Coffee Group On the Road

I meant to include this in the last post, but I was horribly distracted between talk of new kitchen tile and getting the dance-off results from the kids while they observed the dinner at the hotel. So my coffee group gals hit the road this weekend. I'm going to claim being the youngest and most agile since they crammed me in the back little seat -- but I went the whole way saying (honestly) that I didn't mind and actually liked my little cubby! But what a fun trip. Oh, I am so blessed.

I do love to speak at ladies' things. Mainly, I guess, I just love to talk and I REALLY love to talk about what the Lord teaches me. Then, when I get to sit and visit with my friends and travel with them -- I'm just so blessed.

We spoke at Crossroads Retreat Center in Caldwell, Texas, which is pretty 'fur acrosst' Texas from Abilene! Beautiful, beautiful country, though! And I got to see old family -- my sisters from my congregation in Temple. What beautiful, beautiful souls they are. I am so blessed.

So, we talked and we laughed and we ate and we laughed some more. And sweet Judy drove and drove and drove some more. And we continued to laugh. All in all, a grand time was had by all.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Life Goes On

The excavation of my home and foundation continues. However, I do have to confess that the bees left almost as soon as I posted about their presence. Troy says that's how they travel -- swarm, rest, swarm. Comforting, no?

The foundation of my home is laid bare and, in some cases, removed from my home. There is a hole in the hall bath about 4 feet deep. There are piles of dirt in Ashley's room that have dumped huge clods onto her carpet that is rolled to one side. Concrete dust covers every inch of my home. Obviously not in my happy place.

HOWEVER -- since last Thursday my home has been some hotel. Thursday was Best Western, then I left town, then we've been at the Elegante' Suites (formerly Embassy). My kids are eating better breakfasts than they have all year -- okay, my whole family is. Troy doesn't even have to eat lunch! Someone comes to make my beds and bring me fresh towels every day. I'm 2 for 2: days for naps. It is, indeed, all good in the 'hood!

Of course, the questions continue -- how long? how much? what is the problem? No idea. I know we won't be back in our home for at least another week. I know my home won't be much of a home when we do get back. It will be weeks of tripping over installers and displaced furniture. I know that parts of my foundation can't be closed up for weeks while we wait on soil sample testing. I don't know how it will all work. But I do know it will work. Again, it's inconvenient, but not a problem. I truly can't complain -- oh, I have, but I really have no room to. I know people that have actual problems. Living in a hotel having my dinner delivered to me -- not exactly a problem.

Judy says it's just like a vacation -- the first night here did appear just like some of MY vacations, but I doubt like many of Judy's. Wal-Mart at 11 p.m. Saturday so that Riley could have something other than athletic shorts to wear to church. Raucous softball teams celebrating until 3 a.m. Just like my vacations!

Having been through a flood and reconstruction 5 years ago, we are much better equipped to deal with this than we were the flood. I feel like we are making better decisions and I can think through our decorating options while we have this "opportunity" to re-model! Again, just like a vacation (even right this minute, the dinner in the atrium of the hotel is having some awesome live music -- you just don't get that at home! The kids just returned reporting on the dance-off).

And, since life goes on, bumps and scrapes come with it. Last night at baseball practice Riley took off after a long hit and tried to hurdle a rope that blocks off a portion of the track. With all the grace of his momma, he caught one leg on the rope and landed hip and elbow first. The kid is bunged up. When he still could hardly walk this morning, I took a sick day and took him into the doctor. Yep, he's beat up. Yep, he'll be fine. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Life Goes On.

Now We Have Honey to Sweeten Life's Lemonade..

So Ashley calls me outside. "See that black spot on the tree?" Well, it's a pretty scrawny tree and a fairly large spot, so, yes, I see it...

So, joining our happy little jackhammered home is a swarm of bees. I'm sure there is something I could and should be doing about that, but I don't know what. So, I'm keeping the children away until their father gets home!

Happy Place... Growing Dim ... So Far Away

Well, to Pete, I guess, this is progress. I don't know if you can see, but I put a little, tiny red arrow to indicate where I stood yesterday to take a picture of my kitchen. Now my happy trough goes from my kitchen to the edge of my living room. Tomorrow it should go through the hall bath, the Master shower, the hall, the hall closet, and finish it's tour of the Stirman home in Ashley's room. I do believe this is my favorite, though:

as if my living room were Pete's personal spelunking project.

He truly is a nice man and if I have to spend all day having my teeth rattled by a jack-hammering plumber, it may as well be Pete! He and Jason, our State Farm adjuster, are going to have to go on my Christmas card list!

Photographic Evidence

My kitchen sink area and floor Wednesday morning:

The kitchen sink is in my garage, and here is the floor area by Wednesday afternoon:
Lovely, no? (for reference, those are 18" tiles -- the picture shows 6 of them torn up, and I'm standing at the 7th one to take the pic)

Seeing these pictures makes me realize that I have no idea where my cabinet doors are. Just a minute, let me look around... no, they are not in my happy place, which is where I have to stay right now. There are no questions and no answers in my happy place -- how much more do they have to dig up? how long will this take? you're sure State Farm will cover all of this? None of those are in my happy place, so I can't help you. My refrigerator is in front of my french doors and there is plywood over the trough. That is what I know -- OH, and I know that I made a grand pioneer woman and hauled water so I could cook and clean for a week with no drainage, but now I have no water and no sink to hold my "wash basins". So, I'm done and we shall be eating out until I have a sink again. That information is in my happy place. I think also in my happy place I am going to take children to breakfast this morning since there is one of those big, state-wide exams and they need a decent breakfast -- and there isn't one at this house! Come join me in my happy place!

Nothing Noteworthy

First, y'all knew I had to check out the new Diet Coke Plus, right? I saw it on the news earlier this week. Troy, of course, rolled his eyes. But if I can drink that bubbly beverage that I love so very much AND get a few vitamins, I'm ALL about it. I wouldn't have thought it would have been in our tiny city yet, but Kendra sent me an email about it pretty fired up (you don't know Diet Coke love/ addiction until you've met Kendra) so I set out in search of it today. Okay, truthfully I just went to Wal-Mart since that's where Kendra told me she had found it. I wouldn't have made a special trip there, but I needed a few other things, you know the W-M drill... Anyway, I know you are dying for my review so here goes: Flavor? sweeter than regular Diet Coke (NOT a plus, in my book) yet with more of an aftertaste. All in all, it's tolerable, and if it had vitamins I thought I really needed I would make a point to drink one every day. Which brings me to the vitamin content: How's your magnesium level? Niacin? I'm sure the B-6 and B-12 proponents will argue with me, but I really think I'm okay on that front, as well. I know that I am chronically short of calcium and iron, but I also know that caffeine interferes with the absorption of both of those things, so we probably won't find them in a Diet Coke anytime soon. All in all, Diet Coke plus is a grand idea --- but I doubt it will stick around very long.

And on the homefront -- I can't wait until I can post my picture of my kitchen floor with the 5 foot trough down the middle of it. It used to smell like fresh dirt, which I just thought I didn't enjoy until they got closer to the problem area and now it smells like sewer gas. I have learned that when Pete the Plumber is jack-hammering your kitchen floor, there is no where in the house to get away from the sound or feel. If you go into the backyard, put your earplugs in so far that the sound of your breathing is magnified, then take a huge swig of Diet Coke, the sound of the fizzing of the bubbles in your mouth is a fun distraction from the jackhammering, but you can still hear it. If you go to Wal-Mart or the mall, you can't hear it at all. There is currently talk of a trough that slices the flooring, as well as some cabinetry and fixtures, all the way through my home to remedy the extent of the problem. I am doing what is very typical of me at such a time -- I am very far away in my happy place and not processing. In 2 weeks, when I still have a trough in my home, plumbers jackhammering my life, and State Farm telling me that my tile is no longer made and they can replace it with ugly tile 'A' --- at that point I will also do what is fairly typical of me and have a nervous breakdown when I notice that we are running low on Honey-Nut Cheerios or something to that effect. Just bear with me.

Friday I get to go on a road trip with my gals and tell more of God's story at a retreat. I am so thankful for my gals! I get to continue to find my happy place while poor Troy continues to sit through jackhammering and sewer gas smell. May God bless the daddies left behind on a ladies retreat!

