Last week's goals

This is my third week doing this, and I'm lovin' it! I'm pretty sure this will become a weekly thing.

Goals for this week

1 hour walking with Nicole long story; I only did 15 minutes

1 hour body pump class with Sonoma DONE

1 hour zumba DONE

1 hour yoga or pilates DONE

1 hour step aerobics DONE

check saving sites daily (moneysavingmom.com, southernsavers.com, freebieshark.com, swagbucks.com) DONE (well, I did at least every other day, and that’s good enough)

write a new blog post DONE

read and think about chapters 6-13 of Shepherding A Child’s Heart DONE

finish reading Jungle Doctor to Ethan, start new book DONE

catch up on reading friends’ blogs DONE

read the book of Revelation (in preparation for reading The Lamb’s Supper) nope, got through 10 chapters

And here are this week's. But now that I've written them all out, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed...

Goals for this week

1 hour walking with Nicole

1 hour on air climber ??

1 hour zumba

1 hour yoga or pilates

1 hour step aerobics

run 5 miles ??

check saving sites daily (moneysavingmom.com, southernsavers.com, freebieshark.com, swagbucks.com)

write a blog post about Martha

finish Shepherding A Child’s Heart (chapters 14-19)

read chapters 2-8 of Jungle Doctor to Ethan

call Christie, Bridget, Silvina, and Karen to catch up

finish reading the book of Revelation

read 2 chapters of The Lamb’s Supper

read new Bible study chapter

read and do workbook pages for Bible study

do birdseed craft with boys

do painting craft with boys

do this: http://www.couponsavingsclub.com/facebook-couponsavings-campaign&channel=13306&network=10&campaign=iq37&page_position=SCLUB_CJFB&creative=CJBN300X250FB500KB&call_to_action=fb&site=3125087

pay credit card bill

call Verizon: can we make our monthly payment lower?

record last video of home videos!

research Saint Elizabeth

calls stamps.com and get a refund!

research karate or soccer for Ethan

label photographs and put them in the photo album

clean inside and outside of car (well, get Chad to do it)

buy movie tickets for The Hunger Games!!!!

get cash out of the bank on the 1^st or after for the next 2 weeks

goals

I'm a list person, people. I love me a list. And more than that, I love to cross things off my list. There is an immense sense of satisfaction in crossing it off. I decided that I need to start writing down the things I want to get done each week and maybe even blog about it, so that it will encourage me to complete them all.

So here are last week's goals.

1 hour zumba DONE

45 mins Cardio Max workout video, 15 mins hula hoop DONE

1 hour stair stepper DONE

1 hour step aerobics DONE

finish Where is That in the Bible? DONE

check saving sites daily(swagbucks.com, moneysavingmom.com, southernsavers.com, freebieshark.com) DONE

write a new blog post DONE

read RCIA papers DONE

pick up rings at the jewelers DONE

Have an indoor date with Chad DONE

Get a upromise card from Publix DONE

get out cash for the second paycheck DONE

watch old and new episode of Once Upon a Time DONE

not completed:

1 hour yoga or pilates um no, just plain too tired. I got through about 15 minutes, then went to take a nap instead

finish reading “Jungle Doctor” to Ethan no, we still have 5 chapters left

catch up on reading friends’ blogs not done

read and think about chapters 1-8 of Shepherding a Child's heart only got through 5 chapters

What are some of your goals for this week?

This is your house

This is your house:

This is your house with kids:
and that's not even very bad. Usually it looks more like a tornado came through.

Puddle Play = Strange Happiness

It rained for three days. Then there was a huge (as in 6 inches deep huge) puddle in front of our house by the road. On Monday afternoon, on the way to get Ethan from the bus stop, Benji looked longingly at it. I took about 3 seconds to think about and decided the mess would be worth it. "Benji, go stomp in that puddle!"I said, and he did.

The bus arrived, and Ethan got off. I encouraged Ethan to play it in too. He put down his backpack and ran in. They kicked the water around and chased each other through the water. Fiona got heavy, so I put her down next to a tiny puddle on the cement. I half-smiled as her pants and socks get muddy and her diaper bulged with water.

As I watched Ethan and Benji playing so happily, I felt something strange that I wish I could feel more often. My body couldn't help a genuine smile and a sigh of happiness. I felt completely happy for a moment. The kids were experiencing bliss, and by watching them experience it, I had it too. Pure bliss.

I even called my mother and said, "The boys are playing in a giant puddle, and it reminds me of my childhood. I have so many fond memories of playing in rain water and taking a shower under the gutter with my swim suit on. I'm so glad you weren't the kind of mother who said, 'Don't play in the dirt!' 'Don't get wet!' 'You'll ruin your clothes!'" We had lots of fun as kids, and didn't feel squelched in our playtime, and I still treasure those memories today.

I have tried for a long time to see particular moments as special moments, and then savor and treasure them. And I savored this one. I sighed again, and laughed at the boys, and how could I forget who allowed this: "God, thank you for this moment."

Once the laundry is clean, you can get it back, but missing a chance to create memories and have real fun ... ya can't get that back.

So, here's to lots more chances to savor sweet moments with our kids while they create a fond memory.

If you have a particular memory of your childhood that you treasure, or if you've recently created a new one, share it.

