all the chores that need to be done. The list will be long and overwhelming. And that's ok. Next, prioritize the chores that need done first. For me that's always dishes and sweeping.all the Puffs and Cheerios. Next is laundry. After that I look for opportunities to clean Sam's room, the kitchen counters/table, and other items that I have time for. Set the 3 most important things, then have two to do if there is time. Rotate as needed. Relationships: I am really working on focusing on my relationships with Dominic and friends. I can't afford to put them on the back burner and have one moment that they feel taken for granted. I know that I am super busy running around and with so many things on my mind. It sounds silly but I also make a to do list to communicate with friends on a regular basis. Even though it's scheduled on my to do list, it's a genuine communication. Dominic and I do this too now every evening. Instead of dinking on our phones all night until it's time for bed, we generally have at least one hour that we sit together on the couch unplugged. No phones for at least an hour, sometimes more. We also unplug when we play with Sam in the evenings. Committing to this time for us has become really nice to sit together and enjoy each other's company. 5. Go public for accountability After you make a plan, specifically with your nutrition and fitness, go public. Make it known for accountability. Let people know what's going on! The best decision I made as I committed to this journey is to become a coach. The accountability and sense of commitment to the tribe has really kept me from letting any setbacks become bigger than necessary. I also set goals and accountability with my groups and friends on my goals and how I am going to reach them. And you know what? They ASK me how it's going. They check in on me. When I know that I will be checked, I end up sticking to it. So tell your friends, heck ask them to join you and buddy up! Whatever works for you to hold yourself accountable, go public with it! I love pen and paper but I am starting to love the gmail calendar app as well to start organizing and scheduling my to dos. I'll keep you posted on that. Now get that pen and paper out and make your plan! I absolutely love tacos! Well Mexican food in general. I could eat a ship load of those chips and salsa they give you before you even order, amiright? Dominic and I don't go out to eat very often, so we greatly enjoy our taco routine. I make these tacos at least once a week and most of the time leftovers on another night. This recipe is easy, quick, and fits into my 21 Day Fix meal plan...a winner! Ingredients you'll need: 1 lb of ground turkey Assorted veggies Taco spices Romaine lettuce or spinach Avocado Salsa Greek Yogurt Brown the ground turkey in a medium to large skillet. I added a wee bit of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, any Rachael Ray fans out there?) and the ground turkey meat to the pan and let it do its thing. Side note: Do ya'll like to have little pieces of ground meat or bigger chunks? It's a forever battle between me and Dom. I vote larger chunks. Chop/dice your assorted veggies. This time I used red onions, mushrooms, and yellow/red/orange bell peppers and tomatoes. Green peppers, jalapenos, yellow/white onion, squash, zucchini...really any 'green container' veggie would also be great here. You can also use corn and black beans but those are yellow containers so plan accordingly. Add the veggies to the turkey when its almost completely browned. Add a teeny weeny bit of EVOO if needed to sautee the veggies with the turkey. Add the spices to the turkey/veggie mixture. Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne powder are in most taco flavor packets. Using and adding the spices separately reduces unnecessary excess salt. Add about 1/4 cup water to mix all of the spices together with the mixture. Continue cooking the mixture until most of the water has cooked off. Mmmmm! It's ready! Measure out 2 Green containers of romaine lettuce, 1 Blue of avocado, and 1 Red container of the turkey mixture Add a little salsa to the top for 'dressing' and wahlaaaa! Yummy and awesome turkey taco salad!