The Days Are Evil

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15, 16

The days are truly evil. Besides the horror of yesterday, there are so many memories of evil this week:

April 19, 1993 – Branch Davidian leader, David Koresh, sets fire to the compound outside of Waco after federal agents released tear gas in the compound. Dozens of Branch Davidians were shot and killed before the fire ever started.

April 19, 1995 – Timothy McVeigh parks a truck full of explosives in front of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. It was the deadliest terrorist act on American soil at the time.

April 20, 1999 -- Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold go on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado. They kill 12 students and 1 teacher before ending their own lives.

This year, April 17, 2007 has been added to the list of days in April that are memories of terror. I have no answers. I have no reasons 'why'. I have no understanding about any of it. But I have hope. Sometimes hope is all you can go on.

Heather offers much in the way of perspective this week. A week ago Heather thought she had a horrible ear infection that was making her so dizzy. Today she had an appointment at the Mayo Clinic to discuss options for the brain tumor she has learned she has. Please read her words here. Keep up with her here. And pray for her always.

Like a Good Neighbor...

Yeah, I heard you... you, over there in Pennsylvania -- I heard you laugh when I said my husband was on the phone with State Farm. I heard you tell your friend what a moron I am for paying THAT much for homeowner's insurance. Well, let me give you some fuel for your laughter: State Farm has not only my homeowner's insurance, but my auto (both) and my husband's life (yes, I have life, and some of it is SF and some is someone else cheap -- b/c a death certificate is non-debateable: dead is dead. No exclusions of coverage) 'Cause here's the deal -- while I could have saved a few bucks over the years on my insurance, State Farm has paid me back and paid me back so many times over -- flood and car damage -- done! Now that my house has shifted, thus crushing a pipe under my kitchen, State Farm is once again saying, "You're covered!" Yeah, I could save a few bucks on insurance, but will they be there when I need them?

'Cause like a good neighbor... State Farm is there.

This is just to be written record/ reminder for the next time we have a "budget meeting" at the house and Troy wants to talk about saving $13/ month. He'll just have to pack his lunch a few more times if he wants to save $13/ month!

No, Seriously!

Have you ever gone about your day just fine until someone asks you, "Do you feel all right?" with a VERY concerned look on their face? Well, I thought I was all right. Yes, yes, I think I must be fine. But you wonder... do I look sick? Then if ANOTHER person asks you -- well, you just may as well go home and go to bed because you are definitely sick at that point, if only because your brain has convinced yourself that you are ill.

I thought I was fine and happy and wonderful today, but I keep getting these "this encouraging message made me think of you" emails. Which, don't get me wrong, I love to be encouraged, but they seemed to be aimed at the soul unable to tread another step without a little encouragement. Well, I thought I was fine and happy and wonderful...

Perhaps the brevity of my "plumbing issue" post caused folks to think that I was in my flannel jammies sobbing over pipes. I may have been in my flannel jammies, but I haven't sobbed and I really don't plan to. The brevity of the post comes from it being 16 hours after I had picked my head up off of the pillow, but anytime you can say, "We have to go out to eat" AND you're entitled to pay for it with your emergency fund because, truly, it could classify as an emergency-- it's not an entirely bad situation!

As my little friend Allie told me, "It's all good in the 'hood!" Now, I'm not sure my little slice of suburbia would be considered "the 'hood", but it's definitely good. Yes, there are plans to jackhammer parts of my home, but it's not my (or anyone else's) head, heart, or even big toe, for pity's sake. And, as my friend Donna Leavelle says, "If you've got problems that money can solve, then you don't really have problems." Every day of my life convinces me of that again and again. And, fabulously enough, the Lord has provided so many things in this part of our lives, shame on me if I miss all of the blessings before me for the few inconveniences.

So, um, thanks for all of the encouragement, I think. But, really, I think I'm fine -- unless you know something I don't!

A Day in the Life

Today, I didn't want to hear:

• "Mom, the plumber is here." (okay, when a plumber is needed, it is always good for one to be there, but it was 7:48, I was trying to leave for work and Troy was still in the shower. So, of course, the plumber was 12 minutes EARLY).
  
• From Hector at the Help Desk: "Yes, ma'am, I realize you've been entering that data for 30 minutes (almost my entire conference time! HELLO!) but there is no way to get the program "unfrozen" without losing that data."
  
• Text message from Troy, at home with the plumbers: "Call when you can -- big problem."
  
• I call: "Hang on, I'm on the other line with State Farm."
  
• Email later: "State Farm is sending an adjuster, but they say it doesn't sound like something they will cover."

Today, I was thrilled to hear:

• But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7
  
• He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Job 8:21
  
• Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:28, 29

Batter Up!

originally on heartlight.org
March 30, 2005

I hate baseball.

There you have it. Just as my delay in seeing "The Passion of the Christ" calls my citizenship in heaven into question, I feel certain that my loathing of America’s past-time also calls my United States citizenship into question. But there it is – I hate baseball.

So God, having the fabulous sense of humor I feel any loving Creator should have, sent me a son. A son who, in his 7th year, wants to play baseball more than anything. Soccer? Nope. Basketball? Nothin’ doin’. Baseball? Sign him up! Sign him up we did.

Now we’ve invested in cleats, hats, socks, belts, and numerous other items that seem to be essential for playing a game of baseball. Now I spend my evenings sitting in the not-yet-warm West Texas wind watching small children learn to "throw a string, not a rainbow". I figure in a one hour Little League game (and I think I’m being optimistic to assume it will only last an hour) the ball in motion and all subsequent action will total approximately 12 minutes of that game. My son’s part in the action may total about 4 minutes. Again, I believe myself to be an optimist.

I admit that my disdain has had to give way to minor dislike as I watch the enthusiasm that my son has for the sport. Minutes waiting for practice to begin (PRACTICE, mind you – we haven’t even had a game yet!) are painstaking agony. Minutes at practice fly by all too quickly. The little leaguer gushes with knowledge and excitement after each practice. Finally, last night I admit my heart thawed totally toward the sport. I commented, in all honesty, "Well, I’m really glad that you seem to like it." His response was nothing less than incredulous: "Like it?!?! Are you kidding?!?! It’s the best thing that ever happened to me!!!"

Now, keep in mind that my son’s life is not necessarily fraught with hardship unless you count unloading the dishwasher and feeding the dog difficult manual labor. But if baseball is the best thing that ever happened to him, then buy me some peanuts and CrackerJacks, I don’t care if I never get back from the old ball game! I have laughed to myself at how little it took to change my view of the game – simply the fact that it is the delight of one of the loves of my life.

I believe that those of us blessed to be parents are given that task in order to get a tiny glimpse into God’s love for us. Lately I have been perplexed by the verse "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) What if the desire of my heart involves 6-pack abs and single digit clothing sizes? I have no hard and fast answers (nor hard abs) but I do know that this spring West Texas day was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And I do believe that it tickled God to no end for me to tell Him so. I also believe that as I continue to pour out my heart to God and know Him as the loving parent He is, the desires of my heart will more closely match His.

Without a doubt, HE is the best thing that ever happened to me!

Batter up!

Blogger's note -- now, two years later, enthusiasm has not
waned and I look forward to countless more hours on impossibly hard metal
bleachers and dinners of Dixie Burgers or concession stand
nachos.

I Don't Do Sympathy

8:07 a.m. Thing 1 approaches

Thing 1: "Both of my legs feel like they're broken."

Teacher: "Well, it's a good thing you only need to be sitting at your desk right now."

10:23 a.m. Thing 1 returns

Thing 1: "My head and ears hurt."

Teacher: "Okay. I'm glad your legs are better!"

It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!

This is another often-googled phrase that lands folks on my blog. "It's Friday but Sunday's coming" is a speech that Tony Campolo has made very well-known (I assume he also wrote it). The gist of it is that while this world is dark and evil, we have a hope of resurrection. It begins with the cross -- on Friday when Jesus died. But, oh, HALLELUJAH! Sunday is, indeed, coming.

Google points folks to my blog because I titled this post "It's Friday but Sunday's Coming" last year about this time when Baby Levi was born. I so needed to be reminded of the promise of a resurrection, as well as a precious punkin' baby. I still do, I suppose. I can certainly always stand to be reminded of my eternal hope, and to kiss a baby head never hurts, either.

