Weekly Challenge: Get in the Picture

 Can I tell you what I see here? And can I be brutally honest?

I see "not photogenic."

I see weight to loose and stubborn pimples and a bad angle.

But you know what my son sees?

The night he drove his first car- on the race track at Disney World. 

And his mom there with him, sharing in the Best Night Ever. 

("Mom, now that you know I can drive one of these, you really should buy me one.")

And you know what? I'm learning to see things more like my son sees.  

(Read this article- The Mom Stays in the Picture)

Moms, it is so easy to be hard on ourselves, especially as we struggle with our weight and our health. It is easy to see ourselves AS those struggles (and failures!)  It is tempting to hide, hide from public, or at least hide from the camera, until we lose that weight or fix that problem.

But our children and those who love us-- they care far less than we do about all that.

They want to be with us now-- to make memories with us, now.

They love us now, extra weight and pimples and all.

They love us, now. Today.

Remember this, friends, as you work to get healthier.

You are lovely, loved.

So, please, just get in the picture.

Your challenge this week

Read this article:

The Mom Stays in the Picture

And

Get in the picture!!!

My big boy forgot to be a big boy on the bus,
and he fell asleep in my arms like a little baby.
So glad I was there to hold him.

I'd love to see some of your pictures this week!

  Email me or post them to my facebook page!

Do you hide from the camera?

Remember, you can read the rest of the series here,
and join the facebook group for extra support!

Weekly Challenge: Rest

Sometimes I reheat my coffee 4 times before I finally drink it. The same cup.
Why?
Because the urgent needs never stop.

The onslaught of urgent needs faced by a mother is tremendous.
They pester us, nag us, guilt us, and we respond by moving, working, running through our days trying to get stuff done.

One day, a child was sick.  He was so sick, he needed his mother. He begged me, he forced me to nap with him.

He forced me to rest. And that's what it felt like, truly, because my list was long.

And yet, God forced me to lay down in the afternoon.

And I wiggled and sighed in the grip of my vocation, next to my son on the bed.  The needs of my sick child trumped the urgent mess in the kitchen, so I did what I had to do, grudgingly.  Until his tiny snores caused me to look at his sleepy face. My eyes saw my son, comforted, and my body melted under the blankets.

And I rested.


How often I forget, that God is kind and good, making us rest, and promising our rest.
And rest is good for both body and soul.

Your challenge this week:

Rest.

Take a nap.
Rest.

Remember, we are weak and lovely. Wonderfully Made.

Our goal is not merely pounds lost, but health.  And healthy bodies need rest.

Need some inspiration to rest?
Are you like me, and you find it difficult to just stop, even when the work is not done?

Please, read this post:
The trouble with rest

Do you find it hard to rest?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Remember, you can read the rest of the series here,
and join the facebook group for extra support!

photo credit the shaky baker

Weekly Challenge: Remind yourself WHY

Are you still trying to make healthy changes?

So am I.  A few of the changes have been fun and rewarding, like finding new recipes the family loves, and starting to see the benefits of exercise.

But sometimes, it is hard to remember why I'm doing this-- like when we all get sick, or when I feel too tired to cook something that requires my brain and attention.  I'm still learning, and because I am still learning, cooking real food and healthy food does not seem easy or natural.

My kitchen is not running on auto-pilot.

After a period of learning and planning, it will get easier, I know it will. I will have a stockpile of healthy convenience foods in my freezer for our difficult weeks. I will know what staples I need, and prepare them regularly without thinking about it.  I will feel like we've been eating this way forever.

But I'm not there yet.
And some days, I want to forget the whole thing.

Personally, I think occasional fast food, processed foods, or treats are really not a big deal. We live in America, after all. We would have to check out of our culture completely to avoid these things in our diet, and I'm simply not willing to do that.

As the Queen of my Kitchen, I am allowed to bend my own rules, and I think that, too, is healthy.  But bending the rules often leads to a flood of cravings or temptation for convenience, in my children and in me as well. But as Queen, it is my job to keep our family on course, even after a holiday.

And I will be incapable of doing just that, if I cannot remember why I should.

This week's challenge:

Remind yourself why

Have you ever stopped at the grocery store in front of something delicious, thinking,

Why did I stop buying this or eating that? 
It looks so good, I just can't remember!

I need help remembering, lots of help, especially when I am tired or hungry.  I need God's help, and I need to be retold what He's already taught me.

So my challenge to you this week, as we continue to learn to be kind to our bodies, is to remind yourself why. Sit down for ten minutes and make a nice long list.

I'll post mine on Wednesday.

Why are you trying to be kind to your body?

If you are stuck, here are some prompts that might inspire you.

God, help me be kind to my body.  And help me to want to. And help me to remember why.

When I am kind to my body, I  ...
When I make healthy choices, I....
When I exercise, I ...
When I have extra energy, I ...

Weak and Lovely- Read the series here

Join our facebook group for extra support!

photo credit worksmartmomtreprenuers

Weekly Challenge: Chill

Woah, has this house been ransacked by bad guys looking for launch codes?

Nope. Mom just made dinner.

I tend to do things in a hurry. Everything.
If a have a moment to get something done, I need to do it in a hurry, before I get interrupted by the needs of a child. And so, I hurry. I hurry through everything.

This picture above is no joke. I really do serve dinner with the kitchen looking like this. (Drives my OCD husband and kids nuts, by the way. So they close the doors for me, eventually. In this way, their quirks enable my quirks to continue. It's a nice setup, really.)

Is this a picture of my mental state?
Is this a clue that I'm a little frazzled? A little rushed?

At the table, I'm out of breath.  And then, finally, finally everyone has what they need, prayers are said, and we eat. And I eat. In a hurry.

I really didn't know how bad I was about this until I noticed myself doing it one night when I was on a date with my husband. We were at Olive Garden, enjoying a relaxed evening together, but as soon as the food came, I started to hurry my way through it.

I was practically out of breath from eating so fast.
When I realized I was almost done and he had only had a few bites, I stopped myself.
Nobody is going to steal this food from you, self! Nobody is going to interrupt you needing a nose wiped or a diaper changed! Seriously, you need to just chill out!

Why is this so hard for me?
But it is!

A few weeks ago, someone in the Weak and Lovely facebook group mentioned that her goal for the week was to finish her meal after her daughter. (and this is quite a challenge, she said, as her daughter practically chews her milk!)

What a great idea! I thought.
How impossible! I thought.

So this brings me to your weekly challenge (and mine:)




Turns out this is important.
Here are just a couple reasons:

•  It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness.

(In fact, wolfing down meals could be enough to nearly double your risk of being overweight, according to a previous Japanese study.)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2064544/Why-eating-quickly-fast-track-early-grave.html#ixzz2KQvbFWXT
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook)

• If you eat slow, you might notice the other people eating with you, and have a conversation, even before your plate is empty! (How weird, I think!)

Read more:
Livestrong: Benefits of eating slow
Slow down you eat too fast

Weak and Lovely- Read the series here

Join our facebook group for extra support!

Do you find it hard to eat slowly like I do?

photo credit minimalWall

There must be one thing you can do right. [Monday's Challenge]

 I’ve been having this conversation with myself lately. I invite you to listen in.

Me: This healthy eating stuff is just too complicated.

There is no way to do it 100% right all the time. It’s just not possible.

I might as well just eat what I crave and stop worrying about it.

The other me: What do you crave?

Junk food.

Did you know that eating junk food is likely to make you crave more junk food?

Uh, yes, I know that very well. I’ve been living it.