I'm a creature of habit. I don't mind eating the same thing most days...especially when it's EASY and foolproof! So when I set out my prep list for the next week, I gotta make sure that I have enough oatmeal portioned and ready to go. I got the idea from Pinterest, but I've simplified it a bit more. Let's talk Steel Cut Oats. Why these oats rather than the rolled oats, the quick rolled oats, or even the premade stuff? I continue to follow the 21 Day Fix meal plan, which is essentially portioned clean eating, I strive to consume items that are in its most natural, least processed, form. I also try to minimize the number of ingredients on the list or at least unpronounceable ingredients. If I have any vote to your oatmeal prepping options, opt out of the premade stuff. There's more added sugar and artificial add ins than really necessary for your meal prep. The prep for my oatmeal literally takes....maybe 10 minutes total of actual work time. Steel cut oats are the least processed of the options. I also prefer these because I think they are less mushy when they are reheated. I use rolled oats in other things like my turkey meatloaf muffins or Shakeology blends or whole wheat pancakes. But for this, I like the texture of the steel cut. This is so easy because there's nothing else to remember than what is already on the container for cooking instructions. It's simply 1 cup of oats for every 4 cups of water. For my prep, I place 8 cups of water into my pot and 2 cups of oats into my bowl while I wait for the water to boil. Once the water is boiling, add in and stir the oats. Cover the pot and turn off the heat OR leave it on the lowest low setting. Let it do its thing for 45 minutes to 1 hour. See I know this sounds like a long time, but I totally did the dishes and then took a nap while this was 'working'. It's doable. Once the oats have completely absorbed all the water, add in as much cinnamon to your liking. I add a lot, since it's the only spice flavoring I use for this. I don't add in any other sweetener. Spray each muffin tin with coconut oil (or whatever non stick spray) Scoop 1/2 cup portions into each cup. It's best to have most of the liquid absorbed so it's not runny. Put in freezer until set firm. I usually forget about them until the next day so I'm not exact on the same day time haha. Remove the portions from the tin by placing a cookie sheet on top of the muffin tray...turn it upside down, and run warm water over the bottom of the muffin tray. Do it quickly so that too much water doesn't get onto the cookie sheet underneath. Place them all in a big freezer bag and put them back into the freezer! Now you have perfectly portioned oatmeal to put in a container and heat up with chopped apple, walnuts, and unsweetened almond milk! The oatmeal is one yellow container....calculate your add ins accordingly. Easy peasy! Enjoy! Quick & Easy Steel Cut Oats
8 cups water 2 cups steel cut oats Bring water to a boil. Stir in oats and cover. Remove from heat or keep on lowest warm setting at a slow simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until oats have absorbed most of the water. The consistency should not be extremely runny. Add cinnamon (and nutmeg, pumpkin/apple spice, etc) to taste. Spray cooking spray into muffin tin cups. Portion 1/2 cup of oats to each muffin tin cup. Freeze until set or overnight. Place cookie sheet on top of the muffin tray, turn it all upside down so the bottom of the muffin tray is facing upward. Run warm water over each muffin cup to release the frozen oats on the other side. Place in freezer bag. Add frozen oat portion to container with desired add ins. Options include banana, apple, peaches, walnuts, dried cranberries/blueberries, almonds. Add a splash of unsweetened almond milk. Microwave for up to 3 minutes or until oats are thawed. Each oatmeal portion is 1 yellow container. Compute add ins accordingly. Enjoy! xo I am taking a look back on my old blog and it's Breastfeeding week or something? All I know is all the posts I see are full of mom shaming and mommy guilt. I hope you read this and as a mom know you are enough and you do exactly what God intends you to do for your family. I wrote this post on 10/31/2015, when Sam was a little over one month old. I'll move other posts over eventually and any reference to a prior post I'll link later 😁.
*This is a Mom Shame Free/Mom Guilt Free Zone. From pregnancy to 5 weeks postpartum my thoughts about how I wanted to feed my baby has changed immensely. My original thoughts were that I wanted to breastfeed. It's free (ish) and what I just thought was best for both of us in terms of nutrition for him and losing weight for me and bonding for both of us...among other benefits I have read about during my research. If you remember from my prior post about my Labor and Delivery experience, I was able to have Sampson without any pain medication. One of the reasons was that during my research I found out that if I wanted to breastfeed, medication free gave us the best chances for a successful breastfeeding relationship. So from the time Dominic and I started developing our birth plan; I had it in my plan to have immediate skin to skin contact after my natural delivery. After delivery, they placed Sam on my chest for skin to skin contact. We cuddled and loved those first few minutes as a family of three and shortly after we attempted our first breastfeeding session. He latched on beautifully and successfully and it was a great first for us. The first three weeks I breastfed Sam and we went to a breastfeeding support group at St. John's. It's free, every Wednesday, from 12-1:30. I must say the staff at the hospital and in the group were wonderful! The staff weighs him without his clothes on, again with his clothes on, then you feed him and then weigh him again. It was a relief to know that not only was he latching on great, but he was taking in plenty of milk and gaining weight beautifully. I appreciated all that the staff and veterans of the group did to support newbies like me. I bawled and bawled our first trip; 5 days postpartum. A lactation specialist helped me with issues I was having with my left side and when I left I felt so great. Weighed him after feeding on each side and he took in 4 oz total in like 10 minutes! Whoa! The staff was so impressed and I felt so proud of us for doing