This Is New...

At LEAST once a day I walk with great purpose into a room, pause for a moment, and either think to myself or say outloud, "Now, why did I come in here...?" This is not new for me. However, I do think that today is the first time that the realization of why I was there is that I was going to bring the item that was right next to me in the previous room into the current room. Alas, said item is still in previous room while I am lost as a goose in current room. Now I have to walk BACK to previous room, remember to get item, then return to the 2nd-time current room, still remembering why I am there. Old age does not bode well for me.

Like a Fine-Tuned Machine

Today wouldn't have won me any educator awards, but it certainly went more smoothly than many days prior to spring break. We got things done, had time to spare, even took a little stretch-break mid-afternoon 'lest I fall asleep standing up after a fitful night of not-really sleeping. We ended the day at a breezy recess. All in all, very do-able.

My after-school meeting was canceled, I got to many items on my "to-do" list, and was actually on my way out the door on time. For the first time in... ever, I think! One last glance at the plan book showed me that the wheels of my day fell off long ago and I didn't even know it -- my class was supposed to go check books out of the library early this afternoon. It isn't our usual day, but there is a field trip tomorrow, so we rescheduled for today. It's only written in inch-high letters in the plan book that I've been looking at all day.

A good day -- so close, yet so far...

News From Lake Wobegon...

• I craved a CARROT!! Yes, indeed, since I have no access to any local news media, you will have to suffer through this tidbit of information. I just wanted something light and a little bit crunchy and sweet and... Hey! a carrot sounds so good. Yes, I know, it was the craziest thought I've ever had. I know some of you think I'm some health-freak that craves sprouts and fruit all day, but NO, I crave popcorn and chips and salsa, and Hot Tamales candy if it's a REAL bad day. Never anything that grows. So, this was big news. If I EVER crave tuna (NOT happenin') I'm calling CNN. Or the AMA.
• I had a service person call to tell me what time they would be there! Yes, I had the 12-5 slot, so I was all settled in for the day when he called to say he would be there at 1:30. I could have crawled through the phone to hug the man. Of course, by the time he showed up at 3:20, my enthusiasm had waned. The fact that he also has the wrong equipment to do my job pretty much seals the deal.
• Lion King! Oh, my word!! Amazing! I can't even begin to describe! Troy's dad took most of the family (my poor nephew got sick and had to miss! Bummer!) to see the broadway production of the Lion King while it was in Austin. PHENOMENAL. The sets. The costumes. The TALENT. Amazing. Indescribable. Wow.
• I got nothing accomplished on spring break other than play with my kids. No yard work. No organizational prowess. No sewing. No reading. No writing. Playing. Lots of playing. It was grand.

How Great The Father's Love

Another VERY popular Google search that lands people at my blog is "how great the Father's love". It usually lands folks at this post, which I need to read again on a daily basis.

If you're seeking the scripture reference, it's I John 3:1: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I love that word "lavished" -- that God has given without measure His love to us.

Some people, I believe, are looking for the song, "How Deep the Father's Love". Which is one of my all-time favorites and you only THINK you've heard it until you hear my friend Anne sing it -- you will believe with all of your heart you are at the foot of His throne with an angel singing behind you.

This version is, I believe, Sarah Sadler. Sarah DID write the song (again, I THINK) so she is certainly entitled to sing it -- and this one is nothing to sneeze at! Enjoy:

Fitness Friday #9: Healthy Eating

Okay, JUST as I was sitting down to write this post, I can hear the dog "cleaning up" in the kitchen, but she is REALLY licking/ smacking at something. I know I wasn't QUITE that messy while I was cooking, so I go to inspect what she is so interested in. I don't see anything on the floor... she USUALLY doesn't get on counters... EXCEPT I notice that a HUGE piece of venison that was still sitting out waiting to be cooked seems to be missing from the counters and the paper towel it was sitting on is a little frayed at the edges, maybe a little chewed? So, eating an ENTIRE RAW venison steak is probably NOT healthy eating, but, trust me, I've seen what my dog will eat -- you don't want to model your eating after her!

Okay, so healthy eating. I'm not a soy and afalfa sprouts kind of person. I cut calories and fat where I won't miss them, and add fiber when I can, but I am married to a VERY meat-and-potatoes person with one unbelievably picky child. I'm also not going to cook myself a meal and another meal for my family. I want my family to eat healthy, but not so strange that we are impossible to serve.

Let me say, though, that I could eat the same thing for the next 3 years and it won't bother me in the least. I have been eating peanut butter on whole wheat bread for breakfast for over two years now -- occasionally I'll put a banana with it just for kicks -- and I have no intentions of stopping anytime soon. I like it, it's filling, it's healthy. Bam! Enough for me. Hubby, on the other hand, will fall in LOVE with some meal or food, eat it three times, then declare that he is tired of it, and won't eat it for another 6-9 months. Whatever. If you are along these lines of ADD about your menu, I do NOT have that kind of variety in my arsenal.

Some of my current favorite items:

Roxanne put me onto these things and I LOVE them. MOST yummy (even my 11 year old says so) and 5 grams of fiber in an ounce!! This with a wedge of The Laughing Cow cheese is a filling snack!

I LOVE THIS STUFF!!! Butter is what I miss most when I'm really trying to be cautious with calories and fat. But what is popcorn without it? (The answer -- STYROFOAM!) So, I pop myself a 100-calorie Orville Redenbacher bag, and squirt this stuff all over it! I also use this for a grilled ham sandwich, and on top of some of my cooked veggies. Most yummy.

Now that the weather is warming up, there are so many more fruits as options! Grapes, mangoes, pineapples, honeydew -- there are just all kinds of yummy things out there. I'm not much of a raw veggie eater -- unless I drown it in ranch dressing, which somewhat defeats the purpose, I guess. For fruits, my grocery store has fresh containers of ready-to-eat fruits. Originally, they are OUTRAGEOUSLY priced, but are frequently "Reduced to Sell" since they won't be so fresh if they don't get off the shelf. I buy every one that is reduced and serve fruit salad for dinner and have some fresh fruit with my lunch the next day!


I'm aware, too, that sometimes eating healthy is costly -- why is the 75% less sugar cereal 75% more expensive? I try to still be frugal by shopping sales and comparing prices, but it can be difficult. Case in point: meat -- the lowest fat meat is the most expensive (lean hamburger meat or chicken breasts).

Be on the lookout for low fat, high fiber stuff in your store. Read LOTS of labels -- grocery shopping is quite an endeavor for me!

I know this post assumes you eat at home as much as I do -- and I know that few people actually do. It really is possible to eat healthy eating out, but you have to be careful. (Unfortunately, it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to eat healthy Mexican food -- bummer!) Next week I will post about healthy choices when you eat out.

So What did you choose?

Okay, I KNOW you have been just giddy with anticipation over what the outcome of my exercise dilemma was at 4:45 Tuesday morning! So, I looked at the clock. 4:49. I stretched out, happily thinking that a) I would actually get a good spot in my exercise class and b) I wouldn't have to rush to get there on time.

I'll just lay here and wait for the alarm (set for 5, remember?) Evidently, that moment relaxed me enough. I woke up -- no alarm -- looked at the clock. 5:43. Why isn't my alarm going off?? I found out that some "helpful" child didn't want me wasting electricity the day before. So instead of turning my radio OFF, they turned it all the way DOWN. So my alarm WAS going off, but not even my wonder-dog could hear it. *sigh* So now, the ONLY 50 minutes that I slept between 3:30 and 6:30 a.m. caused me to completely miss my class. I was not amused. AND it's not like I could just thank the Lord that I finally got to sleep and roll over and sleep more, because I had a breakfast meeting at 7:30. I was a wreck and a zombie. And not very happy. I tried to go, really I did. The Lord had other plans. I should be thankful!

This morning -- much better: I woke up at 5, having slept better last night than I have all week! I had a fabulous workout, in a "I-wonder-if-I-will-pass-out-or-throw-up-first" kind of fabulous. I came home and took a shower, then crawled back in bed with Troy just to warm up. The next thing I knew it was 9 a.m. and the birds were singing! So, evidently, it IS possible to take a nap at 7 a.m.!