A Day in the Life of a Supermom

List of things I did today:

Cleaned up Benji and the bed after he wet the bed (6:40 am)

Played with the kids while still lying in bed

Got up and got me and the kids breakfast

First cup of coffee (7:30 am)

Cleaned up from breakfast

Did a little internet-ing on moneysavingmom.com

Took Fiona to the doctor (ear infection!)

Scoped out CVS Pharmacy next door so that I can start playing the drug store game soon

Picked up Fiona's prescription at Walmart

Came back home, got Benji and myself a snack

Started a movie for Benji

Tried to put Fiona down for a nap (unsuccessfully)

Started a load of laundry

Changed a lightbulb

Second cup of coffee while checking email (10:45 am)

Worked out 30 minutes (stair stepping and aerobics)

Put wet clothes in the dryer

Got Benji some lunch

Worked out another 30 minutes

Put Fiona down for a nap (12:15 pm)

Shower, contacts, and hair (12:30 pm)

Played trains with Benji for 30 minutes

Cleaned off back porch and organized the recycling while Benji played in a puddle

Cleaned off Benji after he threw up during a coughing fit

Cleaned vomit off back porch (1:30 pm)

Ate lunch

Got Fiona out of bed (1:35)

Read stories to and played with kids

Started putting away laundry that was already clean

Got Ethan from bus stop

Picked up Benji's friend Zae to come and play

Put into dryer clothes that got wet while walking back from bus stop

Finished putting away that clean laundry

Caught up in Fiona's baby calendar

Got the kids a snack (3:30 pm)

Played with kids in the back room

Cleaned the back bathroom

Straightened and vacuumed boys' room, my room, and Fiona's room

Blew bubbles with kids on back porch (5 pm)

Made dinner

Ate dinner

Cleaned a little in the kitchen

Put kids in bathtub and bathed them

Straightened and vacuumed living room

Got kids out of tub

Cleaned the kitchen

Made the boys finish their dinner

CHAD CAME HOME!!! (7:30 pm)

Finished this blog post

Chad put boys in bed and is now rocking Fiona, aaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Done.

How to Properly Begin the Christmas Season

1. DO A LITTLE BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING...

Yup, you're seeing that correctly. Ethan is getting a Nintendo DS for Christmas, but let it be known that it's pre-owned.
And Benji's getting a Leapster that I bought for half-price. Here's some games.
2. PAINT YOUR NAILS A HOLIDAY COLOR
Benji did this one for me. Don't worry; I fixed it later.
3. ENGAGE IN A LITTLE DECORATING
... and eat a few ornaments and Christmas hooks. They taste excellent.






P.S. I got all my decorations this year for 75 and 90% off from a little place going out of business. Talk about exciting!

4. BUST OUT THE CHRISTMAS MUSIC.
5. BEGIN ADVENT CELEBRATIONS AND ACTIVITIES ON SUNDAY.

What exactly is advent? you ask. Find out here.

Advent activities and ideas for children here.

This one is old, but it has some fun ideas too.

psychological connections to food

I think I might be addicted to food. No, seriously, for real. Read this article and tell me what you think. Any other thoughts on psychological connections to foods and cravings? Do you think you have the same issues? How do I start changing this? And I love cooking good food and then eating it, so how do I balance my hobby of cooking with this new information?

Confronting the Psychology of Food Addiction

When you think about an emotionally traumatic experience, like breaking up with your significant other, is your first impulse to eat something to calm down? Do you think about food when facing other stressful scenarios, such as talking to someone you don't particularly like, or even the idea of just getting through your day? If so, you are showing the classic signs of being addicted to food, and as a result, you are probably also overweight. If you resort to eating as way to combat your emotional stress, you have a dangerous psychological addiction that is affecting your physical health. But how do you overcome an addiction to something as necessary as food?
Food addiction, like other addictions, starts in the brain. Physical addiction is always much easier to cure than psychological addiction, because unlike physical addiction, psychological addiction is rooted deep within our neural pathways. We build profound emotional connections with our addiction. Every time we have a stressful feeling, we will automatically start thinking about eating to help combat that stress. This is the brutal truth of addiction.

In the case of food, we are surrounded by it all day, throughout the year. In fact, there are holidays set aside just for eating-such as Thanksgiving-that make food addiction an incredibly difficult disease to cure. How do we teach ourselves to think differently about food? If you will pardon the expression, cold turkey, when it comes to food addiction, is simply not possible. You need to keep eating to survive. But you need to learn how to eat to satisfy your hunger, not your emotional cravings.
As with any addiction, the first step in overcoming food addiction is learning to recognize that you are addicted to food. Once you've made this painfuladmission, your life will become much easier to control. You will begin to see clearly how you've been using food as a way to compensate for your emotions.
Of course, it is rare to be able to make this major breakthrough on your own. You may benefit from having other people to guide you through this process. Finding someone who can motivate you when you feel weak or tired, or when you feel you may be on the verge of a relapse, is invaluable. Learning how to eat in a healthy manner will take time, but it is not impossible. The most difficult step is in confronting the psychology of the addiction, and understanding just how deeply embedded it is.

Once you begin to separate eating from your emotions, you will begin to lose weight and feel better. You will discover that you have the power to control your life without food. You will no longer be ruled by the kitchen, the bathroom scale, or your emotions! The freedom and personal pride that you will experience will add joy to your life, and take inches off your waistline.


The author has many years of experience in theweight loss industry. He has delivered training on weight loss, smoking cessation, and other cognitive based programs.

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://lou.articlealley.com/confronting-the-psychology-of-food-addiction-1285543.html