so well when I thought we were doing lousy. The feeding sessions were often and most of the time pretty short. I think I had a pretty fast let down that ended up choking him sometimes. Even though he still latched on great and ate enough to gain about a pound a week, I was feeling stressed out and exhausted and the on demand feedings just had me worried about returning to work. My hormones were/are out of whack (as expected) and I just felt like I needed to reconsider formula feeding as an option to give Dominic a role in actually feeding him. I was so torn. I felt like a failure. My initial thought was that I was going to 'breastfeed as long as possible'. But I never gave myself an actual timeline. When was enough? How long could/should I go? Nothing was truly wrong with me and him feeding. He was latching on and eating and gaining weight. But he was fussy sometimes and I was worried about what I was eating impacting his tummy. I was exhausted, his eating sessions were 1-2 hours apart and I had not yet mastered the art of the power nap. Caffeine was out of the question, you only have to make that mistake once. I didn't want to, but I felt awkward trying to feed him outside of my house. A feeling I created in my own mind since no one else acted like my feeding choice 'in public' with family and friends was bothersome. But then again, I didn't leave the house much really at all. But what about pumping? That was also on the original plan. But again, the thought of pumping, storing, freezing, thawing, producing enough to pump and still feed, going back to work...storing it at work...creating/setting aside the time to pump at work... wearing normal clothes since I was leaking through everything...prepping enough for daycare...I was just stressing myself out over that and then thinking that all of the above and my doubts to continue were out of my own laziness. Again I felt just awful and torn....basically mom guilt and mom shaming my own self. I talked with two amazing friends that either transitioned from breast to formula or that exclusively formula fed. Amazing really is an understatement. I look up to these women as how to be awesome friends, professionals, wives, and mothers. Their willingness to answer my personal questions and be so open with why and how they feed the way they do/did....well I know that God brings girlfriends in your life for so many reasons and their love and support is irreplaceable. These girls along with my mother and mother in law helped me realize that I have nothing to be ashamed for. What is/was most important is that I love my son unconditionally and a happy and healthy mother is a happy and healthy baby. I needed to do what was best for both of us to achieve our well being. Whether that be breastfeeding/pumping or transitioning to formula. There is no right or wrong answer. So I transitioned him to formula. Not only can I now have some time to myself to recharge and come back a better mother, but Dominic and other family can now help more actively as well. I dried up my breasts in about a week and now I feel so much better physically and mentally. In order to actively participate in Sampson's life and not anticipate the future worries, I did what was best for us. Shaming and guilting myself while transitioning defeats the just stated purpose of why I did it in the first place. Sam continues to feed as usual. He eats often, sleeps better/longer in between feedings, cries less from upset tummy/gassy, and still dirties diapers as what is considered normal. I am very pleased with his adjustment. Success all around! In other words. Trust your own self. Believe in knowing that what you are doing is the right thing to do for you and your family. Don't do it because xyz says so. Sure, use their help and guidance and advice and love and support like I did, but do so in combination with your own confidence at the end of the day. No Mom Shaming or Mom Guilt here; that definitely won't help you Participate. So to add to my phrase; Don't Anticipate or Regret, Participate. In about 20 minutes I will be joining my fellow teammates to talk about our goals for August. But these are not just goals. It is our passionate pursuit to change lives of women and their families by loving on them and giving them the tools for a healthy life. Mind. Body. and Spirit.
The women on this team are my new friends that I never would have known without this journey. They encourage me to be a more positive and better person. One that strives to pursue my own goals of personal development and health and fitness and the Bible. They teach me about to embrace how amazing mommyhood is. And that no matter what decisions we make for our own mommyhood and families it does not diminish the choices of others. We share recipes and give each other virtual high fives and hugs. And because of this adventure I have made new and reconnected with old friends. We talk like all friends do; about mommy stuff, friend stuff, wine stuff, chocolate stuff, Mexican food stuff, and also health and fitness stuff. I've watched friends and loved ones take the steps to lead a healthier lifestyle. And when they say it's because of me and how I have inspired them....all the feels. I have inspired others to take steps to be healthy and happy. And that is a feeling that can not be replaced by very many things. I am touched that...by me finally committing to this journey...that I have touched you in any positive way. God has brought me to this journey, these moments, in just His right timing. His timing for us to connect is why I am called to do this adventure. It's not about Beachbody specifically. Yes, that is my platform, but my purpose...my calling...is to inspire you to be the best version of you by being the best version of me. If you haven't already, go to the Fitness Community tab and become a tribe member. I'd love to connect with you. xo The Journey: This wild ride of 8 months has given light to many areas of my life. I joined Beachbody and the team I am on initially to get the Shakeology discount. Let's be honest, if I'm going to drink it every day I'd better be getting a discount for it! I also wanted the accountability of sharing my story so I wouldn't give up, again. I wanted to be the best version of me physically and I believed that coaching and the Beachbody products were going to get me there.