Take Some Control!

Since I didn't post a Fitness Friday last week, I thought I could make my "Works for Me Wednesday" make up for it!

This is a tiny little tip that is a no-brainer for most of us. But I think it helps financially as well as portion-control. My kids are getting to the age that spring break gave me a panic attack about how I'm going to feed them for a week since they seem to eat non-stop after school until they go to bed. So, on my last week's grocery trip, I invested in a few more pre-packaged snack-type things than I usually do: applesauce, peanut-butter cracker, etc. I also got a HUGE bag of some really good (i.e., high dollar) trail mix. Wanting that bag to actually last until, you know, SPRING BREAK, I opened it and used a 1/3 c. scoop to scoop some into a zippered snack bag. I divided the WHOLE 3 pound bag into 1/3 c. snack bags and put all of the smaller bags into one gallon-size bag with a friendly reminder from mom to only have one per day (like I did to the peanut-butter crackers, etc.)

Not only does it help make those things last longer, but the kids (or grown-ups!) don't sit down for mindless eating and eat half the bag before they realize it.

Merci cuts up her salad veggies when she gets home from the store so that she will have a bag full of ready-to-eat salad veggies to toss together instead of eating a bag full of chips while trying to decide what would be healthy to eat! (Put the tomatoes in their own separate bag). What a great idea!

With a little planning ahead and thought (while you aren't STARVING), you can not only stretch your grocery dollar, but have ready-to-eat healthy food in it's own package waiting for you! It works for me!

To see other Works for Me Wednesday tips go here. To read more Fitness Friday healthy-living ideas, check back on Fridays!

(You'll have to wait a little longer to see what I decided! :-)

What Would You Do?

WHOSE idea is this, anyway? This whole time-change when it's PITCH black at 7 a.m.?? Hello? As a mom and teacher, I should be thankful that we have spring break to recover from this, but it is driving me crazy. AND -- WHY am I waking up at 5 a.m.? I wasn't waking up at 4 a.m. LAST week? What's up with that?

So, I have a question for you. Yesterday (Tuesday) I didn't wake up at 5 a.m. -- my alarm was actually set for 5, though. I woke WIDE awake at 3:30 a.m. I turned on the fan and used the bathroom. I lay in bed. I re-arranged closets in my head. I lay on my right side, then stomach, then left side, then back again (I did this little gymnastics routine about a dozen times) trying to get comfy and settled. I probably sighed a lot, too. My alarm was set for 5 because I go to a 5:30 a.m. bicycle class at my gym that I really enjoy -- as much as anyone can enjoy an exercise class at 5:30 a.m. Most of all, I like walking out of the gym at 6:30 a.m. having gotten in a great workout and being done for the day. Yes, I want to go through spring break (I go on Tu/ Th, my work days) and Tuesday I also had a 7:30 a.m. breakfast meeting with some church people.

So, at 4:45 a.m. I am still tossing and turning and debating my exercise class. It's not like I was sleeping, anway, so I should get up and go, right? But I am certainly not well rested, so maybe I should continue this not-so-restful laying in bed, right? I had the breakfast meeting (which meant I couldn't sleep in for long anyway) then I had told the kids I would pick up some friends to come over, but not a terribly crazy day ahead of me.

Which would you choose:
a) You aren't sleeping anyway -- at least get a good workout!
b) You had better rest while you can!
c) Going to a 5:30 a.m. exercise class is beyond the realm of my imagination.

The Cleft of the Rock

I probably get a dozen hits a day from someone googling (still love that verb!) "the cleft of the rock". Some, I guess, are looking for the scripture reference (Exodus 33:22) and several are looking for "Cleft of the Rock Ministries" -- which don't have a website, or I would refer you there. Sorry. But it makes me think, again and again, why I chose the name for my blog that I did.

I confess that there wasn't just a tremendous amount of thought that went behind it -- but when I thought of "The Cleft of the Rock", it completely fit. I love that in Exodus, when God places Moses in the cleft of the rock, Moses was having a one-on-one conversation with God. And, at this point, Moses basically said to God, "I need to be REALLY sure of you -- let me see your glory!"

God told him,

"I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

I am precisely where God has placed me, and I have a front-row seat for His glory. The cleft of the rock --it fits.

Life With My 'Tween

I'm sure on command from her father, the 'Tween entered the laundry room with a hand full of detritus from the car to throw away. As a bystander busy with the sorting and folding of laundry, I had a front-row seat as she held the objects over an empty trash can, somewhat shaking them to and fro, looking expectantly at me.

"Yes?" I questioned, very much afraid of what the answer may be. "I'm waiting for someone to put a trash bag in the trash can," was the precise reply I was afraid of and received.

I gasped excitedly: "Does that WORK???" I grabbed some dryer lint, shook it over the empty trash can, and waited for the trash bag fairy to do her stuff.

When no trash bag magically appeared in the trash can, I suggested the 'Tween try a more conventional method of actually placing a trash bag in there herself. She was less than amused. I, however, am still cracking up.

Not On My Radar

Last night, after my mental health day, Troy took Ashley for a soccer evaluation, but left the TV turned on to the news. I was cooking dinner and listening, as is my practice. When the news went off, "Inside Edition" came on and since I had raw meat hands, I didn't go do anything about it.

I decided that the following is a partial list of subjects that, not only do I not care about, but I am annoyed when they take up air space around me:

• How much Rosie hates Donald
• How much Donald hates Rosie
• Anything "American Idol" (I know, I'm treading on thin ice with this one)
• What kind of flowers were at Anna Nicole Smith's funeral and precisely what kind of pharmaceuticals were in her room at the time of her death
• The identity of the sixth man to claim paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's child
• The follicular arrangement OR undergarment shortcomings of Britney Spears

I realize that each of these items represent a child of God, a soul on this earth, and I should care. But, I don't. Denise is on a mission to be Britney's only real friend in the world who will tell her she is making poor choices, and I support her with all of my being. But, besides my own, I have 2 little souls under my own roof I am trying to nurture, as well as one other big soul I am called to be a "help-meet" for! Then there are the 22 little souls in room 24 that, God love them, take up much of my prayer time. So, I am full. I am full of subjects to concern myself with. If the above list calls out to you as a mission project, go with God. I know those folks need Him.

My Mental Health Day

I did not go to Room 24 today. I took a mental health day today. Yes, at 8 a.m. this morning, we had scarcely more than 30 hours to go until the official beginning of spring break. Yes, I felt a wee bit guilty for about 36 seconds. Yes, I stayed at school until 6 p.m. on Tuesday getting ready for today. But what a wonderful day.

I went to TWO exercise classes. I walked my children TO and FROM school. I wandered the aisles at Target without a list or watch. I had lunch with my honey. He needed to go to Wal-Mart. Even Wal-Mart is fun on a mental health day. I napped in the sunshine like a kitty. I organized a kitchen cabinet. All because I wanted to. I only did what I wanted to today. It was GLO-REE-US.

So tomorrow it is back to Room 24 and all the drama that entails. But today was my mental health day -- so I think I can face it.

I Wish I Had Written It...

I will warn you that this post is VERY "chick-intensive", but if you are a chick, you'll laugh. That's a promise.

It reminds me of the time I was standing in my kitchen in 4 inches of water (and this wasn't even the flood incident) calling my local plumber who answered the phone thusly: "It's a great day at Mr. Rooter. How may I help you?" I advised perky Miss Rooter that if her business gave her the potential to be speaking to someone standing in 4 inches of water in their kitchen, they may want to re-think the whole: "It's a great day at Mr. Rooter" thing. Because it was NOT a great day where I was, and I really didn't want to talk to anyone who was having a great day.

You Might Be a Redneck...

Antique Mommy tells of Tuna, a quaint little small town where her in-laws live and everyone knows your name. Bankers are happy for your business and you can get some therapy with a make-over.

My little town is Tuna in disguise. Oh, we're big enough for our bank tellers to not really care when you show up, and we have our fair share of stoplights. Sometimes it even takes 12 whole minutes to drive "clear across town". But we are Tuna at heart.

I've always suspected it. While, sadly, this is the largest town I've ever held permanent residence in, it's really just a Tuna, but without all of the courtesy. What really drove this point home for me was the news tonight.

Our LEAD STORY on the local news is that ... (drumroll, please) we are getting 7-11 stores. Wake the kids, phone the neighbors, we're getting 7-11's.

That said, can I hear it for an Icee and a Big Gulp?

In the Know... Or not

The last week has found me responding to others' comments like so:

"Britney did what??? No, I haven't heard anything about that."

"Now, why is Hillary demanding that Barak return a campaign donation? No, I haven't heard anything about that."

"Seriously? The humidity here yesterday was 8%??? That's CRAZY! No, I didn't see any news yesterday."

People, I used to know what was happening in the world. Granted, none of the above listed information is last week's 9/11 by any means, but I used to watch the news at least once a week. I used to listen to the radio (which included news) on a regular basis. I have evidently moved into an information vacuum (but I still CANNOT get away from THIS!)

Here is what I do know:

• When the kids have to be at the Bible Bowl lock-in, and what they have to bring.
• When my local development officer has another out-of-town trip scheduled
• When Jump-Rope-for-Heart donations are due
• When Room 24 has to be at an all-school assembly
• When book orders are due -- in Room 24, as well as Ashley's class
• When Ashley has to be evaluated for soccer
• When I'm getting my haircut
• When the kids are getting their haircut
• When the kids have to be at church for various and sundry LTC practices
• The next time Troy sings at church
• How many HOURS until spring break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've only got so much brain power and room in there.

Fitness Friday #8: How Do I Love My Heart-Rate Monitor, Let me Count the Ways ...

After a brief hiatus, Fitness Friday is back, better late than never!

I am cracking up, though, about where we all are in our quest for fitness. Remember the first of the year? Remember the resolve that comes from a) getting plenty of rest after Christmas when everything has died down and b)eating WAY too many holiday cookies? Then, remember the great snow-storm of January "aught-seven"? Then, remember the great snow-storm of February "aught-seven"? And you no longer have resolve for anything except getting warm and staying warm and piling as much insulation onto your body as you possibly can by way of creamy soups, hot desserts, and coffee with more calories than a hot-fudge sundae? Well, spring has sprung (momentarily, anyway) and resolve is beginning again because some folks are thinking of the pool! I am in a glorious break between basketball and baseball -- which means I can go to the gym on Saturdays (I know, it doesn't float everyone's boat, but it makes me happy) and I can take a few moments during the week to actually prepare a healthy meal.

So, moving on:

Have I mentioned my heart-rate monitor? Like 500 times, maybe? 'Cause I LOVE it, I really do. Here's why: I hate to run. Yes, that's pretty much why I love my heart-rate monitor. I hate to run (I try to run, I HAVE run, I will run out of frustration or duress, but I hate it) so I enjoy walking with my dog. However, I find that if I don't pay attention to what I'm doing, I will be off collecting daffodils in my brain (I never actually collect daffodils, but I usually make brilliant speeches or write Nobel-prize worthy articles) and slow to a speed where any Granny could just shoot right past me. Before my heart-rate monitor, I could lie to myself and think, "well, I'm walking, therefore I'm exercising, right?"

Enter my heart-rate monitor. My beloved gave it to me one Christmas, on the condition that I wouldn't TELL anyone that was what he gave me for Christmas (kind of like when my mom wanted decent scales -- yes, bathroom scales -- for her anniversary; I come from a long line of weight-kooks). I had REALLY wanted one, though, and he pulled through!

My monitor has a chest strap that fits right about where the bottom of a sports bra goes and a watch that displays the beats per minute (BPM). When I first got it I was surprised at how little it took to get my heart rate up to 70% of maximum, which is a good training range. I also noticed, though, that when my brain would vacate my body and I would be off picking daffodils or something, my BPM were approximately at TV-watching level. Knowledge is power! So now I have 30-45 minute walks that are actually doing some good now that I can pay attention to my heart rate (w/o having to try the whole "pulse-on-your-neck-while-walking-THEN-there's-multiplication-involved" trick). I know my walks are doing some good because now that I've been watching it for over a year, I have to REALLY kick it into high gear to get my BPM up to about 70% -- my body has accustomed to what I was doing, so I have to constantly focus more to have an effective workout. This evening, I even had to run to initially get my heart-rate up. Bummer.

A side benefit is that I now wear my heart-rate monitor in my RPM (spinning) class. I wasn't worried about not getting my heart rate up high enough in there, nor am I worried about getting it too high, but I find that I give the class a little extra effort when I can see I'm not in any actual danger of passing out (vomiting, maybe, but I should keep breathing just fine). I find that I will challenge myself to go just a little further and get my BPM up just a few beats higher for a short amount of time before I take advantage of a recovery period. So, I think I'm getting a better workout there, too.

AND -- oh, my gracious, I can't believe I almost forgot this -- on the rare day that it rains or is yukky weather (like 22*!) and I go get on the treadmill at the gym, my treadmill reads my chest strap! I can set the treadmill on "fat burn" program and it will alter the incline of the treadmill to keep my heart-rate where I tell it! Isn't technology awesome?

This is the same brand of heart-rate monitor that I have, but it's really a step up. This one has some other features, including calculating how many calories you burned based on your heart-rate. Y'all know I'm DYING for that feature, right? Seriously, I am. Because I take this whole fitness thing to a creepy, mathematical level. You can buy heart-rate monitors at Target, Best Buy, Academy -- basically anywhere that fitness gear and/ or electronics are sold. As I mentioned earlier, they cost about as much as a decent pair of walking shoes. However, I have now had my heart-rate monitor for 15 months and have only changed out a $4 battery. I'm on my third pair of walking shoes in 15 months!

Obviously, you don't HAVE to have one, but I think it can really allow your workouts to work for you in the time that you have.

Wednesday

Not improving my attitude any, but this thought occurs to me:

Even when I feel:

• inadequate
• useless
• overwhelmed

He is still the I AM. And, thank the Lord, that isn't dependent on how I feel.

I think tonights episode of 'LOST' was my favorite yet.

Tuesday

I started my day with this:

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Cor. 4:10)

Beautiful, isn't it? Unfortunately, it didn't get me very far.

WHAT. A. DAY. in Room 24. Never, never, never do I want to drive away from those babies and never come back. Oh, I desperately want to go home, and many, MANY days I am thankful I don't have to go back the next day, but I always look forward to loving on them again when I see them again. But the rest of it? The paperwork, testing, disgruntled parents -- I could drive away from and never come back to in a heartbeat. Again -- WHAT. A. DAY.

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My ladies retreat this weekend was an interesting study in human nature. I find that I look at all groups of people as, "What would that person be like as a second grader?" They aren't too hard to peg, generally. There's the kid that likes to annoy people because they take great joy in it, then there's the kid that annoys people and doesn't even know it. There's the kid that's everyone's mommy, and there's the kid that can't sit down and/or stop talking if their life depended on it. Then there's the kid that is all of those rolled into one. There's the kid who gets stuck in work because they missed one word way back there and are fixated on it. Just so funny. I was the kid in second grade that couldn't shut up. I doubt that surprises you about me.

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The other unbelievable event of the weekend was the dust storm. If you weren't here -- well, I can't even describe it. But you know I have to try -- imagine unbelievably thick, orangy-brown fog. There you go. And WIND like you wouldn't believe. Around 50 mph, with visibility about 1/4 mile. Track meets, soccer games, baseball tryouts were all canceled -- due to DIRT. Have you ever heard of such? It was simply amazing. And, thankfully, it is over, leaving wheezing, sneezing, hacking children in its wake.

Monday Morning

From Beth Moore's blog:

Sometimes if you want to go face to face with Jesus, you've got to go face to face with the carpet.

That's my 42 Days of Faith thought for today!

I need you to meet my friend, Amy. Amy and her husband, Justin were dear friends in Temple while Justin was in medical school. Read about the year she's having here. Then, if you're in Fort Worth on Saturday, grab a blue and white bandana and go cheer on the Indianettes as they play in the State Tournament! Go, Indianettes!

42 Days of Faith

This weekend at our ladies' retreat I had the opportunity to "tell my faith story" -- which I had to limit to less than 3 days' worth of talking, so it had to be a portion of my faith story. People were very gracious and some even thanked me for sharing my story. In reply, I would very honestly say, "I am honored to tell my story, and even more honored to be a part of God's story that I can tell."