It has quickly morphed to also helping other women become the best versions of themselves as well. Building these relationships and loving on people and encouraging them to be awesome has fueled the fire in my soul. This journey gets my motor running in the morning...well and coffee. I am on this journey for me, my family, my son, and my tribe. I become a better me by eating clean, sweating my butt off, listening/reading personal development, and loving on and encouraging others. Every meal prep, drop of sweat, and word of development is so gratifying and rewarding. The Sister: Since graduating from high school and leaving for college, I've deeply cherished time spent with my sister. I just love her to death, numerous topics and posts that could, and probably will, fill this blog of just how awesome Bailie is and how important of a role she plays in my life. I have this lovingly saying that I can't live with her but I can't live without her. And we have an approximate 72 hour threshold where after than the sister claws and under the skin irritant emerges. But I love her and she's my biggest fan. The Wardrobe: Last weekend we celebrated my Grandma's and Dominic's birthdays with a birthday lunch out so Bailie and Jay were in town with us. Afterwards, Bailie was going to help me pick out a dress for a wedding reception I was going to later that evening. We gathered the dresses that were in the cedar closet downstairs and walked into my very messy bedroom. I think she had a mini heart attack as she witnessed that most, if not all, of my laundry strewn about the bed and baskets surrounding it. We immediately had to go through everything, including my dresses. And as we went through them and all of the possible mess choices her words hit me. 'Burlie, you need to get rid of these clothes that are too big for you. You are never going to be this big again. It is not okay to keep these clothes that don't fit.' Wow. That hit me good. She was right. (as she is many times) I never plan on being that size again. Even if we are blessed with another pregnancy I will not be that size anymore. So we went through and I tried on numerous items for her necessary review and analysis. In the end, TWO garbage bags full of clothes and ONE garbage bag of other clothing and unnecessary things and trash in my bedroom were gone. She took them all with her for the Goodwill in Lake Zurich so I couldn't even go back into the bags after she left to save them. This included my beloved, super comfy work maternity pants. Yes, maternity pants I was still wearing 10 months postpartum. But they were so comfyyyyy....but alas I could not keep them...even if we expand our family more, these pants will not be satisfactory to my new body as it grows again. And....as Bailie put it, I cannot keep pants with crotch holes in them...okay okay they were tinnnny holes. But holes nonetheless and I guess that is criteria for the garbage bag. As you travel in your journey you will need that push from others to realize what everyone already sees. You are changing physically and your mentality of how you see yourself will have to too. Do you need someone to come over (or FaceTime) while you go through your wardrobe? Or to chat and sip coffee? As your friend and coach and tribe leader, I am here for you. I'm that friend that can do that with you...and if we have any questions...we'll conference in Bailie. xo The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are. 'YES'
It may not be as simple of a phrase as it sounds, right? Especially when it comes to surrendering yourself to a new journey and adventure like I have been on. I had no idea where I was going to be 3 months, 6 months, 8 months ago. All I knew was that I couldn't be the same as I was when I came home from the hospital and I couldn't put pressure on my knees to pick up Sam. I couldn't watch Sampson grow and play from the couch. I couldn't keep on the path I was on and try to grow our family again and not expect a high risk pregnancy. (I had too high blood pressure at the end and had to have quick induction.) I've figured it out along the way. I'm continuously learning balance and growing in becoming that best version of me. I'm growing into developing my WHY. And it's not only to be the best mom for Sam, but to set an example for my family and love my tribe. I'm never going to stop growing and I'll never stop learning and I'll never leave this journey. This wild ride is now my purpose. So at Christmas when I said YES to join the challenge group to start at the new year I also took the next leap to say YES to being a coach. I didn't know when I said yes just how amazing this journey would be. I committed to the path to a healthier me. and now I can't imagine going back. I have my purpose and my passion to be the best version of me and to support others in doing the same. ❤️ So even if you don't know where the journey will take you, just close your eyes and jump! I'll help you figure out the rest. ☺️ |
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September 2017
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