I was reminded (again) that God is constantly at work in all of our lives doing amazing things. Little by little, drip by drip, our lives become an amazing force of His work. And, I was reminded (again) that I am missing most of it. I am so entrenched in the everyday that I am missing the eternal works happening right in front of my nose. Busy-ness keeps me blinded to His majesty and His holiness all around me.

All of this is so ironic since a portion of my lectureship talk in September was on 2 Peter 1:3,4:

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the
corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

(italics mine)

And I went on to point out that a)PLEASE notice that we are called to participate in the divine nature and b)most of us are missing the divine because we are so bogged down with the daily. Oh, yes, that is me. And, evidently, I am not alone.

I think of my days and all that I actually do get accomplished (laundry, to work, kids' projects, errands, etc.) because I have to and some things I get accomplished because I like it (exercise). I am convicted of how empty it all can be and become if I'm not doing those things at His feet and at the foot of the Throne.

In this season of Lent I am committing to finding my way there. I say "the season of Lent" simply because it is and I need to give myself time to establish this habit and fuel this desire. I want to spend every day of my life at the foot of His throne, seeing all that I do in a day through His eyes and with His love. The crazy part is that I will still be able to do all that I do, and I will probably love to do all of it so much more than I do. So what am I waiting for?

What will this look like? How will this be different than yesterday? Well, that's still what I'm praying about and figuring out. Obviously, I will need to be intentional about time in prayer and in His word. Which, again, can have thousands of interpretations. The biggest change will be what Beth Moore calls a "re-wallpapering of the mind", which will involve "taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5) Which makes me tired just to write.

I hesitated to put this on my blog, for several reasons:

1. People generally assume one person's confession and renewal of commitment is an indictment or finger-point at them. Not true. This is what the Lord is currently putting on my heart. You'll have to decide what the Lord is putting on your heart.
2. I will fail. Seriously. Not, "I might" or "I could" but I will definitely fail. I want to live the rest of my breathing days under His wing, in His word, radiating His light, but I will not. Life will take over, I will grab back the reins, and gallop on my way into my own mess. I will. The Lord is gracious and forgiving and will welcome me back when I am ready, but then I will also have the eyes of all the internet on me as I slink back to where I was supposed to be in the first place.
3. This could be viewed as Pharisee- talk -- standing on the street corner, yada, yada. I guess I'm way worse than the street corner since anyone with an internet connection can read this. I, personally, am viewing it as public confession and accountability. Feel free to challenge me on that point.

There are many more reasons for NOT putting it on my blog, but the reason I chose to is simple: I realize I do, in fact, need to be held accountable to this, and would appreciate anyone that feels called to do so to say a little prayer for me. The last week has also led me to realize how many people read this blog that I have NO idea about (Hey, Melissa B.! :-) and I'm sure one of them might say a prayer for me. I would really hate to miss out on one.

So, I will go on my way, seeking the Lord's heart (I love that He really isn't all that hard to find and WANTS to be found!) and filling my heart with Him. I will stumble and fall on my face and still have grouchy days, but I know that if I start with Him, the rest falls into place. What's so hard about that?

Utmost Compliment

I am becoming my Nonna in the best possible way.

Fitness, Schmitness

Okay, if I get some major spurt of inspiration later today I will try to post a Fitness Friday. If I miss this week will anyone notice? Will anyone be heartbroken if Fitness Friday goes away? I'm not getting much feedback on it, other than how much Karene hates it (no, I don't take that personally, at all -- I get what she means). And it's becoming such a struggle to come up with info that would actually BE info that I don't know how much it's worth the effort. I will tell you MY fitness tip for the week: DO NOT assume that Sonic's "low-fat yogurt fruit smoothies" are healthy. I should have known when it tasted EXACTLY like a Dairy Queen blizzard -- I could have had an entire Happy Meal or an order of fried cheesesticks, or TWO lean cuisine meals for how many calories are in the regular!

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Insight into why I haven't (and shouldn't have) been blogging this week:

I was out and called Troy at home: "Are you standing in... that room where you could check ingredients for me?"
"Do you mean the kitchen?"
"That's the word!"

I returned someone's phone call and left this message: "Yes, I'm going to be at... whatever it is you asked me if I'm going to be at (awards ceremony is THAT difficult phrase I was searching for) and I can help you with whatever you asked me to do."

Words fail me. Frequently.
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We finished up basketball season last night. We had a great season with a wonderful coach. We had a difficult game Tuesday night with some unfortunate coaching from the other team. He made an illegal substitution for that game (your roster as to who is your 'A' team and who is your 'B' team is supposed to be set for the season back in December). Things didn't go well, and, yes, I'm more irritated because we lost -- but not just because we lost but because 21 girls in the 9 and 10 year-old division witnessed that bending the rules to suit you causes your team to prevail.

I can't say much more because I'm still so ticked about it, but the funniest part to me was all of the mommies I was sitting with -- from our team -- are all fair-skinned, including myself. As the game continued to tank and the other team's fans continued to be hateful, I turned to my friend, Marion and asked, "I can feel that my face is flushed -- are my cheeks red?"
"Yes," she replied, "is my neck splotchy?"
Indeed it was. We checked out red-head, freckled Debra, wearing a scoop-neck top, who pointed at her neck and chest -- it looked like she had been in the sun for 12 hours. Red-head, freckled Angie, sitting next to her, was of the splotchy-neck camp. Fair-skinned people can learn to keep their mouths shut, but their skin will give them away every time.

But we finished with a fun game last night and I'm so proud of all of our girls for not only hanging in with a tough game, but realizing it's not okay to stoop just because other folks will.
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I have a full day today, one of my glorious days off. I am headed to my gym for my love/hate relationship with my RPM class. This afternoon my Ashley gets an award for some writing she did, then this evening is Ladies Retreat. I am NEVER in the mood to go to that -- I am very much a homebody and am always exhausted by Friday night, as well -- but I am always glad I went. It's about "Telling Our Story" and Judy Thomas is our speaker --it should be great!

Mark Your Calendars

I sacrificed my Sunday afternoon nap today. Well, I actually had a few moments to lay down, but my husband, known as Snuffleupagus (yes, I looked up how to spell it) during allergy season, was having mucho sinus trouble, so no nap. Then up and re-dress in our Sunday finery for a movie. Well, big deal, you went to the movie on a Sunday afternoon, right?

Not just any movie -- you can't see it yet! ACU had a special sneak preview of The Ultimate Gift. It is based on a book by the same name that ACU is currently giving to donors. Troy, as Mr. Donor-Relations-Type person has read this book and let me read it. It's a good book, quick read, if a bit cheesy at times. The movie was FABULOUS. They did throw in a purposeful MAJOR tear-jerker thread throughout the movie that wasn't in the book, but the actor playing the lead pulled off the character as far more believable than what I read in the book.

This movie will open March 9 (I have no idea where). To encourage big ticket sales opening weekend, you can also donate $1 of your ticket price that weekend to a charitable organization OF YOUR CHOICE -- cool deal, huh? Get details here. Take EVERYONE you know to go see it. We took the kids -- and both of them laughed out loud at parts, but Riley voted it as "too mushy". But it was clean enough for both of them, and I do think even with the mush, some valuable lessons were learned. I'm not even sorry I missed my nap!

Fitness Friday #7: What's Your Number?, Part 2

You thought I forgot, didn't you? NEVER -- but I am quite delayed due to employment as well as frivolity today.

I asked for Fitness Friday topic ideas and the only response I got included these questions:

• More information on “What is a glycemic index?”
• More information on good carbs versus bad carbs
• Being vegetarian – where does your protein come from?

Perhaps I should direct that kind person here, where she will learn (shhhhhhhhhhhhh) I don't really know what I'm talking about!!! All of that is WAY beyond my expertise! I know just enough about each of those questions to make me dangerous.

So, I'm moving on with more numbers you should know! These fall more in the exercise range of numbers you should know:

1) How many times per week to exercise: Short answer -- optimally, 3-5 times per week. Long answer -- if you do not exercise AT ALL right now, one more time per week than you did last week. It's always a goal, right? And, ALWAYS remember: ANYTHING is better than nothing!

2) How long should you exercise: AGAIN -- ANYTHING is better than nothing, especially when you are establishing a habit. I saw a plan for a walking workout recently that took a beginning exerciser walking 15 minutes 4x/ week to walking for an hour 6x/week. That is the PERFECT plan for a retired someone who will end their 60 minute walk in the food court. For the rest of us, that is ridiculous. It also would leave a novice to think that if this 12-week program has them walking an hour/ day, an intermediate program might get you walking 2-3 hours/ day. PEOPLE -- we're trying to be healthy to live life, which includes HAVING one. We're not trying to MAKE it our life! 30-45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at 70% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) is PLENTY. Sure, you'll burn more calories if you go longer, but not enough to make it worth sweating over (in a manner of speaking).

3) Maximum heart rate = 220-(your age). Since I'm 26, my MHR is 194 (just seein' if you're still paying attention!) MHR means precisely that -- anything higher than that is dangerous level. Even approaching that number for more than about 60 seconds at a time is not an effective workout. For optimal fat-burning, those 30-45 minute workouts should be at 70% of your MHR. We remember how to take percentages, right? Multiply MHR by .7 -- you will be surprised at how LITTLE you have to do to get your heart-rate to that level. Especially if you haven't been working out!

This brings me to something I will eventually dedicate an entire Fitness Friday to: my beloved heart-rate monitor. It was a Christmas gift (that I had asked for) for Christmas 2005 and I have used it CONSTANTLY. They cost about as much as a pair of decent exercise shoes, and will last through a lot more workouts! It all goes to my "Knowledge is Power" mantra. I think it allows me to work smarter, not necessarily harder or longer, in my workouts. Besides a decent pair of shoes, this would be my number one recommendation for a fitness purchase.

Keep movin' and shakin' out there!

Know your numbers!

Knowledge is Power!

ANYTHING is better than nothing!!

You won't take care of anything you don't love!

We love fitness Friday! :-)

Preach it, Katherine

Now Katherine has solved what was, to her, a mystery. To me, no mystery, yet annoying nonetheless. I rarely go back through my comments on my own blog -- I'm doing good to get one written, as you probably notice -- but I like to respond to many of the individual comments. If I have this person's email address, I can do that. But most of my comments come from: "noreply-comment(at)blogger.com." Because my noreply people haven't checked the box. Katherine goes into great detail here. We're starting a grass-roots bloggy campaign. Check the box, people.

And this Valentine's Day comment by Caiden has had me laughing for two days now. Love it, love it.

AND -- if you're a blogger-type person, you, too have probably been forced to switch to new blogger by now. Still looks all the same to me, ... except... the little label things. That completely stresses me out. Write, write, write, yak, yak, yak, I can do, but summarize? There's supposed to be a TOPIC to these things? So I'm guessing that 98% of my labels will be: "blogging". How's that for a label and summary?

And To All a Lovely Night

The thermometer for my live weather updates must be broken -- it has read 22* all the live-long day. My car says that it has actually gotten up to 28*, but it's pretty much all the same, isn't it? Because this is the day of romance, some anchor lady on the news said, "Well, at least it's good snuggling weather." Maybe -- at her house.

Since my Valentine and I have such drastic variances in what is a comfortable temperature, snuggling at our house goes something like this: we get all snuggled up. I begin to thaw. He begins to squirm. I am beginning to regain feeling in my extremities. He continues to squirm. I am just getting nice and cozy warm, drowsy even when he can take it no more: "You're going to HAVE to get up oh my gosh I am burning up can I get you the heating pad? electric blanket? because I am burning up get up get up get up get OFF OF ME NOW!" Yes, snuggling at our house is the pinnacle of romance.

The kids are really cute and Ashley is especially excited this year to lavish love on her family members -- yes, even including her brother. Ashley has a January birthday so she still has some money and has spent a little on a little gift for each of us. A few days ago we were going to Academy (my very favorite sporting goods store in the whole world) for me to replace my walking shoes. Ashley had her money with her and, on the way there, said, "Mom, feel free to point out anything for Valentine's day."

"For ME?"

"Yeah, it just has to be less than... (tallies up what's in her fist) $30."

"PLEASE do not spend $30 on a Valentine's gift for me -- I didn't spend $30 on YOU."

(rolling her eyes) "Yeah, but, sheesh, Mom, you gave birth to me."

She has a point.

Because he's the daddy

Our Ashley is adult-sized. She is not adult shaped, and, at barely 11, isn't an adult, but she is adult sized. Over 5' tall and in ladies clothes that do not fit because she isn't shaped like a lady yet, but the girl that she still is. She is still getting used to those long legs and ginormous feet that she inherited from her mother.

Last night, due to events we will never understand other than the earth's gravity, Ashley's feet came completely out from under her while she was walking into the kitchen. She had both hands full, so the entirity of her adult-sized body landed on her tailbone on our tile floor. As Troy and I stood over her trying to help her and determine what happened it quickly became obvious that even if there WERE something you could do for an injured tailbone, we didn't know what it was, and watching her cry and writhe in pain was heartbreaking.

So Troy squatted down and, without even audibly groaning, scooped up her adult-sized body as if she were still 3 or 4 and carried her to a more comfortable spot
-because she's his baby girl
-because she needed him
-because he's the daddy.

Sunday Thoughts

• A former elder in our church, Mr. Manly, was having a landmark birthday and the entire congregation was invited to celebrate with him. I thought nothing of it, but Ashley found it HILARIOUS that an entry in the church calendar read: "Manly Birthday Party".
• My take-home quote for the day: "Holiness is more important than happiness."
• I went shopping this afternoon for a new top for Ashley to wear to church. I tried to find some balance between, "My mother is an old woman and shops for me" and "I'm even sluttier than I dress". Evidently, there is no middle ground.
• Don't even get me started on trying to shop for pajamas for boys that don't advertise either a superhero or moronic sea creature.
• Why does Old Navy have swimsuits out, but winter stuff isn't on sale?
• I can't imagine a social or seasonal occasion that low-rise tweed shorts with less than a half-inch inseam would be called for.

I leave you with a Riley observation:

My children don't run fever. They get sick, but they RARELY run fever. Riley generally gets the flu -- he's due in about 3 weeks -- and will run pretty high fever then. Other than that, we're not real big in the fever deparatment. Riley has now determined, however, that if he feels the least bit unwell, he should take his temperature and determine exactly HOW sick he is. I guess I should give in to this, since his temperature of 97.8 would validify my stance that he isn't sick at all.

Tonight, as I lay with him in bed, he said, "My stomach doesn't feel very well. Can I go take my temperature?"

"No, why don't you just go on to sleep and see how you feel in the morning?"

"If my stomach still hurts in the morning, can I take my temperature?"

"If your stomach still hurts in the morning, what will I tell you?"

"To drink some water... (shaking his head) I know you too well."

"My friends think I'm a mean mommy (for telling my potentially sick kid to just drink water)."

"I think you just don't know where the thermometer is."

Fitness Friday #6: What's Your Number?

As I mentioned last week, "Knowledge is Power" is my mantra for fitness. Which is too bad, because there are many times that I don't WANT knowledge -- I want to bury my head in the sand and pretend that what I have been eating is healthy and my lack of exercise is not a problem. *sigh* Knowledge is not only power, it's nagging!

So, what all do you need to know for fitness?

1. Weight -- obviously. Your weight isn't the be-all, end-all of your fitness level, but it is one indicator. There are SO many theories/ ideas out there about IF you should weigh, when to weigh, how often to weigh, etc. Here's the deal: It's only a NUMBER!! It isn't yelling at you! It's a measure of your health for better or worse! It's no different than your blood pressure, cholesterol, temperature and a million other indicators that tell us about your health. I weigh every day and the number goes up and down and I figure out what makes it go up and down (chinese food = up!) and I get a fairly decent ballpark figure of what my true weight is. So I know. I can't imagine not knowing what you SHOULD weigh, but here is a chart in case you need reminding. Oh, and I do like what Dr. Phil calls your "get real" weight. For instance, I could aspire to weigh what I did when I got married, but that was 15 years and two kids ago, and I was at the thinnest I had been pretty much since I had been an adult. So, my "get real" weight is what I weighed when I was 30. It's a healthy weight and attainable.

2. Body Fat percentage -- again, just a number as an indicator of your health. This one is MUCH harder to take accurately. There are all kinds of ways to take your body fat percentage. Healthy for men is 5-15% and 15-25% for women. I have a 'body fat analyzer' scale, so it can tell me body fat (first I have to log in all kinds of info including how I voted in the last presidential election, I think). There are SO many things that make the reading fluctuate, though, that I don't take it very often. Recently I advised someone that if they get a body fat analyzer scale to take their body fat every day for a week to get a ballpark figure of where they are, then only take it once a week or once a month. It takes a LONG time to truly change your body fat percentage.

This just makes me think of a funny story that is indicative of my house. My body fat analyzer scale thinks "ideal" body fat is 25% -- so we have philosophical differences in that regard. It will also tell me, after it measures body fat, how many calories I am currently burning in an average day at my current weight, then it tells me my ideal weight (based on the fat % reading it just took) and how many calories I will burn at THAT weight. So, if my body fat % is ever UNDER 25%, my ideal weight is MORE than my current weight. So, I was telling Troy that my scale thought I needed to gain weight.
"Why?"
"Because it thinks I need to have a higher body fat % than I think I need."
"Of course it does."
"Which is why you are crazy about me."
"No, that's just why you are CRAZY. period."
He so doesn't buy into my obsession.

3) Calories required. Again, these are starting to get tougher. You need to know how many calories are required to keep your body movin' and shakin' in a day! There are all KIND of different formulas, tips, tricks, and hoops to jump through to try to figure this one out. THIS is the BEST calculator I have found for that. I have NO idea how accurate it is (it seems in line with most other sources) but it gives you SO much information -- how many calories, how many of what nutrient, etc. -- oh, and all of that information for if you are pregnant or lactating!

Obviously, if you know how many calories are required, you can figure out how many calories you need to lose weight (tip -- you need less), etc. Which brings us back to last week's fun post for Fitness Friday.

Other numbers that I will talk about later:

• times per week to exercise
• heart rate while exercising (tip -- you don't have to feel like you're dying!)
• length of time for an effective workout (tip -- it doesn't have to take all day!)

And on and on it goes. Knowledge is power! Keep learning!

Anyone out there have any questions for the next Fitness Friday?

Amazing

Fitness Friday is in the works: Know your numbers!

But, what does it say about us as a nation that this is the biggest news item this week? Yikes.

At one point I knew...

Grading spelling tests:

It's 'sauce', right? Not 'sause'??

Is it 'family' or 'familly'??

Is it 'awful' or 'awfull'??

I've seen it wrong (or was it 'rong'??) TOO many times!

I've Always Suspected

Charlie Gibson, from ABC World News Tonight must read my blog: Check out the story he ran tonight.

You already knew that information, didn't you?

They Call Me 'The Stirmanator'

It has not been an easy week in Room 24. Many of those situations that come from being in a different mindset than mine, different world, different household have come to light and been hurdles for us. Add to that some cold (was that last week or the week before that I said I don't get colds?) or something that only has me coughing when I lie down to try to sleep at night and I am emotionally and physically exhausted.

Yesterday, in getting geared up for what had the potential to be a tense parent conference, I put on something that looked nice (including my black pants) and because it was about 34* when I left the house, I threw on a black suit jacket. Even though the jacket was bought about 10 years before the pants, both being black, people assume I'm wearing some fancy suit-type thing when I put them on together. Then, because the sun was out for the first time in a month, I stuck my sunglasses on top of my head so that I would have them for recess because come what may, Room 24 was getting OUTSIDE in the sun!

The daily chaos began when the bell rang to come into the class and I was still juggling papers, welcoming kids, receiving signed papers when the perpetually-tardy Thing 1 came into class breathlessly asking if he was late. "No, sweetie, you still have 5 minutes. You did great today."

"Thanks. You look really beautiful, Mrs. Stirman. You look like, like, like a Secret Agent."

At that point I realized I still had my sunglasses on top of my head. God just continues to give me little blessed surprises amongst it all -- I did have a good laugh over being mistaken (by a 2nd grader, of course) for a secret agent while I was a 2nd grade teacher. Yeah, I get that a lot! HA!

The Way I See It

So I'm listening to this guy -- VERY interesting. But he is saying that I am far too "Western" (as in, hemisphere) in my interpretation of the Bible and I need to think like the Easterners because that is how it is written.

Then all the "experts" tell me that to teach effectively, I need to approach my class from their perspective and culture, which, statistically, means for my class I need to think like someone from single-income, single-parent, minority family.

Where do I sign up to think like a middle-class white girl, married with 2 kids and a dog because truly, that is my only area of expertise. I know, my world is too small but for the next 24 hours, can I please just keep it that way?

Dueling Zingers

Riley and I love puzzles. Ashley and Troy tolerate our card table full of puzzle and pieces. Lately Riley and I have been pouring over puzzles which gives us time to crack each other up.

Recently, he was eating an apple while working on the puzzle (ignore that if you have a "no food while puzzling" policy).

I said, "Ummm, Riley, your apple smells good."

Without missing a beat, he said, "Don't sweat it. There's better apples out there, Mom."

So I cracked HIM up when he was trying to explain to me why Ashley was being so vocal about the computer game she was playing. It's some kind of M&M's math game where you answer math problems going through the M&M's factory, I don't know.

He looked at the screen and said, "Well, she's at a checkpoint."

S -- "What's a checkpoint?"

R -- "It's where you go when you die."

S -- "So... it's like heaven for M&M's?"

R -- "Yeah, (laughing)... good one, Mom."

I got a "good one, Mom"!!!! One for mom!

Fitness Friday #5: Get In the Know

Alternate titles to this blog is: The Lazy Blog Author's Guide to Fitness, or Get Your Own Darn Information.

The internet has opened up an enormous world for all of us, and those looking for fitness helps are no exception. However, you have to proceed with caution about information on the internet. I mean, I'm giving out fitness information, for pity's sake! Trust your source! This is one of my favorite quotes:

"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." Robert Wilensky

He said it! Anyone with a keyboard can launch any information into cyberspace! I will try to steer you to some good websites that go in line with my third (and so far, final) mantra for Fitness Friday: Knowledge is Power (you KNOW you want to sing the School House Rock theme now! :-)

Fitness requires paying attention to many things: your current weight/ body fat percentage, how many calories your body requires, how many calories you're taking in, calories expended while exercising, as well as how hard you need to exercise for it to do any good. All of these things are information you need to be aware of so that you can take control of your own fitness. None of them are indictments about your current fitness level, they are simply information.

Some websites I have really utilized:

fitday.com -- I like all of the graphs and charts! Oooh -- and I LOVE that it's FREE!! You can track your daily weight, caloric and nutrient intake, and exercise/ calories burned -- or any combination of the three. I currently only track my weight -- my chart is making a nice ascent lately!

nutritiondata.com -- more FREE! You can find nutritional info for pretty much any food in existence on the planet. More graphs and charts (love those things! :-) You can also add foods to your "pantry", then, using foods from your pantry, determine the nutritional information of a recipe. Cool!

dietfacts.com has nutritional info about many restaurants. However, I generally just google the restaurant name + nutritional info and can come up with the restaurant's own nutritional info.

A great site if you are trying to boost your exercise level is coolrunning.com. I, personally, love their "Couch-to-5k Training Program!"

I'm not running much anymore, but mapmyrun.com will keep track of your distance walking with a clever little map!

Many other, non-free places are available if you would like specific guidance about your diet (and occasionally exercise). I utilized ishape.com for a while, but the "personalized" part of it was quite lacking and I basically used it like I now use fitday.com -- to record my weight and exercise.

weightwatchers.com is a place to be a member without ever attending a meeting. Great program, I'm too cheap to use the website (I've never paid for a meeting, either -- I use info you can find on the internet!) so I can't speak to it, but I feel certain it's great and I know people who have tremendous success using the web site.

ediets.com seems to be pretty good -- but I have no personal experience with it, nor know anyone who does.

All in all, there is EVERYTHING out there. Do you have any favorites I haven't mentioned?